How to track Father Christmas tonight!

The child of 2015 no doubt has high expectations of her parents’ abilities to locate Father Christmas. When I was young it was sufficient for my Mum and Dad to point to the sky and say “he’s up there somewhere”, nod knowingly and retreat back inside. But with all the digital tracking technology available to you these days, it would be remiss not to appear more knowledgeable 😉

Never fear then, for there is help at hand! As I write Google Santa Tracker informs me that it’s just 24 minutes away from departure time for the great man. You’ll then be able to track his travels on Google Maps and, Google being Google, you can also play games, watch videos and learn about the spirit of Christmas on the web site.

Microsoft has taken a rather more scientific approach and teamed up with NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence Command). NORAD have been tracking the bearded wonder since 1955, after an ad gave the number for NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), as a way of reaching Santa. Children who called looking for Santa were instead given his ‘official’ coordinates, according to the best radars in the world.

NORAD have continued the tradition for 60 years, and now they claim:

The moment our radar tells us that Santa has lifted off, we begin to use the same satellites that we use in providing air warning of possible missile launches aimed at North America.

Yikes, that’s not a particularly kid-friendly statement is it?!! Anyhow, the site also has videos, games and fun ways to explore the North Pole.

 

 

Automatically identify wildlife with these mobile apps

I always feel a little nervous about highlighting the work of just one company but as we’re here to encourage the sharing of personal experience, that’s just what I’m going to do today!

Spending time in the natural world is just about my favourite pastime. I live in the middle of an AONB and naturally, the more time you spend walking and lingering in such surroundings, the more curious you become. And that’s how I’ve come to love the apps from a company called Isoperla

The company produces field guides for the natural world, covering trees, wild flowers, butterflies, birds, bird song etc. But these aren’t just mini-encylopaedias, oh no. The apps use the functionality of your smartphone or tablet. They identify the species you are looking at or listening to by analysing a photo you’ve taken or a sound being heard through your microphone (a bit like Shazam, but for birdsong!).  Even better, this Automatic Recognition technology doesn’t require you to be connected to the Internet, all analysis takes place locally on your phone, within the app.

Highly recommended and adds a ton of enjoyment to your weekend rambles!

 

 

Can you do your Christmas shopping on your smartphone?

We already use our smartphones in lots of useful ways to fuel our shopping habits. Millions of us use them to search for information on products and to to compare prices online, even when in a physical retail store. But still, only very few of us actually use our phones to make the final purchase.

Of all sales made online in the US and Europe, only 10% are made by smartphone in the US, whilst the figure is even lower in Europe at 7%, according the to the Centre for Retail Research. Further, more than 90% of us abandon our shopping baskets when making purchases on a phone compared to 68% when making them on a desktop or laptop computer.

Why so? Generally, feedback from shoppers focuses on a poor user experience, such as a website not being optimised for a mobile phone or it being problematic to enter credit card details into a small screen with small keys. But there are many companies trying to solve this problem for us.

Amazon introduced millions to the ‘1-click’ purchase where you buy an item with one click of a button because your payment details and delivery address are already stored with the company. But what if Amazon’s enormous marketplace doesn’t have your desired item?

Launching internationally very soon is Zen Shopping, an app that offers one-tap checkout at more than 100,000 stores – including Amazon and Walmart – and claims the biggest inventory of goods in the world.

Digital ‘wallets’ are also being used in increasing numbers. The likes of Apple Pay and Google Wallet store payment cards, loyalty cards, and even vouchers but not all retailers accept them. Understanding if they are set for mainstream success is thus hard to gauge.

Perhaps the answer is Dashlane, a service that manages all your passwords, credit and debit card numbers, phone numbers, billing and delivery addresses in one encrypted app. The app has the considerable advantage of working with all payment methods and all retail websites.

As for shopping in the physical world,  you might come across the system from British firm Powa Technologies that allows shoppers to pay for goods quickly in-store and online using their smartphones.

The PowaTag system relies on digital tags, like QR codes, that can be inserted into emails, websites, posters, images – even the audio from TV ads. Shoppers download the app, set up an account and store their payment cards. Then wherever they see the PowaTag symbol they can buy the product by scanning it with their phone and tapping the “buy now” button.

Perhaps though, after all those options, you might just prefer to wander the high street? Not me, I’ve purchased every single one of my Christmas presents online for the last few years and increasingly on my smartphone whilst couched on the sofa!

Let us know if you’ve seen any particularly beneficial ways of using technology to manage your Christmas shopping.

 

 

 

You can help the blind see with this app

I came across the Be My Eyes service very recently, when scanning some Innovation awards entries.

In summary, it’s an app that helps blind people solve everyday tasks and problems with the help of a sighted volunteer, via videochat on your smartphone or tablet. You can sign up from any country, but you can set (or indeed add) any languages you speak in the Settings of the app.

