Archive for the 'weekly essay' Category

zune hd, sold out or intentionally short stocked?

Published
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r2d4
on 9.21.2009
in consumer electronics, product design, user interface and weekly essay
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zunehdheroSure, every new product with potential deserves a bit of fanfare, especially when a floundering juggernaut is trying to increase their market share from 2-5% to a blistering 7% for Portable Media Players. I owned an original series Zune and don’t have the time to lodge complaints today but I do appreciate when someone offers the consumer options in the face of ‘thinking different.’ It’s not unique to think the ubiquity of Apple could begin to work against themselves if someone released the right product right?

zune_hd_lrg

I’m just not sold that the Zune HD is that product..especially the $599.00 Cadillac edition above. The First and Second Generations didn’t deliver on everything it claimed so in theory the third time is the charm but I think that it will be three firmwear upgrades short of it’s expectations. Sure, MSFT has been doing a better job at generating buzz and excitement about product (see previous posts on Bing and Windows 7) yet are they truly delivering? I don’t think that they have the option not to because of some emerging competition (cough–Chrome, Android) but what I see as short stocking a new product to build it’s reputation is a soft play at best.

weakest accesory pack ever--you would think that having to offer an external control bar might give someone a sign that something needs simplifying

behold the weakest $49.50 accessory pack ever--you think that having to offer an external control bar for basic functions might be a bit of a sign that the paradigm needs simplifying?

It was arguable that Nintendo intentionally did this with the Wii but that was a blockbuster product they may not have anticipated as being so sought after, although that is doubtful. Both are consumer electronics/entertainment devices so in theory the strategy could work. Is this going to be a self-fulfilling prophecy–I doubt it. Even if it does live up to it’s own hype it’s fate will be determined by how it works with the XBox and Windows 7 ecosystem which may not be up and running effectively until (optimistically) about a year from now.

how the volt could fail

Published
by
r2d4
on 8.18.2009
in business, cars, environment, product design and weekly essay
. 3 Comments

volta

Caveat with this post: There are some steps that could be taken to avert disaster with this vehicle and prevent it from being a boutique ‘portfolio piece’ for domestic manufacturing. I am simply interested in exploring why, in my opinion, the car could easily fail without intervention. When it comes to these factors it’s important to recognize the fact that they are not all within the control of Chevy or even unique to this vehicle.

YouTube Preview Image

The first and possibly the strongest element to take into consideration is Brand Equity. Mostly written about by Marketing and Business types in regards to how to increase or bolster the perception of a company I’m not sure how much advertising can overcome what I can only describe as decades of financial punishment for domestic loyalty. My father, and seemingly fathers of many writers insisted on buying American for as long as some of us can remember. I don’t remember one vehicle that was reliable over time, one that didn’t seem to be in and out of the shop. And I know I am not alone, so why make the same mistake?

volt_plug

Of course, tied into the issue of Perceived Quality is Actual Quality. Someone had better be fast-tracking the hell out of testing because if they fall on their faces with this one I don’t think that they are going to get up. In today’s news cycle it only takes a small yet vocal minority to raise concerns over the functionality of the car (or custom Charger). Forget about a mass recall here, all you need is enough isolated incidents before the word is out and dust gathers on showroom floors. For the intended positioning of Volt Chevy needs to deliver something that actually belongs in the upper-mid tier sedan category with it’s competition, which brings me to my next point: Price.

seal

Regardless of State and Federal stimulus packages and tax rebates this is still projected to be a $35K vehicle. Unless someone can plan ahead and spread the impact of developing a new electric platform across several product lines price alone may become a strong deterrent. Factor in an accelerated time-to-market for foreign competitors (already cranking out somewhat Green cars) and by the time this car hits the market in 2010 the efficiency gap won’t be large enough to make the Volt as relevant when the next-gen Prius might be only 10% less/more Green at 20% less cost.

there is no way Acura influanced this sedan whatsoever.....

there is no way Acura influenced this sedan whatsoever.....oh well, it won't be seen stateside

