The future is a scary place. Sometimes I think I would rather have a post apocalyptic future than the one we are headed towards. Technology is bringing us closer to the world of Minority Report when it comes to big brother and advertising.

and

via EFF

(I was hoping that the Braille would work in the title bar, but no… it doesn’t even work here.)

For those not in the know, Braille is a writing system used by blind people which takes the form of a set pattern of raised bumps. Take, for example, this message:

This translates to English as ‘Be kind to others.’

Numbers can also be read in this manner, as can punctuation and even accented letters (visit Omniglot for the whole alphabet).
Obviously, technology is actually a bit of a bind for blind people. I mean how the hell can you expect them to use a screen? Even a typewriter’s going to be a bugger.
Yes, you can read and make telephone calls – as long as the buttons are marked accordingly. As for screens though – fuhgeddaboutit. Because we’re so image-concious as a species, we forget that the blind and partially sighted are going to be stuffed when it comes to watching films or even browsing the web. I can even only find one text-to-Braille converter. At best, text is usually transformed into spoken word.

How about a wristwatch then? It’s a visual display, isn’t it? Well yes, but it’s easy to modify to speak the time. However, there may be situations where you don’t want to make a noise (eg middle of the night) or you can’t hear it.
That’s where this watch comes in; yes it can speak the time, but it also has a nifty Braille face.

Until recently, the problem has been trying to make the mechanical workings small enough to fit into something of this size. It’s been designed by WinG Li, but I can’t seem to find a page for him other than the blog site I found the article on…

Go visit The Design Blog for more.

So everybody I know sent me this video, except for you. It was inspiring actually. I haven’t blogged in a while so it was nice to still receive suggestions like this one. I figured you guys got smart and ran away and stopped coming here. Though, Spike has been blogging like a madman.

I was just trying to remember the name of this site where you can create animations with only dialogue and then y’all send this to me. Thanks.

via Everybody

Fer those that know me over on Facebook , I posted a picture of a conceptualisation. Essentially, someone had sat down and tried to figure out what a 1970s Atari iPod would look like, and then created a mock advertising poster for it:

I thought it was a good job done, and other people liked it too. End of story.
Well, no.
What I thought had been a one-off image was simply one part of a whole retro-imagining of current tech by a guy called Alex Varanese. Not only has he worked wonders with the iPod, but he has also managed to successfully rework hand-held gaming consoles, laptops and even mobile phones. In fact, I’d have to say I really, really love the slogan he came up with for the ‘phone…

Go and see the whole lot over on Behance Network (and check out the rest of the posts while yer there.)
Via Acid Cow.

But this ain’t it.

I have a bike. It’s currently knackered, but I have one nonetheless. In fact, it’s been knackered for … hmm must be two years now. I know what’s wrong with it and I have the part to fix it. However, I just don’t fancy having it. Part of it is down to the fact it’s downright dangerous to ride a bike in my town. Unless you do what an increasing number of folk do and cycle on the pavement…

The rest of this rant has been deleted due to the extended and repeated amount of foul language and vented spleen.

Sorry about that; as you may have gathered, it’s a bit of a bugbear of mine.

I’m warning you…

*Ahem* Anyway, the other reason I haven’t bothered repairing my bike is that riding is is pretty damn uncomfortable. As you may know from experience (if not, look at the above bike), you have to lean forward to a great degree to ride a bike. This is bad at the best of times and for a fatboy like me, it really is deeply unpleasant in many ways which I refuse to go into.
There are such beasts as ‘sit up and beg’ bikes, but they’re basically the same as the norm.

All this is why I was very interested when I came across the AutoVelo.

As you can see, it’s a bit of a departure from the norm. All the gearing is on the front wheel and you have a nice seat with a backrest. It even comes with a backpack-style container behind the seat. One other point is that it’s actually an electric bike; the black & grey bulge under the frame? That’s the battery.
The idea according to designer Eric Stoddard, was to have the rider at the same height as people in your average car. Nice and safe and, more importantly, nice and comfortable. It’s like sitting at the wheel of a car.

Interested? Go see more pics and details over at Speed Studio Design.
(Found on Yanko Design)

The video is decently entertaining, however I enjoyed the deeper message that we may want to disconnect every now and then. Friday evening I was out with the boys and pulled out the gadget to peep twitter. When I looked up, my friends had their phones out and were surfing also. I looked across the bar and spotted 2 other tables full of people doing the same thing.

Take a second to look around you. Interact with actual people, not their avatars.

via Milk & Cookies

When I was a kid (mumble) years ago, there was a barber I used to go to. It wasn’t the closest, not by a long shot. What made it so attractive though, was the Space Invaders console table in the waiting area.

At that time, it was the best thing ever and – oddly enough – his trade shot up. Especially after he put up a sign barring non-customers from playing.
I wanted one. Heck, I still do.
Until I win the lottery and have both the money and space to own it, this will have to do…

Via Geekologie