This skyline is the histogram of an image, basically the tally of different shades of gray within an image.

This chair is produced by a sound wave. By varying frequency and amplitude over time, you get a 3-dimensional volume. Quite function-al if you ask me.

Of course, a chair is only one representation of that sound wave. By varying color instead of height with amplitude, you could have a colorful 2-D rug.

I just noticed the microwave at my office has a record a message feature. I noticed this because it said to press ‘Message’ to listen to a message.

This actually seems like a cool feature. If you want to leave instructions for loved ones that they’ll have to microwave their own damn Lean Cuisine tonight, you can just record it instead of leaving a note with that chicken scratch you call hand writing.

However, since this is a novel feature, something no sane person would actually assume comes with a microwave, the interface needs to emphasize that it’s even there. I’m not saying add a huge read button, but it needs to be conspicuous without detracting from the microwave’s usefulness.

First, there’s no visible microphone. One might feel ridiculous talking at a microwave. (What if the toaster hears you?) IF it’s going to record your voice, it has to look like it’s able to. A little grille like at drive-thrus would work.

Second, the record button is actually labeled ‘Message’ which could very well be a message from the microwave to you. In fact I was expecting it to show me an error message, just like when the laser printer tells me “PC Load Letter“.

Finally, it could use a blinking red light, which universally means “message waiting”.

Of course, since no one would expect a microwave to record your voice, it probably shouldn’t. If people want to leave messages for others in the house, that’s why God 3M invented Post-Its.

You don’t register seeing the item you want before you scroll past it.

DVRs have had a similar feature for a while. While fast forwarding you see sccenes flying past. It takes you a split second to realize you’re past a commercial or at the scene you want, and then you press play. In that time you actually move past the point you want, and then have to backtrack a little. DVRs now automatically rewind a little for you.

You could even think of the DVR as showing you a scene just slightly ahead of where you actually are. This is just what I’m describing should happen in a list.

In fact, this would be a cue that you’re not at the end of the list. Since the selected item would always have another one below it until you reach the end.

Could you track the magnetic fields from your fingertips in the same way they intend to track the contact lenses? There’s probably an instrument idea in there somewhere.

I just hope they’re not strong enough to wipe your ATM card as you swipe it at the pharmacy, while buying your refill bottle.

In this recent post about a pink hard drive, they suggest buying one is second only to squeezing a ripe pear of tittles (sic) in celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I thought a few more flags would go up, but most of the commenters explicitly state their appreciation for this droll writing.

Squeezing a ripe pair! LOL Another reason why I love this site. My wife would love the drive though.

This guy’s married! Doesn’t take much to get a laugh out of some people these days.

But, by far the worst sentiment was posted by MAARK

I like perky and healthy ones, thanks. Not diseased and cut-off ones.

Jesus. I mean… Jesus. It’s the written equivalent of hocking a loogie on your palm and offering to shake someone’s hand.

I used to love Gizmodo back in the day when Joel Johnson was writing it. Now it’s just quantity over quality with around the clock press releases and iPhone photoshop jobs. I’m sure they’re making a boatload off advertising revenue, but I’ll be deleting them off my RSS reader.

P.S.
Joel is now writing the consistently interesting Boing Boing Gadgets

[via Ironic Sans]

Cops in Germany let off a man for hurling his computer out a window because he was having technical problems.

“Who hasn’t felt like doing that?” said a police spokesman.

Amen. If I had a swear jar for PC related problems, I’d have enough to buy a Mac. Hmmm.

What’s happening is your left and right eyes are focusing on the left and right images respectively, which is how the brain perceives depth.

All I did was take two pictures, keeping the lamp post in the same spot. Your brain does the rest of the work putting the two together.

Bonus: Our ears work pretty much the same way. We can tell the position of a sound with our eyes closed. Our bodies interfere with the sounds we hear which our brains use to figure out where its coming from. Listen to this (binaural) audio clip with headphones (it won’t work otherwise) and you’ll hear what I mean.

Too bad the post has no citations.

Time to save up for my yacht and sail the globe!