Go Green With Your Pet’s Waste
May 7, 2009
In this article, the Japanese company Tohoku Kankyo is selling a robotic dog-shaped trash can. The “Samu” can compost 600g to 1kg of food leftovers or pet feces per day, in an environmentally friendly way. “Samu” only needs to be refilled every few months with a substance that helps break down the waste. To use the “Samu” you just put the waste into the robot, close the lid, push a button and it does the rest on it’s own.
From an informatics perspective, I see the Samu as an alternate way to get rid of waste. I like the environmentally friendly aspect of this device, but it seems like an over-done solution. I think it’s a good solution, but when the Samu costs $900, it doesn’t have a great cost-benefit ratio. If it were significantly cheaper, i.e. like $20 then maybe, but for now I think I’ll use the regular trashcan.
High Tech Bicycle Fitting
May 7, 2009
In this article, the author reviewed Retul Bike Fitting. Retul (pronounced like Re Tool), is a fairly new company based out of Colorado. Retul uses similar methods to that found in my blog about the biomotion research at Stanford University. Retul uses Velcro markers that attach to your wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, as well as the ball of your foot. As you pedal a camera captures the positions of the markers through your pedal stroke, and how your body reacts as you try to produce more and more power. As the author states the Retul fitting provides insight into things like leg length discrepancies. I don’t think many people realize that most people don’t have two perfectly equal length legs. I know when I have been to the chiropractor for baseball and other sports injuries, that I’ve seen I have a slight leg length discrepancy on x-rays…mostly caused by tweaking my hips from swinging a bat. It was easily fixed as the chiropractor adjusted everything back straight and there was little if no leg length difference after. Back to Retul fitting, by finding body position discrepancies as well as the most efficient position for power, etc., the guys at Retul have created a very effective positioning system. A system which also relies on a qualified fitter. All Retul fitters are supposedly properly trained, and from all the various reviews of people who had a Retul fit done, I have not heard complaints.
From an informatics point of view the Retul fit is an effective solution for proper bicycle fitting. Is the system perfect? No, but it is probably a lot more accurate than the old school method of measure different lengths by a human. I have never personally been to a Retul fitter or a professional fitter. My father who races every weekend and rides well over 15,000 miles a year has been to a fitter, but not a Retul one, just one of the fitters that measures by hand. My dad didn’t learn anything new from the fitter, so I really haven’t got super excited on spending money to get fitted. Then again, I only ride my bike for fun and fitness, but if I was a weekend racer or pro, Retul would make great sense. Professional fitting like the Retul fit system is very important, especially for pros and people who have lots of time and money. When you spend thousands on bikes, gear, and if you’re a professional—wind tunnel time, fitting with Retul or similar systems is almost necessary.
The Amazing Electronic Smokeless Cigarette
May 7, 2009
In this article and video, the author reviewed something called the SuperSmoker. It is essentially a small atomizer that provides the nicotine and flavor or cigarettes minus the smoke and other harmless chemicals commonly found in cigarettes and tobacco. The SuperSmoker is not a smoking cessation device/method, but rather a safer alternative to cigarettes and cigars. The SuperSmoker gets charged by plugging it into a wall socket. It has a rechargeable battery which looks like the tip of the cigarette. The base is composed of a nicotine cartridge and an evaporation chamber. When connected the SuperSmoker works automatically upon inhalation by the user. Each cartridge lasts for about 30 inhalations, or about four cigarettes, and each pack contains 24 cartridges. According to the article, “the SuperSmoker will save you up to 50% of your current smoking costs.”
The SuperSmoker comes in the following styles:
- “Zero,” containing 0.0mg of nicotine
- “Light,” containing 1.8mg of nicotine
- “Normal,” containing 2.4mg of nicotine
- “Menthol” containing 2.4mg of nicotine
- A cigar model is also available.
Despite being a non-smoker, I think this is a pretty interesting idea, definitely an “outside-the-box” idea. Aside from all the health risks associated with smoking, the one thing that I hate when being around friends who smoke is that I end up reeking of cigarette smoke. I think this is pretty cool because someone has addressed both the health and the smell smoke issues of cigarettes, while still retaining the taste, shape, and addictiveness…and you supposedly save a bunch of money. With the rising cost of tobacco products, it seems its worth a try.
Biomotion into Data
May 7, 2009
In this article and video, researchers at Stanford’s Biomotion Lab gather data with lasers and cameras to digitally capture how humans move. If this sounds familiar, this is the same type of technology used to capture and replicate human movement in video games. In a recent T-Mobile commercial, you can see Charles Barkley, Dr. J, and Magic Johnson dressed up in black spandex suits with markers to record movement digitally. This is the same idea the Stanford researchers are doing, but not quite… The Stanford researchers are using much more precise data gathering methods because they are using this technology in medical and clinical applications. In the article, one of the researchers explains that in video games, the companies use what looks right, but not necessarily an exact representation of what is going on. The researchers are verifying their data to make sure it is precise and accurate. The reason for the error-checking and verification is because the researchers intend to use the data gathered for medical purposes like studying ACL tears or the gait of obese people to predict if they are at risk for osteoarthritis.
