Katie Fehrenbacher
Articles by Katie Fehrenbacher
Trace Encounters stickpin
We're thinking that proudly wearing this hardware pin outside of the Ars Electronia festival would be like sporting the accessories' equivalent of the pocket protector, but 1,000 festival goers received these as part of the Trace Encounters social networking project. The stickpins use IrDA limited range infrared data transmitters to remember the other pins it encounters, and when the wearer walks by a certain area, a network downloads the contact information onto a plasma display panel. The resulting visual display looks like a bunch of lines connecting your dot to everyone you hung out with that day. It's like six degrees of Kevin Bacon, with you in place of Kevin Bacon. [Via Near Near Future]
Lollipop lick counter
It's a sad day in the Tootsie Pop factory when they start rolling out that shoddy 70's owl again. We thought we'd only have to hear that annoying "how many licks does it take" phrase and see that weird scholarly cap on the occasional VH1 nostalgia show. But no, looks like Tootsie still drags the owl out for useless schwag like this "technical" answer to his nagging quest to count lollipop licks. We still can't quite believe they actually used an LED-display for this, but we are relieved they haven't resurrected that un-PC "Indian-shooting-the-star" promotion they supposedly once trotted out (yep, it's an urban legend). [Via TRFJ]
Star38.com death threats
When we spoke with Jason Jepson, CEO of Star38.com, last week, we had no idea that there was a legion of pissed-off hackers waiting to harrass him. Seems like people who've been using the technology on the DL don't want to see its commercialization. While Star38.com has only been commercial for three days, Jepson's already received harrasing emails and phone calls, found a death threat taped to his front door, and had his phone tapped. Because of the harrasment he says he's now planning to sell the business, and he's also had to hire a private investigator to find the harrassers and to protect himself and his family. Damn, we didn't know people were so attached to their caller ID spoofing, but getting out of the caller ID spoofing business is probably not such a bad idea. Our story last week received livid comments from readers concerned about privacy issues and over the legality of debt collectors using the service. We guess making money off tricking caller IDs is not exactly a good way to make friends. Good luck to the next owner.
TripSense: beware bad drivers
Those insurance companies can be real tricky-like. Progressive auto-insurance is offering discounts to customers who will install TripSense, a matchbook-sized monitoring device which records their driving habits, into their vehicles. Though the company says the information will not be used to increase fees for fast or reckless drivers (yeah right), the info has still been collected, so it could be used in noncustomer-friendly ways. Like, say it being sold to various 3rd parties, or worse, a subpoena. We're thinking puny $25 discounts and future 15% rate drops are small pennies in order to maintain our truly bad, yet still anonymous, driving habits.
Talk on a cellphone, pay a grand
Now we can definitely see the reasoning behind fining irritating cellphone gabbers in libraries, but texting too!? now that seems a bit aggressive since texting doesn't really bother anyone's neighbors. Starting September 15th California's Huntington Beach will start fining offenders $1,000 for talking or texting via cellphone in any of the city's libraries. Repeat offenders will receive anywhere from $250 to $1,000 for every infraction there after. While we are glad that someone's willing to put the smack down on, we had no idea the Huntington Beach librarians had it in 'em.
Element: strong like bull
It's no Lady-Comp, but it does look a bit like a Cup-O-Noodles, (peel back cover, add ingredients and wait 10 minutes). Pria Diagnostics is producing the Element, a male fertility test, and you know you're just a tad bit curious. Boxers or briefs—maybe this at home DIY experiment will finally convince you to ditch those tighty whities. We're hoping Element parties will be next season's big hit.
Boyfriend arm pillow
We guess all Japanese women really wanted in their salary men was a place to rest their heads. Replace that and you get the natural result: Boyfriend Arm Pillow, the plushie cross sectional chest, 90 degree outstretched arm and puffy-white sausage fingers. Looks like it comes encased in an office-casual classy button down so naps at work are not out of the question, and the arm contains an alarm which vibrates you awake (avoid salacious use). Only available in Japan for now, but the manufacturer Kameo is looking to expand to other countries.
Joyriding tennis court dryers
Guess the NYTimes was figuring on a real slow tech news day, since tennis court drying machines at the US Open are about as sexy as mom's meatloaf. Those ballboys (ballpersons?) do look bitchin', though the price for riding these oompaloompa roadsters does mean toeing the USTA line (too bad their vast task of drying the courts dwarfs any real fun that could had from zooming about on boxy green go-carts). On second thought though we're sure riding those drying machines sure beats out doing it with a squeegie while on all fours.
Get yer WRFF on
Snoop's WRFFing it, so you will too, right? No really, please. Someone buy one before they try and make another street cred video (made in Mexico City no less!, we're sure that had everything to do with being edgy and nothing to do with low production costs). While we were thinking about investing in a "new flava", we're not really sure tricycles say bling. Maybe it's just us though, we're still putting Neosporin on all the scraped knees we got riding those friggin' pocket bikes. Reassuringly they make it clear that they're releasing WRFF "on the underground" (translation: Toys-R-Us will finally be getting its well-deserved props as gritty urban dealer). [Thanks, disco]
Sushi shades
Especially since it follows in the tradition of Japanese Chindogu (useless innovation), we're not sure why it was a German designer who invented these sushi specs rather than someone in Japan—can you eat a Berliner with chopsticks (the pastry not JFK)? The shades' frames don't use screws so they can detach for easy sushi eating, though that probably makes them rather fragile. The company also says that if you're chopstick-challenged you can get these with forks attached, but buyers, for the love of dignity please don't get this option. Post-meal remember to watch for that wasabi behind the ear.
