spydergrrl on the web

LEGO Movie Coming in 2014 (But You Can See the Trailer Here First!)

2013-06-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

Last night, my friend and yours, @gibbslamey dropped me a line to tell me about this.

And I physically had to restrain myself from running upstairs to wake the Dude and shout: "There's going to be a LEGO MOVIE!!!!!"
With Lego characters!
And apparently lots of jokes for us grown-ups who will most certainly be bringing our kids to see it!
And quite the cast: from Morgan Freeman to Elizabeth Banks (loved her in Scrubs), to Liam Neeson and Will Ferrell and even Will Arnett as Batman.

With that cast, this is going to be the most expensive fail or the best thing ever. (I'm banking on #2)

Here's the storyline:

An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.

According to the Lego Movie page on IMDB, it's slated to drop on February 7, 2014. If you want to stay up to date, you can Like the Lego Movie Facebook page and follow the updates, which will likely include (hopefully) a few more trailers. For now, here's the one they release yesterday:

Kewl Design Alert: A Comic Book For The Blind

2013-06-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here's something that never occurred to me: are there comic books for the blind?

Turns out that, no, there aren't.

Correction, there weren't. Until now.

A Danish interaction designer (my favourite kind of designer) has come up with an incredibly simple method to convey an equally simple story, and thereby introducing the comic book format to the blind and visually impaired. Sounds simple enough, right? Not at all. There's a lot to this.

The physical design, for instance: The comic is folded and can be read by turning pages or spreading the entire sheet out as a single page which would probably be easier to read. It even includes instructions on how to read it to allow for blind-since-birth readers who would have no concept of the visual-spatial design of a comic book. If you'd never seen one, how else would you learn about the grid format, the across-and-down layout, the speech bubbles? Even the story is very simplistic:

A single circle is born, grows up, meets a mate, has a small circle which itself grows up, moves away, then both partners fade and pass away.

It had to be based in simple concepts since the required drawings had to be easy enough to convey the meaning of the story people who had never actually seen before.

Think about that for a second.

If you've never seen before, then what information would a raised print version of a comic book cell even convey to you through your fingers? The shapes of the characters would have little to no meaning to you. The locations, surroundings, the action. No context for you whatsoever. Not even for the speech bubbles that provide the dialogue. If you were presented with a cell from a standard comic book presented in raised outlines, what context would you glean from feeling the drawings themselves? Likely, none.

The thought process behind this project is astounding, once you start to break it all down.

According to the designer, Philipp Meyer, the design was meant to create a universal experience for sighted and unsighted readers:

These shapes I use now are absolutely the same for sighted and visually impaired; there is no information hidden or more information for either reader.

Check out the images below to see the detail and then head over to FastCo Design for more pics.

Just incredible.

Comic book for the blind

Comic book for the blind: the markings in the frame corners are numbers to show the reading sequence

(Source: FastCo Design)

How To: Make Canada Day Barrhaven Amazing (Call for Volunteers)

2013-06-17T12:24:00.000-04:00

If you follow my Twitter stream, you know that I'm not only a fan of Mattamy Homes Canada Day in Barrhaven, but I've also been helping with their web and social media over the past few years thanks to hubby being part of their organizing committee. (At home, we used to call that "Army Volunteer" since my Dad was in the Forces. I call it "Spousal Duty" ;)

But don't let that detract from the shameless plug that follows ;) I'll keep it short.

With only two weeks left before the big day, we are in dire need of volunteers. I hope you consider putting your name forward. Whether you are:

a long time resident or new to the community,
a parent or a student with community volunteering hours to fill,
an attendee of prior Canada Day events, and want to help make it incredible for the 20,000 or so people we expect over the course of the day.

No matter if you can spare an hour or a full day, we would love to have you.

To get involved, contact us through one of the following ways:

If you haven't heard of Canada Day in Barrhaven, it's a family-friendly fun-filled day with music, performances, an incredible headlining band, and even a Midway (which starts on Saturday!). Check out the site for full details.

Whether you can help out or not, I hope to see you there!

Friday Fun: The Science of Biodiversity Explained Using Microbreweries

2013-06-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

So Minute Physics has a sister YouTube channel called MinuteEarth that recently posted a great little video that explains biodiversity using microbreweries to illustrate their point. And since it's Friday, and it's almost the weekend, and it's supposed to be patio weather for the next few days, I thought: yes, this is Friday Fun material.

The analogy is easy to follow and basically comes down to two points:

The big guys in the brewing industry (and in nature) capture and use the most valuable resources. They focus on the big hits.
The little guys survive by specializing in little niches where the bigger guys don't find value. Just like ferns that grow using the small bits of light that fall through the canopy to the forest floor, light that is of little use to the huge trees that comprise the forest itself.

Simple. Easy to understand. A minute long, and of course, illustrated with cartoons.

Oh, do check out the name of the fake beer brand. Let's be honest, I posted this because the word "Dude" is all over this thing. ;)

So sit back, grab your favourite microbrew, and learn a little about biodiversity. Happy Friday!

Now THIS is How You Do Star Wars Cosplay! Kewlest Wheelchair in The Dark Side

2013-06-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

Possibly the most epic cosplay I have ever seen. Oh sure, you might have seen something that lights up, transforms, resembles the character to a T but none of those even come close to this insanely creative Darth Vader Tie Fighter Wheelchair. Oh, yeah.

I came across the pic via Geeks Are Sexy but they got it from a Reddit post. Apparently this was taken at MCM Expo London Comic Con back in May, and it's a kid who was attending with his Dad (according to a Redditor who commented on the pic, and apparently had asked the Dad if he would be able to take a pic of the kid's costume). You should head over to the thread to check out the comments. Some of my faves:

That kid is more badass then I'll ever be. - via Nipag
I would have yelled "THATS FUCKING AWESOME" and just taken a pic w/o asking, probably pushing his dad out of the way in the process. Would that have been wrong? - via Lisabadcat
That would be great if the wheelchair makes the same sound at the tie fighters in the films. Just imagine the kid driving around and just "ERRRRYYEREEEROOOOO" - via BrownEyeBattlecry
Followed by: "ERRRRYYEREEEROOOOO" It's like I actually heard it. - by RCShelto < LOL!!

As well as a ton more comments calling the kid badass in various ways and giving props to his parents for this costume.

And can you blame them? I mean, check this out:

Dark side wheelchair cosplay (Credit: Imgur)

Here's another look I found on the Topolino Wheels Facebook page. It looks remarkably like the same kid, right down to the shoes, although there's no official confirmation. The caption on this one is: "Darth Vader (Luke Armstrong) keeps two members of the The UK Garrison on his wing at Official LEGOLAND Windsor's Star Wars Days!" and the pic is clearer:

Credit: Topolino Wheels on Facebook

Seriously awesome. Definitely badass. Now, that, my nerds, is how you do cosplay!

(Source: Geeks Are Sexy) - yes, we are.

Kewl Site Alert: Fool Your Friends with FakeAWish Fake News Generator

2013-06-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, a high school buddy posted a link on Facebook to an obscure news story and asked if we had heard anything about it. The headline was "Actor Tom Cruise Missing in Congo Rainforest". Interesting, I thought. And clicked the link.

[Aside: Now let me be clear about two things I did before I clicked the link: (1) I checked the URL to see if it was a scam; (2) I checked my Facebook feed to see if it was self-replicating among other people in my feed. My homework done, I was a more confident about my ability to click safely. If you're not willing to do the legwork, then I feel a don't try this at home disclaimer is warranted.]

Being a true nerd, I read the article and then read the fine print at the end of the page.
And I laughed.
It said:

FAKE... THIS STORY IS 100% FAKE! this is an entertainment website, and this is a totally fake article based on zero truth and is a complete work of fiction for entertainment purposes! this story was dynamically generated using a generic 'template' and is not factual. Any reference to specific individuals has been 100% fabricated by web site visitors who have created fake stories by entering a name into a blank 'non-specific' template for the purpose of entertainment.

Oh yeah, not only is this site fake, it is shamelessly telling you that it's fake.

This fact spawned quite the convo on Facebook. One of his other friends posted a link to a fake story about my buddy being hospitalized in a traffic altercation. With his name! And that's when I discovered the best part about FakeAWish, the fake news generator: You can pop in someone's name and generate an entirely fake news story about them.

Like this one:

Stories of my death are much exaggerated...

There are a variety of stories to choose from in the bot, most of which either culminate in a missing person or their untimely demise. There's something macabre and yet fun about it. Given that you can type in any name, it would appear that this fake news generator is mostly used for creating fake celeb stories. As the site tag line states, "Punking Mass Media Since 2002".

FakeAWish definitely looks like it hasn't had a redesign in 11 years, but I guess it doesn't need one. The simplicity of the layout is enough to generate an hour of fun for 3 of us in my friend's wall on Facebook. Mind you, we might be more easily amused than some. Then again, it's hump day. You need a distraction. What have you go to lose?

Go try FakeAWish and see if you're as easily amused as I am ;)

[Disclaimer: This site does not endorse complacency and loafing in the workplace. This site will not be help responsible for any revenue or productivity lost as a result of informing you of this lovely, addicting distraction.]

7 Geeky Gift Ideas for Father's Day

2013-06-11T12:53:00.001-04:00

Remote control BionicOpter by Festo

I've always thought that if aliens landed on Earth right before Mother's Day or Father's Day and turned on a TV, they would have a highly skewed perception of what makes men and women tick. Women being all jewelry, perfume and fashion; and men being BBQs, bacon and tools. I know stereotypes make marketing easy, but ugh.

Now if you feel the same and think you'd like to do something more original than getting Dad some bacon-grilling hardware this year, I've rounded up 7 pretty kewl gadgets that I've featured over the first half of the year, to get your creative shopping juices flowing.

Romo, the cute and interacive smartphone robot
A remote controlled Dragonfly
A hand-cranked cel phone charger from Eton
An automated paper airplane launcher
A 3D printer
Or maybe you were thinking of a new tablet or laptop? Here's a handy guide to help you choose.
And if you want something completely unique, check out these custom 3-D printed Stormtroopers that Disney is offering. Yeah, Dad's head on a Stormtrooper!

If you need more ideas, check out more of my gadget-related posts.

Happy shopping!

Tell Lego We Need More Female Characters: Vote Now

2013-06-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

Lego by spydergrrl

I love Lego.

In fact, nothing is more relaxing than helping the Dude sort through a giant bucket of Lego pieces, looking for just. the. right. one. Seriously, try it. Ten minutes of that after a particularly stressful day and you'll be fully relaxed. It's like nerd meditation.

But I also like to build too (see pic on the right of this weekend's latest creation) which is why I have long noticed that female Lego characters are few and far between. Oh sure, some of the branded products have female characters. For example, Ninjago has one, Agent Chase has one, Star Wars has a couple, and... um... see? Hardly any female characters among the storylines, let alone the playsets. Which means that the vast majority of Lego minifigs come in the male gender, even the generic ones.

Prior Gender Fail: Lego Friends

Now don't you even bring up the gender-based fiasco that was Lego Friends. I am of the opinion that Lego was always a gender-neutral, inclusive toy which afforded a common ground between the sexes. The fact that they had to go and create a girl-specific line was a calamity IMHO. As I wrote early last year:

Had I been faced with the challenge of appealing to the female demographic, I would have taken a two-pronged approach: I would have started by integrating more female characters and female-friendly environments into standard Lego. I would have started by creating balance in the minifig universe: more female characters, more female hairstyles, more female clothing.

I would have also included more images and scenarios to allow girls to see themselves in the standard Lego line. More story lines with female protagonists. More gender equality in the roles included in Lego sets.

Cuusoo Campaign: Lego Female Professionals

And here's where we have a chance to make that change, friends. A female Lego user by the name of Alatariel has set up a Cuusoo campaign to request that Lego produce a line of female Lego characters depicting women working in a variety of professions. Alatariel, a geochemist (geek girls FTW!) designed them herself and they include a whole bunch of different jobs:

Falconer,
Geologist,
Paleontologist,
Mechanic, and more!

Here's a sample of a set called "Research Institute comprising the labs of the Astronomer, the Paleontologist, and the Chemist":

Research Institute Lego set proposed by Alatariel

Love that. No pink, no purple. This is a set that the Dude would play with, no hesitation. (Unlike Friends, which he points out has only one male character.)

Get Involved, Send a Message

The campaign has been live since May 27 and is very very close to the 10,000 votes it needs. Cuusoo, unlike crowdfunding platforms like KickStarter and IndieGogo is not a money-raising platform; it's about demonstrating interest in a new Lego idea. And there is no guarantee that Lego will produce the product, but they will consider it if it reaches the 10k milestone.

As I write this there are already more than 9,400 votes. Which means that Alatariel will likely reach her goal of 10,000 within a short time. But if we want female characters to break the ceiling, then I think we need to really get those numbers up. What if we managed to get that number way beyond 10,000 votes? I think that would really speak volumes to the execs at Lego. I think we should aim to get that number has high as possible and make them hear our message loud and clear:

Lego is the single most gender-neutral toy available on the market.
Now treat it like one.

Go cast your vote now.

Related posts:

(Source: The Mary Sue)

How To: Get The New Gmail Right Now (And Then Fix It)

2013-06-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Let me make this easy for you. If you already know about the new Gmail and just haven't figured out how to turn it on yet, follow the instructions below. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go here.

Step 1: Turn on the New Gmail Inbox

On Desktop

Log into Gmail.

Click the Settings button

Select "Configure Inbox" from the menu.

A tab configuration window will appear. Choose which tabs you would like to display, and click Save.

Ta-da. New Gmail.

On Android

If Gmail didn't update automatically, head to the Gmail app on the Google Play store and update manually.

On iOS

Head to the App Store on iTunes to download the iOS Gmail update for your iThings.

Step 2: Fix the New Gmail Inbox

Ok, good. Now that you have it, you'll need to fix it.

Why? Because Gmail thinks you prefer to Archive than Delete your content, so it hid the button for delete on the new mobile interface. (As fellow conspiracy theorist @mikelikesburger posits, Google did this because if you archive instead of deleting, they get to mine ALL THE THINGS for data. But if you delete, well, that kind of puts a hamper on them learning all those kewl things about you. BTW, this Mike pointed me to this solution, so Google can blame him for us bypassing their default settings ;)

So, that said, here's how to bring the delete button back on the mobile interfaces:

Settings > General Settings > Archive and delete actions

Step 3: Enjoy!

Congratulations on your new Gmail inbox.

Social Capital Conference 2013: Wrap-Up and Conference Notes

2013-06-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Social Capital Conference

Were you able to make it to Social Capital Conference last weekend? If so, how did you find it? I was pleasantly surprised by the calibre of the presentations in this year's lineup. I have to (sheepishly) admit that based on the sessions I attended at last year's conference, I wrote off the conference as a great networking opportunity wrapped in a bunch of 101 content (i.e. for beginners). I had a wish list of 5 things I wanted to see at SoCap but my expectations were such that I figured if I came away having met a few people and learned a couple of things, the day would be a win.

Networking Win

The networking part defintely met my expectations: I connected with a significant number of people that I've been chatting with on The Twitters for some time, some of whom I felt I've known forever. Like @suzemuse, who I've known online for about 4 years but we've never been in the same room at the same time before. (Hugs were exchanged) And there were a ton more, from @DannyBrown to @ChronicBadass to @MkgDiva and @CocktailDeeva and so on. Yes, the networking was fantastic.

Surprise: Learned too

But about the sessions.... it turns out I was totally wrong.
They were way better than I expected.

For example, the opening keynote was more like an actual learning session than a keynote. I mean, let's face it, opening talks usually provide some context for the day and say some interesting things, but how often do you leave a conference keynote presentation with two pages of notes. And real, tangible take-aways you can action the next day? Personally, not very often. So colour me happy from the get-go.

