The Wi-Fi Alliance has created a task force to work on setting standards so that Wi-Fi can play a large role in future development of the cleaner, more efficient Smart Grid. Today, this new group released a white paper exploring all of the areas where Wi-Fi could aid in communication between the new electric meters, utilities and their customers.
Helix Wind announced Wednesday that it’s beginning a trial run in Southern California to see if its wind turbines might be useful for powering cell phone towers.
The manufacturer is becoming known for its small vertical-axis wind turbines that can generate electricity with winds as low as 10 mph, as well as its unique business model to finance them.
“Specialists from scientists to accountants have been dealing with data for decades,” said Martin Wattenberg, a researcher at IBM’s Center for Social Software. “What’s new is that there’s a whole lot more data of relevance to consumers. “At the same time, people are generating a whole lot of data themselves.” There are several reasons why we’re seeing more data visualization in popular culture and why it’s becoming simpler and more innovative, experts say. Computers and software have gotten cheaper during the past few decades, and the technology needed to build applications is now in the hands of more people. Meanwhile, more data are becoming digital, making it easier to parse and catalog. “You have stuff available on government sites that would have only been available on paper a decade ago,” Wattenberg said. Finally, through the advent of social media applications like Facebook and Twitter, coupled with the rise of increasingly sophisticated mobile phones, a cultural shift is seemingly under way. “People are sort of happily defining their own social networks for other people to see, and that has led people to become interested in exploring data in ways they weren’t interested before,” Wattenberg said.
The iPhone is a rich portable computer with onboard sensors. Specifically, it is a location-aware (GPS), motion-aware (accelerometer), directionally-aware (digital compass) visually aware (camera being used to scan QA codes or serve as visual input), sonically aware (microphone and speakers), always-connected (wireless or 3Gs) handheld computer. Every operative word in that sentence is deeply meaningful and rich with possibilities we have just begun to explore. The iPhone does a whole lot more than display information. It is an environmental sensor. Its value lies just as much in sensing information as it does in displaying information.
At this week’s International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 09) in Orlando, Florida, leading researchers will present systems designed to push the boundaries of AR—allowing users to interact with and manipulate virtual data, share real and virtual space with others, and see real time information around them.
Multitouch Augmented Reality with SSTT Touch (via retrakker)
IBM Debuts Food Traceability iPhone App | ReadWriteWeb IBM will demo a new app that will bring the Internet of Things to the iPhone. The as yet unreleased iPhone app is called Breadcrumbs and it will give consumers access to information about grocery food items. The app will be able to scan barcodes and deliver a summary of the ingredients in a food item, along with when it was manufactured. That data is usually on the food label, but Breadcrumbs goes a step further - it can provide extra information such as product recall data. If a product has been recalled in the past, this app will tell the consumer all of the relevant details. Breadcrumbs is able to scan barcodes using the iPhone’s camera.
On Tuesday, Oct. 27th, a convoy of dozens of hybrid trucks will be rolling through Atlanta on their way to the Hybrid Truck 2009 National Conference at the Georgia World Congress Center. As part of the conference, IBM will also be publishing its new study, Truck2020, which examines the critical role that next generation trucking will play in making cities, supply chains, retail businesses and many aspects of our planet smarter, greener and more innovative.
Speaking of next generations, many kids ( and plenty of grownup kids) love trucks. To feed that passion and promote interest in this emerging high-tech industry, IBM’s Institute for Business Value, which produced the Truck2020 report, is organizing a multimedia collaboration via Twitter for spectators and convoy participants. We’re calling it a “TwitStop.” See details on how people in the Atlanta area can be part of this social media mashup.
Every year the gadgets that get crammed onto mobile phones get more and more impressive. But one that has so far failed to take off has been video, mainly because watching film or TV on a tiny screen is hardly worth the effort. But now a new generation of devices are being developed that should make the experience easier on the eyes.
Virginia-based company WhereMark just released a preview of its upcoming app for the iPhone 3GS. By now we’re all familiar with augmented reality applications that place data above a real-time mobile camera view. Companies like Wikitude, RobotVision and Layar have wowed us with their ability to color what is sometimes described as an “outernet.” While it is not yet available to consumers, it will be interesting to see if WhereMark’s application weaves a similar web of intrigue.
On Tuesday, Oct. 27th, a convoy of dozens of hybrid trucks will be rolling through Atlanta on their way to the 
