Monday, December 6, 2010

Father and Son Send Balloon To Space

Technology has become so advanced that everyday people have access to technology that will allow them to do some extraordinary things. Like sending a weather balloon into the upper stratosphere to observe the darkness of space for example.

A young kid and his father designed a homemade spacecraft and sent it 100,000 feet into the upper stratosphere, using an HD camera, a weather balloon and an IPhone4 GPS system.

The project took 8 months of research and testing, and finally in August 2010 the launch took place in Newburgh, New York. The purpose was to film the blackness above earth and to see if they could over come the many variables in place that stand in the way when sending something to space. Variables such as: 100 mph wind speeds, temperatures -60 degrees below 0, and the possibility of a water landing. After 100,000 feet the balloon pops and descends back to earth. The significance behind this experiment is the ability for everyday people to push the boundaries. Sending anything into space is a relatively new premise, so this is a great example of what kind of exciting things people can do with technology that exists right here and now.

If anyone knows of any extraordinary accomplishments or ideas that people have come up with or that you have thought of and want to share, don't hesitate to throw in your two cents.

Monday, November 22, 2010

How to not become a laptop hunchback - Ergonomic Solution

Laptops are making us hunchbacks :(
It seems very obvious that laptops are not ergonomically friendly. We are all, finally, becoming ergonomically aware and yet we still succumb to laptops in all their hunching inducing glory. This is not okay. We can sit it the most suitably designed, ergonomic (designer even) chair, but as our hands are at our waist, if our heads are there too, it’s just not gonna help.

So, a seedling of a solution? Put a neck on the thing! Of all of our crazy technological advancements I’m proposing something that may actually move us back a bit – literally ;)
The screen of a laptop, either, needs to be a separate piece from the keyboard, or, it needs to have a neck that extends the screen up. For proper posture, the tip of your nose should hit the middle of your screen (if for some reason it was that close to your face, in which case I don’t want to know why that would be...).

If it was a separate piece it should have little feet to stand on so you could place it where you need to - like on a stack of books or something like that. And if the feet actually looked like feet, well, that would just be awesome. 

It seems absolutely crazy to me that this is not an issue. I’ve discussed this silliness with others and they agree with the decline of posture. I know our heads are fuller with immense amounts of information, but ummm, it doesn’t actually weigh anything - tangibly speaking. So pick it up and straighten out. And spread the word so we can encourage the development of a truly valuable consumer product innovation. I mean, those are pretty hard to come by!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Creative Alternative Marketing By Volkswagen

Companies bombard the marketplace with ads creating clutter. Todays marketplace requires companies to come up with new unique creative ideas in order to attract consumers. So whats a better way then guerrilla marketing, its affordable and if you have the right idea, it can be very effective.

Volkswagen does a fantastic job utilizing guerrilla marketing. Volkswagen thinks of an idea to turn an everyday commute into something a little more fun. To create awareness using non traditional marketing techniques, Volkswagen designed a slide and called it the "fast lane" for people to use in the subway station. The purpose of the slide was to promote the POLO GTI. Alternative marketing techniques are affordable and effective when implemented properly.

Its about being unorthodox and trying something new, and this is really thinking outside the box. You can count on more creative business and marketing techniques like this to become more popular and prevalent as time goes on, for more videos on guerrilla marketing check this out @Mashable

Don't forget to comment to let us know what you think, and don't be afraid to shoot a couple of ideas our way!

Monday, October 4, 2010

Dynamics Inc: The End to Credit Card Fraud?

Dynamics Inc has designed a new innovative multi functional credit card, in order to try and prevent credit card fraud.

One of the largest threats in the information age is identity theft and fraud.I am sure everyone could breath a little easier if credit card theft was eliminated entirely. It sounds too good to be true, and it probably is. But Dynamics Inc has designed a new card that is heading in the right direction to help protect identity and our credit cards. This card was created for convenience, and security. The new card has buttons on it, which allows for the person to punch in a personalized identification number in accordance to an account that the person wants to access. If the card is stolen the information strip on the back is blank, and the card is useless unless the person knows the PIN.

This is one idea that could potentially elimante credit card fraud.
Could this be the future of credit cards? Let us know what you think!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Airline pillows really need to be upgraded

Airlines offer elements to add comfort to a flight, right? Let's ignore the fact that we have to pay for them. And a decent sleep is the most desired result for the majority of travellers. But our options are still limited to the old school, no real support, pillow.  

You see, after a long flight over seas to Germany I awoke with the worst neck pain imaginable. This was due to the sad excuse of a pillow that was supplied by the Air Canada Airline. I think that airlines should supply all passengers with those nifty neck pillows for those traveling long distances. This would provide proper neck support which would eliminate that sore and stiff neck and shoulder pain so common among travelers.

A person uncomfortable and pained is much more likely to point out anything else that upsets them, while a person feeling good is less likely to complain about the nitty gritty. 

The airline industry is a very competitive market so small things like this can go a long way!

A new cell phone feature called Bouncin'

Let's talk about cell phones.
You know, when you're driving, or in a meeting, or just doing something that limits you from answering your phone, and maybe you're expecting a call, or hoping for a particular call - and you want to explain why you can't get to the phone but you can't just yet? Sure usually, it's no big deal, they can wait, right?! But sometimes it is a big'ish deal, so...

Why not add a feature, like an ‘out of office reply’ (which we'll call, the bouncer) that says “I’m driving” or “In a meeting” or “Let’s pretend I care” or whatever little explanation or notification you want your phone to automatically respond with (bounce back) so that you don’t have to!

I’m not too savvy regarding mobile technology options and capabilities so maybe this or something even better exists?

For The Summer by Ray Lamontagne

Music is necessary in life. It's not something I add to this big or small world. But I have a few ideas now and then, about how it can be modified or tweaked. Dare I make suggestion to alter an already lovely song?

Ray Lamontagne wrote and sings a song called For The Summer. It’s quite gorgeous in his typical, almost understated way. It’s full of musical expression. I need not say anything, really. But I can imagine a sandy sound to it. Something like a light maraca. The subtle use of maracas would complement the organic texture of this music. The more expressive elements, like the harmonica or the strings, lead the song wonderfully, but I feel the additional sandy rhythm could tie it all together.

You can visit his website for a thorough, and formal introduction, or, you can visit my music blog for my personal introduction of Ray and many others