Interface (tech control)

The future of privacy: the necessary data or a march towards a future of corporatocracy?

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Thu, 01/16/2014 - 12:31

Prism logo The combination of governmental and corporate data tracking are enabling outside entities to track increasingly granular details about our lives and interactions. Most of the reasons offer positives and are focused on protecting citizens or providing services we find useful. In order to do these jobs more efficiently, inroads to more data are critical in order to query across enough channels to create accurate connections such as identifying a terrorist organization's leader or helping us make certain we get enough exercise per day.

Changes towards equality creating a better future

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Wed, 01/15/2014 - 13:24

Our march into tomorrow keeps making for better todays. Here are vidoes of three important technologies providing individuals with physical limitations the opportunity to experience and interact with the world around them.

What is Tek RMD - 9:26 long - from Matia Robotics

Read the full article for additional videos.

Increasingly inexpensive telepresence aims at the home

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Wed, 01/15/2014 - 12:49

Beam+ telepresence device with two children Suitable Technologies has announced a telepresence robot, the Beam+, for just under $2000 (pre-order for $995). The device offers a 10-inch screen using two cameras and 4 microphones for video teleconferencing, which is build onto a stalk and moved about by a three wheeled based controlled by the "visitor" through an application on the their end.

Simple and useful wearable: Spidey sense shirt

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Wed, 01/15/2014 - 10:17

Spider Man spider-sense shirt This year's CES was filled with new wearable technologies looking for the next big thing, but Thinkgeek is selling a tongue-in-cheek wearable as a spidey-sense shirt that vibrates when someone approaches from behind, signaling the wearer a person is within 5 feet.

The device is a novelty, announced just before last year's Comic-Con, but would make great sense as a real wearable or a feature included in a line of self-protection wearables. So much discussion on the benefit of wearables has focused inwards so far. Step tracking or distance measuring was the first real attempt. Tracking body data such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar and such for biorhythm projection is where the current cycle is focused. How long before we focus outward?

How Stuff Works: The Technological Singularity

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Tue, 01/14/2014 - 16:11

Jonathan Strickland from How Stuff Works gives his brief views on the technological singularity on the Stuff from the Future podcast series.

Using beacons to more effectively remind or market to shoppers

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Tue, 01/14/2014 - 15:45

InMarket Beacon

Back at Apple's 2013 event, they mentioned iBeacon as part of their new upgrades. This technology uses Bluetooth Low Energy to alert your phone when it comes within range of a beacon - a small, low-powered device used to identify a place. Sneaky Apple not only announced a major competitor to NFC (Near Field Communiction), they also announced that some of their products (and others) have built in beacon functionality and have had them for some time. With the rollout of iOS 7 and OS X 10.9, there are suddenly tens of millions of iBeacon ready devices which can both seek or offer location awareness.

Why is this important? Bluetooth low energy technology currently offers a range of 50 meters/160 feet using a trickle of energy (less than 15 milliamps according to this page). Your phone is suddenly able to identify interesting or even necessary locations within that range with very little impact on the device itself. This is a major step towards the Internet of Things and, as with most leaps forward, will have both positive and negative impacts on our lives and privacy.

IFTF: Feral Zones

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Thu, 01/09/2014 - 14:13

IFTF blog posted this Artifact from the Future (click the thumbnail to see the full image on their site). I'm of the opinion that self-driving vehicles will eventually be forced upon us due to the expense of insuring our vehicles with a higher fee when we take over the driving.

A Robotic Petting Zoo

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Tue, 01/07/2014 - 15:28

Image of robotic petting zoo Minimaforms presented Petting Zoo, an interactive display designed to respond to human touch and movement. Using a Kinect camera and software designed to respond with emotions, the exhibition provided three "pets" with three different patterns of responses and a basic machine learning allows each to develop behaviors based on input from the situation.

Faking nature

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 11/15/2013 - 12:56

Sim wiped his face with a barely damp cloth, the dry edges scratching at his stubble. Each time he did, the act wasted some of his hydration allowance. But it felt good. It felt real. It was something he would have done back home, back on Earth.

"Sunlight." The room lights brightened and adjusted the spectrum. Dingy white walls, furniture and cloth changed hue with an orange-red tint. He looked around, taking in his quarters and trying not to shiver at the closeness of the walls.

Home sick, but learning

Submitted by Daryl Weade on Fri, 11/01/2013 - 21:56

“Guess what, class?” Mrs. Higglemeister waved everyone to silence. “I’d like us to welcome Katie back today. She’s able to join us from home until she can return to school and you can see she’s in her desk as if she was here.”