igargoyle

Geek Scooter

Researching this kind of thing for Adventure Touring the American Southwest, and Technomadism and Transhuman Hacks of Metavlogging Phrashion have been decorating my plate as of late. via Make:.

Introducing: My Technomadism Hacks

I haven't been posting much, but I have been researching, developing, rapid prototyping, and hacking. I'm applying my love of desert camping, travel, wearable technology, and embedded computing to my urban flagship; a duosport motorcycle. Here's a first look:

solar-nav-storage:

This photo shows items I transformed into a top case and a tank bag.

While commuting, the top case can hold gear from errands. While touring, it can carry as much gas a my tank holds plus water. I can remove it anytime. This allows off-roading without extra fuel sloshing around in an enlarged tank. It is made from an LP case, and stability tests will determine if it's indeed more versatile than a top case and replacement gas tank; easily at a savings of at least $200.

The tank bag is made from a folding map case, magnets, and wiring. It's appropriate that it holds my phone with GPS, a non-networked highway infrastructure computer, compass and pencil pack, map, and a solar battery charger for my bike and auuxilliary device battery. I'm sure it'll still also hold an actual paper map or two. I can't find many tank bags with top map pockets that will fit my sloped gas tank. So, I made a form-fitting one that mostly multplies the functionality of the feature I wanted most anyway; a large map pocket.

Threshing Nokia's "Eco Sensor Concept" Part 1

On its simplest and hardly unique level, sensors acquire data that can be shared over networks, visualized, logged, etc. The form-factor combines a "wearable sensor unit" inexplicably detached from a "dedicated mobile phone".

The (perhaps deliberately) distracting issue with the concept is its inconsistent specificity. The concept's sidebar links to Nokia's actual sustainable practices including materials, energy-saving strategies, etc. were actually informative; while the concept itself is convoluted with seemingly random levels of detail and environmental justification. The presentation of Nokia's Eco Sensor Concept is unfortunately obfuscated by a combination of existing, emerging, and speculative technologies and heart-strings chaff.

The photo-realistic images detract from the overall presentation. They're not meant to convey anything useful, yet open themselves up to interpretation, and in this case, scrutiny and consternation. They present unexplained dummy data visualizations on button-less screens, which also counter the extinct notion of a "dedicated mobile phone". The scale of the devices is indeterminate, the only hint of a user interface is visually glazed over, and the apparent full-touchcreen is reminiscent of Nokia's aeon concept and BenQ-Siemens Black Box concept phone.

[via engadgetmobile]

(see Part 2 for sensors and wearability)

Mixed Reality Cartography Corset

A wearable device for Gordan Savicic's "Constraint City: The Pain of Everyday Life", includes: "A chest strap (corset) with high torque servo motors and a WIFI-enabled game-console are worn as fetish object. The higher the wireless signal strength of close encrypted networks, the tighter the corset becomes." Whether it is meant to be painful or pleasurable seems unclear.

I suggest exploring the link below to glean the project's conceptual background. I find its discourse reminiscent of Stelarc's. I do share the artist's interest in sensing the electromagentic waves permeating our environment; even to the extent of mapping it to haptic feedback. However, regarding the restriction of the public through normally undetectable information layers, I do not share his tenet that secure WiFi networks are as actively constrictive as this project asserts. Perhaps wireless security cameras and traffic lights are even more controling than secure WiFi, since private citizens should have the right to encrypt their networks from the public without suspicion of conspiracy.

[Link via Make:]

Glog On

Well, despite error messages I had received while trying to Glog from my Treo 650, it turns out my images did indeed get posted. These are from BarCamp LA-3 from March.

MobileCamp LA was a complete blast, and I won a Nokia N95, which will be much easier to Glog from. I am running the Glogger application, rather than using MMS, but I will be relying on WiFi until I transfer my service over from Sprint. I have several hacks in mind for my N95, as hinted at in the my Maker Square post, and I will get into that later. I look forward to Glogging about my future hacks, and more. Some of them will be Meta-Glogs, since they will help document my wearable technology work.

I am also going to be checking out the application included with my N95 called Lifeblogger. It will be interesting to share my comparisons of Lifeblogger and Glogger and playing with ways to use each application to do so.

GeoLogging BurningMan

Marc Merlins 2007 GeoLog Map
Marc Merlins 2006 GeoLog Map

[2007 Playa map links via BoingBoing]

Arduino LilyPad joins E-textile Construction Kit

We've already covered Leah Buechley's DIY Wearable LED Display and now her e-textile construction kit is expanding to a more modular version of the Arduino microcontroller kit. Sewable LilyPad components are now available from Spark Fun. You access her paper and photos from her projects or by going to her publications page. Check out her DIY links to get started.

[Link via Hack-A-Day]

Snow Crash Adapting Tires

Michelin has made these nifty tires which they call TWEELs, which probably make your ride quite a bit smoother, especially if you like going up curbs and over small animals.

Here's a quote from Snow Crash about the "Smartwheels", which are quite similar to the TWEELs, but with lazers and hyrdrolics, and some kind of embeded computer system:

"Each one consists of a hub with many stout spokes. Each spoke telescopes in five sections. On the end is a squat foot, rubber tread on the bottom, swiveling on a ball joint. As the wheels roll, the feet plant themselves one at a time, almost glomming into one continuous tire. If you surf over a bump, the spokes retract to pass over it. If you surf over a chuckhole, the robo-prongs plumb its asphalty depths."

These new tires are also being used on the new iBot mobility device and Segway's Concept Centaur.

[ Link to gizmodo article. Thanks Ordaos! ]

Cyborg Kitty

Awwww, what a cute cyborg kitty. Personally if I were a cat I'd prefer laser claws or bionic jumping legs to surprise my enemies.

"Elvis the Robo-Cat is a housecat who lost the use of his rear legs in a traffic accident. His owner, an amateur roboticist, has built him a motorized platform that Elvis controls by means of his front paws in order to move around the house."

[ Link via boing boing ]

Mmm, Anarticamobile

Oh I have no excuse to actually own one of these, but I want one so. Reminds me of the newest Batmobile.

[ Link via we-make-money-not-art. ]

Seat? Laptop Bag?

Simple. Brilliant. Laptop bag doubles as portable seat.

[BodyBuddy via Engadget < PopGadget]