7 Awesome Gadgets

I'm absolutely tired of reading, researching, and watching videos on technology we don't need. Of course, it's incredible to know about it. But only when we snap back to reality do we realise how impractical and unaffordable these things are. Take the new LG OLED television unveiled at CES (wonderland for tech geeks) this year for example - it's gorgeous. It displays video at 8k resolution, it's 98 inches wide, it's stupid. Practically speaking, would you ever buy an 8-foot long television? Especially at a time when we are just about getting adjusted to 4k, does the 8k make sense? Even 8k videos are at a very nascent stage right now. So much so that even LG used images, not pictures, to show the clarity of its television. 

Having made my point clear as to why I didn't choose to put the future-ready concept car, the billion dollar sound system, or even the comparatively less-dreamy VR (virtual reality) tool like the Oculus Rift, let's take a look at some rather affordable pieces of technology in 2016 that might end up helping us out. 

1. Ampware Crankcase

Being an iPhone user, I know how it feels when someone mocks us being constantly on the lookout for a charging point. The paranoia of being out of juice has made me spend thousands (and more) on iPhone chargers practically everywhere. The hideous iPhone power case that looks less like an iPhone cover and more like Rakhi Sawant's lookalike didn't help either. All hopes of having an iPhone that won't run out of battery were lost when...

Enter, Ampware Crankcase. 

What is it? 

It's a very durable phone case for iPhone 6 and 6s. 

Why is it special? 

Because when you're using it, your phone will never run out of charge.

How? 

It has this little lever on the back of the phone. All you need to do is crank it to generate power for your phone. Additionally, it can also act like a stand for your phone. The company claims that just 5 minutes of cranking can generate up to 1 hour of battery life. Starting at $79 (Rs. 5200), it isn't a very steep price to pay for unlimited battery life. 

Is it available for other phones as well? 

We would like them to be, but it's only for iPhone 6 and 6s for now.

2. Snakable

This affects all of us, but most of all, iPhone users. How many times have you ended up buying an iPhone charger because it ends up looking like this?

Like I said, I end up using my charger more often than I actually use my phone. Which means the cable is pretty much done and dusted in approximately 6 months. That's ridiculous knowing each cable costs about Rs. 1500. Solution?

Snakable. True to its name, this is just a simple charging cable that doesn't break! Go and ask an iPhone user what a big deal that is. You pull it as hard as you want, twist it as much as you can; hell, even try playing tug of war with it (okay, probably not that). Available for $30 (Rs.2000) it's a small price to pay in the long run. 

3. Type-C USB Hub

For those who aren't aware, the world is evolving from a normal USB port to a USB type-C. Most of the brands have shifted to it while the others will most probably make their way this year. It has its benefits of course -

1. Everyone across the board will start using it. Even Apple. In fact, their new laptops already have it.

2. It's slim. Which means you can probably charge your phone, your tablet, even your laptop with the same charger. 

3. It's much faster than your normal USB.

4. It's reversible. This means even after a heavy night of drinking when you can't tell your head from your toe, you can still successfully connect your phone to the charger. 

But most of our devices still run on old USB devices. So do we really need to spend more money on buying a separate cable?

No. Just get a type-C USB hub. Perfect for those going through an awkward transition like I am. Reasonably priced type-C hubs are available a dime a dozen in the market so picking a favourite would be a little difficult here. Just find the one that's durable, and reliable enough to last you through this tough transition phase like this Satechi Type-C USB hub. 

4. Polaroid Snap

Polaroid Snap is a personal favourite. Although some might disagree, there is a charm to actually holding a photograph in your hand. Just like the good old days. Whether you share my sentiment or not really depends on the answer to one question - out of all the holidays you've been on in the past year, and the thousands of photographs/selfies clicked, how many of them have you actually ended up revisiting?

If the answer is not what you'd like it to be, it's time you consider the Polaroid Snap. It is not a digital camera, it doesn't do much. In fact, it doesn't even have a screen, but is available for just about $99(Rs. 6500+). And it will make sure you have a photograph of a memory to put up on the wall in your room. An updated version of the Polaroid, Snap+, with Bluetooth and LCD screen will launch for under $200, later this year. 

5. Boomstick

The Boomstick is simple. It is practical and perfect for those who don't feel the need to spend thousands on the perfect pair of headphones/earphones. Available for $99 (Rs.6500), Boomstick is a simple clicker that boosts the sound of your mediocre earphones. To give you a better idea, it's a bit like how your VLC player manages to boost the sound of your system on its own. Perfect to improve on what you've got. 

6. Ili Wearable Translator

When Japanese tech company Logbar came out with an advert on their wearable translator it actually went viral because it felt less like an ad on a translator, and more like an advert on sexual harassment. If you look past it, Ili, the wearable translator is actually quite a handy tool. Especially if you end up travelling a lot. 

Those who have found themselves stranded in a city that speaks a language that's gibberish to you, know what a real problem it can be. Trust me, I went to Chennai once. Never again, unless I master Tamil, or get this translator. It can translate any sentence spoken into its microphone into one of three languages, then deliver it back through an onboard speaker. And you don't need the internet. Currently, the device only works with English, Japanese and Chinese. More languages will follow. 

7. Active Listening Earbuds

I've saved the best for the last. Starting out as a Kickstarter project, 2,855 people have pledged $635,189 to help bring this project to life. And boy, is it worth it. Doppler Labs has come up with wireless earbuds that takes sound to another level. You're familiar with those electronic earphones that block loud background noises, right? Well, this takes it a step further. 

