Archive for September, 2008

Sep 22 2008

Bumptop - the ultimate Laptop

Christmas came early this year ! As I without fail checked my Gmail account last Friday September 19th, expecting another bunch of emails that normally suffers through the inevitable fate of mass deletion, something piqued my eye luckily before my fingers were able to hit the delete key. Could it be?! Yes it is! The Bumptop has finally arrived at my door steps, or rather my electronic portal! I was ecstatic that my month of anxious waiting and yearning to be among one of the first Bumptop’s Beta users has been not for nought. I got the confirmation download code to this software’s beta release. For those of you who are not fortunate enough to be using this next-generation desktop interface, I took some screen shot highlighting some of the main features of this amazing desktop application. Enjoy.

The unruly files on my desktop can be at the click of a button, be easily piled into various stacks of similarly typed file document. Oh, and Anand, Steve Jobs watches over me too.

My desktop, at a disarray. File icons can be sized up or down to give visual, hierarchical, as well as physical weight to your desktop files. Two of the most brilliant features of this application are the default printer and email icons hanging on the wall. Dragging files to the printer icon will command the printer to print out the desired files, and dragging the file to the email icon will cause your default mail application to automatically attach the desired files to a new email.

The Bumptop has the option to enter infinity mode, meaning there is more or less no limit to the amount of virtual desktop space you can use to spread your files!

The Bumptop has amazing ways of accessing files when they are stacked indiscriminately together. The files can be spread like poker cards.

The files can be flipped through like photo albums. This clever little file access mode can be simply accessed through the turning of the wheel on your mouse.

These files can be neatly displayed in grid structure to provide organized viewing.

Anything, and I mean anything can be tacked on the wall to resemble my own personal miniature art photography gallery.

Another personalized viewing of my art gallery. Yes, I took all these photos ( and yes, I know these are good ).

Last, but not least, within each folder, lies the capability to be turned into its own miniature Bumptop! Brilliant

Oh, and my only suggestion for this wonderful desktop application, can someone ( hello Anand, a.k.a. the coolest Asian dude after Harold and Kumar, and the dittiest asian rapper all around, and the Bumptop Team ) please put a giant vacuum somewhere so I can easily suck away all the junk files I create in the process of creation, or just something that’s really really easy to clean house! See below!

Much much love to the Bump Top Team!

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Sep 18 2008

Academic CalendarYou have probably never even heard of Chandler’s Notebooks. In fact, in this age where you have seen exponential growth in the digitalization of all previously physical mediums, the chances are high that you have probably not even touched paper notebooks for a while. However for the select few who have grew up in the world of academia, who have correlated the rhythm of their life to the ebbing of the academic school  year, Chandler’s Academic Calendar were an everyday treasure to behold, an intimate companion that gently reminds one of all the to-dos, family functions, friends birthdays, and everything in between. Chandler’ academic calendars are no more as Chandler’s officially closed down for business this year, and will no longer be providing patrons with remembrance of times past.

I understand that for all those who have lost their best timely companion, a replacement is hard to come by. However, just in case there is no better alternative, I would like to suggest the two following academic calendars from our academic calendar store.

Academic appointment book (aug-aug) from House of doolittle

At-a-glance Academic/fiscal (jul-jun) daily appointment book 

I have collected a few comments expressing the lament for the disappearance of this dearly beloved academic calenda.

“I now live in Seattle and I am about to turn 40. As my birthday is Labor Day, every year my back-to-school ritual was closely tied to my own personal new year. The most important part of these two important annual events was getting my new (ALWAYS red) Chandler’s assignment notebook. (Perhaps pathetically) I have had a red Chandler’s assignment notebook every year since 6th grade - in my hometown, this year was a Big One: the first year you changed classrooms & teachers and got homework every single night - the first year you got a Chandler’s. It was the year you (sorta) entered the same kid-category as the older (read: cool) kids in your neighborhood. After I finished college (with my annual red Chandler’s) and left the academic cycle, I continued to get - and use - a Chandler’s to organize my life. When I moved to Seattle, I’d call my childhood source and, though they thought it was a bit goofy, for $6.95 + shipping they would mail one to me at the end of each summer. Every store I’ve bought it from has closed over the years since I moved to Seattle - first L& A Stationers, then Chandler’s in Glencoe. Last week I called Good’s in Evanston (for the past few years, my last local option) - they haven’t closed, but now it’s just a framing shop - they no longer carry art supplies (or school supplies). When I called Good’s they simply said they no longer carry them because of their own changes. Now, for the first time since 1979 - on the almost-eve of my 40th birthday! - I have lost one of my few enduring connections to my childhood. DANG.”

