You Think Tech Is Small

Ever wonder how they make that new tech thing so small? Ever complain that you laptop battery does not make it the whole flight? These are the questions that a business person might ask when they are designing new technology. When Coby Leuscke makes something new he wants to know he can make it smaller, lighter, faster and run with less electricity in the harshest conditions on earth.

Cody is the president and stunt scientist for Metanomy a nonprofit in Fort Collins that works to create technology that can anywhere for first responders in disasters and eventually anyone who wants to do extreme things with technology.

One project is BeakGeek that monitors what birds come to a bird feeder by taking pictures and then uploading them directly to the Internet. You might ask why? I did. By taking pictures of birds when they feed all over the country those interested could track birds for science or fun as they migrate around the country. This is great for science students and natural scientists and each unit can be made for around $300 including the solar panels.

Pictures from BeakGeek units are put on Flikr (a photo sharing site) where people from around the world can use social networking to comment, tag and share the images collected. This is open source science.

Another project that Coby highlighted in his presentation tonight to the CNTC group is a trailer that is designed to be a mobile command post that can make it to any disaster in the world and is smaller and costs less than anything else currently produced.

All of Coby's projects are green because the use of solar and other sustainable technologies requires them to be. When you need to make sure a computer stays on for 3 days you ought to be green!

The presentation that Coby gave on behalf of Metanomy was excellent and opened my eyes to many new things.

Chase ATMs

I use technology every day, serving my clients, talking on my cell phone, connecting with friend on Facebook and in any number of other ways. I must admit it takes a lot to rely impress me with a new technology. I have recently found a technology that though it has been use in other ways for some time I love its new use.

Chase now scans checks inserted in the ATM making deposits available more quickly and even gives you a print out with copies of the checks you are depositing if you want that. You can also safely deposit cash because it can count cash when making a deposit. Check scanning has been used inside the branches for some time now but this new implementation helps me be more productive which I like.

The thing about technology is it is only great if it works to solve a problem or gives us something fun to do. Technology should not be about the coolest most flashy thing (especially for work) if it does not make us more efficient. This technology though simple compared to others excites me because it will help me be more efficient.