Dumbifying tech

I was reminded the other day how technologies not only improved my life, but made me just as dumb without it. I’ve been an avid user of computers and such web applications for probably the last 8+ years and I’ll admit, I’m better with it, but incredibly dumb without it.

I use to remember a good dozen phone numbers, but now that I own a mobile phone, I only know 2-3 numbers. I use to be able to hand-write long letters with a pen, but if I try this now, my hand cramps up after half a page. I use to be able to spell well, but ever since I started using spell check I trust software to fix my errors. As a regular user of Instant Messaging, I shorten many words hence can’t spell correctly. I use to be able to figure out where addresses are locally, but now that I am a super user of Google Earth or Maps, I cant go anywhere without it. Google Search is pretty much half my brain. I realized while in London, without a mobile phone, how incredibly hard it was for me to meet up with a friends or for them to contact me. I have my computer save most of my passwords and when I’m not at my computer, I forget all my passwords (though I’ve learned to fix this). My mad math skillz are not that bad yet, but my lazy butt opens up the computers calculator often. Birthdays, appointments, events, holidays at times do not exist unless it’s in my calender.

I’m sure there are many more examples of how techs improved my life but once I’m unplugged from the net or have no access to my laptop, I feel rather dumb at times. Is tech helping me, aiding me, or replacing my brain?

UK Trip: London Shopping

London had tons to offer during my visit and as a designer a hunt down of the shops was a must. I didn’t take pictures of everything, but I’ll post a few things that caught my attention. Thanks to Superfuture.com I had a quick map to guide me abouts the Soho and Covent Gardens area. Otherwise, a mindless trek abouts town seemed to do the trick for finding hotspots. Above is a sick set of belts prints found in the dpmhi  store (maharishi store) More pics and finds after the jump…

UK Trip: London

London rocks!!! I was only there for a few days, but it’s very comparable to NYC besides the fact that much like the rest of the UK, everything closes down early. If you ignore the fact that everything here is twice the price than in the states, it’s an eclectic array of shopping, art, events, food, culture, and people. The vibe is jazzy and people here were very kind, though most of the people were tourists. I keep saying “kind” when I speak about the UK and I’ll admit, it’s their darn proper accents. Even people yelling at each other seemed pleasant. I’ll assume my mid-west american accent sounded harsh.

For my journey, I printed out maps from superfuture.com, which included hotspots for food, art, shops, and more. I also printed out a map from StreetSensation giving me insights to the street shops and markets. Only complaints, beside my Heathrow Experience, would be trains on the Tube broke down too often, phone calls from payphones cost wayyy too much (especially to mobile phones, 1 pound($1.80) bought me about 2 minutes time), London is very expensive to live in, and places close down early.

I’ll admit, I loved it there and am tempted to find a job there now. A few things I’ve learned about the culture over there:
– Everyone goes to pubs after work.
– Food= many drinks, hence people can drink a ton!
– People are very stylish.
– The art scene is vast.
– It rains when the sun is out!
Lots of pics after the jump…

UK trip: Malmesbury

Malmesbury was the mysterious little town I’d been craving to learn more about for many reasons. As my driver had told me, it is a very quaint town with cows, which I later found out meant, I’d probably run into some cows while walking abouts the incredibly picturesque landscape, which did happen (cows are big up close and a bit scary when they mooo at you then). Usually in my tech-centric world I’d rely on Google Earth to get a glimpse of the city, but since Malmesbury is so small, it only had blury images of the place. The hotel I stayed at was a refreshing glimpse back into the past with antique furniture within a stone and wooden built house with tiny little details throughout that is absent in todays modern world. Their staff was incredibly friendly and the room I stayed in was super cute. They also had a marvelous garden area which I lounged at for a bit of time while sketching. Malmesbury is an astonishingly beautiful town with many amazing houses and expensive cars. More pics after the jump…

UK Trip: Bristol

While visiting Bath in the UK, I made a quick visit to Bristol. My visit was short, 3-4 hours, but it gave me a glimpse of the city and culture. Unlike Bath, Bristol felt like a real city, full of people, a bit more diverse than Bath, and rumbling with industrial noises. It was less relaxing than Bath, but also had the vibe that most city people would crave for. I basically hung out in the central part of Bristol, with a brief visit to the shopping district known as Broadmead. The park was really comfortable and it was a sunny day to chill out near the waterfront, though little kids kept falling down on the slippery hard marble waterfall like staircase pictured above. Much like Bath however, things closed early besides the pubs. More pictures after the jump…

