Research Poster

I know this is a couple days late but on Monday my research poster was due.

I chose to do an upcoming technology called the self-sanitizing keyboard by Vioguard.

It was a really interesting idea that I came across while I was looking up different ideas on what technology I wanted use and research.

This is vioguards first product which bathes the keyboard with germicidal ultraviolet light (UV-C).
UV-C is a well known disinfectant capable of inactivating harmful microorganisms within seconds.

How it works
Vioguard's product has the look and feel of a standard notebook keyboard and requires no software or special hardware to function. The Vioguard keyboard is stored in a mechanized enclosure (which doubles as a monitor stand) when not in use. It safely floods the keyboard and track pad with germicidal ultraviolet light. When a user sits down at the workstation and activates the infrared motion sensor with the wave of a hand, the keyboard automatically extends into working position. When the user is finished, the keyboard automatically retracts back inside the enclosure and activates the germicidal ultraviolet lights. LED indicators are used to let the user know when the keyboard has been sanitized and is ready for use. The sanitization cycle can be interrupted anytime to ensure the keyboard is available as needed

I found the experience of presenting our posters as well as twittering....kind of weird. I've never really experienced something like that before but I didn't enjoy it much because I felt as though people didn't really care about our ideas as much as they cared about just getting their tweets in and leaving.

However, I did enjoy the overall process of researching an emerging technology because I loved seeing the different ideas that are coming out soon such as the self-sanitizing keyboard and tinted contacts. I wonder what the world will be like in 50 years from now..

Look what I stumbled upon

http://www.uxsight.com/product/30171/usb-powered-fans-laptop-notebook-cooler-cooling-pad.html

At first, hearing the words “gas oven” and “cooler” together will strike you as odd. But in the case of the Gas Oven Laptop Cooler, it makes a little more sense. Laptop coolers are a dime a dozen so when a manufacturer of said products tries to do something different, it can either go very well, or…not so well. In this case, they mostly succeed. The GOLC is a relatively small yet powerful laptop cooler with two big fans in use to keep your lappy cool and happy. One other nifty feature that should please mobile warriors is the USB power — no wall socket in sight. Granted, if you completely without a wall socket, using this will cause your battery to drain faster. Then again, if your laptop is starting to melt, I can see where your decision making might be altered. Finally, a nice blue glow shines from within letting you know when you do and don’t have sweet sweet electricity flowing through the device itself. The light is slightly gimmicky but a cool feature none the less. Oh yeah, I almost forgot — it’s shaped like a gas stove *face palm*.

Seeing as how most laptop coolers are $40+, are you willing to walk out on a limb for $12.69 and save a few dollars in the process? I hear limb walking is all the rage these days…

USB Sofas!

http://www.cabracega.org/usb-sofa/langswitch_lang/en

Thinking of the craziest yet useful gadget wouldn’t normally involve a couch. But the minds behind the USB Sofa are some special breed of human. I mean, couches do nothing but sit, stationary, never moving unless one of us humans move them. Why not make all of that wasted space go to good use by cramming in some digital storage? Everything else is becoming a USB drive, why not a couch? The only difference is that the USB Couch is actually useful and clever. You see, the concept is simple, a bevy of USB cables from underneath the cushions of the couch allowing users — mere strangers — to share ideas, information, and pretty much whatever data they want. Now obviously anything personal or secret shouldn’t be stored on such a drive as anyone who sits down with a computer can snatch said data. But lets say you need to save something for a friend or college you know is dropping by later.

Some may highlight the fact that simply emailing the information is just as easy and a heck of a lot more secure. It’s all about the options people. You never know, the sharing that goes on between complete strangers via the USB Couch could be quite the ice breaker. One small thing we need to stress is the 14GB storage limit. If you were thinking of anonymously sharing that entire Beatles catalog you torrented with the rest of the world in defiance of stupid labels and big corps botching modern technology, well, sorry to say it won’t happen here.

So how long before I can get two of these for my living room…?

LED tattoos??

http://www.gizmag.com/implantable-electronics/13334/

Tattoos haven’t changed much over the decades. It’s still essentially the same basic concept: A needle moving in and our of your skin with some sort of ink or dye on the tip. Other forms of body modifications such as piercings and implanting metallic objects ahve added a twist to the whole process, but a “tattoo” is still the same. Rebels and body artists of tomorrow will find LED tattoos the next big craze.

The idea may seem crazy at first, but it’s really not that complex. Simple silicon transistors measuring roughly 1 millimeter long and 250 nanometers wide are placed closely together on a thin layer of dissolving silk. The silk dissolves in the body leaving the circuits behind. Irritation is non-existent as the circuits are so tiny that they are completely unnoticeable to the “wearer”.

