Friday, May 31, 2013

Hacking for Change: Battle Hack, PayPal Developer, & Superhero-Level Coding


Punch social evil in the face with code
The global hack for change movement is growing. Developers play a critical role in the creation of new technologies to solve the numerous sociocultural and socioeconomic problems that we face in the 21st century. A solid example of how we can harness code-hacks to make social change can be seen in PayPal Developers’ Battle Hack, a hackathon series contest that brings together developer teams in competition to create applications to solve local problems in targeted locations. Ambitious in scope, the hackathon series will run in 10 cities culminating in a world final in Silicon Valley. BattleHack developed out of a series of events called Charity Hacks, which were organised over the last few years by PayPal and partners in London. Engaging the developer community to create change in their own backyards is a worthwhile endeavor. Add the cool comic book theme, swag, beer, food, serious prizes, and general geekery, and we have the ingredients for awesome hack experiences. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World goes hack with less emo and more tech...and ninjas (OK, maybe no ninjas).



(Video Source: PayPal)

From Local to Global.
Use prize money to buy stuff
Developers will compete at regional levels in ten different cities; 10 winning teams garner local bragging rights and a golden ticket to the world final. Code local, win global. All species of code and ideas are welcome, which should produce a diverse array of hack-app solutions by contestants. I will take an app that provides real-time bus routes/movement on interactive mobile maps please. I’d like to see how far away the bus is in real-time as I run late to the stop.

PayPal Developer has put together some serious partners for the hackathon series: WIP, SoundCloud, APIoMat, OpenBankProject, CloudControl, Wooga, & Uber. 

The Marathon Hack: 24 Hours to Change the City
Challenge Accepted.

The event is held across two days within a 24 hour battle window.

Mission Day 1: Registration, event scope, team creation, meet judges, planning, commence hack. 

Hack, eat, drink, rest, massage, hack. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

Mission Day 2: Hack with zeal (insert your unhealthy food choice here). Judges will be made up of industry code superheroes. Trophy & prize presentations. Commence social media humble brags.

Teams are limited to 4 members. Entrants can develop a team in advance (likely filled with your COD online squad members) or coders can group-up “Warriors” style with other hackers on site.

PayPal gets it right here on a number of accounts: open format, contestants own their hacks, legit prizes, all underpinned with social purpose. We can code for change and have fun doing it.

The Spoils of Hack.

4.3 lbs, 21 inch, solid steel axe trophy. What could go wrong?

It wouldn’t be a hackathon without prizes and tech swag. PayPal Developer delivers on this accord. The winning team and app will take home $100,000 (USD); that will buy a lot of downloads on Steam. 

Trophies are symbolic representations of how much code-butt you kicked: Enter The Axe. You will be prepared for the zombie apocalypse, but how will your team share the trophy, and what kind of terrible cabal will you enter?

Regional Contest Prizes. 
1st prize - Flight and hotel to the World Finals in Silicon Valley, 1 in 10 chance of winning $100,000 USD. Money can be used to purchase items for which to have fun. 

2nd prize – Run your social apps on new tablets (Incidentally, use it to connect with PayPal Developers  while you are at it. A cool, easy-to-use interface on their new developer platform gives access to robust RESTful APIs and Mobile SDKs.)

3rd prize - Robotic programmable balls (let mayhem ensue)


Actual mode of travel pictured here.
First 50 arrivals - Raspberry PIs (use it with Arduino to rig up AT-AT walkers to water your plants and chase zombies off your lawn).

Battle Hack Locations
Berlin - June 8th thru 9th
New York, NY - July 20th thru 21st
Tel Aviv - July 25th thru 26th
Seattle, WA - August 10th thru 11th
Miami, FL - August 24th thru 25th
Moscow - September 7th thru 8th
Austin, TX - September 28th thru 29th
London - October 12th thru 13th
Washington, DC - October 12th thru 13th
Barcelona - October 26th thru 27th

Register for Battle Hack here.
Click here to read more about Battle Hack.

Code for change, win stuff, and connect with fellow developers for mayhem.

Music inspiration.



