Just a few links and ideas for future reflection.
Power-generating shirts:
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/64125,csiro-electrical-shirt-to-give-soldiers-a-buzz-on-the-battlefield.aspx
Cluster CCTV using CameraPhones
http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn12861-cellphones-team-up-to-become-smart-cctv-swarm.html
Nanoionics to replace flash drives in next few years
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20071030/tc_pcworld/139081;_ylt=AmrTjZjHiNuTebnkay8K3iZk24cA
And just for fun, a website dedicated to being 'off the grid'... irony anyone?
http://www.off-grid.net/
Thursday, November 1, 2007
A new way...
OK, so most of you know I'm still hovering over the ocean of indecision over the CPU. To add to the confusion is the $$$ issue as well as price/size/weight/performance/durability matrix.
Here is a blog that details a nice simple idea:
http://www.cs.vassar.edu/%7Epriestdo/latest.html
He is using the new sony UX280p. http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/05/sony-drops-the-ux280p-with-twice-the-ram-and-hdd/
This is kinda pricey (although i have found 2 sources under 800$) and i'm not sure it really holds up to the eee pc for the cost, but with the eee at ~400 and this for ~750 who knows. I'd get 2 cams, bluetooth, a big fat hdd, and slightly better battery life.
His blog also reminded me about my need for external batteries (batterygeeks seems decent) and is the 3rd serious proponent of the chord typing appliance. Any idea how to make something like this retreat into a sleeve?
Haven't had a chance to read these yet (free reg reqd) posting them to do it later:
Build a wearable PC (Part 1)http://downloads.techrepublic.com.com/download.aspx?docid=315130
http://downloads.techrepublic.com.com/download.aspx?docid=315130http://downloads.techrepublic.com.com/download.aspx?docid=315131
Security Issues for Wearable Computing and Bluetooth Technology http://whitepapers.techrepublic.com.com/whitepaper.aspx?docid=175530
Last for this post, but not least,
Props to the early wearable hackers:
http://www.hack247.co.uk/2006/11/07/blackjack-hacking-worlds-first-wearable-computer/
Here is a blog that details a nice simple idea:
http://www.cs.vassar.edu/%7Epriestdo/latest.html
He is using the new sony UX280p. http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/05/sony-drops-the-ux280p-with-twice-the-ram-and-hdd/
This is kinda pricey (although i have found 2 sources under 800$) and i'm not sure it really holds up to the eee pc for the cost, but with the eee at ~400 and this for ~750 who knows. I'd get 2 cams, bluetooth, a big fat hdd, and slightly better battery life.
His blog also reminded me about my need for external batteries (batterygeeks seems decent) and is the 3rd serious proponent of the chord typing appliance. Any idea how to make something like this retreat into a sleeve?
Haven't had a chance to read these yet (free reg reqd) posting them to do it later:
Build a wearable PC (Part 1)http://downloads.techrepublic.com.com/download.aspx?docid=315130
http://downloads.techrepublic.com.com/download.aspx?docid=315130http://downloads.techrepublic.com.com/download.aspx?docid=315131
Security Issues for Wearable Computing and Bluetooth Technology http://whitepapers.techrepublic.com.com/whitepaper.aspx?docid=175530
Last for this post, but not least,
Props to the early wearable hackers:
http://www.hack247.co.uk/2006/11/07/blackjack-hacking-worlds-first-wearable-computer/
More considerations...
So given that I will not have a full time visual display, nor do I want random beeps and sounds emanating from my jacket, I need a invisible device to act as a notification. First to mind is a vibrator (think cell phone, not your horny little nymph of a girlfriend), this would be easily integrated, and difficult to detect from the outside, however they do seem to drain batteries quickly. Any ideas here people?
Second up is no full time input interface. I'm hoping I can get voice Recondition working on a basic level (hell if my cell phone can, why not?) as well as a few hidden buttons.
http://www.linux.com/base/ldp/howto/Speech-Recognition-HOWTO/software.html
http://www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-HOWTO/Speech-Recognition-HOWTO.html
http://freespeech.sourceforge.net/FreeSpeech/html/
(looks like I have 2 real options here, IBM's offering is out, their stuff is usually a bit obscure and hard to install and seldom maintained.)
As far as buttons on the outside, i am thinking touchpad or touch strip (think like a synth ribbon controller)
Some wearable pages/blogs:
http://staticfree.info/projects/wearable/
Kinda Basic, but a few good ideas.
http://www.ableq.com/
This site reccomends hardware for a fee for a purpose (usually disability.)
