Just short of a year ago in July of 2014, I created the BMW i3 Owners Map. This is a little project to help BMW i3 electric car owners see where other i3 owners are in the world. It has been exciting to see the community build to 1,300 listings in 38 countries on all continents except for Antarctica.
The BMW i3 Owners Map is 100% opt-in and does not track the cars actual location (like the VoltStats owner map which uses OnStar), but rather shows where in the world the owner resides. The accuracy is up to the person submitting their listing but I also show the model year of the car, if it is a BEV (only electric) or a REX (has a gasoline range extender), and if the owner has owned a plug-in EV prior to getting the BMW i3. I calculate that the Map is a representative sample of around 7-8 percent of global sales.
You can view the Map on my website along with the form to add a new listing or update / delete an existing one. I also have a few charts and a link to open the actual data file in case you want to make a heatmap or filter for specific data.
Today I added a script that posts submissions in real time, so you do not have to wait to see your listing represented on the map. This also makes the process simpler for me as I no longer need to do a weekly batch update. Yay!
If you have an i3, list your location today to show the i3 global impact!
I have not posted here in a while because I have been busy buying an i3! We ordered this one which is currently sitting on a dock in Germany waiting to board a ship to the West Coast!
Yep, its true, adopting new technology at the $50k scale is almost a full-time job. That's because serious research is involved and getting to know a whole new community of people online who are in the same cult. After absorbing all kinds of pros and cons and experiences of the very early adopters, I thought I'd give back to the growing community by making a map of BMW i3 owners and owners to be.
These are folks I have "met" and interacted with on the BMW i3 Facebook group and the My BMW i3 Forum. I have mapped about 120 people to date! Click around and explore. In big cities, where there are more the one owner, clicking on the dot will only show the first one. If you are an i3 owner, let me know your name, city, & state and I'd be happy to add you! Check it out with a direct link or embedded below.
My article, Use Google Glass to Create Enterprise Video: Here's How, has just been published for the May 2014 issue of Streaming Media Magazine. I provide step-by-step instructions and screenshots for creating quick videos with Google Glass and sharing them inside your company on various video management platforms.
It is online now and will be in print in a few weeks. Check it out and let me know what you think!
After a pause in posting, I find myself at Sonic Foundry's customer conference, Unleash 2014. I have attended for the last 5 years and the conference is a great place to connect with old friends and make new ones. This year, I am nominated for the Enterprise Video Awards in the "Video Maverick" category. It sounds loftier than it is, since one nominates oneself, but it is fun never-the-less! Check out my entry on the World of Webcast blog below.
In my previous post, I described ordering the new Google Glass frames for prescription lenses and what the doctor experience was like. This is a follow up to that . . . actually getting and using the frames. I had a lot less questions in just picking up my frames with my new bifocal lenses. The doctor's staff was helpful and curious about them and fitted them to my face just like non-Glass frames.
The technicians had to adjust the nose piece/bridge so the prism was properly positioned just above my eye. I am fussy, so they let me attach my Glass to the new frames because I wanted to, but they were fully schooled in how to do it. I have to say, if you are in the San Gabriel Valley area of Los Angeles county you should check out Dr. Bettelheim, he and his colleagues at Arrow Vision Center run a great shop for non-Glass and non-Glass vision health.
I got the new frames last week, but wanted to use them a bit before I posted again, to see how I liked them. As with all new glasses I have received in my life (glasses wearer since 3rd grade!), it took a few hours to get used to the slight difference in prescription and frame size, but after that they "disappeared" from my conscious mind like all good glasses should. Having Glass with lenses was great because now they felt more natural and I have worn Glass more as a result.
On the US President's Day holiday, I went beer-tasting and had a good time shooting photos and keeping informed without feeling I had this device on my head. It is just my regular glasses, enhanced!
Another benefit is the more comfortable fit while bike-riding. I need a helmet riding and being able to wear regular frames + Glass is more natural. If you want to see what it is like, check out the video I made of the Claremont Thompson Creek Trail with Glass. I can ride and see and record with ease. All-in-all the prescriptions frames are the best accessory for Glass and will allow me to use it much more often.
Last Tuesday, just hours after Google stocked the Glass store with the four choices of prescription frames, I ordered the "Split" style in Charcoal to match my V2 Glass I got from the swap out. Three working days (six real days) and $245.25 later ($225 + tax) I received my new frames with free shipping via UPS. The process to remove Glass (the computer) from the default band was simple with the included Torx screwdriver. The screw is attached to Glass and will not fall out. Notice that the new frames have one temple arm shorter than the other so they cannot be used without Glass attached. While simple, I doubt you'd want to switch frames to band and back again very often.
I think that Google does a great job with packaging of Glass. The case is roomy and hold the specialty screwdriver in case you need it. There are instructions for YOU and your Eye Care Provider (ECP).
