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Showing posts from June 5, 2016

Week 11 [06.06 - 12.06] Wearable Technology

Wearable Technology are accessories incorporating computer and advanced electronic technologies. The idea of Smart Watch and other miniature computers collectively called "wearables" have to go through a very long road. The story must start from Steve Mann. The American inventor, called by some the "father of wearables" began experimenting with portable computers at the beginning of the 80s. Mann wanted to create a portable, multi-purpose combine device, using the benefits of augmented reality technology. Of course, in those days it was not possible. The man, however, developed his ideas for decades, trying to build ever smaller and more functional equipment. (source: http://raconteur.net/public/img/articles/2014/09/wt-dashboardv3.jpg) Mann is also behind the project called “Telepointer”, a special projector mounted on the wearer's chest. This idea was developed in the late twentieth century, at the prestigious MIT university. Then gained mo

Week 11 [06.06 - 12.06] Basic income

(source: http://img.youtube.com/vi/-vnB16E36EQ/0.jpg) This year Finland will become the first country in the world, which will guarantee the unconditional basic income. What’s that ? Unconditional basic income(sometimes called basic income guarantee) is some amount of money financed by a country and transferred to every citizen as an addition to any income received from elsewhere. Finland is going to set basic income at 800€. That sum won’t be taxed, so it’s just net income. Just to compare – in Poland an average salary was about 900€ before taxes and 600€ net. Finland isn’t the only country, which thinks about the distribution of money to its citizens. Switzerland organized a referendum on it as well. Let’s think about advantages of unconditional basic income. Politicians from the left-side believe that basic income will completely eliminate the problem of poverty. The other advantage of such a solution is lowering bureaucracy and number of officials, who take care of the s

Week 11 [06.06 - 12.06] Weird Kickstarters

Licki - Brush lick your cat Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1046165765/licki-brush-lick-your-cat?ref=nav_search “Have you ever wanted to lick your cat? Now you can. Without the furballs.” This kickstarter got $43,710 pledged out of $36,500 goal with 19 days still to go. Creators of this product claim that it will help you get you and your feline friend closer, since as a human you are left out of the intimate licking ritual. This product is basically a silicone brush which you put in your mouth and as per instructions you should “slowly approach your cat when she is sleeping or in an otherwise pleasant mood”. They also suggest that it would be a cool idea to have parties where people would bring their cats and lickies and lick their cats. Shield: SignalProof Headwear Source: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/shieldapparel/shield-the-world-s-first-signal-proof-headwear/description This one is basically a fancy tin-foil hat. They collected £13

Week 11 [06.06 - 12.06] Speedball - Adrenaline packed team game

About speedball Speedball is one of the three distinct game variants in the sport of paintball, woodsball and scenario paintball. The game is characterized by a small rectangular playing field, with obstacles (inflatable bunkers). Unlike in  woodsball, being stealth and quiet is of little use. Success is dependent upon teamwork, aggressive movement, and constant communication. Source: http://takedown.clant2k.com/nrg/fields/boston/Boston-Field-1.jpg In a typical 5v5 game there are roles assigned to each player:  2 players are located at the 10 yard line and their role is to provide suppressive fire and call enemy positions (since they have a better overview of the field), there is 1 player whose role is to rush "snake" (top middle row of obstacles) and 2 more players who keep close angles around the 30-40th yard line. Because of the small size, generally less than 20,000 square feet(1 858 m2) of the field, proper positioning combined with restricting enemy movement is

Week 11 [06.06 - 12.06] Vlog and blog power

Blogging and vlogging has become a very popular and powerful channel of communication among many internet users. A couple of years ago many internet users have decided to begin blogging and vlogging in order to connect with other people who’d share similar interests and therefore could share it together. Nowadays there are thousands of various blogs and vlogs, which relate to specified areas of interests, such as: hobbies, science, gaming, education, cooking, traveling, tutorials, testing, tips & tricks, DIY, and general entertainment in humorous ways e.g. pranks. But what is really interesting, vloggers have the opportunity to earn a lot and be self-employed business professionals. In reality very often the channels seem to be run by professionals who know everything about the areas which their channel represents as well as advertising and promotion, rather than amateurs who just write or capture some personal diaries online. The vlogging and blogging sphere has become so deve

Week 11 [06.06 - 12.06] Transmedia Storytelling

Storytelling has always been a part of our lives; the stories could enable one to forward a real or fictional message to other people. A few simple facts about stories in our lives are: We all love to listen to stories told by other people, we also like to share our stories with close ones like friends, relatives and family. We use them as a communication tool with other people. The stories differentiate us from other people. Interesting stories live forever and stay in our families, societies, culture and history. The most interesting stories usually have been passed on by the opinion leaders in a specific environment. This is why nowadays in the most consumption oriented times for people, the opinion leaders have become “brands,” which customers look up to. Brands have spotted the opportunity to get more personal with a customer and a potential customer, build a relationship, engage and have interaction in order to make him associate with a brand or a product.