Can Cell Phones really save the planet article

Interesting post on the influence and future of cell phones.

http://www.good.is/post/can-cell-phones-really-save-the-planet/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+good/lbvp+(GOOD+Main+RSS+Feed)

IKEA Field Trip 3

ending tonight with a picture of the only signage not designed in-line with the IKEA brand and it leaves me wondering why (perhaps some governmental money-grub law that requires businesses to use only official handicap signs?)

IKEA Field Trip 2

followed by a picture of the worlds loneliest bicycle rack.
do you remember all there was to see too the horizon was cornfields?
where are these bicycles going to ridden from?
hmm, what will I do this Saturday? I think I'll ride my bike to IKEA to buy some pillows and a mattress, maybe a nice cowhide for the floor.

IKEA Field Trip 1

here's everyone enjoying breakfast in a restaurant furnished entirely of items available for purchase

Reach - New York, An Urban Musical Instrument by Christopher Janney

Christopher Janney teaches a course at The Cooper Union called "Sound as a Visual Medium".

it harkens to superman's power chrystals

Augmented-Reality Mapping

In a demo that drew gasps at TED2010, Blaise Aguera y Arcas demos new augmented-reality mapping technology from Microsoft.

Another Interactive Space

Interactive dog that follows you around, discerns your gestures as friendly or aggressive and tries to engage you in a play. built with openFrameworks, unity3d and blender3d.

Sniff from karolina sobecka on Vimeo.

dunnhumbyUSA

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Be there between 9:00 and 9:15 AM Thursday we will park and meet in the Lot where the orange 444 sign is.

IKEA naming scheme...

One thing I started wondering about in Ikea today was the naming scheme of the items for sale, as each one has a unique, foreign name that I've always assumed was some sort of appropriate title in Swedish. I wondered why Ikea didn't just translate the furniture names, so I did some Googling, and found the truth behind the Ikea naming convention system!! :)

Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IKEA#Product_names

Pretty interesting, I never knew that there was such a system behind the names. The system is distinct and creative, but it gets completely lost to those who don't speak the language(s). Does keeping true to the naming scheme inhibit the average American's purchasing experience? Could it be easier for a customer searching the giant warehouse, if the item "Dalfred" was labeled "black bar stool?"

When exiting the escalator into the showroom, a classmate remarked to me that Ikea felt "like they weren't in Ohio anymore..." The Ikea store experience is unique (intentionally) to another design culture that's sometimes foreign to ours. Keeping the integrity of Ikea as a Swedish brand in American culture is an issue I imagine Ikea has debated pretty frequently, and is probably one we'll encounter again when considering Ikea experience improvements.

Facebook "like" tagging in the real world.

This is an interesting article detailing the use of facebook "like" tags on real world objects. Coca Cola Park in Israel gave guests special RFID bracelets that were linked to their personal facebook accounts. They could then "check in" to specific locations around the park by scanning their wrists. Just something to think about.....

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/techchron/detail?entry_id=70896

Blackberry Playbook

Interactive Storefront

An out-of-home (OOH) advertising campaign for Canadian telecommunications provider Telus recently turned storefronts in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal into gesture-based interactive video walls. via Sign Media

The Web is Dead

If you don't already have a subscription to Wired magazine, you should. For ten bucks a year you get access to insightful articles, superb information graphics and a glimpse into what is happening with design, technology and culture. Check out this article from last month's issue.

groopi.es | trust your friends

Check out this new site for product recommendations.

Some Links to Consider

LG E Paper (link)

Future of Screen Technology (video)

Minimal Folio (link)

Ikea West Chester

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We will meet Tuesday at 9:30am in the Ikea Cafe.

Blog is up

Hi everyone. The blog is up, please start posting and sharing information, inspiration and insights.