UK trip: Bath

So, my first stop in the UK was in the beautiful and very peaceful town of Bath, located about 2 hours west of London. Bath is best know for their natural thermal hot springs but is also a filled with a rather vibrant crowd of people and a nice set of architectural buildings. The shopping area is very cute and gave me my first taste of food in the UK, primarily pastries, which was very good. Shops and stores close early compared to the USA, but many pubs stay open late. This was also where I first figured out the UK cost a a ton! I generally like to go into super markets in a new place to figure out what life is like. You see the local families, usually not the tourists, the varieties in food, how service is given, a variety in age groups, and a zest in how much things cost, which in Bath, was alot once you converted the price. I’m not saying everything was expensive, but a majority was more than what I’d pay here in the USA. The first example was for POM juice, which in the states cost about $3. Well, it was one of the first brands I recognized on the shelf and the price was 3.50 pounds, which converts to about $6.50. Wow..thats alot. More pictures and stories after the jump…

Stuck at Heathrow Airport Experience

My journey over to the UK was awesome, but the departing experience at Heathrow airport was an ever longing wait of frustration, anticipation, and stress. The news of the foiled attacks prepared me for long waits and many more surprises, but what happened in my particular case was a bit of a surprise.

Let me start off with the rules: No carry on luggage, no food, magazines, liquids, electronics, and the basic harmful objects. The only things you could carry on board was your passport, tickets, wallet, medicine, and some exceptions to baby food all contained in a provided clear plastic bag. Many people ended up with broken laptops and other such fragile good you would generally carry on board, though starting today, small laptop bags are allowed. For the rest of the painful yet interesting experience, read on…

UK for the week!

I’ll be in the UK for the week, but I’ll be back rockin more posts when I return. If your in that area, please let me know. (Bath, Malmesbury, London, perhaps Bristol)

Here are some mini links to make up for the week:
– Cute people jewelry!(Jade Gedeon)
– Platial: explore and map your world while using the new Sony GPS gadget!
– Animated hand drawn lights!
– Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design!
– Atlas Gloves Demo: DIY minority report interface for $8!
– The classic “Powers of Ten” video on youtube.
– For fun: Treadmill Dancing at it’s best!!!

SquidSoap: Dirty hands for cleaner hands!

Do you wash your hands properly? Have you seen people flick their hands in water with a dab of soap, dry themselves off, and consider their hands CLEAN, without ever really scrubbing their hands?

Well, I’ve seen wayyy too many people do this and can’t stop thinking how dirty their hands are while eating. I’ve seen people walk out of restrooms without washing their hands! It’s makes me sick sometimes. YUCK!

Anyhow, Seth Godin points out to SquidSoap that proves that going a few steps backwards can make one huge step forward. SquidSoap is a simple idea that frankly makes tons of sense for kids and probably for us rushing think-we-know-it-all adults. Basically, the soap dispenser has an ink marker that stains your hand once you pump out some soap. The stain marks your hand until you thoroughly scrub and wash your hands clean of all germs including the new stain(which acts as a layer of germs). This somewhat forces your to actually SEE something and scrub it away. Most kids and some adults think getting their hands wet will get rid of most germs.

This reminds me that seeing dirt or even making things dirtier before we clean then can be good. Dyson made us all happy by letting us see what we vacuumed up with a clear collector. Toilet paper is white, letting us see when we are clean. Hands are considered dirty when they have crap on them, but bacteria is transparent, and not many acknowledge this. We need a soap that just stains your whole hand until you scrub for at least 8 seconds.(Yar, I’m looking at my keyboard now…time to clean it)

update: a mouth wash that stains plaque on your teeth so you know where to brush.

Motofone f3

I’m not the type to usually post on a phones, but I just wanted to say wohooo for Motorola and the first phone using e-paper(e-ink, EPD displays). Besides that, I’ve been waiting for the retro none colored screens to kick back into action. It’s simple, I can read it in the sunlight, it’s not insanely bright, doesn’t seem like a screen, easier on the eyes, and personally I think it’s cool! Also, the features on the phone are of little which just rocks, considering most applications on phones go unused.

There’s something about this motofone f3 that I really like. Then again, I lost a my kick butt colors mobie last year and had a short term replacement with a retro green lit lcd, which I have learned to like, though it does not do much. (The sucker has 1-way text messaging, meaning, you can receive, but you can’t reply, nor do you know who it is from unless they txt that in). Anyhow, this awesome phone is due out soon, and for a sweet $50 or less!!! For more pics, head on over to Mobileburn.