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This past Thursday we celebrated the launch of Issue 11 at the Nokia Research Center.

Many thanks to everyone who came to our Issue 11 “Space” launch party at Nokia this past Thursday. It was wonderful to see both long-time supporters and new faces yesterday — we always enjoy seeing the Ambidextrous community grow!

Check out our pictures from the party on Flickr!

If your don’t have a copy of “Space” already, you can still buy one online. You can also support us by subscribing to ensure we have future launch parties, and sharing issues with your friends, family and co-workers. Follow us on Twitter and join our fan group on Facebook for the latest updates and news.

Come talk about: Robots in Space * Getting Lost * White Space * Holodeck * Origami * Designer Workspaces * Prelinger Library * Coziness

There will be tasty treats to snack on, food for thought to munch on, and the best company the Bay Area’s design community has to offer.

The AMBIDEXTROUS launch party will be at the Nokia Research Center in Palo Alto from 6-9pm. RSVP now! 

Issue 11 is hot off the press, and we’ve launched a digital version of the issue as well, for our readers to preview the issue.

Of course, don’t forget the wonderful advantages of our beautiful printed version, and sign up for a subscription today!

A big thank you to our beloved Ambidextrous community for your continual support, and for spreading the word.

The 2009 World Beard and Moustache Championships is scheduled for this Saturday in Anchorage, Alaska.  You still have time to book your flights.

Frequent Ambi contributor Hugh Musick talked to Phil Olsen, the self-appointed captain of Beard Team USA in the Ambidextrous Spring 2008 Developing Issue in an Thinking article entitled The Hair of Their Chinny Chin Chins.  Phil talks about his personal approach:

I prefer boldness over extravagance.  My full beard has grown practically untrimmed for years. I mold it into a bold,  solid, symmetrical shape that I think makes a statement. more

Good luck to Phil and Beard Team USA!

Diego Rodriguez of the d.school and IDEO has started a list of 21 Principles of Innovation on his Metacool blog. He’s posting them one-by-one and is currently at 11 of 21:

1. Experience the world instead of talking about experiencing the world >
2. See and hear with the mind of a child >
3. Always ask: “How do we want people to feel after they experience this?” >
4. Prototype as if you are right. Listen as if you are wrong. >
5. Anything can be prototyped. You can prototype with anything. >
6. Live life at the intersection >
7. Develop a taste for the many flavors of innovation >
8. Most new ideas aren’t >
9. Killing good ideas is a good idea >
10. Baby steps often lead to big leaps >
11. Everyone needs time to innovate >
12. -  21. …

I have money down on “Preserving Ambiguity” for one of the remaining 10 items (and hope the list of 21 is actually 20).

Dr. Jon Cagan of Carnegie Mellon is talking at Stanford as the 2nd speaker in the spring Liu Lecture series this Monday, May 4 in Building 320 (Geology Corner) Room 105 at 8pm.

Dr. Cagan is the director of Carnegie Mellon University’s graduate program in Product Development and a distinguished professor in the department of Mechanical Engineering. Cagan has written two fantastic books on the topic of product development: Creating Breakthrough Products and The Design of Things to Come. Both books skillfully navigate the arc from the fuzzy front end of product development all the way up to program approval. The texts also bridge the chasm between qualitative and quantitative values in a way that is actually understandable. His Liu Lecture will be about the emerging research in the creative Design process and the role of emotion in product usage.

More information about the Liu Lecture series is at http://liulectures.blogspot.com/.  The next speaker is Alex Wipperfürth of Dial House on Thursday, May 21st.

The New York Times has a piece on “Designing through the Depression” with lots of thoughts about how (and why… and what) to design when times are tough.

The McKinsey Quarterly has an interview with Alberto Alessi (requires registration), and is the third-generation Alessi to head up the (now infamous) Alessi design house.  Alessi’s designs tend to be playful, clever, and punny (like the “Mandarin” Orange Juicer):

Alessi specializes in industrial design, and not necessarily a human-centered approach.  That said, he talks about how the company has continued to stay creative over the past 80+ years.

Stay up-to-date on our process and brainstorms for upcoming issue themes and article ideas on Twitter! Follow us via AmbidextrousMag.

If you are looking for a Pi Day party to attend, go visit the Exploratorium on Saturday. Pi Day founder Larry Shaw will be there along with slices of scrumptious pie to eat, pizza dough tossing demonstrations, and a Pi Procession!

For details, go to the Exploratorium website.