So then I realized for the first time that Google is unreliable for at least information in Japan.  I realized I could buy SIM cards at BIC Camera!  But just so you all know, you can’t expect to type “BIC Camera” into Google Maps and find the stores.  You actually have to use the Japanese name, or URL www.biccamera.com:

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I bought a 3GB SIM card that expires in 3 weeks, which was plenty for me. It cost me $5,800 YEN, or about $73 CAD, which was a deal, especially considering the convenience of using my regular phone with all my apps. For free text messages, I used Google Voice (see how to get Google Voice here) and for free phone and video calls I used either Google Chat or Skype.

It all started with my friend Harondel Sibble who asked:

“At a client [meeting] today, one of the staff members wanted to do a “high-5″ and I missed, she said, stare at her elbow and she’d do the same to me and that with both parties starting at each other’s elbows, one would never miss when doing a high-5. Anyone heard of this before and have any kind of explanation why it works (neurologically and biomechanically)?”

Trent’s response:

“That’s really interesting, I had no idea about the challenge of a high-five, and the easy solution.

I did a 5-min google search and found nothing. The author of this article “searched around fruitlessly for a scientific explanation”.

Here’s my view of it:

• It’s a search problem. You need to get your hand location, and your friend needs his hand location, at the right place (x, y, z) and the right time (t). That’s a total of (3+1)*2 = 8 search variables, that must be resolved under tight time pressures. To get a really good high five you need all 8 variables to line up. That’s hard!
• If each of you stare at each others’ elbows, then you’re compressing the dimensionality of the problem: you’re changing each person’s (x, y) to a single “track”, and you just have to line up on that track. So the two variables (x,y) go to a single variable, call it (d) for depth. Now you have (2+1)*2 = 6 variables.
• By going along the track towards each other, you know that eventually you will hit the user’s hand if the z-coordinates line up. Which means that it will take out the time variable (t) for each of you as well. Which reduces the search problem to (z, d) for each person, or (1+1)*2 = 4 variables total.
• Finally, during execution of the high five, as your hands approach, you no longer have to track the absolute z-value and d-value of your hand and your friend’s hand. Really, you only have to track the difference between them. So we can compress (z1, d1) for you and (z2, d2) for your friend to a difference: delta_z = (z1-z2) and delta_d = (d1-d2). You now have just two dimensions to resolve (delta_z, delta_d). Solving for two dimensions is literally child’s play to your visual + motor control systems.

In short: the elbow trick compresses the dimensionality of the problem from 8 variables to 2 variables, which is then easily resolved by your visual + motor control systems.”

There are so many interesting things to visualize, but my mind keeps going to the weird side.  In considering there are now over 7 billion humans on the planet, I’ve tried to imagine what all those people would look like if you gathered everyone together into one space.  How much would we all weigh?  And if we were all compacted into a cube, how large would it be?

Its actually quite easy to estimate this.   According to some Google searches and the Wikipedia article “human”, the average weight of humans is about 70 kg.  That means 7 billion humans weigh about 490 million tons.  Since we are comprised of mostly water, which has a density of 1000 kg/m^3, the average volume of a human is 0.07 m^3.  That means the total volume of all humans would be 490 million cubic metres, a cube with sides 788m long.  These are difficult numbers to imagine, so I created a pink cube in Sketchup and then imported the cube onto Vancouver in Google Earth.  This is what it looks like:

The Human Cube in New York City:

The Human Cube in San Francisco:

The Human Cube next to the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa in Dubai (its actually taller than the cube by 40m):

The Human Cube next to the Great Pyramids:

After starting to get a visual understanding of all of humanity’s bodily volume, I started wondering about how our volume compares to other volumes of resources we consume like water, oil, animals, fish, plant mass… It would be interesting to see these volumes next to eachother.  I did a quick calculation of our current global annual fresh water consumption based on data from the Pacific Institue and Worldometers and found we consume about 4,700 cubic kilometres per year!  This is about 9,600 times the volume of the Human Cube.  To help you visualize this, I created a Water Cube and placed it next to the Human Cube in Vancouver:

Below is a process flow diagram showing the connections and the costs:

For those who love the visual voicemail feature of the iPhone, making the switch to an Android phone can be very challenging, since most of the carriers use the old-school voicemail system where they make you listen to each message in sequential order and append each message with the agonizingly slow robot voice, “you…have..a…message…from…6-0-4-2-5-5…”.  I realized this when I switched from using an iPhone 3G on Rogers Wireless to a Google Nexus S on Wind Mobile.  I tried to find apps that could do visual voicemail, but the only thing that seemed to do the job was Google Voice, but its not available in Canada.  The more I looked into Google Voice and all its rad features like voice to text and the ability to save all voice messages, the more I felt compelled to somehow find a way to get it.  Here’s how:

