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January 28, 2007
A Social Network You Might Like
I know I know what you're thinking. Do we really need another social network? If it's anything like CityPixel then yes, yes we do.
CityPixel exists as an internet city utilizing a very clever pixel-block art style. When you first sign up, you choose an apartment and slowly decorate it. Your avatar also represents your location within the city in real time. The other avatars are people that are logged in. Just like any other social network, you amass friends, send messages and share multimedia.
If you're willing to give another social network a try, sign up with PixelCity. It's loads of fun and best of all, free.
Posted by tranism at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
January 27, 2007
Year of a Million Dreams
Disney Parks recently launched their new ad campaign "Year of a Million Dreams". The name is sort of cryptic but the first round of images are great.
Each image plays off classic stories from Disney's catalogue, featuring celebs from all walks of life. My favorite image is of soccer star David Beckham portraying the handsome Prince Phillip in battle with the most evil of all evil Disney villains - Maleficent.
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 26, 2007
Apple Ikea Fanboy Makes a Home
Imagine almost every Mac ever made proudly displayed in your home. Of course, all those computers need a nice but affordable way to display them and what better resource is there than Ikea?
That's exactly what flickr user Soyburger did. His/her home looks like a contemporary art gallery for all things Mac related. They all seem to work too but I'd hate to think how much the electric bill must be.
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 19, 2007
Sorry iPhone, Japan's Not Impressed
Steve Jobs' - "iPhone in Asia - 2008". Now I don't want to be the one saying this because I'm a total Apple fanboy but did Apple R&D and marketing not clue Jobs in on cellular tech in Asia?
For people in America, the iPhone is a major advancement in hardware and cellular tech. Let's forget about the fact that it doesn't have 3G mostly because America's 3G network is spotty and shoddy to say the least. Simply put, the infrastructure isn't there yet. The iPhone seems to be the holy grail between hardware and software design. The UI is deceptively simple and that's how phones should be right? But is this enough for Asia, specifically Japan? The short answer is no.
Japan's cellular tech is about a generation and a half ahead of America. Yes in case you didn't know, 3G is already widespread there and has been for many many years. In fact, the country is currently testing their next-gen cellular network which I'll just call 4G. All this while America is still hobbling along at 2G.
If the iPhone is the holy grail of hardware and software design, then Japanese cell phones are the holy grail of convergence devices. In no other part of the world will you find a phone that checks email, trade stocks, watch TV, act as a charge card, plays music, interface with other phones, act as portable computer, book tickets, 3+ megapixel cameras, unlock doors, remotely control other devices, GPS navigation, mobile shopping, bar code and fingerprint scanners, push to talk with multiple people, video chatting and conferencing, and of course . . . cell phone.
I spoke to my Japanese friend and asked him what he thought about the iPhone. Most people in America love it. Most of the press are enamored. To preface, Claude is a 27 y.o. Japanese male I met in my college days. He lives right outside Tokyo working as a textile designer. He thinks the iPhone is super sexy. To him, it doesn't look like any other phone out there. He loves how slim it is and is completely smitten with the multi-touch interface, but when asked if he'd give up his Sharp branded phone; he says no.
Claude's typical day starts with him checking his email on his phone. He gets all his daily tasks and calendaring events this way. He then syncs it with his computer. He pays for the subway by placing the phone on a kiosk granting him access past the gates. The commute is spent watching TV on his phone by rotating the screen. A small antenna extends up and catches the wireless digital TV signals (something we will never have here in America). About 45 minutes later, he's in Tokyo and heads to a vending machine to buy fresh fruit and water. He places the phone up against a pad. The vending machine reads his bank information which is tied into his phone. He then places his thumb on the phone's tiny thumbprint reader to verify his identity. As he makes his way to the office, he waves the phone near the door handle to unlock it. During a 10 minute break, he's flips thru a magazine and sees something he wants to buy. The item has a tiny stamp size barcode pictogram next to it. He scans the pictogram with his phone. A receipt and shipping confirmation hits his email minutes later. As the day ends, he syncs with his work computer and goes grocery shopping paying for items with his phone. Before heading home, he heads to a bar his friend has invited him too. He uses the phone to give him step-by-step directions. The day is finally over and his phone's battery is nearing the end of its life. He plugs it in and goes about the rest of the evening relaxing before bed.
Okay, I think the iPhone can do 1-1/2 of the things he's mention; checking email and watching TV (by first purchasing shows on iTunes and syncing them). Everything else is alien to the iPhone and alien to US customers.