When I think about the competition I think this represents a massive opportunity in that the Volt could effectively blur the lines between today’s Chevy (somewhat fragmented) product line’s Design Languages and what might become GM’s signature Green visual elements of tomorrow. You can see this with the Opel Ampera, intended to be built off the Volt platform for Europe. Business concerns aside it would seem as if no manufacturer has gotten this nailed down correctly given the fact that there aren’t enough vehicles in their fleet to constitute a need. Yet. Lets face it, the Prius might as well be a one-off in terms of styling and Honda’s Hybrid tends to look a bit too similar to Toyota to say the least.

park-tool-metric-wrench-set

Mechanics Unions may beg to differ, but domestic automobiles don’t have the best track record for mechanical longevity. Not only does Chevy need to overcome the perception of poor quality, they need to deliver on the promise of reliability with a new technology. Pricing needs to be significantly offset by tax credits or similar measures set in place to not only spark but maintain interest over time. The only element that can bolster that is good design. No pressure, right?

chevy-volt

But if you take things at face value the future looks bright for a generation past the Volt given some slick initial concepts that become future versions after a watered down initial release. All things considered it’s not a small undertaking, as any of the above factors alone constitute one hell of a disruptive challenge for any corporation. Looks like Chevy is effectively betting the house on Green–without much of a choice.

fashionable survival of tomorrow

Published
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r2d4
on 7.20.2009
in accessories, art, business, fashion, product design, sci-fi and weekly essay
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mask_p1

I love the thought that impending doom has become so ingrained that social commentary in regards to survival has become something of a combination of fine art and fashion. Case in point are these luxury gas masks that definitely make a statement more than becoming a functional product. Part of me is just waiting to see someone pull a Damien Hirst and throw out a ‘bedazzled’ edition (unless I decide to), but is it unreasonable to see something like this actually produced if things took a turn for the worst?

mask_p2

Whereas when I first saw the paper masks on Gizmodo I thought they were a joke and that no one in their right mind would actually wear one I immediately took something in consideration; I hate the wrist-splint I have been stuck wearing for the last month because it’s an ugly combination of Velcro and beige fabric. So, what would things be like if everyone had to wear something similar?

mask_blue2

It only makes sense that those that could afford it would insist on having these coordinate with their outfits and in effect become accessories. Prescription eyeglasses are treated in this same manner, although we haven’t seen much in the way of crutches because they are temporary aides. Make something of this nature semi-permanent and you get proliferation similar to the way old men have used canes carved from wood for centuries. No one has made a walking cart for the elderly that is anything but low-end to date but I think I might just smell a burgeoning market as the world’s average population stays alive longer.

mask_p3

If you dig on the playful surgical masks you could whip out the airbrush and make your own or wait until you can actually purchase them here. If you are like me and prefer the thought of luxury edition life protection you can order a print of the gas masks seen above because if prints alone are € 1,200.00 then you would be better off without the real thing until you really need one.

creating Japan as it’s own brand

Published
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r2d4
on 7.10.2009
in branding, business, do it yourself, economy, product design and weekly essay
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muji_cdplayer

Taking a progressive step toward both business development and boosting national pride Japan has launched a program fittingly titled ‘Japan Brand.’ What might this mean for state-side consumers? Probably not much other than an increase in prices for authentic goods, but to the design community this is an interesting move toward instilling a sense of common signature elements to products from one country across different designers and industries. Offerings are split into three categories; Clothing, Eating, and Housing.

baku_bag

If any country could pull this off it would definitely be Japan, who seems to evoke a consistently measured and sculptural approach that has always had it’s own visual vocabulary. From KDDI to Muji this is definitely the case, and closest thing that comes to it would be the stylistic reverberations of the Bauhaus tradition in Germany which led to (among other things) the consistency of design offered by Braun for example. Regardless, it sounds like quite a task in and of itself but if you add seed money into the mix you have inherent competition.

urushi_japanese-lacquer

It works in a fairly basic, yet effective manner outlined below from the official website. Value is identified, it is evolved into a self-sustaining concept, and (int theory) becomes a newly established tradition. This way the core idea is validated, refined, and becomes ingrained into the culture over time. One would hope the product adoption curves are somewhat accelerated by the publicity associated with the program.

The tradition of manufacturing, techniques and skills are nurtured throughout various locals in Japan, and people’s lifestyles are based on a unique aesthetic sense and wisdom. The local small and medium-size companies that participate in the JAPAN BRAND Development Assistance Program have the passion, pride and responsibility in manufacturing and the local they belong to. JAPAN BRAND regards these values as the “strength” and “ambition” that local small and medium-size companies can expose surpassing time and country boarders. These are summarized as the “distinctive, unique values from local small and medium enterprises.”

jp_11Best part is the coupling of an insular, quality-focused manufacturing strategy and pragmatic research plan underlying the entire project. Since it’s a publically funded endeavor proving it’s validity is something of importance if you want to keep your job through the next administration. Since I don’t read Japanese it’s hard for me to kick the tires on their methodology but at a high level it makes sense.

‘Upon developing the brand concept, we referred to the latest brand establishment methods, as well as already decided projects and successful cases. We conducted consumer surveys in Japan and overseas countries to find out the understanding level and acceptability of brand concepts. These surveys revealed that the consumers in all countries showed a significantly high interest in “brand concept.”

wpa_posterSo, other than the return of the WPA in the US I am left wondering if someone could take this approach to economic stimulation and bring it ‘boilerplate’ to the US as well. I wouldn’t mind a 50 state-wide ‘build off’ for items ranging from kitchen cabinets and high end utensils to self-installed Green tech (hello current administration) in order to kick up some good ol’ homegrown innovation. It beats being forced to out of economic desperation anyways. A program like this not only fosters national and regional pride but a return to a ‘think less global, act as local as possible’ type of approach to business which might spur a ripple effect in regards to purchasing, hopefully resulting in less out of control big box retail spending. Think victory gardens but for all the sh*t you go to Crate and Barrel for.

1955 ghia x and the legacy of coachbuilding

Published
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r2d4
on 6.22.2009
in cars, product design, sci-fi and weekly essay
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gh_3I tend to think that retro futurism is much more visually engaging than today’s whitewashed visions of the impending all-touchscreen, universally hard edged product future. Case in point is the 1955 Ghia Gilda Streamline X Coupe. Concept cars have a strong legacy in being progressive in both technology and styling but who knew this trend was set in the mid-fifties? Funny to think that someone would have thought today we still don’t drive jet-powered Chryslers with sleek lines….oops, I guess I should have said driving a Chrysler in general.

gh_1

Created by Italy’s Ghia studio and named for Rita Hayworth’s character in the 1946 film noir the model in these pictures was  recently the subject of a total restoration. I shudder to think at the price attached to getting a working engine into one of these, much less for the cost of insurance unless you intend for it to sit in an indoor garage like Cameron’s Dad’s Ferarri. In line with the Epcot model home the Gilda continues to encapsulate post-war technological optimism. A sick gallery can be found here.

Futuristic Concept Car Photography Stock Image

So where the hell were these pictures taken since it’s outdoors and definitely not the 2009 Detroit Auto Show? The Ghia resurfaced at the Concorso d’Eleganza at the Villa d’Este in Tivoli as it celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2009. Most of you are asking wtf is this…..and it’s essentially an automotive beauty contest, the Concorso dates from the grand era of coachbuilding. This is a time when  small workshops took cars of  European manufacturers, stripped them down to the chassis, and overlaid hand-made bodywork in a trade/craft fashion.

this poster cleary states: yes, we all really needed the money

this poster clearly states: yes, we all really needed the money and begrudgingly 'acted'

Not surprisingly, modern production methods -the intergrated body and chassis- turned coachbuilding into an almost non-existent trade due to the costs associated with this process. This got me thinking about today’s equivalent of this, which at the moderately high end means buying a really nice stock model, only to (slight possibility) swap out the rims. These days this movement is returning, but in a broad variety of ways. On one end of the spectrum you have the slight to overzealous ‘Mod’ (think Modification, not Rocker vs. Mod)  crowd typified in such classic media as ‘Pimp My Ride,’ MTV-drivel and ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise <ahem> movies.

car_spoilerIn the middle you have highly profitable body kit manufacturers, often small companies who supply hot-swappable replacement external and internal components. Want a new grille, bumper, or horrible spoiler? In need of a new instrument panel because black lights will surely impress the girl three lockers down who will never know your name? Done! Taste and common sense aside there are plenty of small shops ready and willing to take the ca$h of teenagers and young adults alike who look down upon having anything stock. That being said there are plenty of kids out there at the low end who do it themselves for the ’status’ being able to do so bestows. If you don’t want the street-cred (no pun intended) you can just pay someone else to do it instead.

tramonto_1

On the tip of the hands-off end of the spectrum you have Fisker Coachbuild and a select few competitors. These serve the highest of high-end with style since, in Fisker’s case he was the originator of the existing design language for oneof the cars he is currently remixing. Who is better suited to tweak and play with the forms than people that were integral in their development? In the case above Fisker takes a BMW 650Ci Base Model at a guide US price of $69,900, plus the Coachbuild price of $128,000, making a total of $197,900. This transforms it into ‘luxe,’ offering of which only 150 will be made.

latigo

Well, the premise is that not that many people can afford a Ferrari or Lamborghini but with one of these you can claim to have more refined taste and take advantage of a cheaper price point to boot….but one can only hope these cars aren’t mistaken for having paltry body kits. Plus good luck finding anyone to get the body work done! Talk about ‘if you have to ask, you can’t afford it!’ Read more about this approach here.

laser-cutter_l

My bottom line is that with micro-manufacturing predicted to become prevalent over time as laser cutter and rapid prototyping becomes more readily available one can only hope to see some other players in this space, doing things that go above and beyond body kits and can extend the life of existing cars instead of creating more landfills. Since Ford was overcome over time via what became the first effective tiering strategy, employed by automotive pioneer Walter Percy Chrysler what comes next? The game was no longer defined by planned obsolescence but by new product introduction (first implemented by the addition of fins to cars). So tomorrow, when a car’s life might not be limited entirely to it’s internal components what would be left to drive the industry other than secondhand modification?

what apple could release…..

Published
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r2d4
on 6.8.2009
in computing, consumer electronics, phones, product design, user interface and weekly essay
. 3 Comments

It’s June 7th 2009 and the convention is tomorrow at last. I’m so sick of all the half-thought out conjecture online I can’t wait for it finally stop and the lower end macbook launched last week has the rumor mill grinding out something a bit fiercer than normal. Every single event this happens and now I am no longer sitting on the sidelines (technically speaking at least) so I might as well devote one post to it to see how right or wrong I can be. To cover the spread I will write about what three distinct scenarios could involve from my standpoint; Good-Better-Best. I accept the risk of being wrong but my approach allows me ample room to be somewhat correct, so humor me while I explore a few directions of a company that commands a degree of interest in products without a massive media blitz like none other, starting with Good.

The ‘Good’ Scenario–maintain the course, it’s making us billions worldwide

medium_3363500443_9e01a2d465_o1It pretty much goes without saying that they will be releasing a new model this week. Hints in the codebase that elude to items that have always seemed somewhat inevitable have popped up in recent months: qwerty format keypad outside of Safari (bout time), MMS support (identified in the original 3G release as an issue even for fanboys), and Video Recording (assume limited editing on the fly). Other given factors include that following through on GeoTagging, direct posting to YouTube of content and an improved digital camera, all of which would keep them at the same pace of the rest of the market. Throw in there the ’shake to shuffle’ use of the accelerometer/magnetometer for good measure and a ’softouch’ rear housing finish just because they are low hanging fruit.

iphonenew

Seeing convincing ‘leaked’ photos from prototype builds via the ODM strongly indicate these items. Overall assume that they simply maintain their current pricing strategy ($199/299) and double their on board memory/increase processor speed. Physically, other than the addition of a larger lens for the camera I would say it’s a good bet they continue with the current gently tapered form factor and overall proportions.

The other ‘one more thing’ here is most likely a tablet netbook. Even in this scenario I think there is room for a ‘high tier netbook.’ Oxymoron? Possibly, but regardless the market is showing viability in large quantities and if anyone can deliver on that it’s Apple. Lets be honest here, the iphone is a small computer that takes calls to begin with so all they need to do is carefully stretch the proportions of the iphone a bit to increase screen size and you are there no sweat, as long as it doesn’t look like the image below that is.

iphonetabnew

Plus: No new software necessary, No keyboard/mouse needed with Bluetooth, No need to build a stand because that is what Griffin and Belkin and a half dozen other manufacturers are for anyways. Price point would definitely come in a bit high for this segment but has to be at least $200-300.00 below the lowest macbook to avoid cannibalizing their low end there so you can see the importance on being careful in this space. Based on this I predict hitting $700 on the dot, possibly with a dual offering at $600.oo but then you eat away at the mac mini….in a way.

