My fifth grade science teacher taught us that skin was the largest organ in our body. Finally, us geeks will be able to use all that space for something useful.
Radio Shack sells a really interesting home-automation system named Plug 'n Power that uses your in-home wiring as a bus allowing you to control electrical devices throughout the house. Basically, the system piggybacks frequencies on top of the signal in your wires to communicate between devices. Microsoft takes this one step further by allowing you to use your skin as the bus.
In a recent patent filing, number 6,754,472 they mention that a variety of devices have redundancy or in other words, watches, radios, pagers and PDAs all need speakers. Citing flaws in alternative buses such as the power-hungry nature of RF communications and security concerns regarding IR, they turn to the next logical place Human skin.
The patent filing cites an example of this in action a phone on a belt while speakers reside in earrings. It even goes on to discuss how these devices can be powered through kinetic energy. Converters have existed for years in wristwatches and this same technology can be placed in shoes.
The patent finishes by mentioning that a wide variety of living animals can have a skin-bus but fish seemed to be deliberately excluded.
Seriously, this idea makes sense and if it can be executed in the real world, it will allow for a great deal more productivity.
June 2004 Archives
My fifth grade science teacher taught us that skin was the largest organ in our body. Finally, us geeks will be able to use all that space for something useful.
Radio Shack sells a really interesting home-automation system named Plug 'n Power that uses your in-home wiring as a bus allowing you to control electrical devices throughout the house. Basically, the system piggybacks frequencies on top of the signal in your wires to communicate between devices. Microsoft takes this one step further by allowing you to use your skin as the bus.
In a recent patent filing, number 6,754,472 they mention that a variety of devices have redundancy or in other words, watches, radios, pagers and PDAs all need speakers. Citing flaws in alternative buses such as the power-hungry nature of RF communications and security concerns regarding IR, they turn to the next logical place Human skin.
The patent filing cites an example of this in action a phone on a belt while speakers reside in earrings. It even goes on to discuss how these devices can be powered through kinetic energy. Converters have existed for years in wristwatches and this same technology can be placed in shoes.
The patent finishes by mentioning that a wide variety of living animals can have a skin-bus but fish seemed to be deliberately excluded.
Seriously, this idea makes sense and if it can be executed in the real world, it will allow for a great deal more productivity.
I recently wrote an article about why we need WiMAX... It is in everyone's best interest to make it a success.
TMC is doing its part. We recently launched WiMAXcon; an event collocated with our Fall Internet Telephony Conference in LA. The specific dates of WiMAXcon are October 6-7. VoIP will be a killer app for WiMAX and the collocation of these events makes infinite sense. If you are a service provider looking to offer wireless access or VoIP - you need to be at this event! I hope to see you there.
I recently wrote an article about why we need WiMAX... It is in everyone's best interest to make it a success.
TMC is doing its part. We recently launched WiMAXcon; an event collocated with our Fall Internet Telephony Conference in LA. The specific dates of WiMAXcon are October 6-7. VoIP will be a killer app for WiMAX and the collocation of these events makes infinite sense. If you are a service provider looking to offer wireless access or VoIP - you need to be at this event! I hope to see you there.
Recently I had a bachelor party in Las Vegas for a good friend followed by a speech at the Concerto User Group Meeting on Monday morning. If you get a chance to stay at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay, you should give it a shot. Very nice accommodations More like a W hotel in Manhattan.
The level of snootiness is high however. When we arrived, we waited for 20 minutes to sit in the restaurant only find out that there are five tables taken out of 80 available. Many of them were marked reserved so on the way out I ask if I could reserve a table for Saturday brunch. Guess what They dont take reservations.
There is a value-chain in Vegas and many people get rich off of everything you do. A concierge here, a doorman there and a bell captain somewhere else. Everyone is on the take and the system is designed to accommodate it all.
We even hired a planner for the bachelor party. Guess what We didnt wait in line once. We bypassed thousands of people in two nights.
I could go on of course and explain how this is a top down issue, starting in our government and Wall Street and going on down the chain but I will refrain. Instead I wanted an amazing wireless store with you. I was in the Orlando airport on the way back from my speech and stopped in to a store named Airport Wireless. I was blown away. These guys sell the most amazing products from bluetooth headsets and accessories to Blackberry accessories. It is like a Fryes Electronics oasis in the middle of the Orlando Airport Food court. I have yet to see a store with such great products and none of the usual airport crap mixed in.
The prices were a bit higher than online but you pay for convenience. They are also located in the Philly airport, Newark, Cleveland-Hopkins and Boston-Logan. Say hi to Derek Evans, Derek@airportwireless.com 407-825-6475... He knows his stuff and tells me that shipping is free.
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