The first issue of Cerebral Interviews is out. All those that subscribed, please check your spam folders just in case you got a confirmation email, or the email itself in there. For this first issue, I’m going to be posting it around the same time. In the future, this will only be posted onto the site 1 month after the newsletter.

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##Cerebral Interviews
Issue 01 - Vol 01 - Jan 2012

###A Word In Your Ear
Cerebral Interviews attempts to capture the pop culture zeitgeist throughout the month. Published at the end of every month. 12 newsletters in 2012. No more, no less.

If you’ve got any comments or want to share, you can contact me via twitter or by replying directly to this email. You can also continue the discussion of any of the points below on the dedicated Facebook page.

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Thanks for reading,

Khaled Abou Alfa
January 2012
www.brokenkode.com

###The Year of the Dragon
Chinese new years was celebrated on the 23rd of January, which began the year of the dragon. As there are 12 animals to cycle through, this event comes along once every 12 years. So go celebrate…by making some dragon babies.

###App of the Month
Reading Trainer is an app which improves your reading speed and information retention. The more you use it the better you become.

###Architecture
This museum by Daniel Libeskind caught my eye, although probably not for all the right reasons.

###Animation
DC Nation Aardman short indent for the Cartoon Network block of cartoons based on DC Comics characters - cute.

###Books
The Someday Funnies is finally in print (even says so on the cover as well). This is the long-awaited collection of comic strips created in the early 1970s by world-famous artists and writers such as C. C. Beck, René Goscinny, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby, Moebius, Art Spiegelman, and Gahan Wilson.

###Comics
DC Comics has updated their logo, with a definite departure from their previous mark. While the long standing DC Bullet logo was replaced with a refresh in 2005, this update is very different. The original leaked designs didn’t show how this logo would ultimately be used, however once the official designs were presented, the reviews have been mostly positive. Finally, one of my design heroes, Rhian Hughes weighs in on the redesign as well.

Maybe not as high profile, and with a nod to their previous logo, indie comics publisher Oni Press has also updated their logo. Here’s a poster treatment that I thought was very bold and strong.

###Design
How do you follow up leading the Apple stores that are now scattered across the world? You become the CEO of JCPenny’s of course. At least that’s the route that former Apple SVP Ron Johnson took. He’s been at the helm for 3 months now, and the fruits of his labour are now starting to appear. This advert is seen by many as Ron’s ‘Think Different’ campaign. Here’s an interview with Ron. And then there’s that new logo.

###Football
Thierry Henry returns to Arsenal, and scores in his opening match. Not so sure about that beard.

###Formula One
Speaking of comebacks, we got to see Kimi Räikkönen back in a Formula 1 car. Will his comeback be as lukewarm as Michael Schumacher’s? At least he didn’t grow a beard.

The Caterham F1 team were the first to reveal what the new 2012 spec Formula 1 cars might look like (more photos here, and here). Here’s an interview with Chief Technical Officer Mike Gascoyne and team owner Tony Fernandes.

###Gadgets
This iPad stand caught my eye as something Apple would (or even should) have created.

###Movies
Tintin won ‘Best Animated Feature Film’ at the Golden Globe awards…and Spielberg forgot to thank Hergé …twat.

The Oscar 2012 nominations are in. As expected ‘The Artist’ got a ton of nominations (scoring 10 nominations), but surprisingly, so did ‘Hugo’ (claiming 11 nominations). Hugo is directed by Martin Scorsese.

###Software
Apple has released their iBook creation tool, iBooks Author. Here is a run down of the various features that you should be aware of, but beware of the Apple EULA (End User License Agreement) and make sure you understand what you’re signing up for. If you’re happy to jump in but wondering what to write about, here’s a list of ideas for you to consider.

###Tech
Kodak files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. and has set up a website detailing it’s future course. For more on what Chapter 11 Bankruptcy means, obviously head on over to wikipedia. I remember when Marvel comics filed for Chapter 11 in the mid 90s (December 1996 to be exact). They eventually came out much much stronger, by creating Marvel Studios and then were sold off to Disney. So there might be a silver lining for Kodak in the future. It definitely has the brand name behind it.

RIM finally replaces both CEOs. This is only really relevant as it could either mark the beginning of the end of RIM and all it’s Blackberry devices, or it could pave the way for a bold new era. Personally, I don’t care either way, but I’m not very optimistic about the future of RIM, and I’m not alone.

###Tennis
Novak Djokovic (and that carpet of hair he’s got on his head) beat Rafa Nadal at the Australian Open after a thrilling 6 hour long match - longest in Grand Slam history). His fifth grand slam.

###Websites
DuckDuckGo is a relative newcomer to the world of search (been out and about for a few years now). The logo is ugly as sin, and I find that the colour palette they’ve chosen is pretty..stark, but there’s something about these guys that reminds of Google back in the good old days; you know, before they became too big for their boots. The founder Gabriel Weinberg can be found on his site.

I’ve finally launched a Tumblog. Head on over to Distorted Lenses for a stream of images to feed your imagination.

Cerebral Interviews copyright © 2012 Khaled Abou Alfa