Web Analyst » Unrelated

Merry Christmas

Gaston — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Enough said.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/lifestyle-design/200912/why-ill-be-wishing-you-merry-christmas

PS> this blog is re-starting. But some of the pictures are missing because I did not archive them properly.

My Swiss chalet treehouse: initial construction

Gaston — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:09:52 +0000

(May 24, 2008). I cleared the lower branches of the single fir tree in the back yard. My neighbor says it was one of his live Christmas trees of many years ago. As backdrop, note the fence – my project of two years ago.

I prepared two 4×4 posts forward of the tree, and P. worked on the two support trusses.

We attached the two trusses to the front and back of the tree, and added some bracing to the front posts.

The next step was the addition of plywood flooring. Note how the posts extend past the floor, which helped to support the walls.

I then added three wall sections and rafters. I placed a tarp and took a break during the June rains.

Google Maps’ modernist take on downtown Seattle

Gaston — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:24:30 +0000

I really like this picture of the Bank of America building, and how Google maps can’t quite decide which way the buildings should lean:

A lock after my own heart

Gaston — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:55:50 +0000

I’ve been a reluctant locker lock user in the past – but this new product, where I can choose my own code, is just what my old brain needed. The wheels are probably easy to destroy, but this is just the right amount of locking for my YMCA.

Master Lock: Residential: School & Campus: Product No. 1534

Weirdest licensing deal award: Disney French Cheese?

Gaston — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:12:24 +0000

Costco is now carrying Disney/Ratatouille branded “Abondance” cheese – see Mariannes Motifs: Abondance Cheese and Armagnac. The cheese is a fine hard chesse, somewhat reminiscent of Raclette (but stringy when melted, like Emmental). Someone at Disney but be smiling about that deal…

Apple iTunes Plus still missing international purchases

Gaston — Thu, 31 May 2007 17:21:24 +0000

Apple Launches iTunes Plus

Apple’s iTunes launch of DRM-free purchases has bee rightly heralded as a happy jingle. However, Apple still misses the mark and a golden opportunity with international purchases.

As the holder of a US-based iTunes account, I can visit, but not purchase from, the iTunes store in France. I understand that, with different prices and agreements across the ocean, Apple wants to prevent cross-country arbitrage, but it’s beyond me why I can’t buy a tune from iTunes France when it’s not offered at all in the US.

Apple, give us an “Export” option! Make money in the process.

Target Stores & The Migros School of Retailing

Gaston — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 20:33:46 +0000

Link to Target : About Target : Our Focus on Design

I must credit my wife for first mentioning this to me: the new Target Stores, and their focus on customer experience, take direct inspiration from the Swiss chain Migros, particularly in the area of store design and product merchandising.

The telling clue was the recent announcement that Target is carrying Migros’ house- brand chocolate, Frey (in stores only). Once I picked up a large shipment of Frey chocolate, I felt right at home in the newly remodeled Redmond Target store, and starting humming Migros’ jingle. That’s when the revelation hit: Target is collaborating with Migros, and not just in the chocolate aisle.

The most obvious parallel is the color scheme, and it’s relentless application throughout the store: for Target it’s red/white, and for Migros orange/white. But there’s also a very Swiss sense of order and organization, and a consistency in visual merchandising that US stores rarely adopt on that scale (just visit your local department store). The brand selection is another giveaway: Target is carefully mixing mid-scale brand names with upscale house brands.

Next time I’m in Switzerland, I’ll check whether Migros is learning anything from Target. In the meantime, Migros could use some of Target’s advice on Web design…

Cool Swiss Design II: Swatch Irony Nabab “Black Scepter”

Gaston — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 20:51:05 +0000

My second Swiss Design purchase this summer was the Swatch Irony Nabab “Black Scepter”. Even though this one was probably designed by Swatch in Italy, let’s count it toward Swiss Design coolness: the Nababs are the heaviest Swatches around, and a great fashion value. This one is available in the US, although it is a previous year model.

Cool Swiss Design I: Caran d’Ache Frosty Pen and Pencils

Gaston — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 20:43:48 +0000

I purchased 10 of these in Switzerland this summer. Caran d’Ache high-end instruments can be found in the US, but their “office product” line seems limited to Switzerland. This are the nicest cheap pens ever – shaped like classical fountain pens, built to survive a Swiss army bootcamp, showing just enough of the traditional Caran d’Ache hexagonal profile.
Update: I found one US vendor who sells these in packs of 10. Christmas stocking stuffers?

Book notes: Hardball

Gaston — Mon, 26 Dec 2005 05:16:49 +0000

Hardball: Are You Playing to Play or Playing to Win.
Read this book if you want to find out what happened to free Eagle peanuts on airplanes.