The great thing about Google I/O is that they post videos about a variety of geeky subjects. The daunting thing about Google I/O is that there is soooooo much information available that some may slip through the cracks if you're not careful about it. Today, I found a video about ROS, the Robot Operating System, and some interesting information about robotics and cloud services.
Here's the video:
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
DHMN: Re-purpose with a purpose
Here is an excellent intro talk about hackerspaces and DHMN by Erin Quick-Laughlin. It provides a good base for future exploration and collaboration with the group.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Metawatch and the "Open Watch Platform" concept: An Open Letter.
I recently sent this message to the Metawatch people:
I am apparently one of the dinosaurs that has chosen to continue wearing a watch. The watches that I have worn in the past are a Casio Pathfinder and Pulsar PQ2001, and I am currently wearing a Pulsar PBL047 watch.
I chose these watches because of their metal construction. Athough I like their looks and construction, I am unhappy that I am unable to interact with them in a way that I can interact with my other digital devices. This is where I became interested in interactive wrist devices. I've used ThinkGeek's watch section as a barometer for the technological progress of watches and wrist devices over the years, and I have been eagerly awaiting a device that will allow me to interact with it in a more immersive fashion.
I have some questions about the actual Metawatch device. It appears that the current product line of Metawatches has taken the "Model T" approach to hardware.
You can have any color, as long as it's black (with a black leather wristband).
As I am a person who has worn tungsten or stainless steel watches for years, I am very hesitant to go back to a watch with a leather band. I am incredibly thankful that you plan on distributing your SDK along with the watches. However, I feel like I'm in the dark as far as your hardware is concerned. What is the platform roadmap? Is this the first watch in a long line of compatible watches, or a one-off watch that is doomed to obscurity? Are you planning on being the only manufacturer of Metawatch capable devices? Do you plan on making the watch customization and hardware-hacker friendly? At this point, all I'm looking for is a stainless steel band, but I assume that other hackers might want to add custom etching, LEDs, sensors, or other stuff. I'd like to compare this project to SonyEricsson's LiveView. I think that Sony tried to make an open(-ish) system, but after a few negative reviews and a level of market penetration that was not satisfactory to them, I think they wrote it off as a mistake instead of embracing its development as a revolutionary device. It's hard to get behind a device that I feel could be killed in one fell swoop by a single manufacturer. It's one of the reasons that Android continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Given the recently announced Open Accessories initiative, the hardware designed to interact with it is poised to make similar advances.
Being related to Fossil, I'm going to assume that you have a long history in the watch industry. However, you may have a slightly more limited history in reaching out to developers. Many brands attempt to cultivate their own development networks which contain the lion's share of the development information, such as HP or Motorola. Often these sites will contain more than just info about the SDK, but also information about application development, testing, and publishing. Usually information about obtaining development hardware is here as well, if there are any programs other than paying full price through normal retail channels. Sony's Device Loaner Program, Google's Android Dev Phones, HP's developer device program, and LG's Virtual Developer Lab are examples of development programs that encourage developers to obtain/use their devices. Another method is "device seeding" (giving free devices to developers to encourage development on said device), which you are probably familiar with since you attended Google I/O this year. What does Metawatch plan to do to encourage its development community?
Metawatch, you have the ability to be a pace-setter in getting tech-types to put watches back on their wrists. You can be the Google of watches and open everything up, bringing innovation and profits to all. It's your choice. I'm rooting for you.
I'll keep you posted about any replies that I receive.
I am apparently one of the dinosaurs that has chosen to continue wearing a watch. The watches that I have worn in the past are a Casio Pathfinder and Pulsar PQ2001, and I am currently wearing a Pulsar PBL047 watch.
I chose these watches because of their metal construction. Athough I like their looks and construction, I am unhappy that I am unable to interact with them in a way that I can interact with my other digital devices. This is where I became interested in interactive wrist devices. I've used ThinkGeek's watch section as a barometer for the technological progress of watches and wrist devices over the years, and I have been eagerly awaiting a device that will allow me to interact with it in a more immersive fashion.
I have some questions about the actual Metawatch device. It appears that the current product line of Metawatches has taken the "Model T" approach to hardware.