(Video Source: marknueb)


Image Source: AtomMoney. By アトム通貨実行委員会 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Image Source: Comic: By Thibault fr (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Image Source: Thing. photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdhancock/3999970842/">JD Hancock</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>

Image Source: Axe. http://www.paypal.com

Image Source: Ballon. See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Depart_de_MM._Charles_%26_Robert%2C_du_Jardin_des_Tuilleries_dans_leur_machine_a%C3%ABrostatique.jpg

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Terra-Digi-Tech-Human: Mapping Human-Internet Geographies

Technological devices are increasingly mobile and increasingly embedded into our daily human experiences. The lines between humans and machines are blurred. When we move beyond the digital dualist trap of human vs. machine, and move toward an integrated model of the organic and mechanic, we have a more useful frame to understand how technology informs/interacts/articulates human experiences. At the heart of this experience is the Internet and human interconnectedness.



(Video Source: IFTF Video)

It is from this perspective that Dr. Jake Dunagan, Institute for the Future, presented “The Internet |Human Map: Forecasting a more Human Web,” at a recent TechXploration Event sponsored by PayPal.
“For most of its history, using the Internet has involved conforming and contorting to the logic, architecture, and input/output mechanisms of machine networks. Humans have kneeled before immobile computer screens, tethered our limbs to mice and keyboards, and craned our necks to use the smartphone screens in our hands. The human experience of the Internet, however, will change dramatically over the next decade. It will place humans at the center—redrawing our networked worlds to fit our native dimensions. And while it will continue to extend human capacities, it will do so in way that retains human proportions.”
The presentation was an examination of how humans will interface with machines in the near future; how humans will interact/integrate with networked technologies, and the place of the human at the center of the networked machine. The temporal focus was on the wide view, the broad view, of human-techno-interface.

Dunagan began the presentation with a discussion of the Vitruvian Man (at its core, it is about proportionality) as an instructive metaphor for the interface between humans and the Internet. He suggested we can develop more elegant ways to develop and enhance connectivity. 
"The tech programs us and we it."   
The proportional image of the Vitruvian Man was juxtaposed with the image of the new techno-human, who is "stretched" to fit the technical space. The two images provide the example-anti-example to think about the phenomenological experiences of humans within the technology that we create.

Dunagan argued that we have too often fit the human into the techno-space, rather than fitting the techno-space to the human, or thinking about how to bridge the spatial, visceral gaps. He suggested the goal is to make the two intermesh more consistently and less violently.

Here is the new-classic image of the hunched person laboring over a tech-artifact; the contorted human body straining to interact with technology. He suggested the interface between machines and human is not very "human."

Three broad stages of techno-development were explored:
  1. “Get it to work” – develop and build the devices then connect the devices 
  2. “Connect” – human interaction with devices; 5 billion Internet users by 2020. 
  3. “Let's get it ‘right’ " – make devices more streamline, ergonomic, and design-conscious 
We need to think earnestly about how to make technological interactions more pleasurable experiences. “Getting it right” can come in the forms of a variety of bio-tech and psychophysiological inputs such as bio-neuro-feedback, gesture control, visual control, vocal control, and environmental sensors. The argument is that when we forecast new technologies, design and physiological constructs should be considered in order to build better experiences.

Q - How do we get there?
  • architecture 
  • UX/UI interface 
  • contextually aware devices 
  • smart spaces 
  • augmented reality 
  • dynamics virtual realities 
The future-now is using sets of components that can be mixed and remixed into radical innovations:
  • adapted wireless networks 
  • ability to have more flexible interactions 
  • use of spread spectrum to develop better efficiencies 
  • use of mesh networks - communicate in local setting 
With the proliferation of mobile form factors such as handheld and tablets, the gaps are being filled in, as evidenced in new mobile robotics and new screen technologies. New operating systems for cloud-server supercomputing continue to proliferate – this is more than big data – this is harnessing super-processing capacities as a democratic practice.

One of the major limitations in the growth of technology is the human user. Humans have cognitive limitations, such as parallel processing issues. We can use intelligent spaces or contextually aware systems that learn about and search for human patterns to improve human performance capacities. The future-now is touch screens and mobile gestural interactions that mesh real world interaction and augmented reality. Gestural interface that blends the digital and physical world together. This is a core driver of near-future technological growth. The goal then is to look at technology through a combinatorial lens. Think of the DJ who mixes records creating new sounds and new ideas. Remix. 

