*notcot - 03.25.09 , 11:58 -

2009 Survey and Logitech Squeezebox Boom

BOOM.jpg UPDATE!!! Congrats to our winner, Philip in Seattle!!!!

It’s been a while since i asked YOU what you’re up to, who you are, etc etc ~ and advertisers are curious to know more (as am i!). So 2009 NOTCOT Survey time! I know how not fun these can be, so i consider it a huge favor and really appreciate it if you can help out and take the survey here! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

ALSO! To make it more fun, i’ll pick one winner from the surveys to send one of my latest obsessions! The Logitech Squeezebox Boom! (Just make sure you fill in your email at the end of the survey if you want to be entered!) I will pick a winner on Monday, so get that survey in by Sunday night!

This also seemed like a fun chance to show you the Logitech Squeezebox Boom up close too! When i moved into the new NOTCOT HQ ~ it was far too quiet and too many rooms! So this Boom has been perfect! It is nice, simple, sleek and portable ~ i can use it room to room and outdoors even ~ just needs wall power (not sure why no battery option!) ~ and it can tap into my wifi or ethernet (or plug in ipod, etc) ~ play any of the music on my computer/network, internet radio (which apparently includes every local station these days too!), Last.FM, Pandora, Rhapsody, Sirius, and more! I was skeptical about the sound quality at first, but its been incredible for its size, and great for rooms/kitchen/etc. Bonus? It runs on the SqueezeCenter which is a breeze to setup, and it’s all open source so you can even program games and weather and other random features to be displayed… also works great as an alarm clock! … and it networks with all of the other Squeezebox networked players as well! [Retails at $263 at Amazon]

Take a look at more pics on the next page ~ i love the little design details like the rubberized wheel and the thumb indentation on the remote… and don’t forget to take the 2009 NOTCOT Survey!

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*notcot - , 09:59 -

Porsche Design Edition 3 Cayenne

de31.jpg Mmmm Porsche Design Editions ~ I’ve had a soft spot for these since the first Design Edition 1 Cayman in 2007 ~ those matte black stripes on black, those elegant details…

“The special edition „Cayenne Porsche Design Edition 3” is based on the Cayenne GTS with 4.8-litre V8 engine. The exterior eye-catcher of the special edition is a metallic lava gray lacquering, design stripes on the sides and on the engine hood and even the standard 21-inch Sport Plus have an elegant metallic grey finish. For the interior design the designers choose an elegant as well as sportive combination of black leather and red contrast stitching, which continue on the dashboard and on the doorbrushes. Each model has a badge on the glove compartment.”

Gorgeous! Check out more details on the next page ~ as well as a peek at the matching watch and luggage collection… and the previous two design editions!

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*notcot - 03.15.09 , 18:26 -

Talking Shuffle

shuffle.jpg For scale… check out the size of that shuffle next to all the randomness under my monitors… its about the height of that veuve grand dame cork… So as you can see, i gave in and got one of the tiny gum stick looking new buttonless ipod shuffles. And it’s so tiny, and adorably simple, and comes with mini apple stickers! So take a peek at the unboxing and the cute instructional graphics too on the next page…

p.s.
Yes, it does suck that you can’t use other headphones i suppose, BUT it’s pretty fun to make it talk to you… my latest addiction is having RadioLover download streaming radio i miss (it even breaks it up into songs! I’ve been dling lots of Indie 103.1 lately)… so this is perfect! I can load up radio i missed, and when i dont know what song it is, it can tell me!

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*notcot - 03.06.09 , 02:48 -

KNIFEANDFORK MOCA - Golf + Donuts

golfmain.jpg Just RFID mini-golfed behind the scenes of MOCA… and ate donuts. Rumor has it that for every ball that went into a hole a donut hole was made… and when your RFID foamy golf ball went into a hole you also got a call on your cell with audio rambling and randomness… quickly got the feeling that far more people showed up than anticipated, or this was a project that wasn’t set up to scale well, although there were a LOT of security throughout… and mix crazy mini golf course + alcohol + quite a few pushy/competitive hipsters + a sneak peek at a side of MOCA you never see + not nearly enough space for all these people to be wandering through, let alone trying to golf through… and yea. Wow. It was pretty crazy… It’s hard to explain with words really, but i took a bunch of pics for you to take a peek at the world behind MOCA! (And unfortunately there’s one pic plain clothes security made me delete… it was a fun look at all the security screens of the museum though!)