I have all my Chandler’s notebooks going back to 1981. I skipped a couple of years, trying a “grown-up” planner and then a Palm Pilot and came right back to Chandler’s. Nothing works as well for me. I’ve been using it faithfully for the last several years and have been looking for a new one for weeks. I can’t believe they aren’t around anymore!”

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Sep 17 2008

Ecobutton

Here is another little gizmo that I supposed to help with the carbon footprint.  Each time you take a short or long break, a phone call, go for a meeting etc. you simply press the ecobutton™ and your computer is put into energy saving ‘ecomode’ which ensures that both your computer and monitor draw only the same nominal power as when they are shut down!

The ecobutton™ is illuminated and sits on your table/desk top next to your keyboard for easy access. It connects to your computer via a USB cable. Each time your computer is put into ‘ecomode’ the clever ecobutton™ software records how many carbon units and how much power and money you have saved by using the ecobutton™.

What some may criticize that the ecobutton™ is just anoter shortcut for hibernating your computer the people behind it claim that the ecobutton™ mode turns off all the components inside your system except the essential memory. When in ecobutton™ mode your system is using as little as 1.8 watts.

You can find more facts facts on Ecobutton and stats on the savings of electricity bills and C02 reductions

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Sep 15 2008

What is it about women and office work shoes that is extremely bad for their body, and is sure to inflict all sorts of health problems down the line? Or rather, what is it about the women’s shoes industry that continuously makes and entices female office workers with these made for Stepford -wife shoes that are impossible to move in and impractical to work in! Isn’t being a female worker in the male-dominated world that is corporate America hard enough to deal with, because it’s ultimately a big boys club out there ( and they don’t play nice with girls as their equal ), without having to worry about these high-heeled contraptions cutting off oxygen to my brain-cells?! I say, NO, for now, or forever to wearing footwears that is hazardous to my health, and hinders my productivity during working hours! I found these interesting alternatives to the normal office shoes. These two shoes both have added health benefits, as well contains the potential to add funk and fun to your normal work routine!

FitFlops!

office shoes

In case you haven’t seen these yet, you might see them really soon around you. These are FitFlop. They purportedly are the most comfortable shoes, and they have great medical benefits. Did we mention that Oprah deems FitFlop “things she can’t live without this summer”. These cushy, comfy shoes are sure to give you a workout while you walk. Every step you take with your FitFlops will be sure to tone and trim your legs. So why not try these awesome shoes and incorporate them into your already sedentary lifestle at the office. For more information on these shoes, click here

working shoes

MBT Shoes!

These funky shoes sure had my attention at first glance. They look like they could kick-ass, at the gym, as well as at the office. These shoes screams, Don’t mess with me! These MBT shoes supposedly improves posture and circulation with every step, enhances the way you use muscles and joints, among other benefits to your health. I might just start showing up in my office with these awesome footwears very soon. For more information on these shoes, click here

Improves

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Sep 10 2008

I am always a sucker for gimmicks inspired by the old gaming days. These colorful drink coasters may just look like an abstract pattern, but thanks to some well placed perforations, you can actually make your own custom pixel art creations out of them.

Pixel Coasters by 25togo

The coasters come in a single sheet, folded in 50 segments (or 50 coasters) that you can cut in any way you want using the one-centimeter-long square perforations that divide each segment into 110 pixels. Through what sort of amounts to “pixel sculpting”, you can create your own personalized designs.

Pixel coaster

They come in a stack of 50 coasters, which start out conjoined into a 500cm (almost 200″) long chain which can be broken apart into individual pieces. Each square has a random arrangement of color shades, so each coaster is just a little different from the next one.

They’re made from a resilient paper fiber that should hold up to the condensation you might get on the bottom of your cup, or the occasional spill. In addition to the blue palette.At this point Pixel Coasters are only available from Taiwanese design retailer 25togo.

[via Technabob]

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