The Institute has created a Human-Internet Map that traces the new geometry of the Internet shaped in the next decade by four new potentials:
"The capacity for FLOW, as technologies work together to create a seamless environment for human interaction

The ability to SENSE, as human-machine interfaces leverage all our human senses to become more intuitive and even invisible

The facility to CONTROL, as we amplify our human ability to direct, redirect, and restrain a more dynamic and organic Internet

The proclivity to EMERGE, as the Internet unleashes itself from its creators’ intentions and develops in unexpected and transformative ways." 
Download the Map here.

Flow refers to how we will weave, people, tasks, and information data in a seamless elegant fashion. One example can be taken from the future of Skype, where the user will be able to transfer a continuous conversation across multiple devices and in multiple spaces, creating a liquid experience leading to reduced interruptions and improve interactivity.

We need to search for signals in the data – the little seeds of change – that give us guide-posts about how the future might develop. The adventure is to seek out the edges and the fringes for what will become the mainstream in 10 years.
"Technology may understand us better than we do."
Dunagan opined that we can use technology to engage in archeology of the human experience, the use of technology to engage in cultural anthropological analysis. One area of focus is on how technology is impacting the way we work and organize. Smarter systems will provide data to view humans as functional nodes of work and organizations as algorithms; using software to put the right talent in place with the correct task and match talent with work purposes. The example of Soylent was provided to illustrate crowd-sourcing technology. Soylent is a mechanical turk mechanism, an MS word plug-in that allows user to shorten text in real-time. 
"Soylent aids the writing process by integrating paid crowd workers from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform into Microsoft Word, a popular word processing interface. Soy-lent is people: its core algorithms involve calls to Mechani-cal Turk workers (Turkers). Soylent is comprised of three main components: 1) Shortn, a text shortening service that cuts selected text down to 80% of its original length on average without changing the meaning of the text or introducing errors. 2) Crowdproof, an augmentation of Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar checker that finds problems that Word cannot, explains the problem and suggests fixes. 3) The Human Macro, an interface for offloading and automating arbitrary word processing tasks such as formatting citations or finding appropriate figures."
Sense is the interface; for example sensor and gestural interfaces; using multiple senses to interact with technology and the spaces around us. An example can be seen in LeapMotion – a connective gestural interface. This is being actively hacked at the developer level, and will be accessible soon at the consumer level. Another example can be seen in the development of neural interfaces in the neurogaming movement. More info on neurogaming can be found at NeuroGaming, a recent conference in SF that highlighted some of the cool work in this space.

We will see cognitive design interfaces that link multiple minds together, where multiple people can "jack" into the interface and work as a group. What if some aspects of future space travel were conducted in this fashion – using multiple connected minds to build materials in space? If things are out of order, more minds might be able to find the problems or issues within the system.

Emerge refers to unleashed and unexpected technologies. A dark example can be seen in the Knight Capital $440 million glitch. Things such as rouge algorithms, predictive algorithms, learning algorithms, and self-organizing systems will drive near-future tech.

Control is a very deep concept that here refers to the blurring of boundary lines, and where, if at all, those lines will be drawn. Issues such as privacy, security, economic control, and surveillance become more pronounced, as does the discourse around who controls the definitions and the imposition of constraints. 

The World Economic Forum recently stated that “personal data is the new oil”; data is information that many of us freely give away, often culled through big data collection with little control by end users. A more useful saying might be that “data is the new soil”, where we grow/cultivate/fashion/augment our understandings of self and other.
"We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us." - Marshall McLuhan.
Dunagan argued that we have shaped the Internet and we are in a relationship with technology. We are struggling to understand the nuances of this relationship that is ever mutating. He noted that 50% of traffic is machine to machine; we are seeing a bifurcation of the Internet. The barrier for entry to the network is low, but our ability to self-fix is high; think fixing a VW bus compared to fixing a Telsa in technological terms. The final note was struck on that of augmentation vs.dependency. When we expand our capacities via technology, we make trade-offs. Here is what cognitive philosoher Andy Clark discussed as the dependency trap. The words of the character Thurfur Hawat, sci-fi series Dune, come to mind, "The first step in evading a trap...is knowing of its existence." 



