Right-Half Chow

Moldover Octamasher

The title probably doesn't ring a bell for most of you, but don't let that stop you from taking a look at the movie. I've already mentioned several times that I'm currently investing a bit more of my time in music and specifically Ableton, and it has often struck me how automation is making the production and deejaying part of the business a lot easier.

Most of the time it nets you discussions between old school vinyl jockeys and new-fangled laptop kids: the older ones accusing the younger ones of cheating, the younger ones calling the older ones technically obsessed snobs... Both sides probably have a point, but that's easy for me to say as I'm playing around with both methods and have finally found a way to incorporate the laptop stuff in my classic setup.

Looking at the instrument in the video below you have to conclude that this is making music and music production more interesting than ever. It won't be long until everybody is able to produce, mix and remix music, and the evaluation will be based on what you hear, rather than what you know...

That being said, you still need someone to come up with the technology, and if you'd like to see more of Moldover's stuff, check out Controllerism.

Conistency is good, for once...

Especially when you have to make a single idea look credible. Studio Brussel, a Belgian youth radio station is celebrating it's 25th birthday as Brudio Stussel, and look what shows up if you tune in while driving:

Flip, the case for simplicity, but for whom?

Yes, we all make the case that technology needs to cater for everyone, including our grand parents and their parents: they want to use cell phones too, they need to be able to program their digicorders to watch programs on their flat screens as well,...

So we are told we need to simplify interfaces, go back to the basic functions: phones which can make calls (as opposed to organise your life, take pictures, do the grocery shopping and schedule your evening out), computers which are able to send emails and browse the web without the need to touch a button on a keyboard,...

I came across the Flip only recently, and I think it's a fantastic product (I've yet to find a retailer who sells them in Europe). In essence it's a camcorder which does what it have to do: record video. No menus, no weird interfaces, just a big record button and play and delete functions.

You'd think it was ideal for someone older who does not have the technological luggage we young hipsters have... But when I discussed the merits with an older acquaintance of ours who might fit that bill, he bluntly stated that it was way too 'Fisherpricy' for him.

And that's where the trouble starts: lots of people who don't really follow technology (and gadgetry) trends expect technological innovations to be a bit 'difficult'. Lots of buttons and functions often translates as 'more powerful' (or more flexible), that's probably why there's quite a bit of resistance against Macs from pc users. Things that look too simple and almost 'toy-like' can easily put off those target groups who still expect technology to be expensive and sturdy (and to last a lifetime, which is probably a bigger issue now that I think of it).

If you look at a success product like the iPod, you should be able to point out how they opened up the market to an audience that, previously, wouldn't even have considered an mp3 player. And while they did enlarge the market, I do get the impression that it became widely adopted by young people who are used to technology and the speed of evolution these days. They have come to terms with the fact that it is a toy, and that it will probably be replaced by another toy in a year or so (see also: the 30 year old sofa vs the Ikea Klippan with 'disposable' covers...).

It doesn't seem to dampen their sales results though...

The 2008 Planner Survey

Heather Lefevre needs you for the next installment of her annual planner survey. Fill in the survey here, drop your email address if you want the results here.

No time for elaboration or funny pictures at the moment, will try to update later.

More Skittles Madness

They've quite brilliantly captured a completely bonkers communication territory, and the new spot is a worthy contender for the craziness competition that must surely be held in their offices:

And then there are the following sites: National S'Mores Day, The Brownie Batter Buddies and, last but not least, Chocolate Car Email.

Bathroom Drama

The most sophisticated piece of technology you'll ever pee on... Hilarious!

And it gave Iain Tait a splendid idea for a new pregnancy test.

DIY Ikea

Sure, every assembly procedure from Ikea is a bit of DIY, but apparently you can go a step further. This weekend I have occupied myself with Lack, Expedit and Lillberg (but that was for Mira's room and doesn't really count in this regard), assembling this with the following result:

Let me gloat a little bit more and add another picture to show my mighty Ikea-skills:

But that's not the entire reason why I'm posting this...
Why didn't anyone tell me there was a huge Ikea Hack community out there?

I've been coming up with unorthodox uses for Ikea furniture since I found my first student room in Ghent: just picking up the catalogue and browse and combine (based on the size of different objects) was enough (they had some handy cupboards that were great speaker stands if you combined them with a ...

My curiosity was picked by the Pimp My Billy concept, and after a really short Google tour I stumbled upon a semi-organised Ikea hack community:

Tons of ideas, some very simple and clean, others (admittedly) more of a far-fetched story.

I went looking for reactions from Ikea on the hacks, and could not come up with anything significant. Likewise, there is nothing to be found on their local site either. If I were them I'd be pretty supportive for this kind of thing. Sure, newly constructed objects might not adhere to the same safety standards, but acknowledging the fact that they exist does not necessarily mean that you take all the risk as a company (although you can never be sure in he US for example...).

On the other hand: this must be a fantastic source of inspiration for them. Take the dj console for example: it's a pretty simple object, required only a few extra holes and two lack pieces that need to be trimmed (sawed). The colour is the same, the size (width) is the same,... It would be a cinch for them to put it in production.

And what's more, the active nature of these communities allows them to monitor the popularity of different hacks. They should be organising contests like this one to see what they can get out of it.

In the end, it's a great accent for the strength of the concept: design which can be fit in everywhere and is affordable enough to let you experiment and customise. After all, you won't be so quick to saw your new Eames chair in two, would you?

Test your ears

A fantastic and simple concept, and something that you're willing to accept from this kind of organisations, I almost felt embarrassed that they needed to excuse themselves for using this trick.

Listen to your money

I was kind of surprised to see that Dexia, a well known Belgian bank, provides headphone jacks on their new terminals at Brussels Airport (what a relief, no more cueing in front of the only 2 atms available).

I was in kind of a hurry when I passed but I feel tempted to nip by and see what you hear when you plug in. 'Nothing' would be very disappointing... I'm kind of hoping for an uplifting song as you withdraw your hard earned cash from your account but that might be a bit too optimistic.

If anyone has an idea of what they're for (for the visually impaired?), drop me a line or leave something in the comments...

Foster Farms does a Dove

It shouldn't be funny at all, but it is... and while we might scoff it for it's lack of originality, it probably does resonate with a large audience.