It’s remarkably easy to use and it took me, ooh, 30 seconds to sign up as a sighte volunteer.. The app is up for multiple innovation awards as is the founder Hans Jørgen Wiberg. You can download the app from either of the major App stores so take a look at the video below and get involved!

 

 

Confusion by design

It’s Christmas time so the body of disappointing advertising on London Underground is firmly on the rise!  This week it’s the unfortunate turn of Acer to feature in our spotlight.

This bit of kit is a ‘convertible laptop’, i.e. a device that provides the computing power of traditional laptop but the ‘hands-on’ experience of a tablet. The first question I therefore have as a potential user is “OK, how might I use this, in what situations?”

The first questions are categorically not “does it have a 360° dual-torque hinge design?” or “does it have a Corning Gorilla glass panel?” because I don’t even know what they are. But that’s what you’ve taken up your ad copy telling me Acer. Sigh…

What can mobile technology do to improve global disaster relief?

• Who is this post for? Everyone
• What does it discusss? Important innovation aiding global disaster relief
• How does it benefit you? Understand necessary actions in order to understand how we might play our part or channel our donations

My interest in making this post was piqued when I saw what may be a unique conference promoted recently – Techfugees – which, in its own words, was held in London to “bring together the incredibly creative tech community with the organizations dealing with the European Refugee crisis.”

It prompted me to wonder how technology, particularly (and naturally) mobile technology, might be being used to help aidworkers and those suffering in the event of global disasters, be they natural or man-made.

It’s not unusual to find the best digestible summaries on the BBC’s website and this was no exception. I particularly liked Vodafone’s ‘instant network’ and it’s good to see the GSMA, an organisation that represents all network operators globally, coordinating the resources of the companies who provide vital connectivity – a job akin to herding cats.

Read on here to see how such crucial work is being delivered. Are you aware of any other innovation in this field?

What We Enjoyed This Week…

Sometimes the Internet is just a place to share funny, weird and unusual things – and we enjoy that! So here’s some of what we saw and enjoyed this week.

A little cheesy but as it’s nearly Christmas…… this experiment uses a mysterious red light switch and 50,000 Christmas lights to surprise New Yorkers.

One of the biggest music hits of the year gets a movie mashup to show off some dance moves.

Finally this year’s biggest villain meets this year’s biggest villain – as Darth Vader merges with Donald Trump

If you see anything that makes you smile let us know so we can share the fun!

‘Big Bang Data’ exhibition at Somerset House, London

• Who is this post for? Anyone interested in understanding how the growth in collection and use of data is impacting our lives
• What does it discuss? A new exhibition on the subject at Somerset House, London
• How does it benefit you? A fascinating outing for your weekend!

Yesterday I paid a visit to Somerset House to see a major new exhibition at Somerset House, ‘Big Bang Data’.  In the show, artists, designers and innovators show and discuss how the increased capture and usage of data is impacting our lives now and how it may do so in the future.

It’s a deeply fascinating show – sometimes wonderfully inspiring, sometimes horribly alarming. You need not be interested in the science of data collection and usage, simply interested in understanding what you know of who knows what about you, and how that information is used. For that reason alone I would heartily recommend, even say it’s vital that you take any children in your family whose ages have now reached double figures – it’s crucial that they take on this level of understanding as they start to use mobile devices, apps and social media. Here’s some pics I snapped along the way:

Datafied global representations of things like freedom of the press and credit ratings:

Take control of London’s future by making choices on how to plan its resources:

A horribly poignant visualisation of who really suffers in wartime:

And perhaps the key message for those who believe data is the answer to all our problems:

Do let us know what you think of the show after you’ve been!

Can Technology Help You Cook Christmas Dinner?

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.

One of the most stressful things about big occasions is the prospect of cooking for a large group of people. With different tastes but all needing to eat together…..So, this week’s question is, can technology help you cook Christmas dinner?

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.

Will your business be using 3D printing?

• Who is this post for? Anyone working in a business that produces physical products
• What does it discuss? The contexts in which 3D printers are helping businesses compete
• How does it benefit you? Understanding of how a rapidly growing technology could benefit your business

The sale of 3D printers is forecast to be worth about £3.5bn this year. Many industry commentators proclaim we are on the verge of a new revolution where 3D printers are common place in our homes. But if we understand that 3D printing is not really printing at all, at least not in the traditional sense, then perhaps we will get a better understanding of how these ‘robots’ will more likely be used in the near future.

3D printing involves the creation of a three-dimensional, solid object from a digital file. It’s a process that really needs you to be a specialist in what you are creating so perhaps the workplace is the more likely arena in which this process will continue to deliver its benefits to us all, as this summary from BBC Business explains