3D Audio Technology To Help Visually Impaired

• Who is this post for? People who are visually impaired
• What does it discuss? New technology to help independent movement
• How does it benefit you? Help others you know to cope more easily with visual impairment

A complicated project from Microsoft with a simple premise: “Could we enable a person with sight loss to get out and about in a way that would enable you to be more independent.” 

The Cities Unlocked project has been in development for two years, using advanced GPS and smartphone technology to help the visually impaired navigate cities on their own.

Using Bluetooth and Microsoft’s Soundscape app, the user can understand exactly where they are in relation to popular locations and landmarks. The project also uses over-ear headphones by hearing aid maker GN Store Nord that provides a 3D sound component – with a built-in pyrometer and compass that gives the impression of sound coming from different directions.

This is still in planning stages but has great potential to really impact the quality of life for many people.

If you know of any other technology projects that you find inspiring please let us know. 

 

How to charge your mobile phone using a mud oven

Now I’m often to be found cursing around the house looking for a phone charger. But I have to say it’s never occurred to me that I could whip up a mud oven to get the job done!

British and Irish Aid are currently funding a project in Malawi trialling small generators that use heat to make electricity. Check out the ingenious project in this short video.

 

And I do what with this thing?

One of the most popular places for manufacturers and retailers of technology products to place their very worst advertising seems to be the London Underground. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been staring at ads as I stride the tunnels and climb the escalators, only to shake my head and wonder who on earth authorised the spend.

The two ads featured here, snapped yesterday on my iPhone, are for the new Microsoft Surface Pro 4. It’s actually quite a nifty bit of kit and if any ‘tablet’ is going to replace your laptop, this would be a prime candidate. But oh, the advertising…

Guess what you can do with it people? In the first ad you can ‘power up’…ooooohhhhhh!  In the second ad below you can ‘Go anywhere, do anything’.  What??!!

I’m not a Microsoft hater by any means. But these are vacuous, pointless words, leaving you none the wiser as to what the benefit of the thing might actually be.  Sigh…

Sometimes the Internet fights back!

This week you could not click on any website or pick up any paper without reading about Black Friday – the bargains, the stampede, the lack of stampede, the avoidance…..when a story is everywhere then someone somewhere will post a response.

Here’s Mad Max battling the bargain hunters courtesy of the team at Break.com

3D Printing Helping Blind People Experience Art

Who is this post for? Anyone who appreciates art
What does it discuss? How 3D Printing is being used to allow blind and visually impaired people to experience classic art
How does it benefit you? Allows people to appreciate classic art who would not otherwise be able to

“Imagine not knowing what Mona Lisa’s smile looks like, or Van Gogh’s sunflowers. Imagine you heard people talking about them and knew they existed, but could never experience them for yourself. For the millions of people who are blind, that’s a reality.”

The Unseen Art project, run by Helsinki-based designer Marc Dillon, aims to let blind and visually impaired people experience some of the world’s most revered art, recreating them using 3D printing technology so that they may be touched and felt.

The concept is both ambitious and simple – approach 3D artists to contribute their interpretations of 3D art, and anyone in the world can download them for free and print them anywhere there is a 3D printer, such as many libraries, Universities, in their homes, or from a local business.

 

If you like what they’re doing, you can help them with their IndieGoGo fundraiser

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/unseen-art-experiencing-art-for-the-first-time#/

If you know of any other projects using technology that you find inspiring please let us know.

Will you get paid to walk?

• Who is this post for? Anyone interested in earning money just by walking
• What does it discuss? The launch of a new virtual currency and service called Bitwalking
• How does it benefit you? Get fitter, get richer

Walking is good for your health, and it might soon fatten your wallet too. A new virtual currency and smartphone app called Bitwalking has been developed that will pay its users based on the number of miles they walk each day.

The app is launching very soon on Android and iOS in the UK, Kenya, Malawi and Japan and people can request an invite to download the app from the firm’s website right now (I have, what have you got to lose?)

People will need to walk around 5 miles to earn the current equivalent of 1$US. That would mean about an extra £5 in my pocket each week but in less affluent nations, this could seriously affect income in a positive manner. It will be fascinating to see how this is adopted in Kenya and Malawi, Africa’s two launch nations, where rural workers can sometimes earn only about $1 a day. By walking with a tracker in their pocket, they could double their salary.

