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Archive for the pervasive computing Category

Bionic Eye iPhone app

September 24, 2009 by sean.

Posted in fun, innovation, pervasive computing, software, augmented cognition, mobile computing | No Comments »

Can Augmented Reality Help Us Be Greener?

September 5, 2009 by sean.

Augmented Reality layers data on physical space to enhance our ability to see richness that is there but often hidden. Applications for marketing, gaming, education and entertainment are obvious. But can AR help us improve the planet as well? [via Mariamz]:

We move faster and faster in our cyber age, all knowing, ever-connected, always-on. Augmented reality beckons: the devices in our pockets become more powerful and our ability to connect digitally everywhere excites and exhilarates whilst pushing the odd few over the edge into internet rehab. Yet something else is happening scarily fast, something only the most obstinate dare deny.

Posted in innovation, science, pervasive computing, augmented cognition, mobile computing | 1 Comment »

Locative Art / Augmented Reality on the iPhone

August 5, 2009 by sean.

Locative Art / Augmented Reality applications which “overlay textual information and pictures over a real-world view of your surroundings” are coming to the iPhone [via geeks. co.uk]:

A new Twitter client makes eye-popping use of the technology and though it uses several parts of the 3GS development system that haven’t “officially” been unlocked by Apple yet, iPhone app TwittAround can’t really be described in words as adequately as it can in this amazing demonstration video. Take a look:

Posted in innovation, pervasive computing, software, augmented cognition | No Comments »

Google Wave!

May 30, 2009 by sean.

At this week’s 2009 I/O conference, Google gave a demo of Google Wave, game-changing platform that could integrates the functionality of email, instant messaging, wikis, blogs and more with real-time collaborative editing, playback of each message’s evolution, real-time language translation and more. You have to see the demo for yourself to begin to understand how this works:

Also, check out Mashable’s Google Wave: A Complete Guide and Live With The Google Wave Creators article at TechCrunch.

Posted in innovation, pervasive computing, software | No Comments »

William Gibson now on Twitter

May 3, 2009 by sean.

Scifi legend William Gibson has “been on Twitter for a little while now. Under the nom-de-twit GreatDismal (no space). I had not much of an idea what Twitter was, when I first went there, so signed in under a flag of convenience. Still have no idea what it is, or where it’s going, but will hang on to GreatDismal for simplicity’s sake.” [via williamgibsonbooks].

Posted in scifi, pervasive computing | No Comments »

Microsoft Office Labs Video Montage of Future Technology in 2019

March 4, 2009 by sean.

<a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-GB&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:a517b260-bb6b-48b9-87ac-8e2743a28ec5&showPlaylist=true&from=shared" target="_new" title="Future Vision Montage">Video: Future Vision Montage</a>

[via laughingsquid]

Posted in innovation, pervasive computing, augmented cognition | No Comments »

Numerati Prepares to Exploit Government Tranparency

February 18, 2009 by sean.

Could transparency of government data itself [see Recovery.gov] help boost the private Numerati [via Wired]?

[A]ccessible government information—particularly databases released in machine-readable formats, like RSS, XML, and KML—spawn new business and grease the wheels of the economy. “The data is the infrastructure,” in the words of Sean Gorman, the CEO of FortiusOne, a company that builds layered maps around open-source geographic information. For every spreadsheet squirreled away on a federal agency server, there are entrepreneurs like Gorman ready to turn a profit by reorganizing, parsing, and displaying it…

[O]bvious economic benefits, however, will come from innovations that pop up around freely available data itself. Robinson and three Princeton colleagues argue in a recent Yale Journal of Law and Technology article that the federal government should focus on making as much data available as RSS feeds and XML data dumps, in lieu of spending resources to display the data themselves. “Private actors,” they write, “are better suited to deliver government information to citizens and can constantly create and reshape the tools individuals use to find and leverage public data.”

Posted in mathematics, innovation, pervasive computing | No Comments »

Amazing Augmented Reality Tech Unveiled at TED

February 5, 2009 by sean.

