Our cities, buildings and objects are getting ‘smarter’ and embedded with an increasing amount of electronic devices. Yet, new devices make old ones obsolete, and carry ever more batteries, rare metals, and other hazardous materials themselves. What happens to this digital refuse at the end of its life? What happens when we give it away, dispose of it properly, or just leave it on the curb? Does it get reused, or does it end up in a global e-waste dump?
We turned used laptops and other electronic devices into independent reporters that document their ‘second life’, sending us images and GPS coordinates from remote places. The information they report back offers first-hand perspectives – glimpses into e-waste recycling villages, local thrift stores, public schools and libraries – that prompt a reflection on our society’s relationship with our electronic devices.
If you are interested in helping limit the amount of electronics that end up at the dump, check out Free Geek and get involved if there is one in your area.
For anyone with an interest in 3D printing, one of the sticking points is the creation of 3D objects using modelling software such as Google Sketchup or Blender.
Project Photofly, from Autodesk Labs, goes some way to speeding up the process by allowing you to create a 3D model using any digital camera.
Capturing the reality as-built for various purposes (renovation, rapid energy analysis, add-on design, historic preservation, game development, visual effects, fun, etc.) is now possible using your standard point and shoot digital camera thanks to advanced computer vision technologies made available through Project Photofly.
Highlights
Allows anyone with a digital camera to create near accurate 3D models from photographs using the web.
Utilizes common point and shoot digital cameras.
Harnesses the power of cloud computing to translate photos into detailed 3D models.
3D models can be manipulated by design software (e.g., AutoCAD, Inventor, 123D).
Allows sharing through YouTube, iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.
The software is free to download and use and all the work takes place in the cloud, where the images are stitched together using photogrammetry. What impressed me about Project Photofly is how quickly you can create a model of a complex object with little technical expertise. The video above shows my very first attempt using Photofly. I created this (imperfect!) 3D model of my head in about 45 minutes with just a glance at the instructions. After it is completed the model can be downloaded in a number of file formats suitable for editing in 3D modelling software.
While working with the model to prepare it for printing is still required, Project Photofly certainly helps lower the bar to entry for those interested in getting involved in a technology that may prove to be as disruptive as the printing press.
A TED Talk from TEDGlobal 2011 that offers librarians plenty to think about regarding our role in ensuring that citizens maintain freedom of expression and privacy on the Internet.
In this powerful talk from TEDGlobal, Rebecca MacKinnon describes the expanding struggle for freedom and control in cyberspace, and asks: How do we design the next phase of the Internet with accountability and freedom at its core, rather than control? She believes the internet is headed for a “Magna Carta” moment when citizens around the world demand that their governments protect free speech and their right to connection.
Almost exactly a year ago I posted about Historypin, developed by We Are What We Do, and on June 11th it left beta with its global launch at the Museum of New York.
The latest version of Historypin includes exciting features, the most important been its release of a mobile app, that will allow anyone to create impressive augmented reality experiences. For example, you can…
Explore the Historypin map – the Historypin map has 1000s of images and stories pinned to it and the app allows you to browse this by date and location, using your location to find the nearest content, or exploring remotely.
Explore the streets – holding your phone up to the street, the app uses your camera view to display nearby images. By selecting the image, it can be overlaid onto the modern view to create an historical comparison, which you can toggle or fade between.
Read stories and recollections – all stories shared can be accessed through the app.
Capture a modern moment of history – images taken with the app are immediately pinned to the Historypin map, with any captions and stories you add. Images can also be added from your phone’s albums.
Digitise an old photo – take photos of old pictures as an easy alternative to scanning them, then add photo details and pin them directly to the Historypin map.
Of interest to librarians is the ability to create tours which can include embedded sound and video, just like this Beatlemania tour.
As I said in my original post, Historypin places a much needed emphases on the social role that technology can play, focusing on storytelling and the relationships that it can create. Historypin’s co-founder and executive Nick Stanhope sums it up nicely;
But, really, it’s not about the tech. It’s about those conversations – little ones, across families and streets, and big ones, involving millions of citizen historians. Through all of these conversations, we can create a place to explore history in amazing ways and help families and neighbourhoods come together around what we all share: history.
