Techs-Tiles: From the Titilating to the Terrifying to the not very well Thought out

Dear Readers

Since its inception in 30,000 BC Clothing has been one of the defining pinnacles of human civilization. The evolution of the utility of clothing started from humble Paleolithic beginnings as protection against the elements and transformed to encompass uniformity, self expression, culture, religion and many other facets.   

We are now reaching a milestone of great proportion as we seek to further add to its utility a wide range of functions by meshing clothing with circuitry.

The age of wearable technology is at hand. 

I’m sure by now you’ve all seen the Intel Edison powered ,3D printed spider dress, indefinitely one of the highlights of CES 2015.

With its proximity sensor and collar of robotic claws ,which stab anyone invading the personal space of the wearer, Designer Anouk Wipprecht takes the concept of “playing hard to get” to a whole new level. Jokes aside, there is no arguing that this work of art is as mesmerizing as the creature of nature after which it is modeled. 

Some of her other notable work include:

• A smoke dress which ,as advertised, creates a smoke screen if the wearer feels threatened. If the idea was to stealth however I have to say that a running smoking person would grab quite alot of attention.Other than that my main concerns would be smoke alarms,choking hazards and no smoking areas.  

 

• A biometric dress called  Synapse which monitors moods and also has a proximity sensor ,similar to the spider dress but instead of claws has lights which flicker and increase in intensity depending on stress levels and invasion of privacy

•  And the last,and frankly the least in the sense of body coverage, is a fantastical article of clothing dubbed Intimacy composed of smart e-foils that ,depending on heart rate and certain sensual social interactions, turn from opaque to transparent. 

I’m all for the integration of wearable technology but having your clothes in essence reveal your inner thoughts and moods will indefinitely lead to conflict sooner or later and in a dynamic world with many external factors that affect your body and your mood this seems like  another avenue for misinterpretation. 

   

Speaking of which, the people of Japan have been the subject of constant misinterpretation; although they can’t really fault anyone but themselves. 

From their eerie tentacle featuring manga and anime to their bizarrely sexualized commercials it isn’t a wonder that they are considered, a little odd. However it is especially Japanese fashion and technology that go above and beyond the boundaries of norm to bring us creations that are magnificently and wondrously weird.  

One such creation is the Necomimi.

Necomimis are strap-on animatronic ears which claim to move in different ways by using brainwave sensor technology and translating your brain activity in order to determine your current mood, be it ear flopping calm or ear perking focus.

 

Necomimis come with interchangeable animal ear pieces and are utterly pointless.  

But wait! If you thought those silly accessories were a meow and a half then this next contraption is just purrfect for you.

Introducing Tailly for those of you who were just dying to get the complete outfit and just didn’t think you looked asinine enough. Tailly is a wearable belt that has sensors that measure your heart rate and as it increases the attached tail starts moving. So if by chance you see a person on the ground with a Tailly furiously wagging behind him, he or she is probably having a heart attack which leaves you with the following options. To take a selfie next to this unusual occurrence , to leave the weird sod to die there, or perhaps even to ease its passing.

I would recommend buying this if you are Japanese, a furry fetishist, making a glorified cat costume for Halloween or if you are Hugh Hefner (I know you are an avid reader buddy and I would love to see these on some playboy bunnies, live long and prosper!). 

But it is simply a ridiculous thought that anyone would wear this on a regular basis as their creators intended.

In Fashion the greater the reward the higher the risqué. In 2010 Manuel Torres proved just that as he revealed to the world a whole new form of fashion, spray-on clothing.


His invention the Fabrican used a customizable polymer based liquid fabric which could be sprayed via an aerosol can or a spray gun onto a surface to create an overlapping non woven cloth.
 

The demonstrations showed the fabric being spurted onto models framing every crevice, cleft and curvature of their body to create clothing that acted like second skin. But for those of us who are not yet comfortable in our own skin let alone a second layer molding it for the world to see, Fear not. The material can be pulled and tugged into less form fitting shape to save us our modesty.  The apparel is washable and ultimately re-usable and it can be recycled by dissolving the material and using it to create new clothing.

