What I can see in Korea

This is my dorm building at KAIST. In the background are apartments outside the university. 

So when I got here I wanted to start a blog relating to my stay but I have had a few reasons not to and thus it has been delayed. In any case, I am going to start documenting my stay a little more readily, and feel free to remind me to do so more in the future.

My school is quite small, about 6000 students I think, though the campus is quite large given that number.

View Larger Map

A map of KAIST.

Spelling Google

Spelling the number. More info. Mostly unrelated this post.

I was reading through my old unread items in Google Reader and came across this amazing piece I had set aside to read and never got around to. It is like a Google state of the union address and I really think that it offers not only a lot of insight but a lot of context into what we know and have, and why. In any case, I suggest everyone read this and then read it again to make sure they did not miss any of the interesting details.

I also should mention, I quite like the title, "From the Height of this Place," which gives me ideas, unrelated to how tall I am.

What makes what we want

This is obviously and Android phone that I have been working on. It has solar on the back, e-ink on the sides with a possible advertising model for free service/media. Touch based of course and being who I am I am excited by the potential of PixelQi. The case is snap together PolyCarbonate or something so it is relatively continuous and we get some interesting optical properties, as seen in the render. The screen size is based on the current HTC G1's screen (320x480), in this case of course we do not have any other buttons etc. so the device ends up being quite a lot smaller.

The model is not that good so I am going to do a fresh one as soon as I know a little more about the details.

I have not decided where to put the camera so for now it is in the middle on the back.

Any suggestions or ideas would be great.

What makes what we want different from what we have and what we think is available?

USB + TSR + Bidirectional Grip + Power Switch

This is just an adaptation of the Zen Data device I was thinking about earlier. I have added a TSR socket, AKA headphone jack, so that it can have audio output. (in looking for a documentation of the standard I found out they seem to be technically named TSR) I also added a Switch but I am not sure if that is really necessary. No sign of controls yet. I think buttons are too hard to design well (I agree with Apple on that one) so for now we should just assume that it know what music you want to listen to, or you can give me a better idea in the comments.

Update: Thanks to Nick Kemp Greenhood for pointing out that it is really TRS not TSR. Woops - Dyslexic.

More Guessing and Shiny Stuff

So I got an idea the other day which I think is not yet finished but I have made an initial model anyway. Here is an early stage render of the back. Any guesses to what it is?

Zen Data Storage

Thinking about what it would be like if USB sticks were simple.

Also thinking about putting back a few features, potentially Multi-Directional Positive Grip as can be seen in the Benchmade knife below, and also considering how an LED and tow point should be incorporated.

Modo and a Saddle Zip

A more accurate version of the previously drafted orthogonal view. (Having the base 2d representation did actually help quite a bit when building the previous model because of the unusual curves in the channels) 

I have done another model which is a little more easy on the eyes this time. Still there are a few inaccuracies and some newly realised design issues. Sadly the symmetry system in Modo is not as sophisticated as is really needed so I think one of the issues came though because of my methodology for creating the fundamental components.

I think the next version will have a more sophisticated joining space.

Ideas about applications?

Please ignore the really bad surfacing. I will do a better job in the next representation. 

Finished Mockup

The coin it is sitting on is an American quarter for scale.

I have finished a really basic and sloppy mockup of the thing I was working on. It tuns out it is a kind of zip. Does anyone know how it works?

I will do a nice version in Modo at some point. Sketchup is not what I need for the surfacing I would like to achieve. However, the component methodology came in very handy when creating this.

More about New Stuff

Keep Guessing :-)

Here is another picture of what I am working on. I will still not tell you what it is but I will give you the hint that "Saddle" is in the name.

This thing is not that easy to model with the software I am using so I may switch back to a different package for some of the surfacing.

A new thing

I am working on modelling and finishing up a design I started a few years ago.

If you can guess what it is I will give you a prize.

Making Things and How They Work Together

I just watched this great TED talk by an interesting man named Saul Griffith. My interest here is in a few capacities.

First, Saul speaks about the level of assembly of a few objects, which I have previously discussed as technology density, and compares organic and artificial assembly systems and manufactured solutions. In doing so he considers the advantages of each and contexts in which each would be more suitable. This is of course quite interesting to me as I think there is a significant market for improving human decisions by relying on a wider frame of decision making systems, including naturally inspired ones, and ensuring appropriate use.

Second, Saul shows some example projects including crossover decision making systems. These, I think, are quite neat though obviously far from complete in this talk.

Lastly, in the beginning he mentions project, seemingly names, A Registry of Standard Biological Parts , which offers a good perspective into another notion I have been interested by, which is that of software for the design and development of biologically inclined systems. In my mind this can include things which utilise some or even just one of the key elements of biological systems. A software like this, from my perspective, would help organise the involved ideas and approaches in order to generate short cycle evolution at much higher rates than natural selection would offer. Such a software could also be used to deal with the issues of human perception when trying to solve for the physical parameters when creating objects.

All in all the talk has reinvigorated me to think about a few problems I haven't for some time. As is often the case I am also reminded that the release early release often approach is good in almost every way and I should adopt it more seriously.