Hasta La Ideas

Earlier this week, Jeri asked about the junk drawer that’s probably in your home (it’s okay, almost all of us have one). But junk drawers exist in places beyond your cabinets. There’s another one that’s even more covert, and it’s your computer. There’s all sorts of stuff in there, and much of it can be safely tossed away. I’ll reveal what junk is on mine and give you suggestions for how to deal with similar junk on your machine.

Junk

There’s a of stuff that is, in the strictest sense, junk on my computer. These items can be thrown away with no negative consequences.

What is it?

• Old software installers
• Links to web pages I’ve lost interest in
• Notes on projects long past

Where is it?

For me, most of the junk is in my “Downloads” folder. That’s where my web browser places items I’ve downloaded. For many of you, the folder is probably on your desktop. For me, it’s a folder in my Home folder. To see where your browser is placing downloads, look at its settings or preferences. Then, get in there, go through what you find and delete anything that’s absolutely unnecessary.

I found some true junk in my email software, too. Now I know that many of you like or even have to keep archival email. Still, instructions to the restaurant you visited three years ago is probably safe to throw away (especially if it was a lousy restaurant). Use you own good judgment when making this decision.

Reference material

Here’s a very popular category for a junk-drawer. I’m talking about information that doesn’t require you to do anything, but might be useful in the future.

What is it?

Almost anything:

• A summer schedule for the local community theatre
• Operating instructions for that new radio
• Information from Jr.’s school
• Material for a meeting

Where is it?

For most people, this reference material is in your email. I know that a huge number of you use your email software as a filing cabinet. I think this is a bad idea, as I explained in my very first post for Unclutterer (was that really two years ago?). If that’s you and you’re happy – perhaps you’ve got a folder system or a method of archiving/search that works – great. For me, Evernote is my digital filing system. It’s where all of my reference material lives, including user manuals.

Memorabilia

Yes, memorabilia can be digital, too. I’ve got quite a bit stashed here and there.

What is it?

• Photos
• Pleasant emails
• Quick videos
• Scanned sketches from the kids

Where is it?

For me, almost all of the clutter in this category lives in my photo software. You’re probably thinking, “But Dave, that’s what it’s for!” You’re right, and bravo for not piling photos on the desktop or who knows where. But, if you take as many photos as I do, your library will grow unwieldy quickly.

You can keep on top of it by archiving your work. Most computers can burn discs or DVDs and it’s a nice idea to make an archive as the year ends, to be stored away. Just understand that data stored on a CD or DVD won’t last forever, so consider digital storage, too.

An external drive is a good idea, as is a service like Flickr, which gives customers one terabyte of storage. A terabyte can hold a lot of photos. Flickr also lets you tag, categorize, sort and organize to your heart’s content, so that one image you need is easily found.

… and the rest

There’s likely other stuff hanging out your computer that’s prime for more organized storage or outright disposal. Duplicates of files are certainly up for deletion. Occasionally, I’ll find a piece of software I haven’t used in ages, little notes I made while working on an article, images I no longer need and so on. It’s helpful to take an hour or so once in a while to identify and purge this temporary stuff.

Now that you’ve tackled the junk drawer in the kitchen, turn you attention to the one on you’re computer. You’ll be glad you did.

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Discovering tangible patterns and predicting future outcomes based on it has always enticed the collective imagination of humanity. From mapping of celestial movements to the weatherman’s forecast, this fascination for predicting the future has helped civilizations to make sense of the macro system that they are part of. The ‘Predictables’ project aims to bring this forecasting to a personal level.

It largely consists of two parts. The first part constitutes an app that scours for the digital data an individual and his social circle produces. This app then connects the dots to make sensible patterns and intelligently proposes future outcomes. The second part consists of systems that interfaces with the individual. The interaction with the individual is made possible using intuitive interfaces projected on a variety of surfaces using a smart watch or a desktop pico projector.

The complex analysis algorithm promises to bring prediction into a wide variety of areas in personal life including career, love and friendships. I would willingly part with my entire savings for it if I could get accurate predictions about my Gf’s mood swings.

