ShopKick Impressions

On 08.17.10, In Technology, By AC Slater

If you haven't heard of ShopKick yet, don't worry it just launched today, but I have a feeling you'll be hearing about it a lot more in the coming months. Basically what it is is a location based reward program where you get points for going to certain places and doing certain things (mostly scanning items). If it sounds a lot like Foursquare, that's because it is, but with one huge difference, you don't check in at places. The participating locations have a device installed near the doors that emits a sound that we can't hear, but the iPhone can, so when you enter the store with the app open it will automatically "check you in" and award you the points for visiting the store. Once inside the store there are other ways to gain points, like scanning different products. I'm not sure what their plan is for other ways to gain points, but at the moment it looked like scanning was the only way (at least at Best Buy). And the point of all this is that once you gain enough points you can redeem them for different rewards, whether it's credits on facebook or gift cards to different stores. There are a handful of options right now and I'm sure that will grow in the future. So that's the gist of the service itself now let's talk about my experience with it today.

Chicago happens to be one of the markets were the devices have been placed in Best Buy stores around the area. Today was the first day that the service has been activated along with the app becoming available in the App Store this morning. It just so happens that we venture out to Best Buy every Tuesday during lunch to check out the new releases and kill some time away from the office, so it was a perfect chance to test out ShopKick and see what it's all about.

The app itself is very pretty, the graphics look nice and it works as you would expect it to. It finds your location and finds different stores in the area that you can either check in to the normal way and gain "non-reward" points that basically just level you up in the game (kind of like MyTown), as well as stores that are participating that you can go to and get points for walking in the door and scanning stuff. With app in hand we made our way over to Best Buy to try it out.

As we approached the front doors I launched the app as I wasn't sure if the app needed to be running in the foreground (I'm pretty sure it does) to pick up the sound that the in-store device is emitting. The phone didn't register the sound at the exact moment we walked in, but it picked it up while we were still close to the front of the store. My co-worker also signed up as we were in the store and the first time he launched it after verifying his account, it picked up that we were in the store and automatically awarded him the 75 points. So it seems like you don't have to remember as you walk into the store as long as you launch the app at some point during your visit, and if you're going to be scanning stuff you'll have it open anyways.

Now let's talk about the scanning of products to get bonus points. For Best Buy there were 5 featured items that you could find in the store and scan for bonus points. I only went through and found 2 of them because I didn't really feel like rummaging through the store with my phone out looking like a jackass... And actually that's kind of what I felt like as I was grabbing a Blu-Ray of The Bank Job and scanning the UPC with my phone. Ok, actually the Blu-Ray wasn't terrible, but I did feel awkward as I grabbed a box for a set of computer speakers and flipped it around to scan the UPC. So while I found the scanning to be a little weird, it definitely makes you walk around the store and look at stuff you wouldn't normally look at.

So the App itself works very well for everything that it is supposed to and I managed to rack up almost 200 points in one visit to Best Buy today. I'm still a little foggy on how many points I'm going to have to get in order to redeem them for a decent size gift card. The app says the Best Buy Gift Card is 500+ points and denominations start at $2, so that would lead me to believe that it's 500 points for $2... so while it's not the greatest reward I'm not spending money on anything so it's basically money for free. So we'll see how it goes over the next few weeks after it's been out for a bit and if there are any changes I'll let you know, but as of right now I'll continue using the service to see how many points I can build up and see if it's actually worth the time.

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20 minutes with the Kinect demo unit W/Video.

On 07.20.10, In Video Clips, Video Games, By AC Slater

A buddy of mine recently got some hands on experience with Microsoft's new motion sensing technology, Kinect, at the Macy's store in downtown Chicago and wanted to share his thoughts. After reading his review, this is pretty much what I was expecting from this device/technology. So check it out below and if you've had a chance to try it out let us know what you thought in the comments.

Personal background:

I’ve been playing video games since the late 80’s. I’d like to think of myself as a gaming everyman. I’ve owned the NES, Gameboy Color, Sega Genesis, 32X (not proud of that), Game Gear, SNES, Playstation 1 & 2, Dreamcast, PSP, iPod Touch, various PC setups, and the Xbox360. No Playstation 3 or Wii. I didn’t realize how much of a gaming dork I was until I just re-read how many systems I’ve owned. Anyways, I’ve just about tried them all out so I’m fairly well versed in video game controls (from controllers to super scopes to DDR dance pads). The video games currently making their rotation in the Xbox are Read Dead Redemption, MW2, Forza 3, Mega Man 10, and Trials HD. I’ve got plenty of other games of various genres, but these are the ones I’m playing at this time. Most of my multiplayer gaming is done via Xbox Live or Steam. I haven’t done much local multiplayer since Halo (1-3). I’m a 26 years old mechanical engineer who makes my money by designing and construction rail road signal, traction power, and communication systems for a large Midwest specialty electrical contractor. Now you have a baseline to compare yourself to.

