Thursday, March 27, 2008

Interesting Placement


I saw these two signs while waiting for the subway at Porter Square in Cambridge. One is promoting alcohol as the life of the party. The other one is advertising it as a killer. I wonder which sign went up first.

The Distracting Internet


This picture just cracks me up every time I look at it. I love how there is a birthday cake and jets flying in the background.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Addressing my Poor Cell Phone Etiquette


The mantra "The User is Not Like Me" sometimes makes me wish the user was like me so that products would be designed to fit my strange behavior. One of these strange behaviors is that I always have my cell phone on vibrate, no matter if I am in a quiet environment or not. I usually have my cell phone in my purse (sometimes in my pocket), and I don't have a landline phone at home. Needless to say, I miss probably 90% of my calls, and this includes the important one. While I find that my phone's vibrate setting is loud enough to wake me up in the morning, I frequently miss incoming calls even when the phone is in my pocket. This mainly happens when I'm on the go- either walking around or on my bike.

At last, I have decided to do my friends a favor and try to address my problem of frequent missed calls. I Googled "cell phone call notification bluetooth wristband" and found out about two products: BlueQ and the LM959. This reminds me again of why I love Google- you can think of something you'd like to design, and chances are if you google for it, you will find it already exists.

These two products are designed for the same function: they vibrate to let you know when you are recieving an incoming call. Each device communicates with your cell phone via bluetooth. You need to recharge them with your computer via a USB adaptor. The BlueQ looks more comfortable, and you can create your own skins for it with a downloadable template. The LM959 looks like it sounds- very high tech. Because of its design, I would not want to wear the LM959. Ideally, I would like something that was made out of soft fabric that I could easily attrach underneath an existing bracelet. I wear a lot of cuff bracelets, and this type of detachable design would easily mesh with my accessories.

While I like the BlueQ's aesthetics better than the LM959, I'm not sure when it will be out on the market. A few websites say "later this month" but that was back in July 2007. I emailed BlueQ; I'm hoping they will let me evaluate one.

Friday, February 29, 2008

Google Amazes Me



I recently noticed that my Google Map searches have been providing 360 degree views of the location, which is quite fantastic. Two days ago I was booking a hotel in San Francisco and wanted to see what the area looked like. Since the hotel's website and most other resources only provided images of the front of the hotel, lobby, and rooms, I had the impression that the hotel was on a quiet, one way street. Thanks to Google, I now have an accurate picture of what the area looks like. When I enter the address in Google Maps, I am given an image that provides 360 navigate- I can look up, down, and.... all around! I discovered that the hotel is actually on a busy street.

I then looked up my home address and found a similar 360 view of my house and street! I was surprised to not see any cars in the drive way. I then discovered that when I zoom away, I see a parked car. When I zoom in, the car is gone. I wonder if this is because the images were taken at different times, of if Google is editing some images to provide privacy.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Cheese Tasting 4: Clochette


This is my favorite cheese thus far. Clochette is a French goat's milk cheese with a very interesting 'brain texture' like rind. I bought it shaped like a bell. It's incredibly creamy, but has a distinct moldy yet smooth flavor. It pairs well with chocolate, crackers, wine, fruit. But, I mainly ate it alone.

Today I came across a great site for Cheese lovers: www.ilovecheese.co.uk. It has an interested section "Cheeses of the World" which lists countries and the cheeses they created.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Delivering Presentations


I watched the Tom Cruise video that has been creating buzz lately. I was quite impressed. Not by what he was saying or the words he used, but his delivery style. The way he expressed himself, the way he used pauses, and his facial expressions show off his expertise in acting. This video could be used to teach students how to deliver effective speeches. I remember one presentation I gave in grad school and I was so tired from preparing for the presentation the night before that I just wasn't into putting energy into the presentation. And the teacher commented on this. He said you have to act excited about what you are saying, which will influence the audience into paying attention to you. Tom Cruise does this perfectly; he's very excited about what he is saying. After my lesson in grad school, when I give presentations, I do my best to mask my anxiety or tiredness and pretend I am on a stage acting.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Update: ID Verification Needed for Stop & Shop's new 'Personal Check-Out Tool'


I've been using Stop & Shop's personal Check-Out tool once a week for a few months now. An interesting thing happened last week when I went shopping. When you pick up the Check-Out tool, you first need to scan your personal Stop & Shop card. I usually find this difficult, because the scanner is at a strange angle and it normally takes a few tries and randomly pushing buttons before it works. As I was doing this, a guy next to me was just putting his Check-Out tool away and since I must have looked like a new-bee, he asked if I needed help. I was curious as to what his trick would be, so I acted like I had never used the tool before and said 'OK.' He also had difficulty scanning my card, so then went ahead and entered the number on the back manually. He was a rough looking guy, with an unshaven face and a couple gold earings with a matching gravely voice. As he slowly entered in the numbers, I kept hoping he wouldn't make a mistake, since I was in a hurry. But, when he was finished, the number worked and I was able to get a Check-Out tool. He then showed me a special button on the device that will let you scroll through all the deals that Stop & Shop was offering to those who use the Check-Out tool. He went on to explain that I could get 24 cans of Coca-Cola on sale... I didn't have the heart to tell him that I don't drink soda and he shouldn't either if he wants to preserve his health, so I just replied, 'That's great!' I was impressed by his excitement of this device, and his excitement to teach others how to use it.

I then thanked him for his help and went along with my shopping. I still don't know the product code for loose carrots. It isn't on the list, so I just waited until I could ask an employee. When I was finished with my shopping, I had to again scan my Stop & Shop card. It still would not register, and an employee came over to help. I think I strongly give the impression that I am always in need of help. But, I quite enjoy watching what other peoples' approaches are. Not surpisingly, the employee could not get it to work either. And then I realized that the guy who had manually entered the number must have entered the wrong number. I did not tell the employee this. The manager came over and was shocked that my card did not work. She said she had never seen this happen. The employee then had to scan all my groceries once again. Lesson learned: Stop & Shop needs an easier way to scan in your Stop & Shop cards, and if you have to manually enter in your card's number, it should ask you to verify your name or address as well.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Belkin Rockstar


In March, Belkin is coming out with a device to enable multiple people to listen to one or more iPod(s)- or other MP3 player. It can also be used as a song mixer: there is a toggle button on each input to change between input and output. So, if you want to add a little Beyonce to the Beattles, you simply switch on the Beyonce ipod and switch off the Beattles. Well, I'm just guessing. I'll buy one for my brother when it comes out and let you know how well it 'actually' works.

It looks pretty cool though, and I could imagine it being quite popular on school bus trips.