But Fabrican’s utility goes far beyond fashion. Manuel envisions his invention being used in the fields of medicine, from casts and medicine laced bandages to spray on trans-dermal drug delivery systems; Hygiene, from creating waterproof mattress coverings for use in hospitals to sponges to towels, etc; and Design as this can be sprayed onto any frame or surface from walls and floors to the interior of cars and many more, even giving 3d printing a little jog for its money.

However there are a few apparent issues with Fabrican.The First would be customization, which is key to Fabrican’s success. Unless there is a customizable refill system aerosol cans only offer so much customization, hence you will have to buy a spray gun.  Secondly; although the notion that you could create your own clothing with Fabrican is exciting unless you are a contortionist this seems like a two person operation .Creating your own clothing will indefinitely require a different process (possibly with frames) than is shown in the video demonstration. Finally the big question is: Would the whole process be more cost and time efficient than going out and buying retail clothes?

Fabrican’s Commercial launch is yet to be announced  

Wearable Solar is a prospect that utterly excites and enthralls me. Project Leader Christian Holland not only shared my passion; it would appear that we both approached the concept with the same vision.

Woodstock and Coachella.

Whether it is to know what band is playing when, to find out where you are, to call up your friends and let them know your location or to take those all important photographs which basically double as  bragging rights, a Smartphone becomes quite important at these festivals. Ergo Battery life becomes very crucial and charging becomes an issue, but not anymore.

Pauline Van Dongen with the aid of physicist Dr. Gert-Jan Jorgerden, who specializes in Solar cell engineering, designed clothes that have solar panels integrated into them and can essentially power small gadgets. They claim that their dresses can restore a dead phone battery up to 50%, with only an hour of soaking up the sun.

The main objective of all wearable technology is to find the perfect equilibrium between fashion and functionality. The Wearable Solar project is no different. Seamlessly fitting flexible solar cells into clothing to make them fashionable was quite the challenge but with flexibility came a price. The energy output requirements couldn’t be met by the thin flexible solar cells that were installed and thus the clothes had to be mounted with rigid solar cells (meant to be stationary) which left the designs looking too peculiar and conspicuous to go mainstream.

 A fabric comprising solely of advanced power generating solar cells would be ideal for making clothes but this only exists in the lab and is extremely expensive to fabricate let alone commercialize. The solar powered clothing of today is a tradeoff between flexibility, power production and cost. However, as with all technology, the outlay will go down and the future of wearable solar looks bright.

But if you are like me, impatient that is and think the future should be now, then perhaps you’ll be intrigued by this. A collaborative effort of Mobile Phone Company Orange and Got wind (a group of experts on renewable energy), Orange power Wellies are thermo electric Wellington boots which have a ceramic sandwiched thermocouple system that uses the heat from your feet to generate electricity.

However this is far more inefficient when compared to solar wear as you need 12 hours of loitering under your boots to have enough power to charge your Smartphone for an hour. But bear in mind that the hotter your feet get the more energy you produce. So to increase efficiency the creators of Orange Power Wellies encourage you, to get jiggy with it.

Sadly though, Power Wellies are still unavailable to the public.

The Arduino Lilypad created by Leah Buechley at MIT, is one of the first commercially launched wearable microprocessors.



Its ability to easily link with sensors and actuators and its low cost spurned an array of innovative, homespun and factory made creations.

The turn signal bike jacket is one such invention. Designed by Leah Buechley herself the jacket has LED lights attached to it which allows bikers to signal if they are turning left, right, going straight or at night just alerting traffic to their presence. Buttons are mounted onto the right and left sleeves of the jacket which when pressed; activate the LEDs on the back of the jacket. Biking can be quite dangerous especially in the later hours of the day and creations like this make it safer for all involved.

