08 17th, 2008…for example, if you’re working with text originally written by a non-native speaker of the language.
I wanted to change the setting on a very simple (kosher) Samsung flip phone, so that instead of answering calls automatically when I open the phone, it will only answer when I press the “call” button to accept the call (this gives me a chance to see Caller ID first).
I knew the setting was available somewhere. Well, I looked and I looked. I hunted through every possible menu (there aren’t many on this phone).
In desperation, I got help from an Israeli colleague, who found the setting in just a couple of minutes. It wasn’t obvious. The function can be found in the “Extra Settings” in the “Settings” menu — fair enough. But the function itself is called “Active Folder”.
As a native English-speaker, I understood “Active Folder” to mean “a group of files or functionalities that are activated”, and therefore didn’t select that function even when I saw it during my original hunt.
My English-as-a-second-language colleague understood “Active Folder” correctly: “the function triggered by folding the phone is active”.
Watching store/restaurant employees use infrared touch-screen point-of-sale (POS) terminals. The old technology isn’t always very responsive, often has low-resolution input, and runs slowly. Thus the following observed accommodation behaviors:
- Using a credit card instead of a finger
- Cutting fingernails to different lengths
- Pressing harder (irrelevant to an IR technology!)
- Pressing longer
- Pressing more often
- On the software end, designing extra-large icons, to reduce false positive inputs
I’ve talked about each of these stores before. A recent visit to London gave me the opportunity to visit both within a couple of hours, which led me to think about how the experiences in them compare.
Nokia Flagship Store: Dark. Threatening. Exciting. Intense. Deep.
Apple Flagship Store: Light. Friendly. Discovery. Validating. Transparent.
Entering the Nokia store is like entering a video game: It’s not clear where you’re going, you need to explore and discover the levels of play. There’s a tension and an anticipation, an expectation that something thrilling is about to be revealed. Handsets are displayed in closed Lucite boxes or on pedestals, adding to the sense of mystique, but also to the distance. The dark palette and oddly high proportions of the ceiling (think Gothic awe) create a feeling of dominance and control that promises treasures if you explore. Reinforcing that, the ultra-high-end Vertu products are hidden at the far back of the space. On the negative side, there is too much empty space. Now what? Is there enough product here? Am I looking at the “right” things?
Entering the Apple store is like entering a great candy store: No surprises, here are the products, here are the prices. Bright, light, clear. Despite the open appearance, the store is rather fully packed. The glass stairs lead to the second level with the promise of more great things to find. Even if you never climb the stairs, you are left with the invitation, and with the sense that there is even more to delight you. There’s a validation and confirmation of your decisions; you are never left wondering if you are in the right place. You can see everything on display clearly from any point in the store.
I’m not saying that one store is “better designed” than the other. They have very different atmospheres, which is interesting.
OK, so I wasn’t going to post anything today. I certainly don’t have time to write (I must get some sleep), but couldn’t resist sharing this YouTube link. Enjoy!
Of course, that those of us who use candy-bar form phones already have random dial functionality…
[via Fortune’s Apple 2.0 blog]
Ooooh, I just love maps. Check it out: a blog of strange maps! The one shown here is a map of cannibal zones. But don’t miss the story of the State of Absaroka, U.S.A. — what? You don’t know that one?
My favorite books relating to maps:
The Mapmakers: Revised Edition
1066: The Year of the Conquest
1421: The Year China Discovered America (P.S.)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
And now go away and don’t bother me. I’m looking at maps busy.
What if there were no stop signs… and a major corporation was charged with inventing one?
If you’ve ever worked on the design side of the desk… don’t miss this great YouTube video!
From a consistently fascinating blog, Arthur Shapiro’s Illusion Sciences. Illusion Sciences isn’t in the class of trick pictures you looked at in a 6th-grade science unit; it explores what makes the mind interpret (and mis-interpret) images. Take a look at the site. You’ll be surprised.
Click on the image to go to the Illusion Sciences site, where the image is active:
If I were one of the people involved in inventing, developing, funding or launching GPS service, I’d be feeling very gratified right now (in addition to being rich). It’s sick that we need this kind of protection available, but it’s also exactly what technology is for. Good on them.
If only we could tag people just before they act.
GPS devices have been used for years to monitor sex offenders. But technological advances have now made it possible for the systems to issue warnings by cell phone if the offender gets too close to a specific victim.
Massachusetts adopted a law last year that lets judges require electronic monitoring of people who violate personal protection orders. Michigan, Oklahoma and Hawaii followed suit this year with GPS laws, bringing to 11 the number of states with related measures, said Diane Rosenfeld, a lecturer at Harvard Law School who proposed the Massachusetts law.
[via CNN.com]
When we swam in the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee to you English-speakers), little fish swam around our feet, nibbling and tickling our toes. Laura Ingalls Wilder describes the same phenomenon (along with a snapping crab) in On the Banks of Plum Creek
Who knew it was a luxury spa treatment?
Ready for the latest in spa pampering? Prepare to dunk your tootsies in a tank of water and let tiny carp nibble away.
Fish pedicures are creating something of a splash in the D.C. area, where a northern Virginia spa has been offering them for the past four months. John Ho, who runs the Yvonne Hair and Nails salon with his wife, Yvonne Le, said 5,000 people have taken the plunge so far.
“This is a good treatment for everyone who likes to have nice feet,” Ho said.
He said he wanted to come up with something unique while finding a replacement for pedicures that use razors to scrape off dead skin. The razors have fallen out of favor with state regulators because of concerns about whether they’re sanitary.Ho was skeptical at first about the fish, which are called garra rufa but typically known as doctor fish. They were first used in Turkey and have become popular in some Asian countries.
Or, as my 18-month old would say, “Tickle-oo!”
[AP story via Kosher Fish Destination]
Some thoughts on Fashion and Mobile Phones…
A red iPhone sounds… good. That is, if it’s the red of the Product (Red) iPod; not that bloody fingernail color of the mockup at the rumor site. Odd how a color can do that.
So, it has struck me as rather odd to now want an iPhone. The reason being (and I know how badly this comes across) is that it’s now available in (Red).
Rumours are apparently out in force that Apple is preparing a Product (Red) version of the iPhone in time for Thanks Giving [sic].
[via SMS Text News]
In the context of a discussion of the impact of fashion on mobile device purchasing, I recently realized that if — big IF — syncing were perfect and complete, I’d love to have multiple cell phones. Different colors, different styles, work, personal, whatever. One for entertainment content, one for email and/or browsing, one for heavy calling.
What do I mean by “perfect and complete”? I don’t want to think about what’s in a phone. So total synchronization of contacts, bookmarks, content (photos, videos, music), calendar, notes… EVERYTHING.
And I don’t want to move the SIM card. I just want all the phones to be paired to the lines I use as profiles (one personal, one work, one U.S.) that I can switch between (or even have all three lines coming in, toggling them off and on as desired). Let the device synchronize every couple of hours, and I’m ready to roll with whatever suits the mood.
Now we’re talking.