They have some good interface ideas such as electronic braille readers, I should look into this!
http://www.parvus.com/products/MilitaryAerospace/RuggedComputing/ZypadWL1000/
Purpose built wrist mounted mini-pc with Touch-TFT display that runs linux or ce. Interesting interface, bluetooth, etc, but a bit large for unencumbered use. Most likely pretty expensive.
http://www.frogpad.com/
One handed keyboard for limited space one-hand operation. Looks like a steep learning curve (as with braille) but effective... Maybe I should just wait for vr-glove and use more standard interface until then. My ideal is to make it intuitive, and this might not fit that goal.
http://www.holux.com.tw/
Manufacturers website for small usb-GPS units. Cheap and reliable with apparent linux support. Web site is not in English.
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/project/vuman/www/boeing/index.htm
Notes from a boeing brainstorming session on wearables from '96. Still some accurate info. Seems odd how little has really been standardized/accomplished in wearables in the last 10 years... what happened?
http://jakeofalltrades.wordpress.com/2007/09/30/25-head-mounted-display/
So this is a HUD that costs 25-125$ to make. It is a b/w LCD with 'eyepiece'. Instructions on hacking are easy and interface is pretty standard.
Second up is no full time input interface. I'm hoping I can get voice Recondition working on a basic level (hell if my cell phone can, why not?) as well as a few hidden buttons.
http://www.linux.com/base/ldp/howto/Speech-Recognition-HOWTO/software.html
http://www.faqs.org/docs/Linux-HOWTO/Speech-Recognition-HOWTO.html
http://freespeech.sourceforge.net/FreeSpeech/html/
(looks like I have 2 real options here, IBM's offering is out, their stuff is usually a bit obscure and hard to install and seldom maintained.)
As far as buttons on the outside, i am thinking touchpad or touch strip (think like a synth ribbon controller)
Some wearable pages/blogs:
http://staticfree.info/projects/wearable/
Kinda Basic, but a few good ideas.
http://www.ableq.com/
This site reccomends hardware for a fee for a purpose (usually disability.)
They have some good interface ideas such as electronic braille readers, I should look into this!
http://www.parvus.com/products/MilitaryAerospace/RuggedComputing/ZypadWL1000/
Purpose built wrist mounted mini-pc with Touch-TFT display that runs linux or ce. Interesting interface, bluetooth, etc, but a bit large for unencumbered use. Most likely pretty expensive.
http://www.frogpad.com/
One handed keyboard for limited space one-hand operation. Looks like a steep learning curve (as with braille) but effective... Maybe I should just wait for vr-glove and use more standard interface until then. My ideal is to make it intuitive, and this might not fit that goal.
http://www.holux.com.tw/
Manufacturers website for small usb-GPS units. Cheap and reliable with apparent linux support. Web site is not in English.
http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/project/vuman/www/boeing/index.htm
Notes from a boeing brainstorming session on wearables from '96. Still some accurate info. Seems odd how little has really been standardized/accomplished in wearables in the last 10 years... what happened?
http://jakeofalltrades.wordpress.com/2007/09/30/25-head-mounted-display/
So this is a HUD that costs 25-125$ to make. It is a b/w LCD with 'eyepiece'. Instructions on hacking are easy and interface is pretty standard.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Chat Logs
10/29/2007
(02:54:18 PM) ME: now I'm dorking out and considering developing a wearable computer platform
(02:54:42 PM) ME: the question is still embedded vs. mini-pc
(02:55:00 PM) ME: but the 2 are coming closer together so in 5-10 years it will be moot.
(02:56:53 PM) willowhymn: that's pretty sweet. i don't know hardly anything about it, but everyone i hear that talks about it seems to be pretty intense about it.
(02:58:09 PM) ME: well I just want to do an experiment where I record everything I do for a few weeks. But I want to encrypt it incase of well... anything... so regular devices are out.
(02:58:51 PM) willowhymn: so what's in?
(02:59:57 PM) ME: Well I'm thinking I'll run linux on a small pc that will record, encrypt, and save all audio (maybe low-res video), gps, and misc notes.
(03:00:45 PM) willowhymn: that would cool; it would be like a multimedia journal
(03:01:00 PM) ME: exactly
(03:01:01 PM) willowhymn: almost like a digital scrapbook of sorts
(03:01:04 PM) willowhymn: i like that!
(03:01:56 PM) ME: but the challenge would be to find power, manage what I have recorded, securely, and then use it, and maybe a small screen, to feed the info back to me on demand.
(03:03:00 PM) willowhymn: hmmm how small of a pc are you talking about using?
(03:05:46 PM) ME: I want to mount it in a vest/jacket ( http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/40_Tactical_System.shtml ) I got as a gift from my g/f and have it live there.
(03:06:37 PM) ME: so 1 1/2" x 6" x 8" max I guess... or more likely, 3 or so different modules in different pockets connected by cables.
(03:08:31 PM) willowhymn: that is frickin crazy
(03:09:09 PM) willowhymn: that is very versatile
(03:09:17 PM) ME: I know!
