Google Wave Is No More
It’s official as of 8/04/2010 02:00PM. Google has put Wave to rest.
“Wave has not seen the user adoption we would have liked. We don’t plan to continue developing Wave as a standalone product, but we will maintain the site at least through the end of the year and extend the technology for use in other Google projects.”
– Urs Hölzle, Senior Vice President, Operations & Google Fellow
I think Google Wave was a great idea and used amazing new technologies in our everyday browsers, but it wasn’t easy enough to use or understand for the average internet user. I even had a hard time understanding it all. I watched videos and was invited by friends to try it, but never saw a reason or an opportunity to use it. I’m sure the hard core Google fans loved it and adapted to it quickly.
Google is keeping a lot of the technology they developed in Wave open source so programmers can continue the innovation they began.
R.I.P. Google Wave
Kevin Terry Dot US Number 1 On Google
After over a year of promoting this site I’ve finally beat all the other Kevin Terry’s on the world wide web. Kevin Terry Dot US is number 1 on Google when just simply typing Kevin Terry. I know this might not seem like much but it was some little goal I had in the back of my head for sometime now. Two other humans on this planet named Kevin Terry have been making it very difficult. I’ve been targeting many different specific sites to help push kevinterry.us to the top. As I continued promoting placing my name and url on other sites I watched kevinterry.us slowly crawl to the top.
iPad Stop Motion Tear Down
Thought this was worth showing. Not sure I would attempt this myself but they do make it looks easy. I wonder how they get it open in the very beginning when it opens like a car hood.
Embody. A Healthy Investment
Recently I made an investment for my health and comfort at the office. I spend more time in a chair then I do standing. At least 40 hours or more in front of a computer. Over the years I’ve worked in terrible chairs that caused all sorts of back, neck, elbow, and shoulder problems. I’ve also spent a healthy amount of time working in some pretty decent chairs including the Herman Miller Aeron and Mirra, but I still found myself adjusting often. None of them fit just right. Working my way into my 30s and becoming more aware of my posture and health I decided it was time to find a chair that works. Their has to be one out there right?
After a lot of research I found the Herman Miller Embody. Skipping right to it. In my opinion, this is the most comfortable computer chair you can buy. The technology in this chair is far above anything Herman Miller has done. The Embody allows the body to move naturally into the most healthful seated postures and encourages working in a reclined position, the most healthful posture for computer users. It’s a miracle. Can it really be true? After 7 years of sitting in front of a computer I feel comfortable! This chair makes sitting at a computer enjoyable. You almost forget you’re sitting. There is no pressure on your hips or legs. This overall freedom from physical constraint and discomfort means that blood circulates better, the heart slows down, and more oxygen flows to the brain, a critical advantage in an economy where ideas and innovation drive success. I love this chair. If you are in the market this chair is a must have.
I will continue to write about this chair as the days/months go by. Below are some helpful bullets I pulled from the brochure.
· Creates harmony between people and computers.
· Enables and promotes healthful movement.
· Lets blood and oxygen flow more freely, enhancing ability to stay focused.
· Conforms to body’s movements in forward through reclined positions.
Designers: Jeff Weber and Bill Stumpf
Design for the Environment:
· 95 percent recyclable and manufactured using 42 percent recyclable materials
· MBDC Cradle to CradleSM Silver certified
· GREENGUARD® certified
· levelTM 2 certified
Love your scrollbar
If you’re a web designer I’m sure you’ve heard the term “page fold” and will get a kick out of this. And to those of you who regularly use this term when designing for the web… please remember scrolling is the one thing that comes natural to every single user. Whether your on Window or OS X, Safari or Explore, scrolling is the one thing you can count on being exactly the same. Love your scrollbar
Visit the site: http://www.thereisnopagefold.com/
Red Dead Redemption
Roughly 2 years ago after watching 3:10 to Yuma I thought to myself, “wouldn’t a wild west game be awesome”. No one has really made one and it would be a nice change from the aging Grand Theft Auto series. Well the other day I was browsing Rockstar Games looking to see when the next GTA release might be on its way and instead found something much more exciting. Red Dead Redemption. I’ll let the gameplay introduction video do all the talking.
Conclusion:
Rockstar Games has done it again and created another masterpiece. I can’t wait to get my hands on this game.
High On Neuroscience
Recently I finished a book by Steven Johnson, called Mind Wide Open. It’s about your brain and the neuroscience of everyday life. When I started the book my progress was slow. Every time I finished a page I had to find someone to share the information with. Later learning to relax and talk about it later my progress picked up. Funny thing is later I read in this book how reading and then talking about what you just read helps you retain the information much better than if you didn’t. I’ve always been extremely fascinated by the human brain and its inner workings. This book helped me better understand what all these powerful chemicals in my brain are doing and why. I pay more attention to the pattern of chemical changes and learn from them.
“So this is your brain, in all its multiplicity. You are part reptile, part mammal, part primate, part homo sapiens. You are a twitchy amygdala; you are a dopamine fiend; you are under the spell of oxytocin. You are an unthinkably complex series of connections, of links, spun together by your genes and by your lived experiences. You are a walking assembly of patterns and waves, clusters of neurons firing in sync with one another.” — Steven Johnson, author of Mind Wide Open
Continuing my high on neuroscience I purchased two other popular books both written by Contributing Editor at Wired Jonah Lehrer, How We Decide and Proust Was a Neuroscientist. I will post about these two when I finish them.
No More Posts?!
So I haven’t posted anything in weeks. If you’re wondering it’s because I’ve been working with a agency here in St. Louis for the last month and since last week the ball has really dropped hard on us. Its been keeping me very busy and tired in the evening. I hope to get back into it soon and post more goodies.
2009 MLB All-Star Game Arrives In St. Louis
On Tuesday President Obama will throw out the first pitch at the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game here at Busch Stadium in St. Louis Missouri. Word is 4,000 downtown hotel rooms have been reserved for players, corporate sponsors, and the 2,000 journalists that will report the All Star Game which is to broadcast to 226 countries in 12 languages. Whew!
For more information on the 2009 All Star Game visit mlb.com.
Electric Face Stimulus
I came across this video the other day of Daito Manabe doing a human experiment in which small electrical signals cause the muscles in your face to contract. I found it pretty interesting how he uses very minimal electronic sounds to drive the experiment. I think Daito Manabe and Richie Hawtin need to sit down and have a cup of coffee. Danito has worked as a system engineer and a programmer and says he is redefining the existent media and technologies from unique angles. Very cool stuff Danito!