One word: wow! [via wired]:

Pattie Maes of the MIT Media Lab’s Fluid Interfaces group demonstrated a wearable computing system that turns any surface into a display screen, becoming a kind of “sixth sense” for the user. The prototype involves an ordinary web cam and battery-powered 3M projector with an attached mirror that are all connected to an internet-enabled mobile phone. The set-up, which costs less than $350, allows the user to project information from the phone onto any surface — walls, the body of another person or even your hand.

Maes showed a video of her student Pranav Mistry who she describes as the genius behind the project. Mistry wore the device on a lanyard around his neck, along with colored Magic Marker caps on four fingers, each one red, blue, green or yellow to allow the camera to distinguish the four fingers. The caps help the camera recognize his hand gestures with software that Mistry created. The gestures can be something as simple as using his fingers and thumbs to create a picture frame that tells the camera to snap a photo, which is saved to his mobile phone. When he gets back to an office, he projects the images onto a wall and begins to size them.

When he encounters someone at a party, the system calls up information about him and projects a cloud of words on the person’s body to help him remember the person or provide more information about him, such as his blog URL, the name of his company, his likes and interests. “This is a more controversial [feature],” Maes said over the audience’s laughter.

Posted in innovation, pervasive computing, software, augmented cognition, mobile computing | No Comments »

Did You Know 3.0

January 28, 2009 by sean.

Posted in innovation, science, pervasive computing, collective intelligence, social networks | No Comments »

Rumors of Google GDrive Heat Up

January 26, 2009 by sean.

Bringing everything to the cloud [via xxx]:

Google is to launch a service that would enable users to access their personal computer from any internet connection, according to industry reports. But campaigners warn that it would give the online behemoth unprecedented control over individuals’ personal data.

The Google Drive, or “GDrive”, could kill off the desktop computer, which relies on a powerful hard drive. Instead a user’s personal files and operating system could be stored on Google’s own servers and accessed via the internet.

Posted in innovation, pervasive computing, software | No Comments »

The Tale of a Smarter Planet

January 25, 2009 by sean.

Posted in fun, pervasive computing, collective intelligence, social networks | No Comments »

Excessive Texting Sign of Mental Disorder?

December 28, 2008 by sean.

Dr. Jerald Block writes in the latest issue of the American Journal Of Psychiatry that “people who send large numbers of text messages and emails may have a mental disorder” [via smh.com.au]:

“[I]nternet addiction” was a “common disorder” that deserved inclusion in a manual of mental disorders used by health professionals.

Those with the condition suffered withdrawal symptoms of anger and tension when a computer was inaccessible, and often lost their sense of time through excessive use… Other symptoms included feeling “the need for better computer equipment, more software, or more hours of use”, and having arguments, lying, social isolation and fatigue.”

Posted in science, pervasive computing | No Comments »

Bionic Brain slides now on Patternhunter.com

November 25, 2008 by sean.

The Bionic Brain slides from the DevLearn 2008 conference are now available on patternhunter.com.

Posted in work, pervasive computing, augmented cognition, collective intelligence, mobile computing | No Comments »

Minority Report Future Grows Closer

November 12, 2008 by sean.

The future-predicting technology that drives the premise of the sci-fi blockbuster Minority Report is silly at best. And when the film hit theaters in 2002, the gadgets seemed pretty unrealistic, too. But eerily enough the slew of dreamed-up gizmos showed off throughout John Anderton’s daring escape are hardening into reality. [via wired]:

Posted in scifi, fun, pervasive computing | No Comments »

Melding the Digital and Physical Realms

October 30, 2008 by sean.

Steven Levy explores Augmented Reality and the Mirror World [via wired]:

[T]he iPhone’s multitouch interface shows the way to harness the Web’s annotations to our physical reality — information about every nail salon, every cul-de-sac, and every person has piled up in what computer scientist David Gelernter calls a “mirror world.” Apple cracked the code that previously made it difficult for mobile users to access this data-rich alternate stratum. (Microsoft hopes to match Apple on this front as its own Surface multitouch technology spreads across tables, plasma screens, and mobile devices.)

We once talked about cyberspace as a distant cosmos, a digital outland that left the physical world behind. An iconic representation of it appeared in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash, in which a pizza-delivery guy was the hero of an artificial world known as the Metaverse. This year, breakthroughs like the Wii, Guitar Hero, and the iPhone showed that 21st-century reality is a blend of the digital and physical, with a borderline so blurred it’s not really a line at all.

