iPhoto Face Recognition ~ An Objective Visual Research Tool?
Automobile lovers have long known the importance of the right smile on the front end of a vehicle, but thanks to iPhoto we can objectively conclude that cruise ship companies share the goal of putting their best face forward. The bow of the Norwegian Dawn popped up as an “Unknown Face” while I was processing my parents’ vacation photos (click to enlarge):
Visual researchers might find an impartial tool in iPhoto’s face-recognition technology. I hope that they don’t “fix” the software.
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Posted on February 6, 2010
Filed Under Automobiles, Business and Commerce, Humor, Medium to Paradise, Ships, Yachts, and Boats, Technology | Leave a Comment
Xerox Phaser 8860 ~ believe in pearlescent full-scuba-spectrum color
Xerox is actively marketing their solid-ink printers through direct mail. I received a brochure with this oyster on the cover, which was obviously professionally printed:
Inside the envelope was also this actual half-letter-sized print sample:
I went to the website to see if they were using a similar underwater world to push the products, but they seem to be focusing much more on the “green” aspects of the products, which supposedly produce much less waste. I wonder why they felt it necessary to push the pearl and mermaid theme in the mail. Perhaps people are more likely to open something paradisiacal.
The main PDF product brochure included these grassy globes on top of the printers:
And elsewhere they show the stack of “waste” that comparable laser printers produce with their non-solid, cartridge-based systems:
This assertion isn’t exactly the most honest one since most laser printer manufacturers recycle their cartridges, usually for free. Of course, the shipping costs of getting them back and forth should also be factored into that analysis.
In terms of print quality, I would say that the color and saturation of the Xerox Phaser 8860 sample page was rather nice, but the image shows a certain level of grain upon closer inspection. Furthermore, at various angles in the light, you will see a 3D effect from the solid inks, somewhat similar to what you would see in a professional print job where there is a section of the image where the page shows through directly because there is no ink on it.
I use an older Konica Minolta laser printer that still does a great job. This week I noticed that there were some streaks in my printouts, and I started wondering if maybe it wasn’t time to try out a Xerox Phaser. After I cleaned the lens, it was going strong again. So, I’ll keep it for a while longer and will consider buying a similar model in the future if it ever goes down. It is one of the best overall values that I have ever had in a printer.
If you’re considering buying a Xerox Phaser, I would say that if the company’s claims of “color for the cost of black and white” hold true, then this would be a good printer for offices who want frequent color but don’t need extremely high-quality definition. I picture professors using a printer like this for class notes and the like or presenters passing out Powerpoint notes printed on the Phaser.
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Posted on February 5, 2010
Filed Under Advertising, Fish, Jewels, Mermaids, Sea and Oceans, Technology | Leave a Comment
CSX Freight Train Ads ~ from Baltimore to the Beach on a Single Gallon of Fuel
The CSX freight map web ad has been around for a while now. The animation starts in Baltimore and draws your eye along the freight line all the way up the eastern seaboard to Boston. It’s hard not to watch where it’s taking you. The approach is a compelling way to illustrate just how efficient trains are in comparison to 18-wheeler hauling. I actually have watched the ad numerous times, even though I know where it’s going.
While on the CNN website, I noticed that at least two more ads in the series are floating around. One of them has the monotonous bumper-to-bumper traffic followed by a nice, clean scenic highway—all thanks to freight trains. Funny that there are only two semis in the first image. I’m not sure that this clean, mountain air idea works so well for the company.
The third ad to appear in the same location on CNN’s Politics page was this beach scene, which caught my eye immediately:
For as much as I have seen the first ad above, it must have created some success. I wonder why they felt that they needed to create these two additional versions. I like the attempt to find the company’s “ emoticon” logo in oddly shaped objects, but it seems a little forced in the playground case.
When all else fails, throw in a beach, add a place to send the kids to wind down while parents relax, and dash in a bit of community service. How great is rail freight, huh!? Shipping your cargo on a train magically causes playground equipment to appear on the beach.
While I applaud the effort to do more for the community, I wonder if the second two ads will not be terribly effective just because they blend so well into images that we see with every other product and service. The second ad looks like something you would see on the back of a landscape architecture magazine next to the fake-stone pavers. Stick with the map ad, CSX. It’s fantastic, and there’s a lot more you could show to people as their eyes are fixated on that blue path.
And if you think that maybe there isn’t some underlying corporate beach ideology behind the choice of ads, you may want to visit the CSX website to see the nice little image of the man running across the beach:
Apparently, the wave of How tomorrow moves™ is leaping into the air with our arms and legs flailing before crashing into the sand. Who’s in?
Finally, as a small public service announcement, use trains to ship your cargo. It really is better for the world (for now).
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Posted on February 5, 2010
Filed Under Advertising, Automobiles, Beaches, Medium to Paradise | Leave a Comment
Lei’ing down the line in Congress on health insurance reform
Which came first, the political insult with the lei or the political insult about the lei? In a segment called “The Men Who Stare at Votes,” Jon Stewart took Rep. Michele Bachmann to task for her comment about a Hawaiian couple who came to Washington to help stop the health insurance reform bill:
“Last Friday a couple from Hawaii decided the time was so short they needed to get on a plane [to] come to Washington to beg their representative to vote no. They brought me this beautiful, precious lei, and I am reminded that the one who created this lei also created our freedom.”
To which Stewart quipped, “Our freedom was created by some lady at the Honolulu International Airport?” The section starts at 2:11 in the video below:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| The Men Who Stare at Votes | ||||
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Clip from thedailyshow.com
Paradise is injected everywhere in our lives and is no stranger to Congress or comedians, especially Stewart.
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Posted on November 10, 2009
Filed Under Plants and Flowers, Politics | Leave a Comment
White House glows aloha purple at luau
The White House hosted a luau yesterday for Congress, which would have gotten a great deal more attention in the media if it hadn’t been for the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. The event was still largely documented, and the photographers out there didn’t fail to capture some of the island spirit in their photos. In this one, for example, they have the White House glowing a nice shade of purply pink:
You can’t miss that tropical monocot nicely placed off to the left in the photo as well. You would barely know that this was Washington, D.C. if it weren’t for the columns. They know how to present a political event disguised as a tropical gathering at the AP/HuffingtonPost.
From the rest of the article with more photos, People appeared to have had a good time with just the dunk tank alone. It’s not clear what political advantage this gives to Obama. On the one side, it’s an event that most people can appreciate and enjoy. No one hates a luau unless it’s PETA protesting a pig roast. On the other, if Obama looks like he’s partying too much it could open him to criticism from the other side.
Maybe that’s why they added the dunk tank There’s nothing more humanizing in American culture than being tipped off a board into a vat of water from the impact of a baseball. You’re the underdog hovering above the water even when a four-year-old is staring through the target.
The event had hula dancers, good food, and tons of people. If nothing else, Obama managed to drive home the fact that he’s from Hawaii and not the “Chicago machine,” the term his enemies have been using against him. I’m going to guess that this is not the first luau they’ll hold during his administration’s time in the Purply Pink White House.
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Posted on June 26, 2009
Filed Under Current Affairs, Hula, Politics | Leave a Comment
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