ste!!a gassaway: unpredictable thoughts

The black version is really a favorite but this one has two outlets! Sometimes analog is just sooo much better than digital. Loved these timers from the first time I used one in a darkroom. Sweet.

On my wish list for projects and installations.

This video is being shared all over the place as the next coming. Not all that imaginative. These are all pretty simplistic ways of adding interactivity once you have a touch screen. So, will you care after the first three times you use it? Will you want to interact with content this way on a regular basis?

How will a reader be able to avoid the advertising is the question that comes to mind. Will advertisers want to invest the resources needed to make advertising for these kind of publications? Advertisers a consistent model to build ads. For pricing and production. Seems like a big barrier.

With each publication designing it’s own interactivity where is the common interface?

Just not convinced that this particular model is sustainable.

OK. Now we’re talking.

I would buy this device. I know it only does books – a one trick pony. But it let’s you lend your books to others and it doesn’t look like a Texas Instruments calculator. This device looks like BN hired some product designers and some interface designers, and a marketing crew that knows how to do point-of-purchase.

Barnes and Noble have listened to the criticism of the Kindle and have brought a more sophisticated and attractive device into the fray.

• The price is reasonable from the start.
• Design is clean.
• Multi-touch.
• Color navigation panel (for swiping through book covers, a la iTunes)
• You can buy it in a BN store. (many distribution points – one a few blocks from me)
• You can browse digital books
• You can lend your book to others on a number of devices
• It has a memory expansion slot
• It can play MP3′s
• It can read PDF’s (essential)

Did I mention that the design is clean? The device is a bit thicker and weighs more than the Kindle. The other important part is moving away from proprietary formats.

Lending is good.

I’ll be heading down to the Barnes and Noble to check it out. I’ll let you know if I am as impressed when I can touch it.

—–

What kind of drawing and painting tools are available for artists in a digital space? I don’t know. Because sometimes I actually am under a rock. Why didn’t I know about this cool app so I could vote for it in the Webby’s? Sometimes you just miss cool stuff until most people think it’s old and tired. Well, It’s new to me. Here is a cool app where you can get your inner Pollock out.

I spent hours playing with this software toy. You probably will too.

wikipedia:
Paul Jackson Pollock (January 28, 1912 – August 11, 1956) was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement.
see the article here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock

How about making the paintings on your iPhone? Here’s a little movie of the application in action.

Try it or download the iPhone app here : http://jacksonpollock.org/

Been working on the design of the new Heavybubble HQ. This space will server as studio, HQ, and gallery for exhibitions. This is one of my earlier renderings using the marvelous free SketchUp from Google. To see more of the design process of the new space head over to the artlog.

This is the story of trying to get high speed internet access where i live in philadelphia.

Let’s start with Verizon.
Call them up. Give them the address. Can’t find the address in their database. Hmmm. We’d like to see if we can get FIOS. Waiting on hold. Time passes. The rep can’t find our address. Three people have lived there before us. Still can’t find our address.

Ok so no Verizon. If they don’t even know our address that spells bad news for the whole process.

Try Comcast. (I can’t stand Comcast. I don’t like their identity, I don’t like their new building, I don’t like that they got a huge tax break to build it. I don’t like their culture.) But, I need high speed internet service. No television, just internet.

Ok, they know our address. They’ll have someone out to install tomorrow at 11 am. They’ll bill us. Excellent.

We’re moving and our internet service will be up and running before we move in. This is terrific. While unpacking we can work from home. Cross that off the list.

Ok, I’m packing and my partner is at the new location to talk to the painters and wait for the Comcast guy/woman. Believe it or not the guy shows up on time. Ok, lets hook ya up he says.

Bad news.

Cable isn’t run to our new abode. It’s out on the pole but they can’t run it from the pole. New construction has to run it underground and it’s in our courtyard somewhere. History is that Comcast have been out five other times to try to hook up cable. Somehow our cable has been paved over. We could pay to dig and find it. I don’t think so. We rent.

Now what to do? How can this be. This is America we have telecom competition that’s better for customers. We get choice.

I won’t rant on how I think telecom is a public utility. But what am I to think when no one really wants to make an effort to give me service?

I call CTO Phil. Mr. IvesDigital.
He says EVDO.

Hmmm, this is a very interesting alternative. This means I can take my network connect to places that don’t have free wireless internet. This is a REALLY GOOD idea.

Now I can stop freaking out.

Margaret goes to the Verizon store. She gets an EVDO card, she buys a plan and she heads to the office. We install the software and plug in the card. We put in the password.

We’re on the net!

Sharing my airport network.

