#vinas003

If you guys haven’t heard, Microsoft is developing a new technology that has computer geeks like me extremely giddy. It’s called the HoloLens.

Tons of tech articles and developer reviews are raving about this thing. It’s a headset that superimposes holographic images onto what you are seeing. It doesn’t physically create a hologram in the real world but to you it looks like it does. You know all of the scenes from the Ironman movies where Tony Stark is playing around with holograms? That’s this. Here is Microsoft’s trailer for it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXy7lbs-D48

And here is a tech demo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AADEqLIALk

Hi guys. In lieu of a typical progress update since we already finished our presentations I thought I would post some things I researched when trying to find ways to increase the lifespan of fruits and vegetables on the shelf and at home.

Like was mentioned in our C.O.W Grocers presentation, a third of the food wasted in the U.S. is the in fruits and vegetables category.

This is primarily because they spoil so fast in open air environments. Here are a few products that if you invest the money now and reuse them they will pay for themselves in a few months.

The first are Polythene or “stayfresh” bags:

When fruits and vegetables age they release ethylene gas. These bags absorb the gas, preserve moisture, and also prevent oxidization through a seal. There are different ways to store fruits and vegetables and this works well for your veggies. Out of all the consumer products, this one had the best reviews. Prices for these have a huge range, but it looks like you can get a set of about 20 for under $5. Kinda pricey but you would be surprised how long 20 bags will last you.

Another is the Banana bag:

This one is an insulated bag that still allows the bananas to breathe. The great thing about it is that it is reusable and since bananas tend to go really fast, these eventually pay for themselves. One bag is around $5 and reviews claim it can double the lifespan of a half dozen bananas.

The Food Hugger:

These are stretch silicone ends that you can place on the ends of cut fruit. They are also washable and reusable and work really well in reviews. The downside to these is the price. They go for about $20 for 4 which unless you have a habit of eating fruits in half portions and you REALLY love fruits they aren’t very worth it.

These ones are my favorites based on how well they worked. Unfortunately, all of the reviews are anecdotal so you might want to do your own research in addition before you buy. It is also worth noting that fruits and vegetables have a wide variety of storage needs. Here is a handy website that has a ton of tips for storing them:

http://www.mythirtyspot.com/how-to-store-fruits-and-vegetables-so/

Last week I posted about Ideo’s website and their ideas for automated self driving cars. Earlier this week I encountered a wonderful YouTube video about how we are entering an automation revolution that also talked about self driving cars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S557XQU

The video talks about how everything is becoming dynamically automated and even creativity is starting to become automated. Things like writing news articles and even programming are becoming possible through mechanical minds. As the video states again and again, a machine doesn’t need to do it perfectly. It only needs to do it better than a human.

What is prototyping?

I like to think of it as some sort of rudimentary implementation of an idea. I really liked the definitions of Tim Brown and the ones we came up with in class. Prototyping is an experimental bridge between brainstorming and producing a product. I couldn’t really appreciate how effective this could be until we did our group prototypes for project 2 in class.

In John's discussion on Wednesday, a question was asked about which age group of students was the most creative. As expected from previous lectures and discussions, the younger students tend to be the most creative due to their disinterest in social norms and inexperience with failure. These things typically distract older students from getting into active learning projects.

The thing is that when John had us do the active learning activity with the toothpicks and candy my team and the teams around us instantly started working and problem solving. We created various forms of communications and developed many team dynamics. It seemed like just about everyone was engaging in playful flow states.

Between Brad’s creativity test and Barry’s slides about the statistical decline of creativity over time, it seems inevitable that I will soon have to work hard to stay creative or face stagnation. When I was a little kid I would play with Legos all the time. I would regularly draw, paint, doodle in classes, and even on the school bus. I still have time to do these things but I just don’t. Unfortunately I sometimes find these acts like work. They aren't fun, possibly because I feel as though I am “not good” at them, which is kind of a drag as Barry showed us that we are more creative when we are playing around.