(Video Source: IFTF Video)

Image Credit: Human Internet Map

Image Credit: Vitruvian Man
I, Producer [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Image Credit: NeuroGaming Flyer. http://www.neurogamingconf.com/

Monday, May 20, 2013

Waking the Dead: Conservation Ecology vs. Resurrection Biology Debate

Should we bring back extinct species? This was the focus of the recent Revive & Restore Conference (TEDxDeExtinction), a day-long conference this past March, where attendees explored the prospects of bringing extinct species back to life, alongside the attendant ethical and philosophical issues. Who are the key actors? Conservationists, genetic technology practitioners, scientists involved with current species-revival projects, ethicists, grant foundations, and government officials. “TEDxDeExtinction explored a bold topic: reviving extinct species and re-introducing them to the wild. Can it be done responsibly? Should it be done at all?”

The flagship project for de-extinction is the effort to bring the passenger pigeon back to life using cutting-edge techniques in bio-genetics. One of the project leads is Ben Novak, a de-extinction scientist who works on the Revive & Restore project at the Long Now Foundation, who sequenced the DNA of the passenger pigeon.

The extinct passenger pigeon would have some of the genetic code of the passenger pigeon, and likely be raised with other breeds, which leads some to ask whether this would be a “true” passenger pigeon. 


What if we brought back the mammoth, would it be “pure”, would it be “real”? It depends on your definition of both words, and whether it is advantageous to apply problematic concepts likely purity or realness to something as chaotic and diverse as species evolution and genetic science. 
Scientific America reported that, “new technologies such as an enzyme that can precisely cut DNA, known as Cas9(for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated system 9) and also derived from a bacterium, may enable scientists to stitch strands of DNA in and out of the genetic code. Find the genes that make a mammoth different from an elephant—say, sebaceous glands, hair growth, extra hemoglobin in the blood to withstand cold temperatures, among other traits—insert those into a strand of elephant DNA, and begin to make mammoth sperm and eggs. Then impregnate the mammoth's closest living relative, the Asiatic elephant, and wait for a baby mammoth to be born.” 
This is the era of the hybrid, where the traditional boundaries between many things are being transgressed: human, animal, plant, and mechanical. Synthetic biology is at the center of hybridity. David Biello noted, “species have always been promiscuous and enjoyed porous boundaries, but synthetic biologists and other scientists seem set to blur those boundaries out of existence.”

Advances in genetics sciences and biology have inevitably intersected in the form of the de-extinction movement; using bio-genetics to bring back extinct species of animals and reintroduce them into ecosystems. I write inevitably in that we were always headed here. Proactive evolutionary practices will become more commonplace in the 21st century as the technological capacities catch-up with scientific curiosity. Growth in nano-bio-genetic technologies is not only transforming human bodies, but also the bio-diversity of the ecosystems we inhabit.

Some calls from conservation biologists have focused on the dire need to protect current habitats and species rather than explore costly scientific research on de-extinction. Others have argued a major issue that bio-genetic-cloning scientific communities have not addressed is the loss of genetic diversity that might lead to inbreeding depression. An additional call of concern is whether we should 
use "genetic techniques to help species that are still with us, but are in trouble. Some species are in a genetic bottleneck—so few individuals remain that their collective genetic make-up is impoverished, making the species highly susceptible to dying out."

Conversely, conservation biologist and former chief scientist at the Wildlife Conservation Society Kent Redford has argued that, "Purity is not found in species," "We ourselves are not pure," bearing traces of genetic intermixing with Neandertals, Denisovans and perhaps other extinct hominids.

It is hard to predict the ripple effects that synthetic biology will have on “natural” ecosystems. Critics have point to the negative effects that genetic engineering has had in agriculture, leading to the diminishing of biodiversity and the loss of tens of thousands of genome diversity from plants.

At the heart of the conservation movement is the need to direct public attention to the consequences of habitat loss. It has been argued that habitat loss is the principal driver of species extinction and endangerment.

"As a human species, we have been amazingly efficient at making things extinct."
Conservation scientist Kate Jones of University College London.
Sadhi et al. provide us a succinct, yet dire, understanding of the consequences of habitat loss.
“Although extinctions are a normal part of evolution, human modifications to the planet in the last few centuries, and perhaps even millennia, have greatly accelerated the rate at which extinctions occur. Habitat loss remains the main driver of extinctions, but it may act synergistically with other drivers such as over­harvesting and pollution, and, in the future, climate change. Large-bodied species, rare species, and habitat specialists are particularly prone to extinction as a re­sult of rapid human modifications of the planet. Ex­tinctions can disrupt vital ecological processes such as pollination and seed dispersal, leading to cascading losses, ecosystem collapse, and a higher extinction rate overall.”
The monetary funds needed to properly support global conservancy efforts are dramatic. According to Science, protecting all of the world's threatened species will cost an estimated US$4 billion a year. For example, Scientific America has reported that, “improving the status of all the world’s 1,115 threatened bird species would cost between $875 million and $1.23 billion a year for the next decade. Adding in other animals raises the number to between $3.41 billion and $4.76 billion a year.”