Step 1: Create Twilo Account

To use Google Voice, you need to prove you own a US phone number.  Thankfully, you can easily buy them for only $1/month from Twilio.  Twilio is a web-based telephony application that has revolutionary implications for what we can do with phone and text messages.  There are other similar companies like Tropo, but I’m more familiar with Twilio.  Don’t be scared by how complicated it looks.  You don’t need to know any programming to use it.

First go to www.twilio.com and click on “Try Twilio Free”.  Follow the instructions to create your account.  Next, you’ll need to buy two phone numbers: one local Canadian and one US (pick one from your favourite state) by clicking on “Numbers” and then “Buy a number”.

You’ll be using the US Twilio number to verify to Google Voice that you own a US number, as well as for setting up your voice message(s).  The reason you also need a local Canadian number is because most carriers (such as Wind Mobile who I am with) do not allow you to forward your voicemail to a US number (your Google Voice number).  So, what we’ll be doing is forwarding to a local Canadian Twilio number, which will then forward to your Google Voice number.  Confused yet?  Don’t worry.  Read on and it should hopefully make sense by the end.

Each number costs $1 per month, as well as $0.01/min for incoming and $0.02/min for outgoing.  Twilio automatically gives you a $30 credit, so this already gives you 6-10 months worth of usage for free.  After you’ve used up your free credit, it will cost you about $3-5 per month, depending on how many people leave you voice messages and how long each message is.  Each voice message is $0.03-$0.06, depending on how long the message is.  You can do the math to figure out how much it will cost based on how many people you know leave you voice messages in a given day or week.  Please note that depending on your phone plan, this cost can be offset by removing your voicemail feature from your phone plan.  For Wind Mobile, this is a $5/month savings.  I happen to have the $40/month unlimited everything plan where voicemail is included, so there’s no savings for me.  Regardless, I still find having Google Voice totally worth it and I’m convinced you will as well.

Step 2: Create Twimlet Call-Forward

To help people who know nothing about programming do cool stuff with Twilio, they’ve developed some very handy code snippets in Twilio Labs called Twimlets. These allow you to forward calls, simultaneous call numerous numbers, and other useful stuff.  We’ll be using the Call-Forward Twimlet.  Click on the following link http://labs.twilio.com/twimlets/forward and add your Google Voice number at the bottom in the field that says “Phone Number”.  Then click the button “Generate a Twimlet”.  Your Twimlet code should look something like http://twimlets.com/forward?PhoneNumber=5031234567&, where the number at the end is your Google Voice number.  Copy this code.

Go back to your Twilio account and click on the “Numbers” tab.  Click your local number you purchased.  In the field that says “Voice Request URL”, paste the Twimlet code and then click “Save Changes”.

Repeat the process of creating a Twimlet for your US Twilio number but this time enter your cell phone number.  Go back to your Twilio account and click on the “Numbers” tab.  Click the US number you purchased.  In the field that says “Voice Request URL”, paste the Twimlet code and then click “Save Changes”.

Step 3: Spoof Your IP Address

Unfortunately, Google Voice is not yet supported in Canada.  However, if Google thinks you are American, or living in the US, then you can get a Google Voice account and use it in Canada.  You can do this by either applying for a Google Voice account when you happen to be travelling in the US, or by spoofing your IP address to make Google think you are applying from within the US.  Your IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique numerical label assigned to each device that’s connected to the internet. Think of it as a geographic address that gives away your approximate location. Anytime you access a website, that website knows where you are connecting to it from.  Kinda freaky, huh?  If you’re curious what your IP address is and its associated geographical location, simply visit this website: http://whatismyipaddress.com.

There are many ways to spoof your IP address.  I recommend Hotspot Shield, which is available for Windows and Mac OS.  Simply download the Hotspot Shield Free version and follow the instructions.  Once you’ve successfully installed Hotspot Shield Free (or equivalent) and have it running you will notice an icon in the upper tray (Mac side) and all you have to do is right click on it and connect. Hotspot Shield will open a new browser window indicating that you are now connected.

By the way, you can spoof your IP address to access many other US-only products, such as Google Music, the Android Music Market, Pandora Radio, Hulu, etc.

