Watch What You Eat!

Have you ever gone a whole day of eating, eating, and eating, and then at the end of the night realize that you ate so much today and you cannot remember what it is exactly? Well now you can thanks to this latest technology marvel created by Edward Sazonov, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Alabama.

The device is called an Automatic Ingestion Monitor, it wraps around the ear similar to the older bluetooth headsets. It has a camera and motion sensor that helps see how many time you chew and eat or drink. The prototype is a working machine and measures your jaw movements and by seeing how you chew it can differentiate between talking and chewing.

Quite an interesting device that seems like not such a big deal, but actually it could help a lot of people track their eating habits which is always a healthy choice and something that this country could use!

-Mike

Article information was received from http://www.livescience.com/48746-wearable-camera-analyzes-diet.html  written by Kelly Dickerson.

Ear-o-Smart

As “smart” watches begin to make a name for themselves, another “smart” accessory is now stealing their spotlight. Big companies are making one-size-fits-all fitness bands and watches, but new smart earrings are now being made to be female friendly. Ear-o-smart is a pair of smart earrings that can connect to users smartphone via Bluetooth. Ear-o-smart can monitor your heart rate, calories and activity levels. These small studs appear to be like a normal pair of jewelry with sensors inside. 

Using PPG (photoplethysmogram) technology that appear in other fitness bands, the earrings take your heart rate by measuring blood flow. Essentially, light from an LED is reflected by blood flow and absorbed by a photodiode that determines when your heart beats.

Although I think this is a cool concept I didn’t see the real cause of tracking things such as calories and heart rate like other bands and watches do. Other sports watches and wrist-bands that people use are used mostly for athletic purposes, but with these fashion earrings it would just be for personal knowledge.

So far this idea is trying to becoming up and running with a Kickstarter crowd funding campaign. If they reach their target goal of $30,000 the the team wants to test the first batch of hardware along with the first version of the app. Hopefully to be completed for February 2015, a minimum pledge of $110 will get you a pair of the simple white earrings you see above, while $133 will get you a kit that lets you create your own design.

Beta news quoted Ravinder Saini, the president of BioSensive Technologies, “we believe that wearable electronics should be embedded into the products we use in our everyday lives; for that reason, we created Ear-o-Smart. We believe that sharing knowledge of our patent-pending invention might herald the onset of new kinds of wearable devices in the market that previously, no one ever imagined”.

Sites used:

http://betanews.com/2014/11/13/ear-o-smart-earrings-that-monitor-your-fitness-levels-hit-kickstarter

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/smart-earrings-can-track-your-heart-rate-and-monitor-102546372329.html

Caroline King

Simband- Samsung’s Wearable Intelligence for Future Smarter Healthcare

Six months ago, Samsung began advertising the Simband, wearable technology for communication. Cheeky advertisements with nostalgic cinematic anecdotes from cult films and Sunday morning cartoons. The projection of our future being now was confirming these sci-fi films’ expectations for future communication technologies. The Korean company introduced the idea of technology s a wearable extension of self– your smartphone on your wrist. With months to sit with the idea of phone watches and allow competing companies to encroach on the wearable technology trend, they debuted the beta generation of the technology to product developers.

The new iteration of the phone watch, depicted through the advertisements, similar to Gear S, The Simband wearable is entirely focused on healthcare. At their second annual conference in Silicon Valley, Samsung debuted the beta product to developers for sensor evolution and reformation. CNet was present at the conference and  reported on the product, “when the original Simband debuted earlier this May, it was designed as a health band, but not a smartwatch. Its focus is entirely on health tracking, collecting lots of data to share with medical researchers, doctors, and for personal health use. Simband is open and modular, and comes studded with a ton of medical sensors.”

The wearable technology allows for future medical advances and reporting of biometric data beneficial for the future of healthcare. Additionally, the release of the device in its beta stage allows for medical engineers and program developers to manipulate the technology to report or focus on specific medical diagnoses relevant to an individual’s health conditions. How the sensors can evolve, what they could possibly be recording, and the storage of this data is placing Samsung in a position where they could possibly merge with the Big Pharma and the Healthcare industry.

 The potential that this product has on the future of wearable technologies and healthcare is exponential; if a wearable device with the technology of a watch, smart phone, and health data and medical records were safely stored and easily accessible by doctors or healthcare professionals.

 

 

         

 

The only downside to this reveal is that Samsung made it clear that this device is not intended for commercial sale and use, but rather for developers to expand upon the product for health care benefits. This opens the company up to healthcare platforms and encouraging further tech companies to expand on the same idea. It’s still unclear about how Samsung plans to use these new technologies in the future, but the debate still lies if whether people are in support of wearable technologies or smart gear. People could also question the privacy of the medical reporting or the incentives and hyper connection associated with wearable tech.

regardless, where the tech industry chooses to take wearable tech is interesting and the future seems bright.

thanks!

Taylor

 

Links:

http://www.samsung.com/us/globalinnovation/innovation_areas/

http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/wearable-tech

http://www.cnet.com/products/samsung-simband/

http://mashable.com/2014/11/12/samsungs-simband/

http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/12/samsung-releases-simband-fitness-wearable-for-developers/

 

Finding A Place for Google Glass

At two years old Google Glass still remains in its beta form and has yet to find a prominent role in our technological landscape.  The production of Glass is still too expensive to become commercially successful, and that is not the only thing keeping it from being the next iPhone-like revolution.  Issues of privacy and safety are serious concerns that will have to be overcome before the product sweeps the nation.

While Glass remains on the back burner in terms of the commercial marketplace some industries are finding uses for this new technology that offer a wide host of possibilities.  This is occurring mainly among industries in which workers use their hands as their primary tool.  Surgeons, mechanics, electricians, and others can benefit from Google Glass because of its handsfree nature.  Recently the first medical procedure utilizing Glass was conducted.  The doctor executing the surgery donned a pair of the glasses and headphone.  A live stream was sent from the glasses to a colleague outside of the room.  This allowed a second doctor to instruct, suggest, and monitor the events of the procedure (1).  Beyond the security provided by the secondary viewer this use of Google Glass has strong implications in terms of how we might train medical professionals.  Case studies have begun to study the use of Google Glasses as a means of teaching medical students.  The first person experience provided by Glass allows students to experience more realistic walkthroughs before their first hands on attempts.  And this new method is not limited to just medical professionals; This use of Glass as a virtual (yet entirely human) instructor can be adopted and applied in a wide variety of fields.  Taco Bell is even considering Google Glass to train its employees.

Still it is impossible to ignore the concerns that this technology brings with it.  Being such an obvious step towards the union of the body and technology the idea of Google Glass adds to our skepticism and uncertainty about our growing use and dependence on technology.  “Big Brother is Watching You” has already become a disturbing reality and Glass feeds this fear even further. “Big Brother is watching you from everyone around you. Oh and Big Brother sees what you see.”  A research poll by Toluna found that 72% of Americans placed the concern over privacy as their #1 reason for refusing to wear Google Glass (2).  These concerns included fear of hackers, access to location services, and uninvited data collection.  Beyond threatening our already dwindling privacy, Google Glass has also sparked a question of safety.  While text-message-related accidents have become a worldwide problem it is no wonder that we wonder what effects Google Glass might have in this light.  Even though it is a hands-free device many have cited the distraction of its “heads-up” display as a significant threat to drivers and cyclists.  And the visual display offered by Glass is not healthy.  The screen is presented in front of only one eye but our binocular vision is not built to function this way.  “Heads-up displays can cause such problems as binocular rivalry, visual interference and a latent misalignment of the eyes that results when both eyes don’t look at the same object.” (3)

Google Glass is on the horizon of technological advancement but still has much to overcome and many uncertainties to answer before it reaches acceptance into the mainstream.  And it may not ever get there as our society’s skepticism of new technologies rapidly grows.  While our privacy is continually invaded and abused Google Glass seems too large a leap of faith for us to take in a world where trust has become a rarity.

