ideas

Long Distance Drive Thru

Sometimes, on road trips, I can't resist a little McDonalds fix - something salty to break up the monotony that is the highway systems of Indiana and Ohio. But, now, I am compelled to play detective at these stops – checking for headphones, matching voices, trying to guess if the person taking my money took my order or if that squawk box connected me to call center in some other state or country. Who knew fast food was so high tech:

Pull off U.S. Interstate Highway 55 near Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and into the drive-through lane of a McDonald's next to the highway and you'll get fast, friendly service, even though the person taking your order is not in the restaurant - or even in Missouri.

The order taker is in a call center in Colorado Springs, more than 900 miles, or 1,450 kilometers, away, connected to the customer and to the workers preparing the food by high-speed data lines… read on.

posted by Leigh Householder

Gadget Alert 2:2

Ever dream of being a Mohel? Have you been thinking about starting your own home-based business? Feeling a little too sheethed?

SmartKlamp , the new one-time use circumcision tool, may be just the technology for you. Apparently huge (no pun intended) in Arab countries, SmartKlamp is a handy plastic robotic device that ensures predictable results for your, uh, next, circumcision occasion. Fear not, the company promises "practically no blood during the circumcision."

Cheers!

posted by Leigh Householder

Gadget Alert – 1:2

Too busy to select fresh fruit? Chemicals and gloss on grocery-store fruit not enough processing for you? Have we got the answer for you…

Flying in the face of the organic movement, Ripesense is handily packaging fresh fruit in thick, molded plastic, complete with ripeness sensors. The smart sticker lets busy shoppers know when produce has reached its peak.

I think the technology combines gaseous releases with mood rings … mmm, not quite right, but something like that.

The manufacturer (Jenkins Group) boasts future intelligent controls for all things perishable, including meat, cheese and fish.

Hurray – we can encase everything in plastic instead of using any of our senses. Go, technology, go.

posted by Leigh Householder

Web site Updates

Well, friends, I did some work on my personal Web site this weekend in hopes of making it easier to navigate and update ... as well as getting ready to start some serious looking for freelance work (or at least other distractions).

If you have the time to check it out (and you are blog-hopping here; so, I'm guessing you're looking for a mental break), let me know what you think... Oh, and, I have only seen this on LCD screens so far - so, if you're on a traditional monitor and the colors look garish, let me know! Any feedback is welcome ...

Thanks!

posted by Leigh Householder

I knew there was a word for THAT

Courtesy of Daily Candy's Lexicon VIII

biphonal
adj. Holding multiple phones to your ears or in front of you at the same time.

doggerel
n. A girl who bears an unmistakable resemblance to her dog.

drimming
v. Drunk instant-messaging.

HIT
n. Homosexual-in-training. He may not know it yet, but everyone else does.

lush flush
n. The rosy hue one gets in her cheeks after a few too many glasses of wine.

me-Jane
n. Someone who has obviously misused an animal prints for some crucial part of her outfit. ("What is that me-Jane thinking with that giraffe-print tank top?")

PST
n. Acronym. Code for "poppy seed in teeth" or "piece of sh-t in teeth." Pronounced "pssst" so as not to alert everyone else at the table.

Reverse Evolution Princes
n. Men who at first seem to be princes but turn out to be frogs.

posted by Leigh Householder

Googlicious

Finally, after much trying and testing and naming, a search of Leigh Householder on google actually brings up ME and my Web site (in the first position no less - with and without quotation marks). Break open the cookie dough - this is cause for celebration.

posted by Leigh Householder