Step 4: Create Google Voice Account

Once you’ve successfully spoofed your IP address, or accessed Google Voice from the US for real, then visit the Google Voice website (https://www.google.com/voice) and apply for an invite if you haven’t done so already.  Once you receive the Google Voice welcome email, you should be able to access your Google Voice account.  From here on you can just continue with the basic set up of Google Voice.

First, choose your Google Voice number:

Second, you will select a 4-digit pin for your voicemail at Google Voice:

Third, add a forwarding phone.  This is the most important step as you must have a US number to associate with your Google Voice account.  Enter the US Twilio number you purchased.

Step 5: Verify your Google Voice Account

Next, click “Continue”.  You should see something like this:

Click the “Connect” button and Google Voice will call your US Twilio number, which because of the Twimlet call-forward, will call your cell phone.  You will be prompted to enter a code (usually 2-digit as shown above).  As soon as you enter the code, your Google Voice account will be verified and you should see this:

Step 6: Create Google Voice Message

To create a voice message in Google Voice, click the “Voicemail & Text” tab in Settings.  You can create as many as you like, for personal, business, when you’re away on vacation, or to respond to a specific phone number.  Check out the help section and videos to learn more.  Start by creating just one regular generic message by clicking on “Record new”.  Give the voice message a name and then click “Continue”.  Select your US Twilio number in the drop-down list and click “Connect”.  Google Voice will then call your US Twilio number, which will forward to your cell phone, and ask you to leave a voice message.  Simply follow the prompts.  Because of the nature of the call-forwarding, this process may take a few times to work.  Be patient, it will work.

Step 7: Change Call-Forwarding Settings on Google Nexus S Phone

Go to your Google Nexus S phone and click on the Settings button.  Then select “Call settings”, and then “Call forwarding”.  Change the phone number on “Forward when busy”, “Forward when unanswered”, and “Forward when unreachable” to your local Twilio number.

Under the “Voicemail service” section in the Voicemail settings on your phone, make sure “My operator” is selected instead of “Google Voice”.  This is because of the Twilio call-forward.

Step 8: Set up Google Voice App

Your Nexus S phone should automatically come with the Google Voice app.  You should be able to find this by clicking on the bottom-middle button to select all apps and scroll until you find it.  If not, you will be able to download it for free from the Android Market.  It looks like this:

Click on the app.  It will ask you which Google account to link it to.  Select the account that you created your Google Voice account with and sign in. Next, you’ll need to select your US Twilio number as opposed to your Google Voice number.  Lastly, you’ll need to choose what calls you want to make from your Google Voice number, as opposed to your normal cell phone number. Select “Do not use Google Voice to make any calls”.

Step 9: Test Google Voice

Now have someone call you and ignore the call so that it goes to voicemail.  It should work.  You should notice your phone will automatically vibrate (you can change this in your Google Voice settings) and  the Google Voice icon message indicator should appear at the top right of your screen.  Select the Google Voice app and you should be taken to the voice message that should look something like this:

You’ll notice the voice message has been transcribed (not perfectly, but usually good enough) and you have a slider where you can skip around, fast forward, rewind, etc.  When you have a number of unheard voice messages, you’ll be able to see who they are from and select which one you want to hear/read first, similar to Visual Voicemail with the iPhone.  You can archive, delete, flag any message.

You can also access all your voice messages online through the Google Voice web interface https://www.google.com/voice.  I really like this because I can search the contents of all my voice messages, just like I might search through emails for a specific message using a keyword.

Lastly, Google Voice will also email you your voice messages, so even if your phone is lost or your battery is dead, you can still access your voice messages.

I hope you’ve found this blog post useful.  Feel free to leave comments.

Here are some other articles and posts on the same topic:

http://www.wifitalk.ca/iphone/howto-google-voice-in-canada/

http://www.mycellphonemyterms.com/General/2010/09/getting-google-voice-to-work-in-canada/

https://groups.google.com/a/googleproductforums.com/forum/#!category-topic/voice/account-credit-security-and-privacy/pDe_5aJ-X5A

http://iphone3ghacked.com/2009/09/09/how-to-use-google-voice-in-canada/

Short-term desk rentals in Vancouver bring mobile workers in from the coffee shop.

Decked out in plaid shorts, sneakers and a black zipped-up microfleece, Florian Guhr looks more like a backpacker than an entrepreneur. But this young, thin, blond and bespectacled German is the head of technology at Green Tech Avenue Consulting Inc., a German company specializing in connecting Canadian firms with European sustainability projects ranging from landfill methane storage technologies to micro-hydroelectric turbines. When the Hamburg-based firm recently expanded into Vancouver, Guhr wanted more than a lifeless cubicle in a rented office.