LINKS:

1.) http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/10/tech/mobile/google-glass-at-work/index.html

2.) http://mashable.com/2014/04/07/google-glass-privacy/

3.) http://www.cio.com/article/2380562/internet/does-google-glass-pose-safety–health-and-security-risks-.html

Is Apple losing its “cool”?

Yesterday, Apple Inc. had another one of their legendary Launch events, where they introduced they best and brightest of their new products; basically a iPad air 2, and new product renovations in MacBooks and I OS X. Yeah that’s cool and all, now there will be mobs of more annoying people thinking its ok to take photos of anything and anyone with iPad Airs, but something about this launch fell short. Like, Apple doesn’t seem as cool and revolutionary innovative as it used to be.

Apple has reigned supreme in the world of elite computer and technology software; they revolutionized the music industry and cellphone telecommunications with iTunes and the iPhone, most recently introducing the iPhone 6 and 6 plus. Now, after decades of success setting the trend for all competition to follow, their initial debut of the iPhone and iPad, was soon followed by Microsoft and Android Google. Apple also killed the crackberry, no longer were us, youths, addicted to BBM, it was all about iMessage, iChat, or even Facebook chat if you had a WiFi signal. Not to mention it looked so much cooler. Like the sexy Louboutins of Cellphones.

The debuts of these products introduced the first of its kind, the first interactive touch tablet and first touch smart phone, which has now evolved into a smart computer, music player, DSLR camera and cell phone all-in-one. All at the behest of the ferocious leader, “The Father of the Digital Revolution,” Steve Jobs, the creator and CEO of Apple Inc. During his tenures as CEO (he was ousted in 1985, later returning in 1996 until his death in 2011) he created the first personal computer and later all of the top profitable Apple products millions of wealthy tech savvy people have come to rely on today, I mean really where would you be if you didn’t have an iPhone, iPod/iPad, and iMac, Macbook Pro, etc. etc.?

His innovation and captivating performance as a CEO crushed the competition until his untimely death. However, Jobs’s innovative legacy lived on, like the Tupac of technology, there were still so many documented ideas and aspirations he left behind. Apple became Jobs’ intellectual legacy that is keeping his dreams, ideas and memories alive. Three years later, Apple is still immensely successful and producing even better versions of their own products; which to any young social-media obsessed Apple junkie, makes them essentially irresistible, I don’t want to get the new iPhone, but that update allows me to mute group chats and its got a crazy amazing camera that will make my Insta-game on fire. This is what we’ve come to, this is the definition of cool in the digital age. That cool is what kept sales going and helped to introduce the digital age as we currently know it, where smart technology is expanding into ever element of our life. The other appeal to Apple’s cool is the social benefits that come from being an Apple junkie, they’re products are sleek, sexy and look modern and expensive. Sure they’re crazy expensive, super exclusive to only other super-expensive apple products, and start to gradually self destruct after a few years, but they’re cool and useful, which is why we obsess.

The only downside is that these products are getting more impressive and cooler, but the brains behind their actual development, people like Tim Cook, Jeff Federighi, and Phill Schiller (The usual Apple Launch event speakers) seem to be doing what they can to keep Jobs’ presentation style and his moxie or Je ne sais quoi as a CEO alive , but are simultaneously so underwhelming and predictive in their presentations, they’re killing his cool and ambitious reputation and downplaying what could be, the next big thing for Apple. Like Kim Kardashian and Kanye bringing their leather-clad toddler to fashion shows, while simultaneously dressed like they got ready in a leather tornado in the Balmain winter closet, they keep trying to set the stage for cool but are falling short from a lack of personality.

