Nov 2 2009 Great: MIT Developing Dashboard Death Bots
MIT, a school best known for not accepting me despite two super-sweet essays and several threatening phone calls, is now developing a robot companion for drivers. Why? Because we need more distractions in the car.
AIDA (Affective Intelligent Driving Agent) communicates with the driver via a small, sociable robot built into the dashboard. The idea is to develop an informed and friendly passenger, the buddy perpetually riding shotgun who aside from reading the map and helping with navigation, acts as a companion. As such, AIDA is being developed to read drivers' moods via their facial expressions and other cues (hand gestures?) and respond to them in the proper social context. It communicates back in very human ways as well: with a smile, the blink of an eye, the drooping of its head.
AIDA analyzes the driver's mobility patterns, common routes and destinations, and driving habits. It then merges its knowledge of the driver with its knowledge of the city around it, mashing up the drivers priorities and needs with real-time information on everything from tourist attractions to environmental conditions to commercial activity to help the driver make better decisions.
Yeah, but can he take the wheel? Because what good is a robot in the car if it can't drive you home? I don't need a friend in the car THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TEXTING, am I right? No, I'm dead wrong. Literally: DEAD. WRONG. Don't text and drive.
This message brought to you by the GW and everyone else who agrees that you already suck at driving bad enough without another distraction.
MIT Introduces a Friendly Robot Companion For Your Dashboard [popsci]
Thanks to Jeff, tom and Kristi, who just get lost and play 'I Spy' with themselves in the car like normal people.
May 17 2009 Inventor Denied Patent For Human 'Killer Chip'
A Saudi inventor was recently denied a German patent for what is being described as a "killer chip". What is a killer chip? Cooler Ranch Doritos, hands down.
The basic model would consist of a tiny GPS transceiver placed in a capsule and inserted under a person's skin, so that authorities could track him easily. Model B would have an extra function -- a dose of cyanide to remotely kill the wearer without muss or fuss if authorities deemed he'd become a public threat.
The inventor said the chip could be used to track terrorists, criminals, fugitives, illegal immigrants, political dissidents, domestic servants and foreigners overstaying their visas."The invention will probably be found to violate paragraph two of the German Patent Law -- which does not allow inventions that transgress public order or good morals
If the aliens have taught us anything, it's that the key to successful human tracking is NOT LETTING THE HUMANS KNOW. You embed a cyanide chip under my skin and guess what -- I'm cutting it out. With my teeth. Oh I'm sorry, was that too hardcore for you? Yeah, well one time I ate two of my own toes because I hadn't eaten dessert.
Saudi 'Killer Chip' Implant Would Track, Eliminate Undesirables [foxnews]
Thanks to Dustin and philip, who track people the old fashioned way: by looking for footprints and shit. Literally, looking for shit.
Mar 10 2009 Geekologie Review: The Clarion MiND
WOOT -- a product review. I took the Clarion MiND to find the grave of F. Scott Fitzgerald and then, in his honor, to the bar. Hit the jump to find out how it all went down.
Mar 6 2009 Real Product Review Coming!: Clarion MiND
That's right folks, a real, honest-to-God product review from yours truly. It should be up in the next couple of days and will cover the Clarion MiND (Mobile Internet Navigation Device). Per the manufacturer:
Combining personal GPS navigation and real-time Points of Interest (POI) with Internet based entertainment and full web browsing, the easily portable and pocketable Clarion MiND Mobile Internet Navigation Device provides rich GPS navigation with full PC-like Internet browsing capabilities thanks to its 4.8-inch, 800 x 480-pixel touchscreen. You can connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi at home, in the office or via hotspots out and about in the city. The ClarionMiND also allows for Internet connectivity via Bluetooth when paired with a mobile phone.
Expect pictures of my hands, and, if you're lucky, maybe even some of my car's dash! Now, is there anything in particular you want to know before I punch in the address of the nearest liquor store and massage parlor? Ask away, then stay tuned for the lowdown. Oh, and if anyone asks, I'm totally not driving without a license.
Hit the jump for some wack-ass commercial for the thing.
Continue Reading " Real Product Review Coming!: Clarion MiND "
Feb 5 2009 Get Your Stalk On With Google Maps Latitude
Want to know exactly where your "friends" are at all times? Well now you can, thanks to a Google Maps Mobile (and desktop) feature called Latitude. All you have to do is ask to borrow your "friend's" phone briefly, accept the invitation you discreetly send from your own, and presto: access their GPS coordinates at all times (note: stalkee must have a GPS enabled phone)! Simple as that. Not that I actually did that or anything. Ha, no that's not me in the bushes outside. Pfft, you think there's only one person in the whole world with a "GEEKOLOGIE WRITER" t-shirt? Get real. But seriously, isn't it time for you to slip into something a little more comfortable?
Google Maps Mobile Offer Latitude Feature [ubergizmo]
Thanks to Herb, who I strangely keep running into.
