Bracelet with endless E Ink designs

Credit: Liber8/IndieGoGo

Bracelet with a monochrome design. Described as “16 color greyscale” on IndieGoGo. Hardly remarkable.

Except — unlimited monochrome designs can be downloaded from your smartphone:



Other interesting claims are that it never needs charging. No of sign a battery in the exploded diagram. Check it out in the IndieGoGo project linked below.

So how does it work, with no battery? IndieGoGo claims that it gets enough power from NFC when a new display is loaded:

“In order to change the displayed picture on the tago arc and transmit enough energy for the device to work, the user has to place his/her smartphone to precisely match both NFC chips”

“NFC induces enough energy during image transfer that the small E Ink display is able to reconstruct the chosen image.”

E Ink displays only consume a miniscule amount of power, & that, only when the display changes. “The image transfer interval is currently 15 seconds, depending on the smartphone device and the image complexity”

It this can be made to work, it will apparently go like this: 15 seconds of NFC will transfer the image, plus charge the capacitors (see the exploded diagram) with enough power to change the display.

Android only for the moment, as Apple has, so far, only enabled NFC for Apple Pay.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tago-arc-one-e-ink-bracelet-with-endless-designs#home / tago arc E Ink Eink bracelet endless designs stylish high-tech hightech high tech jewelry the future needs no recharge high-fashion high fashion E Ink bracelet endless display possibilities cutting edge technologies technology mood outfit tago arc premium bracelet infinite display possibilities change the image display E Ink surface anytime any design pattern text app downloaded smartphone smart phone smart-phone charged plugged in power source accessory 24/7 black and white images high quality silver gold matt black finish timeless elegance bracelet no cord charging no buttons effortless high fashion jewelry smart wearable tag wear build you wearable easy to interact with accessory accessories transfer button experimental prototype picture transfer working prototype enabled emerging technologies NFC E Ink no button cord charge technical details technology section bracelet premium bracelet infinite number design patterns wrist durable premium quality accessory dying batteries app settings wearable tech smartwach smart-accessory buttons ports Bluetooth pairing recharging Valentine’s Day gift high tech gift card girlfriendor boyfriend beta testing image transfer app image energy transfer community tago artists artists share artworks warning tech content existing technologies stylish advanced jewelry mass production /

Bookniture unfolds from a book into multifunctional furniture

Use it as a table or a chair
Credit: Mike/Plateus/Kickstarter


And then pack it away on a bookshelf
Credit: Mike/Plateus/Kickstarter

As of this writing, still available for $70 on Kickstarter.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1985945130/bookniture-furniture-hidden-in-a-book?ref=NewsFeb1215&utm_campaign=Feb+12&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter / book furniture bookniture extremely compact furniture store carry flip unfold unfolds book multifunctional furniture easy storage quick setup multifunctional highly portable use uses used stool foot rest nightstand standing work desk stack table & chair set wood board bench stack layers shelf light portable fold advanced honeycomb paper structure traditional craft book binding factory traditional book binding bind binder assembly prototypes mass production your support funding tooling molds MOQ minimum order quantity mass production design designer living working space honeycomb board sample strength load capacity structure furniture industry composite boards shelves tables seats guests sitting on the floor seat floor space empty space bookcase creating perfect furniture piece different materials studied structural design developed paper mass production honeycomb structure sourced machine different toolings tooling tools final sample combining strength flexibility portability super honeycomb kraft paper USA superior strength excellent resistance to moisture engineered structure 100 times its own weight expands 14 times compared to the original volume unfolded comfort durability felt top laser engraving tabletop materials environmentally responsible tough splash resistant fully recyclable neodymium magnets embedded cover /

Buying happiness

There are a number of proverbs about what money can’t buy. Health, love & happiness among them.

A couple of articles which support the idea that money can’t buy happiness:

Billionaire who's proof that money can't buy happiness
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2778696/Billionaire-s-proof-money-CAN-T-buy-happiness-He-s-mobile-phone-tycoon-money-burn-lifestyle-make-jaw-drop-But-s-worth-fmaily-s-turmoil.html

Money can't buy happiness
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/07-08/money.aspx

But, there are claims that there are ways to get a better happiness bang for the buck. Two that might not be the your first thought: paying off debt, & spending on others.

