Freelance Tip - Get Square

Every once in a while a game changer comes along to make life easier. In our age of technology you would think it would happen more often. The break through to make our business and lives more convenient is Square. 

Square is a free app and card reader that allows you to accept credit card payments from clients. With one simple secure swipe you can charge the payment due and it will be deposited into your account. The small fee of 2.75% that Square charges for use is well worth the easy and speed. There is no charge if you don't use the service, only when you do, thus no month fees. Now everyone can accept plastic like the big boys. I have used it myself several times and found it to work flawlessly. 

So forget the net 30, get your payments on the spot for your design work and if a friend happens to owe you $20, tell them you accept all major credit cards. 

Be Square and sign up their site at squareup.com.

New Media In Museums

The New Media Consortium has released an interesting report on where media is moving in museum environments.

In partnership with the Marcus Institute for Digital Education in the Arts (MIDEA), the NMC is pleased to release the NMC Horizon Report > 2011 Museum Edition. This report, the second in the NMC Horizon Project Museum series, examines emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in education and interpretation within the museum environment.

To read more or to download the report go to this link at the New Media Consortium.

A Thermostat for Today - Nest

Today homes need today's technology and this is where Nest comes to play. Founded by Tony Fadell who, back in the day, was in charge of the iPod at Apple, has developed and designed a thermostat that learns and saves you energy. The beautiful design is smart, easy to use and will save you energy. Nest found it "unacceptable... that the device that controls 10 percent of all energy consumed in the U.S. hadn't kept up with advancements in technology and design."

According to the U.S. Department of Energy and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, the annual energy bill for a typical single-family home is approximately $2,200, with heating and cooling (HVAC) accounting for approximately half of the bill. The programmable thermostat, developed in the 1970s, promised to help people conserve energy, but 89 percent of owners rarely or never set a program (source: ACEEE, 2010). The devices are simply too complicated. In fact, Energy Star revoked its certification of all thermostats in 2009 when it became apparent that people weren't actually engaging with programmable thermostats to reach their proper functionality.

Nest addresses the programming problem through a combination of sensors, algorithms, machine learning, and cloud computing. Nest learns behaviors and preferences and adjusts the temperature up or down accordingly, making you comfortable when you're home and saving energy while you're away. Nest also provides people with tips and information to help them make energy-saving choices.

This is an excellent example of how design and function can come together to create a product the improves our lives. To read more visit the Nest site.

(via Core77)

Pranav Mistry - TED Talk on Next Technology

This is a fascinating talk, from the good folks at TED, given by Pranav Mistry about how we can interact with technology. Mistry studies at MIT and is interested in integrating the digital informational experience with our real-world interactions.