I think this type of research is a great example of the things you can do with informatics. Here you have researchers collecting and studying data for medical research. Their methods clearly display divergent thinking. Decades ago, I don’t think many people would have predicted how much we use and rely on computers and technology. Research like this will hopefully help improve many peoples quality of life, as well as possibly increase life expectancy.
Experts: Malicious program targets Macs
May 7, 2009
By time goes on, Mac is being popular, they’re also more sought-after targets for the authors of harmful programs. But, they are changing this by security reserchers. Also, Researchers find computer malware aimed at Mac computers. The “iBotnet” infects a small number of Mac users through pirated software. Still, researchers say it is a step in the evolution of harmful computer programs.experts said that as Macs become more popular, they’re more likely to be targets.
Informatics people could make the hamful viruses and make vacine for fix this.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/22/first.mac.botnet/index.html#cnnSTCText
Prepaid wireless service could spur price war
May 7, 2009
“The prepaid cell phone market has finally hit the U.S. in a big way as economically strapped consumers flock to inexpensive pay-as-you-go services.” It is good for people who use the prepaid services but it is bad news for people who are not using this who are post paid people. At first, the company could make more money from the post-paid people than pre-paid people. Also, for the people who is using pre-paid system, they could change their cell phone any time when they want. However, people who is using post-paid, they usaullay make the contract for one or two years so they have to complete this before chaning the cell phone. Usaually post-paid are used by young people in common.
Thus, the time goes on, pre-paid is growing more than post-paid and it is going to one of the stregy to earn more moeny. For the informatics, we have to make similar system as this.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/05/06/prepaid.wireless/index.html
Cool new pocket-sized projectors
May 5, 2009
This video is really cool, it is showing some new projectors. They are super small and can hook to any device that has a video output and project it onto any wall. It has a small rechargable ION battery. I find this video very interesting because i love how projectors work. I like how they can make the picture show up on a wall however big you want it. If you have say a big screen tv, the picture will stay the same size forever, but not if you have a projector to make the screen bigger all you have to do is move it farther away from the wall. This is related to informatics because its new technology. Being an informatics major I will be needing to be keeping myself up to date with all this new technology that is being developed all around the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_F3l2PVgHU&feature=PlayList&p=537805FD640C33E7&index=5
A phone with a projector
May 5, 2009
I found this video that is about a new cell phone that just came out that has a built in projector so that you can project onto a wall or screen for a bigger picture. It is called the samsung pro. It is a full operational mobile phone. It has a camera and all the normal things any new cell phone has. I find this very interesting, i think that it is really cool. It has a lot to do with informatics because it is new technology that just came out.
A computer virus
May 5, 2009
This is a pretty old video of a computer virus, but i find it very interesting how it works. In the video the man talks about how it all starts and how it affects your computer. This virus will pop up on your computer when you are online like any other pop up. It targets users that visit certain websites like porn or gambaling websites. It will ask you a number of things one being “would you like to install this program on your computer?”. Both yes and no boxes really mean yes, so it will then install on your computer then hold your computers information hostage until you give them a credit card number. This can be fixed but its not easy. You can not just get rid of it by turning your computer on or off you have to do some work. You can go to symantic.com and they will show you how to fix it. This relates to informatics because it is a virus, the people that need to know how to fix viruses are people who are in informatics. This interests me because I would like to learn how viruses work so that I can help fix peoples computers and understand them.
Zoe Keating makes music with only a classical cello, a MacBook Pro, and music editing software. She describes her music as “the fusion of information architecture and classical music,”. She goes on to say that “the way that you problem-solve in the world of technology … really lends itself to problem-solving with the kind of music that I do.” Her music is the product of her playing a few measures of music for a base and then she will layer up what is on the computer, so that she has the effect of multiple people playing with her, then finally she will play the main portion of the song on her cello while the computer plays what she has already played and recorded. The way she uses technology in order to play the music she wants to is a prime example of Informatics. She had a problem, being that she could not get the number of cello players together that she wanted and so what did she do? She uses technology to fix this and now it sounds as if there are any number of cellos playing the parts she wants. Thanks to this, she no longer has to write music at all, instead she will play what she wants and if it does not work she will delete it, however, if she does like it, she can go with it, improvise, and hopefully finish with a beautiful song. I think that is amazing, I love that she uses technology to make what she wants. The idea of taking something you play and playing something different over a track you have already recorded and just adding to a song until you have something you love is what I believe music is all about, and if you only have yourself to make your music, then do what you can. Zoe Keating uses technology to make her music come to life.
informatics i101 