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It’s not just smartphone screens that can be used as touch-based sensors – as we’ve recently seen with On/Off paint, enabling homeowners to control electric appliances such as lights without the need for switches. Using similar technology, MaKey MaKey is a set of components that turns almost any object into an input tool, allowing users to invent their own devices.

Having already easily passed its funding goal on Kickstarter, the kit consists of crocodile clips, a USB cable and pre-built chip board. One of the crocodile clips is connected to the user and the other to any object (providing it is able to conduct a very small amount of electricity – the developers suggest any types of metal, anything wet, food, animals and even people). The chipboard is then connected to a computer via the USB cable and depending on how the circuit is set up, touching the object performs an action on the computer. Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum, who are both currently researching at the Michigan Institute of Technology, have already come up with light-hearted suggestions such as a play dough games controller, an alphabet spaghetti keyboard and a banana piano (using one piece of fruit for each key), although it is easy to see how more practical innovations could come into being once the kit is in the hands of the public. The set is available to pre-order on Kickstarter for USD 35, or USD 45 to include international shipping. The video below offers a demonstration of the product:

MaKey MaKey provides both novices and experts with the technology to turn anything into a digital switch or controller, empowering innovators and providing a tool for educative purposes. One for inspiration!

Website: www.makeymakey.com Contact: silver@media.mit.edu

Spotted by: Katherine Noyes

We are in culture, not in sales!

When the mobile and the social web combine they create the basis for a completely new Internet.

The real impact & challenge of the internet is not about technology but about perspective. So stop focusing on marketing to consumers before they buy - the product is an invitation to the marketing relationship.

Some good thoughts by Helge Tennø.

There are innumerable ways digital content can enhance real-world experiences, but it’s fairly safe to say we’ve never seen such efforts undertaken on so large a scale as in Monmouth, Wales. Now known as the world’s first “Wikipedia town”, Monmouth aims to use QR codes to link every notable place, person, artifact, plant and animal to a relevant Wikipedia page in as many languages as possible.

“Monmouthpedia,” as the project is called, is the first Wikipedia project ever to cover a whole town, and it relies on QRpedia codes to link visitors with relevant articles on Wikipedia. Ceramic or metal plaques are emblazoned with the codes in places that are exposed to the elements and for articles specific to Monmouth; elsewhere, smaller plaques are used. Either way, visitors can use their smartphones to scan the codes and retrieve linked articles in a wide array of languages, though the project’s primary emphasis is Welsh. The project is jointly funded by Wikimedia UK and Monmouthshire County Council, which has committed to installing free citywide wifi to help enable it. The video below explains the premise in more detail:

Since the project began six months ago, Wikipedia volunteers around the globe have contributed nearly 500 new articles in over 25 languages; on its official launch earlier this month, some 1,000 QR codes were already in place throughout Monmouth, according to an announcement on the Wikimedia blog. How long before initiatives such as this become a norm around the world?

Website: www.monmouthpedia.org Contact: john.cummings@monmouthpedia.org

Spotted by: Murtaza Patel

It was only a few weeks ago that we wrote about Share Some Sugar and its service designed to help neighbors share rarely used items, and here we are again with another related spotting. Hailing this time from France, La Machine du Voisin is a new site that aims to connect owners of washing machines with those who need one.

Not everyone owns a washing machine, of course, yet we all need to do laundry. With that premise in mind, La Machine du Voisin is free both for owners of machines and for those in search of one to use. Owners simply add a description of their machine along with their location and key details such as the machine’s capacity and the fee they’d like to charge for using it. Those in need of one, meanwhile, simply enter their city, and the site indicates all those listed within 500 meters of their location along with profiles and reviews of their owners. From there, potential borrowers can sign up to use one on a particular date and time; payments are made directly between renter and owner.

More than 1,000 machines are already listed on La Machine du Voisin, which currently serves numerous regions throughout France. What other items would be suitable for sharing to benefit both owners and renters?

Website: www.lamachineduvoisin.fr Contact: www.lamachineduvoisin.fr/pages/contact

Spotted by: Lamia Aloui

Om jag skulle få frågan när senast jag grät till en film brukar det i vanliga fall vara svårt att svara på. Har typ aldrig gråtit till film? I och för sig gråter jag nästan aldrig över huvud taget, så det kanske har med det är göra. Hur som helst: För någon vecka sen kollade jag på film. Och det brände faktiskt till lite. Men hör och häpna: The var till The Iron Lady. Filmen om Margaret Thatcher alltså.

Som film var den inte asbra. Kändes som att den saknade en idé. Det blev lite väl mycket som att de berättade rakt upp och ner vad som hände och sen var det slut. Men vid några tillfällen var det faktiskt himla stark. Tror att alla de är med i den här trailern:

Det som får mig att rysdarra är såklart inte Thatchers politik. Det är hennes övertygelse. När rösten nästan inte bär för att det hon vill är så viktigt, och ingen verkar fatta det. När hon förklarar för sin blivande man att hon inte kan hålla käften, för man kan inte dö utan att ha gjort någon skillnad. Och bara tanken på det är mer skrämmande än att bli utskrattad av hela parlamentet eller bli sprängd av en bilbomb.

