Cyber Sea – Page 2

Intelligent Plastic Sensors Hold the Key to Freshness Meters

FreshMeter "How long has the lettuce been out there?", I ask myself as I examine the crate of produce that has washed up from the Cyber Sea. I am almost tempted to ignore the find, until I spot a fresh-o-meter tag on the packages. With a glance I see that the veggies are in perfect health, so it looks like there will be a salad in my immediate future as a castaway at Nerd Beach.

Intelligent Plastic Sensors are low cost "smart meters" that can tell the freshness of the package you are holding. The meter aspect can be presented in a variety of styles, from bars and graphs to disappearing and appearing words The uses include:

Food and beverage products – freshness monitoring
Health care product efficacy monitoring – vaccines, blood, pharmaceuticals
Human & animal physiology monitoring
Air and water quality – emissions monitoring
Residual life of filters, monitoring the concentration of sanitizers e.g. pool chlorination and hospital hygiene
Pollution control – toxic emissions monitoring
Electrical equipment – corrosion from exposure to moisture vapor
Agriculture – soil quality, plant nutrition, fermentation processing

So far the proof of concept has been passed by an independent assessment, so it could be appearing on products near you in the foreseeable future. Although I do have to wonder – will they ship in a package that has a fresh label on it?

Aloha from the Beach

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Myvu Shades 301 Video Glasses for Your iPod

Greg Chaffins

MyVuShades2

It is a beautiful day as I walk Nerd Beach looking for things that have washed up from the Cyber Sea. I am also watching a Nova video from my iPod while doing this, thanks to the Myvu video glasses that recently washed up. Ah, the joys of the multi-tasking nerd.

Myvu has released their Shades 301 video glasses, a version of which are designed to work with video iPods. The glasses feature a 320×240 display, "Ultimate Ears" noise reducing earphones, and a design that allows you to look up from the video to your surroundings through the sunglass portion. The glasses feature a changeable dock connector which allows you to use them with something other than an iPod (with optional connectors from Myvu).

The unit is powered by a rechargeable battery, which allows for up to 10 hours of viewing on a charge. You can also charge the glasses from a handy USB port. The Shades 301 Video Glasses will set you back about $200.

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The Five in One Kershaw Carabiner Tool

Greg Chaffins

Kershaw-Five-in-One-Carabiner-Tool The big crate washes up on the Beach, and I rush to it to see what the Cyber Sea has given out this time. The case is screwed together, so I pull the carabiner tool from my belt loop and use the screwdriver tip to open it. I notice that the case also has plastic binding straps so again I use the carabiner tool, this time the knife blade, to cut the straps. The case comes apart, and inside I find cases of beer. Grinning, I reach again for the carabiner tool, knowing that this time I am going to need the Bottle opener tool.

A lot of us have mutli-tools that we carry, from Swiss army knives to credit card tools in our wallet. The Kershaw Knife Co. has developed a multi-tool that simplifies the carrying in that it is a carabiner that attaches anywhere handy. The patented five-in-one locking Carabiner Tool is made from 60601-T6 aircraft aluminum, and features flat and Philips screwdriver, as AUS6A grade serrated knife blade, and a bottle cap opener. The carabiner is lightweight as well, weighing only 2.7 ounces. The Carabiner Tool costs $60 and is available from Kershaw Knives.

Aloha from the Beach

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Pilot View FPV System Lets You See the Action Perspective

Greg Chaffins

Determined to see what is on top of the Nerd Beach cliffs portion that I cannot manage to climb, I don the goggles and launch the remote control airplane that so conveniently washed up from the Cyber Sea recently. Instantly I feel like I am transported to the small aircraft itself as my view shifts courtesy of the goggles. I fly towards the cliffs, the image jumping around as the tiny plane fights the breeze coming off the water. The cliffs begins to swell in the view, becoming larger as the plane approaches my destination. Noting that too much of the cliffs are visible, I adjust the controller in an attempt to climb upward. I hope to clear the cliff face, but a sudden gust throws me forward. Unexpectedly the cliffs come rushing towards me, filling up the screen. As I rip off the goggles I can see the small plane in the distance burst into pieces as it bounces off the cliff and falls to the sand. I sigh and walk towards the wreckage, hoping the camera system is as durable as it looked.

I would imagine that almost everyone that has flown RC models has imagined what it would be like to be on the vehicle itself as it flies through the air. Now the Pilot View Realtime First Person Video System has made that a reality (virtually speaking) by offering a wireless camera system that mounts on the RC model directly. The unit is to sell for $550, and should be available May 30th. While a lot of hobby groups have mounted First Person view cameras on varying RC vehicles, it is cool to see this move a little more into the mainstream.

Aloha from the Beach

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