tech

dark restaurant

Here’s something I would have never thought up….serving dinner in total darkness as a restaurant theme. I love the idea of heightning your senses for food, but I wonder how many times I would flip food into my face or nose. I guess I’d avoid the noodles or soups and hot BBQ plates. Otherwise, I wonder if the users eat like blind cavemen using their hands. A dark room food fight with thousands of marshmellows could be fun.

“The first dark restaurant in Asia is officially opened on the 23 December 2006. This restaurant, located in Beijing, China, has its interior painted completely black. Customers are greeted by a brightly lit entrance hall and will be escorted by waiters wearing night vision goggles into the pitch dark dining room to help them find their seats. Flashlights, mobile phones and even luminous watches are prohibited while in this area.

The meal will be taken in this environment with the complete loss of vision. By starving one’s sense, your other senses are stimulated to full alert – all so the theory goes – and your food will taste like it’s never tasted before. In case you are wondering about the washrooms, they are all brightly lit. Link [in Chinese] ”

via neatorama

adidas green screen shoesI’m not sure how useful this is but it’s a definite step in trying on products virtually.

“A new technology puts an end to the tedious business of buying shoes: Customers can now try on a variety of models in front of a virtual mirror without changing their shoes. They can navigate through the collection by simply pointing at products on a computer screen.

A Paris shop has put an end to the tiresome procedure of putting on and taking off shoes: Instead of trying on dozens of pairs, the customer simply stands in front of a virtual mirror. On his foot, he can see his favorite model with the red stripes, he then selects the gold leather alternative for comparison. ”

I’m not sure when I’d actually use this type of tech as a deciding factor since I’m the tangible type that’s got to get the product in my hands, but then again, I buy stuff online now without touching them, sometimes hating what I receive, then getting too lazy to return anything. Virtual haircuts, makeup sessions, workouts, cloths, jewelry, watches, shoes, socks, etc… who knows.. this kind of tech reminds me of that Epcot center ride that projects an interactive ghost next to you towards the end of the ride and you kind of freak out since nothing appears next to you physically but in the mirror exists some weirdo pricking your hair and scratching your head.

Read the rest of the article via physorg

ted2007

I’m back from the mind-boggling TED conference and am detoxing my brain from the incredible stories, experiences, and knowledge shared by the hundreds of shakers and movers present there. My minds exhausted and happy while my bodies trying to catch up all at once. As usual, I’ll point to Tom, Ethan, and Brunos blogs for their incredible recap on the TED speakers this year. As I slowly absorb and digest the many wonders of TED I’ll post them on up with my thoughts. For now, I’ll post a few glimpse of my journey there.

Overall, the TED Experience was incredible as usual with a diverse crowd of individuals craving to learn more about every topic imaginable. There was a new simulcast room with HD plasmas hovering over beds and comfy bean bags, a new chocolate tasting section which was oooo so yummy and satisfying thanks to Vosges, a few demo booths by various sponsors, a big gift bag, a cool IT help desk, an amazing photography studio, an addictive Google Snack bar, and much more. One thing I missed was the Aquarium party that usually happens on Friday night but was instead moved to Tuesday night for the speakers party hosted by Google. This years Grand party took place in an airport hanger which was cool, but by no means as magical as the Aquarium. The after Conference Beach party was very good as previous years ended with no party. I could go on and on about this years event, but much like JJ Abrams comments on his magical box, I’ll keep that to a mystery but post a few pics for a glimpse of my experience. Enjoy!

Continue Reading

ted conference 2007

I’m off to my 5th inspirational brain safari known as the TED Conference (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) over in Monterey, CA this week. This years speakers list is pretty damn amazing but as usual the conversations with attendees into the late nights will be the most memorable.
If you have not had a chance to dive into the world of TED you can catch a glimpse through TEDtalks (my selected picks here) or by exploring their site. I’ll post the captivating daily speaker schedule after the jump though the interactive one on their site is a bit more useful.
Continue Reading

stumble uponslidebebomeebowikia

joostdabblemetacaferevision3bliptv

fonloopttinymobiosoonr

turnadifyadmobspot runnervitrue

success factorsjanrainreardenlogoworkssimulscribe
Here’s a great inspirational article/list of 25 online start-ups to watch out for this year. If your an entrepreneur craving to see what’s hot in the web world then this is a must see list. Some services I live by, some I’ve never heard of…Time to start up the trial engine this weekend.

CNN’s article here and slideshow of all the groups here. I’ll post all the start-ups briefs after the jump.

