Sweet Spot

It’s not uncommon for somebody to send a card around the office for get well wishes or retirements… why hasn’t anybody made a group e-card interface? Read the rest of this entry »

I know enough to know that I don’t know if the following is even feasible. Read the rest of this entry »

ok, here’s a silly idea. We print things on dead tree pulp, then shred the stuff back into pulp and start over, calling it recycling. Except every time the fibers get shorter and the stuff is less useful. Also dirtier. Read the rest of this entry »

I have a terrible time with email overload. I process approximately 100 real emails (not spam) per day. Some are basically irrelevant and I can delete them immediately, some require more attention, and often, I get backlogged by weeks or even months on things that I would read if I could get to them.

My big issue is that others have no awareness of why I’m not emailing back. Read the rest of this entry »

Those of you who are academics will appreciate this one. The other night, I’m out during our conference crying into glasses of beer with colleagues who’ve had their work stalled by the slowness of a journal’s review process. Read the rest of this entry »

I came across this video clip not long ago, and find it absolutely hilarious!  Some things just can’t be well-enough designed.  Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRBIVRwvUeE

-Joel G.

Okay, typical scenario: you’re stuck in an airport. Your flight has been cancelled. You’re trying to rebook, and the line is huge. You call the airline’s toll free number. Read the rest of this entry »

Today a neat idea came up during Umber Shamim’s thesis defense. (Congrats Umber!) How can teachers integrate up-to-date news items into curriculum without having to go do all the legwork and research themselves? Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, this one is a bit far afield for me. I’m no mechanical engineer. But clothes dryers have to be the most inefficient way to dry clothes. What I’m thinking Read the rest of this entry »

I would enjoy an interactive exercise bike and/or treadmill that could integrate with sites like http://www.gmap-pedometer.com so you could actually run or bike the course of any route you can create. Its resistance and elevation would change based on ground covered. This would allow the user to gauge one’s ability to handle a course that is not easily accessible, or try to tackle something like a Tour leg or the Ironman, rather than prepackaged (and not very realistic) courses. Then you could also compare times to winners, or see where you might fall in the pack of a competition, if you are planning on taking part in a triathlon, bike race, or marathon.