Today I had an appointment with Dr. Eric A. Bettleheim, O.D. at his Arrow Vision Center practice to get my eyes checked out and get a prescription for Glass. As a Glass "preferred" ECP he and his staff have been educated about Glass. My prescription checked out and except for not being able to see clearly without glasses, my eyes are in perfect health!
The good doctor answered my questions and expressed his professional option that using a device on a single eye only poses no known risks. The parallel he gave to prove this was the fact that people who are farsighted and nearsighted have been prescribed monovision contacts with one eye for close vision and the other for distance vision. Conclusion: Glass is safe for your eyes!
After the checkup, the doctor's assistant removed my Glass from the band and fitted it into the new frame. I helped a bit since I had done it once before. It is a bit tricky to get it on and off of the frames. A best practice to to cover the prism with a cloth to prevent any damage. She measured and checked the fit and marked on the plain lenses where the progressive lens would change from far to near. After some insurance confusion, my prescription was ordered and my Glass and band were back together. Now it is just waiting for the frames and lenses to get back from the VSP lab and I can switch my Glass to the frames for good.
For me, I believe this will be a key to allowing me to wear Glass more often and enjoying the many benefits it provides. Biking will be better without two frames on my head (and a helmet!) and I will try wearing them when I work in the garden.
Since being selected as a Google Glass Explorer in June, I have had a lot of fun learning about Glass, wearable technology, privacy, modern programming, security, rapid design iteration, and celebrity. Wait . . . celebrity?!?
Glass gives back what you put in and when I have stepped out, evangelist-like, people's interest and enthusiasm has followed. From a 94-year old acquaintance telling his friends about me and my 'gadget glasses', to random people in public engaging me to ask questions and ask for a try, to the planned out events I have listed below, people are curious, engaged, and excited about the slice of the future which Google Glass displays.
As my journey continues (I get to swap my Glass out for the next version next week!), I can see that more and more people will come to understand that this is about getting technology out of the way so it can truly assist us be more in touch with the world and with those around us. Check out these presentations and interviews about Glass . . . enjoy!
Today I gave a live webinar at Sonic Foundry in Madison, WI that discussed how to use a consumer device, in this case Google Glass in the corporate setting. I am told that we had 500+ people watch live and you can check it out, too! Let me know what you think in the comments.
Here is what was discussed:
How the Google Glass + Mediasite integration could help large organizations communicate.
The revolutionary impact the first-person point of view will have on education, training and communication.
How Glass could provide hands-on learning with detailed demonstrations and labs.
A step-by-step demo on how to get Glass video into a corporate video management platform.
Today, November 19, 2013, I presented a session (C103) at the Streaming Media West conference that showed how to use Google Glass to capture videos for the corporate or enterprise environment and automatically publish them to a corporate server for employee use. The aim of my talk and demonstration was to show how the new form factor of Google Glass, a wearable computer can remove barriers for the regular employee to create and publish video information for corporate use.
Whew, the response was great! Two weeks ago, I was informed by Google Glass team that I could invite three more people to become Glass Explorers. I wanted to make the invites count, so I offered them up, not for sale on eBay like some, but through a personal #ifihadglass contest.
In a previous post I asked people to submit their ideas but gave them a lot of space to explain "Why do you want Glass and what will you do?"
I expected only a handful of responses because I do not have tons of followers. But to my surprise I received over 90 submissions! All of high quality and from near and far. After a long process of elimination and discernment, I decided to pick 3 that showed originality, creativity, sincerity, and impact to the community. I also wanted each of the selections to represent a different use case. Since I received a lot of ideas to apply Glass to issues of physical ability, I wanted to pick one. Since I got more than a dozen requests from young programmers with apps and tech projects already underway, I wanted to pick one of those. And I got scores of entries from regular users who simply wanted to share their world #throughglass; I picked one.
In future posts I will highlight these winners, their ideas, and follow their progress into the world of Glass. The opportunity that +Google Glass offered me (and all Explorers) re-energized me to the possibilities of Glass. My only regret was not being able to invite all people who submitted their desires & dreams.
If you are in Southern California mid-November, come and check out my talk on Google Glass at Streaming Media West conference. It is at the Hyatt Regency in Huntington Beach on November 19 at 1:45 PM.
The description is below, but I hope (may the demo gods allow!) to show a live example of recording a video, uploading it and publishing it to our Mediasite corporate streaming server. I'll talk about Google Glass and the uses it can have in industry (doing actual work!) and the services you need to set this up for yourself. Here are the details:
Session C103, Nov. 19, 1:45 PM HOW TO: Using Google Glass to Capture and Publish Videos
Google Glass can make the creation of video content for business, education, and entertainment easy for all people who want to communicate simply and quickly. This presentation looks at Glass and its capabilities, discusses the best practices for capturing content, explores example real-world uses, and details the steps for setting up sharing. Attendees see a live demo of the workflow from recording to publishing right in the session.
