Roundtuit

When I first saw the Philips Ambilight TVs, I thought they were the lamest gadget since the pet rock.

But then I saw one in person. And damned if it doesn’t work. Filling up the vague space of your peripheral vision with the right color really does make TV seem more real.

BTW, since women have better peripheral vision, I wonder how it is for them?

But why can’t anyone who has a home theater PC (or even just a regular TV) add on a couple of lamps (wired through a USB port in the HTPC case) that back light in the right color? Would this cause a patent problem with Philips, I wonder? If not, someone should make it, as I can imagine lots of people buying them, if they were at a modest price point.

So, you’re sitting in Starbucks, working on your iBook, admiring the girl in the Starbucks across the road (who is working on her iBook), and you turn off your iPod for just a minute, perhaps to answer your cell phone.

And, surprise of surprises, you find yourself toe-tapping to the public music swanking its way out of the coffee shop sound machine. Of course, Starbucks has the specialty CD on sale at the counter, but those shiny platters aren’t your scene.

Why can’t you just hit a button on your (wireless enabled) iPod, or your iBook, and just buy the currently playing tune (or the current CD, or playlist)?

This sort of on-the-spot buying may be the only way to get people to buy music anymore: tapping into that lovely moment when a certain song plays, and you realize the girl at the other Starbucks just smiled at you.