Idiots @ Google Maps, Please Fix

How does the world's most valuable brand with thousands of the smartest people miss something like this?

I had used Google Maps to navigate to a certain location (A) in town a few weeks back.
Then, more recently, I had gone out of town (B) - and, you guessed it, used Maps a lot..
Can you guess already?
Yesterday, I wanted to go to location A again and, went into Browse from Recent History hoping to find it.

Considering the phone knows where you are, do you think you want the locations that are in town to be displayed at the top or all the crap you searched for in (B) to show up ahead of (A)? I don't get it. This is simple, basic stuff. Idiots!

Not sure what's on their backlog and why they don't disclose their bug list or upcoming features list so that users can proactively move to other solutions if possible. Far as I know, failing to pause YouTube when Maps needs to announce something is still an open issue..

Better Design News CEC

After the lecture is done, update the slide deck :

On each slide, put the time at which the speaker got to that slide so readers can quickly "scroll" to the right part of the lecture..

A Better Mac Vs PC Ad

Why doesn't someone show a Mac for what it really is - you know what I mean - you really can't use it to do something besides typing without sticking some sort of adapter into it.

So, hold up a PC (laptop) and then a Mac with 3 adapters sticking out - I love my new MacBook. It doesn't have HDMI, but that's not a problem. Apple generously sells the USB-C to HDMI adapter for just 29.99, etc...

How to Colonize Mars

Offer death row inmates the option of going to Mars and living there as free citizens.
Sure, they'll have to train for a couple of years, but these guys are tough.

How Does a Massively Competent Org Like M$ Overlook Fruit Like This?

Manually group data, you get the buttons that let you expand and collapse all :

Build a pivot table and.... wouldn't it be nice to have the same thing? Idiots!

And how about the number formatting? If you go to your data and format revenue as currency, wouldn't you like that format to be reflected in your pivot? *ds!

2017 Australian Open to Use Drones Instead of Ballboys

Just a thought. But, why not? The officials might feel lonely, but.. so what?

M$ Sharepoint++

Give the user a visual way of editing permissions easily. The current interface is too primitive.

Also, use the company's email database to implement a recommender system - based on email exchanges you might have had with someone - or that someone else in your group might have had - and the related content, maybe they need access to a particular folder where your group is storing relevant info.

RobinHood++

Been asking for these for some time.

Give us a way to see how much each position contributes to today's change in portfolio value. Can't you?

When you take action on a security (buy or sell) be given an option to set an alert - be told when it's changed in price by X%. If you sold, maybe you'd like to buy back the dip.

Nano Drones and Smart Grenades

Can you use the nano drone concept to design a grenade that you can just toss up in the air and relax knowing that it'll explode in a way that there's a safe zone around you?

Momentum has to be conserved of course, so some of the explosive power just has to be wasted to offer this feature, but..

Android Overdue : Open Link on Paired Device

How come this one isn't available yet.

You can play a YouTube video on a paired device - like a Roku. So, why the hell can't you tell your phone to tell Google to open the link on Chrome on your PC?

The other day. Google, on my PC suggested I install the Hangouts Dialer - I said yes, and it launched the installation on my phone - without me ever touching my phone!

So, warum nicht Sergeyevich?

An Easy One Sergey : Google Maps Anti-Annoyance

Tell me you haven't experienced this one .. you're somewhere and want to head back. Now, you tell Google "navigate to xyz" and you're on your way.

The annoying part - once you're back on the familiar path and now your way, you still have to hear the GPS woman's voice every turn you take. Why can't Nav figure out that you're on the home stretch and say "Stopping guidance now for the home stretch. Double-click the power button if you insist on guidance." or something like that?

Childishly simple.. Why? Why? Why?!!

Last suggestion I gave that eventually made it took about 3 years or so. Wonder when this one's going to show. It's amazing how slow some smart people can choose to move..

This could be Apple's chance - or Amazon's chance.

Dear Gargle, Please Design an Intelligent for Me

I wonder if Google Now makes Amazon Alexa redundant - I found yesterday I could tap the mic and say "play mendelsohn's scherzo from midsummer night's dream from Youtube" and ... (and even I wasn't sure if I had the right pronunciation of scherzo - or spelling for that matter).

Now, to the point : I've had one scuffle with AirBNB over a scathing review for a malicious host. At issue - honesty - not revealing the cleaning fee was actually $75 unless you did janitorial slave duty yourself. Also, not revealing how many people you'd share the bathroom with. 

So, can we design a browser extension that can make these important number leap out of the page at you - and if you need email interaction, it can talk to AirBNB's API and initiate the process? How hard is this to do?

AirBNB++ : Packages

Dumb that they don't offer this already.

One room, multiple packages.

Package 1 : Just the room and clean sheets and towels - barebones. You get the idea.

Package 2 : Room + breakfast + energy bars + bath robe, etc. You get the idea.

Why not, Mr. Chessknee?

Apple Watch : The Way Forward

Finally, I meet someone who actually bought the AW herself and loves it - just for the fitness tracking.

So, there probably is a future for Apple. At the very least, they've forced all the other big names to spend big bucks putting watches out there :)

Now, what can and should they do? First of all, decouple from iPhone - it's ridiculous - that you *have* to have an iPhone to be able to use it at all. Keep it iTunes compatible - so all you need is the bluetooth on your PC. If you have an iPad or Mac, no issues.