It’s pretty cool if you ask me. A little less permanent than ink and highly geeky. Those worried about the procedure should know that silk has been used for years in the medical field for various uses because of it’s ability to be broken down by the body with no harmful byproducts of effects. If it’s good enough to conform to the ultra strict rules in medicine then it’s good enough for the rest of us.

So what will you rock in LED fashion under your skin? The Mario Mushroom? Circuit board outline? Logo of your favorite tech company? Skies the limit…

The Pirate Bay!

http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-tracker-shuts-down-for-good-091117/

Today(November 17th) marks the end of an era, as The Pirate Bay team announces that the world’s largest BitTorrent tracker is shutting down for good. Although the site will remain operational for now, millions of BitTorrent users will lose the use of its tracker and will instead have to rely on DHT and alternative trackers to continue downloading.

I usually try to start off each morning with something happy or exciting, but this is neither of those. The Pirate Bay team has announced that starting today, torrent users will no longer be able to use TPB trackers for downloads and will have to rely on other trackers instead. Whether you were for or against PB, you have to admit that in a relatively short time span (since 2003) TPB grew explosively, evolving to a digital giant with upwards of 25 million peers in it’s prime. Sadly that prime is no more. The team says the main site will remain live for now, but it’s but a shell of what it once was. So it is from this point on we must hold our heads high and find a new friend in this vast space of digital junk.

http://www.hemagazine.com/YG_Acoustics_Anat_Reference_II_Professional

A previous incarnation of this speaker was named one of the 40 most significant loudspeakers of all time by Japan’s prestigious Stereo Sound. From its breathtaking ascending form to its aircraft grade 6061-T651 aluminum front baffle and enclosure—according to the company, “simply the most resonant free ... stiffest, strongest, and most acoustically desirable materials ever found”—every facet of the Anat Reference II Professional’s design points toward the goal of ultimate performance, not aesthetic timidity.

I love music. Part of that love is finding the best possible sound quality I can…that which my budget allows anyway. However, if money were no object, these particular loudspeakers by YG Acoustics would be somewhere near the top. To many, the thought of spending even 1/16th the amount a pair of YG’s latest Anat Reference II Professional loudspeakers cost ($107,000 USD) is outrageous. But ask any audiophile, cost does not matter one bit. In essence it’s a lot like photography and professional photographers. When purchasing new equipment, they don’t even ask the cost. If it will make their pictures, (in this case music) look better, than by all means, melt that credit card. But even the most stringent audiophiles will feel their bank account weep with the stratospheric price tag that the Anat Reference II’s dish out.

According to YG Acoustics, the usable frequency range these giants produce extends from below an earth trembling 20 Hz all the way up to a dog exploading, bat killing 40 kHz with +/- 1dB. But sound alone doesn’t make these the “giants” of the loudspeaker world. The physical presence these loudspeakers take is quite astonishing. Weighing in at a tad over 440 lbs., standing 6ft. tall, and crafted out of aircraft grade 6061-T651 aluminum means these won’t fade into the background of your humble abode like those cute little speakers at Best Buy will. Not only will you hear these speakers, you will most certainly see them as well.

Again, the price tag will keep these out of reach for most of the human race. But if you’re the type that has pockets deep enough to reach through to China, then by all means splurge a little. If you have to even question the price tag or try to “reason” yourself into even thinking about spending that much money on a pair of sound output devices then you simply don’t get it. It’s ok. You’re not alone in this world.

A new set of blogging!!

I have decided that for the rest of the semester, I will be talking about random other types of emerging technologies rather than just concentrating on cell phones alone. However, I may write about cell phones again. I just figured a lot of the information that I could blog about, its really just information that people know already. So today I'm going to be writing about... oh looks like its going to be cellphones!! :)

http://www.phonescoop.com/news/item.php?n=4900

 A love child created between new found partners TeraStar and AT&T are aimed at bringing expanded coverage to remote areas via satellite. The handset will allow users to “seamlessly” switch between satellite and cellular networks without hiccup. While the Genus is being marketed towards more government and utility companies, AT&T and TeraStar claim to have a consumer model en route.

Users of the Genus will be required to pay for a standard minutes and data plan as well as pay additional charges when roaming via satellite. While I don’t see big government entities having issues handling the associated operating costs, if these two friends have any hopes of getting a consumer model to be even remotely popular, minutes/data/satellite roaming plans are going to have to go on a thorough diet. Last time I checked paying to use such services via a satellite link were damn near astronomical. Still, I’d love to try one. Wouldn’t you?