You can just hear the portfolio planners arguing and throwing dry erase markers at one another over this one…which brings us to the next scenario: Better.

The ‘Better’ Scenario–shake things up a bit, it’s made billions worldwide + we are pretty sure we can make more

This requires a bit of imagination, but hey isn’t that what blogs are for? To make it easy lets take everything from the previous scenario and add in a few things. For starters lets throw in the fact that they could always keep a $99 priced iphone on the market simply by keeping their current $199 phone in the mix and freshen it up with a color spin or two, but that isn’t really an Apple strategy–it’s the stock approach to selling cell phones. You can’t argue with the degree of market penetration and increased usage with this but it could dilute the perception of status that these still carry with them.

video

This would invariably attract more customers to AT&T so it works well for them. Thinking of carrier integration with regards to a ‘win-win’ cohesive strategy can result in something that AT&T has been having wet dreams about for years. Behold: The ever elusive Video Call. Who better to deliver this than Apple, regardless of network constraints/system rendering lags? Of course this may add another entire antenna to the mix (plus front-facing camera) which is why this is would require a third media-capture centric physical offering.

What happens next is that you would also have to offer up a premium camera to justify the additional expense of the phone, which you could bump up to $399. You throw some aluminum core body (with added part breaks for three antennas), bigger lens/more mega-pixels, add some advanced editing features that the base models don’t have and you are in business. Mind you, this would be a high end play in a down market but once again you are dealing with a company that has a rich heritage of flying in the face of conventional wisdom.

apple-tablet-pc

Here too I would say there will be a touchscreen tablet with the same pricing structure. But lets say they decide to be the first to do something downright righteous; add a decent mic feed in the right location, add a speaker proportioned similarly to the overall size of the iphone’s, throw a SIM card slot into this puppy, pack an antenna or two in there and (Emril Lagasse style) BAM now you have a computer that takes/makes calls. Let’s face it–this is going to happen some day soon, down or up economy there are plenty of early adopters would eat this shit up. And love every minute of it because this would transparently illustrate an aggressive play and thus wasn’t part of the ‘Good’ strategy. So what’s left?

The ‘Best’ Scenario–Steve says ‘bet it all on Red,’ and since we are in the black why not…we don’t need a bailout!

I could take this opportunity to pander a bit and make outrageous claims like Steve Jobs invented the question mark but it’s not my style. So, what could the riskiest of all strategies produce here? Start by removing the netbook tablet of the Better scenario in this case. With this last theory I rely on a targeted approach to knocking off a competitor in one of the phone spaces they know they can win if they position themselves just right.Just maybe they can go after two at once (which I believe they can) : Productivity and the Low Tier, two opposite ends of the spectrum.

Productivity

stormWhy? Because uhm…..fuck RIM and their latest lame full touchscreen media offering that didn’t really ’sell’ anyone that they weren’t doing what every other manufacturer was and has been for a while now: cranking out weak knee jerk responses to the iphone. This includes Palm, although the Pre has potential–way to jack it by partnering up with Sprint by the way, real original with the ‘Carrier Exclusive’ model (we were all thinking it, geniuses). Multi-tasking won’t be a differentiating point for long with a tiny keypad that won’t convert true business users.

But I digress. Keep the mid-Tier $199/299 improved camera model out of this because they aren’t going to stray from those core product offerings. Take that $399 price point with it’s aluminum body and maybe upgrade it to Admantium or some shit. It would probably take little more than a color/detailing spin to make things effective if you platform it correctly, which once again doesn’t take much to do.  Lets preserve the high end extra antenna of the $399 model, and…….add a physical qwerty keypad underneath that touchscreen.

macbook-7

If you want to learn a lesson on how to implement low profile keyboards just take a look at the barely 2 mm that Apple keyboards currently have anyways. If anyone can do this thin with decent reliability it would be Jonathan Ive and the killer ME team that rides in the design studio’s Sidecar. Implementation doesn’t matter all that much; conventional slider, side slider, hinged, etc. Again it really doesn’t matter (fanboys will heart it either way) but having physical keys is just what the doctor ordered to make a strong play in this arena. Plus you keep the touch paradigm riding on the top screen because it doesn’t cost you anything if you borrow from your other product line the right way. use cases can get kludgey (hello Samsung touchscreens and the G1) but management of similar items wasn’t an issue with any of the SW releases since the original iphone 3G launched.