So what does this have to do with de-extinction? There is a limited amount of government and private grants to fund ecology-based research. De-extinction is sexy science; conservation is the hard sell.

Science in the 21st century is about proactive creation, iteration, and collaboration. The real




and simulated are one. It is likely we will see interdisciplinary work between de-extinction scientists and conservationists. Gazing ahead, the Jurassic Park theme is not far-fetched – an island as a protected space for scientists (including de-extinctionists) to investigate the limits of bio-genetic-cloning science, and how those advances interact with "naturally" occuring systems. It is interesting to think about “protected free science spaces” coming on the heels of Larry Page’s keynote closer at Google I/O, when he called for the creation of similar spaces in technology. Would this be The Island of Dr. Moreau or an invaluable bio-dome to explore the proactive creation of life through genetics? Probably both, and more. 

There are numerous arguments for and against resurrection biology and de-extinction. The reality: this research is happening, will continue to happen, and we will see incredible breakthroughs. If we create holes in nature; we must try to fill them. And we have created a lot of holes. Will it be the same as it was?…no...but, then again, it never has been the “same.” Stewart Brand (see video below) calls this a moral obligation.

Last note...if sci-fi has taught me anything…we all know where this is headed...pet cemeteries...revive your pet...it bites someone...enter new zombie-human-clone virus...global pandemic...mass extinction...book your spot of the spaceships leaving earth now.

Stewart Brand: The Dawn of De-extinction. Are You ready?



Video Source: TedXDirectorTalks)

Image Source: By J. G. Hubbard [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Image Source: By Heinemann [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Friday, May 17, 2013

Google I/O 2013: The Greatest Hits

As discussed on this blog and many other sites, the recent Google I/O Conference 2013 was more about iteration and less about hardware-product revelation. It was a conference highlighted by the announcements of several solid upgrades and the integration of some robust tools to pre-existing platforms. A few critical new platforms were announced that will take greater shape in years to come. Many of the new enhancements integrate into what has become a very dynamic platform-hub, Google+.

Notable tracks from the I/O include Google Glass app dev, Google Play Music All Access; Android integrated development environment (IDE); GIF-image creation; hosting, sharing, and editing tools on G+ (Highlight & Awesome); smarter Google Now functionalities; upgrades to Search, Maps, Hangouts, and Google Now; and upgraded Android developer tools and consoles.

Glassy Outlook: App Releases and Software Development
Google Glass was mentioned only briefly in the marathon keynote kick-off to Google I/O on

Wednesday, but Day Two filled in the gaps with numerous sessions on Glass. With the hardware now in the hands of many developers, the apps flood is sure to follow. Official Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr apps were debuted at the conference. The sessions on Glass were reportedly packed. Interest in Glass technology is surging from a variety of sources including consumers, developers, and government. Consider the development of Glass as a real-time case study on the intersections of technology, politics, sociology, and philosophy.

Digital Self: Google Now Gets Smarter
Google Now is getting smarter, a lot smarter. Google’s Knowledge Graph-based search intelligence grows rapidly, which means a more robust Google Now interaction for users with new upgrades that seek to anticipate information requests and provide the most useful and relevant query results. Precognition via the Nexus 7.

In the era of big data, giving context to data is incredibly important. Google Now promises to

provide data in larger context, providing not only targeted results from information, but also relevant attendant data that helps build a more complete search experience. Data data data. A Google Search trial is now open for opt-in that will reportedly enhance Google Now intelligences; linking in a very deep way across your Google digital self, including access to emails, calendars, search, and appointments. Google Now is increasingly becoming a hub layer, a data transit hub, a starting point, and an all-access, easy-access path to digital self.

Writing for Time Tech, Harry McCracken reported:
"In Chrome, Google’s classic desktop version of search will get the same conversational spoken search which is already available in the mobile apps.

