Apple's 3G iPhone Ad has been BANNED in the UK!

(photo from the BBC)
Apparently because it exaggerated the speed of the new 3G iPhones, claiming the new 3G model was "really fast" and showed it loading internet pages in under a second, which as anyone who owns one knows, never happens.

People were misled into buying it based on its performance in the ad. It makes me happy because I hate false advertising, and really they get away with murder sometimes. Recently, for example, I bought a screen-capturing software. On the website they showed a "demo" of the software, where everything was moving smoothly at about 30 frames per second, but the software I bought only worked at 10fps. The people who make the software said they wouldn't give me my money back, saying "we never said we used OUR software to make the demo"

Does that make sense to you?

Cities in the Sea

I've been revisiting the work of Jacque Fresco lately. I'm amazed at how forward-thinking it is. Photos are from thevenusproject.com - please check there for credits.

From their site:

Off Shore Living

Offshore apartment buildings of concrete, steel, glass, titanium, and a wide variety of new synthetic materials could be built to relieve the population pressure in areas like Hong Kong, Tokyo, Los Angeles, and New York. The materials used in such projects would be engineered to withstand the corrosive effects of the harsh ocean environment.

A global system of these structures can easily accommodate many millions of people and relieve the land based population pressures. They can provide the inhabitants with information and serve as natural sea aquariums without artificially enclosing marine life.

Many of these cities may serve as oceanographic universities that maintain the ecological balance of marine systems. Other ocean cities will maintain sea farms that will cultivate many forms of marine life. They could also be used as a new resource for mining the relatively untapped resources of the oceans without disturbing its ecology. Still others may monitor and maintain environmental equilibrium and reclaim dangerous radioactive and other pollutant materials that have been dumped into the sea.

After construction, these structures can be towed to various locations where they would be most beneficial, then anchored to the ocean floor. Some structures will be towed in prefabricated segments and then joined together at selected locations. Their internal construction will include floatation chambers which will render them practically unsinkable. They can be self maintained and fully automated
Check out the Venus Project for more info.

The future of email?

This is what I would like to see from my email in the future.

--an "inbox" that aggregates chats, voice-mail from my phone and video-mail (see previous post about TokBox)
--it should even incorporate SMS sent from your phone
--a system that manages contacts and has some of the features of a social network (status updates for example)
--and does so in an elegant, easy-to-manage, non-boring way

Now get on it, people!!

TokBox - Fresh! Video "Voicemail" and Video Calls

Such a good idea. Why doesn't Skype have this?? You can send an email with a link to a video message you record, and you can see an "inbox" of your video messages. The recruiter used it to send me a message, and I found it much more personal and appealing than getting a copied and pasted email!

It's been a long time since I've seen such a useful new tool on the web!

Definitely a company to follow (and perhaps to work for, for those of you looking for a job...)

Check out the website >

Interesting Lighting Materials!

I have not found any reviews yet (glowing or otherwise! hahaha) but this site looks like a good source for interesting lighting materials-- especially phosphorescents and electro-luminescents!

http://www.phosphortech.com/services.html

Interactive Performance at the Japan Society in NY

True

http://true.gr.jp/

A new sound, light and dance performance

at the New York Japan Society

November 2008
Thursday,13, 7:30 PM
Friday,14, 7:30 PM
Saturday,15, 7:30 PM

Description of work:
The new sound, light and dance performance, true is a stage
performance piece that explores the relationship between the brain
and the reality we face, and is, performed by two performers.

The white-floor stage is sandwiched by metal scaffoldings on both
sides, has an circular truss 8 meters in diameter up in the ceiling
to hang LED lights, a screen in the back onto which computer-
generated graphic images are projected; and a table that looks like a
simple, regular wooden table, although a bit bulky, but is in fact
loaded with a number of mechanical devices, and works as the main
*neural center* of the stage. On top of the table are some usual
things like books, a photograph, a globe, cups and glasses, etc, and
the two performers play with them, on, through and around the table.
As for lighting, the digitally controlled LED technology enables
instant color changes and high-speed synchronization for a whole -new
lighting experience. For sound, oscillators are attached to the metal
scaffoldings on either sides of the stage and shake them in synch
with music and the performers' actions to enhance the acoustic
experience of the audience.

Using myoelectric sensors attached to the performersﾕ bodies, the
above effects as well as visuals are linked and synched to, and even
controlled by, the performers' actions at amazingly high resolution
levels that are only possible with today's advanced technology.
Filled with such new kind of light and sound, the theater space
itself becomes the extension of the performers' bodies that
repeatedly flickers and vibrates to provide the audience with a
totally new sensory experience.

Cool video ad from Toshiba warps time and space!

This is a truly innovative and cool looking ad.

Confusing Ballot Interface -- Bad Interaction Design?

Voting in California-- you have to complete the arrow. It's a terrible Interaction Design decision!

The first time I saw this, I had no idea what was going on, usually arrows imply movement or relationships between what's on one side and what's on the other -- not the case here at all, as you can see. Sorry about the horrible photo, I took it with my iPhone in the polling booth, which was in someone's garage and not very well lit!

Here's a good article on the subject from slate.com