blog.a6r.com

BTFishes with device names and Leopard support

Audun Vaaler — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:44:42 +0000

I just posted a new version of BTFishes, adding support for Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and displaying Bluetooth device names. Although the original idea for the screen was to provide only a very subtle indication of which people (and devices) are nearby, showing the names means you don’t have to hang around for ten minutes just to be sure which fish is yours.

Please take it for a spin and let me know what you think.

TV

Audun Vaaler — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:27:30 +0000

Yay: I was on TV today.

Th!nk City production begins

Audun Vaaler — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:22:27 +0000

Th!nk just announced the completion of their first mass-produced Th!nk City. Congratulations!

See Th!nk’s press release.

Printer poetry

Audun Vaaler — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:33:35 +0000

Thanks to hpsetdisp.pl and a bit of hacking, the HP printer outside my office is now reciting epic poetry.

The Norwegian Free Software Prize

Audun Vaaler — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 22:39:19 +0000

The winner of the Norwegian Free Software Prize was announced Thursday evening. We were nominated, but Linpro (co-creators of Varnish, among other things) very deservedly won. Congratulations!

Th!nk with a little help from Porsche

Audun Vaaler — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 20:03:59 +0000

Th!nk has received quite a bit of attention in Norwegian media during the last week, after revealing more information about their production schedule and battery technology, as well as taking reporters on test drives and tours of their factory. It was also revealed that Porsche will contribute expertise on quality assurance and small-scale car manufacturing.

Update 2007-10-16: EnerDel and Porsche news covered by EnerDel and News.com.

Update 2007-10-30: Tesla stated that their battery packs are not to blame for Th!nk’s delay. Two of the articles referenced below gave the impression that Tesla had experienced delays.

Batteries

Th!nk signed an agreement with Tesla Motors in May to supply batteries for the new Th!nk City, beginning in November this year. ~~Problems with Tesla’s battery pack will affect Th!nk as well, reducing production this year from a planned 200–300 cars to around 70.~~ Cars will be on the market beginning in March 2008.

Interestingly, Th!nk is forming partnerships with other battery manufacturers as well. Dagens Næringsliv confirms that an agreement has been reached with EnerDel, and that negotiations are underway with A123.

According to BilNorge.no battery packs will be replaced free of charge if capacity falls below 60% within 5 years. (The batteries will leased separately from the car, to protect customers from covering the costs of any faulty packs themselves.)

Production schedule

As mentioned, the Th!nk City should be in the hands of paying customers in March. Expected sales in 2008 is 2000 cars, ramping up to 10,000 in 2009 and 30,000 in 2013. The factory in Norway currently has 120 full-time employees, and will be capable of producing up to 7000 cars annually. The rest will be manufactured abroad.

According to Th!nk management there has been considerable international interest in the car. CFO Henning Nordby also indicated that a range extender option might become available.

Co-operation with Porsche

Not content with working with only one high-performance car company, Th!nk has also signed an agreement with Porsche, which will contribute its expertise in the areas of quality assurance, small-scale car manufacturing and logistics.

Links, pictures and videos

The news from Th!nk this week seemed promising, and most of the journalists who went for a test drive were quite enthusiastic.

Here are the articles this post was based on. Even if your Norwegian is rusty, many of them include interesting pictures and video clips.

BilNorge.no: Think again
dn.no: Porsche skal hjelpe Think
dn.no: Batteriproblemer for Think (video)
Hegnar Online: Porsche hjelper Think
Motor: Think – En skikkelig bil
Nettavisen: Alt om den norske elbilen
Romerikes Blad: Porsche + Think = sant

Air_ray: Graceful, flapping airship

Audun Vaaler — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:46:29 +0000

It seems I need to increase my blogging frequency, and what better way to do it than with this?

Air_ray, modelled on the manta ray, is a remote-controlled hybrid construction consisting of a helium-filled ballonet and a beating wing drive. Its light design makes it possible for it to “swim” in the sea of air, boosted by helium, in a similar way to the manta ray in water.

See Festo’s own pages or Gizmodo.

Ogg Theora streaming from FriProg launch

Audun Vaaler — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 20:37:33 +0000

Tomorrow we‘re streaming live from the official opening (by the Minister of Modernisation) of FriProg, the Norwegian National Free Software Centre of Expertise. Please come by and have a look.

And of course: Congratulations, FriProg!

Can Think’s electric car revolutionize the auto industry?

Audun Vaaler — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 14:32:32 +0000

Business 2.0 has just published a very interesting article about the new Think City electric car. Its fundamental specifiations have been known for a while, but the article adds interesting details on network integration (“Web 2.0 on wheels”), decentralized manufacturing (close to markets), production methods, marketing, as well as interviews with some of the people involved (including Think CEO Jan Olaf Willums and inventor Dean Kamen). It even turns out that Sergey Brin was an early Think fan, which might explain Google’s involvement in the project.

The article also provides more background on PG&E’s plans to repurpose used EV and hybrid battery packs for backup power in buildings, which seem like a very promising way of improving the dynamics of the EV market.

tikktikk.com on AppScout

Audun Vaaler — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 23:39:27 +0000

Alan Henry at AppScout has written a nice review of tikktikk.com:

I’ve read that often the best way to commit yourself to a goal and stick to it is to make sure that everyone around you – family, friends, even the public at large. … Enter TikkTikk, a new Web service that makes sure you’re punctual and timely–or else.

The review conveys tikktikk.com’s essence very well: It’s a tool helps you be on time in a way that calendars and todo lists don’t.