With the huge success of social and MMOGs (massive multiplayer online games) I thought this was a really interesting speech by Carnegie Mellon prof, Jesse Schell. Perhaps he takes it a bit far towards the end, but in general there some pretty interesting observations here:
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
FANTASY vs Reality
With the huge success of social and MMOGs (massive multiplayer online games) I thought this was a really interesting speech by Carnegie Mellon prof, Jesse Schell. Perhaps he takes it a bit far towards the end, but in general there some pretty interesting observations here:
Thursday, September 23, 2010
What if You Could Score Your Moves while Skiing/Snowboarding?
Nokia and Burton have mashed together some technology that lets skiers and snowboarders track their real moves. It makes a lot more sense after you watch the video...
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Pacific Trash Vortex To Be Turned Into Diesel Fuel
For those of you unfamiliar with the Pacific Trash Vortex, here's a quick definition:
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also described as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a gyre of marine litter in the central North Pacific Ocean located roughly between 135° to 155°W and 35° to 42°N.[1] The patch extends over a very wide area, with estimates ranging from an area the size of the state of Texas to one larger than the continental United States; however, the exact size is unknown.
The Patch is characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris that have been trapped by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre.[4] Despite its size and density, the patch is not visible from satellite photography since it primarily consists of suspended particulates in the upper water column. Since plastics break down to ever smaller polymers, concentrations of submerged particles are not visible from space, nor do they appear as a continuous debris field. Instead, the patch is defined as an area in which the mass of plastic debris in the upper water column is significantly higher than average.
A company called Covanta is "in the process of piloting technology that converts municipal solid waste, including nonrecyclable plastics, into a diesel substitute. That part of what we do makes a complementary bookend to our focus on plastics in the ocean."
While the technology to support this is still in development, it's a super cool idea and very intriguing.
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also described as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a gyre of marine litter in the central North Pacific Ocean located roughly between 135° to 155°W and 35° to 42°N.[1] The patch extends over a very wide area, with estimates ranging from an area the size of the state of Texas to one larger than the continental United States; however, the exact size is unknown.
The Patch is characterized by exceptionally high concentrations of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris that have been trapped by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre.[4] Despite its size and density, the patch is not visible from satellite photography since it primarily consists of suspended particulates in the upper water column. Since plastics break down to ever smaller polymers, concentrations of submerged particles are not visible from space, nor do they appear as a continuous debris field. Instead, the patch is defined as an area in which the mass of plastic debris in the upper water column is significantly higher than average.
A company called Covanta is "in the process of piloting technology that converts municipal solid waste, including nonrecyclable plastics, into a diesel substitute. That part of what we do makes a complementary bookend to our focus on plastics in the ocean."
While the technology to support this is still in development, it's a super cool idea and very intriguing.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
ARPA-E
How sweet is that as an acronym for a Government grant program? Sounds like something a bad guy in MacGuyver would have on the back of his jumpsuit.
Anyway, it's the Feds' program to fund "moonshot" green technology ideas (read: "out-there shit").
This is news today because the Feds just doled out $10 million to new initiatives including kites that produce energy...which is sweet. From Fast Company:
Google-backed Makani Power is getting the most funding ($3 million) for its airborne wind turbine, which converts wind energy into electricity using tethered wings outfitted with turbines. In other words, Makani is using kites to generate energy. The company is currently working on its first 1 MW turbine kite, which is expected to be finished in a year and a half. After that, the kite will undergo a year and a half of testing before hitting the market.
You read that correctly, 'Google-backed.' Apart from a very intriguing diversification for Google, it's really nice to see one of our most innovative companies helping drive these new technologies.
Read about ARPA-E here.
Anyway, it's the Feds' program to fund "moonshot" green technology ideas (read: "out-there shit").
This is news today because the Feds just doled out $10 million to new initiatives including kites that produce energy...which is sweet. From Fast Company:
Google-backed Makani Power is getting the most funding ($3 million) for its airborne wind turbine, which converts wind energy into electricity using tethered wings outfitted with turbines. In other words, Makani is using kites to generate energy. The company is currently working on its first 1 MW turbine kite, which is expected to be finished in a year and a half. After that, the kite will undergo a year and a half of testing before hitting the market.
You read that correctly, 'Google-backed.' Apart from a very intriguing diversification for Google, it's really nice to see one of our most innovative companies helping drive these new technologies.
Read about ARPA-E here.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
MIT inventors create robot swarm for cleaning up Gulf oil
First of all, any headline with the phrase "robot swarm" in it has my complete and undivided attention. This is SWEET. From the same institution that just invented new airplanes for NASA, comes this amazing new idea.