5 ways money can buy happiness, backed by science
http://time.com/3545709/money-can-buy-happiness/

How to buy happiness: the purchases most likely to bring you joy
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/02/how-to-buy-happiness-the-purchases-most-likely-to-bring-you-joy/?utm_source=Lifehacker+Australia&utm_campaign=da00907808-lifehacker_2015_02_05&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9fc709844c-da00907808-278953185 / true happiness only be found in the heart money buy some happiness check write a cheque tax credits measure happiness points system accurately measure happiness emotion buy buying happiness how you spend your money new album favourite artist trip travel to unlock secret true happiness life provide some ideas get the most your hard-earned money buy your financial security stress enemy of happiness feeling insecure your finances major source of stress affect your health negative worry debts loans paying them off extra cash splurge debt credit card debt happier paying off your credit cards best financial return cash experiences buying experiences life memory a great holiday new smartphone shaping who you are learn about yourself new TV survey Harvard University psychology professor Dan Gilbert majority of respondents greater happiness experiential purchases material goods happiness type of experience important engaged time-lag analyses mind wandering cause effect diminished happiness unhappy mind keep focused maintaining presence Elizabeth Dunn associate professor psychology University of British Columbia happy money science of smarter spending change buying happiness big purchases house happier most surprising findings impact happiness human happiness system attuned to change get out in the world do some new things alone buy experiences with others being social makes us happy investing experiences talk about later with others new experience perks involved in something special friends family plan multiple far ahead anticipation make it rain for others spending money on yourself spending money on others create happiness smile social science researcher Michael Norton experiment he conducted Canada spend money buy things for themselves buy things for others feeling much happier first world country wealthy undergrads experiment Uganda similar results donate money volunteering currency your time spending money invest in others material goods buyer’s remorse spend your time comfort principle fun purchase experiential items excitement joy good book enjoy reading hours of entertainment splurge inexpensive items splurge time hire hiring a house cleaner cleanliness cleaning house cleaner pitfalls happiness boosters downsides manage expectations experiences time material goods inner peace love contentment contentedness make money spend spending more money lifestyle inflation fun things to do journey /

The law of large numbers won't limit Apple’s growth

Some analysts have recently suggested that the law of large numbers limits the size of an organisation — in particular Apple.

While there are good reasons to believe that large organisations become restricted by various effects related to size, this is totally unrelated to the law of large numbers. “In probability theory, the law of large numbers is a theorem that describes the result of performing the same experiment a large number of times.”* An example is tossing a coin. 10 coin tosses is unlikely to give exactly 5 heads & 5 tails, but after a million, the ratio will be very close to half a million of each.

Yes, there is a mathematical law of large numbers, but it has nothing to do with growth of Apple, or any other large organisation.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-11/tim-cook-doesn-t-believe-this-made-up-math-law-will-limit-apple-s-growth
__________
* Wikipedia: "Law of large numbers" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_large_numbers / mathematical theory analysts concerns over Apple's growth potential interview Tim Cook debate mathematics Gary Cohn president Goldman Sachs Group numbers Cook's Apple chief executive officer Apple law of large numbers law of large numbers company has surpassed a market value of $700 billion math theory investors future prospects Apple giant companies financial growth begins slow mass of revenue because increasingly difficult new businesses growth move the needle Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco old dogma Steve Jobs putting limits on your thinking is never good not focused on the numbers focus probability perform same experiment a large number of times predictable outcome flipping a coin heads tails half the time Yuri Lima postdoctoral fellow mathematics University of Maryland wouldn't apply corporate earnings results were truly random iPhone sales controllable factors manufacture decisions people buy buying stock-market observers Zach Shrier co-founder Los Angeles financial advisory firm Shrier Wealth Management Wall Street statistics Apple's earnings growth phone market smartphone sold last quarter larger-screen iPhone 6 /

Not in front of the TV — your Samsung smart TV may transmit anything you say to third parties

Samsung smart TV manual on left, George Orwell’s 1984 on right
Credit: Samsung/George Orwell/EFF/TechCrunch

The headline says most of it: Voice commands are not acted on completely within your TV, but are transmitted over the ‘Net for processing.

