Archive for the 'Gadgets' Category

Page 2 of 3

Amazon CEO Says Kindle Will Salvage Long-Form Reading

Published by Jarred on May 3, 2008 in Books, Business, Consumer Behavior, Gadgets and Reading. View Comments

Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, recently sent out his annual letter to shareholders [warning: PDF file]. I’m not a shareholder [yet], but the letter is currently linked on the Amazon homepage.

Bezos writes almost exclusively about the Kindle, the e-reader created and sold by Amazon that seems to be constantly going out-of-stock. While the whole letter is interesting and informative, I found that one paragraph in particular clarified something about the Kindle that I hadn’t though about before: the Kindle not as the harbinger of informational ADD, but as the savior of long-form reading as we know it. I especially like the term “information snacking,” and you’ll probably see me use it more and more here on the blog.

Here’s the paragraph in its entirety*, and I’ll leave it at that for you to ponder and comment on:

We humans co-evolve with our tools. We change our tools, and then our tools change us. Writing, invented thousands of years ago, is a grand whopper of a tool, and I have no doubt that it changed us dramatically. Five hundred years ago, Gutenberg’s invention led to a significant step-change in the cost of books. Physical books ushered in a new way of collaborating and learning.

Lately, networked tools such as desktop computers, laptops, cell phones and PDAs have changed us too. They’ve shifted us more toward information snacking, and I would argue toward shorter attention spans. I value my BlackBerry—I’m convinced it makes me more productive—but I don’t want to read a three-hundred-page document on it. Nor do I want to read something hundreds of pages long on my desktop computer or my laptop.

As I’ve already mentioned in this letter, people do more of what’s convenient and friction-free. If our tools make information snacking easier, we’ll shift more toward information snacking and away from long-form reading. Kindle is purpose-built for long-form reading. We hope Kindle and its successors may gradually and incrementally move us over years into a world with longer spans of attention, providing a counterbalance to the recent proliferation of info-snacking tools.

I realize my tone here tends toward the missionary, and I can assure you it’s heartfelt. It’s also not unique to me but is shared by a large group of folks here. I’m glad about that because missionaries build better products. I’ll also point out that, while I’m convinced books are on the verge of being improved upon, Amazon has no sinecure as that agent. It will happen, but if we don’t execute well, it will be done by others.

* I broke the paragraph up into four pieces to make it easier on the eyes (and brain).

Image used under a Creative Commons license courtesy of Flickr user etech.

Classroom Connections: The Role of Technology in Schools

Published by Jarred on April 29, 2008 in Education and Gadgets. View Comments

I have class tonight and so won’t be able to post very much until tomorrow night, but I did want to throw two related thoughts at you guys and hopefully generate some discussion.

First, I learned that my old high school is getting ready to implement “Smart Board” technologies in some of its classrooms.  Smart Boards combine a whiteboard, a computer, a projector, and some sort of touch/motion sensor to know when your hand or marker makes contact with its surface.  The result:

<a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Namyy_RAnxM">http://youtube.com/watch?v=Namyy_RAnxM</a>

The Smart Boards also allow you to save notes taken on the whiteboard.

Second, Ars Technica has a write-up on Abilene Christian University’s plan to give out iPhones to incoming freshmen this fall, ostensibly for academic use.  Some say it’s a gimmick, others see great potential.

With those two blurbs in mind, what do you think of technology in the classroom?  We’ve recently discussed blogging as a learning method.  Where do you draw the line between a cool gadget and a real tool for teaching and enrichment?  Could this money be better spent in other ways?  Speak your mind in the comments!

P.S. — Bonus points to whoever can figure out where that guy is browsing in Google Earth.  I don’t have the answer… but if you recognize the buildings on the board then speak up because I, for one, am curious!

RIP Sharper Image

Published by Taylor on February 28, 2008 in Business and Gadgets. View Comments

251049230_8a182a1741.jpg

Need a back massager that doubles as a wine fridge? Look elsewhere, because Sharper Image is closing half of its stores “as soon as possible” and declaring bankruptcy.