From Fast Company:
Seaswarm, as they call it, basically works like a maxi pad. A patented hydrophobic nanofabric devours as much as 20 times its own weight in oil without collecting water. To capture the oil, the nanofabric's draped over a conveyor belt that's then dispatched on the surface of the ocean like "a rolling carpet," to quote Assaf Biderman, associate director of MIT's Senseable City Lab. The robot's entirely autonomous; it swims along, powered by a pair of solar panels.
From Fast Company:
Seaswarm, as they call it, basically works like a maxi pad. A patented hydrophobic nanofabric devours as much as 20 times its own weight in oil without collecting water. To capture the oil, the nanofabric's draped over a conveyor belt that's then dispatched on the surface of the ocean like "a rolling carpet," to quote Assaf Biderman, associate director of MIT's Senseable City Lab. The robot's entirely autonomous; it swims along, powered by a pair of solar panels.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Machine turns plastic into oil
You read the headline right, an inventor in Japan has invented a machine that turns #2, 3 and 4 plastic into oil. Before we all collectively lose our shit over this potentially world-changing invention, it still requires a good amount of power to complete this task. Make no mistake, once they really work to develop this and make it more efficient, it could have immediate benefits. Obviously, this isn't the same as replacing our dependence on oil with a renewable energy source, but it's still cool and for the next 50 years, could make a big difference.
From Big Think and authored by my favorite nerd, Maria Popova, an excerpt below, full article here:
To harness this energy while addressing the waste problem, Japanese company Blest has created a machine that converts several types of plastic into oil.
Rather than burning the plastic using flame, which generates CO2, the machine uses a temperature-controlled electric heater to convert plastic into crude gas, which can then be used to power gas-based household appliances like stoves, boilers and generators or, if refined, can even be pumped into a car or motorcycle. Small yet highly efficient, the machine produces nearly one liter of oil – gasoline, diesel or kerosine – from every kilogram of plastic, requiring only 1 kilowatt of electricity for the conversion.
From Big Think and authored by my favorite nerd, Maria Popova, an excerpt below, full article here:
To harness this energy while addressing the waste problem, Japanese company Blest has created a machine that converts several types of plastic into oil.
Rather than burning the plastic using flame, which generates CO2, the machine uses a temperature-controlled electric heater to convert plastic into crude gas, which can then be used to power gas-based household appliances like stoves, boilers and generators or, if refined, can even be pumped into a car or motorcycle. Small yet highly efficient, the machine produces nearly one liter of oil – gasoline, diesel or kerosine – from every kilogram of plastic, requiring only 1 kilowatt of electricity for the conversion.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Holy smokes! Focused heat beam to be used on prison inmates
From CNN.com:
Officials at a Los Angeles County jail plan to test out an invisible heat-beam weapon originally developed by the military as a way to subdue brawling inmates by making them feel "intolerable heat."
The technology, called an Assault Intervention Device, is a non lethal-weapon developed by Raytheon Company. It originally was scaled down for use at the jail.
The device "emits a focused beam of wave energy that travels at the speed of light and produces an intolerable heating sensation that causes targeted individuals to flee. The sensation immediately ceases when the targeted individual moves away from the beam," according to Raytheon's website.
Special thanks to Steve "Big Katt" Geller for sending this over.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Allow me to geek-out for a minute here: The top 10 political tech blunders
If you love cruising the Net, you'll like this list with accompanying videos and links from Fast Company. Full story here - very much worth 10 minutes of your day.
Here is the high level top 10:
10. Ted Stevens (late Senator from Alaska) claims that the internet isn't a big "truck" but a "series of tubes."
9. Jacques Chirac (former French President) discovers the computer mouse for the first time in 1997.
8. George H.W. Bush discovers the supermarket bar code scanner for the first time in 1992.
7. Sarah Palin gets a Twitter account in 2009 and single-handedly commences dismantling the English language. Though, to be fair, she didn't wait for Twitter to wage her war on grammar.
6. In 2008, one of John McCain's aides claims that McCain invented the Blackberry. (wrong)
5. In 2000 Al Gore claims to have "invented the internet." (this is later claimed to have been taken out of context, but it still exposes him as the robot that he is)
4. George W. Bush pluralized the Internet(s) and Barack Obama, not to be outdone, pluralizes Twitter(s).
3. Joe Biden (love it when Biden makes any list because you know it's gonna be great) during a live TV interview leans to an aide and asks, "Do you know the Web site number?" (he is unfamiliar with the URLs or www. addresses that we all use)
2. George W. Bush tells the world that he uses "The Google" to looks at satellite images of his Texas ranch.
1. John McCain, when asked whether he uses a Mac or a PC, comes clean and admits that he can't us a computer and relies on his wife for all of his computing needs.
There you have it folks, thanks for allowing me the indulgence.
