Kristine Pearson has been producing affordable, eco-friendly, and appropriate technologies in Africa for over a decade. Her latest invention is the culmination of her work and research thus far: The Lifeplayer, a comprehensive radio, cellular, MP3, and Internet-enabled device meant to empower groups of families, villages, and schools in desperately remote or deprived regions with access to vital information and education.
Lifeline Energy, which is based in South Africa, today announced the launch of this innovative solar-powered technology for developing markets, which comes with 64 GB of memory and an additional 32 GB SD card, allowing educators and other individuals to download podcasts and MP3 files on any topic. But of particular relevance are educational curricula as well as information related to weather, farming, and agriculture.
From: http://ping.fm/jiSmE
Shimano kit converts regular bikes into e-bikes
Much the way Sähköautot–Nyt — now known as eCars-Now — aims to facilitate the conversion of standard Toyota Corollas into electric vehicles, so Shimano has developed a kit to help convert traditional bicycles into electric ones.
The new STEPS (Shimano Total Electric Power System) component kit is designed to preserve the feeling of the traditional bike while adding the parts necessary for delivering electrical power. A 250W electric motor can take bikes up to 25km per hour, while a regenerative braking function focuses on recharging the 24V/4.0Ah lithium-ion battery, such as when riders travel downhill. The battery is removable for charging, requiring just an hour to juice up when empty, Shimano says; it can be recharged more than 3,000 times, or every day for roughly eight years. Electric switch buttons for riding mode, display mode and a light switch, meanwhile, are integrated into the 4-finger brake levers, and cables with slim 5mm plugs allow easy internal frame routing. A removable cycle computer, finally, offers a clear and quick overview of all e-bike functions, including riding mode, battery power, speed and odometer.
Pricing on the STEPS kit has not yet been announced, but it's expected to become available in December. Bike-minded retailers around the globe: one to offer eco-minded commuters near you...? (Related: Folding electric two-wheeler offers new take on urban cycling — Lightweight electric bike targets urban commuters.)
Website: cycle.shimano-eu.com
Contact: bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/contact_us.html
From: http://ping.fm/QrT46
The new STEPS (Shimano Total Electric Power System) component kit is designed to preserve the feeling of the traditional bike while adding the parts necessary for delivering electrical power. A 250W electric motor can take bikes up to 25km per hour, while a regenerative braking function focuses on recharging the 24V/4.0Ah lithium-ion battery, such as when riders travel downhill. The battery is removable for charging, requiring just an hour to juice up when empty, Shimano says; it can be recharged more than 3,000 times, or every day for roughly eight years. Electric switch buttons for riding mode, display mode and a light switch, meanwhile, are integrated into the 4-finger brake levers, and cables with slim 5mm plugs allow easy internal frame routing. A removable cycle computer, finally, offers a clear and quick overview of all e-bike functions, including riding mode, battery power, speed and odometer.
Pricing on the STEPS kit has not yet been announced, but it's expected to become available in December. Bike-minded retailers around the globe: one to offer eco-minded commuters near you...? (Related: Folding electric two-wheeler offers new take on urban cycling — Lightweight electric bike targets urban commuters.)
Website: cycle.shimano-eu.com
Contact: bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/contact_us.html
From: http://ping.fm/QrT46
Coming Soon: Mind-Reading Cell Phones
The cell phones of 10 years ago look like ancient relics compared to the smartphones of today. But our iPhones and Droids may be primitive compared to what's coming next. Justin Rattner, Intel's Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, explained in a keynote at Intel's Developer Forum this week that the next big thing in mobile devices will be "context-aware computing" from devices that anticipate your needs and wants. Read: psychic cell phones.
How is this possible? PC Magazine explains:
All this works...by creating a cognitive framework for managing context. It centers on a context engine that unites information from extensible analyzers, inference algorithms, data stores, and sensors, and then distributes them to the appropriate applications. The framework protects context information by putting the user in complete control of it: The user may specify what context is released, when it's released, and to whom it's released.
For example, a sense system embedded in a cell phone might know whether a user is running or walking, and whether they are outside or in a well-lit indoor area. Combined with inputted information (i.e. whether a user is free at a certain time), the phone could offer suggestions on what a cell phone user might want to do next.
Eventually, Intel might actually produce truly psychic cell phones. Earlier this summer, we learned about Intel's Human Brain Project--a collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh that uses EEG, fMRI, and magnetoencephalography to figure out what a subject is thinking about based entirely on their neural activity pattern. The technology won't be ready for at least a decade--and that's just fine with us.
From: http://ping.fm/ZphTm
How is this possible? PC Magazine explains:
All this works...by creating a cognitive framework for managing context. It centers on a context engine that unites information from extensible analyzers, inference algorithms, data stores, and sensors, and then distributes them to the appropriate applications. The framework protects context information by putting the user in complete control of it: The user may specify what context is released, when it's released, and to whom it's released.
