I’ve pretty much doubled traffic to my blog in the last few months. Which isn’t that impressive when you start from a low base, but it did bring an unexpected bandwidth issue. Readers, you have cost me $4. But I’m back. And these things only seem to happen when we’re on holidays. Also, I wrote this post on my phone while Robyn is driving over the Cardwell range.
Tag: iphone
Philosophical flatulence
If a man passes wind in his office chair and Twitter is there to hear it – would you listen?
One of the things I was taught at uni was that a lot of technological innovation is driven by the adult entertainment industry. Video cassettes, the Internet, and glossy magazine printing technology have all benefited from hundreds of millions (perhaps billions) of dollars of investment from the industry. I thought that was interesting.
I also think it’s interesting that in the “open source” era so many applications of new technology are being driven by toilet humour. Particularly a fascination with flatulence. One of the most downloaded iPhone applications (and I don’t have it) is iFart – it’s basically a portable whoopie cushion with the full natural gas sound spectrum available at the push of a button. Enlightening. Really. It says so much about the human condition.
I’m delighted today to have discovered an all new low in the use of technology for the purposes of toilet humour… Here’s a description:
The Twittering office chair “tweets” (posts a Twitter update) upon the detection of natural gas such as that produced by human flatulence. This is part of my commitment to accurately document and share my life as it happens.
Here’s the detailed instructions for how to build your own… and here’s the OfficeChair’s Twitter account so you can follow the farts in real time. Hooray.
Finally
My iPhone has arrived.
Thanks to the power of persuasion and a sympathetic employer.
Ad busters
The quality of advertising in regional Australia lags about 15 years behind the quality of spots produced in capital cities. Local advertising can be frustratingly bad.
Townsville suffers from a paucity of quality ad producers. Too many advertisers rely on quick fix production from the local networks. There’s a massive gap in the market for a creative video producer to come in and change that status quo.
There are three local advertising phenomena that I think are particularly odd.
1. Patio World v Superior Patio Systems – how is it that two competitors in a very narrow niche can afford to wage a long running advertising battle. One featuring an annoyingly catchy jingle – the other featuring a good looking girl the local paper rated as one of the region’s most famous faces. I don’t get it. Is it a perpetual motion loop where one advertises and the other can’t be out done so they advertise and the other can’t be outdone so they advertise… To end this viscious cycle both would have to stop at the same time – otherwise there’d just be one patio company out there on the airwaves.
Rachel - the face of Patio World
2. There’s an ad for a local computer repairs company where the young lady requiring computer repairs calls up using an iphone – and in what could be described as a continuity error – is calling up about a beige computer tower that looks like it was built in the 80s or bought at an ex-government auction.
3. There’s a Kip McGrath Tutoring ad that has just started running locally that I think was probably actually produced in the 80s. This is not a figure of speech. The tutors feature moustaches and are wearing brown. It’s like one of those dodgy, dodgy corporate training videos. I know economic times are tough but rerunning ads from 20 years ago to cut costs is ridiculous.
iPhone killer
This must surely be a joke. If not, the Pomegranate NS08 is the iPhone killer. It comes with an in built coffee brewer. Based loosely on the “pod” concept this phone has an in built mechanism to suck up water and push it through a pod holding section of the device. It’s also an electric razor. Their website is worryingly well made and convincing. But it’s got to be a joke right? I’m pretty sure it is. But the site is worth a look.
The in-built harmonica is the giveaway really. And the accompanying video.