Communications 101

"I like hearing myself talk. It is one of my greatest pleasures. I often have long conversations with myself, and I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying." - Oscar Wilde

Until Then

Something very troubling

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2004-10-29-naacp-irs_x.htm

Until then

Rodney’s 1st Concerto in Networked Kitchen Major

One more for those thirsty entrepreneurs.

Have we not been trading food receipts forever. Sometimes by index card, talk, or even the internet and food boxes and containers.

And where are they now? Probably tucked away in a drawer or on a disk and they never get used. I have a solution.

Lets start with one that can be done within weeks. How about a microwave that stores microwave receipts in some shielded device like a mini hard drive. The display would need to be a little bigger but you could search through the index via the microwave interface and select a receipt or add a hot button, 1 for favorite # 1, etc. You could have the microwave display the whole receipt or have it step you through the steps. For instance, you select the meal. The microwave displays or speaks "cut up a pound of chicken". You cut up the chicken, press the next button and it says, place in a quart microwave safe bowl. You do that, press next and it says place in microwave and press the cook button. You do and it says "while the chicken is cooking, measure out a cup of rice. ...etc...

Cool huh. Give this to your newly married or single son or daughter and they will be able to make great meals on their own :) And... you can add a network connection and send receipts to the microwave or have the microwave display the instructions on a wireless laptop that can be placed on the kitchen counter, it can let you modify receipts that are stored in the microwave, etc...

Now on to bigger better things. Refrigerators with web browsers are being produced and sold. No kidding. Some even sense when item are missing and ask you if you want to order them or add then to the shopping list. Crazy??? Who would ever want this?? Probably you in a few years.

Why? Because the browser on the fridge can also show your favorite TV show while you cook? Perhaps. But even better how about this...

The browser on the fridge can be transformed into a kitchen symphony conductor!!! For instance. Say you have selected one of your favorite receipts a week ago for tonight. The fridge console informed you a couple of days ago to check if you had all the ingredients. You either said yes or you checked the "order the missing items from the store box" or you had it send a grocery list to the printer or an email alert at work so you could pick them up on the way home.

Now the time has come. The console browser instructs you step by step just like the microwave did but the console is networked to the stove, microwave, etc. The console tells you to place the cut up chicken in the microwave but you don’t have to do a thing to set the microwave. The console on the fridge talked to the microwave and set the proper cooking time automatically. Can you see the coolness here? This theme can be carried on to other appliances in the kitchen, send requests to the store delivery person, why it can even send messages to your guest's cell phones alerting them that the dinner you are preparing is going to be delayed for 15 minutes ( in case you started late or ran out of something ).

Now wouldn't you like one of these setups? Come on be honest. Beats the tar out of dirty cookbook pages and dirty microwave buttons :)

Until Then

Frolic in Fiber

Hello again all,

My apologies for the delay in writing. Here is another idea for you entrepreneurs.

By now pretty much everyone has seen the fiber optic Christmas tree. I would like to add a new twist or three to this theme.

If you could make the fibers dense enough what would keep you form displaying Christmas scenes on the tree, or

pictures of your loved ones or,

have the light powerful enough to project images out of the top with a thick cluster of fibers at the top of the tree or,

lets take this to another level, the marketing level.

Who says you need to only create Christmas trees. How about fiber optic pumpkins made out of a ball of fiber radiating from the center out to the shape of a sphere, or pumpkin if you wish. Better yet, make other shapes like animals, or even.... a replica of the family standing on the porch.

Regarding the pumpkin, you could have it change faces, add sound for each face, add a proximity sensor to greet people, etc. Regarding the fiber optic replica of the family, their faces could change, they could talk, or ... why not use a person replica to meet people entering your store and tell them about the current sales. Even the cute animals could do that.

And lets take it to one more level, how about companies and marketers giving away these fiber optic replicas, ( Christmas trees, pumpkins, etc ) and have them display logos along with the scenes or even display quick advertisements from time to time.

And lastly, have a wireless or network connection so that the user ( and the marketer) could download their choice of images to display.

Whew, that was a lot. Anyone want to hire me as a part time consultant in a marketing think tank? LOL

Until Then