Today Are Nielsen showed us his work about merging electronic devices and everyday objects. He presented 
several experiments where he used for instace a coffecup, 
a plate, a pillow or a flyswatter to navigate and control 

screenbased games. He did this by assemble different 
sensors to the objects, like tilting sensors, acceleration 
sensors or various buttons.  He talked about how some 

of the tested everyday objects fit this project more than 
others. Some are quite intuitive and easy to use because
everybody use themin the same manner. Other objects
invite to many ways ofholding or handle it, and confusion
occur.
It was also interesting to hear about Ezmo.com, the place
Are works. Ezmo is a web-based service where you can
upload and store all you music files and then stream your
own music from any computer. You are also able to share
music within a limited group of friends.

This week we've been introduced to the world of physical 
computing. Einar has showed us  breadboards, resistors,
potential meters, buttons, photoresistors, sliders++ and a
lot of differenttools that we use mixing all this together. 
Our first task was to handle the solder iron and randomly 
sold different wires to a prototyping- board. The result 
was facinating. After this we made a circuit with a glowing 
LED on a breadboard. We made a power connection with a 9volt adapter and sent the voltage throug a small 
transformer to make it down to 5volt. Further we used a
little resitor and then the LED into ground. And, voila,
there were light!

After this Einar crashed his little RC Formula 1 car,
disassembled the whole thing and ended up with the
essential RC components, the transmitter and the reciver.
Now he shoved us how to make the LED glow by radiosignals.

At the end of the workshop, we tested the Arduino board. 
See picture. With this board we can easely control selfmade 
electronics with our computer by digital and analogue 
outputs and inputs.

Presentation RFID Home kit.

Here is a link to the presentation on friday the 9th Feb.

Touchable services task. The RFID Homekit

Our idea started with a quite wide concept. We wanted to make a kit that makes it easy for common people to take advantage of the RFID technology, and to customize it into their own specific needs. Our service provides a personal internet account that contains a space for anything you want to tag with a RFID tag (like an email account). The page offers lots of templates and suggestions for different use. Our kit could be sold with for example Nokia’s RFID-phones, and as additional stuff. It would be ideal if RFID-sms’s are free of charge for a given period. We have narrowed the concept into a couple of defined kits, that could make it easier for people to see how they can use it.


1. Goodnight kit

A kit with just two tags - give one to your best friend / boy- orgirlfriend / a close person that don’t live in the same house as you. The tags are pre-programmed with a simple message but you can customize this through your phone or online, and maybe add pictures or movie clips. You place the tag by your bed and scan it when you go to bed.


2. Kitchen kit

- Shopping list for groceries. Place a tag on your fridge. The list can be updated through direct scanning, sms or by entering the internet shopping list site (with your phone). When in the shopping mall you can enter the site on net with your phone.

- Cooking. Place a RFID tag on the front of your stove and scan it when you want to tell the rest of your family that the dinner is soon to be ready. This will send a sms to predefined “dinner group”.


- Wishes for Dinner-Tag. Every member of the family has a tag on the kitchen that communicates their wishes and needs concerning the meal. Each can update their wish tag whenever they want and it can also contain fixed information about allergies o.l. The chief for the day can scan the wish tag before he or she starts cooking.


- Message Board for family messages. Every member of the family has their own tag. For instance can a mother leave a message on one of her child’s tag. When the kid arrives from school, he/ she just scan his tag and get the message, for example “I’m home around 6 o’clock, there is yoghurt in the fridge if you’re hungry. Don’t forget your piano lesson tonight.” When this message is scanned, a sms is sent to mom as confirmation.


3. Travel kit

- If you are planning a trip somewhere and want to share your experiences, you can establish a mobile blog on your personal internet account. Now you can give away tags to your mother or friend or anyone else that link them to your blog instantly.


4. Gift kit

- Add a new dimension to your gifts by tagging them and link to an internet page that you have established for this special occasion. The page can contain for instance a video greeting, pictures or a more detailed message, and is now linked to the object you give away.


5. Party kit

- If you are having a birthdayparty, you can use tags to set up a “rebusløp” or treasure hunt in hidden places in your home.


6. Tag-your-stuff kit

- With this kit you can tag your belongings so they can find the way back to you if you loose them. Each tag is a kind of business card. This could be smart and fun in the kinder garden. Tag your thermos , toys or food box. Opens up for exchange and collecting games (like pokemon cards).

Book presentations. Shaping Things

The last week my group (Sara, Marcus and myself) have read the book "Shaping Things"
by Bruce Sterling. This book is about a future scenario where everything is tagged
with a digital identity that makes it geographical searchable. Every object has also 
a kind of memory that makes it possible to store information about its history, 
how it's been used, where it's been and so on. He also creates a lot of new words 
that describes the new situations that occur in this vision. Spimes is one of them.
Read our presentation here.