Well it feels great to have my computer again and be able to return to blogging. I almost did the same thing my friend Steven Levy did over at Newsweek. He got a loaner ultra-light MacBook Air from Apple for reviewing and proceeded to get it caught up with the Sunday Newspapers and thrown out. My experience was almost identical, except that I bought my MacBook Air and, after four hours in the recycling bin, I was able to find mine. Steven wasnt so lucky.
Steven and I are here in Washington coming back from a great afternoon of basketball for the NCAA tourney. There have been some great games, and I almost certainly lost my voice during the Duke-WVU game. The only negative was the fact that I had to miss a great event back at the office known as ‘mArcher Madness.’ From all the notes from the team, it sounds like they had a great event.
In between games Friday, we went out to grab a bite to eat in the city. Steven and I both had our MacBooks out to check email at the bar. Either the elegance of the machines or the constant joking we were doing to each other was causing quite a few heads to turn. That is until another friend sat down next to us with a cute new device, called a Chumby.
The Chumby is a small, internet connected device that brings all the information and power of the internet to a well designed device. It connects wirelessly to the internet and displays information specially formatted for the small screen. Its simplicity is its elegance.
Steven and I plugged it in and immediately closed our MacBooks. You could have it display weather, traffic cams, or even David Letterman’s monologue from the night before. Its perfect for those who are tired of waking up to harsh alarms and bright red numbers.
We were so impressed with the Chumby, that we took it over to a corner of the bar to continue playing with it. That is until we both looked over at waitress cleaning up all our trash and almost sweeping our MacBook Air’s into the garbage can. I tossed the Chumby to Steven and made the fastest break ever to get back to the table and prevent another MacBook Air tragedy.
In between games Friday, we went out to grab a bite to eat in the city. Steven and I both had our MacBooks out to check email at the bar. Either the elegance of the machines or the constant joking we were doing to each other was causing quite a few heads to turn. That is until another friend sat down next to us with a cute new device, called a Chumby.
The Chumby is a small, internet connected device that brings all the information and power of the internet to a well designed device. It connects wirelessly to the internet and displays information specially formatted for the small screen. Its simplicity is its elegance.
Steven and I plugged it in and immediately closed our MacBooks. You could have it display weather, traffic cams, or even David Letterman’s monologue from the night before. Its perfect for those who are tired of waking up to harsh alarms and bright red numbers.
We were so impressed with the Chumby, that we took it over to a corner of the bar to continue playing with it. That is until we both looked over at waitress cleaning up all our trash and almost sweeping our MacBook Air’s into the garbage can. I tossed the Chumby to Steven and made the fastest break ever to get back to the table and prevent another MacBook Air tragedy.
03/06/08: Bob Featured in the Wall Street Journal
Bob's travels go big time - read about in the Wall Street Journal!
Join in on the discussion about Bob on a business blog going on over at the Wall Street Journal
Join in on the discussion about Bob on a business blog going on over at the Wall Street Journal
Greetings from the TED Conference in lovely Monterey, California!
I always have to apologize to anybody I have dinner with in March after I attend the Technology, Entertainment and Design (aka TED) Conference. I come away so full of ideas and inspiration that I seem to steer any conversation to what we just covered at TED. Last year was no different. Being on the West coast already, I caught up with my longtime friend, Robin Williams. Many probably don’t know this about Robin, but he is an amazing technologist. After 3 hours discussing the TED conference, he made me promise to bring him this year. For those who don’t want to suffer through my diatribes, learn more about TED at Wikipedia.
The demo demons struck the TED conference this year and stopped the World Debate discussion hosted by the BBC. Without missing a beat, Robin filled the silence with his normal humor. You never know where Robin will go, but you know it will be funny. He jumped on stage and kept the crowd in stitches while the technical difficulties were resolved! A great description of the events are on the Wired news blog.
Afterwards, we went out to dinner with a friend of mine, Erick Schonfeld of TechCrunch, at my favorite Monterey eatery, La Giostra. The owner, Massimo Sartorio remembered me from last year and quickly took us to a quiet corner table. I’ve found that dining with Robin is enough of an adventure without everyone asking him for an autograph or to say ‘Nanoo Nanoo.’
Over dinner, Robin and I were chatting about a great new financial management site, Mint, that Erick told us about. Robin was pointing out (in much more colorful language than I should use here) how the site minimized the pain associated with filling out all the security forms that online financial services put you through.
The simplicity of Mint to a user is no accident. The user experience highlights what is possible when sites are designed with equal doses of technology and information architecture. I know first hand how much effort is required to create an exceptional experience such as the one you get from Mint. Mint’s success highlights the payoff in taking the time to get it right.
During dinner, Robin took a mint leaf out of my Mojito and stuck it on his head. He then proceeded to ask the waitress the name of the street she grew up on, her mother's maiden name and other financial questions. I quickly asked for the check and took back my mint leaf.
I always have to apologize to anybody I have dinner with in March after I attend the Technology, Entertainment and Design (aka TED) Conference. I come away so full of ideas and inspiration that I seem to steer any conversation to what we just covered at TED. Last year was no different. Being on the West coast already, I caught up with my longtime friend, Robin Williams. Many probably don’t know this about Robin, but he is an amazing technologist. After 3 hours discussing the TED conference, he made me promise to bring him this year. For those who don’t want to suffer through my diatribes, learn more about TED at Wikipedia.
Afterwards, we went out to dinner with a friend of mine, Erick Schonfeld of TechCrunch, at my favorite Monterey eatery, La Giostra. The owner, Massimo Sartorio remembered me from last year and quickly took us to a quiet corner table. I’ve found that dining with Robin is enough of an adventure without everyone asking him for an autograph or to say ‘Nanoo Nanoo.’
Over dinner, Robin and I were chatting about a great new financial management site, Mint, that Erick told us about. Robin was pointing out (in much more colorful language than I should use here) how the site minimized the pain associated with filling out all the security forms that online financial services put you through.
The simplicity of Mint to a user is no accident. The user experience highlights what is possible when sites are designed with equal doses of technology and information architecture. I know first hand how much effort is required to create an exceptional experience such as the one you get from Mint. Mint’s success highlights the payoff in taking the time to get it right.
During dinner, Robin took a mint leaf out of my Mojito and stuck it on his head. He then proceeded to ask the waitress the name of the street she grew up on, her mother's maiden name and other financial questions. I quickly asked for the check and took back my mint leaf.
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