(03:10:05 PM) willowhymn: so, are you going to mount it where the screen can show? how would you do that? cut a hole in one of the pockets?
(03:11:33 PM) ME: nah, going to go with a small screen either beamed wirelessly to my cell phone display, a hud on glasses or watch, or who knows.
(03:12:00 PM) willowhymn: ooooh the glasses things are cool
(03:13:07 PM) ME: yeah, but expensive, easily broken, and just more wires to mess with. the cell phone thing seems like the coolest so far
(03:13:25 PM) willowhymn: true
(03:13:32 PM) willowhymn: damn reality
(03:22:25 PM) ME: cool, I just discovered my current phone can act as a display for a pc.
(03:22:31 PM) ME: and input.
(03:22:53 PM) ME: and it has bluetooth, so I can do it wireless
(03:23:34 PM) willowhymn: bluetooth is pretty nifty
(03:24:04 PM) ME: insecure as a key under the welcome mat, but nifty
(03:24:28 PM) willowhymn: yes :-)
(03:24:37 PM) willowhymn: nothing like keys with self-esteem problems
10/30/2007
(11:05:07 AM) ME: any ideas?
(11:05:39 AM) SilverIolanthe: I had my cellphone cut off because being that connected stressed me out. Heh. I can't imagine walking around wired up like a Gargoyle.
Also, that someone might be recording up my nose from a chest mounted cam is fucking creepy.
(11:05:40 AM) SilverIolanthe: Call me old-fashioned but, DO NOT WANT.
(11:05:55 AM) ME: lol
(11:06:20 AM) ME: I plan on just audio, and encrypted so I'm the onlt person who could retrive the data
(11:06:20 AM) SilverIolanthe: *Luddite.*
(11:06:48 AM) ME: might be good for he said/she said stuff.
(11:07:04 AM) ME: or sampling for music
(11:08:11 AM) SilverIolanthe: There are some memories that are awesome because the less-than-cool things are blurred in the background and the things you like are in the forefront. Wouldn't having everything recorded take some magic out of memories?
(11:09:01 AM) ME: nope, that's what the delete button is for. plus what about all the ones you don't have, but could, with this device?
(11:09:31 AM) ME: where do you blur the line between memory and data once the system is intergrated?
(11:10:27 AM) SilverIolanthe: This sounds like philosophical excuses for gadget fondling. Hehe.
(11:10:39 AM) ME: Fondling a-plenty!
(11:10:54 AM) ME: But lets not lose sight of the true goal...
(11:11:03 AM) ME: To WIN arguments!
(11:11:14 AM) SilverIolanthe: I don't need gadgets.
(11:11:19 AM) SilverIolanthe: I have a short term memory.
(11:11:30 AM) ME: 'I told you to turn the water off before working on the pipes'
"No you didn't"
(11:12:15 AM) ME: *rewinding sound followed by playback*
"Remember to turn the water o--- F$%k the dog shat on my eye!"
(11:12:40 AM) SilverIolanthe: But how can we be assured that the recordings haven't been tampered with?
(11:12:42 AM) ME: See honey! the !@#$!% dog shat in my eye, I TRIED to tell you
(11:13:17 AM) ME: My device will make CRC's MD%'s and shit when it is written to disk.
(12:01:21 PM) CKJ89: It's a similar deal for bootleging shows
(12:01:27 PM) CKJ89: 2 tiny electret condenser mics
(12:01:51 PM) CKJ89: I'm assuming you want to captures peoples conversations for some reason?
(12:01:59 PM) CKJ89: consealed?
(12:02:01 PM) ME: who makes some good price/performance ones? Not sure who is who in the electret world.
(12:02:45 PM) ME: Doesn't have to be concealed too much, I'm not NARCing anyone out, just recording for my own project. (I plan on encrypting everything before it hits the disk just in case)
(12:03:13 PM) CKJ89: There are a couple options. You can just buy out of a electronics catalog some mics and build a little preamp board. Can be battery powered.
(12:03:41 PM) ME: part of the plan involves having a 2 minute buffer where I can save the sampl HIFI before it is downsampled and mp3 encoded for archive
(12:04:24 PM) CKJ89: http://www.kingstate.com.tw/9-5.htm
(12:04:28 PM) ME: so if I hear something cool, I can hit a button and get at least a cd quality sample in stereo lossless, vs mp3.
(12:04:54 PM) CKJ89: http://www.epanorama.net/circuits/microphone_powering.html
(12:05:12 PM) ME: nice link, I'm just fretting over one more thing to have to power... sheesh!
