Apparently, in Japan, most (about 90-95 percent) phones are waterproof. At the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, a Fujitsu vice-president stated, "The mobile phone is with us 24 hours a day. It accompanies us to the bathroom, to the shower, or under the rain. So it is a necessity for the phone to be robust,"
I love this way of thinking. I personally, would probably never buy a watch that isn't waterproof. Why should this same logic not extend to my cell phone. About a third of the damage to mobile phones involves exposure to water of some kind.
In general, any advance in "hardening" technologies is welcome news to someone as rough on things as I am. For instance, in November, Apple recently filed for a patent on a crack resistant glass screen solution.
Some phone manufacturers already have models that meet military standards for solar radiation, rain, dust, altitude, shock, temperature and more. These are typically, however, not the models with the most features, smallest footprint, or trendiest styling. As such, they are not the phones that most of put at the top of our wish list. With the Japanese helping to influence the global market, though, perhaps the concept of ruggedness will become more prevalent within the mainstream product lines.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Feat Turns Fatal
I just saw a news article reporting the tragic death of a Sri Lankan man, last Saturday, while trying to set a record for the longest time spent buried alive. His mother indicated that he had been buried alive on two previous occasions - for two and a half hours and six hours respectively. This time, he was found unconscious after spending six and a half hours buried in a ten foot deep trench sealed with wood and soil. In spite of his efforts, it is unclear whether there is even an official world record for the longest time buried alive.
This is apparently a stunt that even famous escape artist Harry Houdini had trouble with. In 1917, near Santa Ana, California, he was buried, without a casket, in a pit of earth six feet deep. He became exhausted and panicky trying to dig his way to the surface and called for help. When his hand finally broke the surface, he fell unconscious and had to be pulled from the grave by his assistants. Houdini wrote in his diary that the escape was "very dangerous" and that "the weight of the earth is killing."
I don't want to pass judgement on anyone's rationale for attempting something like this. I can sincerely tell you, however, that this Blind Bambi has absolutely no interest in trying something like this at home (or on a reality show).
This is apparently a stunt that even famous escape artist Harry Houdini had trouble with. In 1917, near Santa Ana, California, he was buried, without a casket, in a pit of earth six feet deep. He became exhausted and panicky trying to dig his way to the surface and called for help. When his hand finally broke the surface, he fell unconscious and had to be pulled from the grave by his assistants. Houdini wrote in his diary that the escape was "very dangerous" and that "the weight of the earth is killing."
I don't want to pass judgement on anyone's rationale for attempting something like this. I can sincerely tell you, however, that this Blind Bambi has absolutely no interest in trying something like this at home (or on a reality show).
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The Oreo Turns 100
This Tuesday, the iconic Oreo cookie celebrates it's 100th birthday. On March 6, 1912, the National Biscuit Company made its first sale of Oreo sandwich cookies, for 30 cents per pound, to a grocer in Hoboken, New Jersey. The current brand owner, Kraft Foods (parent company of Nabisco), enjoyed worldwide Oreo sales, in 100 countries, of more than $2 billion last year. It is estimated that 491 billion Oreos have been sold since it was first introduced. It was the best selling cookie of the 20th century.
The original Oreo came in one of two flavors: lemon meringue and vanilla cream. The meringue flavor was soon discontinued as the vanilla cream version was more popular. In 1952, the sandwich cookie we recognize today as the classic Oreo, two crispy chocolate wafers with sweet vanilla icing filling, was introduced. Apparently, the Oreo recipe is adjusted somewhat around the world to address regional preferences. For instance, the Canadian version is slightly different than its U.S. baked counterpart. In China, the most popular version is a green tea ice-cream flavor. In Latin America, there is a banana and dulce de leche-filled cookie. Last year, Oreos were introduced in Germany, India and Poland.
Some believe that the cookie's name was taken from the French word for gold, "or" (the main color on early Oreo packages). Others claim the name stemmed from the shape of a hill-shaped test version; thus naming the cookie in Greek for mountain, "oreo." Still others believe the name is a combination of taking the "re" from "cream" and placing it between the two "o"s in "chocolate" - making "o-re-o." And still others believe that the cookie was named Oreo simply because it was short and easy to pronounce.
The Oreo is dubbed milk's favorite cookie. The "twist, lick and dunk" method of eating it is favored by about half of cookie connoisseurs and is more popular among women Oreo eaters than men. Personally, this Blind Bambi is not an Oreo "dunker", but I am now off to enjoy a tall glass of cold milk and a couple of Oreo cookies to celebrate one of my favorite centenarians.