yawn...this is like lipstick on swine flu

yawn.this is like lipstick on...swine flu

Overall I think this space is weak sauce digitally since Android is already moving in on this turf, effectively squeezing the mediocrity that has been, is, and always will be Windows Mobile out of the game. Who else is here then, Nokia? Please! I’m starting to think their iron grip on #1 cell manufacturer has been steadily eroding, slowly but surely although they play smart in the super-low tier space better than anyone.  Perhaps even the ODMs that sell straight to market there, but that remains to be seen. Sorry for the side note but that brings me to my next point.

Low Tier

ipodzOh, the blasphemy! Although if you really think about it, it’s not. The shuffle is on it’s Third Generation and was a bit of a gamble at the time the original was released if I remember correctly. Let me be a bit more specific with this one as well, I mean to say that Apple can attack the sub $99 price point if they do so by segmenting what the core competencies of what this phone actually does.

To start you pretty much have to live without a touch screen unless the carrier steps up big time. Which any of the bigger players could if they want it bad enough. If you cut out watching movies and taking pictures on a phone (which I still think half of users don’t do) I think it’s not an issue. Maybe you keep music onboard but you make it less immersive. Take the ’shuffle’ model and integrate it here sans accelerometer. Would it kill anyone to hit a button to advance another song? Historically speaking this hasn’t been an issue, and since Apple seems to be migrating to in-line wired controls this becomes infinitely more feasible.

medium_352231136_acafadb60a_o

So what stays on the phone? The core of making/taking calls, contact library (made easier with dedicated synch software), maybe a few 8-bit games and that’s pretty much it. Who better to return the phone to what it started out as being before massive feature creep hit all manufacturers due to what the Carriers, not necessarily the majority of end users were looking for than those known for keeping things simple? Didn’t mean to ask rhetorical questions there, but you can bet it’s not LG.

You keep the basics of the existing UI, maybe remove/tailor a few items for the platform from a digital standpoint but the question of hardware remains. I think this would arrive in a candy bar form factor with a basic physical bell keypad and circle navigation cluster with no more than two soft keys below the screen. Sure, it’s not just that easy to say ‘give the edges a radius or gently taper things and call it a day,’ but keep things basic, think volume keys, maybe a dedicated ’shuffle’ button, and get it out the door.

vz

Regardless of implementation this is something I could see pushed by Verizon since A) they passed on the iphone the first time, and B) rumored meetings between the two companies add fuel to the fire. Why not have a dedicated media center/tablet to manage your content and contacts with and select what you put onto the device ad hoc, optional with every charge like the status quo? Because Verizon would want ca$h for media downloads, even on a separate networked device because they are smart enough to know where the money is.

music-6

Then again they sunk tons of money into their failed downloading infrastructure offering people the ability to download songs limited to one device for 5 times the going rate. What sucks is that for a while this worked without fail. Even with limited adoption and usage it was still a cash cow to a certain extent and they don’t want to see that model erased yet can’t realistically plan on it growing. BTW I have no idea their ROI in regards to building that into their UI but I assume the margins were there in terms of the .mp3 costs.

Okay, this sets a record at my longest post ever. Thanks for Gizmodo for all the various postings, 1/2 of the images in this post (others from numerous other sources), ongoing coverage, and of course the liveblogging. Guess we will have to wait out the morning of live blogging to see how close I came by covering all concievable bases that made sense to me. Either way it’s a good time to buy their stock ($144.67 now) because if it bumps up in the short term then things will be consistent with their last few launches at these conferences. If not then it’s historically a great long term play (Jan ‘09= $83.61) as well. Cheers!

celebrity for the sake of celebrity

Published
by
r2d4
on 2.6.2009
in weekly essay
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idiots

Sorry, but this one has been irking me since Paris Hilton got a TV show after her sex tape ‘leaked,’ and that was a few years ago. One can only hope that what I’m ranting about is a passing fad but I don’t think society at large is going to get off that easy. I pose the question: why is anyone supposed to care about these people?