(12:05:39 PM) CKJ89: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ECM-DS70P-Electret-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00006HOLL
(12:05:45 PM) CKJ89: You could start wearing a bow tie
(02:38:55 PM) CKJ89: An interesting note on electret condenser. Most of them will run on a 9V battery. An extremely simple mic pre that uses a 9V. http://www.epanorama.net/circuits/micamp.html
(02:39:28 PM) CKJ89: For powering the electret itself. http://www.epanorama.net/documents/audio/electret.html
(02:40:05 PM) CKJ89: what inspired this project?
(02:41:12 PM) ME: I got in an argument with someone and we both had vastly different memories of what was said by whom after getting some tech jackets.
(02:41:51 PM) CKJ89: where in it though?
(02:42:50 PM) ME: the jacket has plenty of places, I was thinking shoulders,
(02:42:54 PM) ME: for the mics.
(02:43:13 PM) CKJ89: Colar
(02:43:17 PM) CKJ89: Mono or stereo?
(02:43:30 PM) ME: And have a program or circuit to default to the other mic if it gets a super loud sound that the other mic doesn't (in case of rubbing against something/one
(02:43:45 PM) ME: stereo when possible, but might mix to mono when I encode
(02:44:56 PM) ME: so the sound path would be: record stereo hi-fi, 2-5min hifi buffer, convert to mono mp3, encrypt, write to media.
(02:45:19 PM) CKJ89: cool.
(02:46:03 PM) CKJ89: There is a company that is making a baseball cap that has two electret microphones in it. I saw it at a trade show one year. They had some bootlegs of some shows they claim came from that thing. They sounded awesome!
(02:46:30 PM) ME: hrmm.. sounds interesting... I'll look it up, send me a link or info if you recall any more details.
(02:46:41 PM) CKJ89: I'll see if I can find it.
(02:47:14 PM) ME: I'd rather have it in the jacket though... a single item VS a bunch of junk.
(02:47:34 PM) CKJ89: So second goal is to shrink the thing small enough to fit in the space your gullbladder used to be. Go in for gullbladder remove come out with super computer in your bouls. It can charge like those flashlights you shake. Every step you take cause it to charge alittle.
(02:47:53 PM) ME: I think if I went with a hat, it would need cam/video as well as long as I'm doing it....
(02:48:25 PM) CKJ89: also, have you looked at "spy" shops
(02:48:38 PM) CKJ89: they have super small devices
(02:49:07 PM) ME: yeah, but for the $$$ I might as well just do most of it DIY and it will be just about as good.
(02:49:23 PM) CKJ89: perhaps not as small and power efficient
(02:49:38 PM) CKJ89: but deff. as good quality and cheaper
(02:50:20 PM) ME: yeah, for video, quality would be low priority, but for audio, I'd like a somewhat linear response
(02:51:02 PM) CKJ89:
"don't talk to him! You could get your self into some shit."
Something happenes around you and you get a court order to turn over all your crap.
(02:51:04 PM) CKJ89: Oh fun
(02:51:30 PM) CKJ89: HAHA Big Brother? Is it you?
(02:51:50 PM) CKJ89: It's language will be Newspeak 2.3
(02:51:52 PM) ME: hehe, that's why I'm working on encryption first
(02:51:54 PM) ME: lol
(02:52:17 PM) ME: I do/talk about some things I do NOT want available.
(02:52:31 PM) ME: like your mom.
(02:52:42 PM) CKJ89: Court order and if you don't decrypt they will arrest you
(02:52:44 PM) CKJ89: HAHA
(02:52:46 PM) CKJ89: Your momma
(02:53:10 PM) ME: Yes, but if the info is already purged, there is no way to know.
(02:53:45 PM) CKJ89: you could do multi layers of decryption. If you do the first one it nukes the last one or something.
(02:54:18 PM) ME: now I'm dorking out and considering developing a wearable computer platform
(02:54:42 PM) ME: the question is still embedded vs. mini-pc
(02:55:00 PM) ME: but the 2 are coming closer together so in 5-10 years it will be moot.
(02:56:53 PM) willowhymn: that's pretty sweet. i don't know hardly anything about it, but everyone i hear that talks about it seems to be pretty intense about it.
(02:58:09 PM) ME: well I just want to do an experiment where I record everything I do for a few weeks. But I want to encrypt it incase of well... anything... so regular devices are out.
(02:58:51 PM) willowhymn: so what's in?
(02:59:57 PM) ME: Well I'm thinking I'll run linux on a small pc that will record, encrypt, and save all audio (maybe low-res video), gps, and misc notes.
(03:00:45 PM) willowhymn: that would cool; it would be like a multimedia journal
(03:01:00 PM) ME: exactly
(03:01:01 PM) willowhymn: almost like a digital scrapbook of sorts
(03:01:04 PM) willowhymn: i like that!
(03:01:56 PM) ME: but the challenge would be to find power, manage what I have recorded, securely, and then use it, and maybe a small screen, to feed the info back to me on demand.
