DigitaLife

BarCamp Vancouver is officially full. If you have signed up and find out you can’t go, then please remove your name from the BarCamp Vancouver attendee list.

If you are on the wait list, don’t despair, being a free conference with a suggested $20 donation, there’s always a few people who don’t show up.

If you are on the fence, sign up on the wait list! Looks like there’s going to be some great sessions about podcasting, Drupal, Rails, mobile phones and devices, a PhotoCamp led by Kris Krug to reprise his fantastic MooseCamp PhotoCamp (from NorthernVoice 2006), non profit technology and many other topics!

My only real objection to Matchstick's program is that they are giving out obsolete phones like the Nokia 6682. Matchstick, don't treat Canadians like they live in a mobile ghetto/backwater (perhaps the truth is we do unfortunately). Give the Matchstick bloggers an up to date quad band phone like the N80 not yesterday's news like the 6682. If the Nokia Blogger Relations Program can give out up to date phones to Canadians and Americans, I don't see why Matchstick can't.

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Full disclosure: I’m reviewing a new mobile phone I got for free from a marketing company in Toronto called matchstick.ca. They gave me a sweet package as well:

Nokia 6682 Phone with USB connector and charger
512 MB memory upgrade
Bluetooth Headset
Extra headphones

Fortuitous timing, I needed a mobile upgrade. The Nokia 6682 replaces my 20060729-1436_005Nokia 3595. I’ll be entering the modern world with photo/video/mp3 capabilities. The old 3595 had Java apps, web browsing and email, but they were cumbersome and ugly.

I’m not going to post a ridiculously long DPReview-styled analysis of the phone. The release date was over a year ago and that information is already widely disseminated. This will be a personal account of my experience with the Nokia 6682. For the detailed Nokia 6682 breakdown see Howard Chui’s review.

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Solestrom swimwear is offering a bikini that measures and displays UV intensity via a little device integrated in the bikini panties. The bikini looks cool, similar to the one that was worn by one of the early 007 Bond girls. However I’m not quite sure how useful the UV meter will actually be, unless you know your skin type and how long it is safe for you to stay in the sun, depending on the UV intensity.
The bikini is available in silver, black, and white.

Solestrom also has a second bikini that shows you UV intensity on the plastic attachments of the bikini straps. A darker colour indicates higher UV intensity, a lighter colour lower UV intensity. To be honest I find this second alternative more attractive and probably also more useful. After all who needs to know the UV intensity with 0.01 accuracy?

I want one. LazyWeb: hack this to work with S3 and Drupal and I'm in . This would be a great hack for BarCamp Vancouver.

FROM How to create your own YouTube site - Flash Insider:

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Have you ever wanted to know how you can create your own video hosting site allowing users to upload video, automatically convert it to FLV, and display it for the world to see? A recent post at Daniel's Random Mutterings (DRM - how clever) explains exactly how to do this with open source tools. Using a Djano CMS system, FFMpeg for the FLV encoding, FLVtools2 for writing meta information, and FlowPlayer for embedding the SWF file you'll have everything you need to get started. The code is pretty straight forward and a great starting point. Now go forth and create your new video distribution empire.

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Tao Electronics offers the Picture Pendant, a rather stylish fashion accessory, not to say jewellery, that features a 1 inch LCD display and enough memory to store up to 56 photos which can then be displayed on the display. The pendant can be connected to a computer via USB. Not bad for 60 dollars.
Several key chain versions using the same technology are available as well.

I doubt I'll switch but it can't hurt to have a free account just in case.
Herewith the requisite mundane video photo:

FROM Official Zooomr Blog : Sending Our Love to Bloggers: 2.5GB Free Pro Accounts:

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Thomas posted a little while back that we’re giving free Pro accounts to Bloggers. And, well, we still are — to be quite frank, it’s going very well.

But, Thomas and I have been thinking lately about rewarding bloggers further. So, we’re announcing today that we’re giving any blogger around (that includes our LiveJournal, Xanga and MySpace buddies too!) free 2.5GB Pro Accounts. That folks is the ability to transfer over 1700 photos per month to Zooomr for free.

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A research team at the university of Wisconsin-Madison has invented flexible computer chips on plastic.

Here is an extract of the press release:
“New thin-film semiconductor techniques invented by University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers promise to add sensing, computing and imaging capability to an amazing array of materials.

Historically, the semiconductor industry has relied on flat, two-dimensional chips upon which to grow and etch the thin films of material that become electronic circuits for computers and other electronic devices. But as thin as those chips might seem, they are quite beefy in comparison to the result of a new UW-Madison semiconductor fabrication process detailed in the current issue of the Journal of Applied Physics.

A team led by electrical and computer engineer Zhenqiang (Jack) Ma and materials scientist Max Lagally have developed a process to remove a single-crystal film of semiconductor from the substrate on which it is built. This thin layer (only a couple of hundred nanometers thick) can be transferred to glass, plastic or other flexible materials, opening a wide range of possibilities for flexible electronics. In addition, the semiconductor film can be flipped as it is transferred to its new substrate, making its other side available for more components. This doubles the possible number of devices that can be placed on the film.

By repeating the process, layers of double-sided, thin-film semiconductors can be stacked together, creating powerful, low-power, three-dimensional electronic devices.
[…]

For non-computer applications, flexible electronics are beginning to have significant impact. Solar cells, smart cards, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, medical applications, and active-matrix flat panel displays could all benefit from the development. The techniques could allow flexible semiconductors to be embedded in fabric to create wearable electronics or computer monitors that roll up like a window shade. […]”

The N91 has imperfections that myself and others have chronicled but it's a great 21st century transistor radio. Download the Nokia podcasting client, download a few or many podcasts to the 4GB drive and then listen to what you want (as opposed to what some f*ol programs on some radio station :-)! The N91 also has an FM radio so you can listen to that if you must!

Your mileage may vary, but I find podcasts like Coverville, the "mostly opaque but full of chestnuts" Gillmor Gang, the Raincoast Books Anthony Bourdain podcast, etc. infinitely more interesting than FM radio!). They sound great on the built in speaker (which is much better than the speaker on the N70 or the 7610) while chilling out on a chesterfield, while driving (use the standard headphone jack to hook it into your sound system) or even while walking (use the headphones, respect your aural environment!).

All in all, the N91 listening experience unexpectedly reminds me of listening to my old red transistor radio powered by a 9V battery that I used to listen to the 72 Canada Russia Hockey series. The technology changes but the song remains the same!

Ossur offers the Rheo Knee, a 30.000 dollar knee prosthetics, which is said to be the most advanced knee replacement system to date.
What distinguishes the Rheo Knee from other prosthetics is its combination of microprocessors and artificial intelligence that learns, recognizes and adjusts to individual walking styles.
“Unlike existing hydraulic systems, this response offers customized levels of resistance (knee flexion) as, and only when, the individual needs it. That’s why walking effort is reduced to a minimum and motion is much smoother and more natural.”

Other advantages include decreased likeliness of the knee to buckle, as well as easy setup and calibration.

According to a German press release, the German government, or more specifically the department of research and education, is investing 15 million Euros in research projects for intelligent clothing. According to the department, more than 50 project proposals have been put in already with a potential of several dozens of them being financially supported.
Applications for intelligent clothing lie mostly in the medical and well being areas, such as monitoring and transmitting vital signs, or designing temperature regulating suits for fire fighters.

According to the press release, Germany is already at the forefront of intelligent clothing development and research.