It has also been suggested that many companies will participate in the scheme, in order to encourage their employees to stay fit and healthy. For a more in-depth look at the service and to evaluate its chances of success, read here.  Let us know what you think of this initiative? Brilliant idea or totatlly harebrained?

Is your phone changing the way you fall in love?

• Who is this post for? Everyone
• What does it discuss? How we are entering and conducting relationships differently due to technology
• How does it benefit you? Fresh perspective on human behaviour

The deep breath before the first nervous approach, perhaps an extra glug from your glass of Dutch courage. The fear of rejection, perhaps public humiliation. If you got past that stage then there was waiting by the landline for a call or perhaps even a letter from one’s new infatuation. Yes, dear reader, that was how one conducted one’s love life before the advent of smartphones.

But it seems technology is changing the way we meet, greet, and fall in love. Deakin University anthropologist Roland Kapferer says that in one generation, phones and apps have spawned a whole new way of dating and mating. We’re witnessing a complete behavioural shift in the way we search for soulmates. Kapferer shares insights on how our love lives are changing in this fascinating, brief article

Do you think smartphones have changed our love lives? Heck, can you even remember? 😉

Should we tame our kids’ screen time?

• Who is this post for? Parents of children
• What does it discuss? The merits or purpose of limiting screen time
• How does it benefit you? Possibly better grades for your kids

I remember when my parents used to moan at me for spending too much time in front of that “bloody computer” and not enough time outside. And that computer was a ZX Spectrum so frankly I was spending half my time actually waiting for games to load on a tape recorder 😉

But was that accusation fair and does the amount of time your kids spend in front of screens, be they PC’s tablets or smartphones, have any kind of negative effect on their education? Several recent studies, including those from the University of Cambridge and the National Children’s Bureau Northern Ireland, have claimed a negative effect on GCSE results to be correlated with increasing screen time.

One can probably argue that the nature of the screen time is probably the limiting factor. Research for study is different from playing the latest ‘shoot-em-up’, albeit there are many that vociferously claim gaming promotes its own set of skills (almost certainly true).

At the end of the day, as Mark Twain said, “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Stats and reports can probably make a case for anything if the question is framed in a certain way. Regardless, this latest article on BBC News makes an interesting, balanced case and suggests methods and tools for parents who wish to take a proactive stand on screen time.

We’d love to hear from you if you have your own views on whether or how to limit your kids’ screen time.

Can technology help with safer cycling?

We want to find technology that genuinely benefits us in our real lives, so every week we will be trying to find answers to everyday problems. So if you have any experiences to share, please let us know.

With the cold, wet dark mornings and evenings it’s a tough time for cyclists on the road. So, this week’s question is, can technology help cyclists stay safer on the roads?

We’re looking for any Apps, Gadgets or websites that could support or inspire.

We’ll be reporting back next week on what people have found the most beneficial.

If you have any experience to share, or if you have a problem you would like to get community advice on then please let us know.

 

Can technology help manage alcohol consumption?

We want to find technology that genuinely benefits us in our real lives, so every week we will be trying to find answers to everyday problems.

This week’s question was, can technology help you manage how much alcohol you consume without compromising how you live your life?

For me, drinking alcohol is about balance. A fun part of my social life on one hand, and weight gain, chronic lack of sleep and hangovers on the other.

So, looking into getting that balance right, we got three recommendations that people have shared.

The Drinkaware’s app

https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/app

• Helps calculate units drunk through a diary-like App
• Practical and informative
• Completely free
• Very motivational by showing the calories, and the equivalent time you would need to spend in the gym to run them off!
• Great for getting an overview of your personal consumption

 

The Spruce App

http://www.spruceapp.co.uk

• From the British Liver trust, designed to help you monitor alcohol consumption and set goals to have at least three days without any
• Completely free
• Great for setting goals and sticking to them

 

The NHS Online

http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/Alcohol/Pages/Alcoholhome.aspx

• Great online service – unfussy and non-judgemental
• For serious concerns it can point in the right direction, but for those who just want the information it has it all
• Helps you track your drinking – from your phone with an App or online on the site
• Completely free

 

If you have any experience to share, or if you have a problem you would like to get community advice on then please let us know.