Show me the money!

During a recent trip to San Francisco, I found myself face-to-face with a Bank of America ATM at the Ferry Building Marketplace. Our encounter would be brief. After sliding my debit card through the reader and entering my PIN, I was presented with a number of options on the touch screen, including multiple cash denominations. Rather than pressing “OK” or “Enter” and being presented with various transaction types, I simply selected the amount I wanted. Moments later my cash and receipt were dispensed and I was on my way. Total number of keystrokes, including a 4-digit PIN: five.

Yesterday I made a withdrawal from the Bank of Hawaii ATM located in Kaimuki. First off, it “eats” my card, as opposed to swiping it. Then it requests my PIN, and instructs me to “Press Here After”. OK. Select a transaction type, “Fast Cash”. Select an account (even though I only have one), “Checking”. Select a preset amount, “$20″. Some whirring occurs and the cash is dispensed. Shortly after, my card is ejected, along with a receipt. Total number of keystrokes, eight. That’s 60% more effort than the Bank of America ATM required for the same transaction, and an unexpected lesson in how thoughtful design can substantially improve usability and user experience.

Restaurant Georges has some of the best panoramic views of Paris, and the interior design is the work of Dominique Jakob and Brendan McFarlane. The menu is a brilliantly simple double-sided sheet that complements Georges visual aesthetic, as well as the food.

This 3-D art piece was near the Sahara tent at Coachella. The individual lights looked like ping-pong balls, but they were individually controlled and each could fluidly change color independently. The entire thing was computer driven, and would produce unique displays across the array. To sum it up, the thing was bad ass. Even more bad ass for the twenty-something glow-stick crowd.

Without further adieu, let the slideshow games begin. Here are some goodies from my visit to Coney Island. The Atlantic Ocean is cold.

What might look like a bit of innocent littering by Astronaut Col. James Irwin of Apollo 15 (spacesuits ain’t got pockets?), is instead a makeshift memorial for earthly objects. Col. Irwin had a second, more symbolic, mission to transport a few personal objects to the moon. A gold medallion with his families fingerprints, a piece of magma from Oregon (a gift) and a picture of a gentlemen who’s dream it was to travel to the moon. Human stuff gets everywhere. Where do they train for these missions? Hawai’i of course.

Saturday. Molokai channel. Dolphins.