09.11.2009
Andrew Wirtanen /
Local
From their site: “SPARKcon is a showcase of creativity, talent and ideas of ‘The Creative Hub of the South,’ The Triangle NC.”
SPARKcon has great events that are worth checking out. Here are the basics:
Who: Volunteer-organized, local work is represented.
What: A series of events which span Art, Music, Independent Businesses, Writing, Fashion, Food, Graffiti, Dance, Gaming…the list goes on.
Where: Downtown Raleigh. Most events take place on Fayetteville street.
When: September 17-20 (Thursday-Sunday)
Why: To bring creatives together, showcase work and have fun
It’s rare to watch a fashion show in Moore Square, or sit outside watching local films. BazaarSPARK is also a great way to support Triangle vendors. You’ll probably see people who participate in the Handmade Market or the Rock and Shop Market.
08.28.2009
Andrew Wirtanen /
Human Factors /
User Research
source: flickr.com/photos/forrer
The new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas has the world’s largest HD screen. It looks amazing. But, there’s one little problem: the $40 million 60×25 yard screen is a giant obstacle for punters. In the 1st preseason game of the season on August 21st, Tennessee Titans punter A.J. Trapasso hit the screen in the 3rd quarter. Trapasso said that NFL punters probably won’t hit the screen every time, but it’s “in the way”. The screen presents “a lot of issues”, said Titans coach Jeff Fisher.
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08.19.2009
Andrew Wirtanen /
Usability /
User Research
When I go to user experience or human factors conferences, there are a lot of presentations on new methods to use when conducting studies with participants. But, what about the information that is already out there? People talk about their likes and dislikes about products every day on the Internet. At HumanCentric, we have a name for the process of collecting and conslidating all that information: web mining.
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08.14.2009
Andrew Wirtanen /
Trends /
Web & Software
The typical reply to the question “are you on Twitter?” is always the same: I don’t care to know what people are watching on TV or eating for dinner. There is a widespread ignorance regarding the power of the social platform, which exploded in 2007 at SXSW, and joined the mainstream this year…
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07.02.2009
Andrew Wirtanen /
Consumer Products /
Human Factors /
User Research
If a firework doesn’t explode, how long would you wait before checking it?
According to research presented at HFES ’98, you would probably wait 9 seconds. The researchers ran a study with 30 participants and concluded that 95% of people would wait 9 seconds before approaching a firework they thought was a dud. The research was funded by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the results changed the old fuse burn time regulation for fireworks from 3-6 seconds to 3-9 seconds (PDF Link – Fuse burn time amendment). With a 3-9 second fuse burn time, manufacturers can produce safer fireworks that are less likely to short fuse (i.e., explode before 3 seconds).
So, this 4th of July weekend, if you happen to be around fireworks, expect them to explode between 3-9 seconds.
06.22.2009
Andrew Wirtanen /
Consumer Products /
Green Technology /
New Technology /
Trends
There are two big cellphone trends right now: touchscreen smartphones and dirt-cheap Earth-friendly cell phones. Both of these trends are great; one is pushing the limits of the mobile experience and the other is encouraging responsible manufacturing practices. Both are appealing, but generally the Earth-friendly phones do not have as many features and their user interfaces look like they were designed in the 90s.
My new iPhone 3GS was delivered to the office Friday (June 19th) around lunchtime. It’s shiny, has an internal compass, voice commands, video recording, and is very fast. But, it’s not perfect. After all, it doesn’t have a solar panel on the back of it like the Samsung Crest E1107. And, it isn’t 100% recyclable and made of recycled water bottles like the Motorola Renew W233.
That’s not to say that Apple is ignoring environmental issues. The iPhone 3GS has smaller packaging and doesn’t contain chemicals like mercury, arsenic, PVC, and BFR. The major environmental flaw of the iPhone is that the user cannot replace the battery. By not having a user-replaceable battery in iPhones or iPods, Apple is encouraging them to be thrown in the trash. In response to this concern, Apple started their iPod recycling program (which works with iPhones too).
It’s only a matter of time before recyclable smartphones made of recycled material hit the market. If the next iPhone has a solar panel, I’ll be first in line.