And it just kept going. Now, let's be honest, I missed a few sessions midday to host the Dude's most epic Minecraft LAN gaming birthday party. But what I did see, I enjoyed.

Only one session (Microdata) felt like it was more on the 101 end of the spectrum, but considering I've been studying HTML data for work this year, I had a sense going in that I wasn't going to make any significant discoveries. I was hoping the discussion would get into how other people were using it, but the audience seemed to be entirely new to the technology and was actually more focused on how to do it than advanced ways to leverage it. To be expected with this kind of technical session. Regardless, it was a good refresher.

The session that taught me the most was the one on Intellectual Property. It was a very useful exploration of laws that apply to bloggers and content creators. This session actually gave me lots to consider about the terms I want to put on my site. Don't be surprised if a Creative Commons license pops up on the entire site at some point, encouraging use and re-use (with attribution of course).

My Notes

I could go on but you know what? You can see for yourself just how much value I got out of the conference: I've made my notes publicly available (in Google Drive) in case you'd like to check them out. Here are the sessions I covered:

Opening Keynote by Gini Dietrich
Blogging and Intellectual Property
Microdata
Roundtable Discussion: Writing for Video
Closing Keynote by Danny Brown

Take a look. Who knows, maybe you'll find a little something that speaks to you. As I learned, you never know when you might be surprised by a learning opportunity. I definitely won't be writing SoCap off for next year.

Maybe I'll see you there!

Related posts:

Kewl Design Alert: Lego Venn Diagram Is Funny & Accurate

2013-06-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

Stephen Wildish is a prolific creator of short, punchy infographics. And recently he made this one about Lego that made me laugh. Particularly the part about the nose. I think he could have added something about them being a b*tch to step on, too, though. Maybe next time :)

If you like this one, you should check out some of his other fun infographics, including his bacon venn diagram, superhero alphabet or 007 eyebrows.

CreditL Stephen Wildish

(Source: Flowing Data)

Kewl Design Alert: Immersive Treadmill Concept Could Mean An End to Boring Runs

2013-06-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

Every year, it seems that the good local races fill up earlier and earlier. In fact, September's Army Run Half Marathon filled up this weekend. Far earlier than any other year in its 6 year history. If you were planning to run it, you're out of luck and if you want to settle for the 5k, you need to hurry because it's at 90%.

I used to balk at long races in early Fall because I didn't like the idea of running long distances over the summer. Last year, though, I decided to try it out and found out that once July ends, August temperatures tend to be reasonable for long distances. And our treadmill is helpful to manage long runs when it's just too hot to head outside. Air conditioning and Netflix make for a training win.

But this. This would be incredible. An immersive treadmill I found on Yanko Design. The designers created a more immersive experience by adding an incredibly large screen that can be used to display a runner's favourite places to run. The streets of Paris, your hometown... aw, that's nice.

SCREW THAT! I want to watch movies! On a big screen! On my treadmill! Maybe even in 3d! Can you imagine?

Or what about gaming? How about an immersive running game like Zombies, Run! projected on the screen! Like Xbox 360 Kinect, you could use your running to play a game and earn experience points for running away from zombies! or bad guys!

Do you think they could get on this? Winter will be coming after my next race and I think it would be a lot more fun to run in the tropics or through Portal 2...

Where would you run?

Credit: Yanko Design

How To: Decide if You Should Buy a Tablet or a Laptop

2013-06-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

My ASUS Transformer Prime

A year and a half ago, I bought a tablet. More specifically, an ASUS Transformer Prime. I chose it for a number of reasons:

It runs on Android and I don't like iThings (and we won't even talk about Blackberry). Windows Mobile OS was still unproven in my mind and I'm just personally not a huge fan of BSOD on my mobile devices ;)
It has an optional keyboard. Not a separate bluetooth keyboard. Not a keyboard case. An actual keyboard that it snaps into and then can close with like a clamshell, so many people mistake it for a netbook. The keyboard was the sexiest feature for me, since I wanted to use the tablet to replace my notebooks: at work, at home, and online.
It's called the Transformer Prime. I like to joke that if I'm gonna own a piece of tech, it has to have the nerdiest possible name. ;P

Just kidding on that last one. Sort of. You can actually see my full list of reasons in my post: More Than Meets The Eye.

Actually, I thought long and hard about my move to a tablet. And so should you: Tablets generally run around $500, so you'll want to invest wisely; choosing the wrong piece of hardware could make for a very expensive mistake or unnecessary expense.

Since I bought my tablet, quite a number of people have cornered me at meetings, conferences, coffee shops or generally anywhere I use it, to grill me on my reasons for choosing this particular piece of hardware, and most importantly to figure out if they need one too. It's believe that tech purchases are very personal decisions, so I in turn usually grill them on a number of factors to help them with their decision process.

What to consider

I find the following 5 questions useful in taking a methodical approach to determining what tech you really need.

1. What issue are you trying to solve?

If you want a tablet, I'm guessing you must have a reason other than simple desire. Although, desire is a valid reason too if you have the budget. If you have finite financial resources, consider why a tablet appeals to you:

Reclining on the couch, using it as a second screen to interact on social networks while watching TV?
Surfing the web?
Reading on the bus?
Substituting your paper notebooks at work, conferences and for drafting docs like blog posts?
Accessing email and contacts remotely, on a larger screen than a Blackberry or smartphone?
Consuming video?
Skyping and using social media?
Organizing your life in a single device?

Now you might be thinking: Oh! I hadn't thought about some of those, they all sound good!!! Caution: when it comes to new tech, it's tempting to justify the expense by making up potential uses. I'll bet that if you're honest with yourself, there are only a couple of reasons why you initially started your research. Keep those front of mind.

For me, my initial instinct was to replace my work notebook: I had a very demanding client who often went back on decisions. I needed CTRL+F to revisit notes on various projects but you just can't do that with paper. And my job didn't afford me the time to transcribe my meetings notes. Given that I was already using Evernote on my desktop to organize my work, I wanted to use it to replace paper notes entirely. And because I type quickly (pretty much verbatim), a physical keyboard was important for me. So that was the catalyst for me.

What was that catalyst for you to consider buying the tablet?

2. How will you use it?

The last question was about the gut instinct that made you consider the tablet as a possible tech purchase. This question is more about the when and where that you will use it. In design, this is called "context of use" and the key to thinking about this is to, again, not let yourself get carried away about all the ways in which you can imagine using it. Keep yourself focused on why you wanted it in the first place, and evaluate how and where that purpose would play out.

These questions are important regarding the physicality of the tablet: thickness, weight, screen size, required accessories, etc.

At work? Carrying it to and from meetings? Do you need a case? A keyboard? Can you type on-screen? How does your company feel about bring your own device? (Mine is ok with it as long as I don't try to connect to the network and respect record keeping/ information management rules e.g. nothing confidential on my own device.)
At home? Would you let the kids handle it? Where will you use it the most: on your lap? in the kitchen? in your home office?
On the go? For downloaded content or to create content? Does it need to fit into a purse or would a case be enough?
Do you need to be connected all the time? Would you just use wifi or would you want to pay for a data plan for your tablet in addition to whatever you have on your phone?
How much memory do you need? Do you plan to use it to store content or are most of your apps cloud-based (Google apps, Evernote, Apple iCloud, etc.)?

For me, I wanted the ability to use it at home and at work, which meant that I needed a device that would be:

light, since I commute by bus;
slim form factor, because I don't like big purses or hefty bags;
have a keyboard that integrated seamlessly into the design (again, to reduce heft and bulk); and,
wifi friendly and could tether to my phone since there is no wifi at work;
memory capacity (RAM) wasn't an issue since I store pretty much everything in the cloud.

So, when and where will you use it? Figuring out where and when you will use your device will make it easier to determine the technical specifications for the hardware you need.