Det här slår mig när jag läser om Vänsterpartiets borgarpinatas, den där FB-tråden om Arkelsten jag postade för ett tag sen, eller MUFs (eller var det LUFs?) klassiska piltavla med Olof Palme. Att de människorna som gör sånt inte kan vara speciellt engagerade i politik egentligen. För har man själv en övertygelse blir måste man respektera andra som också har det, även om man själv inte delar deras syn på vägen dit.

Scenen i The Iron Lady när Thatcher precis har blivit invald i parlamentet och håller sitt första anförande, varpå oppositionsledaren gör narr av hennes röst, är oerhört pinsam. Men inte för Thatcher, utan för alla dem som skrattar med. För ingenstans är det ok att göra narr av folk för att de är eller tycker annorlunda. Det lär man sig senast på dagis. När vuxna människor pekar finger och hånar kommer det därför garanterat inte att hjälpa deras politik, eller stjälpa motståndarens. Snarare blir effekten att man sträcker sig efter närmsta skämskudde.

 

I found this image on the web and I had to save it to remind me that our powers in context planning can be used for evil. In this case somebody planned a media campaign for the insurance company Aflac and aligned this creative to appear anywhere that the language duck or ducks... Please visit: http://www.propagationplanning.com for the full story.

west.

there’s just something about having a full tank of gas, a truck that’s running smoothly (thanks Vati and my uncles), windows down, beautiful day, cheesy pop music, my niece by my side, and the simple act of just pointing the wheels west that makes everything feel very big.

my niece is a fantastic travel companion… thus far. ;)

we slept in a remote campground in Alabama last night where we were hailed by the welcoming committee, ie two sauced good ole boys that live up the dirt road from the campground who, every night, take their golf cart out stocked with a cooler of beers and a gun that sits between them, and checks out what’s going on at the campground. they were lovely.

we set up camp, cooked over a campfire, slept in the back of the truck and woke up to cows moo’ing across the river and massive black birds swooping from branch to branch in the huge trees that covered the site.

we just past into Mississippi and have decided to gun it across the state so we can eat lunch on the banks of the mississippi.

we were just talking - neither of us have been here before but there’s just something about it here that makes you feel like you’re in the south. hard to explain. a vibe.

we’re off.

We’ve seen numerous ways to add personalized messages to products ranging from chocolate bars to cookies to cans of soup, but recently we came across one that has an interesting new twist. Created by Seattle cloud texting company Zipwhip, Textspresso is an espresso machine that can not only send and receive text messages, but can also print those messages on coffee foam using edible ink.

To create the Textspresso device, Zipwhip installed a Jura Impressa Xs90 espresso machine with SMS and printing capabilities using an Android app, servo motors, an Arduino microcontroller and a retrofitted Canon printer. Users can text their order to the device, which will then brew their coffee and keep it hot on a warming plate until they pick it up. Perhaps most interesting of all, though, is that the machine can use edible ink to print text on the coffee’s foam, opening the door to a world of personalization possibilities. For example, the machine can be used to text the last digits of a customer’s phone number, enabling them to easily identify their coffee when they go to pick it up. The video below explains the premise in more detail:

Zipwhip actually created its Textspresso machine as a way to showcase its cloud texting service, and it has no plans to produce more of them, it says. The code and plans for making the device are open source, however, and available to anyone seeking to make their own. Tech-minded entrepreneurs and coffee shop owners worldwide: time to build one for yourself?

Website: blog.zipwhip.com/2012/04/30/textspresso-machine-celebrates-cloud-texting-technology Contact: info@zipwhip.com

Spotted by: Denise Kuperman

It’s been an ongoing theme here at Springwise over the years that there are very few product categories that can’t benefit from a style-infused upgrade. Case in point? Japanese Umino Seaweed Shop’s rolls of nori that are laser-cut in designer patterns.

Sales of nori reportedly took a downturn following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011. In response, international ad agency I&S BBDO created for Umino its new line of designer nori: seaweed for sushi that’s laser-cut into artistic, designer patterns. Five precut designs are available — including “sakura,” featuring cherry blossoms, and “mizutama,” or water drops — each reportedly based on an element of Japanese history or symbology.

Umino’s designer nori was on exhibition earlier this year at the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum in Tokyo, according to a Design Boom report; and pricing on the nori rolls is reportedly JPY 840 each. How could your brand infuse its products with a similar splash of style?

Website: www.isbbdo.co.jp/#/showcase/3 Contact: www.isbbdo.co.jp/#/contact

Spotted by: Denise Kuperman

Swedish home products retailer IKEA has appeared on our virtual pages many a time, and recently we found cause to cover it again. The innovation this time? Something the company calls “the smallest store in the world” — namely, an entire IKEA store packed into a 10.5cm x 8.8cm web banner.