Among such useful and helpful items such as a bag that senses if your valuables are within its confines or if you didn’t pack them, etc, there are several Tech fashion Faux pas that are just wonderfully confounding. 

Design company Diffus has its own line of fashion technology. Using Arduino Lilypad microprocessors to power their fabrications they’ve come up with quite a few novel clothing items. The acclaimed Climate Dress is their most prized product. It responds to carbon dioxide levels in the air around the wearer using a sensor and lights up LEDs woven into the outfit. If you are aiming to be the Harbinger of a “carbon fuelled end of the world” scenario or you are just curious about your carbon footprint or those of others, I simply couldn’t recommend this enough.

Another of their creative designs is the UV Dress. As the name would suggest it measures light intensities and responds by closing and opening apertures inserted into the dress itself. Again if you are a vampire or you have a horrid skin disease (in which case I’m truly sympathetic) I still wouldn’t recommend buying this. 

Other less known but more bizarre inventions are a matching pair of his and her underwear which vibrate when the wearers are around each other and a sound projecting strap article which is designed to keep the dancing wearer out, I repeat, OUT of synch with the music. 

Although these clothes seem silly, we mustn’t forget that novelty usually precedes norm, and the initiative these designers have, deserve appreciation.

      

There are countless other fascinating smart clothing products that I would’ve included from an electrocuting anti-rape bra to a sad hug-simulation vest to life saving heart rate monitoring cardigans for the elderly and diseased to smug smart socks and so many more, but alas time being the stern mistress that she is simply would not allow it. 

But there is no doubt that the amalgamation of circuitry and couture edges us towards the science fiction fantasy that we all dream the future to be like.

Heiwa

2015:The Age of the Lightsaber-wielding Jurassic Goat Max of Panem

Dear Readers

A New Year dawns….………………

From Countries to societies to organizations to people, everyone is gearing up and getting ready to face 2015.

Filled with new possibilities and plans, new desires and dreams, new aims and ambitions, new goals and resolutions but above all else the new year fills in our hearts the hope for a better future.

But what can we expect besides hope? 

The answer to that, my esteemed readers, lies in the scribblings that have been etched upon the computer screen you view this very instant. 

United Nations Year Designation


The UN has anointed 2015 as the International Year of Light (IYL) and the International Year of Soil (IYS). As it does every year, with such an appointment comes a certain responsibility as this will affect whether we view this year to be a success.

The International Year of Light will be a commemoration of the achievements and advances in the field of optics and photonics. Felicitously the opening ceremony of IYL is to be held in Paris, the City of lights. The UN intends on creating global awareness about the applications and benefits of light-based technology to humanity and its contribution to make the world a greener, cleaner and better place. Exhibitions, grants, sponsorships, campaigns and more are all being set up to foster creativity, generate ideas, inspire development and establish a general mindset for the integration of photonics into our lives. Let’s hope this year of lights will lead to a brighter future.

The International Year of Soil is an observance by the UN to create public understanding about the importance of soil and to stress its sustainable use. The Global Soil Partnership, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification all collaborated to organize programs to educate communities on the significance of soil to food security, climate change, entire ecosystems and ultimately our very lives. Policies, initiatives and agendas are being drawn up to promote the sustainable management and safeguarding of soil. An imperative move by the UN, one which will ensure that the human race doesn’t end up biting the dust.

                                                                                                                                                                         

Countries and Economies                                                              

The Chinese dubbed this the year of the Goat, possibly in the hopes that they can emulate the innate balance of the goat to stabilize their economy. In any case, with the ending of its 12^th Five Year Plan (FYP) or Zhōngguó Wǔnián Jìhuà as the Chinese call it, China will shift its growth to a lower gear as structural, financial and environmental reformations take precedence. 

Europe moves on to another year of struggle, on the rickety uphill path towards financial recovery. They will not only have to face squalls from outside the continent, in the form of depleting global demand and withering trade, but also internal political turmoil and public discontentment , which are as dangerous as the Foehn Winds.
To counter these issues the EU and the European Central Bank (ECB) aim to purchase sovereign bonds in hopes of engendering demand, and they also seek to implement better monetary, fiscal and structural policies. 