3. What other tech do you use? Do you need to be able to share content between them?

The point of this question is to determine if you need compatibility between your devices, and or consistent apps; it will help you determine if you need to stick with the same brand or operating system as your other devices. If your life is in the iCloud, then what will be the opportunity cost of getting an Android tablet? Will you be able to run iTunes (probably only using some third party, unsanctioned app)? You'll need to determine whether there is any risk to shopping in other brands and OS' that feature a different set of apps and cloud platform. Can you use a Blackberry for email but use an iPad for everything else? Lots of people do it. Hubby has a Blackberry and Xoom tablet (Android), while I prefer the consistency of having an Android phone and tablet.

Given that I prefer free apps, it's important that everything between my devices is available in the free section of the Google Play store. And before I start using some app that becomes indispensable to me on one of my devices, I want to check that it works on both when their OS are out of sync (for a while my phone was on a lower OS than my tablet).

So, if you're out of sync between your devices, will there be any impact to your goals for using them?

4. Are you a content creator or a content consumer? If both, which do you plan to do on your tablet?

This is the money shot, right here. THIS is the question that will determine whether or not you need a tablet or a laptop.

Are you a content consumer or creator? Which do you do more on a regular basis? Perhaps you are a more occasional producer, and prefer to read articles, watch videos, browse magazines, and play games. Based on your answers to questions 1 and 3, deciding what you intend to do with the device is the key driver to determining what kind of tech you need. Or if you're like me: I curate a lot of content, meaning I subscribe to a lot of RSS feeds, but let's face it, that's a single app: my RSS reader. The rest of the time, I'm engaging on social media, researching and writing blog posts daily, managing email... I need a device that is much more suited to output than consumption.

Once I started thinking about a tablet with a physical keyboard, I got excited about using it to replace my laptop entirely. Blogging! It will be perfect for drafting and posting blog posts!
Turns out, not at all.
In fact, blogging with tablet drives me insane.

You see, most mobile apps just aren't as robust as their desktop OS versions. Even mobile photo editing, web development, and design apps (aka the blogger's bread and butter) are not nearly as fast or feature-rich as desktop versions.

Here is what it's like blogging on my tablet: from researching online to drafting a post in Evernote, to downloading photos, to coding, to uploading photos to Blogger, tagging and scheduling, it can take up to 4 times as long on my tablet. If I have a post written, it takes me about 15 minutes to do the rest of the work on my laptop. Given the lag in response time and the slower apps, it can sometimes take me an hour to do the same chore on my tablet. In certain circumstances (like the Dude's diving class or road trips), I don't mind at all. But at home, on the couch, it drives me nuts and I almost always reach for my laptop instead.

Another example: for reviewing Microsoft Office documents, I spent the money for the tablet version of DocsToGo. It works well, but it takes a lot longer and the view isn't as user-friendly as the desktop versions of the Office apps. They're slower, have fewer features and you have to use your fat fingers to do all the work versus the precision of a mouse.

And yes, I keep using the term "mobile" because even though a tablet might look like a laptop when you stand it up on a keyboard... it's still running a mobile operating system. It's slower, less responsive and doesn't boast the processing power of an actual personal computer. Even browsing the web is a little slower, especially if you have a bunch of tabs open or are running a number of apps in the background.

And that's why I had you answer all those questions first. Depending on what you want to do with the tablet, depending on how and where you envision doing that task (or set of tasks), it will determine whether you need the processing power of a laptop or the convenience and portability of a tablet.

5. Do you need both? Maybe, but which do you buy now?

And perhaps you need both. But which do you need to buy? Do you have an older piece of hardware that needs replacing or are you looking to supplement your devices? In my case, a laptop wouldn't have been portable enough to bring on the bus with me back and forth to work each and every day; too heavy, too big and redundant since I already have my old laptop at home and a perfectly working one at work. And I decided that my older laptop had the processing power we needed at home for the Dude to play Minecraft and for me to manage websites. So instead of replacing it with a new laptop, I preferred to get a tablet with a full keyboard that met almost all of my needs (except the daily blogging one). In the end, it was the right choice for me.

What's the right choice for you?

Hope this helped!

The 5 Things I Want to See At Social Capital Conference This Weekend

2013-05-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

This weekend I will be ~~cloning myself~~ simultaneously hanging out at Social Capital Conference and (finally) throwing the Dude's gaming birthday party at iPlay. Which means that my Saturday will be split between a bunch of excited chatterboxes loudly talking, laughing and generally having tons of fun, and well, ok, the same thing but just in smaller packages. :)

I wasn't going to attend the conference initially given my need to be out in Kanata for the afternoon, but I was invited to attend as a guest of Chevrolet Canada who was totally ok with my split schedule. And suddenly my excuses were gone. Good thing too, because I have a bit of a wishlist forming in terms of what want to see.

Here are The 5 Things I Want to See at SoCapOtt:

Sessions that can help me with my blogging: Like the session on Blogging and Intellectual Property which is definitely a point of interest given the fact that I spend my days writing about other people's stuff, ideas and products;
Absolutely anything and everything on Data! MOAR data! So I'll likely attend Microsocial: How Tiny Bits of Data Can Make or Break Your Website;
Random interesting things, like Transitioning from Blog to Vlog, not something I am considering doing anytime soon but I've always been curious about the amount of work, how it affects SEO, etc.;
Big names I haven't seen before: like Gini Dietrich and Danny Brown, the opening and closing keynotes, respectively;
Oh, and you! I want to see you!

In fact, the best part of these local conferences is the opportunity to meet tweeps IRL. And now that I've come out from behind my cartoon avatar, that should make it a little easier for us to find one another. So let's promise to say hello if we spot one another in the crowd, ok?

If I can swing ~~cloning myself~~ balancing my two awesome obligations, Saturday promises to be exhausting in the best of ways. We'll see if that happens. Because there is a good chance that the kids will suck the life out of me. Granted, that's nothing a little coffeine won't fix, right? ;)

Related posts:

Hilariously Inappropriate Office Toy: Flying F*ck Remote Control Helicopter

2013-05-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

Swearing at work is cathartic. Science says so.

In fact, when I last managed a team, I circulated the study I linked to above, and told them that they should feel free to express themselves in the workplace when they felt the need, as long as they didn't do so in front of clients. And it we had a lot of fun with it; folks you wouldn't normally expect to drop an S-bomb or an F-bomb would do so, feel better, and get back down to business.

It became enough of a joke in the office, that I was compelled to blog about this little office toy when I came across it back in late 2008. If you weren't a follower (which is likely, since there were very few of you back then), you likely missed "Probably One of My Favourite Things": The F-Bomb

Bwahahaha. Still love that one. But it's no longer my favourite.

No. Because hubby discovered this next lovely toy. One that permits you to immediately convey your current frustrated state to anyone near you. Or to tell them to shut up without having to say a word.

Ladies and gentlemen: a flying f*ck.

Credit: Amazon

An honest-to-goodness cheaply made, highly breakable (according to the Amazon reviews) remote control helicopter that screams your devil-may-care attitude towards everyone around you. Colleague says something inane? Give them a flying f*ck! Client driving you crazy? Give them a flying f*ck!

But wait, I thought the whole point, per the addage, was that you don't give a flying f*ck, right? Which I guess means that you can't possibly give this as a present to someone. Or per the video below, you can gift it to show the people closest to you that you really do give a flying f*ck. :)

See it in action here: (Warning video contains lots of, well, beeping.)

(Source: Hubby)

CineFix's Homemade Movies Remakes Blockbusters Like The Matrix

2013-05-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

So it's the middle of the week and you need a fun fix to make it through the day. Well, have I got something for you. And it's just way too much fun. But first, a disclaimer:

Disclaimer: This site does not endorse complacency and loafing in the workplace. This site will not be help responsible for any revenue or productivity lost as a result of informing you of this lovely, addicting distraction.

Now, then. Shall we continue?

Let me introduce you to CineFix, a YouTube channel where you can catch the latest movie trailers, small indie flicks and a bunch of crowdsourced content. And every Tuesday, they add a new release to their Homemade Movies feature.