This post is a bit of an excuse to use my Google Glass while cooking because, I like technology . . . all of it! In some cases it is the state-of-the-art Google Glass or Leap Motion and in others it is the technical details and optimized process of home canning. But it is also an attempt at seeing home canning as a technological process that has benefitted from an systematic architectural plan. It is also an excuse to see the everyday process in light of the Zachman Framework . . . and show you how I like to spend some of my time.
The canning process and the technology behind it provides some clues as to how to successfully design a process and a supporting system. It also illustrates the need for solution evangelization, too. When my mother was making jams and sauces in her 1960s kitchen, she used the inferior technology of paraffin wax to seal the jars. While no one got ill from this technology, throughout the years, the study of home food preservation systems has informed and changed the way the process is carried out. Not using wax today is well-known, but I still find it on the shelf in the store right next to the new, safer lids and bands.
Our relation to technology is mostly dependant on how we learned. We still find people today who prefer paper checks to move money, envelopes and stamps to communicate, and margarine for baking. In the latter case, we have gone from butter to margarine and now back to butter based on lobbying and the desire for a better solution. The definition of "better", of course, varies. About canning, recently Stephen Colbert cast aspersions while talking with Emily Matchar about her book Homeward Bound.
How - This is explored in-depth as canning has a very specific process model.
Who - You, of course, but also the roles of the boiling water, the lids, the acid, the sugar, etc.
Where - How you layout your tools and raw materials, including final storage is the "where" element.
When - Timing is critical in canning and there are pages of timing models for each type of food.
Why - There are many motivations like saving money, getting back to basics, or giving a gift.
One of the processes documented is "boiling water bath canning". How does it work? A site on Exploratorium called Science of Cooking explains:
"As heating begins, the contents of each jar expand, and changes in internal pressure take place. Initially, gases are vented from the jar. When the processing period is finished, the atmospheric pressure outside the jar is greater than the pressure inside. This difference in pressure pulls the lid down onto the jar and forms a vacuum seal."
The process is the critical element here and it has been refined and documented so that anyone can have success. From not tightening the bands too much, the the water temperature, to your altitude, the "what", "how", and "when" are the focus columns in this system.
Enough of the justification . . . on to the fun! Read and view on to see how I turned 15 pounds of ripe tomatoes into 7 pints of crushed tomatoes in juice. These jars of summer will be great in December or March of next year flavoring pasta or caramelizing in a beef braise. The process begins as you pick the tomatoes, wash them and sort out the best ones.
I picked 27 pounds of tomatoes from a single plant (I'll get about 45 pounds total over the season) but in these videos I can about 15 pounds into just 7 pints.
You only need a very large pot, a knife, and the canning jars, but I have a few nice-to-have tools. But all in all they are not expensive. Check out my setup below!
You have to make sure to not re-use the canning lids as they need to be in pristine condition.
Once I have all of the stuff in place I can begin to peel, core, chop, mash and cook the tomatoes. For crushed tomatoes, you only really have to crush a few of them to get the juice going and then the heat does the rest of the job.
One of the processes you need to accomplish is peeling the tomatoes and the blanch / shock method is the best. To do this, you rapidly alter the temperature of the whole tomato so the skin splits and separates from the fruit. You cannot effectively peel a tomato like a pear, so this is one of the most import processes. Check it out here with the beginning and ending Glass button fumbling:
Finally, there is filling the jars, sealing them, and boiling them. I shot a few more videos and have toyed with mixing them together in a comprehensive video, but time is short and with all those ripening fruits, Glass and Leap to play with and Python to learn.
The other evening out tasting beer at a brewery with my 20-something kids one of them took out their iPhone and used the front-facing camera as a mirror. I had never thought of that, but then I am not prone to looking into a mirror whilst drinking a black ale.
On inquiry, I found that this was not a usual action but something spur of the moment, rarely done, if ever. We all acknowledged that there is an app (or several) for that, but the fresh thing was that it was spontaneous and almost like the device was not a phone with an embedded camera used as a mirror, but the device was a mirror. The action was simple and natural.
I spend a lot of time at work helping people use technology designed for the task they need to complete. When they do not fully understand how to use a software program, or collection of tools, I often cheerfully say: "try to think like the program!" Which means to adjust the user actions to match the what the application expects.
Is that an echo of Mr. Jobs? Should we have to adapt our actions to fit the expected use or could we adapt a tool for a completely different use the designer never thought of? If I had a hammer, could it be used as a catalyst of love? As with most things, both/and is most likely the answer.
Being in the Google Glass Explorers program has informed my view a bit. The Glass program is about finding the use case and discovering how the device might be used. Sure there were several applications released when the device was released, but if we look at the growing list of applications and even the uses Glass is put to everyday, it is clear that a well-designed tool can be useful in many contexts, even ones the designers did not consider.
What ways have you used a device, tool, or application in a way different from its intended use?
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