Scratch the wall, turn your TV on!
posted by robert | filed under uncategorized
Now here’s something very cool: Scratch Input using any available surface to control devices via scratched gestures – even in different rooms!
From Chris Harrison and Scott Hudson:
This certainly looks like an interesting approach for device control and it’ll be worth watching this!
More information on the project website…
Nabaztags set to fall silent around the World?
posted by robert | filed under uncategorized
Some disturbing news hit the wire this week: Violet SA, the French company who produce Nabaztag and maintain the servers required to enable communication to the device, have filed for bankruptcy and are seeking a buyer.
It seems that maybe their thrust towards RFID-enabled products may not have caught the imagination of consumers as well as expected, or well enough to keep the company afloat. According to the information I found on this site, their earnings have certainly dropped instead of climbing in the last year, despite the new products launched.
It’s a sad time for talking Rabbits all over the World – and may be followed by a somewhat sadder time in September if a buyer or recovery plan of some sort cannot be secured.
Due to the fact that I have neither won the Lotto or been extremely careful with money all of my life to date, I am not able to raise the funds required to step in and help to rescue Nabaztag.
If anybody reading this is interested in backing the plans of a 100% convinced geek who knows he has an approach that may just work, then let me know! You’ll need probably at least 2,000,000 € if estimates are anything to go by.
Otherwise, those wishing to help but only able to pledge smaller amounts can either contact me or go here and pledge your money. Anybody pledging funds will, of course, receive a share of the new business, should a bid be successful.
Also, check out and feel free to join the Facebook group here…
Let’s save those bunnies from a fate of silence!
“SQLite goes Heavyweight” at Flash on the Beach!
posted by robert | filed under uncategorized
I found out today that I’m going to be one of the 20 people chosen to take part in the “3 Minute Wonders” elevator pitches at Flash on the Beach in September. I’m excited about this as it gives me the opportunity to share something which I hope will be really useful.
SQLite is a great little local database engine which implements a lot of the ANSI SQL92 specification and lends itself perfectly to use in AIR applications running on the desktop. When you’re working on a project that is only partly focused on the desktop and also has a more “Enterprise” side to it, SQLite is not the only database engine you’ll probably need to talk to.
“SQLite goes Heavyweight” will give an overview (in only 3 minutes!) of a project that I’m involved in to not only make SQLite easier to work with, but also to extend it’s role in such projects.
Want to know more? See you in Brighton!
Soldering on…
posted by robert | filed under uncategorized
No, that’s not a typo. I meant soldering.
You’ll see this post is under a new category: Arduino.
Arduinos are great little programmable microcontrollers which allow quick and easy prototyping of electronics and physical computing projects. I’ve been playing around (correction: The technical term is “tinkering” 
) with Arduinos for a while now but have taken the lazy approach of using solderless breadboards for my projects.
After getting fed up with having wires everywhere and wanting a neater solution, I decided to finally buy the Sparkfun Arduino ProtoShield (v2) and make a nice neat little prototyping “test bed”. So, I have, for the first time in over twenty five years (WOW!), picked up a soldering iron and assembled the shield, then attached it to a shiny new red Arduino Duemilanove board:
Well, apart from leaking through a little too much solder on one resistor, not a bad job for the first bit of soldering since around 1983 or so!
Now I can tinker away to my heart’s content and keep everything neat and tidy 
P.S. Wondering why there’s tape around the USB socket? Regardless of how careful and neat you are when soldering in the two push button switches, the contacts of one of them can short against the metal case of the USB socket. The tape stops this.
Amazing Augmented Reality Game!
posted by robert | filed under uncategorized
While many of us are exploring the possibilities of FLARToolkit and FLARManager with Flash or Flex, Julian Oliver has already seen his fabulous Augmented Reality game, Levelhead, travel around numerous venues and galleries as a fully self-contained Augmented Reality Art Project.
Here’s a little taste of what the game is all about:
levelHead v1.0, 3 cube speed-run (spoiler!) from Julian Oliver on Vimeo.
Note that this video was recorded a year ago and that the Levelhead project was touring in 2008!
Note also that this is NOT a Flash/Flex project and seems to contain no actionscript – it’s running on a Linux box and was built with the original ARToolKit and not the actionscript port, FLARToolKit.
Time to get my sleeves rolled up and get back to work on yet another, more ambitious version of my AR business card project
More about Julian Oliver and Levelhead on his website…
Clamp Table – now you see it, now you don’t!
posted by robert | filed under uncategorized
Here’s an example of nice and very practical design: The Clamp Table from Ryan Sorrell, currently studying Product and Furniture design at London’s Kingston University:
Whether you need an extra table for a party, a temporary working surface or just because you find the idea and design cool, this table is ideal. Simply clamp to four legs to any board (differing thicknesses are catered for) and you have a table.
