Thirteen Computer Keyboards You’ve (Probably) Never Seen

Posted on February 19th, 2007 in General by daya

DatahandsThe folks over at Hongkiat.com posted a great roundup of wacky keyboards that you’ve probably never seen.

I’ve seen a few of these at my local family-run electronics shack, but there are definitely a couple I’ve never even thought existed—a few of these are straight BONKERS.

Up top, we’ve got the Datahand Keyboard, which looks like it came straight out of ‘Flight of the Navigator.’ This keyboard features 132-keys and uses five key switches located at the tips of each of the fingers. The keyboard claims to reduce hand-strain while hitting hard to reach key combinations, like ‘ctrl+t’ to open a new tab. I’m sure lil’ David Freeman and Co. have a lifetime supply on order.

Safetype2
In the middle, we’ve got the Safetype Keyboard. I assume you’re supposed to type on it like you’re gripping a pair of love handles. A progressive design, but it looks like it can’t handle much punishment and could break easily, especially during some heated Unreal Tournament deathmatches.

Tidy Typist
And at the bottom, we’ve got the Tidy Typist. "The marriage of eating and tipping: the decorative tablecloth, made of felt, contains a textile keyboard. The electronic is woven into a fabric, which finds itself between layers of water resistant felt as sandwich material." I don’t get it.

Hop on over to Hongkiat to check out the rest of the list. And if any of you have used these, be sure to post up your experiences. – Alexander Yoon

13 Computer keyboards you have never seen before [Hongkiat]

Product Page [Datahand Keyboard]
Product Page [Safetype Keyboard]
Product Page [Tidy Typist]


Originally from Gizmodo
reBlogged by Admin on Feb 18, 2007, 2:30PM

Originally from Gizmodo on February 18, 2007, 8:00pm

Popularity: 3% [?]

ArtSlant Debuts New Art Community

Posted on February 19th, 2007 in General by daya

Los Angeles-based Artslant is a new arts community that just launched. Unlike many of these sites, it’s focused on offline interaction: listings of exhibits, shows and venues where you can find good contemporary art. These venues and exhibitions have user ratings, reviews and the ability to add them to a list of favorites. Look out too for RSS feeds, tagging and Google Maps integration.

Obviously there are also galleries of the work on show, and they seem to be getting some early traction: around 1,200 artists have already signed up. Like MySpace’s focus on music, it seems that if they attract enough artists, the art lovers will follow.

But the focus on art exhibitions also highlights a problem for outsiders: they’ve achieved a critical mass in California, but anyone who doesn’t follow the Californian art scene will have trouble finding any venues or events. Gradually seeding the site with influential artists from other areas would be the obvious way to expand.

See also: ImageKind


Originallyfrom Mashable!by Pete Cashmore
reBlogged by Admin on Feb 18, 2007, 7:59PM

Originally by Pete Cashmore from Mashable! on February 19, 2007, 1:29am

Popularity: 3% [?]

Troubling Signs for Indian Tech Outsourcers

Posted on February 19th, 2007 in General by daya

If you are an investor in one of the many U.S.-listed technology outsourcing giants such as Infosys, then I have some bad news for you: they are no longer the cherished destination for the brightest and the smartest in India. Instead, they are being viewed derisively as code factories. What gives? Read on

One of the most amazing things you notice about Indian newspapers recently is the lack of technology headlines. Instead the focus is on telecom and manufacturing and organized retail. This is in sharp contrast from a few years ago, when I encountered newspapers proudly chronicling the tech outsourcing boom while visiting the city of my birth.

A few reports today in the local media, when taken together, seem to be like the proverbial dark cloud hanging over the Indian technology sector that sparked off the local economic boom. The Hindustan Times reports that an increasing number of employees who work for business process outsourcers (BPOs) are leaving their jobs and heading to the business schools. Nearly 10-to-12% of new management students came from the BPO industry. The grueling hours and hard life with few prospects to rise to the managerial ranks are the main reason why many are looking to upgrade their professional lives.

The Times of India today is running a piece called the Myth of The Indian Programmer, which has some pretty startling revelations. Apparently, last year only 10 of the 574 graduates of IIT Powai joined the tech outsourcers, with a majority opting for the likes of Google.

The article argues that a lot of churn at companies like Infosys is a result of dissatisfaction with being just coders and engineers are switching to jobs with bigger challenges. A Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) executive acknowledges that the outlook is gloomy. The question then is that if the top outsourcers cannot attract the best and the brightest, then how are they going to stay competitive?

The third piece, again in the Times of India, points out that the IIT system is facing a resource crunch, which could mean even the brightest minds may not be able to get the resources they need to become world-beaters.

Maybe I am being pessimistic, overcome with the idea of a 22-hour journey and leaving my family, but something tells me that my pessimism may not be completely unfounded. If you are a professional from the outsourcing business, please let me know how you feel about your business, and give us your outlook. Comments are open.

Share/Send


Originally from GigaOM by Om MalikreBlogged by Admin on Feb 18, 2007, 10:47PM

Originally by Om Malik from GigaOM on February 19, 2007, 4:17am

Popularity: 2% [?]