The original Oreo came in one of two flavors: lemon meringue and vanilla cream. The meringue flavor was soon discontinued as the vanilla cream version was more popular. In 1952, the sandwich cookie we recognize today as the classic Oreo, two crispy chocolate wafers with sweet vanilla icing filling, was introduced. Apparently, the Oreo recipe is adjusted somewhat around the world to address regional preferences. For instance, the Canadian version is slightly different than its U.S. baked counterpart. In China, the most popular version is a green tea ice-cream flavor. In Latin America, there is a banana and dulce de leche-filled cookie. Last year, Oreos were introduced in Germany, India and Poland.
Some believe that the cookie's name was taken from the French word for gold, "or" (the main color on early Oreo packages). Others claim the name stemmed from the shape of a hill-shaped test version; thus naming the cookie in Greek for mountain, "oreo." Still others believe the name is a combination of taking the "re" from "cream" and placing it between the two "o"s in "chocolate" - making "o-re-o." And still others believe that the cookie was named Oreo simply because it was short and easy to pronounce.
The Oreo is dubbed milk's favorite cookie. The "twist, lick and dunk" method of eating it is favored by about half of cookie connoisseurs and is more popular among women Oreo eaters than men. Personally, this Blind Bambi is not an Oreo "dunker", but I am now off to enjoy a tall glass of cold milk and a couple of Oreo cookies to celebrate one of my favorite centenarians.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Contraction of the Market for CDs
The latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine includes an article entitled, “Is the CD Era Finally Over?” It reports that, in 2011, digital music sales outstripped physical sales for the first time ever. The speculation, then, is that the CD, as a format, will follow predecessors like the cassette and eight-track tape into obsolescence. In fact, news stories are starting to announce that major labels may be planning to discontinue the recording and sales of music CDs as early as late 2012.
The first album pressed on CD was "The Visitors" by Abba, and the first CD release was Billy Joel’s "52nd Street," recorded and produced by Sony in 1982. The first platinum-selling CD album came in 1985 – Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms – and according to BBC News, it is still the world’s most successful album on CD. Sales for music CDs of all genres peaked in 2000 at 2.455 billion. In 2006, that figure was down to 1.755 billion. By 2011, just 223 million CDs were sold.
Middle-aged and senior adults are least likely to have embraced the MP3 era of digital downloads. As a specific example, Rolling Stone compared this month’s sales of an older musician, Leonard Cohen, and a younger musician, Lana Del Rey. Cohen’s latest album sold roughly 70 percent of its copies on CD, but Del Ray’s album just sold 26 percent on CD. Likewise, lower income Americans may have more difficulty transitioning to all-digital music distribution.
Believe it or not, this Blind Bambi actually owns and uses an iPod. I certainly appreciate and understand the convenience and portability of digital music libraries and cloud-based services that can make them readily available to a variety of devices at nearly any location. I grew up in an era, however, when buying music equated to the purchase of something physical (e.g., an LP, a 45 single, an 8-track, a cassette, a CD, ...). For that reason, I struggle a little with the on-going demise of the CD as a music format. I'm not ready, yet, for the CD-stocked shelves of Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and other retailers to simply disappear. But, then again, I still own a bunch of VHS videotapes.
The first album pressed on CD was "The Visitors" by Abba, and the first CD release was Billy Joel’s "52nd Street," recorded and produced by Sony in 1982. The first platinum-selling CD album came in 1985 – Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms – and according to BBC News, it is still the world’s most successful album on CD. Sales for music CDs of all genres peaked in 2000 at 2.455 billion. In 2006, that figure was down to 1.755 billion. By 2011, just 223 million CDs were sold.
Middle-aged and senior adults are least likely to have embraced the MP3 era of digital downloads. As a specific example, Rolling Stone compared this month’s sales of an older musician, Leonard Cohen, and a younger musician, Lana Del Rey. Cohen’s latest album sold roughly 70 percent of its copies on CD, but Del Ray’s album just sold 26 percent on CD. Likewise, lower income Americans may have more difficulty transitioning to all-digital music distribution.
Believe it or not, this Blind Bambi actually owns and uses an iPod. I certainly appreciate and understand the convenience and portability of digital music libraries and cloud-based services that can make them readily available to a variety of devices at nearly any location. I grew up in an era, however, when buying music equated to the purchase of something physical (e.g., an LP, a 45 single, an 8-track, a cassette, a CD, ...). For that reason, I struggle a little with the on-going demise of the CD as a music format. I'm not ready, yet, for the CD-stocked shelves of Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and other retailers to simply disappear. But, then again, I still own a bunch of VHS videotapes.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Grips Like Gecko Feet
Gecko's, typically 5 ounce lizards, amaze scientists (and non-scientists) with their ability to grip and scamper up the smoothest of surfaces. Their feet are covered in self-cleaning microscopic hairs, known as setae, with even smaller branches at the tips, called spatulae. These ensure that a gecko's foot has a large surface area in contact with any surface, maximizing the weak but ever-present attraction between adjacent molecules known as the van der Waals force -- Gecko feet produce an adhesive force nearly equivalent to 18 times their own body weight. Most previous efforts were based on creating materials (e.g., carbon nanotubes) attempting to act like the gecko's setae.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, however, have taken a somewhat different approach by evaluating how several interacting elements in gecko feet, including tendons, bones and skin, work together to produce easily reversible adhesion. In fact, their novel design approach has demonstrated that setae are not required for gecko-like adhesion.