Homemade Movies consists of completely unabashed amateur versions scenes from a big blockbuster film.
Painful?
Groan-worthy?
Not at all! They are actually a ton of fun to watch!

Take for instance, their remake of the Bullet Time scene in The Matrix. It's awesome in that they recreated the entire scene detail for detail using creative techniques on their amateur-scale budget including doing all the music montages using acapella voices. The final product looks like something you wish you'd shot back in high school film class (or probably how good you thought your films looked back in high school film class).

As a bonus, they even break down the mechanics for you in Behind the Scenes videos (like this one for the Matrix that is actually 5 times as long as the final clip). And even better, they mash up their take on the scene with the original so you can watch them side by side, and be amazed at how closely they were able to replicate it. (Sometimes, not all. The Star Trek: Into Darkness trailer remake uses toys and bad wigs, but is funny nonetheless.)

Seriously, if you need a solid time waster, this is the one!

Check out all the Homemade Movies on YouTube or start below with my favourite: The Matrix Bullet Time scene. (Watch for the Slinkys!)

Here's the side-by-side comparison:

Startup Weekend Ottawa Pitches: The Good, The Bad & The Winners

2013-05-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

Startup Weekend Ottawa

Last Friday, I ~~whined~~ wrote about the amazing event that is Startup Weekend Ottawa and how amazing it was going to be and how I really, really wished it wasn't falling on the same weekend as Race Weekend so that I could actually go and hang out and be a part of it. I did manage to crash the opening and the final presentations, so although I wasn't able to be there for the blood, sweat and tears of the rest of the weekend, I got to see the happy, shiny bits.

And now, so do you.

I managed to chat with Blair Beckwith, one of the organizers, and Royce Haynes a Startup Weekend facilitator who was visiting from Boulder, Colorado. I'll be doing another article with their great insights as well as my thoughts on the event (or at least what I caught of it), so stay tuned.

The Pitches: My Synopsis

For now, I thought it would be fun to give you my notes on the main attraction: the final presentations and awards ceremony at the end of the event. (Ceremony sounds so formal; this is a very laid back event.) Although this post is called The Good, The Bad & The Winners, here is a major spoiler alert: There were no bad ideas. The teams really came up with some innovative, realistic concepts that are for the most part entirely actionable. Some of the details might face legal or other issues (some which I've noted below in my comments) but overall, I was incredibly impressed with the caliber of the pitches.

Below you'll find an overview of each idea and my take on every one. (Yes, there's some snark. I can't help it.) I'm also including links to their Twitter accounts and sites so you can keep tabs on them; they need customers and fans if they're going to make a go of it!

Here we go, in the order in which they took the stage... (If you just want to see the winners, jump to the bottom of the post.)

1. Watch It Later
WatchItLater.co
Tag line: "Your videos, your time." This is a site that lets you rip online videos and save them to one playlist, no matter what site they are currently listed on. The service includes a site, an app and a bookmarklet for quickly capturing videos. They plan to make money by charging fees for usage starting at $1/month.

My verdict: Handy, if they don't get the pants sued off of them. My first thought was "this screams of IP issues". That is, it's a neat idea except that it is making copies of intellectual property which could mean that they spend a lot of time responding to take-down notices. I like that it solves the distributed playlist problem (i.e. you can finally capture your YouTube, Vimeo, Ted etc. videos in one place for viewing later). I use Evernote to bookmark all the things I want to watch later, but it doesn't keep a copy of the videos themselves. Would love to see the ability to access the videos offline in a Premium version.

2. PebbleTask
Pebbletask.co, @pebbletask
A Getting Things Done app that merges your task list, your location and your availability to figure out the best time to get things done. Basically, it's Google Now meets Remember the Milk If you're not familiar with either of those, this is an app that combines your task list, your current location and your calendar to figure out if you are in the right place to do something and if you have enough time to do it.

My verdict: Smart, but could use a tweak. I love the innovative thinking, taking Remember the Milk and adding the predictive side of Google Now to help me remember to do tasks. Problem is, I wear a tin foil hat so I don't use the GPS on my phone. I'd like to see a Wifi dependent option, so that if I sign into my home wifi, home-based tasks show up but if I sign into my mobile or work wifi, other tasks are suggested. (Additional note: this one was only a concept and design, but the team didn't have a developer and were trying to find one by the end of the competition to make a go of their idea.)

3. Park Buddy
Simple: matches people needing parking to people wanting to rent out their parking space or personal driveway. In real time. Provides users the ability to geo-locate available spots, view profiles, and compare rates, then actually complete the transaction all within the app.

My verdict: Smart and useful, if they can get around the bylaw problems similar to the ones faced by AirBNB in some cities. Also, DOH: they need a new name! I was Googling them and discovered that there is already a long-standing app available that is called Park Buddy which does exactly the same thing. Looks like someone forgot to do a quick search before they picked their name.

4. Gemagram
Gemagram.com/
An urban quest/ self-touring app that combines crowdsourced content about points of interest and pre-fabricated tours. Users "drop a gem" on a location using a map app, and add personal content. They can string together a series of gems to develop a quest or tour and make it available for others to use. The group is looking to partner with tour companies to develop and sell tours to end users, integrate coupons and ads.

My verdict: Neat idea. We're less about urban quests and more about geocaching. So this might be of interest to us if someone mapped various caches on urban walks/ trails. Granted, this could be interesting if we were entertaining out of town guests or looking for something cheap and outdoors to do during vacations. Hmmm.... might need to keep an eye on this one.

5. FashionFinity
FashionFinity.co
A shopping site that enables users to create outfits with pieces from a number of different websites, save their outfilts in their own "closet" and share them with others. Key audiences are fashionistas (i.e. fashion bloggers) who would be adept at creating outfits and sharing them, and their users who would want to shop from their fave bloggers' closets. Would make money through store affiliate programs. One of the judges commented that this would be ideal for people who suck at dressing themselves: they could just go to this site and buy entire outfits. Bam, new market!

My verdict: Maybe. Let's be clear, I hate to shop. I do like to shop online but only from brands whose sizes I know, so if I could pick the stores I'm interested in buying from and only see outfits made up of those brands, then there is a good chance that I would use this. I'd also like to see categories of outfits (dressy, office, casual)... yeah, I basically want a bunch of metadata on the whole site so I can run filtered searches on all the outfits and limit my exposure to the shopping part. LOL

6. Paperlis
@paperlis (pronounced paperless)
This site aims to make all of a small or micro business' forms electronic so they can use them remotely to produce estimates, share them with clients, and integrate them into their scheduling and accounting systems. Templates and custom forms are available, the system integrates with Google apps (docs, calendar, etc). It even processes credit cards using Stripe.

My verdict: Yessss. My Dad's second career was in water treatment sales so I know that contractors and sales people use their vehicles as mobile offices. Anything that makes it easier for them to provide information to the client, make the sale and move on to the next potential close is a good thing. And my little green heart loves that this is a greener solution than bringing a mobile printer or filling out paperwork by hand only to enter it manually into a system later on.

7. Beerd
Beerd.co
Simple: a expert-sourced (not crowdsourced), searchable log of Beer reviews. An open app that anyone can access and search which combines beer reviews, geo-tagging (for the availability of local beer), and rankings compiled from an exclusive invitation-only roster of beer "experts".

My verdict: Not for me, but definitely interesting for people who actually drink beer. This one took a few minutes to wrap my head around because the presentation was a bit too deep at the beginning. You can tell that some of the teams were so far down in their ideas, they forgot to come back to the surface to make sure the rest of us could fully understand their idea. Once I got it, though, and they used the term "beer nerds," I thought it made a lot of sense. (And I realized that @KLWatts must be one of those :) They'll need to really vet who gets to do the inviting, though, otherwise this will become Beer Reddit.

8. Remoty
Tag line: "One world, one workplace." This is an app used to measure work of remote employees by combining keystrokes per app per minute and an algorithm to determine work completed (e.g. emails responded to, etc.). It moves the onus of timekeeping from the worker to the device they are working on.