On all platforms, that search will get smarter about interpreting queries and sequences of queries — such as “Show me things to do in Santa Cruz,” “Show me pictures of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk” and “How far is it from here?”

You’ll be able to go into spoken conversational mode by saying “OK, Google” rather than having to press a button to go into a special mode.

The Knowledge Graph, which gives Google a better understanding of facts about all sorts of entities, will try to anticipate your follow-up questions and answer them based upon what other people search for. Ask for the population of Canada, for instance, and it’ll tell you — but it will also graph how that population has changed over time.

Google Now’s Cards — which present you with summaries of info based all kinds of stuff Google knows about you — are adding additional types of content, such as notifications about TV shows and albums you might like. In a feature which sounds similar to something Apple’s Siri already has, you’ll also be able to create reminders that pop up at the right place and time, such as one reminding yourself to pick up milk at the grocery store.”
Digi-Terra-Incognita: Google Maps

Google announced a redesign of mobile and desktop Maps that is intelligent, visually

compelling, design smart, and personalized. This is in keeping with Google’s larger efforts across platforms to make interface and visualization a more pleasurable and enduring design experience for users.

The Map experience goes deep, integrating map search with visual, social, and data tools in 3D spaces, where the map itself is the interface. Searching for local records stores on maps will include things such as friend likes, card pop-ups, images, direction information, and 360-degree interior viewing. Personalization is a cornerstone of the new Maps, allowing the user to engage in a variety of interactions with new and saved data that interlinks with web resources. Enhancements to navigation tools include easy map routing options; driving, public transit, walking, and biking directions; and public transit schedule viewing with overlays of transfers. All these features are contextualized with spatial awareness and perspective tools; get visuals from space to the coffee shop in a few clicks, in real-time.

Mobile Map upgrades include some cool features such as traffic jam pops-up, suggested routes, and major sources of traffic jams. New tablet interfaces include an “explore” feature for enhanced local search.

Picture Me Rollin’: G+, Highlight, Awesome, and Photo Interwebz Fun
It was announced that Google+ will see 
the integration of a robust set of photo hosting, sharing,

and editing features. One standout inclusion is Highlight, an intelligent photo search and analysis tool that can recognize photo imperfections, identify landmarks, run face recognition search, and engage in photo ID. A new photo editing tool includes features such as auto-enhancement, noise reduction, light manipulation, and exposure correction.

Awesome is another new tool that has some very cool uses. By running “auto-awesome” on photos, Google+ identifies pics in a series, blending them together into an aggregate photo comprised of the the “best” elements of the pics in the series. Images can also be linked together to create animated GIFs, be used to create HDR shots, or stitched into panoramics. Reddit prepare for the deluge.

Hit Me: Google Play Music All Access
Google has entered the music streaming service in substantial fashion in the form of Google

Play Music All Access, a platform that integrates personal libraries with the growing Google Play Music catalogue.
“Radio without rules.”
Google Play Music All Access provides many of the services currently available on similar products such as Pandora and Spotify, yet underpins the experience with Google’s superior search infrastructure and attendant platforms and products. Critical components include personalized radio stations, favorite songs or artists lists, browse recommendations, expanded search functions, easy song access, and music curation and personalization. Pricing models are competitive with current industry standards at $9.99 a month after a 30 day free trial, with an early purchase offer of $7.99 a month before June 30.

Android Developers Get New Diggs
Google also announced a new development environment, Android Studio. While details are

forthcoming, it will include multiple layout tools for a variety of devices and tablets, show changes to Android app code reflected in real-time simulations, and include additions of various developer services. These developments are in line with the improvements to the developer console that will include five new features that reportedly will increase revenue generation for developers, provide access optimization and development tips, and provide an app translation service that allows developers access to professional translations directly from the developer console. Globalizing development spaces. With an eye on revenue generation, referral tracking has also been added so developers can better promote their apps, a feature that integrates with Google's Analytics service, allowing developers to see where installs come from directly within the console itself. Two final additions will include app revenue display graphs, and (this is big) beta testing and staged rollouts of apps.