The US is also on unsteady ground especially after the 2014 Congress budget approving bank bail outs. With a $3.2 Trillion consumer debt outstanding and US households only just beginning to make more money than they owe, the question remains whether this was a wise decision. Some experts fear that in 2015 the debt may worsen due to this and other factors (such as the oil price drop), and may plunge the US into another relapse of financial crisis. However if maintained properly i.e. managing risks, reducing subprime loans, etc such a disaster can be averted. 

Science and Technology

For science and technology, 2015 looks to be a very promising year.

We start off with NASA’s Space probes “Dawn” and “New horizons” making their way, respectively, towards  the dwarf planet Ceres and the now dwarf planet Pluto.  

 

After its exploration of the Protoplanet Vesta, NASA probe Dawn is moving on towards Ceres in what will be the first ever investigation of a dwarf planet, in April 2015.

Its mission will involve orbiting Ceres in order create a full characteristic profile of the dwarf planet. The mission will give us valuable insights into the early stages of planet formation.

NASA probe New Horizon’s ETA is set to be in July 2015 and will mark our first close encounter with the controversial celestial object known as Pluto. 

It is equipped to gather data in the form of photographs, spectroscopic analyses, dust measurements and radio science investigation data. 

True to its name the NASA probe has set its sights on new horizons, as it hopes to delve further onward, past Pluto, into the Kuiper belt. 

 

More on the topic of space, Olde Britain will be sending its first man to space at the end of the year. Major Tim Peake was selected by the European Space Agency Programme as a candidate despite Britain’s admonishment of Space endeavours. The ESA hopes that this will get Britain to let go of its backward ways and inspire them to participate and embrace Astronomy. A Soyuz capsule will launch Major Tim Peake into the ranks of the Astronauts and to the ISS where he will be stationed for 6 months. 

It was in 1997 that Andy Green set the fastest land speed record of 763 mph, in the Thrust SSC.  The RAF Wing commander will return once more to top his own World record in a spectacle symbolic of the statement that you are your greatest competition. The event, set in a desertified lakebed in the Northern Cape of South Africa, will be streamed live online in 2016. But as much as the driver is important to accomplishing this feat the vehicle itself, is imperative. 

Dubbed the Bloodhound SSC this beast of a supersonic car can achieve a terrifying speed of 1000 mph. Forged out of titanium and carbon fibre this machine is streamlined in the shape of a pencil. I’m positive by now every hot blooded male is anxious to know what holy engine powers this godly vessel. Fitted in its bowels is a cutting edge Rolls Royce EJ200 jet engine used in Typhoon Euro fighters capable of producing a staggering 135,000 horsepower.

There is no doubt that the Sonic boom of Andy Green breaking his own world record will echo throughout 2016 but the astounding accomplishment of crafting such a monstrously fast piece of engineering will resonate throughout 2015. 

Artificial intelligence, Data gathering /processing and Robotics will be further incorporated into our lives this year. 

The use of wearable technology will rise exponentially, enabling the capture of data at a much larger and more personal level. 

This “Big Data” will help programmers code algorithms to better process data and allow for improved decision making and predicting by computers.   

Cognitive computing and artificial intelligence are taking long strides with enhancements in voice recognition, translation, GPS/ mapping and travel, problem solving, medical diagnosis, emotion identification, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  Robotics goes hand in hand with these developments as robots become more and more like their creators, and in 2015, will enter our household environment.  We might also see FDA approved medical nanotechnology within the year.

After the discovery of the Higgs Boson in 2012, the Large Hadron Collider laid dormant for 2 long years.

But in 2015 Scientists are planning to reinitiate the particle collider .They plan on conducting three year long experiments, broaching the subjects of dark matter, anti matter and super symmetry to seek answers to the deepest questions in science. A discovery made will tear open a rift into a world of infinite unknown and untapped possibilities that will be universally paradigm shifting.