Continue Reading

laser tag graffiti research lab
Here’s another amazing project and video by the beloved urban communicators “Graffiti Research Lab” making a slick and beautiful interaction between a user, a simple green laser pointer, a projector, and some code! This is projected graffiti at it’s best! Here’s a nice Flickr collection from the project. I’m all for making art on buildings with projectors since there’s no damage done though I’m sure a huge flicker of light into your office space can be crazy annoying when your panicking to finish up a deadline without distrations…oh well. Keep it rock’n ya’ll!

Last week, Jetblue had a hell of a time with all the news spreading around about the horrific operational meltdown during the frigid weather that gave some unlucky passengers a hell of a crappy waiting experience (waiting in an airplane on the runway for 8 hours)(NYTimes story after the jump). I was stunned to hear this horrible news as I myself think and rate JetBlue as a revolutionary company redefining the airline experience both before, online, during, and after.

Well, right before I dived into the story any further, JetBlues CEO David Neeleman announced a YouTube video with an apology with some major policy changes. The changes include:

• All non-airport crew members of JetBlue will be badged and ready to go if needed to be called upon
• Increasing number phone lines open for changing reservations
• Tripling the size of the group that schedules pilots and stewardesses

The airline announced a new reimbursement program for delayed passengers, retroactive to last Thursday, February 15.

• Delays 1-2 hours: $25 off a future flight
• Delays 2-4 hours: $50 off a future flight
• Delays 6+ hours: Free round-trip ticket

More details on the jetblue site here.

Now, thats a hell of a incentive to book from Jetblue and be rewarded for the airlines delays compared to other airlines. I also read that any passenger booked passenger declined a seat because of overbooking would be rewarded $1000!!!Anyhoots, kudos to Jetblue for setting some new standards again in an age old business that everyone uses!

via consumerists

(full nytimes articel after the jump)
Continue Reading

Here’s a pretty interesting video tour into a few projects within Microsofts research team if you have an hour to spare. One interesting concept is a gestural interface from one’s keyboard using your hands. Is it useful, practical, or desirable is up to you to decide, but it’s good to see a variety of concepts working in reality… Watch it, ask questions later…

via Scoble Show

dont click it
I’m not sure what to think, say, or discuss about this website, DontClick.it, but it brings up an interesting point, suggestion, interaction, or just question about the “click” on a webpage. Can we live without the click? Is the click needed, desired, useful, functional? Of course it is, but this webpage does the “what if” factor…I do recall those silent mouses failing or leaving a huge void in ones computer experience…check it out, ask questions later…

pixelletter

Do you have relatives that haven’t quite transitioned to the email world yet? If so, you might want to try out PixelLetter which turns any PDF or online created letter into the good old paper snail mail and delivers it to anyones rustic mailbox for a small fee. At first you might say “why”, but then again, we live in a world where the crappy quality of a fax machine still rules for odd reasons even though I send and receive using my laptop. Hand written letters are always great to receive, but perhaps you’ll be getting handwritten letters in you inbox soon 😉 . Anyhoots, a friend and I had this idea with a bit of a twist last year, so there goes that idea! One day all communication devices will talk to each other. Fax machines, emails, snail mail, text messages, IM’s, voicemail,  post it notes, voice IM’s, etc.

superbowl superads tv commericals

As a designer I generally gear up to watch the SuperBowl for their new commericals while the game remains as background noise as I type away on my laptop. One trend that I’ve noticed from TV stations is the ability to watch their content online right after they air on TV. Before, users would TiVo content then throw it up on YouTube or DailyMotion, then the broadcast companies would try to sue users. Anyhow, without getting into my thoughts about DRM and how I think TV should be integrated with the internet, enjoy the SuperBowl Commericals (SuperAds) after each quarter of the game, though the game does not seem to be part of the streams. (Half time ads just finished and nothing really caught my attention..hmm)(I’ve also seen a few of the ads online before the SuperBowl)

usb posture reminder

Here’s a nifty little USB gadget that reminds us how bad our posture gets as we naturally lean into computer monitors, especially laptop users. Basically it sounds an alarm when your head’s too close to the monitor. I actually had a geeky solution back in grad school for this. I put an adjustable metal shelf on my desk where my laptop was then used the lower shelf with padding as a head rest.

The above image reminded me a of a note a manager once told me 5 years ago while discussing the digital age in the internet and TV: “If you lean 15 degrees forward your using the internet(interacting), but once you lean 15 degrees backwards you watching TV(absorbing)”. This can be applied to many other activities as well.

Anyhoots, if you buy this, I’m sure you’ll find more than one use for it.

via UberReview
Buy here USB Brando($26)