So, what's so great about The Event?

Even though I'm considered a target market, I still feel I'm a tough nut to sell. Every once in a while though I wait with anticipation (not "Glee") when a television program makes a decent attempt to get my attention. So it was with said expectation that I parked myself on the couch to watch, wait for it (feigned suspense), The Event.

The Event had all the good trademarks of a television premiere; commercial build-up, suspense, secrecy, mystery, believable characters, extra-terrestrials, but it feels too familiar. From what I've seen so far, The Event is Lost meets the X-Files. Should I feel guilty that I'm not impressed? Many consider imitation as the highest form of flattery, but I think NBC may have bought into a self-flattering dud. It's too bad, I like Jason Ritter's character, Sean Walker. The fact that Ritter's real-life dad was none other than Jack Tripper helps a lot too.

It may be too early for me to make a prognosis, but I have a nagging feeling The Event will prove "uneventful." I may not be alone in my prediction. According to Media Life Magazine, ratings for The Event fell off considerably after its second episode, down 19 per cent from its premiere. To top it off, rumour has it that NBC has a script long enough to run five seasons of The Event.

That's a shame.

The show's production values look pretty well done, so The Event couldn't have been cheap to produce. Any decision made by NBC I'm sure will be quick like a guillotine if this show doesn't improve and fast. Maybe they can air The Cape. Until writing this post, I had not heard about this show at all, but I have to say it looks ultra-cool. We could use a prime-time Batman, no?

So, what might the future hold for The Event? Only the network execs can say for sure, but I think their event needs a phenomenon.

Myths, tiffs, and My iPhone 4

I have to admit I'm not much of a gadget-head, but I was really excited when the iPhone 4 was released in Canada. So much so that last August I waited in line for eight hours to buy one at the Apple Store in nearby Winnipeg.

Yeah, you read that right. Eight hours.

I needed an upgrade anyway, so I thought I would treat myself to the latest in technology. I had heard all the hype about the iPhone 4's dropped calls, signal interference, and unreliability, but I decided to risk it and drop the cash on an iPhone 4 just the same.

Now, there was a bit of a campaign against the iPhone 4 and Steve Jobs when the problems I mentioned entered the media spotlight. His competitors had a heyday saying that the iPhone 4 was useless at the one thing it should do easily; that is, being a phone. I watched the live online conference as Steve Jobs addressed all the purported issues with his latest toy. He played the situation very cool, talking sensibly about the problems his team had found and the seriousness of the claims. He said that the signal issue problem was one that other smart phone makers have too as everyone tries to fit all their parts into smaller designs. He played down the seriousness of the problem and made a good P.R. move by giving iPhone 4 owners a free case of their choice to correct the issue.

After having my iPhone 4 for over a month now, deliberately trying to drop a call by holding the phone in the so called "death grip", my iPhone 4 has yet to fail in its service to me. That's not to say anyone else did not have a legitimate issue with this device, but I am not one of them. The only time I've had a concern is once when my ear touched the "mute" button on the touchscreen, and the conversation became a one-way communication by accident.

Oops.

Just the same, I took advantage of Apple's free phone case. I downloaded the app for it and three weeks later a friendly Purolator delivery person dropped it off at my door. Why not, right? It's free, and if I happen to drop the phone, it has a better chance of surviving the fall unscathed. I could get into all of the iPhone 4 features and how much I enjoy using it, but all that kind of stuff you can find on Apple's website.

For now, the iPhone 4 can add me to the list as a happy customer.

When Brown Goes "Green"

Pet owners can be faced with numerous difficulties, none of which are insurmountable. Each challenge involves the same patience, understanding, (as best can be offered on a human/animal level anyway) and creativity you would likely use in any other area of your everyday life. But I am especially impressed when an individual takes on a challenge most people would steer clear of, or at least step over.

Enter Matthew Mazzotta , a conceptual artist from Cambridge, Massachusetts. His Project Park Spark, funded through MIT and partnered by the City of Cambridge, includes a special "methane digester" that converts poop to power. Well, methane to be exact.

If you're a responsible dog owner out for a walk and your dog does a "doo-doo", which it inevitably will, what do you do (no pun intended) with it? Public garbage containers are not always nearby, and once it's in a baggie you want to be rid of it as fast as possible. In Mazzottas model, the only special equipment a dog owner needs is a biodegradable baggie and a weak nose. Once you've done the right thing and picked up the offending matter off the ground, you toss it into his "methane digester" and you're finished. The container is air-tight so no need to worry about getting too close. Once inside, bacteria break down the organic bonanza into methane which is used to power a nearby lamp.

