Sunday, July 4, 2010
Technology in the Sunday Paper, Tourists on Segways in Charlotte, NC.
"But the first sales figures on 3-D TVs and a newly released consumer survey indicate that the industry has a long way to go before the new technology catches on in a big way, if it ever does...In the sets' first three months on the market, beginning in February, consumers nationwide spent about $55 million on new 3-D-capable TVs and related equipment, according to an NPD Group survey of some of the largest retailers carrying the products, including Best Buy and Amazon.com." -3-D TV sets are selling, but no instant craze
Kristena Hanson, L.A. Times, 7/4/10, in the Charlotte Observer
In the wad of ads that came with my Sunday paper, I noticed a huge glossy spread by Sony, highlighting the company's 3D system and other newer technologies:
An ad from Wolf Camera and Image featured a Nikon COOLPIX S1000PJ, with a built-in mini-projector:
Back to the Sony spread, I noticed the Sony Dash Personal Internet Viewer:
"Hello, I'm Dash"
"As the Dash™ Personal Internet Viewer, I use over 1,000 free apps and your Wi-Fi®connection to deliver the information and entertainment you crave—right to your bedroom, kitchen or office. Now you can access always-fresh web content with the touch of a finger, without being tethered to your PC."
Why not just get a kickstand for your iPad, slate, or smartphone?
I also noticed the ad for the Sony Reader Touch Edition:
Technology in my world:
Later in the day, I was driving down Central Avenue in Charlotte's Plaza-Midwood neighborhood. Stopped at a light, I snapped a picture of some tourists on Segways:
Technology, as it is embraced in Charlotte, North Carolina!
RELATED
Direct HD 3D TV website
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Technology and Travel: Blurred Cellphone Camera Shot of Unruly Man on US AIR flight from Charlotte to Miami, December 20, 2008
I had just settled into my seat on a flight from Charlotte to Miami and stowed my cellphone away. At the time, I was thinking about taking a few pictures of airport technology once I arrived in Miami.
Most people would probably be anticipating the beautiful Caribbean scenes they'd like to capture, but not me. I like taking pretty pictures, but whenever I have the opportunity to capture technology out in the wild, my geeky streak takes over.
At that very moment, a very loud, bespectacled older man came barreling down the aisle. As I had an aisle seat, I got the full frontal view, and it wasn't pretty.
The man was naked! He promptly squeezed himself into a seat two rows ahead, right next to a baby, shocking the parents and those of us who had boarded the plane up until that point.
There was a flurry of commotion. Several men came out of nowhere and managed to get the man out of the seat, up the aisle through the first class section, and out of the plane. The flurry of commotion was not limited to the "rescue team". Much of the commotion came from the passengers who were looking for their cell phones and cameras to take pictures or video clips of the scenario.
The man bellowed loudly, "YOU... WILL.... NOT....PREVAIL!"
The passengers? "I'll put this on YouTube!" "I'll post this to Flickr". Some of the passengers traded their photos via phone messages.
Technology Supported Human World Interaction, right in front of my eyes.
I'll never make it as a CNN iReporter, given the results of my cell-phone photography skills:
I DID manage to get some shots of the paramedics. Pretty boring.
I'll post more pictures related to airport and cruise travel technology soon.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Interactive Ubiquitous Maps? Not yet.. Charlotte recently spent 3.8 million dollars on STATIC city maps!
Not too long ago, I took this picture of an information and map display in uptown Charlotte, N.C., my home town. This sign is located near the basketball arena, near one of the new light rail stations.
As I approached the display, I was hoping that it was a digitally supported interactive map, since it was so shiny and new. I was disappointed to see that it was static. The display contained information appropriate to the setting, but wasn't nearly what I had expected.
I later learned that the cost of this project was 3.8 million dollars, mostly in the form of a grant from the federal government. Perhaps some of this money could have been spent on a system of interactive wayfinding displays, with multi-touch capabilities. In my dreams....
Designing and implementing this sort of system is complex, but in my opinion, important. If you are interested in this topic, take the time to read The invisible city: Design in the age of intelligent maps. The article, posted in the Think Tank section of the Adobe Design Center website, provides an in-depth exploration of the issues related to ubiquitous, interactive, information-rich maps. The authors, Kazys Varnelis and Leah Meisterline, are from from Netlab, the network architecture lab at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture.
I guess I should be happy that the folks at the Charlotte City Hall understand the need for wayfinding solutions:
From the 7/3/08 Charlotte Observer:
"The pedestrian signs are part of a larger program to increase signage throughout the center city. The bigger chunk of the project is aimed at signs directing motorists to destinations as well as parking. Those signs are projected to go up in 2009 and 2010. Total cost for all: $3.8 million, much of which is paid through a federal grant. The city's portion is $780,000. .... "We wanted to make sure we could direct pedestrians getting off light rail," said Kimbler, the city's project manager for the wayfinding program... The first signs went up on streets, such as College, adjacent to the Lynx Blue line. A second set of signs was placed to direct people to uptown destinations, such as museums, libraries, The Square and the Charlotte Convention Center. Now 51 signs are up." -Amy Baldwin, Charlotte Observer Link