They developed Geckskin, which integrates adhesive with a soft pad woven into a stiff fabric, allowing the pad to "drape" over a surface to maximize contact. Further, as in natural gecko feet, the skin is woven into a synthetic "tendon," yielding a design that plays a key role in maintaining stiffness and rotational freedom. An index-card-sized sheet can hold up to 700 pounds on a smooth wall, and using the same types of high-capacity reversibility and dry adhesion as gecko feet, can easily attach and detach heavy objects (like say a big screen TV) on flat or slanted surfaces — even glass. The Geckskin can be released with little effort and re-used, and leaves no residue. Best of all, the Geckskin's adhesive pad uses simple everyday materials such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which holds promise for developing an inexpensive, strong and durable dry adhesive product.
And we thought velcro was cool ...
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, however, have taken a somewhat different approach by evaluating how several interacting elements in gecko feet, including tendons, bones and skin, work together to produce easily reversible adhesion. In fact, their novel design approach has demonstrated that setae are not required for gecko-like adhesion.
They developed Geckskin, which integrates adhesive with a soft pad woven into a stiff fabric, allowing the pad to "drape" over a surface to maximize contact. Further, as in natural gecko feet, the skin is woven into a synthetic "tendon," yielding a design that plays a key role in maintaining stiffness and rotational freedom. An index-card-sized sheet can hold up to 700 pounds on a smooth wall, and using the same types of high-capacity reversibility and dry adhesion as gecko feet, can easily attach and detach heavy objects (like say a big screen TV) on flat or slanted surfaces — even glass. The Geckskin can be released with little effort and re-used, and leaves no residue. Best of all, the Geckskin's adhesive pad uses simple everyday materials such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which holds promise for developing an inexpensive, strong and durable dry adhesive product.
And we thought velcro was cool ...
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Second Screen and the Social Television Trend
"Second screen" is a term that refers to an additional electronic device (e.g. laptop, tablet, smartphone) that allows a television audience to interact with the content they are consuming. According to a recent Physorg article, it is "the hottest new thing in television." As some believe that as much as 30 percent of Web-surfing is done while watching TV, a lot of effort is being put into ways to keep the viewer's online focus aligned with the programming being viewed simultaneously. For example, the broadcaster of a sports event may provide synchronized feeds of statistics and other currently relevant information or allow the viewer to see different camera angles. Other programming may utilize the second screen for alternative scenes, information, soundtrack, and/or characters. A marketing application may help viewers buy stuff they see during TV shows. Social television applications may simply aim to make the television experience more social, by enabling interaction with other viewers; offering the chance to win points, awards, and prizes; and encouraging the user to comment on, rank, or otherwise actively engage the experience. Below are some examples:
- GetGlue is a social networking site for entertainment fans to interact. It allows users to check-in to TV shows or movies they are watching, music they are listening to, books they are reading, video games they are playing, celebrities they are chatting about, or pretty much any topic they are thinking about.
- IntoNow utilizes a patented sound-recognition technology called SoundPrint that hears and recognizes what is being watched, right down to the episode. It then lets users share with friends on Twitter or Facebook, provides full episode and cast info, lets them know what their friends are watching (notifying friends who are watching the same show), and provides one-click access to IMDb, iTunes and Netflix.
- Previiw allows the viewer to choose a scene within a show or movie and clip a portion of that scene (up to 140 seconds), for the purpose of commenting on and sharing through their social network, web site or blog.
- yap.TV is a completely personalized TV show guide fused with streamed content for thousands of TV shows.
- During the last Video Music Awards telecast, an MTV website featured an app called Hot Seat, a seating chart of the auditorium where the show was staged. A user could slide his computer mouse across the chart to see what celebrity was sitting there, along with all that celebrity's tweets during the event.
- Last October, the singer Usher completely split the front of his pants during "A Decade of Difference" concert honoring former President Clinton and celebrating the tenth anniversary of his foundation. Within minutes, fed by "OMG" messages on Twitter and Facebook, the live video stream on Yahoo! immediately swelled from 1 million to 20 million.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Drowsy Driver Detector
A recent Gizmag article reports on a "smart cap" that monitors worker fatigue by measuring brain waves. This washable cap has a waterproof sensor built into its lining that calculates the wearer's level of alertness every second and transmits this information via Bluetooth to a device that can display this information or sound an alarm when a critical threshold is reached. While I've seen articles about other inventions marketed to help detect and/or awaken drowsy drivers, it seems that an approach as potentially accurate and unobtrusive as this one could potentially one day become a standard safety feature in vehicles of the future.
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