It's easy to see why the iPhone can't replace his phone. Japan's mobile phones were designed with years of co-development with their two carriers; KDDI and DoCoMo. This synergy between network and software has graced the country with mobile features unheard of anywhere else. The way I see it, one of two things can happen. When Apple releases the iPhone in Japan, it will fill a niche market because of its lack of features and use of quad band GSM which most of Japan doesn't run on. The other option is for Apple to choose one of the two carriers in Japan and attempt the same hardware, software, network synergy they have planned with Cingular here in the US. This path seems the most daunting but the most amazing if successful. Think about; Apple's iPhone running on the world's fastest cellular network with features so well integrated, it'll make all other phones in North America, Europe and Australia seem antiquated. What's more, Apple will probably push to create new features in Japan just as they did with visual voicemail here with Cingular. Apple is a high tech company and it excites me to think what the engineers at 1 Infinite Loop can think of when they're given the option to run wild on Japan's superior cellular networks.
Claude feels the iPhone will sell but only to people who already have Macs and to people concerned about style. As for the rest of the country, he thinks asking a Japanese person to give up mobile digital TV is like asking an American to give up football for soccer. So I asked him what his next phone would be if not the iPhone. He says he has his eye on the Sony Ericsson SO903iTV.
A super slim phone with a 3" Sony Bravia widescreen display, 3 megapixel auto-focus camera, software to pause, skip, record live TV!, GPS navigation, and Felica cashless electronic payment system.
So there you have it. It's a battle between fluid hardware and software design vs. hardware and network superiority. Apple will have a huge uphill battle in Japan if they plan to release the iPhone as it is now. I know some people felt it was sweet justice that a new gadget would see release in America first before Asia but I can definitely say the Japanese are not that impressed.
more pictures of the SE SO903iTV after the jump
Posted by tranism at 2:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (97)
January 18, 2007
My Straight Secret
That title is misleading huh? No, I'm not talking about my sexual orientation. I'm talking about flat irons.
Listen, that super slick straight hair you see all the celebs rockin' (ahem - I'm looking at the Beckhams) is not natural, it's flat ironed.
So because my home is brimming with hair products, some friends of mine have asked me a few times what to use to get their hair slick and straight (guys included). Up until now, I've just recommended some products by Redken and Matrix. Now I'm going to tell you the truth. The secret is a flat iron and the reason why I've avoided telling people is because it's an expensive one.
The Chi flat iron is pricey at almost $100 for the basic model. Like most modern irons it's the ceramic type, but it's the heat it generates that separates it from the $20 models you get at your local Walmart. This bit of wisdom was passed on to me by my hair stylist. Hair is quite strong. It can withstand extreme heat but not for very long. Chi flat irons get hot (although you wouldn't know it by touch), so one quick and steady motion is all that's needed to get your hair smooth. The cheaper flat irons run at lower temperatures forcing you to slowly drag the iron across your hair exposing it to heat for much longer periods. The end result is brittle hair that breaks.
Now this post may seem like "women only" but guys can use flat irons to achieve hair styles that defy gravity. Men, even if you have short hair, run the Chi flat iron across it. You get smooth strands that stand up. Put in your favorite hair texturizer and you'll have an amazing look.
So there you have it . . . from my knowledge, now yours.
Posted by tranism at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
January 14, 2007
Chevy Volt and The Possibilities
With all the news swirling around the hot concepts at the Detroit Auto Show, only one car grabbed my attention.
The Chevy Volt stands to be GM's answer to Japanese electric and hybrid vehicles squarely aiming for a market dominated by Prius' and Hybrid Civics. Throw in some American muscle into the design coupled with new battery tech means the Volt not only meets Japanese hybrids but also, in the words of Steve Jobs, "leap frogs beyond our competition".
Let's see, the Volt is technically a hybrid, but not in the traditional sense. The gas engine never powers the car. The only time it turns on is to recharge the batteries which are the primary source of propulsion. On top of that, GM seems to have solved a problem plaguing current hybrid batteries; power generated vs. consumption. Right now, my Prius can only travel under 10 miles on electric at below average speeds before it's completely discharged. The Volt manages 40 miles per charge at normal driving speeds. That's more than enough for me to go to and from work without the gas engine ever turning on. The Volt can be plugged into an ordinary wall socket for quick recharging and the batteries seem to be next-gen tech since it can be discharged and recharged hundreds of thousands of times without losing hold or charge capacity.
The only downside is it's concept status. Undoubtedly this vehicle is probably very expensive to build but as GM further consolidates it's manufacturing processes, the prospect of future vehicles with this tech can't be very far away. I'm salivating here.
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
I've Seen Multi-Touch Before
Almost this time last year, I saw and blogged about an incredible new interface designed by Jefferson Han. He created what he called "Multi-Touch Interaction"; a flat screen that can sense simultaneous points of touch and allow real time manipulation of objects and sounds all at the expense of a keyboard, mouse and stylus. Sound familiar?