This was part of First Thursdays at MOCA ~ “KNIFEANDFORK, founded by Brian House and Sue Huang, presents three new works for ENGAGEMENT PARTY, MOCA’s series of interventions by local artist collectives” ~ and this was the first! Emptiness is Form (Golf and Donuts) - Voice interventions by Nathan Phillips, Donuts by Deanna Moody of Dee’s Bakery and Donuts, DJ set by Wendy Yao, Blogging by Guthrie Lonergan…

See the pics on the next page for the full effect!

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*notcot - 02.24.09 , 22:19 -

Amazon Kindle 2 Details

kindle1.jpg Oooooh Dan just got his new Amazon Kindle 2 today! While i haven’t seen it in person yet, he sent me some closeups of those details and all that glossy on matte black he knows i love… take a peek at how fun it looks on the next page! Love the packaging once again!

p.s.
A bit quiet here, been pretty distracted moving/settling into the new house ~ finally got functional internet (Time Warner was terrible, Verizon is doing pretty well *fingers crossed*) ~ so during the lulls, hang out at NOTCOT.org for tons of goodness constantly going up, and if you find more that i’m missing, feel free to submit your finds too! And been poking at Twitter more lately, feel free to follow NOTCOT randomness there as well!

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*notcot - 02.18.09 , 19:31 -

Canon D10

canon1.jpg Quickly, move past the fugliness, i’m really hoping that’s just how it feels in the product shots, and that in your hand its smaller and less bloated seeming (4.08 x 2.63 x 1.92 in./103.6 x 66.9 x 48.8mm) …. ANYHOW, moving along, firstly, it’s about time Canon has an everything-proof camera ~ the new Canon D10 waterproof to 33ft, freezeproof, and shockproof! We’ve had those little pentax optio waterproofs of various generations around for random adventures for some time now, but i’ve always preferred Canon… And thank goodness you can “customize” the casing and swap off that turquoisey faceplate… perhaps that’s their brilliant way to convince most to buy the accessory kit? BUT, the real feature i wanted to show you… did you see the way the various strap options attach to the body? I’m really curious to see how that feels in person and how it works exactly… glad to see Canon branching out with the design details, with the crazy weather we seem to be having all over the world these days this sounds like the perfect “have on you at all times” camera. See the detail shots on the next page!

p.s.
Canon, why no HD video?

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*notcot - 02.10.09 , 16:02 -

TAD Gear Titanium Skeleton Key

skey1.jpg On things i didn’t even know i needed, but now can’t imagine not having… TAD Gear’s Titanium Skeleton Key. But really, who doesn’t want a piece of thick solid 6AL-4V titanium billet that is machined locally in SF in a machine shop that does parts for the F22 Raptor?!?!?! They’ve already sold out of three editions of 100… it features TAD Gear Terminator Skull graphic, and has a laser engraved TAD gear logo on reverse… What does it have? Flathead screw driver tip, pry tip with nail puller, bottle cap lifter, and a spanner wrench tip fit all regular sized Strider Folders. Is it bad this makes me want a Strider now? See more images of it on the next page… and perhaps if there’s enough interest, they’ll do another run!

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*notcot - 01.22.09 , 10:15 -

Augmented Reality

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And to follow up on the last post about Lego’s new Digital Boxes by Metaio ~ here’s a roundup of Augmented Reality as collected up on NOTCOT.org! Most of these end up linking you to videos and picture where you can see augmented reality digital “pop up books” ~ and playful puppies who run to other card/markers that are water dishes, 3D graffiti painting in a warehouse, adorable monsters, xmas cards, and my favorite is the zoo ads you aim your cell phone at and see animals… So much potential with the technology, i’m super excited to see what people will come up with next to push the boundaries further!