Designer : Dor Tal

Guest Post by Akhil T.

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Yanko Design
Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design!
(Future Control was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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News: A team of researchers from Harvard University has developed a team of robots that can build architectural structures based on the behaviour of termites.

Modelled on the way the insects build huge and complex mounds, the little bricklayers individually follow a set of predetermined rules, working without a design plan and without communicating with each other.

Each one has hooked wheels and a front lever to move material, and uses sensors to tell when it’s alongside another robot or a brick in order to negotiate the ever-changing environment of a construction site.

“There is a lot of interest in the field of bio-inspired robotics these days, and I think the possibility of inspiration from termite colonies, which provide such a great example of a giant work force of individually simple and expendable agents, but together comprising a fantastically resilient system, is very exciting,” said the study’s co-author, Kirstin Peterson.

Termites build complex structures without an idea of the overall design by picking up earth and moving it to a location according to a set of rules. If that location is filled, they move on.

Similarly, the robots have no program to tell them what they are building, simply a set of traffic rules telling them which direction to move in. This means that if one of the robots breaks down, they just build around it. They will also never trap themselves inside the building structure.

The Harvard University researchers revealed the results of their research by making the robots build a small castle. Although the work is slow, they say the self-directing robots are ideal for building in dangerous or hostile environments such as earthquake areas, war zones, under the sea or on uninhabited planets.

The post Robotic bricklayers developed
to work like termites appeared first on Dezeen.

I completely connect with the Le Pen concept, where the designer has tried to marry a pen with a music player. I still recollect those glory days when I used to solve math equations to the beats of U2 and Police. Somehow music helped me zone in and focus on those numbers. I’m sure many of you like to work with something strumming in the background, Le Pen takes an innovative approach towards that.

Designer: Yang Shuai

–
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs – Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Shop CKIE – We are more than just concepts. See what’s hot at the CKIE store by Yanko Design!
(Articulate Beats was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Dezeen Music Project: UK visualisation studio Universal Everything has designed an augmented reality app that lets users navigate and manipulate digital environments that accompany music by British band Radiohead (+ movie).

Universal Everything was commissioned to develop an audiovisual app for Radiohead‘s eighth studio album The Kings of Limbs, which was first released in 2011.

Three-dimensional visuals were adapted from sketches by English artist Stanley Donwood, who has created the band’s album and poster art for the past twenty years.

“We were contacted by [Radiohead frontman] Thom Yorke and Stanley Donwood with the idea of building an app that is an immersive, ever-changing world,” Matt Pyke of Universal Everything told Dezeen. “Beyond a linear music video, this was about creating our own ecosystem, with seasons, weather and fragments of sound.”

Opening the Polyfauna app on a smartphone or tablet loads a bespoke scene, which is different every time it is used. Colourful skies and landscapes sometimes appear peppered with abstract trees.

The augmented reality is navigated by moving the tablet around or tracking a red dot that relocates the user to another area of the virtual world.

“We built a vast map with varying terrain, colours, species and sounds,” said Pyke. “As you move around the map, by drifting or teleporting by chasing the red dot, you encounter new environments – giant forests, flat plains, tangled spiky creatures and hidden, rare occurrences.”

Tracing fingers over the screen creates spiky forms in the air that slowly slither out of view in the direction of the hand movement.

“Users can bring their own life into the world, by drawing on the touchscreen – a drawn spine grows into a floating lifeform – drifting into the wild,” Pyke explained.

The app uses the device’s gyroscope to react to 360-degree movement, aligning with the sun and horizon in the real world.

“What makes this special is the non-linear nature of the experience,” added Pyke. “Every user starts in a different location in the world, with individual music, colours, seasons, species and terrains to explore. We hope we have created a space between sound, landscape and life.”

The free app is works on iPhone, iPad and most Android devices and is available to download from links on the company’s website.

The post Augmented reality app by Universal Everything
creates “immersive world” for Radiohead’s music appeared first on Dezeen.