The changing user interface of life



I never fully grokked why my friend is *so* passionate about his iphone and, well, all things Apple in general. Sure, they’re brilliant at product development and execution. Yes, Steve Jobs is a marketing genius with an unparalleled ability to create an upswell of consumer demand.

But to bring the latest SDK specs with you on a vacation to Thailand? :0)

Now, however, I get it. I at last have the latest-greatest elite toy and for starters, all the pent-up demand for music that my ipod-less experience to date (Shuffle doesn’t really count folks) is alone transforming my reality into an immersive, escapist delight.

And I KNOW I haven’t even scratched the surface when it comes to appreciating the elegance of the device’s integrated design and to leveraging the Brave New World of AppleStore applications being promulgated as I type.

The horror of it all is that now that I can access Facebook 24X7, the reactionary makers of the beloved Mr. Potatohead I referenced in an earlier post have pulled an RIAA and decided to use the courts rather than customers to decide what products we have available to us. What will I now do with my insane amount of discretionary time??

Let the market decide!!!

Are we going to party like it’s 1999?

A few weeks ago I posted a question on LinkedIn asking how the current Web 2.0 “bubble” is different than the first one. Many respondents feel the lessons learned 7ish years ago won’t be repeated and took issue with me calling our current market activity a “bubble.”

I won’t argue….I’ll simply instruct them to go* here and see if they still disagree!

* ok, maybe not “go” but you know what I mean

What’s real?

I came across an absolutely hysterical – or is it tragic? – parody of Linden Lab’s Second Life. It’s one of those things I keep looking at over & over because I can’t stop laughing (albeit the irreverence).

I remember when SPINNING first came out – I thought, “How absurd! Why would anyone prefer a dark, stuffy, confined room over the real thing?” And here I am, (x) years later, subjecting myself to that very instrument of torture I was so quick to condemn earlier.

[Is it just me, or is it actual lipids I wipe off of the floor at the end of class??].