The Smartphone Society

The Smartphone Society | Jacobin:

Today, in a period characterized by financialization and globalization, where “information” is king, the idea of any commodity defining an era might seem quaint. But commodities are no less important today, and people’s relationships to them remain central to understanding society. If the automobile was fundamental to grasping the last century, the smartphone is the defining commodity of our era.

I carry a Samsung Galaxy S4 (yes, still) these days. Have to admit I don't think often about the supply chain. Knowing there is one, and assuming it's every bit as much a horrorshow as Apple's, loads every tweet I favorite about white male privilege (either demonstrating, or reacting to its omnipresence, there's almost no other kind?) with all kinds of meaning I/we generally choose not to see.

~squeezed by the Invisible Hand, the author moves on to the next article~

Giant Infographic Looks At The History Of Invention

The People Behind The Way We Live: 

New format, same wait.

As demand for e-books soars, libraries struggle to stock their virtual shelves - The Washington Post:

Kindles, Nooks and iPads can do many amazing things, but they can’t bump you ahead in line at the Reston Regional Library. In fact, if you want to borrow a book, it may be quicker to put down your sleek new device and head into the stacks.

I've dealt with the wait list blues a bit myself: having to get on the list for the Game of Thrones books, for example, only to have the second volume available prior to the first. No point reading out of order so you don't check it out, wait longer for the first volume, then get back on the wait list for volume two -- me and 39 other folks. Bah. (Still, if I was in that much of a hurry, I'd just buy copy. The first book was OK, but certainly not "must-read" material.)

SRK | Arcimoto

SRK | Arcimoto:

Arcimoto unveiled the SRK product prototype, ‘Red 5’ on April 23, 2011. The Company is currently testing this prototype as it moves towards product finalization, the launch of the SRK pilot fleet and the push to production.

I was intrigued by Lit Motors' C-1 earlier ... this trike EV looks to be closer to production though.

If I had $250 to spare, I'd get on the list for one of these electric motorcycles.

Lit Motors' C-1 electric motorcycle will stand up for itself:

So far, Kim and his team have developed an operating model of the C-1's flywheel-based stabilization system, along with a full-scale fiberglass mock-up of the vehicle itself. They are now working on a hand-built steel uni-bodied working prototype, which should reportedly be complete within about three months. Plans call for an initial run of production vehicles to be available at a price of about US$24,000 by late 2013, with that price going down to $16,000 once full production gets under way in 2014.

iWaiters?

iPads and restaurants: How waiters will be replaced by tablet computers. - By Annie Lowrey - Slate Magazine: 

Image via Slate

It works like this. The company manufactures tablet computers with full-day battery lives and a credit-card reader attached. The interface is easy enough for a grade-schooler to use. You select what you want to eat and add items to a cart. Depending on the restaurant's preferences, the console could show you nutritional information, ingredients lists, and photographs. You can make special requests, like 'dressing on the side' or 'quintuple bacon.' When you're done, the order zings over to the kitchen, and the Presto tells you how long it will take for your items to come out. Want a margarita in the meantime? Just add it on the console, and wait for the waiter to bring it. Bored with your companions? Play games on the machine. When you're through with your meal, you pay on the console, splitting the bill item by item if you wish and paying however you want. And you can have your receipt emailed to you.

The eROCKIT. I'm not knockin' it.

Segway 2.0? German Bicycle on Steriods Comes to the US:

Gulas has spent the last six years building something called the eROCKIT that defies a vehicle category. Unlike a motorcycle, it’s active– you have to pedal to make it go. But unlike a motorized bicycle it goes incredibly fast. So fast it can out accelerate a car. And it’s completely electric, borrowing some technology and looks from your home exercise bike.

Intriguing. I would love to take one for a spin.

BMW: Emergency Stop Assistant – because you can’t drive unconscious

BMW: Emergency Stop Assistant – because you can’t drive unconscious | Coolest Gadgets:

Utilizing cameras, radar, GPS and other modern marvels, your BMW will ascertain the conditions surrounding you, switch on the hazard lights, “look” for available exit options and maintain a lane of travel until it’s clear to slowly make a beeline for the shoulder, even over several lanes if necessary.

Week after holidays, e-book sales outdo print versions of top books

Week after holidays, e-book sales outdo print - USATODAY.com:

Millions of gift-wrapped iPads, Kindles, Nooks and other digital reading devices resulted in an unprecedented surge in sales of e-books last week.

OK, now it's starting to feel like the long-forecasted sea change. (Says the new Kindle owner.)

Air-Powered Star Trek Style Door

Air-Powered Star Trek Style Door:

I always wanted a piece of Star Trek and the Disney Monorail in my house, and one thing they have in common is that they both have automatic sliding doors. It would be the perfect, most geek-ified entryway for my bedroom.

Via blivet 2.0

Throwback Thursday: AT&T VideoPhone 2500 (1992)

Throwback Thursday: AT&T VideoPhone 2500 | BGR | Boy Genius Report:

To celebrate the arrival of Skype’s mobile video chat on the iPhone 4, today’s Throwback Thursday looks back fondly on another ultimately fruitless attempt to popularize video calling: the AT&T VideoPhone 2500. AT&T had swung and missed with video calling before, but the introduction of the VideoPhone 2500 in 1992 would be the home run the company had been waiting for. Costing just $1,599.99 per phone or $1,449.99 each if you bought two or more, this puppy was going to bring video calling to the eager masses.

Close, but no cigar.

Sir Clive Sinclair's X-1 pedal-electric hybrid:

The name Sinclair was stamped on single-person electric transport way back in 1985 with the world's first mass produced electric vehicle – the Sinclair C5. Fast forward to 2010, drop a wheel, shed lots of weight, add modern batteries and you start to get a picture of the newly developed Sinclair Research X-1. Essentially an electric-assist recumbent bicycle with an open-sided fairing, it has the aerodynamics, ergonomic pedaling position and weather protection of a velomobile, yet its weight and price are closer to those of an electric-assist bicycle.

The wheels are too small, the profile too low, and the price too high.  If it sat up a little higher (maybe with a trike frame instead of a bike?) and was closer to $500 than $1,000, then I think they'd be onto something here. Also, if it's going to be a run-to-the-nearest-grocery-store-for-milk-and-eggs mobile, which is one of the chief uses I would have for it, then it needs a place to put a bag of groceries. Is there a little room behind the seat there? It's hard to tell.

Making Things Difficult for Fun

FreckledNest.com: Old to New: Typewriters:

Jack Zylkin has invented a Typewriter Convertor process that turns any manual typewriter into a keyboard for your computer! He sells ready to purchase typewriters or you can buy a kit and do it yourself!

via Freckled Nest

Is there a study that explains why we (or at least me and two other people) think this is just a neat idea? Nobody really wants to go back to manual typewriters. They're heavy, they're inefficient, and frankly, you have to be some kind of hipster doofus if you think someone, upon seeing your manual typewriter-to-monitor set-up, would say anything other than, "what's wrong with you, hipster doofus?"

Whoa, I just had some kind of weird olfactory flashback to the smell of freshly opened White-Out.