Tom Kelley is the General Manager of IDEO, a design firm that has created some of the most successful and well-often used products, such as the first Apple mouse, Polaroids I-Zone instant camera, the Palm V pilot, the Crest Neat Squeeze standup toothpaste tube, and the Oral-B soft grip kids toothbrush. The company is known for its innovation, cutting-edge design, and attention to how products are used in real-life situations. His new book is The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, Americas Leading Design Firm.
J.J. Johnson, a pioneer of the modern jazz trombone died Sunday at his home in Indianapolis. He was 77. It was an apparent suicide. Johnson was considered the definitive trombonist of the bebop generation. He played with the Count Basie Orchestra, Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, Wood Herman, and Miles Davis, often balancing that with leading his own band. Later in life, Johnson moved to Hollywood to work as a composer and arranger for television.