Currently viewing the category: "Sensors"

Your Phone Won’t Let You Call Your Girlfriend

On December 16, 2011 By

“Mary! I’m not kidding! Get Sarah on the line.”

“I’m sorry, Jake,” his phone replied. “That’s not a good idea right now.”

“What, are you kidding me? I can’t believe she wants to blow off our weekend in the mountains for some damn work event. All she cares about is work. Get her on the [...]

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Common sense about the Milky Way, iPad and second recession

On September 21, 2011 By

This photo of the Milky Way as seen from Nepal stopped me in my tracks, making me forget about the iPad I was holding. I looked right through the device to the world that exists far beyond the reach of Apple, Google, or any other human creation.

We live in a strange time. If you [...]

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Common Sens(or) about innovation

On July 26, 2011 By

I do not know whether stocks will rise or fall this year, cannot predict the next weekend’s weather, and do know know how many months it will be before I see a decent movie.

But there is one thing I know with utter certainty: innovative companies will add sensors into nearly every product and service. [...]

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USA Today on digital sensors

On January 26, 2011 By

Earlier today, USA Today published an article that began: surveillance cameras at airports, subways, banks and other public venues are not the only devices tracking you. Inexpensive, ever-watchful digital sensors are now ubiquitous.

That’s true. But the article understates what’s happening, by not revealing the immense breadth and depth of digital sensors.

There are [...]

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How the X-Box Kinect tracks your moves

On November 20, 2010 By

NPR’s Ira Flatow spoke with two Microsoft developer/managers and an NYU professor in a fascinating discussion about Kinect’s functionality and potential. In the space below, I’ve combined several observations made by Alex Kipman, Director of Incubation, Xbox at Microsoft…

KIPMAN: In our world, it’s about stepping in front of the sensor. The sensor not [...]

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Innovation and sensors: lessons from Apple and Intel

On October 13, 2009 By

If you want sensors to drive innovation and revenue growth, become obsessive about diversity. Involve a broad range of people with diverse backgrounds, skills and motivations. That’s the lesson from two highly successful firms, Intel and Apple, who have taken different approaches to driving innovation with sensors. Each firm has harnessed diversity in startlingly effective [...]

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