Image Source: By Tedeytan (Flickr) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Image Source: By Maciek Łempicki from Szczecin, Poland (Sign of Go...ogle!) [Public domain or CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Image Source: By User:AppleLion (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Image Source: Algont from nl [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], from Wikimedia Commons

Image Source: By Viking9173 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Google I/O Through the Looking Glass: Developers & Software Center Stage

Google I/O, the annual developer conference, begins 
Wednesday morning, so let’s gaze into the
digital ball and speculate. The conference last year was a high-water mark: product releases dominated the agenda with the release of the highly successful Nexus 7 tablet, Android "Jelly Bean," and Google Glass, which has been one most active technology stories of 2013.

Judging from the comments made by Google's Android head Sundar Pichai in an interview in Wired, this year’s conference will likely focus on developers and software. Notably, Google is not combining Android and Chrome…yet. Pichai has effectively taken over for Andy Rubin at Android. A graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology and Stanford, he is now a key member of Larry Page’s “L-team” of top executives. On the future of Android, Pichai states in the interview:

“The scale and scope is even bigger than what I had internalized. The momentum — in terms of new phones and new tablets — is breathtaking. I see huge opportunity, because it is just shocking how much of the world doesn’t have access to computing. In his book Eric [Schmidt] talks about the next 5 billion [the people on earth who aren’t connected to the internet who soon will be]. That’s genuinely true and it excites me. One of the great things about an open system like Android is it addresses all ends of the spectrum. Getting great low-cost computing devices at scale to the developing world is especially meaningful to me.”
Last year, we saw the release of serious hardware products, the focus this year might be on the development of the software on those products and platforms. Build and iterate. 

Seeing Through Glass
Glass will have a large presence at I/O. A glance at the I/O schedule shows a Day 2 devoted to several sessions on Glass development. Many thousands of developers have been building on and experimenting with the hardware. It is likely we will see the reveal of the first round of official applications for Glass. The skydiving, X-Sport infused reveal of Glass last year might give way to geek-end development and app development presentations.

Updating the Droid
Rumors on the net have pointed toward the release of version 5.0 "Key Lime Pie," yet it is more likely we will see updates to Jelly Bean Android 4.3.

Android Game Center
Conference rumors point toward the announcement of an official “Android Game Center” — a cloud based nexus for games where players can interact, post scores, compete in multiplayer gaming formats. This is a likely development that we have already seen with traditional gaming console systems. As the mobile game market matures, so will the infrastructure around it, which will hopefully help indie developers and end-users. The future will likely see this game center linked to the broader range of Google applications and platforms, tying into G+ and Chat. This platform could provide wider standardization of tools; unite the sandbox. Eventually, this will also tie-in with Google TV…the future is seamless cloud data running between TV, mobile, laptop...and then Glass and smartwatches. The mobile gaming market is estimated to generate over $9 billion globally in 2013. In an article in Business Wire, OBJE CEO Paul Watson stated, “The mobile gaming market’s annual growth is now at 32 percent, and the revenue this industry generated in the U.S. alone increased by 16 percent year-on-year in 2012. That makes mobile games one of the fastest-growing industries on the planet.” Android Game Center could be huge; a new hub with multiplayer support, in-game chat, lobbies, leaderboards, and achievements.

Hardware
More hardware, a new phone? Not likely. Rumors have pointed toward updates to the Nexus 7 and possibly (unlikely) a Nexus 8, which might be positioned to compete directly with iPad mini. The Motorola X phone might make an appearance as an early teaser of things to come, yet from all reports, is still very much in development. Click here for a round-up of Nexus 7 possible upgrades. According to recent FCC filing paperwork, the Motorola “X” device includes the model number XT1058,  with 4G LTE, NFC capabilities, and GSM network operated on 1900/850 bands…all indicative of an AT&T device, which has been supported by earlier rumors.


Google Future Gazing
What I am most excited about is possible information coming out of Google X labs including machine learning, self-driving cars, and Google Fiber. Let’s hope some time is devoted to future tech.

Babel
All you do is talk talk. “Babble,” (the term pinging on the internet), might be debuted as a unifier of Google's chat services, providing a single communication tool across the wide range of Google platforms.

The Great Map Race
Remember the buzz around maps last year. Apple’s ill-fated entrance into maps and Google’s 3D mapping upgrades. We will likely see robust updates to map functions, improvements to map interfaces, and wider additions to indoor maps.

The last word to Pichai:

"It’s going to be different. It’s not a time when we have much in the way of launches of new products or a new operating system. Both on Android and Chrome, we’re going to focus this I/O on all of the kinds of things we’re doing for developers, so that they can write better things. We will show how Google services are doing amazing things on top of these two platforms."