Posted in pervasive computing, augmented cognition, mobile computing | No Comments »

ReadWriteWeb

October 14, 2008 by sean.

Web Technology Trends for 2008 and Beyond, May 2008 Update

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: wellington 2008)

Posted in pervasive computing, collective intelligence, mobile computing, social networks | No Comments »

Google Knows You Better and Better…

September 27, 2008 by sean.

Entertaining look at living in the GooglePlex [via gizmodo]:

The first Android phone is dropping next week, and the people who pick it up will be toting around mobile Google software in their pocket wherever they go. They’ll be using mobile Google apps, probably in concert with using Gmail, Gcal and Google Maps on their normal computer. We know that Google is tossing out all user data after 9 months, but you’ve got to wonder what kind of a picture Google is getting of its heavy users like that when it’s only getting info from how its apps are used. After the jump, an imagined day in the life of a Google user, as recorded and perceived by the Googleplex itself.

Posted in fun, pervasive computing, social networks | No Comments »

The Future of the Internet

August 30, 2008 by sean.

The Future of the Internet [via netguide.co.nz]:

Imagine yourself, as an individual, being logged into a computer system that spans the globe. You were given an online identity when your birth was registered and you take it everywhere you go.

The computer system supplies you with the information you need to learn as you grow. It is aware of your needs, and responds to them, whether it’s data for school work, the location of friends and family, where to get basic requirements like food, clothing and shelter, or assistance when in trouble. It stores all of this material in order to understand and help you – it can even anticipate your needs and actions. As you age, it senses your changing priorities and habits, and can offer advice on things you’re doing that may shorten your life, not to mention things you should do that may prolong it. And it definitely understands what you consider fun.

Posted in pervasive computing, software | No Comments »

Next Steps for Cloud Computing

August 9, 2008 by sean.

HP, Yahoo and Intel are collaborating on a vareity projects that promise to expand the scope of cloud computing[via Technology Review]:

Last week, Intel, Yahoo, HP, and an international trio of research institutions announced a joint cloud-computing research initiative. The ambitious six-site project is aimed at developing an Internet-based computer infrastructure stable enough to host companies’ most critical data-processing tasks. The project also holds an unusual promise for advances in fields as diverse as climate change modeling and molecular biology… (T)o test this infrastructure, academic researchers will also run real-world, data-intensive projects that, in their own right, could yield advances in fields as varied as data mining, context-sensitive Web search, and communication in virtual-reality environments.

Posted in pervasive computing, software, mobile computing | No Comments »

Sir Tim Berners-Lee on the Future of the Web

June 24, 2008 by sean.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee on the future of the web [via Technology Review]:
Director of the World Wide Web Consortium and inventor of the Web; Cambridge, MA

“I would like to see the Internet reach people in rural areas and help alleviate poverty. I would like to see more people reaching the Web from devices big and small, fixed and mobile. I look forward to more voice technology–in hands-busy scenarios such as driving, and also to increase accessibility (e.g., for people with low vision). The long tail of video on the Web is creating a new market of direct access to independent films and also has the potential to help with literacy issues. I hope for the proliferation of Linked Open Data: the Semantic Web ‘done right.’ I hope that governments will open their data stores to all citizens. A mashup sphere will feast on a wealth of Semantic Web data and herald the next wave of progress and creativity on the Web.”

Posted in pervasive computing, mobile computing | No Comments »

Interview re: Tech and Small Business

June 22, 2008 by sean.

1) What technology advances should small businesses and individual households be taking advantage of and what is the payback to them?

Twenty years ago, there was a lot of hype about Virtual Reality where you could put on a helmet and gloves to “jack in” to cyberspace and navigate virtual worlds. All of that seems quaint if not silly now in a world where always-on access to the internet is taken for granted, especially by people under 40.