Instead, he spends several days a week at HiVE Vancouver, a new 9,000-square-foot office space with exposed brick walls, large windows and high ceilings on the second floor of three renovated and interconnected heritage buildings in the 100 block of West Hastings Street. Hive offers something lone entrepreneurs can’t get sitting around the kitchen table or at a Starbucks counter, even in these days of mobile productivity: a place to share ideas and feed off the energy of other professionals.

Tables are spread throughout the room, some long and narrow, others irregular in shape, each large enough to accommodate a small group. Guhr points to his open laptop and the cell phone next to it, both resting on a plain countertop, one of several arranged in a pod that can accommodate four or five workers. “With tools like Dropbox and online project management, you don’t actually need a permanent office space,” says Guhr. “I’ve met some very interesting people here,” he adds, explaining that it’s not only cheaper than leasing office space, but “it’s also good for the environment and productivity and creativity.”

Others sharing the space include architects, photographers, industrial designers, programmers and software developers. On Monday, Guhr might be sitting next to an entrepreneur tired of meeting clients in coffee shops. Come Wednesday, his desk mate might be a competitor, or better yet, a collaborator.

Prices vary, but $7 generally buys an hour at any available desk or low leather sofa; longer-term prepaid packages can shave the hourly rate to around $4. Rental includes 24-hour access, Wi-Fi, storage lockers, a postal address, mail slots and use of kitchens, lounges and meeting rooms.

Hive is just one of dozens of shared-office services springing up across the city, from the franchised The Network Hub to Gastown’s tony glass-and-leather Water Street Profile, to the just-opened W2 Media Café in the Woodward’s Atrium.

Barely open four months, HiVE Vancouver is the brainchild of Eesmyal Santos-Brault, a young inventor and social entrepreneur who was inspired by Toronto’s Centre for Social Innovation, a non-profit that believes social change – which it defines as “ideas put into practice for the public good” – starts with a physical space to bring like-minded people together.

“It’s about creating a culture and social connections, but ultimately, it does drive business,” says Santos-Brault, co-founder and director of Hive. “People share their clients and their networks, cards get exchanged and sure enough, I see them working on jobs together.”

And it’s more than just shared office space. On select evenings, Hive transforms into an event space, with projector screens, music, catered parties and cultural programming.

“This is an incubator for sustainability and innovation,” says Santos-Brault. “We want to mix people up internally, but also get them collaborating with the external community.”

[source]

Check out his presentation here:

Read more: http://www.granvilleonline.ca/gr/blogs/editors/2010/06/25/pechakucha-night-talked-green-sold-out-vancouver-crowd

• Include a hidden GPS-enabled cell phone inside robot, hacked to take periodic photos and Tweet them, as well as its position. Create a website that pulls the Tweeted data into a live map, so you can see the robot’s path, position and geo-tagged photos of its journey live.
• Make Tweenbot ‘lost lovers’ – two Tweenbots that are trying to find each other
• Make Tweenbot races — a competition to create Tweenbots that all start in different locations and need to get to a common location within a certain time
• Make online betting system through Paypal, for people to bet whether or not Tweenbot lovers will find each other within a certain time, or which Tweenbot will win the race. Make a huge a event about it and build hype. This could be a money-maker for sure! Who wouldn’t bet a dollar or 25 cents?
• See how the ‘look’ of the Tweenbot affects how people interact with it. What if it looks ugly, or scary, or has some kind of greasy goo on it? What if it is less anthropomorphized, and looks more like a bug instead?
• Make Tweenbot challenge to travel the globe!
• Others? Please add them below!

Other ideas:

• Tweenbot Mail [Graeme Worthy]: the bot carries an envelope to a destination. (about as secure as email)
• Optimizing Tweenbot design [Graeme Worthy]:
  • distance
  • speed
  • number of hops
• [Comment from Graeme Worthy]: The tweenbot is using ‘cute’, the same techniques that babies and kittens use to make us pay attention. By using the ‘laws of cute’ (neotony and so such) can one build a better tweenbot?

Resources:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/categories.php?c=138
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=7917

If you’d like to collaborate on any of the above project ideas, please contact me. Please also feel free to copy these ideas and make them better, but if you do so please let me know. Ideally, there would be multiple groups of people working on their own versions of Tweenbots and sharing ideas. Please make sure to always give credit to Kacie Kinzer, the mother of Tweenbots.