Judging a book by its cover:

I will admit that prior to trying the Kinect that I thought it was pretty stupid looking from the games that were demoed to the wacky wavy-inflatable-arm-flailing-tube-man like motions that players had to do. The games didn’t really cater to my personal gaming style. I will never buy a game where I stroke the air to pet a virtual animal. Everything else just seemed to be mini-games rather than complete story driven games. When I saw the alleged $150 price tag for the unit and $60 for the games I pretty much decided then and there that this was not for me unless this was something really special.

Macy’s Chicago 7/17/10

I was back in Chicago for a company charity event (recently moved to NJ for a multi-year project). This trip also coincided with a 21st birthday party my sister was having down town. After the charity event, I made my way home, cleaned up, met with my brother (Kevin [not much of a gamer, keep in mind for later]) and headed to the party. Bought my sister a drink that she couldn’t finish (Irish Car Bomb), had a couple of my own then took off so the kids could play. Kevin and I wandered the streets a bit to check out some of the Transformers 3 cars and props that were littering the Chicago streets. Knowing that MS had their demo unit up at Macy’s, I convinced Kevin that we should make the pilgrimage to the store since we were in the vicinity. When we made it there I went up to a cashier to see if they could point me in the direction of the Kinect since there were no signs or indications that it was anywhere in the building. They had no idea what I was talking about so they sent me down to customer service. Luckily customer service was aware of it and sent me in the right direction which just so happened to be in the vicinity of the first guy whom I asked where it was. On display was the Kinect and the new Xbox, a 52” (estimated) Samsung LCD TV, a couch for spectators and a big purple MS Kinect rug. The Kinect looked larger in person that I thought it would be. Like the pics show, it is the same glossy black plastic that the new Xbox sports. It has the two cameras to the center and to the left is another sensor the same size as the cameras. It puts off a faint series of red lights that reminded me of the scanners at retail checkouts. It wasn’t distracting while playing, but when looking directly at the unit, you can’t help but notice it. When I walked up some guy was playing the track and field game. He was having a difficult time jumping over the hurdles in the race and came in last place three tries in a row. After a few minutes he walked away with a fairly indifferent look on his face. Since there was no one else waiting to try, I jumped right in.

Impressions of each of the games after the jump.

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Outrage Over Toyota Sign at Wrigley Field

On 06.17.10, In Sports, By AC Slater

I didn't really want to comment on this issue because I know I'm probably in the minority here and will get a lot of shit for it, but honestly I don't see what the big deal is over the Toyota sign that was installed over the left field bleachers at Wrigley Field.

I've been a Cubs fan most of my life, I will admit that growing up I was more of a Sox fan, but generally I'm just a fan of baseball. I'm not one of those Cubs fans that goes out of my way to give Sox fans shit or talk down to them for liking the team, I have no problem going to Comiskey... err, US Cellular Field (still hate that name) and would actually love to head down there for a game if anyone would go with me... I've played the game my whole life and just generally enjoy the sport.

So with that said I want to talk about the Ricketts family and the Cubs. So the Ricketts family bought the team for around $900 million and apparently some fans think that this change in ownership means an instant change in the team. Cubs fans have been let down season after season when the Cubs fail to make it to the World Series (and even the playoffs most seasons) while every other Chicago team has now won a championship in the past 25 years. Ok, yes, it sucks that the Cubs haven't won a world series in over 100 years, but I don't get why people automatically think the sale of the team is going to turn them around. Not to defend the Ricketts family and I've never run a baseball team, but I feel like there is a lot more to do behind the scenes in your first year of ownership than wiping out the organization and starting over...

Apparently one of the first things you have to do is put up advertising around a stadium that has been free of most advertising forever... and this is causing a lot of people to get upset. A friend of mine is arguing that they are ruining Wrigley Field and he is now planning to never set foot inside the stadium again, all because of 1 "Toyota" sign that they erected in left field and a few posters in the front. I agree that the posters of the players in the front (outside) of the stadium are a little tacky, I don't really think they are that bad as long as they don't turn into giant advertisements for businesses. But to have banners of your star players hanging in the front of the stadium is not a problem for me. As for the "Toyota" sign, I'll admit I was a little angered when I heard they were putting it up in left field, but after seeing it I don't see what the big deal is.