High-speed internet and free wifi will increasingly become entry-level requirements to just play in the retail game [unless your core value proposition is to provide a technology-free retreat from the digital world]. Employees will seek options to work from anywhere [not just from home] and commitments to careers within a small business will likely be tenuous given the increasing range of options available. Employers will need to explore options such as eLance [think eBay for contractors] where other companies [including many outside the US] bid for work while displaying satisfaction ratings by employers and even the earnings from previous contracts.

2) How will technology shape small businesses and households five to ten years into the future?

The next five to ten years are arguably headed in the direction of “EOD” [Everything On Demand]. Want to watch your favorite television show? Hit a button and start now. Want a tailored suit with your own custom pattern? Sure, as long as I can take it home today. Want a great meal? Let me order it and have it ready when I hit the door [and don’t expect me to wait to be seated]. Oh, and let me do all of this connected to your free wifi hotspot from my mobile device!

As consumer demands expand and patience approaches zero, many people are willing to pay a premium to minimize any fuss with payments, forms and security [witness the success of the Clear program where people pay $128 a year to avoid those airport checkpoints]. Alternative methods of payment such as PayPal, eBilMe, Bill Me Later and Revolution Money Exchange are paving the way for customers paying in a ways that best suite their needs.

3) What technology trends keep you up at night that should also concern small businesses and households?

One of the most powerful emerging technology trends with the potential for changing the game of business is what many [including Entrepreneur Magazine] are calling “Marketing in the Recommendation Age.” As consumers turn away from traditional advertising and more to the web for help in deciding what products to buy and what companies to trust, businesses both small and large have less control over their brands. Sites such as Amazon, YouTube and eBay have built there success upon peer ratings of quality. And remember that criticism and scandals tend to rise more quickly to the top of Web 2.0 rankings [even if they are not true!] because they make better stories.

Not all of this will be confined to the web as we know it today. Imagine driving in your car and asking your GPS to find the highest-rated Italian restaurants within a five mile radius? Oh, and which ones have the shortest wait? The day is coming and soon!

Instead of trying to control the messages about your business, now is the time to start thinking about encouraging your best customers to be extensions of your brand, to help spread the word and advocate for you because it is in their best interest to do so. People who make excellent recommendation to their friends, family and peers earn their own version of points in the social network. Few people worry about recommending Apple products; Hotmail spread like wildfire by adding a “Want a free email account?” link at the bottom of everyone’s messages. Other successful small businesses leverage their stories to niche groups.

For example, Koyono, a small business based in Ohio, sells premium technology-friendly products to a niche audience of professionals who are fed up with clutter and want to adopt a minimalist, yet fashionable lifestyle.

One question for small business people is, “How do I make it easier for my customers to spread a good story about us?”

Posted in work, pervasive computing, augmented cognition, social networks | No Comments »

Shift Happens

February 27, 2008 by sean.

I saw this a while ago and, until talking with a friend of mine over lunch, forgot how truly amazing it is…

Posted in pervasive computing, user-created content, work, learning theory, augmented cognition, mobile computing, collective intelligence, social networks | No Comments »

Migatti, Mobile Intelligence

November 19, 2007 by sean.

Migatti, PARC’s artificial intelligence software for mobile devices, could soon be data-mining your life:

(R)esearchers at Palo Alto Research Center (PARC)… have developed software that turns a phone into a thoughtful personal assistant, one that helps people find fun things to do. The software, called Magitti, uses a combination of cues–including the time of day, a person’s location, her past behaviors, and even her text messages–to infer her interests. It then shows a helpful list of suggestions, including concerts, movies, bookstores, and restaurants [via Technology Review]

Posted in pervasive computing, software, augmented cognition, mobile computing | No Comments »

Personal Navigation

September 22, 2007 by sean.

Tom Fuller discusses Pervasive Computing, Ultra-Portable Devices and Location-Based Services:

NAVITIME runs on mobile phones, many of which include integrated GPS. A minority use case is in-car navigation. Many people outside Japan are familiar with in-car navigation systems, but in Japan, people are using NAVITIME mostly for personal navigation as they walk or take public transportation—particularly in Tokyo. This is yet another example of how Japan often leads the rest of the world when it comes to pervasive computing. NAVITIME provides comprehensive navigation information, including maps, timetables, prices, and even carbon footprints for various journey options. It’s an impressive large-scale system. [via blindside]