Warp drives, commonly used in science fiction, are propulsion systems which allow space craft to travel faster than light. The most notable usage of warp drives is probably in the Star Trek universe. But what are warp drives and how do they work? […]
With the recent explosion of extrasolar planet discoveries, some relatively nearby, astronomers and space enthusiasts wonder how habitable some of these planets would be for humans. Just don’t forget about gravity… […]
Many countries, if they so wished, could develop nuclear weapons without much, if any, help from outside. We wanted to know, hypothetically of course, which countries could develop nuclear weapons the quickest. […]
Do you drive? Take the bus? Bicycle, perhaps? Well, none of these work for you if you live in Santa Anita Canyon, a rustic enclave just east of Pasadena. Here, some residents are taking life at a slower pace. How slow? Well, let’s just say it has something to do with pack mules.
Check out this episode of Impact, the television show for which I’m supervising producer. Impact is the focal point of my graduate program at USC Annenberg. Producers have the opportunity to host one episode, and I was stoked to host this one, if only for the independent spirit of the characters featured.
The second part of this episode features Eco-Domes, the desert’s version of igloos. They are constructed using dirt, sandbags and barbed wire, and residents are happy to show us around.
I impatiently wait for cordless electricity, automated public bathroom finders and car-finds-you parking lot detectors.
The point of new tech is simple: level-up the convenience meter. Faster. Smaller. More efficient. Less Time. Greater good, lesser bad.
GOOD Magazine recently featured a insta-interactive 3D augmented reality demo, and it looks something like this (clicks through to their post):
While we twiddle our thumbs waiting for something like this to be released at Best Buy, some MIT brains have developed SixthSense, a wearable device that instantly manifests a virtual keyboard or interface. Frame a photo with your fingers. Type on your hand. Search product information on the actual product itself. No iPhone required.
It looks something like this:
The video below is a delightful and charming demo. The best application I can think of is simple: the instant notepad. Pulling out my iPhone, opening the “Notes” application and beginning to type is just too many steps. Especially when I’m interrupted by all sort sof other notifications. Why jeopardize a flighty, brilliant idea? Especially while driving. Voice-activation wouldn’t hurt. After all, Siri is way too temperamental to rely on.
SixthSense via TED.com:
Thank goodness instant gratification isn’t one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
If you don’t crack a smile at the video below, you have no soul.
Multi-instrument contraptions need to catch on, and Stuart David Crout took it to new heights in 2008 with more than 8 million YouTube views. He rocks a sawed-off ukulele/keyboard/kazoo (pictured left), otherwise known as the kazookeylele.
Where are all the other instrument mashups? Stand up and be seen!
Oobject.com features some head-scratchers, like the 5-stringed chicken cooker and bikelophone, but these seriously need a bigger primetime slot in our lives. I expect a clever contraption to be featured at next year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
Phonofiddler - image courtesy Infrogmation
Check out the phonofiddle (pictured right) being played by this fine gentleman in the pink hat. He slides the bow, and sound blares out of the horn.
When I did a video about cigar box guitars, I learned that Appalachian mountain music inspired all sorts of DIY music mashups, often with household items. Milk crates earned twangy strings. Washtubs donned vibrating cords. Washbins = percussion.
Kazokeylele Crout (below), hats off to you. May others follow your wacky musical steps.
If you didn’t catch the kazookeylele YouTube phenomenon when it hit, please do so now.
- girl geeks
- guys who like girl geeks
- scientists
- documentary-lovers
- hungry artists
- artsy web developers
- Trekkies
- cat owners
- single-celled organisms, because they don't know any better
- scholars
- grad students
- people who buy magnetic poetry kits
- people who receive magnetic poetry kits as gifts
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Questions > Answers
Insta-Convenient Consumer Tech
I impatiently wait for cordless electricity, automated public bathroom finders and car-finds-you parking lot detectors.
The point of new tech is simple: level-up the convenience meter. Faster. Smaller. More efficient. Less Time. Greater good, lesser bad.
GOOD Magazine recently featured a insta-interactive 3D augmented reality demo, and it looks something like this (clicks through to their post):
While we twiddle our thumbs waiting for something like this to be released at Best Buy, some MIT brains have developed SixthSense, a wearable device that instantly manifests a virtual keyboard or interface. Frame a photo with your fingers. Type on your hand. Search product information on the actual product itself. No iPhone required.
It looks something like this:
The video below is a delightful and charming demo. The best application I can think of is simple: the instant notepad. Pulling out my iPhone, opening the “Notes” application and beginning to type is just too many steps. Especially when I’m interrupted by all sort sof other notifications. Why jeopardize a flighty, brilliant idea? Especially while driving. Voice-activation wouldn’t hurt. After all, Siri is way too temperamental to rely on.
SixthSense via TED.com:
Thank goodness instant gratification isn’t one of the Seven Deadly Sins.