Tag Archives: gadget

An older tradition

I’m thinking about changing my calling cards.

I know, it’s a strange thing to think about, especially in this interconnected 24/7 social community immersion thing we have going on with twitter, blogs, social networking sites, talking on cell phones, texting on cell phones, newsgroups, instant messages, and chat clients disguised as video games.

But sometimes I feel while, I am able to “keep up” with everyone, I’m not actually taking the time to have a real conversation.

Thus, my calling cards.  I got them a long time ago, when I was in college before the internet and cell phones.  I even have the engraved plate.  You can see on the backs of the cards where the plate “bruises” the paper.

When I visited a friend’s dorm room, I would leave one on their board with a quick message and a date and time.  Professors loved them.  Meeting people was a snap, all I had on my cards was my name so I could put as much or as little information that I wanted on the card.  Handy for study groups.

Now, of course, I can’t just stop by a friend’s house.  We don’t really have visiting hours like we used to.  But the cards could still be handy in other ways.

I’m just looking at fonts now, trying to decide whether or not I add the URL or add a design, like a stylized gear or monkey.  Or a gear and a monkey.  Or a monkey made out of gears.  But not a gear made out of monkeys.

That would be strange.

I could just go incredibly quirky and get plain ivory cards with a QR code.  Because you know, that’ll be timeless.

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Kindle ing

I really like the idea behind the Amazon Kindle, I really do.

I’m ready for something I can take with me and just read what I want, when I want.  It seems to have a great screen, and its main selling point, books on demand, is something that I never really thought I would want until I thought about it.  Digital bookmarks and annotation sound great, too.

Way to create a demand I didn’t even know I wanted.

Wikipedia access for free is great as well, I can see that being a great time waster if you’re stuck at an airport.  Now that Kindle 2.0 is a near certainty, I’m actually thinking about purchasing one.  I figure that second generation is a good time to think about jumping on board. Especially with the rumored price drop, and thinner, lighter form factor.  I’m also reading something about a student version with a larger screen, so that’s interesting as well.  Provided that Amazon can get every textbook out there to cooperate, I could see that being a serious contender.  Having graduated eons ago, I seem to recall that lugging books was not my favorite thing about college.

This, will just be rolled into my inevitable waxing poetic over the days of having to carry books.  Also, growing up before, “the internet.”

Also a factor are the new aesthetics for the Kindle.  Granted, I have never held the current model in my hand, so I don’t know how ergonomic it is, but it just looks too sharp.  As if it was designed for some jagged, crystalline alien race.  I’m hoping that 2.0 is something designed for meatbag hands.

My other concern is well, buying into a proprietary format.  Of course, that didn’t stop me from buying content from the iTunes music store.

I guess ultimately I’m paying for convenience.

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Like a hot pink Gom Jabbar

Barbie’s finger nail painter makes gaming writers beautiful.

I don’t know how I missed this gem during all the footage.  In particular, I love how this writer compares the Barbie nail painter to the Gom Jabbar.

It’s interesting that this device exists, even in a conceptual way.  I would think that maybe, you know, it would be easier to have a human being paint what you want on your nail.

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Technolust: Personal Edition

I really want the Nokia E71.

Qwerty keyboard, wifi, gps, fm radio, micros SD slot, s60, I mean, what’s not to like?

Wired really liked it.  I just really like the form factor.  That, and I like having a keyboard.  It may be because I am of the educational institution that has been aged.

Like a fine wine.

It goes back to my old er, government job, we had Motorola Talkabout pagers.  We were expected to be able to respond anywhere we were, so we were assigned two way pagers.  Which was great.  Tiny keyboard, lcd backlit screen, very simple communication devices.  I feel like there is something pure about the text message, the way that you have to distill your communication into a character limit.

So, I guess I’ve been practicing for Twitter all this time.  But, back to the E71.

I am really into this phone.  There is wifi, which will allow me to check email, check twitter, possibly make posts, and upload pictures.  Although the E series camera is nowhere near as good as the N series phones from Nokia, I’m willing to make sacrifices for increased utility.  Besides, I carry a camera.

I’m so into this phone that I’ve even downloaded the iSync plugin for it.  I’ve also read the manual.  Additionally, I’ve bugged the AT&T store in Friendship Heights repeatedly about the phone.

They answer,  “We are never going to get it.”

Boy Genius Reports says, “Then what is this AT&T User Manual for the Nokia E71 guide doing on Nokia’s website?”

Problem is, it’s pricey, and I can’t justify that much for an item which will, ultimately, be just a phone.  No matter how awesome it is.

On the other hand, it’s beautiful.  I mean, LOOK AT IT.

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Microsoft Tag – Linking real life with the digital world

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Microsoft Tag

Microsoft Tag.  It’s a way for your phone to interact with a physical object, in this case printed material.

In a nutshell, you aim your Microsoft Tag iPhone app (bizarro world, here we are) at one of these “tags” and then it does. . .  something.  If it’s a website, then it browses there, if it’s a phone number, it dials out.  If it’s a text message, then I guess it just displays the text message.  There are apps for other phones as well, but the iPhone seems suited to this task.

Is this a big deal?  I thought that was the whole point behind QR codes in Japan.

To the right is a QR code.  You may have seen them before.

In 1994.

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QR Code

While the idea is pretty interesting, I’m still trying to decide whether or not it’s useful.  I guess with our phones finally catching up with the internet, they may have some use, eventually.

I did, however, create a “tag” with this website’s address  embedded in it.

So I’ve got that covered, at least.

Update:  More research and some thoughts. Continue reading

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