For myself it’s appeal is similar to watching a train wreck, and you can’t look away. In a way it can be attributed to fascination with royalty and fantasizing about that existence since the vast majority of people at the time happened to be serfs, or if they were lucky, vassals. But that’s if you want to take a more protracted, historical viewpoint, plus the latest crop don’t have the luxury of money/influence but have appeared on T.V. Nothing more, nothing less.

A handful of immature, spoiled brats (not brat pack) have taken it upon themselves to poorly represent this country and infect everyone else with their stupidity.Yet their educational pedigree of some is somehow strong, having graduated out of some of the finest private high schools that money can buy a diploma from. So here they are, with the education and emotional maturity of a 14 year old openly squandering their birthrights without holding back their disdain for average people.

But they somehow profit from this as a form of…..entertainment? Best part is that their quality has been steadily decreasing as their quantity increases. By quality I mean any redeeming talent or skill that makes them remotely unique. And that definition being applied to this group is definitely a stretch.

Talent can be considered many things such as physical skill, ability to make me laugh, or provide me with someone that I feel I can relate to. So can someone explain to me what these people are being paid to make appearances for? I’m kind of lost on this one.

I do happen to have a creative solution for this problem that could also address the worldwide economic depression. It’s not going to make me many friends though. I like the idea of putting them on an island or in a labyrinth and letting them hunt each other using blunt instruments like sporks. Of course the obstacle course would have booby traps.

Or, we could generate gambling revenue pitting themselves against one another with some sort of tournament involving online betting. Think brackets, oddsmakers, online voting, the whole nine yards. Local and Federal government can get their piece of the action and everyone is happy.Please note I did not say ‘deathmatch’ (you thought it) or make reference to any of the half dozen movies that have been made with similar plot devices–no one claimed this was an original concept.

This could solve two problems at the same time: the societal issues associated with having these people around and the current lack of consumer confidence. Yeah, so the second point is more or less a stretch but to raise money for the revolutionary war the colonies held lotteries. Is this different–maybe, but is far more interesting and it’s not like most of these people have jobs so I’m sure they would sign up voluntarily.

Recipe: Put one part Road Rules/Real World Challenge, two parts Ancient Rome, and three parts The Running Man, blend on high for 30 seconds, pour into margarita glass, sit back and enjoy. (no salt needed)

i love to see someone excited to say that they are The Biggest Loser

Published
by
r2d4
on 1.2.2009
in amusing, everything else and weekly essay
. 0 Comments

l o s e r

After being sucked into the show’s Season Three marathon on Bravo yesterday I have a few issues with the series. Whereas I see how and why it is more addictive than other reality offerings (Ty Pennington level optimistic shock value) there are a few things I don’t like.

1) It exports aspects of American culture I don’t necessarily like the rest of the world seeing.

2) The way their progress is tracked is flawed.

3) The trainers (culprit removed the next season, issue remains).

For example, how someone from each of the 50 states represents varying degrees of self-inflicted bad habits, which almost always involve a combination of the following: poor diet, lack of exercise, overeating, drinking, smoking. Lets reward them for endangering their health by allowing themselves to compete in Jello-sponsored competitions.

How could Bravo say that these habits don’t a reflection of being American? Apparently it doesn’t take Girls Gone Wild to export the ‘America=Bad’ message anymore. But I still think you need at least basic cable….

It’s not that I don’t believe that candidates for an International Edition of the show don’t exist. It’s just that most people don’t share this unique combination of self-loathing and self-promotion. This may be what truly makes us North American, but I hope not.

The actual calculation of who is ‘The Biggest Loser,’ is just two variables. Pounds lost and percentage of body weight. I’m not saying I want to have anything to do with how success is determined on Reality Television (I will admit I prefer a rose ceremony to a tribal vote because it’s easier to drag out across more commercial breaks) but here they are bringing data into the equation. To some people it’s easy to mistake this for science.

Other metrics, such as an individual’s Body Mass Index aren’t taken into account. Neither is the fact that age and gender aren’t taken into consideration since most people would agree that these can heavily impact fitness and the ability to loose weight. Maybe adding a panel of doctors and heathcare professionals would be a good idea, especially since everyone loves it when judges bicker.

