why didn't I think of this

I can't count the number of times I have plugged in something to charge -- cell phone, camera battery, GPS unit -- and had no place to put the unit itself. But, unfortunately, I always had my "user-centered observation" button turned off. Now I see this and I think, "DUH!".

Powered BY the people!

This is a great idea for green energy: powered generated BY people walking! It's called piezoelectric My mind is spinning with the possible applications. Think of all the places where hundreds or thousands of people walk every day. Then, think about harnessing energy from their foot steps. Pretty amazing! It looks like one of those ideas that might be catching on, in a big way!

What we think might make us happy...

Often does not.

Back to the Beginning

While taking a break from grad school apps, I was roaming around on digg.com and found a few articles talking about neuroplasticity and cognitive fitness....interesting stuff

Can Everyone be an Einstein?
Are Our Brains Becoming "Googlized?"

Additionally, on gizmodo.com (man do I waste a lot of time on the internet...or do I?--read the googlized article) There are tons of examples of people tinkering with gadgets to make them better--prototyping, if you will.

Toothpick speakers, DIY MacPro, DIY Mac Four finger Gestures

Anyhoo, gizmodo also always has posts about the coolest new gadgets (whether already released or still in the making), so i suggest looking there for some inspiration if you ever need it.

G-Speak

G-Speak is an interface that allows users to use their hands (instead of a mouse or touchpad) to use their computer. The link right now shows just technical, governmental uses for the software and hardware, but it is very feasible that t will be available to the public in due time. The system shown is huge...I wonder how that would translate to PC's.

http://www.oblong.com/

Frustration-free packaging

Another great example of the power of simplicity: offer stuff in easy to open, highly recyclable packages. Ask most people what they think about blister packages and you will get an ear full. I know, because I have asked. So far, every single person I have asked feels the same: they hate blister packages. I have heard lots of stories about how frustrating they are and I have heard many stories about rather severe cuts that have been produced by the sharp edges that seem to inevitably appear when someone tries to open a blister package. I have suffered these cuts myself. Enter Amazon's wonderful idea to simplify packaging. No more pain and suffering, no more frustration, fully recyclable...nice, very nice!

This morning, as I was trolling around for info on yesterday's amazing political elections, I found myself pleasantly lost in the New York Time's interactive map. There is tons and tons of info available, but it is all organized in a wonderfully simple and quite beautiful way. From the nice font to the very peaceful blues and reds, to the fantastic, and highly fluid, pop-ups, the map is both treasure-trove and wonderland. This is an excellent example of design and how Pink's 5 principle's -- story, symphony, empathy, play, & meaning -- can be used to create a fantastic fount of information. The map tells the story of yesterday's voting, integrating the both the big picture (the national level) and all the little pictures (the precinct level), using multiple modes of communication (pictures, numbers, words), all organized to provide the user with the info s/he might want in an simple, clean, easy-to-navigate package. It encourages the user to explore and helps him/her make sense out of the final tally. With a quick glance, I just noticed (11:43 am EST) that my home state -- Indiana -- was officially declared as a win for the President-elect: the color turned from light blue to dark blue. A quick look gives me the details: Obama 49.9%, McCain 49.0%.