Blogger Review: Wired

My URL: http://swimvisions.blogspot.com/

Blogger’s URL: http://www.wired.com/about/blogs

My Content:

            The blog that I chose to review is the magazine Wired. I was particularly attracted to this blog because I am a magazine major and I am always looking for ways to relate my major to classes outside of my major such as this. I really like seeing the different industries intertwine. Wired blog has numerous authors, all of which specialize in different areas of technology such as gadgets, games, design, innovations, photographs, and science.

            This is exactly what I find so appealing about Wired’s blog. Technology is such a broad subject that it would not be fair for just one person to offer their opinion or cover just one aspect of it. I think it is very wise to have different authors writing about certain topics because every writer has a different voice and is knowledgeable about different topics and this would be most beneficial to readers. One section of the blog that I find particularly interesting is the one titled “Beyond the Beyond” and it is what I will be focusing on in my critique in the following paragraph. This section is written by science fiction author Bruce Sterling and he mainly summarizes, analyzes and evaluates up and coming technologies, inventions or developments in thinking and innovation.

The fact that Sterling is an experienced science fiction author adds to the credibility of his blog, aside from the fact that it is also published on Wired magazine’s blog, a world-renowned science and technology publication. I really life Sterling’s blogging style because his posts have a distinct tone and voice—he often adds in his personality and gives the information some flare, which is especially important when writing about science and technology because that can get confusing, boring and flat in some cases. On the other hand, however, I am not tech-savvy whatsoever and I find his posts hard to understand. His terminology is very scientific and is designed for the real tech nerds out there.  I would be better off reading a different blog on Wired’s website that is tailored to novices like myself. Overall, I would give this blog an excellent rating because it is very informative while also fun to read, which is exactly what a blog should be. I would definitely recommend it to a friend, but probably a friend who knows more about technology than myself.

Lecture Post 3: Bits & Bytes and Cloud Computing

MY IDEA: Swim Vision allows swimmers to literally watch their own race from an aerial view so that they can monitor the progress and speed of every single swimmer in their race. There is a tiny monitor in the goggle lenses that display the race being recorded by a camera positioned somewhere above the pool. The video being played in the lenses will be transparent so that the swimmers can still see where he/she is going. If the screen is too distracting, however, swimmers have the option to turn off the video or they will receive alerts that flashing across the screen with messages such as “approaching wall” or “flip turn in 5 yards.” Swim Vision will have two different modes, “Competition Mode” and “Practice Mode.”

LECTURE

            Swim Vision is capable of utilizing two topics that we have recent discussed in lecture. These goggles will require the usage of “bits and bytes” as well as cloud computing. The bits and bytes would primarily be used in the “Practice Mode” when the goggles display stats such as laps completed, heart rate, speed, time, calories burned, etc. and cloud computing can be used to share the information stored within the goggles. Without this class, I probably would have never thought that a simple pair of goggles would have so much potential to be such a technologically savvy device.

            The bits and bytes would be used to both store information as well as display the text on the display screen within the goggles. They would use the ASCII character set (American Standard Code for Information Interchange), which is the most commonly used to display words of the English alphabet on computers and other communication devices. Certain numbers correspond with certain letters (there are 127 of them). Without bits and bytes, the text displayed in the goggles would not be able to appear. These binary codes would also serve to store the information so that the swimmers can access them later and evaluate their progress.

            Although this may sound like a stretch, I think it would be interesting for Swim Vision to be able to take advantage of cloud computing. The goggles could utilize “the cloud” to allow the different goggles to communicate with each other and share information such as times (“splits”: the time it takes a swimmer to complete each lap within a race) and calories burned to compare them to other swimmers. This sharing of information would have to be done in the cloud. The information could then be accessed from a real computer, not in the goggles. This does not necessarily have to be a real feature on the goggles since it is so farfetched, but I hope that this serves to demonstrate my knowledge on how these new technologies we are learning about could apply to my entrepreneurial ideas. 

