Neurosphere

The Human-Human Interface

More on Warfighting


Personal Infrastructure

A longer article on the use of “augmented cognition” for military application.

Conversations with computers are usually pretty one-sided: Users may yell obscenities; cursors continue to blink innocuously. But a collaborative effort between the military and industry may one day replace this one-way, futile discourse with systems that understand the user’s cognitive state and then respond accordingly. The implications of this capability reach beyond ensuring that warfighters are primed to receive critical information. It could prove to be instrumental to inventing ways of designing new systems and improving military training.

http://www.afcea.org/SIGNAL/articles/templates/SIGNAL_Article_Template.asp?articleid=1159&zoneid=188

Wearable Music


Personal Infrastructure

“Battle every condition imaginable while fully rocking out” – the Neurosphere is going to be Fun.

“The Shield™ Jacket, with an integrated iPod™ system, features a flexible SOFTswitch™ control pad located on the sleeve that’s iPod-compatible*. Simply press a button on your sleeve and the song changes. No need to unzip or expose bare fingers – it’s that easy. The iPod™ itself is stored safely in a specially designed, EVA molded chest pocket. Battle every condition imaginable while fully rocking out with the ballistic Storm-lite® 6.0 fully taped shell’s unbeatable blend of performance and style. The jacket is even machine washable, just be sure to remove the iPod™ interface module.”

http://www.burton.com/gear/products.asp?productID=133

OtterBox


Personal Infrastructure

Not as ruggedized as the Land Warrior, but…

OtterBox carries the most rugged waterproof boxes on the market. Otter Box waterproof cases are waterproof up to 100 feet deep – 10 times deeper than our competition!!!

http://www.otterbox.com/

Wearable War


Personal Infrastructure

Again, war technology leading the evolution of technology. Unlike Xybernaut, they’re unlikely to go Chapter 11.

“An Army Stryker battalion training for possible deployment to Iraq in 2007 will outfit hundreds of its soldiers with the high-tech “land warrior” ensemble this summer. These soldiers will help determine whether the system is suitable for combat and if the Army should continue to invest in the technology.

The land warrior ensemble includes a communications and navigation computer-radio suite, a helmet-mounted display and a customized rifle. The land warriors are connected to a network, and each can pinpoint the others’ location simply by looking into their displays. They are the dismounted equivalent of the “blue-force tracking” system the Army employs aboard vehicles.”

http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2006/May/LandWarrior.htm

http://www.monmouth.army.mil/CRDC/

Wearable Computing


Personal Infrastructure

Another of my favorite companies to watch. Alas, fallen on hard times.

“Mobile Assistant V (MA V) wearable computer boosts on-the-job productivity and quality of service. This powerful, rugged, fully functional, super lightweight wearable computer goes anywhere to achieve the task-at-hand. Xybernaut Software and Services complement the MA V Product Platform and ensure maximum benefit for your organization…A maintenance technician on a pole repairing a line accesses schematics and confirms a work order in real-time to quickly restore phone service to customers.

Xybernaut, involved in a Chapter 11 proceeding before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, is engaged in an effort to reorganize with the objective of emerging from Chapter 11 as a viable provider of mobile and wearable computing and communications solutions. In pursuing this objective, the company recently negotiated a debtor-in-possession loan of up to $5 million over a one year period, and is seeking to sell its many patents and intellectual properties.”

www.xybernaut.com

Vino Culture


The World Right Now

Here’s an example of how business interest will trump clumsy political budget cuts in earth sensing.

Part of Frascati’s Controlled Origin Denomination – a wine’s legally demarcated home region – was surveyed in ultra-sharp detail using an airborne radar sensor both before then after last October’s harvest. This two-stage ESA campaign was called BACCHUS-DOC, and was intended to complement a number of radar and optical satellite acquisitions by ERS-2, SPOT, Landsat, IKONOS and QuickBird…Following processing of raw data, the results are now under study by a team from ESRIN, ESA’s European Centre for Earth Observation located within the area of study, and the nearby University of Tor Vergata. In particular they are investigating to what extent the BACCHUS-DOC airborne and satellite radar imagery is sensitive to vineyard surfaces and the change in biomass following the grape harvest.

http://www.mindfully.org/Technology/2006/BACCHUS-DOC-Frascati31jan06.htm

Freeplay


Personal Infrastructure

An update from a favorite company to watch, global responsibility through commerce.

“Freeplay Energy plc (AIM: FRE), the sustainable energy company that captures, stores and delivers electric power to self-powered devices such as radios, torches and mobile phone chargers, is pleased to announce…a distribution agreement with WP Phones for its FreeCharge™ Mobile Phone Charger (“FreeCharge”) in Africa…”We are delighted with this substantial order from WP Phones. This agreement supports Freeplay’s continued focus on telecommunications opportunities, particularly in Africa where there are in excess of 50 million cell phone users and according to the World Bank, only 22% of people who have access to electricity.”

http://www.freeplayenergy.com/

What, Me Worry About the Global Environment?


The World Right Now

There is reason to suspect the general political stance of the administration and the Republican party, seeking to deny global warming and other environment consequences of unfettered industrial activity, leads to this kind of activity undermining the growing self awareness of the species. But this shortsightedness will be overcome by equally compelling business reasons for increasing the data available in these scientific areas. Still, pretty irresponsible.

“On 5 June, the U.S. government decided to strip several climate instruments off a suite of polar-orbiting satellites intended to provide the next generation of weather and climate-monitoring data for military, civilian, and scientific users.”

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/312/5780/1580?etoc

Locust World


Network Infrastructure for the Neurosphere

Technology wildly alive. I love it.

“Bio-diverse networking unleashed!”

http://www.locustworld.com/index.php

London Calling


Network Infrastructure for the Neurosphere

In several geographic areas around the world, wi-fi networks are proliferating as grassroots phenomena. Me, I look for Starbucks because I count on my T-Mobile subscription. Which model will out? T-Mobile is getting my money right now, but the grassroots thing has organic momentum behind it. The hacktivists have to get over the idea that somehow, the connection to the Internet backbone is automagically free. But beyond that, they’re on to something…

“In the last five years usage of wireless networks worldwide and in the UK, especially in London, has grown enormously. Community networks, commercial providers and public sector initiatives have been turning to this now-generic technology to provide themselves with local, low-cost networks. As this technology hits the mainstream, expanding the potential scale and utility of these networks, Wireless London addresses the creative possibilities, policies, practicalities and potential of Wireless London.”

http://wirelesslondon.info/About

“This study looks at how wireless networking (WLAN) in London has developed over the last three years from hacktivist pastime to mainstream pursuit. Comparing networks built by freenetwork groups, commercial hotspot providers, and public sector initiatives the study also examines the sales and uptake of WLAN equipment and makes some direct measurements of wireless activity in the Greater London area. Finally the study looks at the development of WLAN in the home and makes a recommendation for a Wireless Festival for London in 2004/2005.”

informal.org.uk/people/julian/publications/the_state_of_wireless_london/

“The Node Map is a core part of the Wireless London project. There have been many attempts over the last four years to solve the problem of visualising the network, keeping networkers in contact with each other, and connecting the technical infrastructure of the network with the cultural and social fabric of the city.”

http://wirelesslondon.info/LondonNodeMap?v=15kb