This is where I rant, ramble, or report the goings-on in my life, profession, or the world at large.
Travel, photography, kitsch, and design -- just about any topic is likely to make an appearance. So
while I'm chewing the cud, why don't you chime in with a thought or two of your own. I'd love to
hear what you've got to say.
An interactive mirror, the brainchild of Alpay Kasal of Lit Studios and Sam Ewen of Interference Inc., is an interesting example of how touch and gestural interfaces are likely to become staples in our daily lives. Having worked on what is now growing to be several Microsoft Surface projects, I am always curious to see how the evolving technology will come to be used. This example is both fun and engaging, but I can see an interactive mirror having more practical applications.
For example, if this mirror were in my bathroom, I’d like it to include a clock. That’s pretty obvious but what if it also kept you informed of when the next bus was arriving at your stop? What if it displayed your scheduled meetings for the day, showed new messages from your email inbox, and made sure you were dressing (or styling your hair) appropriately for the weather? If you lived with someone you could share messages and gentle reminders with one another. If you were dieting or working towards some other goal, you could track your progress while it gave you encouragement. I see this as being less of a distraction or entertainment piece than as a tool to support you for the day ahead. All these ideas already exist both online and offline but once we have a truly integrated, ubiquitous approach, we will be able to truly leverage these emerging technologies for their connectedness and productivity.
The NYTimes.com Visualization Lab recently announced it’s partnership with IBM’s Many Eyes. One does a great job at illustrating complex data visually in unique, compelling, and universal ways; the other provides the incredible tools to do so. I took a class a while back on data manipulation where the weekly assignments were produced using Many Eyes. It was a challenging class and I was no natural but I loved the possibilities that Many Eyes provided. Now I can continue to appreciate Many Eyes as it pairs up great content and great design.
Below is a Wordle of Barack Obama’s DNC Acceptance Speech.
This is what I do on my weekends. What do you do? Betcha it doesn’t top this! (Don’t worry, no cats were harmed in the snapping of these photos…well, maybe their egos, but, they’ll recover.)
Yesterday I spent a few minutes enjoying an exceptionally beautiful day at Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, otherwise known as the Ballard Docks. It’s a great place with plenty of park for picnics, leisurely strolls, and biking. I really enjoyed the dynamic of a very industrial place, including shipments by boat and train, alongside a lush park full of birds and other assorted wildlife. I could go into that great life metaphor which is the salmon migration (aided by a fish ladder at the docks), but I feel I’ve already met my “warm fuzzies” quotient for the day.
In addition to enjoying the park, I also had fun with a new iPhone app called CameraBag. Aside from some extended manual controls for file size, the real fun is the filters it applies to your images, making them much cooler than they really are. Below are some examples of the “Helga” filter, which is based on the style of image for which the toy camera, Holga, is most known. The snapshots turned out great except for a few which seemed skewed. I can’t quite tell if it’s the camera or the filter but I’m guessing it’s the latter of the two.
While visiting Portland, I took in some of the sites and snapped a few shots of poster remnants. When I have the time or inspiration I may process a few more, in the meantime, here’s what I have so far.