My verdict: Yes, but they need to think bigger: So my first thought (and tweet) as soon as they started pitching was: "this is for Marissa Mayer!" (If you're out of the loop, she cancelled remote work when she took over at Yahoo.) Seriously, though, I think that they need to rebrand this thing quickly and sell it to consulting firms and project shops. For on-site workers who have to fill in timesheets. I HATED THE TIMESHEETS. Go ahead, log my keystrokes! If it means I will never ever have to do a timesheet ever again, I'm in!

9. Your Book Buddy
@yourbookbuddy
This is a subscription service that lets users access a library of ebooks and invite specific family members or friends to read to their kids via video, while sharing the ebook on the screen. Think Skype and snuggling for bedtime stories.

My verdict: Useful if they don't just focus on toddlers/ preschoolers. I Skype grandma in to the Dude's diving lessons, so bedtime reading makes sense. And often grandma doesn't have a bunch of kids' books lying around. This apps solves that part of the equation. Most of the kids-focused apps I've come across focus on the younger child set, so I would like to see them get chapter books that can be shared, not just picture books. There is one potential problem: I heard on a recent episode of CBC Spark that e-books can cost up to 5 times more in for libraries to buy compared to hard copies. If major publishing houses are charging exorbitant fees, they might be better pairing with alt publishing houses. Although if they don't have Goodnight, Moon or other big names, that could hurt their popularity in the long run.

10. Vidrack
vidrack.com, @vid_rack
A simple site used to solicit client video testimonials: client gets a link or a QRCode with shipment, takes them to a site where they can record a short thank you video or testimonial which gets emailed to the company. Clients get rewards, companies get videos.

My verdict: No brainer. Simple, love the fact that the client does as little as possible. Probably the only smart use of a QRCode I have ever seen. Ever. They need to add a set of terms and conditions somewhere though, so that the customer who submits their testimonial accepts that they don't own the video and that the company can do with it what they will. Otherwise, welcome to court.

11. Quovey
Another one for the contractors: this app aims to match people who need trades work done with the tradespeople who can do it for them, based on price and availability. The client posts their need, receives multiple quotes from potential tradespeople and then enables booking.

My verdict: Almost. This has the potential to become a recommendation engine because really, reputation info on the vendors will make people feel comfortable about accepting a quote from a company they have never heard of. The team mentioned vetting the companies via accreditation like Better Business Bureau, but a social component would help too: Facebook page integration to see the feedback and testimonials the vendors get on their pages, ability to up-vote or down-vote companies after the service is rendered, sharing capabilities to be able to send a quote or post it on your own social account to solicit feedback from friends (e.g. has anyone ever worked with...?).

12. Lucru
LucruCareers.co, @lucrucareers
Lucru is a career advice site that offers users the ability to view testimonials and pay minute-by-minute for a chance to speak one-on-one with people who work in specific industries. So if you have a kid who wants to be an astronaut but you think he should aim a little lower first, like engineer, then you can connect them to an actual engineer. (Aside: Just so you know, Lucru means work in Romanian. The Lucru folks really want you to know that since they not only said it during their pitch, but one of them made a point to tell me again when we were chatting after the event. :)

My verdict: Handy, but they'll need a strong search since job titles are varied and people may be looking for specific terms. As well, they considering marketing to job seekers but it might actually be better to target learning institutions and parents, since those are the people trying to ~~direct~~ assist students to pick a career path. I also worry for any site that requires loads and loads of custom, original content. Those have the hardest time getting off the ground, because it takes a lot of time and money to produce. Maybe they can invite their experts to give their testimonials through Vidrack? ;)

13. AdviceBid
This is an advice app that enables users to quickly find, evaluate and pay for advice from strangers. They bill it as being as in depth as Quora and as quickly as Clarity. Rates are low but the they believe that people would be willing to pay and use advice from the system because: "When people don't pay for your advice, they don't take it seriously" - Noah Kagan.

My verdict: Not sure about this one. The example they were using was relationship advice. Would people pay for it? Maybe. I am very much not the target audience for this one; I ask the Google all my questions. Or my trusted network of family, friends and colleagues. With the multitude of connections I have on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, I would never pay for advice on anything personal. Buuuuuut, I could see this working in a business-to-business context providing small and micro companies access to industry experts. The team didn't go there, and maybe there is a market for it, but it originated from a market of one, and would need more validation.

THE WINNERS

Now that you know who the players are, here's a list of the winners.

Prizes were handed out in a variety of categories in addition to awarding the top 3 ideas from the weekend.

Best Design: Rumoty
Best Hustle: Gemagram
Best Hacking: FashionFinity (truth - the positioning of the outfit pieces and ability to resize were fantastic)
Most Effort: Team Lead from PebbleTask and the whole Beerd team
Crowd fave: PebbleTask (remember, I noted above that they didn't even have an app; just a concept!)

Overall Winners

1. Vidrack
2. YourBookBuddy
3. ParkBuddy

Congratulations to everyone who participated! Some fantastic ideas. Go check them out; they will only survive if they get users.

And stay tuned for my interviews with the organizers, coming soon.

Related posts:

It's Startup Weekend Ottawa!! (And Here's Why I Wish I Was Going)

Dress Up for Your Next Race in Cosplay Running Gear!

2013-05-27T12:34:00.000-04:00

If you've ever been to a running race like a marathon, you may have noted that some people get all dolled up in costumes and/or wigs. Especially if it's a charity event, you might see people running in feather boas, tutus, brightly coloured wigs, ginormous hats, and for the more adventurous, full head-to-toe costumes. Yesterday, on our way to our race, we spotted a funky purple-and-white mullet wig on the passenger in the car beside us, and spotted it again in the corral for the kids' race. All we could think was: damn, it's gonna be hot under there.

I'm pretty serious about my running, so needless to say that costumes have never been a consideration. Until today, that is. Because holy crap I just found out that there is someone on Etsy who makes freaking COSPLAY RUNNING OUTFITS!!!!

Actual technical clothing so you can be a comfy runner but dressed up like your favourite superhero or fiction character. Like for instance:

How about something a little subtle to start with: like this Batman outfit. Simple, not too over the top. (We're starting simple, here. Just wait till you see what's coming!)

Batman Running Outfit from iGlow Running

Or how about this completely adorable Alice in Wonderland outfit.

Alice in Wonderland Running Outfit from iGlow Running

But my favourite is this Wonder Woman costume! With cape, wrist bands and headband! (sold separately)

Wonder Woman Running Gear from iGlow Running

I have never liked running skirts but dammit if I wouldn't just LOVE to wear this one.

Sadly, no spider-man (or spydergrrl) outfits. Boo. But, if you happen to be running a Disney race some time soon, you should really head over to iGlow Running because she's got a running outfit for pretty much every Disney princess. Including Merida.

Talk about fun! Wonder if they might do a camo one, since I have the Army Run coming up in September. Might be fun to go all GI Jane... ;)

It's Startup Weekend Ottawa!! (And Here's Why I Wish I Was Going)

2013-05-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

Startup Weekend Ottawa

So what are you doing this weekend? Well, in our house we have an annual tradition that is being upheld: it's race weekend! We will be hosting runners and walkers from hubby's side of the family and 6 of us will be participating in the festivities: 3 of us will be running the half marathon, 2 others walking the half (including hubby's powerhouse almost-70 year old mom) and the Dude will be completing his first ever kids' marathon.

But if I wasn't doing that I would have totally been hanging out at Startup Weekend Ottawa.

What is Startup Weekend?

Startup Weekend is basically an intensive 2.5 days of networking, thinking, working, and building a business idea from thin air with a bunch of people you just met. (Kind of like cramming all the good parts of the tech bubble into a single weekend ;)

If you've ever done a case competition or a design jam, then you know exactly what to expect: A bunch of people pitch ideas, teams spontaneously form around the ideas and then go through the habitual storming, forming, norming and performing phases of group development in a very condensed period of time. They get to work and within 54 hours create, code, design and test their idea. And then in the delirium that ensues (largely fueled by sugar and coffee), they finish by presenting the results of their efforts to a panel of judges in hopes of winning some prizes.