You can have any color, as long as it's black (with a black leather wristband).
As I am a person who has worn tungsten or stainless steel watches for years, I am very hesitant to go back to a watch with a leather band. I am incredibly thankful that you plan on distributing your SDK along with the watches. However, I feel like I'm in the dark as far as your hardware is concerned. What is the platform roadmap? Is this the first watch in a long line of compatible watches, or a one-off watch that is doomed to obscurity? Are you planning on being the only manufacturer of Metawatch capable devices? Do you plan on making the watch customization and hardware-hacker friendly? At this point, all I'm looking for is a stainless steel band, but I assume that other hackers might want to add custom etching, LEDs, sensors, or other stuff. I'd like to compare this project to SonyEricsson's LiveView. I think that Sony tried to make an open(-ish) system, but after a few negative reviews and a level of market penetration that was not satisfactory to them, I think they wrote it off as a mistake instead of embracing its development as a revolutionary device. It's hard to get behind a device that I feel could be killed in one fell swoop by a single manufacturer. It's one of the reasons that Android continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Given the recently announced Open Accessories initiative, the hardware designed to interact with it is poised to make similar advances.
Being related to Fossil, I'm going to assume that you have a long history in the watch industry. However, you may have a slightly more limited history in reaching out to developers. Many brands attempt to cultivate their own development networks which contain the lion's share of the development information, such as HP or Motorola. Often these sites will contain more than just info about the SDK, but also information about application development, testing, and publishing. Usually information about obtaining development hardware is here as well, if there are any programs other than paying full price through normal retail channels. Sony's Device Loaner Program, Google's Android Dev Phones, HP's developer device program, and LG's Virtual Developer Lab are examples of development programs that encourage developers to obtain/use their devices. Another method is "device seeding" (giving free devices to developers to encourage development on said device), which you are probably familiar with since you attended Google I/O this year. What does Metawatch plan to do to encourage its development community?
Metawatch, you have the ability to be a pace-setter in getting tech-types to put watches back on their wrists. You can be the Google of watches and open everything up, bringing innovation and profits to all. It's your choice. I'm rooting for you.
I'll keep you posted about any replies that I receive.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Google I/O 2011 - Day 2 Keynote : May 11 - Chrome
Here is the Day 2 Keynote from Google I/O 2011:
It still sucks not to get the freebies (except for Angry Birds), but the data presented by Google is good enough not to require them.
It still sucks not to get the freebies (except for Angry Birds), but the data presented by Google is good enough not to require them.
Google I/O Video- Honeycomb Highlights
Honeycomb Highlights:
Honeycomb highlights slides:
Honeycomb highlights slides:
Google I/O 2011, Android Honeycomb Highlights
View more presentations from Romain Guy
Google I/O Video - Accelerated Android Rendering
Accelerated Android Rendering:
Accelerated Android Rendering slides:
Android Animation Source Code is available here.
Accelerated Android Rendering slides:
Android Animation Source Code is available here.
Google I/O 2011 Video - Android Protips
Android Protips: Advanced Topics for Expert Android App Developers, by Reto Meier:
This I/O talk references the talk that he gave at Google I/O 2010, which is here:
This I/O talk references the talk that he gave at Google I/O 2010, which is here:
Breakout sessions from Google I/O - Android Open Accessories
Google I/O 2011 contained a lot of breakout sessions and fireside talks having to do with the Android OS (Including Google TV). The sessions schedule is here. I had originally intended to embed them all into one huge post, but it quickly got out of hand. It turns up that all of the videos are available at the Android Developers page in addition to the YouTube GoogleDevelopers page.
Introducing Android Open Accessories and ADK:
Introducing Android Open Accessories and ADK:
Ghibli world, built in Minecraft
Someone with a love of both Studio Ghibli and Minecraft has combined those two things into an impressive display of what sandbox games like Minecraft are capable of accomplishing.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
I/O Boot Camp 2011 Videos are online!
For those that weren't able to make the trip to Google I/O or the I/O Bootcamp that preceeded it, have no fear. The boot camp videos are making their way online!
Here is the Beginner's Guide to Android video:
The full playlist is here:
Here is the Beginner's Guide to Android video:
The full playlist is here:
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