#kickstarter

The Perfect Umbrella

Let’s not beat around the bush; umbrellas generally suck. For a relatively complex invention, we’ve reduced it to its most basic, pathetic version when we’re buying one for $5 on a street corner in New York, only to have it snap in half a block away and have to buy a new one 5 minutes later. What would form your ideal/most perfect umbrella?

  1. Something strong, light, and small — maybe inspiration from trekking poles for the main pole?
  2. A good grip that I can hang onto, without getting a sore/cramped hand
  3. Wind billow/”Gust Buster” design of some sort to ensure that it doesn’t flip inside out/break in the wind
  4. Double/triple fold so that the folded product is nice and small
  5. Push to expand AND retract. Ideally all the way down (although I don’t know how technically feasible that is)
  6. Actually waterproof material. Too many umbrellas start leaking (especially around the central point) once they’ve been rained on a lot

What else would make your perfect umbrella? Can someone get right on it and Kickstarter this thing plz? Kthxbai 🙂

* Image from here.

I Want to Love My Pebble

It’s true, I really want to love the Pebble that I got from being a Kickstarter backer. I want to, but right now I can’t. I can only like it. And I can like it a lot — there’s a lot to like!

  • I have a computer on my arm!
  • I can read text messages without taking my phone out
  • I can control music that’s playing on my phone
  • WordPress notifications on my wrist? Yep.
  • Calendar alerts? Got ’em.
  • The form-factor is slick: it’s slim, super lightweight and IMHO, looks pretty darned cool.
  • Nice backlight, which I can activate by shaking my wrist or tapping the watch
  • It’s waterproof! (although I’m too nervous to actively put that to the test)

So why can’t I love it? Let me count the ways (biggest reasons first): (more…)