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Erste Bilder: So sieht iOS 7 auf dem iPad aus Philipp Tusch, apfelpage.de

Auf der WWDC 2013 hat Apple iOS 7 lediglich auf dem iPhone gezeigt. Auch die am gleichen Tag veröffentlichte Beta gab es nur für das iHandy. Während iPad-Nutzer gespannt warten, hat Sonny Dickson jetzt bereits erste Screenshots veröffentlicht, die…

That hacking space in Vienna... --- Few years ago, it was Ultimate Frisbee that became the dot that connects me to people whenever I traveled to new places. Today, it's HackerSpace. -- I know that people haven't used the term 'hacking' since the late 70s but just for the sake of reference, just bear with me for a sec...

I've been part of this geeky scene only in the past 3-4 years, and it was all started when I was still based in Shanghai... then it was game over. I've soaked up the culture of sharing, learning and having fun like SpongeBob with his bubble blower. Can't get enough of it. Not to brag (okay, kinda...), but I've visited quite a lot of them geeky spaces while traveling and not all of them always wear a 'hackerspace' tag. I should probably do some sort of backtrack and write #laterStories on each of those space. All in due time, but first let me tell you about MetaLab in Vienna that I visited few weeks ago. And if you've been there I'm sure you must be super stoked as I was, especially when two of its core founders were kind enough to spend time with me and my friends and not only do they gave us a thorough show and tell but also shared their founders tale, which was both inspiring and insightful.

So here's some visual records of MetaLab that I also shared with fellow geeks at the local Munich HackingRoom, a new initiative that a friend and myself co-started this Spring (stay tuned for this one...). 

One thing that impressed me about MetaLab, aside from their awesome collections of cool toys and whatnot, was their strong sense of community. You know that this is more than just a place to go do your own thing and jet off. People not only talk or teach/learn from each other, but they actually care about each other as a person. Now, I don't mean this as the kind of thing where you call each other up or hangout everyday, but these folks will be there to back your backs when the shit hits the fan. And if that ain't something that a community should have, I don't know what is.

I know I can relate with most of my fellow geeks, with the exception that I am a girl (whoa, what?), and could actually 'function' in nearly every social (party) settings thrown at me; but most of the time regular people won't even know how to talk with us geeks without making our eyes glazed over with boredom after few minutes of chit chat. This goes both ways, mind you. Even I found myself bored at times. These peeps could definitely go on a tangent about circuit boards, code strings, etc. for hours. But guess what, we now live in an era whether we code or die. I am a designer by trade, and now I had to learn how to code so I could bring that prototype ideas to life. Trust me, the irony doesn't escape me.

I love travel. It's my creative muse. In a nation of workaholics, in a materialistic society, in a profession of over-achievers and obsessive compulsives, the ability to set everything aside, leave my surroundings and simply absorb and 'be present' are the only way for me to keep from getting burnout at work, and of life in general.  

I travel a lot. Granted that most of it should probably be categorized as merely going places since it was for work. But on the off chance when I do travel, I went all the way. Going 'off the grid' and all, both with or without companion. And never before it becomes so important for me to choose the right partner in crime to experience the adventure of the unknown. The destination is less significant as long as you go with the right (not perfect) travel mate. I learnt this the hard way in more than one occasion. Either I am a slow learner or I'm a big believer in second (or third) chances. 

In light of this, I decided that the time of error is no longer an option. I am not getting any younger and time is of the essence. I realize that I've become one of those time-poor and (relatively) cash-rich individual but at the same time I loath rushing to places and call it traveling. I love slow travel. Opting for less places to go in exchange for more immersive experience. 

And this is where Agile (yes, as in Agile Project Management) could lend a hand in helping me decode the 'right' travel companion for my future adventures. I know that it might be a long shot, but at least there will be a dialogue of expectations and set goals defined in advance, as opposed to finding it the hard way while we're on the road. 

Frameworks:

Personality POV - Identify the right spectrum of 'compatible' personality that has the potential to enrich travel experience - No quirky habits, or extreme personality 

Budget & Time POV - Help determines the type of travel, destination, and types of activity 

Travel 'rank' POV - Seasones/novice traveler - Open-mindedness (willingness to try something new) 

And here are some variables that I used to help frame the thought process:

One word to describe me (personality)

Expectation ~ what I want out of my travel

My travel style

Planner vs. Go with the flow?

My preferred choice of transportation

My preferred style of accommodation

To Do ~ my idea of FUN when travelling

Adventure level

Fitness level

Budget

Time

Food + Drink preferences

Early or Late riser?

I'm always on time ~ Yes | Rarely | It depends

Own a driving license ~ Yes | No

My pet peeves

Language proficiency

# of countries travelled

Types of music I like

Types of film I enjoy

...

I started to run this little experiment today with some friends both local and remote. And I am curious to find out the results. The variables I use might not be perfect, but it's sufficient to start running the sprint, and iterate along the way. 

Stay tuned for the results... which will be shared anonymously.

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The World's First Billboard that Produces Drinkable Water from the Air

A billboard in Lima, Peru, created by the University of Engineering and Technology (UTEC) in collaboration with Mayo DraftCFB captures the air's humidity and turns it into potable water for Lima residents. Lima is referred to as a "desert megacity" where many residents cope with inadequate access to clean drinking water. The agency and university formed a team to produce what they refer to as the first billboard that produces drinking-water out of air.

What can Tweetping tells you about what the world tweets in real-time? Apparently quite a lot. And if you love big data, then this is the tool you'll love. 

But if you expect the neat simplicity of hashtags categorization adopted by Twitter in its early day, then you're in for a disappointment. Tweetping clearly celebrate what Twitter is: the shouting of every connected humans on Earth. 

What I found fascinating was not only the quick switch of popular hashtags and @mentions in milliseconds but also the obvious absent of particular area downunda, Australia. I couldn't help but asked, are Australians simply not using Twitter that much or just have nothing interesting to shout to the world?

In the era where 'over-sharing' is considered almost normal, being in the opposite of that camp nearly sound implausible. I am not sure what this realtime tweets map could tell us. I mean, even people in Africa tweets a lot more. But if the notable absent of tweets in the southern hemisphere could be use a starting point of asking some fundamental questions of how people connects with each other, then you'll likely begin to crave some semblance of deeper understanding.

Does lack of tweet in Australia means that people in downunda actually 'talk' and 'hangout' with each other in person? Or do Aussie simply not into Twitter that much? Time difference could also be a reason too... 

Besides realizing that people in North America tweets just about everything in roughly one-tenth the amount of people in Africa, there's not much information we can pull from this, err, map. Just think if we could add another layer of information to this map. Say something like colour mixing -- each colour could have a whole chromatic language representing moods of a nation, for example. Anything you could analyze within language could definitely push this map further. Better yet, provide a customization tool that allows people to specify the kind of data can be visualized.

If time could be rewind and the past is accessible for a visit, then Harlem 1958 would definitely be on my 'to go' list.