Here is the high level top 10:
10. Ted Stevens (late Senator from Alaska) claims that the internet isn't a big "truck" but a "series of tubes."
9. Jacques Chirac (former French President) discovers the computer mouse for the first time in 1997.
8. George H.W. Bush discovers the supermarket bar code scanner for the first time in 1992.
7. Sarah Palin gets a Twitter account in 2009 and single-handedly commences dismantling the English language. Though, to be fair, she didn't wait for Twitter to wage her war on grammar.
6. In 2008, one of John McCain's aides claims that McCain invented the Blackberry. (wrong)
5. In 2000 Al Gore claims to have "invented the internet." (this is later claimed to have been taken out of context, but it still exposes him as the robot that he is)
4. George W. Bush pluralized the Internet(s) and Barack Obama, not to be outdone, pluralizes Twitter(s).
3. Joe Biden (love it when Biden makes any list because you know it's gonna be great) during a live TV interview leans to an aide and asks, "Do you know the Web site number?" (he is unfamiliar with the URLs or www. addresses that we all use)
2. George W. Bush tells the world that he uses "The Google" to looks at satellite images of his Texas ranch.
1. John McCain, when asked whether he uses a Mac or a PC, comes clean and admits that he can't us a computer and relies on his wife for all of his computing needs.
There you have it folks, thanks for allowing me the indulgence.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Largest Tidal Energy Test to Take Place This Summer
Scientists are working off the coast of Scotland to install the largest tidal turbine to date in freezing waters and 50 foot waves. If it works, it could renew wider efforts to start using tidal power (similar efforts have been abandoned in the US). From the looks of the thing below, it can do some damage too.
I'm not familiar with this stuff, what's the environmental impact of these turbines on marine life?
I'm not familiar with this stuff, what's the environmental impact of these turbines on marine life?
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Real "Minority Report" - esque crime fighting technologies
Remember "Minority Report" where former actor and current cult meeting attendee, Tom Cruise (sp?), would bust crimes before they happened using sweet sweet technology and the ESP powers of bald people dipped in goo?
Here's a great article from Fast Company that highlights some of the current technologies being used that aren't far from what was seen in the movie (just a sample; click here for the full article):
Blue CRUSH (best name!): IBM's new Blue Crime Reduction Utilizing Statistical History (CRUSH) programs feels almost directly inspired by Minority Report. Similar to the "precogs," IBM's new system uses "predictive analytics," mining years and years of incident reports and law enforcement data to "forecast criminal 'hot spots.'" Police in Memphis have already had great success with the $11-billion "precrime" predicting tool: Since installing Blue CRUSH, the city has seen a 31% drop in serious crime.
Drones (not just for aerial bombings anymore): A bill circling the House of Representatives aims to legalize unmanned aerial vehicles to fly over domestic skies for enhanced border security and oil pipeline monitoring. British units are already using UAVs to keep watch of its citizens, which would perhaps raise more questions over privacy violations if London wasn't already chock-full of CCTV cams.
OnStar: In the film, all vehicles are auto-piloted along tracks and can be controlled by law enforcement. When scanners detect a wanted criminal entering a car, police can automatically pull the vehicle over. Looks like this directly inspired OnStar's Stolen Vehicle Slowdown technology. The system enables customers and police to locate a stolen car using GPS, depower the vehicle, and watch as it glides to safety along the side of the road, ending any chance for a high speed chase. Did I mention OnStar even force-locks the doors until police can arrive?
Hang onto your butts, the future's here.
Here's a great article from Fast Company that highlights some of the current technologies being used that aren't far from what was seen in the movie (just a sample; click here for the full article):
Blue CRUSH (best name!): IBM's new Blue Crime Reduction Utilizing Statistical History (CRUSH) programs feels almost directly inspired by Minority Report. Similar to the "precogs," IBM's new system uses "predictive analytics," mining years and years of incident reports and law enforcement data to "forecast criminal 'hot spots.'" Police in Memphis have already had great success with the $11-billion "precrime" predicting tool: Since installing Blue CRUSH, the city has seen a 31% drop in serious crime.
Drones (not just for aerial bombings anymore): A bill circling the House of Representatives aims to legalize unmanned aerial vehicles to fly over domestic skies for enhanced border security and oil pipeline monitoring. British units are already using UAVs to keep watch of its citizens, which would perhaps raise more questions over privacy violations if London wasn't already chock-full of CCTV cams.
OnStar: In the film, all vehicles are auto-piloted along tracks and can be controlled by law enforcement. When scanners detect a wanted criminal entering a car, police can automatically pull the vehicle over. Looks like this directly inspired OnStar's Stolen Vehicle Slowdown technology. The system enables customers and police to locate a stolen car using GPS, depower the vehicle, and watch as it glides to safety along the side of the road, ending any chance for a high speed chase. Did I mention OnStar even force-locks the doors until police can arrive?
Hang onto your butts, the future's here.
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