If you're a fan of baseball you know that Wrigley Field and Fenway Park are the 2 oldest stadiums in baseball and there is no better place to watch a game than either of these parks. I would argue for Yankee Stadium as well, but The House that Ruth Built has now been replaced. Thankfully I got to see a game in Old Yankee Stadium a couple years ago before it closed and as much as I dislike the Yankees there's no denying that a piece of baseball history was forever destroyed when those doors closed. That stadium was one of the greatest stadiums in baseball, there's so much history there it's not even funny. And it's because of the history that I'm glad the Ricketts, or someone else, didn't just tear down Wrigley and build a fancy new stadium in its place.

Baseball has always been America's Pastime and while the game itself should be the thing drawing the crowds, Wrigley field and Fenway both have that history that you just can't deny if you're a baseball fan. So back to the sign and advertisements. Would I have liked it if the sign was never there, of course, I think everyone would, but does the fact that the sign is there now change my feelings towards Wrigley Field as a place where baseball history was made? Absolutely not. The atmosphere at Wrigley is not going to change just because one little sign was erected in the outfield. I mean seriously, have you been to any other baseball stadiums and seen the amount of advertising going on? Cubs fans should be happy that it took this long to get 1 advertisement in the outfield (I don't count the underarmour ads on the outfield doors, they are small enough). How many advertisements do you see when you go to Wrigley Field... on the actual field. Honestly I can only think of a couple; the underarmour ads on the outfield doors and the scrolling ad behind the plate (if there are more physical ads let me know). I know there are sponsors for random things like doubles and homeruns and Bud Light sponsors the bleachers, but I don't think there are any huge Bud Light ads inside the park (only outside the bleachers). I would rather hear the Luna Carpet jingle after every double for 5 seconds than be blasted by tons of ads in the outfield, but there's only so many plays you can sell to sponsors.

Hell, even Fenway's outfield is plastered with advertisements and people still go to support their team and organization. One little ad should not turn people off to visiting Wrigley Field. I would even go so far as to say that the entire stadium needs updating and I would welcome it wholeheartedly. Again, I'm not talking about the look of the stadium and the facade, but the amenities within the stadium need a huge overhaul. I know there are dudes out there that love standing shoulder to shoulder with other dudes while they piss in a trough, but personally I would prefer some updated bathrooms and concessions.

Ok, I know I'm jumping around a bit now in this post, but I'm going to wrap it up here by saying that while I don't mind the "Toyota" sign in the outfield I would mind if it opened the doors to putting up tons of other signs out there. And I guess I can see people's point if this did start to happen, but right now it's not, it's just one sign. So until the whole outfield looks like the side of a race car (like the image of Fenway below) I don't see what the big deal is. If that does happen I'll be the first to admit that you guys were right and I'll join your protest, but until then I'm ok with it.

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Piece – Chicago

On 04.12.10, In Food, By AC Slater

For the past month or so my girlfriend has been trying to plan a little get together for all of our friends at this pizza place in Chicago's Wicker Park called Piece. We have been there before for a birthday party/Bears game last fall and thought everyone would like the atmosphere as well as the pizza. Our original plan was to all go at the end of March on a Friday night after work, but apparently the place is very popular and even calling 3 days in advance isn't enough to get you a reservation. We didn't want to risk going down there and having to wait for over an hour for a table, the place can get pretty crowded, so we decided to postpone and figure out another date that worked for everyone.

2 weeks ago we called and tried to make a reservation for this past Friday, but we were informed that the latest a reservation can be is 6:30PM and the minimum amount of people is 10... we had 9. They did tell us that they will seat the party as long as you have 75% of the people there by the time of the reservation, so we told them we had 10 and made the reservation... or at least tried. They told us that they would put in our "request" for a reservation and someone would call us back the next day to actually confirm that we were able to make a reservation. Odd, but ok.