Then, make it a true computing platform - of course, the UI is tricky and won't be as powerful as you can get with the iPhone. But, detach the top part of the watch and clip it onto one of the lenses of your glasses and it becomes an HMD. Yes, the optics gets interesting. What's left of the watch + the strap + Siri becomes the input unit. How about that? What technology do we need to make this happen?

Dell to Integrate Raspberry Pi into Low End Monitors

No. But don't you wish they would? It'd be nice to be able to do something with a cheezy monitor. Now, if it had a Pi in it (please add the WiFi - or not, if you add the USB hub and put in enough USB slots, we're good - we still have to plug in a dongle - which would be nice if you could obviate) you'd be happy to see your kid on it - coz he's programming and developing skills to make the world a better place.

Do it Dell! You scumbacks!

Listening Google? (Gmail Attachments)

You have an email with an attachment. This is an old email btw.

You're looking at it after a while. You want to know if you ever downloaded that attachment.

How about a bit of history accompanying the attachment that gives you stuff like this.

You were nice enough to implement "Save to Drive" :)

iPad++

This one is an insult to Apple, but, I don't know the names of any other tablets, so..

What do I want my iPad to be able to do?

I want to do a project using the Raspberry Pi (or the Qualcomm Dragonboard) - I mean I want to work on something and I need a display device with an HDMI.

You got it - I want to be able to use the iPad as a display device. Shouldn't be hard? Please Apple? Please!

Compact Drones

When is a surveillance camera more of a liability than an asset?

When it's out of reach - as in you need to call the crew to get to it.

Enter the world of the compact drone - as in - anything can be a drone - or, anything has drone capability.

Think of the limitless possibilities! To install a camera on top of the street-light, you deploy a drone-cam. When it gets there, it installs itself and retracts the rotors, etc.. Looks just like another camera - with some excess baggage..

When you need to get it, you signal it and it deploys rotors, etc and homes in!

Beat GOOG to it FB!

Gimme a Bluetooth

module that I can put in my personal PC's USB port which will lock the screen (I might be connected using M$'s Remote Desktop Connection) if it detects my smartphone is too far away (implying I've stepped away from my desk).

How can we pull this off?

What Can You Build for Virtuix? Rover Real Telepresence Tours

Your walking to work one day and what do you see - a cute robot dog or whatever moving around and its head turning unrealistically... What's going on? You're Macedonian, but a dude in Kentucky is taking a tour That's what!

Why has no one cashed in on this?

Next : Google Government

Fancy the idea of being a small country - economically maybe - and inviting Google to run your country - with the idea of transformation into a successful state? Maybe Niger can try this - or are they not small enough?

iPhone *As* a Rear View Mirror for Evidence Collection

Why not? It would be a bit of VR - it sees the rear view, it knows where your eyes are and it shows you what you need to know in an intelligent, augmented way..

Of course, there's always the default rear view mirror - it's illegal to drive without one.. but, now, when you have your phone, you insert it, and it looks both in front and behind, collects useful information - you get credit for passing a stream onto law-enforcement agencies, etc, etc - the possibilities are endless.

Come on Joyce, come on Fernando, you can do it!

Why Doesn't Use Machine Vision : Yogurtland

Guilty - I get about an ounce of yogurt in free samples and then pay for about an ounce.

Now, with my limited knowledge, I think it's pretty simple to hook up a camera that looks at the dispensing area to see if the receptacle is a regular cup (as opposed to a sample cup). Then, when you see the guy's just getting a sample, you only dispense 0.4 Oz.

You dig?

iPhone 8 Camera Dynamic CFA

Why a static CFA?

Use MEMS to do a filter that can change its band. Did red, now do blue, now do green.. Okay, you take longer, but, no more interpolation. You get REAL image quality and resolution!

Saving America Billions and Getting Compliance for Free

I'd like to see a startup do this :

(Motivation? I just spent $40 getting the sheriff to serve my favourite bum. Why can't we come up with a way for official communiques originating from government entities to be required to be received by the intended recipient?)

So, if you get a California drivers license, you AGREE to receive communications sent through them. What? That's right. Going forward, every drivers license has a couple solar cells that generate just enough power to fetch and updated. The data rate is very very low - say 1 bpm or so - but that's all it takes - use a very simple radio..

There'll be a very simple display - a couple of e-ink based 7-segment displays that will scroll out a code. If you see a code, you HAVE to go online and put that code into the DMV website and acknowledge the detailed message.

I wish we would make our cars so that people HAVE to insert their DL into a slot to drive in the city. And, if done, there will be simple indication both on the front and back. And, in the case of a message that has been ignored, that should also show up so cops can stop people in violation. Well, you can automatically suspend licenses because the system knows who isn't ack'ing their messages. Making cars so people without valid DLs can't drive em is cool if possible..

Come on Google!

Help for Android. Bet AAPL Gets There First

Your on a call - with customer service - and, after 5 minutes of waiting, you're talking to someone.

Now, he puts you on hold to check something, so you go back to speaker and put the phone down so you can lean back.

What should the UI do?

If you now press the hang-up button, it should ask you to confirm. Yes! Because you might press the hang-up button accidentally!! And you don't want to call support again!!

Better Google Maps

When you've gotten the destination, ask the user these quick questions (multiple choice) :

You want to park close to the location for free?
You want to park close to the location and pay?
You're using the destination as a landmark and not planning on parking or attending?
You plan to pick up someone from there?

That can save some grief in certain cases..