I wrote two posts lately expressing frustration when some people don’t “get” what I perceive is basic concepts in the technical realm. I admit I’m human and it’s very easy to think that just because I have figured something out that it should remain that way or others should immediately grasp what I think is needed to know.

Sometimes it’s not even a matter of being technical but simply remembering to be courteous. For some reason during our last web site update I left our address and phone # off our contact page where we have a contact form. A new client pointed this out when he had a hard time trying to contact us while on the road. This goes totally against what we are about and we sincerely apologize for leaving this critical information off! It’s there now by the way.

Usually when we think of anything “technical” we tend to thing of added complexity to our life. If this is the case then the whole point of technical advances have failed. While innovation can involve technology, the point of innovation should be to make our lives easier instead of more difficult. An innovation on the Internet was the domain name system that made it so we didn’t have to remember a long string of numbers but rather an easy to remember name. Granted some names are easier to remember than others but you get the point, I hope.

At SpinningSilk Multimedia We call ourselves, New Media Developers because we don’t want to “put ourselves in a box” with the web designer or web developer title. Yes, web design and development comprises about 80% of what we currently do for our customers but we are also working on other new media projects like web optimized photography, podcasting, text messaging and as GPS or related location based tech become more popular in mobile devices we are certainly aware of the need of location based tech as a tool for clients to use.

There is a lot of tech I love but i will admit I’m not totally happy with current forms. The web browser certainly needs further innovation in terms of the “address bar.” Personally I’m fine with it but they are a lot of people out there who are tripped up by the address bar in which they think the Google search box on the Google home page is the address bar. As much as I love RSS readers I’m not exactly happy that they work as a stand alone program or service. Yes, I know RSS reading is built into some e-mail clients and web browsers but it’s not quite the same. RSS itself was an innovation but the user experience for the masses needs to be innovated in that area. E-mail it’s not innovative in terms of being mastered and used well. By default it’s not secure, it’s not suited for sending large attachments (which a lot of people use it for) and junk mail is a major problem too many of us tolerate. Finally as much as I love podcasting and the iPods or iPhone I listen to them on I wish it their was an easier way for people to access them through other services than iTunes or have to use an iPod (As much as I like and use those products).

As I look around my office I appreciate the following innovations that are innovations because while technical have made my life and enjoyment of it easier;

1.) My laptop computer with wireless built in
2.) My wireless router
3.) My digital camera - I take a lot more photos now than I did with my old film camera that required me to get the images “developed”
4.) Rechargeable Batteries - So Thankful I don’t have to go out and buy new batteries every time they run out of energy!
5.) My Optical Mouse - So glad I have to deal with those nasty rubber track balls anymore
6.) My iPhone - I love the touch screen and simple controls. This is the first phone I felt I could really use and access all the features
7.) Air Conditioning - I’m humbled and happy that I can sit in a room at 75 degrees when it’s closer to 95 degrees outside.
8.) High Speed Internet - It wasn’t too long ago that dial up or even no Internet at all was the norm.
9.) Software - As complex and technical as it is it is truly a blessing to be able edit photos, sound files, keep a database, write article and other documents and well as communicate with other people on the same machine.
10.) A chair with wheels - this one sounds really simple and old school but when someone put wheels on a chair that was an innovation!

What innovations have made life simpler for you? It can be something as advanced as an advanced material, medical device or electronic gear or as basic as an organizing shelf or method. What innovations would you like to see in terms of web sites, photography, podcasting, etc?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 at 10:50 am and is filed under Innovation, Internet, Organization, podcasting, rants, web design, web development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.