Pillow love
We wouldn't have said glowing psychedelic pillows were necessarily the path to your loved one's heart, but Swedish designers at Play Research Studio have created WiFi'd interactive luminescent (yes, all in one) pillows. When one pillow is touched the electroluminescent wires weaved into the other pillow glow so that physical interaction can be exchanged remotely. Or something like that. Only problem is that you can never be too sure who's on the other end of the pillow grope, since anyone within reach could be giving the pillow a feel.
Can Pull, pull-tab vs. inebriation
My fingers just can't seem to find the pull-tab on that 5th Natty-Ice, hmmm, shall you call it a night? Hah, is the Pope Jewish? You whistle for Can Pull, and your lack-of-dexterity finds a new intern. Yes, Can Pull is sad in theory, but the neon polycarbonate pull-tab can opener would have looked hot hanging from your '92-era raver neck (like a rave pacifier for the beer-drinker set). Well, maybe not, but designers at Priestman Goode have named it the best beer drinker invention of all time.
Unnerving Japanese sleep doll
This innocent-looking plushie seems like a nice soft toy you could buy your newborn nephew. But oh, how wrong you are. Bring it home and a creepy spy emerges, designed to harrass you out of bed when you sleep late. The Japanese Tomy Sleep Watch Doll has six sensors, can say 1,200 sentences and after learning its owners sleeping habits, irritates the crap out you when you change your sleeping times. Why anyone would inflict this pain upon themselves, we'll never know, but we suggest sticking with your trusty old alarm clock.
Wireless LAN go-go boots
We'll spare you the "these boots were made for walking" line, but the Seven Mile Boots are designed to stroll around in and out of open wireless networks, and they are kind of Sinatra-style hot (that's Nancy not Frank). The boots have a wireless network, a microprocessor, sensors, amps and a speaker, and enable the user to listen to chat rooms with audio by automatically logging-in with the name "sevenmileboots". The boots are going to be on exhibit at the Austrian Ars Electronica Festival next week. [Via Near Near Future]
Where's my flying car already?
Researchers and engineers at places like NASA and Boeing are still thinking about that tired flying car idea, but now they are saying that the concept is still there and the goods are mere decades away (wasn't what they were telling us, um, decades ago?). So we figure by the time we're way too old to get behind the wheel maybe the first prototypes of these will finally have come out. But come on flying-car-designers, you can do better than an awkward Delorean-looking setup.
Bask in umbrella light
You'd think that electricity and pouring rain wouldn't exactly complement one another, but these umbrella designers think they do, so we'll just shelve those uncomfortable thoughts for now. Firebox is selling the Bright Night Umbrella which acts as rain protector, light aid and gaudy fashion statement. Blade Runner did have something like this but somehow it just looked way cooler sheltering Harrison Ford. [Via GadgetMadness]
Jane Talks Back, do we really care?
Certain Japanese and Korean bookstores have been fuming over readers who pirate a magazines's content by snapping pics of the pages they want with their cameraphone and then walking out without buying anything. Sounds reasonable enough (maybe a little overhyped), but Jane magazine is taking the opposite approach, figuring that the-more-attention-the-better. The upcoming September issue of Jane features a "Jane Talks Back" section which encourages readers to snap a picture of the magazine's ads and email them back to Jane HQ in exchange for various freebies. The promotion is supposed to get readers "more involved" with the magazine and give the ad-makers a clue into what the readership wants. Anyway, since this is Engadget we should probably also mention that the promotion's official cameraphone comes from Samsung and the technology used to match the cameraphone images to the Jane ads was developed by Boston-based start-up Mobot.
Lie-detector beanie
By morning its your trusty ol' lie detector but by night its a sassy red polkadotted beanie perfect for ladies night at the Drunken Clam; really breaking out of the drab lie-detector mold never felt so good. Unfortunate appearance aside though, the new lie-detector cap created by Japan's Brain Functions Lab uses Emotion Spectrum Analysis to measure brains waves through the cap's 10 electrodes (polkadots). Supposedly Sharp is using Emotion Spectrum Analysis to measure consumer satisfaction of audio equipment, we just hope they're getting a new designer soon.
Honda's pedestrian warning system
OK, this might be an obligatory shot of a Japanese Honda car model, but she's not clapping those red-leathered hands for nothing. Honda just announced their development of the world's first pedestrian-warning system, named the Intelligent Night Vision System. The setup uses two far-infrared cameras on the front bumper to detect heat emmitting objects in the vehicle's path. The driver then receives visual and audio warnings in hopes they don't plow over that guy wandering in the middle of the road. The system will be available in the Honda Legend in Japan in the fall.
Vendoma's Mobile DVR
We can only see this system benefitting a very intense highly demanding job, like say the host of Cheaters (though this won't stop him from getting stabbed again) or perhaps an inner city police department (which is what it's really made for). Vendoma's Mobile Digital Recording device is a high-octane system which is designed for anti-shock and to resist rugged vibrations. The cop cars are fully WiFi'd during all manners of pursuit, receiving crucial arrest information, while the user's wearable camera-button records the scene and transmits the video and audio to DVR. The DVR can be seen by any of the networked vehicles or from another networked location. When the vehicle gets to the main station the info is uploaded to a central site for storage. Not bad for the boys in blue, but somewhat suspicious for non-official use.