Technology: Why I’m Throwing Away My Keyboard and Mouse
You’ll see a theme when it comes to technology. A merging of ‘immersive technologies’ devices linked with our physical activity and digital world. Google Glass, the MYO Armband and Microsoft’s Kinect are all examples.
One of the exciting new technologies at the moment is the Leap Motion controller. It’s a piece of tech (scheduled to ship soon) which allows three dimensional control of your computer.
So instead of using a mouse and keyboard to surf, scroll and click through the net, you could just reach into your computer with your hand. Imagine being able to grab the web page you want and flick it to one side. Or push a page back and drag another one forward.
The actual technology is quite mysterious, so I can’t really say how it works. But Leap says it’s 100 times more accurate than Kinect. There’s a host of developers working on mind-blowing programs and apps for the Leap controller. Here’s an example of the Leap developers’ work.
PC’s and laptops are the main target for Leap. And work’s underway on reverse engineering it for phones and other devices. This means you could reach into your phone and the space around your phone to work your digital environment.
Like we’ve said before, the combination of motion sensing devices with wearable tech is coming. Think Google Glass plus Leap plus MYO…
It means we might see a new ‘reality’ where your digital world and your ‘normal’ world become one.
Note: I’ve pre-ordered a Leap and hope to get it in May. When it lands on my desk hopefully I can throw away my keyboard and mouse.
Health: Tracking Yourself Has More Benefit Than You Might Think
There’s a movement underway to help us live a healthier lifestyle using tracking information. It’s possible you’re already a part of it but don’t even know. It’s called the Quantified Self (QS) movement. It’s not some fancy catch tag to sell some gadgets and apps. It’s a real effort to make new technology and programs to help us be healthier, armed with our own information.
This is a concept multi-billion dollar companies like Nike and Adidas realise is catching on. They’re investing heavily in projects like Nike+, Nike Fuel and Adidas MiCoach. These are all technologies forming the QS movement.
At the core of QS is self-tracking. Another way to look at it is self-knowledge through numbers. It’s about using the flow of info through technology and apps to make better life choices.
Digifit, RunKeeper, SleepCycle and Mood Panda are all examples of different apps that track different parts of your lifestyle.
And the technologies and apps are getting more complex and comprehensive.
Take for example the Jawbone Up. You wear it on your wrist, and it links to an app on your phone. It tracks how far you travel, time spent sitting, standing, moving and calories burned. It helps log your food intake, moods and how you’re sleeping. The linked app collates all this information to give you your own personal lifestyle analytics.
There are some people that disagree with this level of information. They argue the app companies may use the info against you, or steal it. Sure, this is possible.
But think about this example: John is suffering from early stage congestive heart failure and is unaware of his condition. He may have warning signs which indicate his illness. But in his busy day to day life, he doesn’t see the warning signs. One day John has a sudden heart attack.
With QS apps and technology, it’s possible John may have already been alerted to the warning signs. He could have put treatment measure in place and avoided a heart attack.
The QS movement isn’t about gathering data to use and abuse, it’s about giving us the ability to make better life choices. It’s means hopefully we all get to live a happier, healthier life.
Energy: If You Don’t Eat Your Greens…They Might Power the House
There are different types of innovation across the energy sector such as solar, wind, nuclear, gas and hydrogen. We think it’s not one solution, but a combination that will help solve the world’s energy issues.
One way that doesn’t get much attention is food power. An amazing amount of food is wasted and thrown out every year. In Australia we throw away approximately 20% of all food we purchase. This infograph shows the staggering statistics.
But thanks to science and technology there’s a way to convert food into renewable power.
An example of food-to-energy power is happening at Colorado State University’s (CSU) Fort Collins campus. They are trying a new food-to-energy program with the city of Fort Collins.
The university realised they produce a large amount of food waste. This used to go to landfill. Well not any more. The university is diverting 1000 pounds a day of food waste to the city’s water reclamation plant. There it’s recycled and the methane by-product heats the plant and its building.
CSU aren’t the only ones using food-to-energy power. In Avonmouth, Bristol (UK) a food waste recycling plant opened late last year. It has the potential to power about 3,000 homes. Using the same process to create methane, the plant has capacity to produce about 10GWh of energy per year.
And there are more examples of this popping up around the world. Sweden has been doing it for years and Edinburgh has recently opened a plant.
Australia has also realised this is a real source of renewable energy. Veolia, Transpacific Industries and Earthpower Technologies have opened a food-waste to energy plant in Sydney.
The Sydney plant has the capacity to power around 3,600 homes. It’s the first of its kind in Australia, and also and a positive sign private industry is heading in the right direction with renewable energy. Now if only the government had the same foresight…
Sam Volkering
Technology Analyst, Money Weekend
Ed Note: Sam Volkering is assistant editor and analyst for a new breakthrough technology investment service to be launched by Money Morning editor Kris Sayce. The breakthrough technology service will introduce cutting edge investment ideas from the technologies of the future, including medicine, science, energy, mining, and more.
From the Archives…
Only Lunatics Need Apply for This Stock Market Rally
5-04-2013 – Kris Sayce
The Run-on Effect of Aussie Housing on the Australian Stock Market
4-04-2013 – Murray Dawes
Good News in China’s Economy? Put This Date in Your Diary…
3-04-2013 – Dr Alex Cowie
‘Gold Only Rises During the Bad Times’ and other Fairy Tales
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On Gold — Billionaire Investor Eric Sprott Says : ‘I’m in Alex Cowie’s Camp’
1-04-2013 – Dr. Alex Cowie