Consisting of an app controlled pair of earphones, this controls the real-world ambience sound around you before it even reaches your ears. So if you'd like to hear the soothing sound of rain a little louder, you can. If you want to mute that annoying colleague gossiping right behind you while you work, you can. Want to actually hear what your date is trying to say in the noisy bar? You bloody well can! It's crazy how you can manipulate sound here. If you feel like pumping up the bass of a band as they play live in front of you, thanks to the equaliser, you can!

Available for $250 (Rs. 16,000) this is absolutely a thing from science fiction novels. 

Sleep Paralysis

Sleep paralysis is a phenomenon in which a person either during falling or awakening, temporarily experiences an inability to move, speak, or react.

It is a transitional state between wakefulness and sleep, where a person experiences muscle atonia or muscle weakness. During this, a person also experiences hallucinations, inability to react, speak or move.

One hypothesis is that it results from disrupted REM sleep, which normally induces complete muscle atonia to prevent sleepers from acting out their dreams.

Bitcoin

Bitcoin is a payment mode invented by a Japanese, Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008. He later published its open source software in 2009.

This system is such that peer to peer users can transact directly without any intermediary. Transactions are verified by network nodes and recorded in a public distributed ledger called the block chain.
The ledger uses bitcoin as an unit of account. It is considered by the United States Treasury as a decentralized virtual currency. Bitcoin is often considered as the first cryptocurrency.

Bitcoins are created as a reward for payment processing work in which users offer their computing power to verify and record payments into a public ledger. This activity is called mining and miners are rewarded with transaction fees and newly created bitcoins.

A lot of merchants are increasingly accepting  bitcoins as a mode of payment.

As directly quoting Wikipedia,

Units

The unit of account of the bitcoin system is bitcoin. As of 2014, symbols used to represent bitcoin are BTC, XBT. Small amounts of bitcoin used as alternative units are millibitcoin (mBTC), microbitcoin (µBTC), and satoshi. Named in homage to bitcoin's creator, asatoshi is the smallest amount within bitcoin representing 0.00000001 bitcoin, one hundred millionth of a bitcoin. A millibitcoin equals to 0.001 bitcoin, which is one thousandth of bitcoin. One microbitcoin equals to 0.000001 bitcoin, which is one millionth of bitcoin. A microbitcoin is sometimes referred to as a bit.

Pouring Hot Tea At -40C Near The Arctic Circle

 

Science tells us that hot water turns into a cloud of ice crystals when tossed at subzero temperatures, but Ontario based photographer Michael Davies managed capture this phenomenon on camera. This past Sunday, just 20km south of the Arctic Circle, Davies took these incredible photos of his friend Markus hurling hot tea in -40°C weather.

 

 

How Optical Disks Work?

We are all living in a generation where even optical disks are becoming obsolete. They are being replaced by magnetic discs and solid state discs. The even more compact pendrives are much more preferred than this optical disks.
But, even so, how many of are aware of how these Compact Discs (CDs) , or Digital Versatile Discs (DVDs)  or Blu-Ray Discs actually work?

Here, I'll explain in a simply way as to how these devices are used to store and read data.

As one might know, all digital data, fundamentally consists of 0s and 1s. These in any electrical devices are identified in terms of voltages, the higher voltage(preferably 3-5 volts) and the lower volatge (0-3 volts).

Quoting pcmag.com,"Digital optical discs such as CDs and DVDs store binary data as microscopic variations in the height of the disc's surface, known as pits and lands. Bits are encoded as transitions between raised lands and etched pits, which are lined up in a spiral like the groove of an LP. On a mass-market replicated CD, this pattern is stamped into a 1.2-mm clear polycarbonate disc, which is then covered with a super thin coating of reflective metal (usually aluminum or gold) and a label."

This means that, on the surface of a disc, there would be the following features on a microscopic scale, a somewhat raised surface and a pit. In order to read from the disc, an infrared laser is beamed through the CD's polycarbonate substrate.

Net Neutrality

net neutrality

noun

1. the principle that Internet service providers should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favouring or blocking particular products or websites.

According to Wikipedia, Net neutrality (also network neutrality, Internet neutrality, or net equality) is the principle that Internet service providers and governments should treat all data on the Internet the same, not discriminating or charging diferentially by user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, or mode of communication. The term was coined by Columbia University media law professor Tim Wu in 2003, as an extension of the longstanding concept of a common carrier.

Basically, this means the following. If net neutrality cease to exist, then the Telecom Operators can charge more for the websites people visit so often. They can also force us to view certain contents or to stop us from accessing certain contents.

Quoted from Times Of India Article Dated April 13, 2015

"Net neutrality is an idea derived from how telephone lines have worked since the beginning of the 20th century. In case of a telephone line, you can dial any number and connect to it. It does not matter if you are calling from operator A to operator B. It doesn't matter if you are calling a restaurant or a drug dealer. The operators neither block the access to a number nor deliberately delay connection to a particular number, unless forced by the law. Most of the countries have rules that ask telecom operators to provide an unfiltered and unrestricted phone service."

HISTORY OF FOOTWEAR

The concept of footwear, has been going around for a very long time.
Cave painting could be found pertaining to see people having animal skins or fur that are wrapped around their feet.
In one form or the other, we find humans from centuries back wearing them. It can only be for one logical reason back then, to protect their lower extremities from the harsh environment, and the make do with the things that they cam across during those times.

It is only now we see footwear as a matter of trend apart from protection. even the concept of comfortable footwear has been out of the question to many style crazed folks of our generation.

It can clearly be noticed by this simple example of just a footwear, how can people evolve so much, with such a simple item, and in ways that are not necessarily required.