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Writing

08.18.08

Through the Looking Glass Writing | (0)
It's only recently when I had a data plan activated on my iPhone that I started seeing the future possibilities of mobile applications and their potential for everyday use. Reading through an interesting list of 10 futuristic user interfaces today, I was particularly taken with Mac Funamizu's "Looking Glass" concept that utilizes location awareness, a highly capable camera and the ability to discern data from photos taken. As shown in the example above, the concept device can discern a whole wealth of contextual information about the environment around it and present that to the user in an attractive and appropriate way. ...
08.14.08

Nobody Does it Better Writing | (0)
Kind of old, but feels right. Terrible quality video, but a great cover of the Carly Simon classic by Radiohead.
08.08.08

Review: Microsoft Zune 8GB Writing | (1)
A couple months ago a guy from Matchstick, a 'word of mouth' marketing company, called me up asking if I'd be interested in reviewing an MP3 player from one of their clients. I asked which one, and he explained that it would be the Microsoft Zune. They then went on to ask me my impressions of Microsoft as a brand on a 1-10 scale (6/10), what MP3 player I currently have (iPhone) and a few other demographic-related things. The agreement was that I'd put up my thoughts about the Zune and they'd sent me a slick little 8GB player, so without ...
08.05.08

Good Music: Midnight Juggernauts Writing | (1)
You might have heard one of Midnight Juggernauts' mixes over the past year or so; That's how I heard of them, and loved their sound enough to use their mix of Dragonette's "I Get Around" in Dear Toronto #4 - The Atomic Cherries (NSFW). Like most electro artists, this is how they first came on to the scene, but now they've got an album of their own out. Their aptly titled first album, Dystopia, made a stealthy release earlier this summer and I didn't get a chance to check it out until just a few weeks ago. Turns out it's full ...
07.29.08

When T9 Goes Bad Writing | (3)
As seen on my mother's cellphone (taken with crummy iPhone cam), she was trying to text my father she'd save him a plate for dinner by texting "I have a plate for you". Can you guess what her clever Samsung Rogers Vision phone suggested instead? I have a slave for you How politically incorrect. Yes, Samsung I'll give you that P-L-A-T-E and S-L-A-V-E both can be typed through the numbers 75283, but what word do you think most people are most likely trying to type? Furthermore, my mother couldn't figure out how to use an alternate word or change the auto-correction feature, ...
07.28.08

New Set of Wheels Writing | (4)
So with about three weeks to go (eek!) until my much-anticipated move to downtown Toronto, I'm making big decisions about how my "downtown lifestyle" is going to go. One of those that I made a long time ago is that I would not have a car. Originally it was due to the absurd prices for buying a downtown parking spot (which has now reached an average of about $35,000), but now with Rising Fuel Costs, it's all the more reason for me to ditch it and go the simplicity route. There's also a lot to be said for a car-less ...
07.28.08

iPhone Remote App with Airtunes Writing | (1)
There's no doubt that Apple's Remote application for the iPhone is pretty nifty. It lets you control your iTunes from anywhere within your house or wherever you're connected to the same WiFi point, giving you a really cool smart remote. (It even lets you control the playback of video, give ratings, etc.) One thing that I think many people haven't yet seen is that it has full support for Apple's AirTunes technology - that is, where you have an Airport Express connected to a pair of speakers anywhere within the WiFi network, and iTunes will relay the audio through those speakers ...
07.23.08

Disposable Culture Writing | (2)
This is what $140 a night gets you. A lousy paper/styrofoam cup the likes of which you wouldn't even find included with the purchase of a watercooler. When some American hotel chains were reportedly caught not cleaning their rooms properly last year, most chains panicked after a ridiculous public outcry. So here's what we are left with. The Lowest Common Denominator. Forget solving the actual problem of lazy cleaning staff (Edit: or poorly equipped, as Paul rightly points out in the comments below), and take the bottom of the barrel route by doing away with glasses entirely and putting an ...
07.11.08

Good Music: Ratatat Writing | (1)
I'll get it out of the way and say that I'm not the biggest fan of instrumental music (read: music without lyrics). Ratatat falls almost squarely into that category with their electronic-instrumental mixes (and the occasional lyrical track thrown in), but with one exception - just about everyting I've heard from them is well-produced, crisp, and really, truly sonically stimulating. They've got a new album coming out at the end of the month called LP3 that Dillon turned me on to, and by the wonders of the Internet, the whole thing has already leaked and I can say that it's another ...
07.09.08

How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse Writing | (0)
Reading for me has become a passive activity - one that I only take to when I'm waiting for the plane to take-off, taxi to the terminal or eating alone at a restaurant in Denver. I still thoroughly enjoy it, but since I base a lot of what I do on efficiency, there's rarely a time when I can justify spending the time to do so. I picked up the novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War quite some time ago, but have only now started reading it that I'm in full-swing travel mode again and have ...

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