(03:03:00 PM) willowhymn: hmmm how small of a pc are you talking about using?
(03:05:46 PM) ME: I want to mount it in a vest/jacket ( http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/40_Tactical_System.shtml ) I got as a gift from my g/f and have it live there.
(03:06:37 PM) ME: so 1 1/2" x 6" x 8" max I guess... or more likely, 3 or so different modules in different pockets connected by cables.
(03:08:31 PM) willowhymn: that is frickin crazy
(03:09:09 PM) willowhymn: that is very versatile
(03:09:17 PM) ME: I know!
(03:10:05 PM) willowhymn: so, are you going to mount it where the screen can show? how would you do that? cut a hole in one of the pockets?
(03:11:33 PM) ME: nah, going to go with a small screen either beamed wirelessly to my cell phone display, a hud on glasses or watch, or who knows.
(03:12:00 PM) willowhymn: ooooh the glasses things are cool
(03:13:07 PM) ME: yeah, but expensive, easily broken, and just more wires to mess with. the cell phone thing seems like the coolest so far
(03:13:25 PM) willowhymn: true
(03:13:32 PM) willowhymn: damn reality
(03:22:25 PM) ME: cool, I just discovered my current phone can act as a display for a pc.
(03:22:31 PM) ME: and input.
(03:22:53 PM) ME: and it has bluetooth, so I can do it wireless
(03:23:34 PM) willowhymn: bluetooth is pretty nifty
(03:24:04 PM) ME: insecure as a key under the welcome mat, but nifty
(03:24:28 PM) willowhymn: yes :-)
(03:24:37 PM) willowhymn: nothing like keys with self-esteem problems
10/30/2007
(11:05:07 AM) ME: any ideas?
(11:05:39 AM) SilverIolanthe: I had my cellphone cut off because being that connected stressed me out. Heh. I can't imagine walking around wired up like a Gargoyle.
Also, that someone might be recording up my nose from a chest mounted cam is fucking creepy.
(11:05:40 AM) SilverIolanthe: Call me old-fashioned but, DO NOT WANT.
(11:05:55 AM) ME: lol
(11:06:20 AM) ME: I plan on just audio, and encrypted so I'm the onlt person who could retrive the data
(11:06:20 AM) SilverIolanthe: *Luddite.*
(11:06:48 AM) ME: might be good for he said/she said stuff.
(11:07:04 AM) ME: or sampling for music
(11:08:11 AM) SilverIolanthe: There are some memories that are awesome because the less-than-cool things are blurred in the background and the things you like are in the forefront. Wouldn't having everything recorded take some magic out of memories?
(11:09:01 AM) ME: nope, that's what the delete button is for. plus what about all the ones you don't have, but could, with this device?
(11:09:31 AM) ME: where do you blur the line between memory and data once the system is intergrated?
(11:10:27 AM) SilverIolanthe: This sounds like philosophical excuses for gadget fondling. Hehe.
(11:10:39 AM) ME: Fondling a-plenty!
(11:10:54 AM) ME: But lets not lose sight of the true goal...
(11:11:03 AM) ME: To WIN arguments!
(11:11:14 AM) SilverIolanthe: I don't need gadgets.
(11:11:19 AM) SilverIolanthe: I have a short term memory.
(11:11:30 AM) ME: 'I told you to turn the water off before working on the pipes'
"No you didn't"
(11:12:15 AM) ME: *rewinding sound followed by playback*
"Remember to turn the water o--- F$%k the dog shat on my eye!"
(11:12:40 AM) SilverIolanthe: But how can we be assured that the recordings haven't been tampered with?
(11:12:42 AM) ME: See honey! the !@#$!% dog shat in my eye, I TRIED to tell you
(11:13:17 AM) ME: My device will make CRC's MD%'s and shit when it is written to disk.
(12:01:21 PM) CKJ89: It's a similar deal for bootleging shows
(12:01:27 PM) CKJ89: 2 tiny electret condenser mics
(12:01:51 PM) CKJ89: I'm assuming you want to captures peoples conversations for some reason?
(12:01:59 PM) CKJ89: consealed?
(12:02:01 PM) ME: who makes some good price/performance ones? Not sure who is who in the electret world.
(12:02:45 PM) ME: Doesn't have to be concealed too much, I'm not NARCing anyone out, just recording for my own project. (I plan on encrypting everything before it hits the disk just in case)
(12:03:13 PM) CKJ89: There are a couple options. You can just buy out of a electronics catalog some mics and build a little preamp board. Can be battery powered.
(12:03:41 PM) ME: part of the plan involves having a 2 minute buffer where I can save the sampl HIFI before it is downsampled and mp3 encoded for archive
(12:04:24 PM) CKJ89: http://www.kingstate.com.tw/9-5.htm
(12:04:28 PM) ME: so if I hear something cool, I can hit a button and get at least a cd quality sample in stereo lossless, vs mp3.
