The hair of the...

A couple of weeks ago I went to Chicago for the first time in more than a decade. It was a business trip and I had only a little over an hour the last day for exploring... but I had heard of the pavilion in Millennium Park, and I was curious. On the way in from the airport, the shuttle driver had pointed it out and said it looked "like something attacked by a bad can opener." An architect friend in Chicago dismissed that, so I decided I need to see it up close.

The Jay Pritzker Pavilion is made of stainless steel ribbons and connects to a network of steel pipes that criss-cross over the lawn that sits beyond the amphitheater seats. It's interesting, and up close its details can be quite beautiful. But as a whole I find it a mess.

I disagree with the shuttle driver, though: It doesn't look like something attacked by a bad can opener.

It looks like the head of a robot on a bad hair day.

P.S. After I wrote this, I noticed that the park's own web site (see above) describes it as a "headdress". Guess Gehry achieved what he wanted, anyhow.

Treo 600 --> 650

Well, I fried my Treo 600 (don't ask), and I now have a 650. The 650 has a few features I like better than the 600's:

• It operates more like a cell phone:
  • It has a clear "hang up" button (the usual phone symbol in red).
  • This same button serves (when pressed and held) to connect or disconnect the handset from the wireless network. (The 600 uses a button at the top of the handset, which is more easily pressed by accident.)
• The "To do" function has been renamed to "Tasks".
• The keyboard buttons are larger (a teeny bit, but it helps), arranged better (the rows are slightly curved), and easier to read (better text/background contrast). Evidently, someone did some human factors on this thing.
• The "Home" and "Menu" buttons have been taken out of the keyboard and moved to a position just above the function buttons. This makes good sense, because these buttons invoke specific functions and are not text keys.
• The Alt button has been moved to the right side of the space bar. This helps prevent it from being accidentally pressed when the Shift button is intended.
• Supposedly it will support voice dialing if I download the right app. Haven't looked yet, though.

The 650 has one feature I don't like as well as the 600's:

• The USB connection accessory is just a cord and no longer has a holder that sits on the desk. The sales guy told me it was because people travel with them and Palm wanted to make them smaller. But I find it to be less convenient. And really, the desktop thingie isn't that big.