Well, another summer is nearly spent and I haven’t posted anything since June 8th! I suppose that’s an indication that I’ve been both busy and having some good time off.
So what can I quickly say of substance so this entry is worth reading? How about my personal top ten User Experiences of the summer, in no particular order…
1. Cannondale M600 mountain bike. Rugged, responsive, surprisingly light (it’s aluminum) compared to many other bikes I’ve looked at recently and a total pleasure to ride — still in great shape after many years. Sure it was expensive 12 years ago when I bought it…maybe $900. But worth it when you calculate performance over time.
2. Legos. Ok, I admit it. Every once in a while I break out the Legos and build something. So simple, versatile, stick together well, but come apart just easily enough. And always yield something interesting…usually a vehicle.
3. Macintosh laptop. Do I need to say anything more?
4. BMW 535i. 22 years old and still the best ride ever. My dream car would be my car restored, heck, not even restored…just everything working 100%…I can live with the wabi-sabi.
5. Nikon F3. Yes I still shoot film occasionally. Nothing like the weight and solid feel of the F3 and when you hit that shutter release? Yeah!
6. Canon Digital Elph. The ultra light and simple alternative to the F3. Intuitive interface, fast processor, long-lasting battery, decent photos. If only it had 12x optical zoom.
7. Chaco sandals. Single adjustment and it’s like they’re glued on. And very grippy going down steep rock. I think you could actually hike in these.
8. Starbucks Banana Chocolate Vivanno with a shot. OK, maybe an odd choice for this list but consider that you can get breakfast and coffee and feel like you’re drinking a frappe. Seems like a Vivanno solves everything.
9. Verizon payment by phone. The easiest, most intuitive, and anticipatory phone payment system I’ve ever used. Tells you what you need to know exactly when you want to know it. Not a wasted moment.
10. Convertible pants — you know the kind that zip off to shorts. North Face or Columbia (the Cloumbias have large back pockets to carry the part you zip off – very cool). Got my first pair about eight years ago and couldn’t live without them. I thought they were a little gimmicky when I first got them, but they’re amazingly practical, especially in the New England summer. There’s nothing like being able to take your pants off and still have them on. They dry quickly, wear like iron, have about 10 pockets.