The following is fro the Blog of Beth Kanter, a friend who’s up in Brisbane at the ConnectingUp Conference for Non-profits. Big thanks to Beth. I am posting her notes on this breakout session as it highlights some of the key Benefits and Barriers for people living with disability participating in the digital space -ContinueContinue reading “ConnectingUp – Get ConnectED: Weaving A New Social Web for People with Disabilities.”
Category Archives: Living
Turn phone into walking radar to detect physical spaces
The “Walking Radar” project connects up a Basic Stamp and IR sensor to your cell phone in order to detect objects in the environment and influence games on the device or trigger SMS messages to be sent. [Make] It occurred to me this gadget if hooked up to the vibration part of your phone couldContinueContinue reading “Turn phone into walking radar to detect physical spaces”
AlarMe – Alert watch with style
AlarMe is a very unique watch that has the ability to alert those who cannot hear an audible alarm by vibration. Multidirectional microphones that can register a drastic change in ambient sound level, or pick up specially asigned frequencies alert the user. The LED lights and face alert the user as to what the alarmContinueContinue reading “AlarMe – Alert watch with style”
Pointui – touch for when you don’t have fingers – acting agnostic
Recently I was made aware of a program called Pointui while scanning Frank Arrigo’s blog (hi Frank). I thought it sounded interesting if for no other reason than the screenshot looked to provide bigger buttons. So I visited the Pointui site. Pointui is a interface layer for Windows Mobile based devices. It adds larger iconsContinueContinue reading “Pointui – touch for when you don’t have fingers – acting agnostic”
Unforseen custom uses for Wii as input device
There exists assistive technology devices that use tracking of a reflective dot by infrared to control a computer. They cost in vacinity on USD $4-500. Now take a look at this video and think about the unforseen possibilities of general purpose ‘stuff’. And what happens with mass market uptake and the effect it has onContinueContinue reading “Unforseen custom uses for Wii as input device”
Talking about Tools to OTs
The group of Occupational Therapy students at UNISA I spoke with yesterday about how to use tools to do life with disability. The course title is “Enabling Occupation” Occupation being any activity in this case. I like to simplify that to mean “Helping to do stuff”. Which ain’t a bad definition of what a toolContinueContinue reading “Talking about Tools to OTs”
Emporia Life Phone info sought
Back here I wrote about the Emporia Life Phone. The other day I got an email asking me about where to get one in Australia, which it appears you can’t. Can anyone help shelly? Are you listening Emporia? shelly wrote: EMPORIA PHONE These are not available in Australia at present and nobody I have spokenContinueContinue reading “Emporia Life Phone info sought”
PowerSwitch kludging by Dave Faxon
Lifekludger correspondant Dave Faxon sent in this report on some mods he’s been doing on remote control access of power outlets.Dave first came to my attention when we were talking about the USB PowerBar when he, amongst many others, contacted me, everyone seeking such a device that has control of power outlets via USB. WeContinueContinue reading “PowerSwitch kludging by Dave Faxon”
Thinking about Three Levels of Technology Access
Overview: * Getting hold of technology, operating it and getting value from it are challenges when the mode of access falls outside the intended design parameters. * Access to technology needs to start with a person focus not a technology focus. * Gaps in access should be approached from the bottom up with an opennessContinueContinue reading “Thinking about Three Levels of Technology Access”
RFID Keyless Lifestyle
Caught this idea about a RFID keyless access device on the local New Inventors TV show on the ABC last night. The Keyless Lifestyle Controller is an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag that is small enough to be worn on the inside of your watch band. Evidently he’s a friend of my mate UncleNick. SoContinueContinue reading “RFID Keyless Lifestyle”
USB Power bar surfaces
Last June I wrote about a USB controlled power bar that seemed like it would be beneficial for environmental control in a ‘plug and play’, off the shelf package. However the device written about was in Japan. Since then I’ve had multiple people contact me asking about where to get it and over the timeContinueContinue reading “USB Power bar surfaces”
tools = freedom
Back on Jan 16 and 18, posts by JP alerted me of a video of Lawrence Lessig speaking at the 23rd Chaos Communications Congress. Here’s a link to the video. JP says: One of the key points made by Lawrence Lessig in his 23C3 speech is how code, once used solely to make things work,ContinueContinue reading “tools = freedom”
Anti-gravity ergonomics
This is an interesting looking device. Some kind of fully floating computer controlled ergonomic workstation, suppossedly designed by a “group of researchers involved in medical research for persons with spinal cord injury”. The multifunctional GRAViTONUS® system allows moving the user in space freely. It comes with an on-board computer which constantly analyses positions of aContinueContinue reading “Anti-gravity ergonomics”
iPhone multi-touch skin sensitive ONLY
Well, that was quick. Following the trail of links after my previous post wondering if the iPhone’s “multi-touch” display would be able to be used by those who can’t use their fingers, it seems the answer is NO. On David Pogue’s Ultimate iPhone FAQ list, part 2, I find this: “Will the iPhone touch surfaceContinueContinue reading “iPhone multi-touch skin sensitive ONLY”
iPhone – but is it multi-touch or multi-finger-touch?