I don’t like the trainers. I don’t have a trainer, and hope never to have one after watching the show. I assume that most trainers aren’t like this, and that those chosen to be on the show represent bookends of the spectrum in terms of what makes them good at their jobs. I guess you would want someone to push you a bit and make you work harder; I get that. I don’t get Bob Harper’s modified mullet haircut, even a few years ago this was really bad.

Motivation is one thing—but the fact that the female trainer, Kim Lyons spent easily 95% of the season either without a shirt or pants on which kind of got to me after a while. Allow me to explain why.

The woman looks like an American Gladiator. Not really an accurate representation of results from working out, even twice a day. This woman is a product of years of physical fitness, possibly involving amateur wrestling. I sincerely doubt the 200+ lb. women that get into the show appreciate having a body they could never have in their face eight hours a day.

Other than these things and the fact I memorized the same 11 commercials that were shown all day it wasn’t the worst Reality Television show (watch anything on vh1). This may have been in part due to my inability to change the channel due to my brain gently rubbing against my skullcap. I did enjoy seeing the time-lapse photography of the weight loss. I do have one suggestion that stands out amongst all others:

I do think that the show could have used at least one Tug of War contest.Not sure if they added this into later seasons, but one can only hope this is the case.

is everyone making headphones now?

Published
by
r2d4
on 12.31.2008
in branding, business, consumer electronics, product design and weekly essay
. 0 Comments

master blaster

Not an uncommon story….Dr. Dre did it first. This time with his premium headphones and soon everyone will be on the bandwagon. Nixon, a company best known for well designed watches, t-shirts, and accessories is now making the foray into the consumer electronics field with a product positioned at the $250 pricepoint. I would think that I would need a bit more than a braided cord, real leather details, and a ‘patent pending ball and socket construction’ before I spent this much cash on a product without legacy or proven track record.

From their site apparently they are attempting a nice tiered approach to releasing these and trying to build a family of product underneath the ‘Master Blaster.’ If you ask me I think naming them something more mature than what cheap/trendy headphone manufacturer Skullcandy would use might just help. Personally I like the all white $120 ‘Nomadic’ product, but it’s not as if I have the cash to burn. Looking forward to seeing a tech site unbox them and put them through the paces vs. some of their competition.

To be honest the Dre’s are a surprisingly good product from a comfort/fit/performance standpoint but kind of look like expensive molded plastic whereas these have a really nice modern look to them, although that could be due to the materials.  Should be interesting to see what distribution channel they move forward with given their fairly aggressive rollout since Nixon has no stand-alone stores and minimal in store retail approach other than stand-alone fixtures and occasional display case real estate. I think the big question is: Is this brand elastic enough to move this far from it’s core competency?

This isn’t such an easy question when it comes to the skate/suf/snowboarding scene and the companies there. You have to look no further than Burton’s forays into adjacent industries….they had no issues in softgoods but this was a measured attack. Brand recognition had to be built up before moving away from bindings and boards. As a whole this segment of (what I can only call) extreme sporting equipment benefits from a few strengths that their mainstream cohorts benefit from, but in a different way.

Sponsorship. For Nike, Reebok, and Addidas you can see the same theory but with Nixon you see a different application. The larger athletic powerhouses sponsor individuals and pay them insane amounts of money which in most cases far outweigh their gains solely from their sport. This is mutually beneficial because the athlete benefits from this, as well as their franchise. With snowboarding and skating you see individuals being treated as part of a ‘team’ of competitors, which is advertised on the companies websites.  This is most valuable when you recognize the Nascar approach to the on screen real estate as the pro wears their logo as they competes.  Outside of the mainstream space Nixon and other companies share the same problem.

With no true ‘core’ competencies other than making accessories who/what is Nixon? What enables them to move into this space, other than the margins on their watches (which I am sure have nicely platformed components) and their ‘exclusive’ Barneys limited editions (little other than Color/Material/Finish upgrades)? Could they leverage the same offshore ODM manufacturers for this hardware? Maybe for most of the metal and leather components but they most likely had to find someone new for the wiring and speaker drivers. All in all an interesting move.

Some companies find partners. Nixon’s is a ‘go it alone’ effort, which would seem to carry both more risk and more reward. After seeing Oakley’s fugly ‘Razorwire’ product with a certain consumer electronics manufacturer can you really blame them?