Robots In Rockville

Had some fun driving around this cool little Robot in Rockville Town Center.

I like to try out the latest gadgets. 

It’s funny people’s reactions when they see these. 

They’re still not quite sure what to make of these. 

Robots on the street.

Drones overhead.

Submersibles in the water.

Soon they will all be autonomous, ubiquitous, and essential.

And people will be the side attraction. 😉

(Source Video: Dossy Blumenthal)

Hoverboard Dog Walking

This was a humorous sight.

The guy has his dog on a leash and is “walking his dog,” but he himself is not walking.

He’s on his Hoverboard and the dog is pulling him down the block and across the street. 

Apparently dogs need exercise, but people need convenience. 

Mankind is always trying to control his environment with technology, gadgets, and science.

So is this what “dominion over the earth” looks like in short? 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Care To Be Curious?

Here’s three topics for the curious of mind today:

– Are we technologically safer? As we attempt to beef up IT security, we continue to be technologically insecure. Just this last week, BBC reported how a fridge was part of 100,000 devices used to send out 750,000 pieces of spam. Yes, a fridge, and there was also a television involved–sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, right? But this is our reality these days…Proofpoint, a cloud computing and security company said “Many of these devices are poorly protected at best, and consumers have virtually no way to detect or fix infections when they do occur.”

– Is our economy healing or hurting? As unemployment fell from 7% to 6.7% last week–an impressive reduction–the overall labor force participation rate didn’t rise, but rather sank to 62.8%–its lowest level in 35 years! And while, the Wall Street Journal explains that U.S. employment is simply not keeping up with population growth, the S&P 500 hit a new record high just last Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Fed continues to pour money into the economy, although at a slowing rate (expected to go down next week to only $65B a month), speculation is building whether we have another real bubble brewing, and this one of our own making, perhaps.

– Is this the lead up to peace or war with Iran? As we continue to seek a long-term deal with Iran on their dangerous nuclear weapons foray, we read from Bret Stephens that Iranian President Rouhani said during his presidential campaign, “Saying ‘Death to America” is easy…We need to express ‘Death to America’ with action.” If we are getting a good deal that can truly lead to WMD disarmament of Iran, why did Rouhani tweet, “In #Geneva agreement world powers surrendered to Iranian nation’s will.” Curious, whether this is for political consumption in Iran or whether he sees the deal as just a stalling tactic leading to a breakout capability in nuclear weapons as well as a way to get some goodies in terms of sanctions relief for his country in the meantime.

What does little kitty cat say about these? 😉

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

The Information High

A new article by Andy Blumenthal called “The Information High” at Public CIO Magazine (29 November 2012).

“In addition to being slaves to our things–including technology gadgets–we are also addicted to the data and information they serve up.”

Hope you enjoy! 😉

Andy

(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)

Flying Gizmo At Brookstone

I took this video of a flying drone at Brookstone at Avetura Mall in Miami. 

The drone is flying among the crowds and actually goes right over my head a couple of times–I literally had to duck (as I think the salesperson was having some fun with me recording)!

The device is called the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 and sells for $299.

The drone is being controlled via wi-fi by a iPhone and also works with iPads and Droid devices.

The controlled flying as well as the stunts seemed easy to do. 

It has a front facing camera (and I think the salesperson said it has a rear-facing one too). 

You can capture the flight imagery and post the recorded video and still photos online. 

The quadricopter has stabilization controls and hull protection to keep the device safe and in the air. 

If you appreciate this technology and likes to have some fun, you may want to take this for a little spin around the yard, park, and beach. 

Also, watch out at the mall–this flying gizmo may be coming right at you. 😉

(Source Video: Andy Blumenthal)

Keeping All Our Balls In The Air

! 
This is the throwable panoramic ball camera.It has 36 cameras and when thrown in the air, takes 360-degree pictures of it’s surroundings as it reaches it’s apex (i.e. the highest point in the air).You can see behind you, above you, all around you even things that you didn’t even know where there.And you can pan, zoom, and scroll to get the precise view you want.The pictures are amazing–instantly, you have a birds eye view, but only better, because even a bird can’t see behind it’s head, but you can.The implications for artists, photo hobbyists, and outdoor enthusiasts is one thing, but then there are the possibilities for improved surveillance and reconnaissance for homeland and national security.Watch for camera balls to be used not only for throwing in beautiful and/or dangerous environments, but also for posting at security checkpoints, critical infrastructure, transportation hubs and more.One question I have is, whether the camera ball become a one-time use device, if you don’t catch it and it ends up smashing into the ground.Situational awareness is about to get a real bounce out of this one.

This is One Super-Charged Bikini

This bikini, by designer Andrew Schneider is solar-powered.

It can charge all your iDevices and why not your MacBook Air.

The material is flexible photovoltaic film strips sewn together ending in a volt regulator and USB connection for a steady flow to all your devices.

So whatever happened to a simple get-a-way day at the beach?

The male solar version of the swimsuit is the iDrink–so called because it can chill your beer or soft drinks.

Plan for swimsuits to be only the beginning of a long line of solar-clothing to charge up your life.  

Maybe that’s why everyone wants to sit near the window at the office.  😉

Your iPhone Deserves To Stand

This is the nicest iPhone stand I have seen–by Rokform.

Industrial aluminum and overbuilt — a work of art.

I like the black and red one the best.

$169 is pricey, but wow your iPhone deserves it.

High-Tech Pooper Scoopers

A few weeks ago (17 September 2011), I blogged about the Peepoo for human waste disposal, and now we have the AshPoopie for handling doggie waste.

Made by Pauli Clean Tech, this device turns dog poop into odorless, clean, 100% sterile ash.

With push-button ease, the AshPoopie picks up the poop and mixes it with a capsule at high speed to render it into simple ash for easy disposal.

AshPoopie is scheduled for release in first quarter 2012.

A welcome site and refreshing smell to our doggy doo streets.

While I personally am not obsessed with this fecal subject matter, I am a fan of cleanliness…

So cheers to these high-tech pooper scoopers. 😉

Vigilance on a Wrist

I just wanted to share this product with readers of my blog.

It is the Vigilant Emergency Wrist Alarm.

At the press of a button, you activate a piercing alarm (up to 30 minutes) and flashing locator lights right from this wrist band.

While I am not endorsing any particular vendor or product, this type of self-defense product can really be important.

This could potentially save the lives of loved ones about to be violently attacked, abducted, or even raped, G-d forbid.

From the Amazon site, I was impressed also to see that a portion of each sale is even donated to missing children’s funds.

At a price of only $16.99 per wrist alarm, how much is there really to think about?

Stay safe out there!