(12:04:54 PM) CKJ89: http://www.epanorama.net/circuits/microphone_powering.html
(12:05:12 PM) ME: nice link, I'm just fretting over one more thing to have to power... sheesh!
(12:05:39 PM) CKJ89: http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ECM-DS70P-Electret-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00006HOLL
(12:05:45 PM) CKJ89: You could start wearing a bow tie
(02:38:55 PM) CKJ89: An interesting note on electret condenser. Most of them will run on a 9V battery. An extremely simple mic pre that uses a 9V. http://www.epanorama.net/circuits/micamp.html
(02:39:28 PM) CKJ89: For powering the electret itself. http://www.epanorama.net/documents/audio/electret.html
(02:40:05 PM) CKJ89: what inspired this project?
(02:41:12 PM) ME: I got in an argument with someone and we both had vastly different memories of what was said by whom after getting some tech jackets.
(02:41:51 PM) CKJ89: where in it though?
(02:42:50 PM) ME: the jacket has plenty of places, I was thinking shoulders,
(02:42:54 PM) ME: for the mics.
(02:43:13 PM) CKJ89: Colar
(02:43:17 PM) CKJ89: Mono or stereo?
(02:43:30 PM) ME: And have a program or circuit to default to the other mic if it gets a super loud sound that the other mic doesn't (in case of rubbing against something/one
(02:43:45 PM) ME: stereo when possible, but might mix to mono when I encode
(02:44:56 PM) ME: so the sound path would be: record stereo hi-fi, 2-5min hifi buffer, convert to mono mp3, encrypt, write to media.
(02:45:19 PM) CKJ89: cool.
(02:46:03 PM) CKJ89: There is a company that is making a baseball cap that has two electret microphones in it. I saw it at a trade show one year. They had some bootlegs of some shows they claim came from that thing. They sounded awesome!
(02:46:30 PM) ME: hrmm.. sounds interesting... I'll look it up, send me a link or info if you recall any more details.
(02:46:41 PM) CKJ89: I'll see if I can find it.
(02:47:14 PM) ME: I'd rather have it in the jacket though... a single item VS a bunch of junk.
(02:47:34 PM) CKJ89: So second goal is to shrink the thing small enough to fit in the space your gullbladder used to be. Go in for gullbladder remove come out with super computer in your bouls. It can charge like those flashlights you shake. Every step you take cause it to charge alittle.
(02:47:53 PM) ME: I think if I went with a hat, it would need cam/video as well as long as I'm doing it....
(02:48:25 PM) CKJ89: also, have you looked at "spy" shops
(02:48:38 PM) CKJ89: they have super small devices
(02:49:07 PM) ME: yeah, but for the $$$ I might as well just do most of it DIY and it will be just about as good.
(02:49:23 PM) CKJ89: perhaps not as small and power efficient
(02:49:38 PM) CKJ89: but deff. as good quality and cheaper
(02:50:20 PM) ME: yeah, for video, quality would be low priority, but for audio, I'd like a somewhat linear response
(02:51:02 PM) CKJ89:
"don't talk to him! You could get your self into some shit."
Something happenes around you and you get a court order to turn over all your crap.
(02:51:04 PM) CKJ89: Oh fun
(02:51:30 PM) CKJ89: HAHA Big Brother? Is it you?
(02:51:50 PM) CKJ89: It's language will be Newspeak 2.3
(02:51:52 PM) ME: hehe, that's why I'm working on encryption first
(02:51:54 PM) ME: lol
(02:52:17 PM) ME: I do/talk about some things I do NOT want available.
(02:52:31 PM) ME: like your mom.
(02:52:42 PM) CKJ89: Court order and if you don't decrypt they will arrest you
(02:52:44 PM) CKJ89: HAHA
(02:52:46 PM) CKJ89: Your momma
(02:53:10 PM) ME: Yes, but if the info is already purged, there is no way to know.
(02:53:45 PM) CKJ89: you could do multi layers of decryption. If you do the first one it nukes the last one or something.
Soldering How-To
All my friends seem to regard the ability to solder with awe and wonder. In reality, it's just melting tiny bits of metal and allowing them to cool in a more desirable position.
In an attempt to dispell the myth that it is hard to do, (yes you will need to practice a few times before doing sub-mm smb stuff, but come-on. You know all you will do with this is resolder your guitar cables again.) I present the Hack-A-Day guide to Soldering
http://www.hackaday.com/2007/10/26/how-to-introduction-to-soldering/
In an attempt to dispell the myth that it is hard to do, (yes you will need to practice a few times before doing sub-mm smb stuff, but come-on. You know all you will do with this is resolder your guitar cables again.) I present the Hack-A-Day guide to Soldering
http://www.hackaday.com/2007/10/26/how-to-introduction-to-soldering/
Cyborglogging Gloging Waht?!
