IDEA: A different take on how we record sound.

When we are at a concert or listening to a guitar, we aren't just hearing a guitar, but we are hearing the guitar, the string, the reverb, and they are all coming from different places, so the sound is more pleasurable to our ears. So what we hear is analog when it comes from the guitar. Once we record that sound, we lose the quality of the sound, and it doesn't matter what medium we use to record, the sampling rate is still dependent on the medium used. Currently, we convert analog audio to digital audio in a form that uses sampling, or grabbing a snapshot of the analog wave at a certain rate per second. The way it is stored is a lot like how we store a picture too, where you will only get one sound/pixel per sample.

 

In Graphic Arts, I have learned a lot about using vector information I my graphics for scalability, and the way a vector is made is by grabbing the relative point and curve values, along with attached lie or color info. This could be done with sound too, by initially recording at a high enough ate to be able to analyze the point, frequency and curve values of a single wave. With a high enough sample rate, it is theoretically possible to be able to separate each wavelength by source and curve, allowing for a much higher quality recording, along with a much smaller file size, because all that is being stored is point values, curves and metadata.

Read More

Idea - GPS Enabled Gun Safety Lock

So I haven't posted any of my thoughts on the recent shooting at Sandy Hook or any of my thoughts on Gun Control as of yet. Mostly because I am tired of seeing rows and rows of posts on Facebook that only make a statement or complaint, no real proposed solutions that weren't going completely over the left wall or the right wall. It even looks as though people are afraid the Government will try to use this to take away our weapons. So I set out on a thought experiment that would allow us our rights to bear arms, while allowing us the ability to track and disable weapons if a situation arises, so this is one of the solutions I came up with, GPS enabled electronic safety lock for guns.



In this experiment, we were given a good period of time to replace most weapons on the market with ones that included an electronic safety lock. The way this works is by pushing the button, and waiting till it turns red, then you can shoot.

The Logic:
When the button is pressed, the unit sends a unique identifier and GPS coordinates through GPRS, and awaits a simple confirm or deny message. this can happen as quickly as it takes to check the time on your cellphone, so 1-2 seconds.

In some locations, the weapon would be automatically given a denied response if your weapons identifier is not authorized for that area, like Government buildings, schools, malls, etc. Other places would be given an automatic confirmation, like rural areas during hunting season, or shooting ranges, etc. The point is to allow as much freedom with your weapons as possible, but allow the ability to provide a kill-switch if needed.

Read More

IDEA: Bluetooth Tape Reciever

 

 

I have been toying with this idea for only a short period of time, the idea started with a want to get my iPhone to play music to my old school stereo, without having to leave it plugged in next to the stereo. So I thought of a unique way to make that happen using elements that already exist, so the cost is lower than it normally would be.

 

The unit is made up of a Bluetooth radio, Processor/DSP, a magnetic tape head, button, batteries and a generator. When the unit is in use, the play action of the tape player will charge the batteries and run the device. When the tape player is not running, the unit will only power the Bluetooth radio to allow for connection or reset.

Overall, its a simple design, and I haven't seen anything like it on the market as of yet, but who knows, it may already be out there somewhere. On the event it has not been produced yet, I am considering this as a Kickstarter project, so if you think its a good idea, let me know in the comments.

 

 



Read More

Changing the world can be done one idea at a time.

     When it comes to having an impact on the world around us, we have very limited resources for changing things in a traditional sense. Yeah, we can think of the next big thing for whatever you are into, but hunches are, most of us will never go anywhere with the idea. What if I told you that regardless if your idea goes anywhere, it can still make a difference, would you still come up with more ideas? I think we should come up with ideas more often as a society. So what if you can't profit from it, the important pat is that you went through the process of thinking of it.

     Let me explain the basics of it for you a bit more. I have come up with tons of ideas and inventions, but I'm not blind to the fact that I'm not the only one who has had that idea either. For every idea come up with, there are at least 100 other people in the world with that same idea. Why? Because these ideas we have are brought about by commonalities in situations, environment, production, design, etc. for every problem solved, there will be more problems or ideas on how to use it. In the past, ideas have been safeguarded and kept secret because of the thought of gain. I believe we now live in a society where this is not needed as much and if we are to continue to evolve as humans, we should learn to share our ideas. After all, if you sit on an egg too long, it spoils anyway. Our ideas are the same way, they spoil if we keep them for too long without further developing them.

     When it came to inventions in the past, we had little choices as to what to do with our ideas, and the majority of those options would make it so your invention never saw the light of day. That has also changed now with the dawn of Croudsourcing and Croudfunding services like StartGarden, KickStarter, etc. the question is no longer about what a few company exec's think of your idea, it is what the public thinks of it.

     Remember that your idea is not unique, and shared by many others across the globe, no mater how smart you are. This means that it is a race to see who can catch the public's eye about the idea first. This also means that the rate of new ideas needs to ramp up a bit too. The more you use your creative muscles, the more you can do with them. So even the act of coming up with a new idea once a month and publishing it somewhere can facilitate a greater change in the world around you that you can imagine. Try it for a while, trust me, you will see the difference if we all keep at it.

Read More