Archive for the ‘Tech’ Category
“Your Circuit Board is damaged…”
January 16th, 2009
So the news has hit today that we have ourselves yet another casualty in the Tech world. Granted they were “wounded” at the end of last year, but there were some hopes that they could be salvaged. Let me back track a bit.
*Que the nostalgic flashback crossfade… come on… imagine it. Work with me here*
Years ago, I can remember watching tv; probably the Cosby Show or something like that, and seeing the age old commercial where some random tech would be displayed then a giant “State of the Art” CG, 3 prong plug would fly through the air and plug into the ground, displaying CIRCUIT CITY!!!! There was a jingle that went along with it to about state of the art service. Electricity would shoot out of the ground activating their prominent sign. (This always struck me as odd. You’re an electronics company, and you’re showing that your own company marketing scheme is improperly grounded. Not smart.)
Would ya LOOK at those Bargain Prices for a 33mhz machine. That’s TOO much power!!!
Anyway, it was announced today that Circuit City is going to be liquidating the remaining 567 U.S. Stores. Link here:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Circuit-City-to-liquidate-apf-14083094.html
Yay for the economy. I have fond memories of when I saw my first Circuit City. It was in Daytona Beach, Fl and like all of their buildings back then, it was that gigantic Red Plug.
Behold The Monolith!
2009 isn’t off to that great of a start so far. Citi is struggling again (did they ever stop?), Bank of America is panicking, Steve Jobs may be permanently gone from Apple (not a good thing in my opinion). Hopefully it won’t be as bleak as it seems to be headed.
What this means for consumers (and my customers) is if you have tech needs in the next little bit, you may be able to find some good bargains in the next coming weeks/months. When CompUSA closed it’s doors, it was a mad house. So be safe!
~Kenny
File this under “I don’t know about this one” tech…
January 8th, 2009
Okay, I know that we’re advancing with technology more and more as years progress. We see our society advancing directly into Star Wars Territory. Bluetooth headsets, thinner and thinner portable devices that are “smart” and can control other devices. The Phone I have now can control any PC I connect it too. It’s stuff we only dreamed of when we were kids. And now, another childhood dream seems to be rearing it’s head. Here’s a clip from the article:
Toy trains ‘Star Wars’ fans to use The Force
The Force is with you... sort of.
I’m just gonna let that permeate for a second. A Toy, is training fans to “use the force”. With the use of brainwaves and a unit that’s propped on the user’s head, a little white ball in a cylinder is pushed up or slides down using air pressure that is controlled by the mind. It has several layers of difficulty to keep the person challenged. Makes one wonder what other uses this device may have (or is already in use).
Why am I mentioning this on a design blog? Well, think of how this can be applied to projects. Streamlining workflows and processes. No more needing the mouse (although, It’s hard to imagine the lack of tactile interaction during the design process) to create something that is unique in your head is currently unfathomable. Like my last post, the “No Click” website; our minds have an incredibly difficult time adjusting to doing something that seems so out of the ordinary. I think that this is a good place to start.
~Kenny