Who participates in such madness?

Me! Well, not this one, but I competed in similar competitions when I was back in university. (Aside: If you want to hear a helluva story, ask me some time how my team was disqualified from an international case competition.) And of course, last year we hosted a Design Jam on day 2 of UXCampOttawa which saw teams design a solution to a real business problem presented by a local Ottawa business.

I just love these types of events. Love love love. They're fun, fast and hectic. But best of all, they're inclusive: You don't have to be an expert! According to the site:

Startup Weekend attendees’ backgrounds are roughly 50% technical (developers, coders, designers) and 50% business (marketing, finance, law). What unites all attendees is a common interest in entrepreneurship: whether a serial entrepreneur or new to the startup scene, every attendee is interested in working with a like-minded, motivated and skilled team to develop a product or business in one weekend.

Isn't that awesome? So no matter what background, interests, experience, anyone has probably got some skillz they can bring to a team. Want to know more? Check out the n00b section on the Startup Weekend site.

In addition to relying on one another, the participants also have the benefit of the experience and expertise of all the mentors and judges; they're real, approachable humanz who want to help teams succeed and have a lot of fun in the process.

[Aside: If it wasn't racing, I would have spent my entire weekend at the event because I was asked to be a mentor for the competition. For the record, it was incredibly difficult to turn down. Le sigh.]

How does the judging work?

Granted, the point of the weekend is the experience: all the learning, mentoring and networking that participants will receive. The judges will offer advice on 4 aspects of the ideas: the soundness of the business model, whether there is a market for the idea, functionality (proposed or real) and execution (professionalism, user experience, etc).

The competition side of the weekend is more about learning and growth, as the site explains:

Competition is not a central theme of Startup Weekend, and this is often reflected in the broad, horizontal allocation of prizes and general flexibility/leniency of the event ‘rules.’ If and when the competitive aspect comes into conflict with the positive atmosphere we try to cultivate, we consistently choose the latter.We do believe, however, that friendly competition is beneficial to all parties and, most importantly, more accurately reflects the realities of startup life. Just as it’s important to gather ‘real-world’ feedback over the weekend, it’s also important to have real-world pressures and obstacles.

That's nice and all but let's face it, you probably want to know what people will win. Lots of help to get their idea off the ground: consulting, patent or trademark advice, and the like. I mean, if you come up with a fantastic idea and win the weekend, why shouldn't you try to make a go of it, right? Even if it never becomes a runaway success, imagine what you will have learned in the process.

How do I find out more? Can I participate?

It's too late to register as a participant but it's not too late to buy a ticket to watch the presentations. You can find out everything you need to know at the event website, particularly through this fantastic recap from one of last year's participants. If you want to keep tabs on the teams this weekend, follow @swottawa and #SWO3. I know I will :)

The action starts tonight after work and wraps up late on Sunday. It promises to be an intense, frustrating, exhilarating, exhausting, rewarding experience for all involved. Did I mention that I wish I could be there? Sigh.

[P.S. If you're participating, let me know!]

Star Trek vs Star Wars: Short Film Shows The Outcome If The Death Star Ever Took On the Starship Enterprise

2013-05-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

The folks over at IGN Entertainment released this great short last week that claims to settle once and for all who would win in a showdown between two epic ~~movie franchises~~ fictional superpowers: The Dark Force vs. The Crew of the Starship Enterprise.

Here's the setup: When the Enterprise shows up in San Francisco, the inhabitants of Earth just can't figure out what it's doing there. The Imperial Army investigates and takes up the offensive using its most powerful weapon: the Death Star.

This short is actually a remake of an earlier version released in 2009. Chances are you never saw the first version. Which is probably a good thing because it was choppy, fuzzy and all around awesome for 2009 but pretty terrible for 2013. But if you want to see how far the IGN crew has come in four years, the original is posted below as well. It's your chance to take a little trip to the past. (I would say memory lane, but given that the original only has 600,000 views in 4 years, there's a pretty good chance that you've never seen this before.)

It's a fun little flick if only for the slow setup to the inevitable result; you can feel the tension mount. I'd like to claim that the battle that ensues is the battle to end all battles, but in fact... well, just watch.

The Original

(Source: Geekologie)

The Smartphone is Dead. Long Live the Smartphone. (And what's next)

2013-05-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

Samsung Galaxy S II X

So last night, we were leaving the pool after the Dude's diving class and this teenager passes in front of me and says, "Wait, Mom. I need to give her my texting number!"

And my head exploded.
Why?
I'll let that sink in for a moment.
Texting number.
Texting number.

Yeah, not only are kids not using their phones to call each other but now they don't even refer to their phone numbers as phone numbers anymore. They're texting numbers. Numbers given with the sole intent of SMS-ing.

The behaviour doesn't surprise me: Any tech pundit, Nielsen report or follower of any news anywhere might be able to cite this as a growing trend. I have a huge-normous data plan and an eensy-weensy amount of minutes. And that works for me. I text the babysitter, my colleagues, my friends. I tweet at pretty much anyone else. And I inevitably sigh when I get back to my desk after a meeting and there is a voicemail. Even in our family, hubby and I don't call each other. We never have. I've mentioned this before: he works in hospitality and you just don't take phone calls when you're in front of a client. And so that's never been our thing; we've never ever called each other during the work day unless there is some emergency that includes the Dude and a hospital.

But I still refer to a phone number as a phone number.

It takes a whole different mindset to actually look at a phone and only see a computer. A device that may never get held up to one's ear. Think about that for a second. But now, that's what people want, isn't it? We loathe answering the phone. We give it side-eye when it rings. (You know you do!)

That Nielsen report I cited earlier states that the most important feature on a teen's phone is a keyboard. Although they still spend upwards of 10 hours a month chatting, that activity is on the decline in favour of texting. Here's the part that is most striking:

The undeniable area of growth is in data usage. 94 percent of teen subscribers self-identify as advanced data users, turning to their cellphones for messaging, Internet, multimedia, gaming, and other activities like downloads. While teen usage does not reach levels of activity seen by young adults, it has increased substantially versus Q2 last year, from 14 MB to 62 MB. This fourfold increase is the largest jump among all age groups. Much of this boost is led by males, who are more gadget-savvy and consume 75 MB of data, versus 17 MB in Q2 last year. Teen females use about 53 MB of data, compared to 11 MB a year ago.

A rise from 11 to 53 MB of data in a year. The phone part of the phone is definitely on the decline, and it's just a matter of time before it is truly dead. A whole new family of devices will be needed that don't have any phone capabilities whatsoever.

Mobile phone technology started with brick phones in the 80s, then cel phones, then feature phones and now smartphones. And in between were phone-less devices like the iPod Touch. That market segment always confused me. In fact, the first time I saw one, I honestly asked, "It's not a phone? So you can't call on it? What's the point?" I just couldn't understand why someone would spend so much money for a device that could only be used on wifi and that couldn't even make a phone call. It never occurred to me that someone might be happy to use a pocket computer merely for going online, consuming content and sending messages to other people, including via SMS.

So will the next generation of smartphones actually ship devoid of phone functionality? I mean if you really want to call someone and you have a gigantic data plan, you could just download an IP phone app and call them over the web, right? (Hello, Skype?)

And so that begs the question: what will we call these phone-less phones? If a hybrid tablet and phone is a (wait for it) phablet, what's a smartphone with no phone? Technically, they're tablets, just smaller. Right now, devices such as the iPod Touch and the Samsung Galaxy Player are categorized as portable media players, but that focuses on the content consumption side of things. Personally, I generate a lot of content on my phone: tweeting, Facebooking, updating my blog, writing emails, Evernoting all the things. I don't want a player of any sort. And I certainly wouldn't be looking for my next device in a player section of any store.

