Smell-A-Phone coming--what could be bad?

According to a story by Scott Smith in Nextgov Magazine (Jan 24, 2014), the newest XBox controller almost had a smell feature. The device was called GameSkunk. That name, of course, stank up the joint and the thing was not used. (Was it the name--don't know--but that one is bad.)

Welcome to the world of "smellables." Smell is impossible to block--it's connected directly to the limbic system of memories and sensual reactions. Smell a perfume, remember who wore it. That sort of thing.

So now they are hawking a plug-in atomizer for smartphones--well, the Japanese are. Think about it--sushi smell in your pocket.

Or how about a puff of a scent every time your Facebook page gets a "like." Or when it's time to get up.

This thing--called Scentee--also has a grilled meat scent in case you can't afford grilled meat. Or baked potato. "Let me order in dinner...ha ha, just kidding." (That's the doohickey in the pix.)

Another biomedical engineer named David Edwards, is messing with the Ophone in his Paris-based studio. He is creating blends of different odors. "Meet me for coffee" could smell like java and pastry.

There is also a watch called the Scent Rhythm Watch, by Aisen Caro, which goes through the day sending you scents, espresso in the morning, camomile in the evening. What in the daytime? Toner? Bus exhaust?

One smell, Pop Dongle, a scent popcorn maker Pop Secret made a few devices to disperse as a promotion, was described as "queasy-making from the first puff."

A person can identify 10,000 scents, one expert said. Now that was interesting. That many?

I can see some drawbacks to this, can't you? Yes, a smell is evocative--but what if you don't want others to know what is it evoking?

Plus you won't be the only one in the room, office, or vehicle getting smexts. (I made that up--like it?)

What's Twitter--is it good to eat?

In Australia, a group called Surf Life Saving Australia has united with the Dept of Fisheries of Western Australia to tag a bunch of sharks--which then tweet a warning when they get near shore.

Well, hasn't THIS taken a long time in coming.

Sample:

SW Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter sighted 1m hammerhead shark 500m offshore @ Bunker Bay, tracking north. Lifeguards have been notified & beach remains open.

Does this mean a shark a yard long 500 miles away? I am bad with the metric system.

But I must say the least these predators can do is tweet a warning.

Watch out--this may make me want Twitter. At least when they do this for bears and mountain lions.

In the Hmmmm, I Don't Know Department

What is Star's motto? Right--Just because it can be invented doesn't mean it should be.

First in this category: Momdoms. These are condoms with a slip of motherly advice in each. Like a fortune cookie--only different.

The manufacturers say this will incite a discussion about s-e-x and how to make condoms more attractive. A word from Mom at that magic moment--a lot of people might find that ... awkward.

You decide at http:///www.springwise.com/condoms-mother-advice/

Second, Ishin-Den-Shin.This is Japanese for "what the mind thinks, the heart transmits." Disney Research has invented a way to make the body a sound transmitter. A computer connected to a handheld mic records the message, then transforms it into a sound loop that is converted to a high-voltage audio signal, then transmitted....Let's say a lot of stuff jumps from place to place...ending up at a person who can then touch another person and the sound is transmitted.

I am not sure on this one, are you? Couldn't the person hear it from the computer, not another person's activated finger? (H/T: Gizmag and WIRED)

Oh, well, I lack imagination, I guess. Did you hear that?

RocketHub--same as Kickstarter?

WIRED Magazine, Dec 2013, bills RocketHub.com as a scientific crowdfunding site, sans vanity movie projects by well-known movie stars and that sort of thing.

They touted it for a campaign to raise $250K to complete FDA studies on a drug to fight autoimmune diseases, an app to play whale songs and fund ocean research, and $18,700 for algae research..

Another project mentioned by WIRED was to examine Golden Eagle poo to see what they are eating. This only costs $1,600.

I went to the site and someone wanted money to replace his roof. Other projects seemed equally nice, but not really scientific.

What do you think of crowdfunding in general? I think it seems like a hard way to go. There is a time limit and the ones I have seen--including one for a great little independent film--seem impossible to fulfill.

But I guess people--sometimes--get what they need. And maybe it will be refined as time goes on.

You can talk to the judge right now, this minute

Brian Heaton, Government Technology Magazine, Dec 2013, says San Antonio, Texas, drivers with warrants for overdue traffic tickets don't have to go to court if stopped--they can get in the city marshal's car and talk to a judge via videoconferencing.

The software synchs with the license plate readers and an electronic court system. When the driver and judge decide on what is owed, the driver pays with a credit card--all in the squad car.

It's cleaner, insist the marshals--and usually the driver just forgot about the tickets.

It also saves time--an arrest can take hours of cop time.

San Antonio also has kiosks in grocery stores where people can pay tickets.

An effort is made to see if the driver matches the person ticketed. Then the car is pulled over. If the driver did not get the ticket, he or she is asked to tell the person who did it to take care of the situation.

If the person wants to contest the ticket, a trip to court is probably the next step.

I dunno--it seems to me pulling people over for unpaid tickets could be dangerous--what if the driver thought the marshal wanted something else and decided to fight or flee?

Have a startup weekend

There is an idea--pardon the expression--going around. Why not interest fellow head whackers in a startup weekend?

You could advertise it on Craigs maybe--or in a press release in the paper--or on Linked In's many creativity groups--or Facebook.

It could even be in someone's home. Everyone will make a "pitch" of their idea. Maybe others would join your "startup."

At very least, you will learn the flaws in your ideas.

Companies have started as the result of startup weekends. Zaarly is one--a mobil app that tracks nearby sellers and allows users to bid on items.  Planely--something about airplanes-is another.

You will have to get out of your comfort zone (if you have one, I don't). This is because people will inevitably pounce on flaws. They are like that.

My idea is Valet Cat--where cute guys and gals in shorts bring heavy kitty litter bags to your car, saving you humping them through the store with your aching limbs.

At a startup weekend, I am sure someone would tell me to quit being so lazy.

Some trends inviting creativity--2014

Do you belong to trendwatching.com--it's a kick, you should.

Anyhow, for 2014, the gurus of change see some themes.

Guilt-free status. They see a guilt spiral among people who think they should change their consumption, but don't. The biggest "guilt-free status" hits are cars that conserve. The status part means it has to be visible. Can you think of others?

Crowd-shaped will be big. People will pool their preferences--whether they want to or not or know it's being done or not. (I heard about an app that tells you what your friends are investing in so you can, too. That's not creepy.) Another example is juke boxes with a playlist shaped to the people who come to the bar. Uh--don't they have that now?

China will make us green.  The Middle Kingdom apparently is now the epicenter of green goodness.Intelligent streetlights, recycling bottles in the subway, a store made from trash, smart windows that saves and generates energy--Chinese.

Mychiatry--love this one. These are products for the "quantified self" (beats me). Stress reduction, headphones detecting your relaxation level in a game, a headband to gauge mental focus, a dreams analyzer.

No data. This will be a trend in walking the line between customizing for people and becoming scary-intrusive. Eight-six percent of internet users have tried to mask their identity. Darn skippy!

These are just some. I like the part about watching the creepiness. I do not want to walk in a mall, even if I could walk long distances, and have ads "read" me and flash up something I would like.

It's bad enough that some random search for say, white shoelaces--follows me to every site for weeks. I got the shoelaces--go away!