Despite my protests, seems the cell phone industry will continue to grow, since most people are not conscious enough to define what is pertinent information to real-world life and what’s not.
The latest round of ’social media’ simply capitalized on the willingness of people to shun the unpleasant and pursue the frivolous, which is fine, since it makes being focused a lot more rewarding than if everyone was not distracted.
In India today, the word is that they will soon have 1-billion mobile phones. That’s three times as many phone users as there is population in these United States – an amazing feat of marketing. Why, it’s now possible to go into a store and hear personal details of almost anyone’s life if you just follow them around the aisles a bit. Crazy, huh?
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If you want a good project that has the potential to turn you into a millionaire, try to figure out the next appliance that will be put into cell phones. I trust you see the progression, right? You start with a simple phone. Then you add a tiny keyboard for testing – and then a camera which even sour George admits do take pretty good pictures – and emails them from wherever.
But what’s the next big thing to be added? What runs on electricity, is small and can be effectively battery-powered? No, I won’t go into sex toys since this is a PG-rated site, but it did occur to me that Norelco could come out with a shaver-phone. Toss in a camera and you could email your twits a picture of yourself before and after.
But wait – that’s already on the market as the Cool758 Razor-Smartphone.
Hmmm….small, electric-powered, eh? How about an electric can opener phone? Maybe a coffee-grinder phone? Or, how about a phone that doubles as an electric screwdriver? Now we’re getting somewhere.
Since the phones already have a vibrating function, seems like the R&D boyz at Black & Decker shouldn’t have any trouble making a Sander-Phone. MagLite has to have a high-powered LED flashlight phone in the works since that’d be a sure-fire hit with our friends in law enforcement. I only recently found out you can buy a glass-breaking end cap for a MagLite. (See: MagLite D Cell Flashlight glass breaking Tail Cap X Cape Cap
I actually came up with what I thought would be a ‘killer ap’ – putting the remote control for the TV into a cell phone, but there are already downloadable aps for that. Besides, there’s work being done now using image recognition software that would let you control your TV with a wave of your hand.
This kind of visual recognition software has some interesting potential: Make a big shrug and the TV could flip to a news channel. Or, make the football time-out sign and TiVo pauses. Or the sign of the cross brings up the 700 Club and so forth. How about this: Pretend to swing an imaginary baseball bat and up would pop ESPN. Maybe a “Aw, get outta here” wave would turn off O’Reilly, Hannity, or whoever’s disagreeing with me at the moment….Why this opens up whole next potentials for exercise in the media room, doesn’t it? Like channeling Merlin, or something.
Figure this can’t be far off – I’m already on speaking terms with wife’s car – and it answers simple requests. More often than…well…that’s another story.
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I know there has to be a limit to how closely marketing genius can mold the man-machine interface but I keep getting stuck on power density of the battery pack as a stumbling block for some of my more aggressive concepts. Like perking coffee on a cell phone or toasting a bagel…that kind of thing.
Powering up the cell phone to pop popcorn seems within reason, if you don’t mind cooking yourself a bit faster.
But the real danger with cell phones is that voice recognition systems are not yet ready for the noisy primetime mobile environment. Until that kind of functionality is perfected, the biggest threat on the roads when you’re out driving about may not longer be drunk drivers. May be texters. More than a third of 16-17 year olds admit to texting while driving. If the cell phone toasted bagels instead of texting, imagine how much safer we’d all be.
Archeological Question of the Day
So – got Google Earth? Tell me what 33º12′22.82N by 103º35′04.67W is from 4000 feet or so…and why is it so close to the Roswell crash site? Answer: government bombing range from WW II- but quite cool…
Lingo-Lango-Local
Had to run into town to pick up some material for our bathroom remodeling project and happened to chat with a local at the lumber yard. The usual pleasantries caught be a bit off guard. My “How you doing?” got an usual reply: “If I was any better I’d be fartin’ rainbows…” explained the feller.
I’ve heard a lot of answers to my “How are you today?” Most folks mutter ‘fine’ and that’s that. But occasionally you get a decent answer like “Any day on this side of the lawn is a great one” or the similar “Better’n pushin up daisies…” My personal response usually goes something like “If I was doing any better, why there’d be two of me…”
But ‘rainbows’? New one on me – thought you might find a use for it sometime.
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