I thought this was the future of interface design then and if Apple had been working on the iPhone for more than two years, it makes me wonder if there are any connections between the two. The iPhone's Multi-Touch technology is strikingly similar. If you've seen the iPhone's introduction, then watch this video of Jefferson Han's design. Uncanny huh?
What's even more surprising is a quick visit to Jefferson Han's website which reveals "very exciting updates coming soon" in regards to the iPhone. Did Apple buy the team out after they saw Jefferson's demonstration last year? If so, what can we expect in future Apple products? Jefferson's multi-touch research is a paradigm shift in personal computing and if Apple is in fact working with them, this could mean great things down the road; just imagine!
At the risk of being presumptuous, I want to congratulate Jefferson Han and his team members Philip Davidson, Casey Muller, and IIyad Rosenberg.
Posted by tranism at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
January 13, 2007
Media Temple Does Indeed ROCK
After New Years I decided to upgrade my shared server plan to Media Temple's new grid servers. The upgrade went well; no DNS errors, no file corruption. Only problem was, this blog disappeared. After a one-man search and rescue for this blog's database revealed it had been overwritten, I panicked. Almost 2 years worth of entries down the drain. Needless to say I was totally distraught. The boys over at Media Temple came to my rescue. They searched long and hard for a back-up of my database and after a few scary moments with the command line - this blog was restored.
This all happen over a span of a week and a half so I'm totally summarizing here. I spent most of that week designing a new blog which is now shelved but innovative components from that design will make its way here soon. I just wanted to let all of you know why electro^plankton was so quiet this past week and to thank Andrew, Ryan, and Ravindra (what a kick ass name) for all their help!
Posted by tranism at 8:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
January 12, 2007
Wonderful and True
Over the years I've decided to write down different facts that come along my way. All of them seem useless but time and time again, they've proved useful when least expected. So here are a few things I found out from random readings, people and too many nights watching The Learning Channel. I want to point out that some of these are facts, some are myths. See if you can figure out which is which without having to look it up.
- I'm a Fashion Design major and didn't even know this until my junior year. The YKK on 99% of all zippers stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushibibaisha; the world's largest zipper manufacturer.
- It is impossible to lick your elbow.
- A duck's quack does not echo. Scientists have been unable to figure out why. (This is technically not true. A duck's quack does echo but it's generally outside the hearing range of humans. We need sophisticated equipment to hear it).
- The original modern english word for butterfly was "flutterby" because technically, that's what they do.
- The only domestic animal not mentioned in the bible is the cat.
- It is physically impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
- The eyeball is the only organ already adult sized when you're born.
- The phrase "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" found in all font management programs uses every letter in the english language.
- Earbuds increase bacteria growth in your ear by 700 times.
- It is impossible to kill yourself by holding your breath. Your brain will automatically override "your" control and force you to breath.
- When you sneeze, your heart stops for one second. That's where the saying "bless you" came from.
- Honey is the only natural food that will not spoil.
- You have reason to fear dentists. It was a dentist that invented the electric chair.
- Chewing gum will keep you from crying the next time you need to peel an onion.
Posted by tranism at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
January 3, 2007
Baxter of California v2.0
Technically, it's more like version 4.3.5 or something since the brand has existed in one form or another before the 70's. Baxter of California is about no-nonsense skin care for men. There are no frilly floral smelling creams here; just products in an ever expanding line targeted for the specific needs of a man. Rough skin, dry skin, aging skin, oily skin, skin in need of a shave - Baxter has all that you need.
The brand recently updated their packaging and it's a great look. The product line has always been about the careful balance between science and natural ingredients. The new packaging reflects that in every way. They're simple, clean and won't make your bathroom countertop look like a cosmetics counter. All bottles are made of a softer plastic - grippy and easy to squeeze. The jars are stackable for easy storage. The new descriptions are also much more "man-friendly". Do we really care how AHA's affect free-radicals in our skin? All we want to know is what is this, and how do we use it. It's clear and simple.
I got the opportunity to try many of the products. Now before I go any further - regular readers of this blog know I'm VERY picky about skin products. I buy 'em like candy so I like to think my opinion counts for some. So what do I think about Baxter products? In a word, LURV.
The scrub is my favorite. Like the other products it smells natural, nothing harsh or artificial. It has the right granulated consistency for a scrub. The best part? It actually works. Just from several uses, I've noticed a difference. It's about 1/3 the price of my regular scrub and does the same thing; yay for Baxter. To be sure, I tried it on a friend that can actually grow facial hair. His pores are larger and a lot of scrubs irritate men that shave often. Well to make the long story short, I no longer have the scrub in my possession. He loves it so much, he refuses to return it. His skin is extremely smooth and dare I say - glowy?
So if you're a man on a budget in need of a good skin care regime, go for Baxter. Your skin, girlies and maybe even boys (if you swing that way) will thank you for it.
Posted by tranism at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)