So what do you think? What new consumer term will be given to the inevitable rise of phone-less smartphones geared to consumers who are content producers? Pocket tablet? Pockblet? Textblet? (Honestly, anything's possible after the hot mess that is "phablet".) Take your best shot in the comments or via the Twitters @spydergrrl.

Just don't phone it in ;)

Announcing: Spydergrrl On The Web Is On Facebook! Here's Why...

2013-05-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Click to LIKE Spydergrrl on the Web

Did you know that I launched a Spydergrrl on the Web Facebook page? That's right, now you can get geeky goodness on your Facebooks 24/7!

I'd been mulling over the idea for quite some time, but to be honest, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to do it right. You see, my last job was acting as an advisor on social media for communications and branding (critiquing social media plans and strategies) so I knew that if I ventured beyond Twitter and the blog, I would have to give it the attention it deserved.

In late March, I decided to take take the leap and launch a Facebook page. And so far, so good.

Why Facebook?

Actually, it's in response to your feedback!

I've been told by more than one of you that it's really hard to keep up with 5 posts a week (sorry, but there's just too much geeky goodness out there not to share ;)
Some of you are just like me on the Twitters: following far too many people to catch the blog post tweets in your busy streams
Some of your RSS readers are overloaded (and some of you are giving up on RSS since Google announced that it was killing Reader)
You don't want to subscribe by email because you get. enough. email.
Buuuut you like the idea of having a Facebook page where you could catch up on posts at your leisure.

Is it just a copy of the blog?

Nope. The page is actually different from the blog and Twitter feeds in that I'm also sharing content from the sources I subscribe to on Facebook, random things I'm finding online and stuff that my friends and followers recommend. Plus, not surprisingly, there's a little more chitchat going on there about the posts.

In addition to links back to the blog, you'll find news articles, links to other blogs, YouTube videos, geek culture references... anything I can share that is a good science, tech and geek find.

And if you're worried about noise, rest assured that I have committed to posting no more than 4 times a day in order to prevent from monopolizing your newsfeed.

So why don't you head on over to the page and hit Like? MOAR geeky goodness is only a good thing, right?

Patton Oswalt's Parks & Recreation Star Wars Filibuster is Now a Movie! (Sort of)

2013-05-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Credit: Entertainment Weekly

Last month, I told you about the rehearsals for Patton Oswalt's guest appearance on Parks & Recreation in which he improvised an EPIC 8-minute Star Wars movie proposal that contained everything from the Avengers to Clash of the Titans to the Fantastic Four. Not only was it a complete nerdfest, but some folks over at EW actually turned it into an insane movie poster. (Pictured right)

If you didn't see the outtake, it was a breathless delivery of the most insane movie ever imagined by a man who can only be described as an uber-geek. A geek that the rest of us geeks can only aspire to one day be like. Nay, to one day hope to be like. LOL. Seriously, if you missed it, go check it all out right now. It'll be worth it, I promise.

Ok, now that you're caught up, here's the rest of the story.

Someone has turned the filibuster rant into an actual movie! Well, sort of. It's actually like a papercraft version of a movie, but regardless it's a ton of fun, if only for the fact that it makes the story a lot easier to follow given that it's entirely animated right on the screen before you. You just have to check it out!

[Aside: Btw, if this is your brand of nerdiness, then you need to head over to Reddit this afternoon from 4:00-5:30 Eastern for an AMA (that's Ask Me Anything) with Mr. Oswalt himself! It's a holiday here in Canada, and it's well before the fireworks so you'll have plenty of time to nerd out before continuing with the festivities ;) ]

(Source: Kotaku)

Friday Fun: Robot Unicorn Attack is an Absurdly Addictive Memetastic Game

2013-05-17T10:47:00.001-04:00

Today is the birthday of my friend, and yours, @nellleo. And it's the unofficial start of summer here in Canada: the May two-four long weekend. [For you non-Canadians, we know that this weekend doesn't always fall on May 24th, but since that's Queen Victoria's birthday, this weekend is always referred to as May two-four.] And so I wanted to find something fun that would help you pass the hours till your 3-day weekend freedom. Now, as usual...

[Disclaimer: This site does not endorse complacency and loafing in the workplace. This site will not be help responsible for any revenue or productivity lost as a result of informing you of this lovely, addicting distraction.]

Ok, with ~~the lawyers~~ my conscience appeased, here is your super awesome thing of the day.

Robot Unicorn Attack!

Credit: Super B Wallpapers

That, my friends, is an actual GAME.

That's right, you can be an robot unicorn!

Launched by Adult Swim back in 2010, Robot Unicorn Attack is playable online or as a downloadable app for iOS and Android. The game format is "endless running" which means that your goal is basically to avoid being hit, running off cliffs and other obstacles in exchange for points. Wikipedia explains:

The object of the game is to prolong gameplay without falling off the stage, crashing into the edges of platforms, or colliding with crystal stars (without first dashing). Points are earned with play time, by collecting pixies, and by destroying crystal stars by dashing though them. As the game progresses, the stage slides faster.

Pure mindless fun, really.

And if the original version just isn't enough for you, then there are other releases you might want to check out, including:

There are lots of comments and articles that cite the game as pure mindless, addictive fun. Which is probably why there were a million downloads in their first week of launch back in 2010 and why it has become a bit of a meme. (Need proof? Do an image search for "robot unicorn attack") Consider yourselves warned!

Happy time-wasting ;)

Hack Your Network: TED Talk Explores The Surprising Need for Strangeness

2013-05-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

Flipping through my ginormous volume of RSS feeds on the bus this week, I caught a headline that I just knew was going to have to become a post. It was the title of Maria Bezaitis' TEDxIntel talk: The Surprising Need for Strangeness.

[Aside: Now, to be honest, I thought it was going to be a nerd manifesto of sorts, praising the need to be different and unique and to celebrate those differences in order to maximize productivity or innovation or some such. But I was completely wrong. It's even better than that.]

Bezaitis presents a compelling argument for us needing to find strangers and interact with people unlike ourselves. And that's definitely a topic I can get behind. She begins by challenging our societal norm of not talking to strangers and staying away from anyone who is not familiar to us. She suggests that these are actually the best opportunities for learning (I couldn't agree more!). And she asks: how much strangeness are you getting? (love that)

If you caught my presentation on Hacking is a Mindset, Not a Skillset, then you might remember that my third of five steps to a hacking mindset challenges us to hack our networks. I cited a bunch of examples of people collaborating across boundaries, including crowdsourcing, playing MMORPGs, and participating in hackfests as a non-hacker. And even stepping outside of your network of trusted colleagues to approach someone with a completely unrelated perspective to provide advice:

Maybe your question seems technical but actually has an interpersonal angle you just aren't noticing. Maybe your personality conflict has an underlying technical issue. You can hack your own thinking by finding a mentor or a trusted advisor who will tell you the truth at all times. Or by developing a network of open-minded individuals with varying backgrounds and expertise who can offer you a fresh perspective when you need it.

And that's exactly what Bezaitis encourages.

What's really interesting about her thesis is how she ties it into data and the evolution of technology: if data turns our social relations into digital relations, then we are constantly interacting with people we don't actually know. We are in fact allowing ourselves to be exposed to strangeness. Some of the language used to describe our online relationships can be misleading: family and friends. Bezaitis challenges us to think more about closeness and timeliness: what do we need from that relationship right now? What can we bring to it in this moment? If we think beyond the concept of merely sharing and evaluate those relationships, there is more that we could accomplish with these strange ties. She asks, "what can we do, learn from each other, do together that benefits us both?"

We can mistake Social for Personal quite easily on social platforms, but maybe we should actively pursue the social in certain circumstances, and be ok that it does not traverse into the personal. That strangeness can be a benefit to both parties and a necessary part of our interactions. Perhaps you need to ask yourself: Are you getting enough strangeness?

It's a captivating notion, a fantastic 8 minutes to spark some thought. Enjoy!