Image Source: By Google (http://www.android.com/branding.html) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons 

Monday, May 6, 2013

Synthetic Biology & Bioluminescent Plants to Light the Way



Create natural light with no electricity. An audacious idea from researchers out of Singularity University. Light up your house with natural plants, save electricity and CO2, and reduce the eco-energy-footprint. Replace energy-draining electric lights with glowing green biotechnological plants.

The core team behind this project includes Senstore co-founder Antony Evans, Omri Amirav-Drory, postdoctoral fellow at Stanford and founder of the gene building startup Genome Compiler, and Kyle Taylor, a biologist who teaches Molecular and Cell Biology at BioCurious.

The team generates modified genes using Genome Compiler to design and print DNA to create new sequences, then inserts those genes into Arabidopsis, a small flowering plant related to mustard and cabbage. The central gene, luciferase, is the same gene found in fireflies. The research group determined an efficient process to modifying the luciferase gene, creating a recycle function that will help generate the enzymes that are needed to enable the plant to provide adequate light.




Arabidopsis was chosen based on a specific set of factors: safe, winter plant, does not need direct sunlight to thrive, does not spread wild, and has a simplistic structure...a plant that would thrive indoors and outdoors...safely. Here is a model organism with a small genome with its metabolic pathways already mapped. Imagine this technology applied to modified redwoods or oak tress. Egad, a forest of bioluminescent trees. Charge admission to pay for the science, provide classes in bio-genetic plant manipulation to larger audiences to bring in extra revenue, bring in other researchers to grow the living eco-energy forest ecosystem, publish open-access science, and make this accessible to large audiences  - democratech in action.

On synthetic biology, the team reports:
"All living organisms contain an instruction set that determines what they look like and what they do. These instructions are encoded in the organisms’s DNA — long and complex strings of molecules embedded in every living cell. This is an organism’s genetic code (or “genome”)."
"Humans have been altering the genetic code of plants and animals for millennia, by selectively breeding individuals with desirable features. As biotechnologists have learned more about how to read and manipulate this code, they have begun to take genetic information associated with useful features from one organism, and add it into another one. This is the basis of genetic engineering, and has allowed researchers to speed up the process of developing new breeds of plants and animals."



In an article on Singularity Hub, researchers noted the most difficult part of the process was navigating ethical and regulatory concerns. With little precedent for these kinds of scientific breakthroughs, regulatory bodies will be pushed to determine the long-term effects on health and wellness. Projects like these stand at the crossroads of science. Projects that dare us to ask more of ourselves, expand our notions of what is possible in science, and push forward the legal parameters. The good news is that we will have many chances to answer these questions as inventions such as these become more commonplace and accessible.

Tech Crunch reported that researchers have, "...gone through the regulatory process to ensure that the project is compliant with U.S. law. Regulators from the USDA and EPA are naturally concerned that synthetic plants could become pests and crowd out or compete with natural plants for resources. They check for whether newly designed life forms have genes associated with pests; Evans has cleared this. The third agency that regulates synthetic biology experiments, the FDA, isn’t really involved here because these “Glowing Plants” are inedible."

DNA synthesis can be a costly process (albiet lowering) where monetary costs can accelerate quickly, especially in testing and beta phases. As reported on BoingBoing, the project leads noted, "Printing DNA costs a minimum of 25 cents per base pair and our sequences are about 10,000 base pairs long. We plan to print a number of sequences so that we can test the results of trying different promoters – this will allow us to optimize the result. We will be printing our DNA with Cambrian Genomics who have developed a revolutionary laser printing system that massively reduces the cost of DNA synthesis."




A successful Kickstarter Campaign is already underway. The team has created a highly professional project with detailed information, various donor levels, and many items to incentivize funding donation. As of the date of this post, the group has already collected an incredible $239,569 of a stated $65,000 goal. Incentives include t-shirts, glowing seeds, two different vases, how-to manual, glowing plant, master kit, and the chance to have a personalized message written in the plant DNA.

It takes only one success, and future iterations are sure to follow. Researchers theorize that these future iterations could be developed to include numerous environmental sensors including air, temperature, light, and movement. Plants that transform shape in relation to environmental stimulus for starters. Dream big, dream green.



(Video Source: DNews)

Image Sources: Kickstarter.