For example, a sense system embedded in a cell phone might know whether a user is running or walking, and whether they are outside or in a well-lit indoor area. Combined with inputted information (i.e. whether a user is free at a certain time), the phone could offer suggestions on what a cell phone user might want to do next.
Eventually, Intel might actually produce truly psychic cell phones. Earlier this summer, we learned about Intel's Human Brain Project--a collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh that uses EEG, fMRI, and magnetoencephalography to figure out what a subject is thinking about based entirely on their neural activity pattern. The technology won't be ready for at least a decade--and that's just fine with us.
From: http://ping.fm/ZphTm
1,500 board games on hand at wifi-free caf�
It's not uncommon to see board games on display at restaurants and cafés, but they're typically used to prop up laptops at least as often as to provide hands-on entertainment. Aiming to re-create the offline interaction of days gone by, Toronto's Snakes & Lattes serves up not just coffee but also 1,500 board games available for the playing.
Billed as “the first board game café in Toronto,†Snakes & Lattes dispenses with the free wifi; rather, it encourages its patrons to play games instead. For CAD 5 per person per visit, visitors can choose from the café's diverse collection, which includes staples like Monopoly as well as lesser-known offerings including Jumanji and Fireball Island, according to a report on BlogTO. Taking the concept even further, the shop's baristas serve as strategic advisors as well, dispensing instructions and tips for play along with the frothy beverages. Coming soon, reportedly, are themed nights, youth-focused initiatives and a rental system to let customers play the games at home.
Given the ubiquity of wifi-enabled coffee houses around the world, unplugging and focusing instead on low-tech games is an interesting premise that could win the loyalty of legions of mass-mingling consumers.
From: http://ping.fm/zrO6d
Billed as “the first board game café in Toronto,†Snakes & Lattes dispenses with the free wifi; rather, it encourages its patrons to play games instead. For CAD 5 per person per visit, visitors can choose from the café's diverse collection, which includes staples like Monopoly as well as lesser-known offerings including Jumanji and Fireball Island, according to a report on BlogTO. Taking the concept even further, the shop's baristas serve as strategic advisors as well, dispensing instructions and tips for play along with the frothy beverages. Coming soon, reportedly, are themed nights, youth-focused initiatives and a rental system to let customers play the games at home.
Given the ubiquity of wifi-enabled coffee houses around the world, unplugging and focusing instead on low-tech games is an interesting premise that could win the loyalty of legions of mass-mingling consumers.
From: http://ping.fm/zrO6d
The Light Controller That Works Like an MP3
What do MP3s and light bulbs have in common? Quite a lot, it turns out, when the light bulbs are attached to a LumiSmart Intelligent Lighting Controller. The shoebox-sized solid state controller, developed by Cavet Technologies, costs $2,000, takes 20 minutes to install (with help from an electrician), and cuts electricity consumption by 30% to 40%.
The controller works by cutting off power to light bulbs for nanoseconds at a time--faster than a light or ballast can figure out. It's similar to compression algorithms used in MP3s, where cutting out select bits to decrease file size still maintains the file as a whole.
Cavet's controller is easy to use, too. "You plug it in, turn the circuit breaker panel on, and the configure level of light savings. There are 7 programs on it, optimized for different types of lights," explains David Berg, EVP of engineering at Cavet. The box doesn't discriminate by geographical difference, either--it will work on everything from 100-volt light fixtures in Japan all the way up to the 347-volt systems found in Canada and the U.S.
The LumiSmart has already launched in 21 countries. Now Cavet is taking the technology to the U.S., where it will presumably find eager customers in big businesses and utilities that need easy retrofit solutions. "We take the existing infrastructure and don't change it. We don't interrupt your business," Berg says.
From: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fastcompany/headlines/~3/RRaScN1GrwM/lumismart-leverages-mp3-technology-to-save-energy
The controller works by cutting off power to light bulbs for nanoseconds at a time--faster than a light or ballast can figure out. It's similar to compression algorithms used in MP3s, where cutting out select bits to decrease file size still maintains the file as a whole.
Cavet's controller is easy to use, too. "You plug it in, turn the circuit breaker panel on, and the configure level of light savings. There are 7 programs on it, optimized for different types of lights," explains David Berg, EVP of engineering at Cavet. The box doesn't discriminate by geographical difference, either--it will work on everything from 100-volt light fixtures in Japan all the way up to the 347-volt systems found in Canada and the U.S.
The LumiSmart has already launched in 21 countries. Now Cavet is taking the technology to the U.S., where it will presumably find eager customers in big businesses and utilities that need easy retrofit solutions. "We take the existing infrastructure and don't change it. We don't interrupt your business," Berg says.
From: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fastcompany/headlines/~3/RRaScN1GrwM/lumismart-leverages-mp3-technology-to-save-energy
Swiss researchers show off brain-controlled, AI-augmented wheelchair -- Engadget http://ping.fm/tBIo6
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