They were so lackluster and underwhelming in the discussion of Apple pay, I OS X Yosemite, and the new MacBook pro computers with Retina Display, that they downplayed their potential and instead chose to focus on the recent scandals surrounding Apple. Hidden among predictable dad jokes and awkward moods, they somehow drew attention to the iCloud leak, free U2 album and automatic download, and #Bendgate. I havent even downloaded Yosemite yet, but im psyched to do so and i think we are all in a little denial if we think that Apple pay is going to be a failure, i mean who knows what it could do to the finance world, after the success of iTunes?

Maybe Tim and Phill were just having an off day, or Tim was hot in his turtle neck, California is having a heat wave, but they need to come up with a new game plan or better speech writers to revitalize their Launch events. It was Jobs’s passion that came through most in his presentations and of they want to keep that ambitious cool alive, they need to not try to be Jobs’, but rather come up with a style that emulates that passion– makes it cool again, which will make their products even cooler.

let me know what you think, maybe I’m wrong and Apple will always be as cool as it was in the Superbowl commercial, 1984?

Thanks!

Taylor

 

 

Links

http://www.apple.com/apple-events/2014-oct-event/

http://mashable.com/2014/10/16/apple-magic-wears-thin/

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/jan/24/smartphones-timeline

http://www.macworld.com/article/2013001/apple-and-its-competitors-the-circle-game.html

http://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2013/09/06/apples-real-competitor-is-apple-itself-and-its-just-bought-that-competition/

Breeze- The Bluetooth Breathalyzer

A new gadget designed by a former contestant on the ABC show Shark Tank invented a Bluetooth breathalyzer aimed for the casual drinkers. For those who hit happy hour after work, mens poker nights and women’s “book clubs”, Breeze hopes to help drinkers ultimately skip that “one more” drink that pushes you past the legal sobriety limit.

The inventor, Breeze founder and CEO Charles Michael Yim, says that the gadget could ultimately help you track your state of drunkenness in real time; while hoping to get you home safe by recognizing when you’re over the limit and automatically calling an Uber or a cab to pick you up.

Breeze is a light, compacted blue designed technology that is shaped like a tear drop. It is capable of being connected to a keychain so you can take it around everywhere effortlessly. After downloading the iOS and Android-compatible Breathometer app, you make an account that sinks you device with Bluetooth. After 20 minutes from your last drink, consumers are suppose to take the breathalyzer test. Almost immediately, your BAC will appear on the screen of your phone, which will have changed its shade depending on how many drinks you have consumed. The closer you are to the legal driving limit — 0.08 BAC in all 50 states — the more foreboding the look and feel. After reading your BAC the Breeze will give suggest whether or not you should take a safe ride home.

Although I think this device has good intentions I could see how it could get some people into trouble. There are still kinks that the company admits to, preventing it from running smoothly. For people in society with heavy drinking problems, I could imagine that this app, kinks in all, will make them think they are sober enough to operate a vehicle. Accident wise, I could see people who have a low tolerance to use the app, drive and get into an accident using the app as a scapegoat.

For example, at the bar there is a 100 pound woman who gets drunk off of one wine spritzer, she takes the breathalyzer app and sees that she is clear to drive. She proceeds to get into an accident yet argues that since she was cleared by the Breeze app, she was sober enough to operate a vehicle. For all I know the app does not take into account your age, weight, gender and overall tolerance for alcohol. I do think that this app was a smart idea but am not sure that it is reliable enough for people to use everyday to determine if they should drive home from the bar or not.

Regardless of the deficiencies in this app, I believe it is taking society to the next level in preventing intoxicated drivers.

Read more here!

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/review-breeze-is-a-bluetooth-breathalyzer-that-will-100009604299.html

Caroline King

Bionic Eyes!?!… Sorta

Recently while scamming the technology section on the BBCs webpage, I stumbled upon Rose Eveleth’s post on new sight technology that allows the blind to see again!