Ok, so i start looking at existing wearable designs for ideas. What I tend to see, is intense specialization. I want an all-purpose device, while others want something to count cards or time roulette wheels (yes, all you wearable geeks should know the FIRST wearable pc was to cheat casinos, let nobody say we have not a noble lineage!) but something that does a bit of everything and can be configured to do new things when needed without a 2 week, knock-down, drag-out coding and troubleshooting session. I'm making this to save time, capture it, not waste it.
One of the first uses that roughly parallels mine is Cyborglogging. this is tied in inexorably with other topics such as Sousveillance
and
http://glogger.eyetap.org/about.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sousveillance
and this apparently opens a whole new can of worms:
more links:
http://www.eyetap.org/about_us/people/fungja/index.html
eyetap i guess evolved into glogger. Interesting guy and resources.
more soon!
One of the first uses that roughly parallels mine is Cyborglogging. this is tied in inexorably with other topics such as Sousveillance
and
http://glogger.eyetap.org/about.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sousveillance
and this apparently opens a whole new can of worms:
There's an interesting discussion going on the identity trail on what Steve Mann and Ian Kerr are calling "equiveillance", where a kind of inverse surveillance, which Mann calls "sousveillance" is used to balance the ubiquitous surveillance practices of government and commerce. The basic question is whether the negative consequences of widespread surveillance and collection of personal data can be balanced by individuals, who are being watched, monitoring and recording those engaged in that surveillance.
from Ray Corrigan's blog: http://b2fxxx.blogspot.com/2006/01/equi-veillance.html
more links:
http://www.eyetap.org/about_us/people/fungja/index.html
eyetap i guess evolved into glogger. Interesting guy and resources.
more soon!
Monday, October 29, 2007
It all started with a Gift and an Arguement
Thank you for both!
Link time;
B bought me:
http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/40_Tactical_System.shtml
So my plan is to set up a wearable PC to record the day-to-day conversations whe we can never seem to recall who said what and when.
I want it to record ALL THE TIME and try to graph GPS of where I am. Perhaps even video.
This requires encryption for the safety, privacy, and security of myself, and everyone within distance. So that requires a PC. a SMALL PC.
So the question is to use off-the-shelf consumer stuff or get nitty gritty with embedded systems.
Since the two seem to be getting MUCH closer to each other, i figure a hybrid approach is needed.
here are some examples of main units:
Consumer---
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_PC (already runs linux, cheap, needs bluetooth)
My old tiny thinkpad (celeron 300 /w ide, 192mb ram, 1x USB, 1xPCMCIA, 800x600)
Hp pocket PCs (runs windows, so this is pretty much ruled out.)
Embedded---
http://gumstix.com/ (have not configured it yet, does their site hate FF?)
http://www.compulab.co.il/x270em/html/x270-em-datasheet.htm (nice! maybe sans display?)
So still problems to solve,
Storage - Most solutions have little or no storage. some have IDE but that can suck power (does flash use more or less than laptop IDE?) I could also set it to auto-stream over the net (EDGE, GPRS, 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth) but what if net was down, or i was far from it, cell phone charges threatened home, etc? Also need to worry about going thru airport security (x-ray, magnets) as well as the jacket already having small magnets.
Display - Glasses mounted HUD is cool, but very expensive, and fragile. I want to be able to do what I always do without worry of breaking a 1200$ pair of shades. Next thought was to use a watch as a screen (use old camcorder display?) but still no interaction... Finally I hit upon what I think is the best idea... Use my existing s60 bluetooth -enabled cell phone (nokia 6620) which I would already be using for EDGE based internet connectivity when wifi is not available. I found out I could install VNC with little or no trouble. I had heard that this was possible before ( http://sourceforge.net/projects/symvnc/) but now they have created a POSIX environment for S60 devices that allows a MUCH better port of TightVNC ( http://developer.symbian.com/wiki/display/oe/P.I.P.S.+Home ) so as long as I can figure out how to route the traffic over bluetooth to the device, i'm golden. This also partially solves the issue of controlling my wearable and provides a familiar and non-obvious method of control.
Power - I must admit, I have not even attempted to tackle this one yet. It mainly depends on the platform i use. Some will have their own power, but might end up powering aux devices, so additional batteries may be needed. I'm also interested in using power generated from natural movement (shoes, stride, etc), Solar or other radiated energy, and also trying to harness modern outlets of all size, shape, and output. (i.e. phone, POE, USB, Xlr Phantom, AC (110v, 220v), DC (3v-24v unfiltered), Audio jack (saw device that pulled power from airline headphone jacks).
GPS - This will be interesting to implement. Maybe I should settle on recording what cell tower is nearest for now, but gps would be awesome! Real time maps, logs, and weather!
