Andrew Wirtanen is a usability specialist in Cary, NC More »

Waving Goodbye to 2009

Year-end video recaps are special because they make you realize just how long the year was. Whirled Interactive took a stab at it with this great video made with the help of Google Wave:
What are my memories from 2009? Well, off the top of my head:

Getting snowed in and working from home while watching the [...]

The end of handheld GPS devices: Google will practically shut down Garmin and TomTom

This week Google released Google Maps Navigation for Android. It’s only a matter of time before it’s available for other phones.
Gizmodo was quick to look at both Garmin and TomTom’s stocks on the day of the announcement:

When I bought my Garmin nuvi 660, I saw this coming. My digital camera is already collecting dust, since [...]

Mr. Penumbra’s Twenty-Four Hour Book Store

This is a delightful must-read fictional short story that is available for free online or $0.80 on the Kindle. It’s about a peculiar book store, Google book scanning, information visualization, and immortality. The author is Current TV’s Robin Sloan.
Hopefully the Kindle platform and/or other quick online publishing solutions will encourage more short stories like this [...]

Touchscreen Phones for the Blind

Making touchscreen phones accessible seems like an impossible challenge. But, the Eyes-Free Android project is working on it! Skip to about 2 minute mark for the demo.
[Gizmodo]

Jogging Through Tokyo with a Wii

This is the best Wiimote hack that I have ever seen. A Japanese programmer has created a Nintendo Wii and Google Maps (Street View) proof of concept. Wii Fit was a giant step forward for exercising with video games. However, some things are a little clunky. For example, to run in place, you run around [...]