My walletless month: Happier, healthier and ready to ditch cash forever.      [technology / culture / mobile / innovation]Wired writer Christina Bonnington gave up her wallet (cards & cash) for a month and paid for everything using “purely mobile means.” What she found? “Although we’re a long way from where we were even a few months ago, being able to live completely walletless is still a long ways off. There are just too many entrenched forces - primarily government agencies, mom-and-pop stores, and anyone qho requires an ID - for this change to happen quickly.” But if you’re in a major metropolitan area? “It’s pretty darn doable (and in fact, enjoyable),” writes Bonnington.  High-res

My walletless month: Happier, healthier and ready to ditch cash forever.      
[technology / culture / mobile / innovation]

Wired writer Christina Bonnington gave up her wallet (cards & cash) for a month and paid for everything using “purely mobile means.” What she found? “Although we’re a long way from where we were even a few months ago, being able to live completely walletless is still a long ways off. There are just too many entrenched forces - primarily government agencies, mom-and-pop stores, and anyone qho requires an ID - for this change to happen quickly.” But if you’re in a major metropolitan area? “It’s pretty darn doable (and in fact, enjoyable),” writes Bonnington. 

IBM’s Watson is learning its way to saving lives. 
[culture / technology / innovation / creativity]

IBM’s Watson is one of the best pieces of advertising I’ve seen in my lifetime. IBM wanted to show people just how good their technology was, so they made a super smart computer. That consistently won Jeopardy. (Yes, really.) Now they’re sending Watson to hospitals, creating fake problems and seeing if Watson comes up with the same solution as real doctors. After Doctors input certain information, the computer filters the information through algorithms and then suggests solutions with varying levels of confidence. Oh, and it keeps learning. So in a few months, or even a few years it will be even smarter. It can learn and share knowledge from across the world! This is the part of the future I’m excited about. 

Lark: What Nike’s Fuelband could be.      
[culture / quantified self / technology]

Alright, I admit I’m a bit down on the Fuelband right now because mine recently broke after only a few months. But still, Lark is awesome. It may not be as pretty as the Fuelband, but it incorporates sleep patterns and nutrition. And if Nike used the same technology advances, it would have an even better product. Though neither have figured out exactly how to account for biking.

DIY Infographics with Piktograph.      [creativity / surprise & delight / mobile]This web app provides themes, inspiration and editing tools that help make infographics easier. That’s not to say it’a complete breeze - You still have to have some design sensibility. And you need to start the process with an idea of what you want to say and stats in hand. Still, I foresee this coming in handy.    High-res

DIY Infographics with Piktograph.      
[creativity / surprise & delight / mobile]

This web app provides themes, inspiration and editing tools that help make infographics easier. That’s not to say it’a complete breeze - You still have to have some design sensibility. And you need to start the process with an idea of what you want to say and stats in hand. Still, I foresee this coming in handy.   

Download, print, fire: gun rights initiative harnesses 3D technology. [technology/ culture / tools / 3D]3D printers are awesome. They’ve made the cover of Wired. And Bre Pettis, maker of the makerbot, was even on Colbert! Thingiverse is a community built around digital designs for “real, physical things.” The technology is getting good - It’s not too much of a pain in the ass to use it (or so I’ve heard.) But what happens when people want to make things that are, well, not so great? Like guns? This article from The Guardian explores just that. (It was written before the 3-D printer was confiscated from the buyer.)  

Download, print, fire: gun rights initiative harnesses 3D technology. 
[technology/ culture / tools / 3D]

3D printers are awesome. They’ve made the cover of Wired. And Bre Pettis, maker of the makerbot, was even on Colbert! Thingiverse is a community built around digital designs for “real, physical things.” The technology is getting good - It’s not too much of a pain in the ass to use it (or so I’ve heard.) But what happens when people want to make things that are, well, not so great? Like guns? This article from The Guardian explores just that. (It was written before the 3-D printer was confiscated from the buyer.)  

The day I confronted my troll. [technology / culture / geekery]One of the things I dislike the most about the internet isn’t buffering. Or forgetting my password. Or having to re-sign-in to Pinterest every time I want to pin something. What I really hate about the internet are internet trolls. Those people whose parents apparently never told them to shut their traps if they didn’t have anything nice to say. This article is about a guy who went through the trouble of finding and meeting his troll. As one commenter said, “I think the moral of the story is that these people who post hateful messages online are generally sad little tossers.” (Still. It’s rude! Get some manners people!)

The day I confronted my troll. 
[technology / culture / geekery]

One of the things I dislike the most about the internet isn’t buffering. Or forgetting my password. Or having to re-sign-in to Pinterest every time I want to pin something. What I really hate about the internet are internet trolls. Those people whose parents apparently never told them to shut their traps if they didn’t have anything nice to say. This article is about a guy who went through the trouble of finding and meeting his troll. As one commenter said, “I think the moral of the story is that these people who post hateful messages online are generally sad little tossers.” (Still. It’s rude! Get some manners people!)

hi-Call Bluetooth gloves turn your hands into a phone.   [technology / innovation / design] Looking for the gift for someone who has it all? These gloves feel like they’re straight out of the Sky Mall magazine: something you never knew you needed ;) But really, gloves that turn your pinkie and your thumb into a microphone and a speaker - and that are hooked up via Bluetooth to your phone! Crazy cool.  High-res

hi-Call Bluetooth gloves turn your hands into a phone.   
[technology / innovation / design]

Looking for the gift for someone who has it all? These gloves feel like they’re straight out of the Sky Mall magazine: something you never knew you needed ;) But really, gloves that turn your pinkie and your thumb into a microphone and a speaker - and that are hooked up via Bluetooth to your phone! Crazy cool.