The article is about a 66 year old woman, Fran Fulton, who was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa. It is a condition where the light sensitive cells in the retina slowly die, causing blindness. Extremely sad and unfair for those who are effected with the disease considering there is no known cause for the condition or cure. Over the past decade Fulton has been unable to completely see, that is until now! Robert Greenberg is the CEO of Second Sight where Argus II was developed.

Argus II is a 3 part device to restore visuals back for people who have become blind. A camera, a converter box, and electrode array. They work together to create light and dark visuals that are sent to the brain and allow the people using it to see things in black and white shades. The users are training themselves to decipher what they see by recognizing the shapes and shades that they are visualizing.

Here is a quote from Greenberg that describes how Argus II works in simpler terms.

The eye is like a multi-layer cake. On one layer are the light-sensitive cells, called “rods” and “cones”, that sighted people rely on to take in light and turn that into visual information. But for those with retinitis pigmentosa, those cells are dead. “We’re bypassing those dead cells and going to the next layer of the cake,” Greenberg explains.explains that the eye is like a multi-layer cake. On one layer are the light-sensitive cells, called “rods” and “cones”, that sighted people rely on to take in light and turn that into visual information. But for those with retinitis pigmentosa, those cells are dead. “We’re bypassing those dead cells and going to the next layer of the cake,” Greenberg explains.

Now this is some pretty amazing stuff! The thought that sight can be brought back in anyway is amazing, but I believe that if you asked Greenberg how long it would be till full sight is obtainable for the blind in the future, he would say that it is not to far away. I for one am very excited that this bionic eye capability is upon us. Yet it is also sad to know that this stuff doesn’t work for everyone that is blind. The blind person must have an attached retina in order for the Argus II to work. Although this technology is not a perfect solution for blindness, that does not mean that it isn’t still amazing. It is a great example of just how far we have become!

Check out the full article at http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140923-im-blind-but-i-have-bionic-eyes

Thanks for reading!

Mike

Here

GM’s Hand Free Cadillac… Good or Bad?

Tech Newsies

The future of autopilot on our streets!

General Motor’s announced yesterday, September 8^th, that they will be releasing hands free model Cadillacs in 2016. Now don’t get too excited, they are not “completely” hands free. According to the report by BBC news, the cars will be fitted with vehicle-to-vehicle communication that will enable drivers using cruise control at high speeds to not have to worry about other drivers, but instead the cars themselves will be able to slow themselves, and maintain speed in one lane. The first car to be equipped with the technology will be the 2017 Cadillac CTS sedan. I know for sure I am not the only one who has ever been driving and wished that you could just put the car on auto pilot and kick back, read a book, take a nap, eat, or watch a movie. Well unfortunately we are not there…

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The Internet is Public, Get Used To It Or Get Out

In the wake of the mass celebrity nude scandal leak on Reddit and 4Chan, attention has been called to cellphone privacy settings and in general, privacy in the technological age.

Our society is embracing a new age of constant connectivity and online engagement—a contributor to the decline of civic engagement and face-to-face communication, but with this surge of online self-expression, are we subjecting ourselves and our attempts at privacy, to violation? Furthermore, when we encourage ourselves and others through the continued use of social media, to divulge personal information and our interests, isn’t it hypocritical for us to be angry when our personal and private information becomes public?

With the evolution of social media, we are encouraged to divulge every little detail of our lives, from Instagramming our meals, tweeting about our political views, digestive processes, opinions on Joan rivers or that new episode of the Mindy Project, or Facebook stalking our enemies and love interests; everything we do online is tracked and publicized. All of these sites have privacy settings that can be customized according to the individual, but the appearance of privacy by the little lock and key signal or the need to request to be a follower, such as with Instagram or Twitter, is not a confirmation that our actions and interests online are actually protected.

The millennial generation, which is arguably the most connected generation online, has developed an online counterculture encouraging authenticity and espousing “catfishing” or any expression that isn’t authentic or factual information about the individual. If you admit to liking Nickleback (but really, who still listens to Nickleback?) on Facebook, then you better be belting it from the mountain tops; or us, the crazy children of the 90s who grew up online, will not be amused and get Nev and Max to expose your cheating lying facebooking ways for millions to see on MTV.

