Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock

While searching the internet tonight on some of my favorite health and nutrition blogs, I came across an article called 7 Tech Tools for Better Primal Living. I found the Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock to be the most interesting and useful tools on this list. After further research I found this iPhone app can actually monitor and analyze someone's sleeping patterns and wake the sleeper up in his/her lightest phase of sleep. It wakes the sleeper up with a low soothing noise and will increase the volume slowly until the sleeper awakes. The website Lifehacker took a vote on the best alarm app currently on the market, and this App won with a 50% vote. At a price of $0.99, this app seems worth it for such a practical technology.

Smell-O-Vision

     Recently, both Gizmodo and The Verge posted about the possibility of being able to incorporate smells into TVs to enhance the viewing experience to include more senses.  (No, the post was not on April Fools Day, or following Google's "Google Nose" April Fools joke) Here is link to a fairly thorough description of how it works: http://www.theverge.com/2013/3/31/4166884/japanese-smelling-screen-might-be-the-next-big-thing-in-advertising

     In short, scents are bound up in pre-made gels which are heated at the proper time.  Then, four fans along the sides of the TV blow air carrying the scent, towards each other, parallel with the screen.  Based on fan speeds, the air currents from each side of the TV hit at a controllable location and begin to disperse.  Supposedly, controlling where the currents hit can give the illusion that the smell is coming from a particular part of the screen.  It seems though, that scent cartridges would have to be bought and replaced.

     Can anyone see this becoming big someday?  Do you find the implications of it for advertising pleasing or scary?

     Personally I think it would be well suited to a movie theater experience, and maybe for homes too if it's not expensive.  Already, foods get "advertised" by their natural scents that waft around where they are made.  I know I really want Subway every time I pass by Foster hall and smell the fresh bread.  I am worried though that if it were to become popular that it would increase the bombardment of advertisers, both in the home and in public places.  Successively run commercials could both release their own scents which would mix in the room and have unintended results.  If this technology were to get underway, I think it would be best used in a movie theater experience.  This way, consumers wouldn't have to worry about getting more hardware or being bombarded in their own homes.  The movie producers could create a well-tested, controlled, and continuous experience that could make a movie more interesting.

Last week, Alexis and I presented on GroupMe--the group messaging system that relies on its ease of use. The GroupMe application allows for mass communication without any of the uncertainties of texting and the immediate feedback of the Internet.

GroupMe has the ability to encourage communication although it lacks the face-to-face interaction that Turkle says is necessary for actual community. I believe GroupMe does--more than anything else--encourages organization. The organization that GroupMe provides for the ever-busy college student or businessman is irreplaceable by any other group messaging system. GroupMe allows one compartmentalize each conversation and duties accompanied with that group.

Snapchat

Snapchat is a "real-time picture chat" application for iPhone and Android-based telephones: a user takes a photograph, captions it, and sends it to a friend with the Snapchat application installed on their telephone. Photographs and their captions persist only for a user-selectable duration of time, up to ten seconds. After this, they disappear forever. In class, we discussed the repercussions of ephemeral photographs. These photographs allow for a certain amount of non-judgemental play between users; a smile can be shared, a frown, or a funny face.

We also discussed the nature of digital identity: what does it mean to create persistent, online profiles? how do these profiles relate to our self-identity?

For more information on Snapchat, visit the Snapchat homepage.

Blast Proof Train: Reade & Amy

Reade and I presented on Secure Metro's latest project, the Blast Proof train.  This project was developed in response to the 7/7 bombings in London (essentially their 9/11).   Unfortunately, this was not the first attack on the train system in Europe, Madrid and Moscow have also been targets in the past with a bombing in Moscow as recent as 2009.  The blast proof train provides a cheaper and more secure environment in the event of a bombing.  Damage is incredibly minimized and it encourages a safe and secure environment.  However, the project is still in development and has not been tested in a subway environment.  Additionally, the main goal of the project was to prevent a mass shutdown of an important transportation system in Europe, not saving the lives of the passengers.

Ancestry.com

Philip and I presented on Ancestry.com in class. This technology allows for a user to search through their family lineage by entering information of relatives like birthday and place of birth. Ancestry.com then checks this information with their very large databases that can encompass information from all over the world. Ancestry.com also checks family trees made between one another as to connect the information input together. There are a few very good pros about this technology and about Ancestry.com specifically. I have personally had to use online family tree makers in order to make a family tree for a study. It was much easier than starting from scratch in paint or word. The databases that Ancestry.com have the ability to cross check are also a major pro for this website in particular. The cons about this technology is the fact that it charges money for information that is public record. Even if a person would opt for the free trial, the first question asked is the person's credit card number. This technology can connect to two of the texts. Parallels can be drawn to compare Ancestry.com to Chapter 8 of "The Shallows" by Carr. In this chapter, Carr discusses the development and power the search engine Google. This technology can also be compared to Turkle's key point in "Alone Together." As we look to technology for more and more information, we isolate ourselves from other people. This technology, in my mind, stops conversations between parents and children about nationality and family lineage. Now, the children just need to search the internet and no conversation is needed or, in most cases, wanted.

Arduino

This week, Edward L. and I did our presentation on Arduino, a multiplatform microcontroller that can be programmed to fulfill many different functions. These functions can range from being able to detect earthquakes before they happen and tweeting when one is detected to powering a mechanical bull for dolls to ride on. For computer programming aficionados, this circuit board is a very exciting piece of technology. It utilizes its own programming language, but it closely resembles the C++ programming language that is standard in a lot of programming software. Arduino is also very affordable--the base chip costs around $25-$30, and add on devices called shields range anywhere from $10-$100.

One really unique aspect of Arduino is that it promotes open source programming. Open source programming is essentially a movement to get away from proprietary elements of other programs, which means that people are allowing their creative and intellectual property to be utilized by anyone who wants to utilize it without any major copyright or ownership issues. By allowing for open source development, programmers can create newer concepts based on things other people have already developed. Arduino strongly promotes creativity and innovation among those who have a knack for programming.

Linked below is a TED talk done by Massimo Banzi, creator of Arduino:

Also linked here is our Prezi on Arduino: