If you are anything like me, you probably experienced quite a few instances of sports bewilderment while watching the Beijing Olympics over the last few weeks.  Dozens of sports were showcased, many of which are entirely foreign to the average viewer.  As a result, I’d wager the following questions were pondered by millions:

• “What’s the name of this sport, again?”
• “How exactly do the rules/scoring work?”
• “Is this a qualifying heat, or the final race?”
• “Which team would the winner of this match go on to play?”
• “Which star players on the court/field should I be keeping an eye on?”
• “What other related events will this athlete be competing in?”

While a viewer could answer any of these questions by visiting websites like NBCOlympics.com or Wikipedia, this equates to lousy user experience.  Most viewers aren’t going to want to get off the couch.  Even those armed with a laptop have to take their eyes off the TV, pull up a browser, and wade through the website to find their obscure answer.  Ugh.

But there’s good news!  I would wager that by the 2012 Olympic games, viewers will be able to find answers to all of the questions above (and more) simply by using their TV’s remote control.  How?  By using TV widgets. Continue reading »

Remember when you were a kid and used to think about the future? If you were like me, visions of the future were full of hoverboards, flying cars, and shiny chrome everything. There was no doubt the future would be awesome, even if it seemed forever away.

Things seem quite different as an adult, especially one living in the early 21st century. The future no longer waits quietly over the horizon, but is instead standing at the doorstep. At times, peering ahead one or two decades seems somewhat unfathomable, as our lives change so much with each passing year. How to put it all into perspective?

The solution is simple: turn to a media futurist! Continue reading »

How to setup your Nintendo Wii to watch online video on your TV!  An overview and walkthrough, breaking down not only the steps required but also why this matters.

More coming soon.  For now, enjoy the video!