In addition to authenticity, our online lives also present our idealized self, or the person we hope to be—our best version of ourselves. Our Facebook pages, Instagram and twitter feeds only present the true and best side of ourselves; or the distorted image of our self we wish to become true, void of all insecurities. The same applies to celebrities, who have chosen to put themselves in the public eye and be open to public scrutiny. The celebrity image put out into the public is additionally their idealized self or at least their manager’s and reps attempts at projecting their client’s best self; so, when an image, quote, article, nude photo leak, etc. exposes more than what the public is used to seeing, chaos ensues. Now in the form of a privacy war undertaken by the FBI, the legitimacy of privacy settings on cell phones or social media accounts are now being called into question. Everyone now lives in fear that those racy Snapchats from drunken Tinder conver-mistakes will be exposed for all to see and scrutinize. All those efforts to authentically project your idealized self, online, are wasted in light of privacy violation.

Now, I’m not into victim shaming and if I could volunteer as tribute to have racy photos of me leaked instead of, America’s sweetheart and feminist goddess, JLaw (Jennifer Lawrence for those not aware of the moniker), I totally would. Hacking into anyone’s ICloud account and downloading nude photos of anyone, celebrities included, is a major violation of our human right to privacy, especially when those photos are clearly meant for the photographer themself and perhaps their significant other.

Although, despite everyone being in accordance that hacking into someone’s phone or online profiles and leaking personal information about them, is fundamentally and morally corrupt, there also seems to be a counter trend on the rise of people willingly exposing more of themselves, than say what is socially acceptable online.

When Beyoncé projects nude images of herself while pregnant during a concert or Kourtney Kardashian authorizes for the live birth of her children to be filmed on camera (in which millions of viewers got all up close and personal with Kourtney as she pulled her own children out of her birth canal), is it really fair for these same celebrities to shame paparazzi or feel violated when their personal photos of them or their children or any personal information is leaked to the public? im thinking it makes them pretty hypocritical.

In addition, by choosing to engage in online social media and providing authentic information about your idealized self, you cant feel violated when you start receiving emails or pop-up ads for Nickleback concerts and merchandise. If you put yourself out there, you cant get angry when it doesn’t go your way or when you’re confronted with the reality of your true self and if you dont like it, then get offline.

and you dont like what i have to say, id love to get into a comment war, that would make for an amazing Tuesday night.

So long, farewell,auf wiedersehen, good night,

Taylor

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/24/celebrities-stfu-about-your-privacy.html

Apple’s Police Privacy Pledge- Caroline King

With the new release of Apple’s iPhone 6 and iOS 8, Apple followed up with a statement on how it is now protecting user’s data from the government. As news broke, people cheered for the fact that their belongings were no longer able to be broken into by Apple per request from the government. The only catch? Just because Apple refuses to do it, and cannot do it, does not mean it isn’t impossible.

    “Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access [your personal] data,” says the new policy. “So it’s not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8.”

As users around the world celebrate Apple, one iOS forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski, warned users; just because Apple refuses to help officials snoop through phones, doesn’t mean that the government can’t do it themselves regardless. Without having to hack your password, all the government needs is an powered-on phone, and a computer device that you have connected to in the past.

Quickly following the announcement, Zdziarski stated that he and his own forensic software were still able to take out information from an iOS 8 devise. Things like Twitter, Facebook, Web browsers, photos and videos were all compromised– all without knowing one’s passcode.

To be reasonable although Apple said that it won’t be helping aid in the raiding of users electronics, does not mean that it cannot be done. Police can use this method when confiscating phones in crime investigations, at airports, etc. Although it looks like Apple is trying to take a stand and take sides with their customers, they should still warn you that with a little digging, the government still has the ability to take a peek at your phone.