Reproduce ability - I might make this system available for sale once most of the bugs are worked out. If I cannot doe to patent/copywright/GPL etc. I will sell the process of implementing it. It would be great to work on this stuff and help others realize common goals.
Interface - I feel this represents the biggest hurdle in computing today. Machine Human Interaction is still hopelessly awkward. I want to be able to pull up stuff from voice cues, which might contain audio of voice cues i recorded, and not freak out. I want o say "pull up conversation from friday around 6" and be greeted with A/V and a Map of what happened. failing that, at least a simple fast, 1-step process for recall.
Security - This PC must be aware and tolerant of viruii, hackers, and theft. All data should be encrypted and cleared from memory. Due to limiteds space, secure transmission (via multiple channels) . Perhaps a IDS for my PAN. This will be a chore due to all the networked systems and different communication technologies needed for this to be useful and trustworthy.
To Be Continued ...
Link time;
B bought me:
http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/40_Tactical_System.shtml
So my plan is to set up a wearable PC to record the day-to-day conversations whe we can never seem to recall who said what and when.
I want it to record ALL THE TIME and try to graph GPS of where I am. Perhaps even video.
This requires encryption for the safety, privacy, and security of myself, and everyone within distance. So that requires a PC. a SMALL PC.
So the question is to use off-the-shelf consumer stuff or get nitty gritty with embedded systems.
Since the two seem to be getting MUCH closer to each other, i figure a hybrid approach is needed.
here are some examples of main units:
Consumer---
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_PC (already runs linux, cheap, needs bluetooth)
My old tiny thinkpad (celeron 300 /w ide, 192mb ram, 1x USB, 1xPCMCIA, 800x600)
Hp pocket PCs (runs windows, so this is pretty much ruled out.)
Embedded---
http://gumstix.com/ (have not configured it yet, does their site hate FF?)
http://www.compulab.co.il/x270em/html/x270-em-datasheet.htm (nice! maybe sans display?)
So still problems to solve,
Storage - Most solutions have little or no storage. some have IDE but that can suck power (does flash use more or less than laptop IDE?) I could also set it to auto-stream over the net (EDGE, GPRS, 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth) but what if net was down, or i was far from it, cell phone charges threatened home, etc? Also need to worry about going thru airport security (x-ray, magnets) as well as the jacket already having small magnets.
Display - Glasses mounted HUD is cool, but very expensive, and fragile. I want to be able to do what I always do without worry of breaking a 1200$ pair of shades. Next thought was to use a watch as a screen (use old camcorder display?) but still no interaction... Finally I hit upon what I think is the best idea... Use my existing s60 bluetooth -enabled cell phone (nokia 6620) which I would already be using for EDGE based internet connectivity when wifi is not available. I found out I could install VNC with little or no trouble. I had heard that this was possible before ( http://sourceforge.net/projects/symvnc/) but now they have created a POSIX environment for S60 devices that allows a MUCH better port of TightVNC ( http://developer.symbian.com/wiki/display/oe/P.I.P.S.+Home ) so as long as I can figure out how to route the traffic over bluetooth to the device, i'm golden. This also partially solves the issue of controlling my wearable and provides a familiar and non-obvious method of control.
Power - I must admit, I have not even attempted to tackle this one yet. It mainly depends on the platform i use. Some will have their own power, but might end up powering aux devices, so additional batteries may be needed. I'm also interested in using power generated from natural movement (shoes, stride, etc), Solar or other radiated energy, and also trying to harness modern outlets of all size, shape, and output. (i.e. phone, POE, USB, Xlr Phantom, AC (110v, 220v), DC (3v-24v unfiltered), Audio jack (saw device that pulled power from airline headphone jacks).
GPS - This will be interesting to implement. Maybe I should settle on recording what cell tower is nearest for now, but gps would be awesome! Real time maps, logs, and weather!
Reproduce ability - I might make this system available for sale once most of the bugs are worked out. If I cannot doe to patent/copywright/GPL etc. I will sell the process of implementing it. It would be great to work on this stuff and help others realize common goals.
Interface - I feel this represents the biggest hurdle in computing today. Machine Human Interaction is still hopelessly awkward. I want to be able to pull up stuff from voice cues, which might contain audio of voice cues i recorded, and not freak out. I want o say "pull up conversation from friday around 6" and be greeted with A/V and a Map of what happened. failing that, at least a simple fast, 1-step process for recall.
Security - This PC must be aware and tolerant of viruii, hackers, and theft. All data should be encrypted and cleared from memory. Due to limiteds space, secure transmission (via multiple channels) . Perhaps a IDS for my PAN. This will be a chore due to all the networked systems and different communication technologies needed for this to be useful and trustworthy.
To Be Continued ...
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