Just as important:
● it’s not just Samsung — in 2013, LG was found to be gathering information about users’ viewing habits, without user permission*
● any smart device which accepts voice commands is probably transmitting them over the ‘Net
● some devices have voice commands on by default

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/05/your-samsung-smarttv-is-spying-on-you-basically.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31296188

http://techcrunch.com/2015/02/08/telescreen/

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/09/samsung_listens_in_to_everything_you_say_to_your_smart_tellie/

_________
* http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/lg-investigates-smart-tv-%E2%80%9Cunauthorised-spying%E2%80%9D-claim / Samsung warning customers discussing personal information smart television set warning TV viewers control Samsung Smart TV voice activation feature listen what is said share with Samsung third parties privacy campaigners technology telescreens George Orwell's 1984 spied on citizens data sharing warning section Samsung's privacy policy net-connected Smart TV sets record what is said when a button on a remote control TV set will be listening commands queries remote your spoken words personal sensitive information data captured transmitted third party Corynne McSherry intellectual property lawyer Electronic Frontier Foundation EFF campaigns on digital rights issues Daily Beast third party company speech-to-text conversion Samsung customer who that third party was transmitted in a secure form activist for the EFF circulated the policy statement on Twitter George Orwell's description of the telescreens novel 1984 widespread sharing policy statement Samsung statement voice activation works voice recognition feature activated TV's remote control privacy policy owners make informed choices consumer privacy consumer consents voice recognition feature voice data server retain voice data audio captured smart-TV owners microphone icon visible on the screen third party handling translation speech to text speech-to-text Nuance voice recognition smart net-connected TV problems IT consultant LG TV software update data collection share information /

Some of the best motor racing you will ever see — final laps of the Bathurst 12 hour (video)

Almost at the end of 12 hours, the 20th safety car entered the track. Naturally, the front runners closed up, & when the safety car left the track with 4 minutes to go, this:

/ this year's year Bathurst 12 Hour race late safety car bunched up traffic long lengthy endurance race into four minute sprint race leader Matt Bell 2015 Bathurst 12 Hour record number of safety cars pull away establish a lead Audi R8 Laurens Vanthoor Bentley Continental GT3 safety car race pits fifteen minutes race Bell defensive line track Audi Vanthoor Bell twentieth safety car less than ten minutes race Porsche sand trap track recovery crew Bell battle race Vanthoor Aston Martin Stefan Mucke Nissan GT-R Katsumasa Chiyo win recovery crew sand-trapped car pits nineteenth 19th 20th final four minutes seven different makes of car top four finishers Aston Martin Audi GT-R Bell's Bentley battle checkered flag Vanthoor the esses down the hill Conrod Straight Hell corner Bentley went wide final corner dehydration exhaustion medical centre watching his mirrors LMP1 Florian Strauss Wolfgang Reip Nismo racing Gran Turismo /

Touch — how important is it?

We all need touch in our life.

Children in orphanages in Romania, half the normal height for their age, show the destructive effects of touch deprivation. Touch has a positive effect on immune function, stress hormone levels, blood pressure, digestion & levels of physical & verbal aggression.

In recent times there have been many revelations of breaches of trust by adults involved with children: orphanage staff, teachers, priests. Probably as a result, many organisations with responsibility for children have instituted a no-touch policy. An entire touch-deprived generation may be another victim of the abusers.

Recently, ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) hosted a discussion of the issues raised above. Stream, download or transcript at:

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/bodysphere/who-can-you-touch3f/6046900#transcript / welcome touchy touch children taboos around physical contact touch deprived Cuddle Party adults feeling a lack of physical contact tickling extraordinary behaviour physical contact Touch Research Institute University of Miami School of Medicine the benefits of touch clinically study touch deprivation experiment done University of Wisconsin baby monkeys surrogate mothers Harry Harlow study terrycloth simulated mother wire mesh bottle soft to touch no food hard babies preferred student Steve Suomi plexiglass barrier hear each other see each other smell can't touch become extremely aggressive touch deprivation touch deprivation in humans non-clinical setting children in orphanages in Romania post-Ceausescu 1990s lack of touch in human children failure to thrive orphanages caregivers age half their expected height extremely developmentally delayed adequate nutrition teachers childcare workers mandates teachers are not allowed to touch children child abuse rates are just as high medical benefits of touch touch taboos massage any kind of clinical condition it improves with touch more aggressive violent touch deprivation body heat pressure relaxing /