Jakob Wästberg's shampoodle blog

Guardian Unlimited | Online | What's new: "A fair share
Mobile phone users may soon be able to send each other music files via multimedia messaging (MMS) or swap them using Bluetooth. Melodeo, has a deal with the Spanish network Telefonica and is expecting to launch a similar service in conjunction with a UK network. Once users have the software on their phone, they can send a track, or part of a track, to a friend. If the person who receives the track likes it and wants to keep it, they pay the network to buy it. The service uses AAC++ files, which are used in the UK by O2 for its music download service."

[melodeo]

Mobile Messaging: Not Just For Kids: "Mobile Messaging: Not Just For Kids
By Mike Masnick, Wed Apr 06 01:30:00 GMT 2005

It's not the least bit surprising that younger generations are picking up mobile messaging technologies before older generations -- but the statistics suggest that many senior citizens aren't afraid to punch out a quick SMS message every once in a while.



It almost goes without saying these days that teenagers tend to pick up on new technologies before older generations do. Just like learning languages, sometimes it seems that understanding technology comes much more naturally to younger people. With that in mind, it seems sort of pointless to toss up yet another study showing that kids are more likely to be mobile messaging than older generations. While the article makes it sound like it's a problem that older users are falling 'way behind,' it just seems like a natural progression. Those users aren't interested in rushing after some new technology that's not really going to do much for them (or, which might not even be around in a year's time).

However, just as some are decrying the supposed 'age gap' in mobile messaging adoption, another study is pointing out that 14% of Americans over the age of 65 are using text messaging. 14% may not be very high, but considering that the study covers the US, where text messaging has been much slower to catch on, it's still quite significant.

Clearly, the concept of mobile messaging has been slowly making itself known to older generations. While just a few months ago, programs were still encouraging parents of school aged kids to text message, now those same kids may be texting their grandparents. Of course, to help boost adoption in the higher age ranges, designers of phones and applications need to take into consideration the different needs of those over 65 and how they're likely to use mobile messaging. However, the overall message is clear: there's no need to worry about older users catching on. It will happen. It's just that they're wise enough not to rush into anything without first understanding why it's useful.

(Via TheFeature.com.)

CNN: Almost a million Koreans bank by cellphone

Almost a million Koreans now do their banking via 3G cellphones, according to CNN. The service was first offered by
Koomkin, South Korea’s largest bank, about two years ago, and now all of the country’s major banks offer mobile banking
services. We hope the banks also offer a zero-liability policy if your phone gets lifted; according to CNN,
transactions can be enabled via one button, bypassing a login screen.

(Via Engadget.)

A game investigating the rhetoric of fear culture: "Blowhard is a game, created by Ryan Schoelerman and Sky Frostenson, in which two players compete by breathing into a CPR mask, where a breath sensor translates cumulative respiration into the player's current level of anxiety, shown on a screen in the same color-coded system used by the Department of Homeland Security's Threat Advisory System.

Players must increase their anxiety gradually, moving up one stage at a time. Upon completion of a level the display provides feedback via audio-video USA fear culture propaganda from the 1950s to the present. The first player to reach the top, wins.

The respiration game controller masks are designed using a CPR resuscitation mask, TGS-822 organic vapor sensor and connect via ethernet cables to a game console. The console consists of programmed PIC micro-controllers, on-board LED display graphs, an audio sample processor, and speaker amplifier system. All hardware is housed inside a Playstation2 case.

The software screen display of BLOWHARD is designed using Max/MSP/Jitter.

The game is part of the Hybrid Vigor exhibition, at the Beall Center for Art + Technology on April 6 - 16, 2005.

Via Interactive Media Division.

Related: Homeland Insecurity Advisory System project.

(Via we make money not art.)

Vending machine dispenses free drinks during disasters: " src="http://img.engadget.com/common/images/1534309218796286.JPG?0.5531702962536061" align="right" border="0"
height="219" hspace="4" vspace="16" width="148" />

Fuji Electric Retail Systems is selling a new type of disaster-friendly vending machine in Japan that can dispense
free beverages in an emergency (free Pocari Sweat, you say?). No, the machines aren’t wirelessly connected up to some
central control station that can switch them into disaster mode (though that wouldn’t be a bad idea), rather the
machines come with a built-in backup battery and can be preset to automatically give out free drinks to people when the
power is out. Hard to imagine an American vending machine company doing the same thing, especially since it’d only be a
matter of time until people figured out they could get a free Pepsi just by cutting power to the machine

(Via Engadget.)

SCI has 40,000 members, and promotes global competitive trophy hunting, with Grand Slam and Inner Circle competitions. These include Africa Big Five (leopard, elephant, lion, rhino, buffalo), North American Twenty Nine (one of each species of bear, bison, sheep, moose, caribou, and deer), Big Cats of the World and Antlered Game of the Americas. To complete all 29 awards, a hunter must kill 322 separate species. Enough to populate a large zoo.

(FYI: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the agency charged with granting or denying such trophy import permits.)