Oct 31 2008 Track That Ass With Some GPS Lingerie
The "Find Me If You Can" lingerie line from Brazilian designer Lucia Lorio comes with a GPS-uplink unit inside so you can catch your woman jumping some other guy's bones if she's really stupid and don't know there's a brick-sized piece of electronic equipment conspicuously sewn into her undergarment. The different styles sell between $800 and $1,100 and definitely aren't worth it. If you really want to keep track of your woman, and on the cheap, I've got three words for you: rope, and tree. Kidding! She's gonna need a water bowl too.
Designer Lingerie Has Embedded GPS-Uplink For Lady Location [gizmodo]
Thanks to Mpoo Zea, who once went geocaching and found a leprechaun's gold. Gimme the gold. I want the gold.
Sep 5 2008 Turn Your Scooter Into A Mobile Hotspot
Is your scooter just not geeky enough for you? How about turning that bad boy into a mobile hotspot?
This how-to shows building instructions for putting together a scooter that doubles as a roving wireless hotspot, GPS device, pirate radio station, and even has enough juice to amplify an electric guitar in order to play songs over the web.
Awesome! The only thing you have to watch out for, based on the look of that monster antennae, is spinal cancer. Trust me on this one, I don't break into the hospital and steal patients' meals because I'm not a doctor. I do it because I'm hungry and my wife couldn't cook to save the last living dinosaur.
Wireless scooter lets you wardrive from the fast lane [make]
via
Build yourself a scooter that doubles as a roving hotspot [dvice]
Jul 23 2008 RC Fishing Boat Does The Work For You
Ha, did my boss just catch me playing Solomon's Key on FireNes (note: version 1.1 is out so it may work now for those of you that were having problems) when I was supposed to be making a spreadsheet? Yes, yes he did. Anyway, some Japanese company is selling an RC fishing boat called KAMOME. It does all the work for you, so it's not even like you're fishing anymore, it's like you're driving an RC fishing boat. The 24 pound boat comes with a sonar system for spotting fish, GPS capabilities, and can catch fish up to about 4.5 pounds. The radio controller has a 5" LCD that displays the sonar and other ship data and has a range of about 1/3 of a mile. Unfortunately the damn thing costs over $5,000. So now instead of boring your friends with the story about "the one that got away", you can tell them the one about the Geekologie Writer sinking your $5,000 RC fishing boat.
JAPAN: Radio Controlled Fishing Boat [hobbymedia]
Thanks Francesco, now lets torpedo that sucker, just for the halibut.
Jun 25 2008 Knight Rider GPS Unit Is KITTastic, Functional
The Mio Knight Rider GPS unit is exactly what it sounds like -- a Knight Rider themed GPS unit. It has red blinking lights. Basically what you're paying for is the fact that Mio got William Daniels (the distinguished voice of KITT) to do all the audio work. You choose your name from a long list, and then the unit will address you as so, making you feel a little more Knight Rider-y and a little less Minivan Rider-y. The MSRP is around $270 and they hit streets in the fall. Now before you run out and buy one, be warned: a Knight Rider GPS unit will not get you laid, it will only get you to your destination.*
*Vaginaville and Poontown excluded.
Hit the jump for a worthwhile video of the unit in action, well, minus the part where the guy spends ten minutes going through the list of names and making it play them all.
Continue Reading " Knight Rider GPS Unit Is KITTastic, Functional "
Jun 9 2008 The 3G iPhone Is Here, Fanboys Rejoice And Start Waiting Outside Apple Stores, I Get Drunk And Try To Forget About Life Like Any Other Day
Well folks, after months of rumors and speculation, Apple officially announced the new 3G iPhone today at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. It has exactly everything everyone thought it would. Well, except when I thought it was going to be a 3D iPhone. Because it doesn't have that. Everything else though, like 3G speed and GPS. The only real news is the price -- $199 for an 8GB, $299 for 16GB. And as an added bonus, the 16 is also available in white. Oh happy day! They'll all be available starting July 11th, so I'm headed up to the closest Apple store to start my month-long camp out. And by "start my month-long camp out" I mean I'll plow my car into the front of the line right before the store opens so I can be first. And by "plow my car into the front of the line right before the store opens" I mean continue lying on the couch. And by "continue lying on the couch" I quite literally mean I'm just gonna keep lying here.
May 2 2008 Analog GPS Unit Is Just A Piece Of Paper
In this day of Garmin, TomTom, and Magellan GPS navigation systems, it's good to see an analog alternative to the digital market. And here it is, the Paper GPS system. As you can see it's a pad of paper that has little arrows to circle and boxes to write directions and mileage between turns. Each pad costs $6.50 and makes a great gift. You should have seen the look on my girlfriend's face when I told her I got her a GPS navigation system for her birthday! She was so freaking excited (she gets lost easily). Then she opens the box and it's a pad of this paper. Oh man, I laughed my ass off. Unfortunately she didn't have too much trouble finding her way to the door, and, that night, some other dude's bed.
paper gps won't get you lost (if you write good directions) [technabob]
Feb 25 2008 Conceptual Frame Tablet Thingy Is Awesome
Okay I know how much some of you hate conceptual products, but this one is pretty damn cool. It's a picture frame tablet device that provides the user with information about whatever you're looking at through it. Designed by Tokyo native Mac Funamizu, the unit uses a camera/scanner along with GPS and internet connectivity to determine what you're looking at and provide information.