As a greenhouse gas, methane is far more worse than carbon dioxide. When animal waste enters a landfill, as is usually the case, it just sits there, breaks down, and rises into the atmosphere. As pet ownership becomes more popular, (in 2001 there was an estimated five million dogs in Canada) there are two obvious obvious side effects we are forced to deal with.

Mazzotta is leaving it up to the community to best decide how they would like to use his new method of energy capture. For now, he's lighting a path to a new way of thinking for the people of Cambridge.

Genius.

The GoodGuide App

Unless you've just come out of a thaw, it's very likely you've heard about something called an "app." Were it not for the communications program I'm enrolled in, I likely wouldn't be too aware myself. To be quite honest, it wasn't too long ago when I thought the word app was just a truncated way of talking about the Apple Store. :/

It would be my loss if this was the case.

The word "app" is actually an abbreviation of the word "application" and it's the little square link you would see on the face of a smartphone. Typical apps are links to YouTube, Facebook, Google Maps, local weather, internet browser, and so on; basically helpful little buttons that take you to a website or service. One app I've discovered is called GoodGuide. (logo pictured above)

GoodGuide helps consumers find healthy, green, and socially responsible products for their home. While out shopping, a consumer can scan the bar code of any product and see how the product rates; for better, or for worse. It has over 65,000 items listed in its database and is adding more all of the time. From toys, household cleaners, food, and deodorants, GoodGuide wants users to know the data it has developed is a great resource for consumers to make healthier and more responsible purchases.

So how do they gain this trust?

GoodGuide prides itself on the ratings system it has created and the scientific study that has gone into the assessment of each product. GoodGuide's founder, Dara O'Rourke, is one of the leading experts on global supply chains and tracking product life-cycles from cradle to grave. GoodGuide's Chief Scientist, Bill Please, is an expert in chemical risk assessment, environmental engineering, chemistry, nutrition, and sociology. GoodGuide considers itself a "for benefit" organization.

Why might a consumer use GoodGuide?

There are a lot of companies claiming their products are "green." Why should they be believed? If you're a consumer who is "green-minded" or "green-curious," GoodGuide is an easy place to start. The people who already consider themselves "green" can keep up to date with the latest on the GoodGuide blog and those new to the lifestyle can begin with an assessment of their current products to see where they might make change. The only thing you need to start is a few of your current products to see how each measures up, and to consider what GoodGuide recommends based on the results.

Would a consumer change their habits based on GoodGuide?

Consumers want to make the right choices when it comes to the products they buy. There is a place in the app to enter your current product to see how it rates. As product ratings are based on health, environment, and corporate resonsibility, these are factors everyone can relate to and feel good about making positive change. The "green" movement is not meant to be seen as an individual action, but millions of individual actions in combination to make a difference.

Will people understand what GoodGuide is all about?

GoodGuide sees itself as an agent of change. Its message is clear. There are three dominant factors that rate products: safety, health, and corporate responsibility. Most users of GoodGuide will know what these things represent. The information a user receives is instant and prices for products are given (whenever possible) if you're researching products from home.

The app phenomena will continue to grow as long as our devices, and we ourselves, stay portable. It's definitely the next big thing in web navigation as it drives people directly to a website. In combination with social media and word of mouth, apps will continue to dominate the face of the smartphone and beyond.

Already year two? Much to do, much to do...

A person really needs to enjoy any down-time he or she has as it always comes to an end. My relaxing summer is now over and I am back at Red River College with a full slate of assignments surely heading my way.

With new beginnings also brings a new look to my blog, 6' and Holding. The picture of my two dogs that would normally greet you when you visited this site has been put to rest. Rest assured, they are doing fine and at the moment are adjusting to a new cat in our home. I've redesigned the header to give it a professional look and replaced the background with something more appealing. The content will change as well. If you've followed my blog, I've tried to stay true to providing examples of juxtaposition that I've found around me or produced. It was a fun experiment, but I want to put it to rest to explore my more personal side.

6' and Holding will continue as opinions on issues in my life and the world from a distance. This will likely not stray too far from what many traditional bloggers write, but the aim is to provide insight into who I am and the man I aspire to be. I hope to keep your ear during this transition, but I will always stick to my first rule; keep the content interesting.

Always feel free to let me know if my aim stays true.