The Washington Post featured a delightfully snarky article reflecting on the steady collapse of everyone’s favorite browse-but-don’t-buy shop:

“What are we losing? A world of luminescent safety leashes, hideaway gyms, telescoping ladders — an entire chain dedicated to the idea of streamlining your life by .002 percent. The Sharper Image is a place that sells a lighted nose-hair trimmer, which is to say it targets men who already own a regular nose hair trimmer in the hopes they’ll think it’s worth $40 to get a better look up their nostrils.”

I own a single Sharper Image product. Predictably, it’s a beard trimmer. I have no idea why I purchased it at Sharper Image versus…well…any other store at the mall. But I digress. The fact is, many trips into Sharper Image stores resulted in one (~$30) purchase. Apparently, I’m a typical customer.

Continue reading ‘RIP Sharper Image’

Monday Links: February 25th, 2008

Published by Taylor on February 25, 2008 in Advertising, Business, Energy, Gadgets, Infrastructure, Monday Links and Philanthropy. View Comments

Sunday, at least in my part of the country, was a gloomy day of bitter cold, rain, and gray skies. As a result, I stayed indoors and read a fair share of blogs. Here are a few gems I uncovered:

  • The Japanese space agency, in partnership with Mitsubishi, launched a ridiculously cool satellite. This is an amazing step forward in terms of connectivity, and I’m excited to see how this seemingly cheap (given the scale?) project pans out:

“[The satelite] will bring high-speed internet access to Japan and neighboring countries. The $342 million project [...] is expected to culminate in a terrestrially accessible internet connection reaching speeds of 1.2Gbps, dwarfing current [DSL] connections that typically allow data transfer to occur at [or] below 8 Mbps.”

  • In about three months, domestic airlines will use 100% electronic tickets. That doesn’t mean a complete end to paper during the course of your travels, but it does complete the seemingly obvious transition to computer-based records in place of paper tickets. Oh, by the way: it will save the airlines over $3 billion a year.
  • A Spanish firm will soon begin construction on the largest solar power plant in the world near Phoenix, Arizona. Initial estimates price the power (enough to serve 70,000 homes) at 20 cents per kWh, or twice the price of coal-fired plants. But, as the article points out, that cost disadvantage could disappear if the US moved toward a cap-and-trade or carbon tax system.
  • Recent major events in my life (ahem#getting engaged#ahem), made me think about this piece dissecting colleges and universities’ outdated means of connecting with young alumni for contributions:

[Alumni magazines are increasingly irrelevant to recent grads]. “Why wait four months for ‘class notes’ when you could simply check Facebook to see what a friend is up to?” Further, while many colleges have online giving programs, many also still communicate with alumni as if writing a check is the normal way to give. “It likely shocks most development officers as to the percentage of young alumni who don’t write checks, or own stamps.”

  • I watched an embarrassing number of episodes of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel today. They ran an all day marathon, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. You see, I used to look down my nose at Dirty Jobs as sort of a one-trick-pony: “I get it…he gets dirty doing disgusting things.” But the combination of host Mike Rowe’s quick wit and this Fast Company profile describing his motivations for the show and evolving view of work turned me into a fan. The profile is a great read.

That should get your week started. Hope it’s a good one.

Purpose-Driven Gadgets

Published by Taylor on February 12, 2008 in Consumer Behavior, Energy, Environment and Gadgets. View Comments

Since I’ve already gushed with geeky joy over gadget blogs, I feel safe bringing this (extremely useful) gizmo to your attention:

ecoeye.jpg

The Eco-eye is a straightforward concept: a real time accounting of energy use in your home and the corresponding carbon emission. It also displays the cost of your energy use on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis.

Little tools like this encourage a healthy level of guilt in our consumption of energy–inspiring us though our competitive nature to turn off the lights when we leave the room and unplug “vampire appliances” that draw energy when idle. Something like this exists in most hybrid cars: a green “ECO” lights up on the dash when the car reaches peak efficiency, and a real-time display shows the driver what mileage he or she is achieving over the course of a trip. While it’s sort of silly, these types of incentives work. Sure, we’re saving money by identifying wasteful drains on our home energy or maximizing gas mileage…but it’s also uniquely satisfying to feel like you’re driving as efficiently as possible or powering your home in a sensible way.