This week, the Time video “The Decade in Seven Minutes” went viral:

Well done.

Technology used to be the driver of new products; it determined the industrial design and components. Now, the size of devices is no longer determined by the size of the computer chip. For example, the iPod Classic sports the same basic design from 2004. The iPod does its job well and the only thing that could (and probably should) be changed include improvements in software and components.

We are living in a period of re-emergence of design. We are realizing that we need to start developing products that are not going to end up in a landfill after 2 years. We also need to design products that will encourage sustainability. Here’s a great example from Volkswagen that makes a game out of recycling:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Volkswagen also created two other videos (Piano Staircase and The World’s Deepest Bin). They created them as demonstration videos for The Fun Theory contest. The contest encourages designs that change people’s behavior for the better. Pretty cool.

Gizmodo was quick to look at both Garmin and TomTom’s stocks on the day of the announcement:

When I bought my Garmin nuvi 660, I saw this coming. My digital camera is already collecting dust, since my iPhone 3GS’s camera is good enough for most purposes. There are GPS applications for my iPhone, but I still pull out my Garmin just because it is already paid for (and the iPhone GPS applications are not).

What’s the future for Garmin and TomTom? Well, Garmin attempted to create an iPhone killer called the nuvifone. It was a good idea, but very poorly executed. TomTom handled things a little smarter, and were the first company to announce a turn-by-turn GPS application for the iPhone (though not the first to release one). TomTom even managed to realize that they could make a little money on hardware by selling accessories (including the suction cup).

Garmin’s nuvifone will undoubtedly bomb, and the company’s future is uncertain. TomTom will probably scrape by, but they need to somehow stay on top of Google.

Some of the highlights at this year’s fair:

• Pig lickers (chocolate dipped in bacon) — They mostly taste just like chewy chocolate with a hint of salt.
  
• The Barrel Monster (near the gardens/flowers) — This is surprisingly nearly identical to the famous Barrel Monster of Hillsborough Street.
  
• Rubik’s Cube Cake — It’s in the back behind some of the more elaborate cakes.
  
• 211 lbs. watermelon — I don’t remember seeing these last year, but the pumpkins were a little disappointing so this drew my attention.
  
• The food. — I had: a ham biscuit, hot chocolate (it was Swiss Miss…), BBQ plate with potatoes and apples, apple cider, fried cookie dough, and roasted corn. They were out of fried mac & cheese all day in the only two places we found that had it. We took home some fudge.
  

It started to rain a little heavier at about 2pm when were making our way back to the car. It was also noticeably more crowded, so I’d recommend our strategy of going on Sunday morning. We did a couple rides: a Ferris wheel and the “Super Shot” (a free fall tower).

I put my complete set of fair photos on Flickr.

But what if your product has multiple use cases without having to change a thing? Case in point: the “shredsors” and the herb scissors. Both of these pairs of scissors can do either task, but they’re both marketed to do different things.

This is a very interesting problem. How do you sell the scissors? Can you sell them as one device or do you have to market them separately? Do they go in the kitchen aisle or in the home security aisle? Can you unify the packaging to convey both uses? Or, is that even necessary (i.e. would users appreciate both features?). With the Internet, you could tag the product to be in two categories, but in physical stores you have to divide the inventory.

[Shredsors via Neatorama / RSVP Herb Scissors via Outblush]

Yes.

But you’ll occasionally be told to turn them off anyway. That’s because of a 10-year-old FAA regulation that’s not really doing anything but causing delays. Gizmodo published a great opinion piece this week on the issue.

Bose QuietComfort 2’s take one AAA battery that takes about 36 hours to drain. But. because of the switch, flight attendants will ask you to turn them off. I always make sure I’m sitting on the right side of the plane so that they can’t see the red light on the headphones.

Gizmodo also points out the Amazon Kindle e-Reader isn’t drawing any power unless the screen is refreshing. That means that a digital watch is probably drawing more power than a Kindle. But, flight attendants will ask you to turn the Kindle off because it’s made of plastic and has a screen.

It bugs me that I am told to turn off my QC2s, when there are probably at least a half-dozen cellphones on board that aren’t turned off (either the passenger forgot or doesn’t know how to actually turn it off). Even the iPhone isn’t the easiest device to turn completely off.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In other iPhone news, AT&T finally is allowing MMS as of 9/25. This means that I can now send picture and video messages!

[MediaPhone via Gizmodo]

Ze Frank is probably my favorite Internet celebrity, and you should check out his weekly show “That Makes Me Think Of” on Time Magazine’s website. The show is kind of like a modern Andy Rooney, but Frank’s segues make a lot more sense. In his latest episode, he ties together Labor Day, socialism and the health insurance reform debate.

1. The Beach Boys – rehearsals from 1967
   There’s nothing quite like listening to The Beach Boys while summer comes to an end. These precious recordings are only available for download until September 16th, so grab them now.
2. Noise Addict – it was never about the audience
   I’ve only recently come to appreciate the rich history of Noise Addict, which started in 1992 when the band members were barely teenagers. Their previous album was released in 1995, and this free album may mark a new incarnation of the band.
3. Doublecheck Your Head
   Max Tannone created an all-Beastie Boys mashup LP. Earlier this year, he created a Jay-Z/Radiohead LP called Jaydiohead under his former moniker Minty Fresh Beats; it’s also a free download.
4. Various Artists – Weezer – The 8-Bit Album
   This has been out for a little while now, but I really enjoyed this unique tribute to Weezer. It’s great to listen to while getting some work done in the office.

My concerns are that interactive tables are very pricey and the angle of control could be awkward for the user. Also, you can’t exactly keep magazines on your living room table any more, and kicking your feet up on a $10,000 multi-touch computer just doesn’t seem like a good idea… maybe someday these things will be more affordable and CRISTAL will be a reality.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[Wired via Gizmodo]