Out of the dozen notable events that are going to occur this year the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris will be among the most noteworthy as it will set the tone of how environmentally engaged we are in the future. The goal of the summit will be to achieve legally binding affirmation from countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to restrict global temperature rises. The involvement of the US and China (the biggest greenhouse gas producers) assures the UN that they won’t suffer the debacle that was the

Copenhagen summit of ‘09 and is quite a positive sign of the summit’s success.

Movies 

It would appear that 2015 also bodes well for Hollywood. The year will see the continuation of several legendary series and the end of a couple more.  

Marvel finishes the second phase of its illustrious cinematic universe in 2015 with the upcoming Antman movie and the even closer premiere of Avengers: the Age of Ultron. 

 

2015 marks the conclusion of the grandiose Hunger Games series with its final installment The Mocking Jay Part 2 which will no doubt end with a, spoiler alert, glorious bang.  

Universal Studios finally reinitiates the fourth official movie in its blockbuster Jurassic series. Get ready to see your favorite reptiles, and some new genetically modified lizards, on the big screen, once again in this larger than life installment titled “Jurassic World”

 

Speaking of bleak futuristic worlds, the gritty post-apocalyptic series Mad Max rises from the ashes of yesteryear getting its fourth sequel. 

However, Star Wars VII steals most of the thunder and lightning of 2015 and rightfully so as the continuation comes 10 years after the release of the last Star Wars chapter, in an episode aptly named the “Force awakens”. It will follow 30 years after the events that transpired in Star Wars Episode VI “The Return of the Jedi”, the cast of which will be returning and joining a new set of actors. Star Wars VII heralds the coming of a third trilogy in the epic saga. 

 

What to Expect from Me in the Future

Phraseology will be a series of articles, you could expect every other week; seeking the origins, discovering the history, unraveling the mystery and dissecting the meaning behind idioms, phrases, proverbs, expressions and even quotes from every culture and every country around the globe .  

                                                      

Digging up Diamonds shall be an on an off sequence of pieces about my random stumblings across gems; be it an underrated game, an unsung TV serial, or a forgotten flick, that demands to be shared with the world.                                 

I invite you to check them out when I publish them soon, but till then please pore through my articles of 2014, the links of which are all below.  

Science Guy Vs. God. Let the Battle Begin 

Valentines Day: If I do so quote myself 

Just Dusting up the Big Bang Theory 

Minecraft: Asteroid edition 

Transformers: The Rise of the Writer Robots

The Chronicles of NASA: the Man,the Moon and the Myth

Em Drive: The Little Engine that Could

Double O Desperation: Cloud Fall

HeForShe:The Peaceful Coexistence of the Sexes

Release the KRAKEN: 20,000 leagues of controversy

Nobel Prize 2014 : Physics Front Runners & Winners

Nobel Prize 2014 : Medicine and Physiology Front Runners & Winners

Nobel Prize 2014 : Chemistry Front Runners & Winners

Meet Krampus

Dear Readers I’ve had much support from you over the last year and I hope to win your affection this year as well. 

As for my usual parting, or perhaps welcoming words of wisdom, this time, I say to you……

Stay away from the light and don’t,in any circumstance, soil yourself.

Wishing you all the very best for the New Year



Image sources:   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Year_of_Light#mediaviewer/File:International_Year_of_Light_2015_-_color_logo_2.png  
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/year-of-the-goat-royalty-free-illustration/506287255
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceres_%28dwarf_planet%29#mediaviewer/File:Ceres_Cutaway.jpg
http://www.astro.com/mtp/mtp53_e.htm
http://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2010/nov/23/timothy-peake-space-missions
http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/
http://www.myjibo.com/
http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Collider#mediaviewer/File:CMS_Silicon_Tracker_Arty_HiRes.jpg
http://www.wclimate.com/

http://marvel.com/images/957402#0-957

http://weheartit.com/entry/147820316/collections 

http://www.jurassicworld.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MadMaxMovie/photos_stream

http://www.starwars.com/films/star-wars-episode-vii-the-force-awakens

                                                                                                                                                 

Transformers:The Rise of the Writer Robots

Dear Readers 

I bring to you this alarming bulletin immediately after stumbling upon the disturbing news that I am actually, a computer program.

