Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Serving as a test user again
Once again I’m using myself as a “guinea” pig. I’ve forced myself to leave the cool confines of my office nestled behind the sports department at The Star Democrat to relocate temporarily to the hot, sun-infested beaches of North Carolina.
From our cottage, I’m able to occasionally link to the outside world via an old-fashioned dialup internet connection. Life is tough, but I persevere. I know it is ironic to leave one area that many consider a vacation location to travel 300 miles to another vacation location. The sand is always whiter on the other beach, I guess.
I enjoy reading the local newspaper whenever I am away from home. It is always interesting to compare the issues they cover with those of our own. One headline in the North Carolina section of The Virginia Pilot specially drew my attention: “N.C. 168 to get more rumble strips.” N.C. 168 is one of the main access roads to the Outer Banks beaches. It has been suffering a rash of fatal traffic accidents. In one accident, four people were killed when a car crossed the center line and caused a head-on collision.
N.C. 168 is a four-lane highway with a center left-turn lane in most areas. Even with the multiple lanes, the high volume of beach traffic on the roads still leave traffic officials with the need to seek more safety measures. The rumble strips are one solution.
You know what rumble strips are. They were added to many high-congestion roads in Maryland in recent years. They were added to state Route 404 following a particularly bad spell of fatal accidents. They have become a feature on many roadways.
In another local paper on the Outer Banks, residents were complaining about recent episodes of flooding on the only access road to their area. Recently, with certain combinations of high tide and wind directions, they would experience overwash of the roadway. This would affect local residents and their main industry — tourism.
The Outer Banks barely is above sea level during normal conditions. The islands likely will be one of the first areas to be affected by rising sea levels if the ice cap melts as predicted. Are we seeing early signs of that?
On the technology front, by the time you read this the iPhone will have been released. Apple has had an impact on whatever area of technology it has touched. When the Apple computers came out with their mouse and use of graphics, they made the rest of the computer industry follow. When Apple got into the personal media device (iPod), they changed the way people interacted with their media player. The same will be true of the iPhone. You can find most of the features on the phone on other high-end cell phones.
The buzz around the phone has made everyone look at their cell phone and want more.
The cell phone will no longer be a simple communications device. The public will demand that the features on the high-end phone be available on average phones.
It may take several generations of the iPhone to perfect the product. It was only after three generations that the iPod really took off. The iPhone will achieve its own share of the market and be a standard for others to follow.
Oh, and regarding my “guinea” pig status this week. I have several issues I will be taking back to the office to discuss. I have been frustrated with myself with some issues about the site. I will share some of the concerns and some of the concerns I have received via email from some of you in similar circumstances.
As always, you can reach at that email address rpolk@ chespub.com.
From our cottage, I’m able to occasionally link to the outside world via an old-fashioned dialup internet connection. Life is tough, but I persevere. I know it is ironic to leave one area that many consider a vacation location to travel 300 miles to another vacation location. The sand is always whiter on the other beach, I guess.
I enjoy reading the local newspaper whenever I am away from home. It is always interesting to compare the issues they cover with those of our own. One headline in the North Carolina section of The Virginia Pilot specially drew my attention: “N.C. 168 to get more rumble strips.” N.C. 168 is one of the main access roads to the Outer Banks beaches. It has been suffering a rash of fatal traffic accidents. In one accident, four people were killed when a car crossed the center line and caused a head-on collision.
N.C. 168 is a four-lane highway with a center left-turn lane in most areas. Even with the multiple lanes, the high volume of beach traffic on the roads still leave traffic officials with the need to seek more safety measures. The rumble strips are one solution.
You know what rumble strips are. They were added to many high-congestion roads in Maryland in recent years. They were added to state Route 404 following a particularly bad spell of fatal accidents. They have become a feature on many roadways.
In another local paper on the Outer Banks, residents were complaining about recent episodes of flooding on the only access road to their area. Recently, with certain combinations of high tide and wind directions, they would experience overwash of the roadway. This would affect local residents and their main industry — tourism.
The Outer Banks barely is above sea level during normal conditions. The islands likely will be one of the first areas to be affected by rising sea levels if the ice cap melts as predicted. Are we seeing early signs of that?
On the technology front, by the time you read this the iPhone will have been released. Apple has had an impact on whatever area of technology it has touched. When the Apple computers came out with their mouse and use of graphics, they made the rest of the computer industry follow. When Apple got into the personal media device (iPod), they changed the way people interacted with their media player. The same will be true of the iPhone. You can find most of the features on the phone on other high-end cell phones.
The buzz around the phone has made everyone look at their cell phone and want more.
The cell phone will no longer be a simple communications device. The public will demand that the features on the high-end phone be available on average phones.
It may take several generations of the iPhone to perfect the product. It was only after three generations that the iPod really took off. The iPhone will achieve its own share of the market and be a standard for others to follow.
Oh, and regarding my “guinea” pig status this week. I have several issues I will be taking back to the office to discuss. I have been frustrated with myself with some issues about the site. I will share some of the concerns and some of the concerns I have received via email from some of you in similar circumstances.
As always, you can reach at that email address rpolk@ chespub.com.
# posted by Richard Polk @ 4:20 AM 