The next day someone did call and confirmed that we had 10 people and that was that. I understand that some restaurants don't take reservations and/or have a policy when it comes to reservations, it's obviously there restaurant and they can do whatever they want, but they just seemed kind of smug on the phone about it all. Now I don't blame this on Piece at all because from the way things played out, I think they use a 3rd party reservation company, hence the reason why someone had to call us back the next day. Either that or a manager is the one that approves the reservations and had to check the schedule to see if there were any events that night, but either way the people on the phone just made it sound like they were too popular and didn't feel like they wanted our business if we wanted to make a reservation (if that makes sense). Maybe I'm just not used to how popular restaurants in the city work, which could very well be the case, but it just seemed kind of rude to me, but whatever.

The only other issue, which actually turned out to be a non-issue anyways, was that the reservation was at 6:30pm on a Friday and only 1 of us actually works in the city, so we were thinking it was going to be hard to make it down there in time. But everything worked out perfectly and ironically my girlfriend and I were the last ones to arrive due to some parking issues.

More about the actual restaurant/food after the jump.

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Lincoln Towing Chicago

On 01.18.10, In Random, True Life, By AC Slater

I live in an apartment complex that has assigned parking spaces for each unit. Each unit comes with one assigned spot and if you want to you can try to find someone that doesn't have a car or a unit that is vacant to lease another spot from. Since the winters in Chicago make street parking pretty difficult and annoying we decided to lease another parking spot in the parking lot for my girlfriend. Now the only marking of parking spots is a number painted on the pavement so naturally when it snows it's a little hard to tell which spot is yours. So a few weeks ago she came home and parked in what she thought was her spot (next to the white car) and didn't think anything of it. The next day we went out and saw Avatar and when we came back we didn't even realize the car was gone. A few hours later when she was going out to meet some friends for dinner she called and told me that her car was not in the parking lot... great, it had gotten towed. Now by this point she couldn't remember if she had pulled into the right spot or not as she got home at 3 am the night before and the spots were covered in snow. Ok, so no big deal, it was her fault she'll eat the costs. So we head down to Lincoln Towing to pick up her car, which is nowhere near the building, it's about 20-25 minutes south of us. So we get there and get the car, she goes off with her friends (since it just so happened the place they were going to eat was a block from Lincoln Towing) and I went home to clear out her spot so she knew where to park. So while the first incident was a little annoying and expensive ($170 or so) it was her mistake and she was in the wrong spot and deserved to get towed, so that's not my complaint.

Flash forward to last night. It was my birthday so we went out to dinner with my family up in the suburbs. We left the apartment around 4:30 PM, had a quick dinner and were back home by 7:15pm. As we pull into the parking lot we notice that someone is now parked in my spot. I wasn't too annoyed at this point because my spot is a very convenient one for people picking up or dropping people off so I figured I'd give them a few minutes in case that was the case and luckily the person who owns the spot next to me does not have a car and I was able to pull in and leave my car there for the time being. So we decided we would bring up some of the stuff that was in the car and then I'd come back down and see if the car had moved, if it hadn't I would call for a tow truck.

So of course the car hadn't moved when I came back down so I went back upstairs to get the tow truck number and password (apparently it's so people can't walk off the street and start having cars towed). So at about 7:45pm I called the tow truck, the only reason I waited that long is because I had to call the owner of the condo (since I rent) and get the password for the towing company since it wasn't in any of the paperwork she had left me. So I call and give the towing company all the information and then hung around outside for a bit talking to another person from the building who was out walking their dog. About 20 minutes passed and there was no sign of a Lincoln Towing tow truck so I went back inside and just kept an eye out from my window so when it did come I could move my car back into my spot so I didn't get towed.

At 9:00pm there was still no sign of a tow truck and the car was still parked in my spot so I called Lincoln Towing back and asked them how long it would be... "20 minutes" is what I was told. So around 9:30 there's still no tow truck and I finally see the people walking out and get into their car, so I race down there to confront them about parking in my space. They had already gotten in their car and started to pull out, but the person they were visiting who lives in my building had walked them down so I confronted him and just let him know to tell his friends that they can't park in the front. He said that they had told him they found a spot right in front, but he had assumed that they meant on the street... Whatever, if he assumed that he assumed that, but I informed him that they got really lucky that Lincoln Towing was late to come get them otherwise their car would have been towed.

So I call Lincoln Towing back and tell them that since they took their sweet ass time, not only did they not make any money on the deal, but I also didn't get to sit down and watch 24 like I had planned. So thanks a lot Lincoln Towing for towing my girlfriends car the instant it was called in and then taking almost 2 hours to never even show up to tow a car out of my spot. I'm sure the association board is going to be thrilled to know that you guys are doing a great job.... ugh.

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