Okay, so Apple have announced they’re going to release an iPhone. Interesting how the concept of the device interface is along the lines of what I commented on back here in my post Simplify Convergence – where usability is increased by simplification of the interface. But the 64 thousand dollar question I can’t find theContinueContinue reading “iPhone – but is it multi-touch or multi-finger-touch?”
Wheelchair control by sensor-shirt
Researchers at Northwestern University’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation have developed a high-tech fabric which promises to help wheelchair users. Adaptive, sensor-laden garments could provide a new way for quadriplegics to control their wheelchairs. The system, which is still in an early stage of development, identifies the ideal set of movements that can beContinueContinue reading “Wheelchair control by sensor-shirt”
Simplify Convergence
Had call from Lloyd and a visit from Nigel from Novitatech. They’re evaluating this neat phone/gps device that comes from Europe. Mainly the alarm feature of the phone is why they were investigating it in the first instance. With the idea that maybe this device could see convergence of phone and personal alarm functions. TheContinueContinue reading “Simplify Convergence”
USB Power Bar
EverythingUSB has a report on a device called USB Power Bar that Turns Peripherals On & Off. It is basically a power board with outlets and a USB cable, with a “Y” connector that replicates your USB port so you don’t loose one to the power bar. The power bar also has magnets on theContinueContinue reading “USB Power Bar”
Life|kludger – Life|ware
More in the line of ‘Home Automation’ products that seem to be emerging more and more. Life|ware: Media Center Edition, by Exceptional Innovation, is software that works with Windows® XP Media Center to merge digital entertainment and home control into a single, seamless experience. It seems the ability to ‘extend’ device control could be dueContinueContinue reading “Life|kludger – Life|ware”
Ultimate Environmental Control
Just watched a video Hugo Ortega has made about a potential UMPC controlled ‘home Automation’ system that uses IP. By doing so he’s just made my dream of a Horizontal computing solution more real. (By Horizontal I mean while in bed) This whole ‘Home Automation’ thing really is a broad consumer focused edition of whatContinueContinue reading “Ultimate Environmental Control”
Umbrella rotations
Anybody using a wheelchair will know what it’s like to try and get protection from the rain under a run-o-the-mill circular umbrella. Usually your torso keeps dry while the run-off spills all over your lap! Here’s a great idea – a double umbrella. Only rather than use it in the side-by-side configuration, use it inContinueContinue reading “Umbrella rotations”
Hands free dialling
Make reports on a telephone that features a built-in PIR motion sensor. If an intruder is detected within a 30 ft. range, TeleSpy calls a preset telephone number and allows you to listen in to the premises. Now, what a cool concept. If this phone was positioned in a certain way and programmed with aContinueContinue reading “Hands free dialling”
Have ramp will travel
Came across this transportable folding ramp on the excellent how-to site “Instructables”. The ramp looks a beauty…just glue a few strips of emery paper going across this and she’d be non-slip! Great to see sharing like what’s on the Instructables site. I hope Lifekludger blog will be able to share these similar lifekludging how-to’s overContinueContinue reading “Have ramp will travel”
DIY Bottle Cap Tripod
UPDATE: For my take on how this topic recently went balistic, see the post Truth and Traffic on my personal blog. Back on 14th Feb I posted about a bottle cap that you could buy and turn any bottle into a camera tripod. Today I got a comment on that post from Jake over atContinueContinue reading “DIY Bottle Cap Tripod”
Mmm…guessing!
ETech Audience Matt Cottam Originally uploaded by x180. Was looking through some Etech links and photos. I came across these.” Now I don’t know what it is they’re looking at exactly but it looks awfully like some kind of environmental control Lifekludge to me! Update: It seems this Matt Cottam and a Michael Kuniavsky wereContinueContinue reading “Mmm…guessing!”