Just frame anything you desire behind the glass window, from a building, to a car or piece of art and the image will be analyzed and searched on any number of sites like wikipedia, google or google earth.
Sweet, they should have come out with these years ago. Just imagine not having to guess which house is yours when you come home drunk. I mean, you wake up on your elderly neighbor's couch three times in a week and all of a sudden you have a "drinking problem" and a "breaking and entering problem". If that old hag would've painted her shutters a different color like I told her to it never would have happened. As often. It wouldn't have happened as often.
Several more pictures showing the devices capabilities after the jump.
Continue Reading " Conceptual Frame Tablet Thingy Is Awesome "
Dec 21 2007 Bikes Jealous Of Cars, Get Rearview Monitors
The Cerevellum Rearview Monitor is a rearview monitor you mount to the handlebars of your bike. It's headed to production soon and will sell for $200. It comes with a camera you can mount anywhere and features "a 3.5-inch screen and a 4-hour battery life, along with 32MB of storage for workout data and four USB ports for expansion modules." Sweet, expansion modules. I got a look at some of them and they're what you'd expect. A GPS module, a heart rate monitor, and one that calls 911 after you slam into a truck because you weren't paying attention to the road.
Cerevellum bike rearview monitor might be a little overkill [engadget]
Dec 18 2007 Virtual Cable Navagation Systems Is Neat
Making Virtual Solid is a New Jersey company working on a product called Virtual Cable. It's a car navigation system that uses "a laser, a set of lenses, and a moving mirror mounted in the dashboard to project a 3D route-guidance line above the road ahead, as though it's actually out in front of the driver." Pretty freaking neat. It's like your car is following a red line from heaven. And hopefully that line leads straight to a seedy strip-joint, because, well, that's where I want to go. The company says the system will "cost somewhere around $400 as a factory-installed option, and can be easily interfaced with existing GPS systems."
This is the technology of the future people. I'm tired of my old screen-based GPS navigation system. It's like playing a video game -- a very un-fun video game where the object is getting to your grandmother's house for Christmas. Despite my best efforts to liven up the gameplay by running over a few street vendors, it was still lame.
Three video mock-ups of what it'll be like after the speedbump. Note: This means they're not real, just what the system will look like.
Continue Reading " Virtual Cable Navagation Systems Is Neat "
Oct 29 2007 Robot Car Is Tiny, Still Fits Lots of Clowns
The Picobot is allegedly the world's smallest autonomous robot. I say allegedly as I'm not up to date on the world's smallest autonomous robots because I have better things to do. So we'll just assume it is. It doesn't do much besides drive itself off a table, but hey, you've got to start somewhere. The maker plans to include wireless communications, camera, sensor, and GPS technology in future versions. No official word on the number of clowns the thing can fit, but based on my expert opinion I'm going six. Maybe seven if they aren't wearing those stupid oversized shoes.
A video of the car repeatedly committing suicide after the jump. And props to the maker for the Pabst stovepipe on the table.
Continue Reading " Robot Car Is Tiny, Still Fits Lots of Clowns "
Sep 11 2007 GPS Trip Tracker Gets You In Trouble
Telespial Systems has developed the Super Trackstick, which is a GPS based trip tracker. It has magnets on the bottom, so you just slap it on your vehicle and take off. Two AAA batteries power the thing for a month, so when you get back to your home base you just jam that thing into a USB port and it will upload your trip to Google Earth so you can live it all over again. I'd get one ($275), but I'm too afraid of my girlfriend sticking it to the bottom of my Tempo to find out where I really go when I'm "working late". You know, because when I say that I'm not really at work, I'm out being promiscuous.
GPS Trip Tracker Gets You In Trouble [therawfeed]
Aug 23 2007 High Tech Shoes For Prostitutes
From the "Our Street Walkers Need to be Better Equipped" department come the platform shoes for prostitutes. Designed by the Aphrodite Project, these are the latest in greatest in hooker safety.
The shoes have an audible alarm system, which emits a piercing noise to scare off attackers. The shoes are also outfitted with a built in GPS receiver and an emergency button that relays both the prostitute's location and a silent alarm signal to public emergency services. Where there are problematic relations with law enforcement.... the shoes will relay the signal to sex workers' rights groups.
I don't even know what to say about this except that I'm getting them for all my girls. I'm tired of always trying to track them down to demand my money. Now I'll just use the GPS and threaten to run them over with the car.
High Technology Shoes For Prostitutes [therawfeed]