*notcot - , 10:05 -

Lego’s Digital Box

lego0.jpg Augmented Reality ~ its a quickly growing trend currently ~ and honestly, i’m thrilled! It was such an art/research buzzword about 5 years ago when i was in college studying technology in the arts, and sure it’s taken some time, but i’ve been absolutely fascinated how its been translating into commercial and more aesthetically interesting uses ~ particularly in the case where you have prints/objects you can hold up to webcams and cellphone cameras to see magicaly digital beings and objects appear which you can manipulate.

Metaio, out of Germany, seems to be leading some of the innovative commercial uses of this technology, and their latest project is a very fun one for LEGO! From the press release: “Munich, December 2008 - From November, the Danish toy manufacturer will test launch its “DIGITAL BOX” in selected toyshops and LEGO® stores worldwide. This interactive terminal will utilize innovative technology supplied by metaio in the form of a software program specially-developed for the LEGO Group by the Munich-based experts in
augmented reality solutions. Together with a camera and display screen, the software lets LEGO packaging reveal its contents fully-assembled within live 3D animated scenes.” How much more fun does that make going to the toy store? Of course even cooler would be watching it build up in your hands piece by piece in full rotatable 3D when you hold it up ~ but i know, baby steps… See more preview pics of these new Digital Boxes on the next page!

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*notcot - 01.13.09 , 16:53 -

Flexicord

flexi1.jpg Flexicord! On silly products that seem so simple ~ its amazing what some awesome packaging, clean simple product displays, and an instant “why didn’t i think of that” reaction can turn into! These Flexicord cables are your usual HDMI, Cat5, S-video, USB, etc… only you can bend them, and they’ll hold their shape! I love their “Clamshell-free” imagery ~ and the idea that it basically comes with a paper towel tube as a “coiling tube” feature… just crack me up. But really, i still want one, it could serve as the ethernet cable that doubles as a cable wrangler, coiling itself around it, or bending it into various shapes to hold/sort the mess behind my desk? Read more about Flexicord here… and I’ve included all my pics of their booth and product sheet on the next page!

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*notcot - 01.10.09 , 15:47 -

Miniwiz Solarbulb, POLLI-brick, miniNOTE

solarbulb1.jpg Few can say they took packaging design cues from fast food burger containers… although Miniwiz’s Solarbulb has been making the rounds this week due to their CES presence, and the very interesting concept of a solar powered light that can screw on to your standard plastic water bottles, or on their POLLI-brick bottles that are interlockable to build larger structures… not nearly enough attention has been paid to their packaging prototypes and iconography on them! Basically these solar/wind powered portable device designers make incredible use of cardboard! Also noteworthy is their miniNOTE ~ a cardboard mailer/postcard with a solar panel and battery built in for your recipient to charge and use instantly! Such a beautiful gesture ~ can you imagine sending “power” to a bunch of your friends? Take a peek at close up pics of their designs and CES booth display on the next page!

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*notcot - 01.08.09 , 02:08 -

ioSafe Solo ~ flaming HDs at CES

iosafe0.jpg Here’s what i love about vegas ~ you just never know what or where you’ll end up ~ tonight led us on an adventure into the vegas off-strip suburbs where we ended up tossing the latest ioSafe Solo external hard drive into the color changing rock fountain pool… pulled it out by a cord… then set it on fire! Only to cool it (with clouds of steam) with a hose… and take it all apart to show off the pristine hard drive contained with in… and of course we also cooked a standard hard drive as well, which didn’t fare quite as nicely…

Beyond the obvious fascination and amusement from the demo itself ~ it all lent it self perfectly for some fun photographing and video too! Luckily dan came with ~ so we have full video of all the excitement for you to see on the next page, and i’ve summarized the whole scene in a gallery of pics as usual! Fire in the dark is SO fun with the my new 5D ~ and as for the ioSafe Solo external hard drive, i think i’m sold. In this line of “work” i can’t imagine losing all my files… lifetime of photos… design work… the websites!… you name it! Granted its one of those problems you hope you never have to worry about, but if there *were* to be a flood or fire, i’d certainly feel better knowing my data would most likely survive it! While ioSafe is primarily known for their enterprise level products (massive, hefty “disaster proof hardware”) ~ this is their first introduction into the consumer space, and the pricing is impressive ~ the 500GB ioSafe Solo external hard drive is only $149, and the 1TB is $199 and 1.5TB is $299!