Lecture Post 2: Hardware

MY IDEA: Swim Vision allows swimmers to literally watch their own race from an aerial view so that they can monitor the progress and speed of every single swimmer in their race. There is a tiny monitor in the goggle lenses that display the race being recorded by a camera positioned somewhere above the pool. The video being played in the lenses will be transparent so that the swimmers can still see where he/she is going. If the screen is too distracting, however, swimmers have the option to turn off the video or they will receive alerts that flashing across the screen with messages such as “approaching wall” or “flip turn in 5 yards.” Swim Vision will have two different modes, “Competition Mode” and “Practice Mode.”

LECTURE:

            My complex idea would not be made possible if it were not for the implementation of some hardware devices. The two main pieces of hardware that we have learned about that would most benefit my invention would be a video card and an arithmetic logic unit (ALU). The video card would allow for the videos of the race to play within the goggle lenses while the goggles are in Competition Mode and the arithmetic logic unit would serve to perform the calculations to compute the number of laps swum, heart rate and number of calories burned while the goggles are in Practice Mode.

            Although the video card is capable of serving many functions, ranging from accelerating the rendering of three-dimensional scenes to two-dimensional graphics, I think it would best benefit Swim Vision goggles if used to send graphical information to a video display device such as a monitor or projector or in this case, the goggle lenses. Because the goggles are small in size, the video card would have to be, too. A card that is used for a “small form factor” Personal Computer would have to be used for these goggles. The video card would also have to be in a thin water-proof casing, as would the rest of the electronic pieces, so that it does not get damaged or harm the swimmer.

            An arithmetic logic unit (ALU) would significantly have to be used in the manufacturing of Swim Vision goggles so that it could fulfill the functions of the Practice Mode. These include calculating the number of calories burned, the swimmer’s heart rate and the sum and/or average number of laps swum. Arithmetic logic units are also capable of maintaining timers, which is especially important in the swim world, so the ALU could also allow the goggles to calculate the average time it takes for a swimmer to complete a lap or laps. 

Competitive Analysis

URL: http://swimvisions.blogspot.com/

50 Word Summary: Swim Vision allows swimmers to literally watch their own race from an aerial view so that they can monitor the progress and speed of every single swimmer in their race. There is a tiny monitor in the goggle lenses that display the race being recorded by a camera positioned somewhere above the pool. The video being played in the lenses will be transparent so that the swimmers can still see where he/she is going. If the screen is too distracting, however, swimmers have the option to turn off the video or they will receive alerts that flashing across the screen with messages such as “approaching wall” or “flip turn in 5 yards.” Swim Vision will have two different modes, “Competition Mode” and “Practice Mode.” 

Competitor 1 URL: http://wordlesstech.com/2011/09/20/my-pace-swimming-goggle/

Competitor 1 Overview: My product, Smart Vision, is similar to “The Inview” goggles in that they both have the capability to track the lengths swam and utilize similar technology and design features. They both rely on a compass that orients itself when a swimmer first enters the pool and then spots when a swimmer changes direction and logs a lap. Both of these compasses are positioned on the rear strap of the goggles. These two products differ, however, in that the Smart Vision goggles also have the power to calculate how many calories have been burned, a swimmers heart rate, and actually see the race they are swimming from an aerial view in the goggles lenses.

Competitor 2 URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4626823.stm

Competitor 2 Overview: I have found that there are many more similarities between the Smart Vision goggles and these “My Pace” goggles. Both goggles, for example, can track the number of laps one swims as well as pace. They are also similar in that they both have technology to beam timings and certain stats in the peripheral view of the swimmer. They both also have an LCD panel of an electronic watch attached on the inside of the right part of the goggles and gives the swimmer his record while a person swims. These two products differ, however, in that the Smart Vision goggles also have the power to calculate how many calories have been burned, a swimmers heart rate, and actually see the race they are swimming from an aerial view in the goggles lenses.

Exploring “my competitor’s” products allowed me to continue ways to improve my product. I did not take ideas from them, but rather, analyzed their product and brainstormed ways that it could be improved and then applied it to my own product. It did give me some ideas, however, when it came to how these companies utilized technologies because that is my weak point. I enjoy learning about new technologies and then researching them and learning about how to apply them to my product.