“With city populations on the rise, living spaces have become increasingly limited,” the company explains. “IKEA believes that no matter how cramped your space, there’s always a solution.” To demonstrate that belief, the company — generally known for its oversized retail spaces — has packed a full store with 2,800 products into the space of a small web banner. Shoppers who visit the diminutive store by hovering their mouse over it can then browse by department, choose what they want, and buy it online. “We targeted people looking for studio flats as well as one/two bedroom apartments by placing our tiny stores in the real estate section of community websites,” IKEA notes. The video below explains the concept in more detail:

Who says there’s no room left for innovation in the retail world? Certainly not us — particularly when that innovation can span the online and offline worlds. Brands around the globe: be inspired!

Website: www.smalleststoreintheworld.com Contact: www.ikea.com/ms/sv_SE/customer_service/etrack.html

Vi smyger igång dagen med två bra grejer från förra veckan.

1. Anna Rabes krönika i SvD som efterlyser att reklam granskas och debatteras även av folk utanför branschen. Inte minst med tanke på H&Ms senaste kampanj.

2. Och en forskare som gör inte exakt det Anna efterlyser, men inte långt därifran: Ben Barry presenterar sin doktorsavhandling som konstaterar av användandet av modeller av olika form, färg och ålder kan öka köpintentionen för ett varumärke med 200%. Läs hela artikeln här. Jäkligt bra av kanadensiska Elle förresten. När Vogue tävlar med sig själv om flest ansvarsfrånskrivande formuleringar i sitt Health Initiative ser Eller till att publicera spjutspetsforskning på området.

Frisk luft! Världen går kanske inte under idag heller.

my brother will be very happy to hear that my truck time, although incredibly hippie in many many respects, has a solid military disciplinary backbone, the importance of which I learned from reading about the adventures of Meriwether Lewis on my last trip. yesterday I spent hours pulling everything in the truck out and apart, cleaning the stuff, mending it, throwing some stuff away, thoroughly cleaning the truck (that’s a trick I learned from my other brother), checking fluids/levels and then putting it all back together mit ze precision of our German blood (meant to be said/read in a scary German accent). we need a little air pressure in the tires but besides that we’re ready to go. 

we leave in about an hour. I’m strangely feeling a bit numb right now - i don’t feel like i’m going on the road today, sleeping in the truck tonight and that I’m going to be out for months. but I think it will kick in quickly. but right now it feels like I’ll be out in the lofts with my dad this morning and then in the pool this afternoon, being barked at by bella the wonder attack dog the entire day. 

anna came in last night. 14 years old. two weeks. this is the most aunting I’ve every done in my life. lord have mercy. 

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

nothing says home like my dad’s German Shepherd just dying to rip off my face.

reunited! now time to empty clean sort and repack.

Spring Hill, Florida. home of swimming mermaids and the world’s fiercest pigeon racing community. where it begins. 

time to go

packing last night.

yes yes I know, the months will fly by and soon I’ll be back hauling my ass up five flights of stairs only to sit in my living room to hear the sounds of drunk bridge and tunnel types outside my window. 

but i never get used to saying goodbye to this place, to randomly running into people i know on the street or tucking in so some little hole in the wall that no one knows about with a trusty friend. I never like saying goodbye to ridiculous nights on the roof and long runs over the bridges, to being an auntie to cool as shit kids and watching the city come alive when spring hits. to trannies whistling across the street with the siren call to “work it girl”. to bodegas with $4 rolls of toilet paper. 

amen. 

While many video games are designed to distract from the gamer’s everyday life, we have recently seen some developers instead try to incorporate real-world activity into the virtual world, with last year’s Tweetland being one example. Now New York-based creative Tyler DeAngelo has built 5th Ave Frogger, which takes real-time traffic data and feeds it into a homage to the classic arcade game.

DeAngelo struck upon the idea when his favorite 1980s video game – in which users had to safely guide a frog across a busy road – was omitted from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s The Art of Video Games exhibition. The developer decided to create an updated version of the game, hacked to receive input from a webcam located above 5th Avenue, which translates real traffic into digital obstacles for the game’s character. Using similar technology to the Pimkie Color Forecast recently featured on Springwise, cars on the road are isolated from the background and their position mapped in real time. The game’s difficulty level depends on the time of day – nighttime is the easiest, while the morning rush hour might be best left to experts. In a twist that brings the real and virtual worlds even closer, DeAngelo has presented the game in its original arcade console format on the sidewalk of 5th Avenue for passersby to play. The game was also demonstrated at the NYC FUNHAUS 2012 event in Brooklyn at the end of April, but there is no word yet if there will be further outings. The video below shows the game in action, as well as the technology behind it:

5th Avenue Frogger merges real life and video games in a simple, but entertaining way. Developers: could you take this concept to the next level?

Website: www.5thavefrogger.com Contact: tylerdeangelo@gmail.com