whizdumb

iPod compatible gloves

Just when you thought iPod accessories had run their course, low tech meets high tech in these gloves designed to put technology at your, well, glovetips. Special patches in the thumbs and first fingers are engineered to allow easy use of a clickwheel. What a simple and wonderful tweak on an old standard. From REI.

Self flushing toilets must die

I love technology.  It enables me to do things and connect with people in ways I never could have before.  But sometimes tech is applied to things that amaze me in their uselessness.  Self flushing toilets are up there on the list  (so are automatic paper towel dispensers and automatic car door locking features.  But I have little problem with auto flushing urinals, they actually work well for the need).  Not only can I flush the toilet all by myself without hassle, but it flushes at least twice as many times as is necessary.  It's those 'misfires' that really incense me.  Especially the waste of water.  And it's just plain annoying to have a toilet flush prematurely when you're, um, getting settled.  It's a simple user interface and convenience thing.  Those few seconds waiting for the sink faucet to start on its own, or the moment to wait for the paper towel machine to dispense more when it pleases; all these things disturb the natural flow of routine.  That's bad design.

That's a picture of Google's new server farm in Dalles, Oregon.  The main reason they built it was cheap electricity but another was that having it that much closer to west coast user's computers would mean a fraction of a second less waiting time for search results.  Electricity travels at the speed of light and moving it across a few states saved those precious milliseconds. 

The insight there is that people care about their time.  They care about waiting, even if its just a fraction of a second.  Now toilets and paper towel machines are very different from search engines, but time is time.  What sucks is when you have to go, you're a captive audience. You can't click over to a faster bathroom.  At least not yet. 

TED Talks

The TED conference has been around since 1984, bringing top minds in technology, entertainment and design to a single forum in Monterey, CA.  What really went on was left to the few hundred who had the connections and cash to attend.  But this year BMW has made parts of it available, yet another web-video-content-innovation by the automobile company.  This video is a fantastic example of taking a very complex set of facts over time (in this case, longevity, infant mortality and family size) and bringing it to life in a compelling and exciting data story.  I can't wait to dive into the others.  It may have been just a matter of time before TED hooked up with a BMW-type sponsor (or for that matter that BMW found another frontier of in-demand content to align with). But the fact that they're making some of the content of the conference available on video for free is a pleasant surprise.

I'm in love with a chair

The Risom lounge chair has stuck in my brain since I've seen it. Actually I first saw its baby brother at a place here in Denver called Mod Livin' and ever since I've thought of it as the seatbelt chair. It is, as are most pieces of good design, currently out of my price comfort zone. But I think it's only a matter of time. It comes in an array of colors and finishes, I think I'm partial to aubergine or simply red. Designed by Jens Risom in 1941, it has kind of an interesting backstory. It was designed with a birch wood frame and, because of wartime materials constraints, used cheap but strong army surplus webbing. There are a lot of imitators but it's the original. I just love that this chair is in a kind of time warp of authenticity. Unlike some Herman Miller pieces it has stayed slightly below the mainstream radar.

Dog leash design fix

Yes, the retractable leashes represent a leap forward in leash design. But to me it's two steps forward, one step back. I have a medium sized dog who pulls like a large dog, and these leashes just pop right out of my hand if I'm not paying attention and clenching for dear life. A leash is only effective after all if it stays in your hand (or rather, around your wrist). I did a simple design fix for this which should be offered in the pet store right next to these retractable leashes, or hey, why not sold with them? Picture pending...