I’d love one of these for those times when I need a table for tinkering and building – this would certainly be more appropriate than the dining table!
Ryan has also designed a fabulous TV remote control:
Remotion is also a nice example of a design which would be intuitive and fun to use.
More from Ryan on his website…
ToneMatrix – Flash, Audio and fun!
posted by robert | filed under uncategorized
I stumbled upon this lovely little Flash project in André Michelle’s laboratory website today. Not only is it a nice little piece of work, it also sounds great and is fun to play with.
Sound patterns are created in a surprisingly intuitive way, allowing some pretty complex loops to be created with very little effort. Add to that the fact that the visual representation of the audio is spell-binding and you’ve found the perfect way to kill time and be creative to boot! This is art!
You’ll find the ToneMatrix here…
Inspiring, colourful white box
posted by robert | filed under uncategorized
Another find from Swissmiss‘ blog today, and one I had to share because it’s simply fine – a joy to watch and very nicely done. (Sorry Tina, I’ve been plundering your blog this afternoon )
White Box from makoto yabuki on Vimeo.
Enjoy 
We all open bananas wrong!
posted by robert | filed under uncategorized
OK, prepare to be impressed. Not by me – by this guy’s revelation. Also, prepare to recognise and admit that we humans are not as “superior” as we often think – it appears that evolution has actually caused us to forget how to open bananas properly.
Watch and enjoy:
(If you already knew this then I bow in silent recognition. I, like many others, did not.)
Originally sighted on swissmiss
Creative Mornings – inside FREITAG®
posted by robert | filed under uncategorized
Yesterday saw the very first of @swissmiss’ “Creative Mornings” series outside of the US and here in her home country – Switzerland!
As if that wasn’t special enough, she only managed to organise this premier in the Zürich Headquarters of FREITAG®!!! Famed for their cult courier bags and accessories, the Freitag Brothers’ family business is now recognised as one of the top brands in the World – not bad when you consider that Graphic Designers Markus and Daniel Freitag first started out with less than CHF 1500 earned from small jobs back in 1993.
The location is perfect for a Creative Mornings get-together: An old factory hall with floor-to-ceiling racks of cut and rolled truck tarpaulin, along with other “repurposed” materials used to make the FREITAG products, a raised office floor swathed in black tarp-like material and an open area which was set up for Daniel’s presentation – right next to where the truck tarps are washed.
Yes, they have to wash every single truck tarp that comes into the factory, every day. The “Washman” – the specialist responsible for ensuring that the tarps are washed correctly – told me he washes around 2 Tonnes of tarp PER DAY! That’s a lot of washing!
Clean tarp:
Daniel’s presentation was very enjoyable – and inspiring. The brothers were brought up by their parents to reuse things and respect their environment. This is a central philosophy for their entire business. He talked of the cradle-to-cradle concept and it’s role in their approach.
The presentation “tent” was, in itself, an example of great reuse and innovation: A truck tarp-draped framework with integral screen and beamer, raised above some very cool tarp-wrapped cushioned benches (one of which you’ve seen part of above).
The key word, and concept, of the day was “Recontextualisation”:
Take “throw-away” items like truck tarp and recontextualise it – not just recycling but using it in a new context, making it into something different but, at the same time, something new. “Nobody wants to own trash”, as Daniel so succinctly put it.
After the presentation and the excellent coffee and bakery goodies provided by local bakery Jung, we were able to wander around the factory and snap away to our hearts’ content while, of course, mingling and chatting a lot about what we’d just heard.
The event itself was excellent – great fun, informative and inspirational. Swissmiss (Tina Roth Eisenberg – THANK YOU!) and her team have the edge on many other organisers of similar events with their approach, the organisation (flawless) and their clever “conversation-opener” badges handed out before the event with a leading question for which one has to provide an answer intended to spark conversation. Much better than the old name badge.
Here’s one of my favourites from yesterday (not mine):
Simply click the photo to go to the Flickr photoset where you can see another 89 badges
More photos can be found on Flickr and the rest of my iPhone snaps will probably end up there at some point in time.
Click here to show Flickr search results for Creative Mornings.
Last, but of course not least, thanks to Daniel Freitag and the rest of his team for being such great hosts!
It was fun. I hope that the series continues and we get to take part in many more Creative Mornings here in Switerland!