Go see the pics and videos as well as more details on how they work on the next page! (The first video shows the destruction of it… the second one shows you how to get the hard drive out of it after!)

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*notcot - 12.27.08 , 14:14 -

Wordlock Review!

wordlock1.jpg Wordlocks! “Use words, not numbers” is their slogan ~ and honestly when i was first playing with them and chatting with their PR, it really brought out the inner child in me… they said you shouldn’t be able to make bad words with them, so of course for days they became my desk fidget toy as i’d work on things and try to find some… i did find quite a few strange ones even! (anyone on my facebook probably saw pics of these) BUT, that’s not the point… I’m not sure about you, but i’ve always been TERRIBLE with combination locks, not just remembering the numbers but trying to open them even! These pad locks, luggage locks, bike locks, and more make it a bit easier if you come up with a word that works… or better yet, an acronym? I can just imagine coming back to your gym locker watching people playing games trying to guess the word on your lock!

But to geek out for a moment, what i found most interesting is the background behind the Wordlocks… “After 20 years in the technology business as an engineer, most recently at Apple, Todd Basche and his wife Rahn (a Clinical Social Worker) quit their jobs and started Wordlock Inc. They expanded the family of products and created bike locks, TSA-approved luggage locks and recently launched the industry’s first Spanish-language padlock. Not only is the design of the lock patented, the algorithm that Wordlock created that allows for 100,000 word and letter combos on the padlock is as well. Wordlock has patented a number of software algorithms that maximize the number of words the lock can spell on its five dials (note each dial has 10 letters or 9 letters and a blank space on it).” Apparently the apple engineer and his wife have spent ridiculous amounts of time on algorithms to figure out the best letters to put on those wheels for the optimal number of possible “real” words in both english and spanish! The locks remind me of old physical word puzzles i had as a kid where you’d spin the rings to make the words… now if only i could rearrange the rings on these Wordlocks and invent MORE word options! But lets be honest, its not like we don’t have enough passwords to remember from everything online to root passwords to voicemail passwords to…. well maybe having words for bike locks and gym lockers and mysterious storage containers would help? See more pics of them all on the next page, as well as scanned in pages of possible combinations they recommend.

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*notcot - 12.15.08 , 15:03 -

Canon 5D Mark II + 16-35mm

5dmkii1.jpg Eep! It’s here! I’m so so giddy right now that you’ll have to excuse these sloppy pics, but i’ve been bouncing up and down (despite the ridiculously dreary, rainy, weather) ~ but fedex came by with the best xmas/bday present ~ Canon 5D Mark II!!! And EF 16-35mm f/2.8 lens!!! Basically i’m writing this post to buy myself more time while anxiously waiting for the battery to charge… So check out unboxing pics, and side by side comparison pics with my 40D (and since these are IN the shot, they are taken with the TX1)!

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*notcot - 11.26.08 , 03:53 -

INCASE iPhone Power Slider

slider.jpg News of this magical new battery doubling sleek iPhone case has been circulating, but only tonight (or i guess now its 4am… so morning?) did i really sit down and go through the press release and high res images ~ Not surprising, it’s Incase, so it’s gorgeous… and it’s available in 2 days! (Nov 28!) Actually what brought the Power Slider up was talking to dan about his super early flight to Pennsylvania this morning, and how there is the possibility there will be no internet (*gasp*) and hopefully some cell reception where he’s going… and how badly he wished he has the Incase Power Slider to magically double the battery life on the go!

So upon further inspection, the Power Slider deserved a full post ~ have you looked closely at it? like REALLY closely? To notice the mac inspired details like “A five-light LED battery status indicator gauges battery life and also denotes sync mode and charging.” Or the subtle single leaf logo on the front bottom left? How about the deepness of the camera hole on the back? And it has my favorite matte black soft-touch coating! Also love that its converted the charging to a more standard mini-USB, much more friendly when roaming in random non-iPhone friend cars without your own charger! I am curious how the 0.86” thickness feels in my hand relative to a normal iphone… So anyhow, check out the super closeups on the next page, i think this is definitely making the list of good gifting options for the holidays…

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