Hold on! Wait! Wait just a second…I’m getting a new update…

After further experimentation, which involved slapping myself in the face (which hurt) and a swift sharp kick in the crotch (delivered by my girl friend ,which hurt even more; not because of her betrayal but more by the action itself) it is safe to conclude that, I, am real. 

Not so fast Geppetto, whether I’m a real boy or a girl shall be determined after doctors examine my crushed genitals; although most of my friends will have already diagnosed me as a girl.

Much to my displeasure however, that controversy shall remain unsolved.

Today’s controversy shall be….

Robot writers Aye or Nein?

Call me superficial, a dumbass or whatever you want to, but what actually drove me to write on this topic is that, one, of these automated writing programs and I have something in common. Our name.
 Wordsmith. 

I know, I know, besides actually meaning that one is apt at writing, it is indeed a popular pseudo name. But whether you like it or not that’s what caught my attention and that’s what led me to delve into the world of automated writing.

Now for a bit of Fun, Factual & tangential trivia. 

This is a 240 year-old automaton writer, which essentially is a predecessor of the modern robot and possibly even the computer. 

Being one out of the three infamous automata designed by the Jaquet --Droz family, it can write cursive that buries my own. 

Even though that isn’t saying much, No-one can deny that this is an astounding piece of machinery.

 But even saying that does not justify what it is; a true work of art, a masterpiece. 

Fast forward to the future, where robot writers of today are already out there; analyzing data, crunching algorithms, literally dotting the “I”s and crossing the “T”s, and actually publishing books and writing articles.  Associated Press, Forbes, LA Times, ProPublica, Yahoo! are some of the companies who already have robot writers. 

Here begins the controversy. 

Most authors, poets and journalists are appalled by the implication that their literature, unto which their blood, sweat and tears have been poured, can be replaced by the formulated text pumped out of cold, hard soulless machines.  

However the opposition argues that almost all writing has some form of formula or algorithm behind it, which can be replicated by computer programs to produce equally similar pieces. Robot writers acutally back this up providing narratives that are surprisingly competent and are reasonably indistinguishable from that of a human writer, and perhaps even better.   

I say this only in the context of article writing that involves a lot of statistics and numerical data. Given the correct algorithm a computer can analyze large chunks of data to obtain, patterns, anomalies, key data and predict future trends much more efficiently and accurately than a human. This coupled with the recent ability to convert this data into easily comprehensible narratives the robot writer gets an edge over its human counterpart.

Along with my namesake program there are several other programs that offer this service, The Quill (article writing for businesses) and Quakebot (which reports about seismic activity straight from the U.S. Geological Survey and writes articles about it)are two examples. 

So the question remains, can robot writers actually replace human writers? 

In the future, perhaps.

The simple fact of the matter is that however complex a computer is “WE” are far more complex. 

Of course a computer is more neutral, factual and logical but it is 

that emotional touch

that empathy 

that individualistic perspective that is labeled as bias 

that makes a piece of writing special and unique,both to read and to write.

 

The solution or rather conclusion is simple.Coexistence. 

Let the robot writers handle the boring factual and statistical articles (still under human supervision) & leave opinionated, artistic and idealistic literature to the human writers. 

But before you go I pose to you a question …. 

Can you differentiate the writing of a computer from that of a human? It is surprisingly hard to draw a distinction. Don’t believe me? Take this quiz and see for yourself.

BOT or NOT

Not to Brag but I got 10 out of 10. Try and beat that Bitc..Readers! Readers!

Peace out and as the young Swaggies say “TU tantum Vivere Quodam”