Tags: EVDO, IvesDigital, telecom, internet,

Do you use these lightbulbs? Do you like the light they cast? What do you when one breaks? Got any small childeren?

I’ll answer first. No I don’t use them. No I don’t like the light. Don’t have to worry about it. No kids.

Did you know these bulbs contain mercury? You may remember that thermometers with mercury were banned. Ok so it’s only a little bit of mercury, but a little bit is more than enough. Mercury does not go away. Don’t want to eat fish with Mercury do ya? When the bulb breaks the mercury is released into the air… yep.

With congressional mandates we’ll be seeing lots more of them.

I hate these things. Not because of what they look like I think the physical shape is sort of cool. I hate them because people can’t even recycle or dispose of glass bottles or paint cans – just imagine millions of these poison light bulbs.

I’m stocking up on incandescent bulbs.

Tags: mercury, bulbs, light, recycling, greenish, environmental

The first time that the people that made the Bernoulli Box became iomega with removable drives that were all about YOUR STUFF I thought their was some very savvy thinking about the desires or consumers. Then the CD burner came into being and smashed their success in the portable storage marketspace. Well, It looks like Iomega is returning to its old smart self creating a very desirable, very sexy new ego 320 GB hard drive. The reviews I’ve read are very good and the drive is exceptionally good looking.

It reminds me of a flask with something warm inside for when the cold winds blow. Or maybe a cigarette/cigar case — something very personal. The kind of gift you give to someone you are very fond of, something to inscribe.

This is a product with a very interesting emotional connection.

Tags: hardware, hard drive, fire wire, iomega, usb, design, red, desirable

The Boston Globe and 140 Seconds on Twitter

In case you haven’t seen it yet, Twitter is a micro-sharing website
where you describe in 140 characters or less what you’re up to. You can
send and receive messages via SMS (text messages) on your phone,
through Twitter’s website and third-party applications such as Twitterific.
If you want to talk “with” someone on Twitter, you add @theirusername
to the front of the message and it shows up in the person’s replies
tab. This was a feature that was added several months after Twitter
first launched in 2006 based upon how people ended up actually using
the service. That’s been the consistent story for Twitter — it’s
definitely evolved beyond “I’m making an omelet for breakfast” to now
include sharing info about late breaking news, making plans with a group of cohorts, etc.

BTW, Biz Stone is a co-founder of twitter.

This is a great place to experiment in the social network space. It’s sorta like it use to be in the old days. Sorta free wheeling, unexpected, and fun.

Tags: twitter.SMS, social networks, culture, 140, technology

MobileMe Update

We have already made many improvements to MobileMe, but we still have many more to make. To recognize our users’ patience, we are giving every MobileMe subscriber as of today a free 60 day extension. This is in addition to the one month extension most subscribers have already received. We are working very hard to make MobileMe a great service we can all be proud of. We know that MobileMe’s launch has not been our finest hour, and we truly appreciate your patience as we turn this around. Read this article for more details.

The MobileMe Team

No this hasn’t been Apple’s finest hour.
I still haven’t purchased my iphone.

I will when its right.

I don’t get my voice mail from ATT now I just can imagine what life will be at the premium price they want for their swiss cheese service they call 3G.

Tags: apple, iphone, mobileme, technology

Found out about the California quake watching my twitterific widget.

Tags: twitter, earthquake, california

We all have these moments. This is my friend Becky having one. It turned out well for her in the end. I just wonder whose laptop she’s using. Isn’t it a shame when we have difficulty with a childs laptop. It’s really cool to be able to share video easily on flickr.

How much more can we stand? I was waiting for announcement of the iPhone 3G and it happened. Now all I get is email messages about how the iPhone is coming, the iPhone is coming. You can read : How to hand-down your old iPhone after upgrading to iPhone 3G, Moving to iPhone 3G: a guide for current and non-current AT&T customers, New and old AT&T iPhone plans compared, cost increases detailed, AT&T announces iPhone 3G plans, 8 a.m. launch time on July 11.

I’m dizzy from “if it’s wednesday and a full moon and you were previously a friends and family customer” you can expect to pay up to 50% more on your ATT bill.

Well, maybe an iPhone just isn’t want I am longing for anymore. It’s just not any fun. Who wants to go into the braintrust they call the ATT store? Who wants to figure it all out? Sorry no SMS messages are included with your plan.

I would have rather payed 500 dollars for the iphone and known the ATT couldn’t do this lets screw the customers again routine. Apple and their exclusive deal sucks. I’m out. Too much money. I can open my browser and play my music from my laptop thank you.

I just say no.

Somehow this reminds me of the new gallon milk carton that you need instruction to use. I guess that’s another post.

Tags: iphone, ATT, pricing, launch