Who : Coders, geeks, mobile developers, interface developers

When: Saturday, 2nd February, 2008, 10 am

Where: Offices of Ex Machina, Sarphatistraat 78, Amsterdam

link to googlemaps. Sign up if you want to join us at Upcoming

timetable (may be changed)
10:00 – doors open
10:30 – introduction to roomware
10:45 – introduction to roomware server
11:15 – introduction round & everybody say what he or she will be
building today
13:00 – lunch
18:00 – presentation of apps/projects
19:30 – dinner
21:00 – (perhaps) more hacking for those who wish to stay…

Sponsor: Ex-Machina

What is it?
It’s a combination of GPS with RFID with glued together within a wireless network service.

” These applications enable K – 12 institutions to track school bus locations, monitor their speed and condition while on the road and report on events within vehicles. The service enables school districts to improve student safety and to save money by routing their school buses as efficiently as possible — cutting down on fuel, maintenance and labor expenses.

MRM relays vehicle location, speed and other data across the AT&T wireless data network and sends it to a secure Web site portal. Both RFID and MRM data are available to designated educators and administrators who have access to a Web browser.

The integration of RFID and MRM applications is especially beneficial when trying to ensure the safety of students when they’re on their way to and from school. Deploying RFID readers in addition to tracking devices on school buses enables educators to determine when students get on or off, as well as the location of buses when they’re en route.

The company’s RFID application works seamlessly with any 802.11 standards-based wireless local area network (LAN) infrastructure and offers precise, on-demand tracking. Wi-Fi-based RFID tags, placed on ID badges that can be secured to equipment, bracelets, shirt pockets or book bags, send a wireless signal to locate, monitor and report on assets, students and educators. Additional AT&T RFID benefits include:

— Asset tracking. Minimize theft of high-value equipment and assets,
including computers, projectors, laptop carts and lab equipment. Also,
because many of these assets are mobile, locating them can be difficult
in a large school building. Active RFID allows the teachers and staff
to easily locate these assets, saving time and optimizing inventory.
— Daily attendance tracking. Automate the tracking of average daily
attendance, as well as notify administrators when students are not in
school by importing information in the student-information databases.
— School-visitor tracking. Monitor the location of visitors and even
alert school administrators when visitors enter unauthorized areas.
— Disaster response. Provide the location of school staff in the event of
a man-made or natural emergency or disaster situation.

“In today’s world of K – 12 education, enhanced visibility regarding the location of students, teachers and valuable assets is crucial,” said Bill Hughes, principal analyst for wireless research group, In-Stat. “By introducing mobile technology, such as RFID and MRM, school districts can save time, eliminate unnecessary costs, reduce theft and unnecessary inventory and, most important, enhance student and teacher safety.”

In fact, according to In-Stat, the U.S. market for RFID and GPS-based services is about $650 million annually, with projections to grow by 24 percent annually to $1.5 billion by 2010.

AT&T’s expertise includes designing, deploying and managing the solutions. These solutions vary from mobile devices and applications to AT&T’s Internet Protocol (IP)-based network and Internet data centers to education-facility infrastructure, such as RFID readers, tags and data-collection servers, LANs, wireless LANs, firewalls and routers.

“Our RFID and MRM services help K – 12 institutions rapidly deploy end-to-end solutions without significant capital investment,” said Ann Rotatori, vice president of Business Marketing for AT&T. “For the first time, school districts can now turn to a network services provider for all of their RFID and MRM needs, and that enables them to save money, make the most of their assets and resources and enhance student safety.”

These solutions are a continuation of AT&T’s strategy to deliver a range of RFID and sensor-based network solutions, and it’s another example of how the company is delivering converged, IP-based applications and services that enable users to access content, applications and information virtually anytime, anywhere and by using any device.”

via Ministry of Tech

“A proposal for an upcoming Canadian Museum for Human Rights suggests a wide range of advanced interactive technologies, including “a gesture-responsive wall full of factual information that will work in a fashion SIMILAR TO NINTENDO WII technology,” according to a report in the Edmonton Journal. “With a simple swipe of the hand in the air, visitors will be able to turn virtual pages.” You won’t even have to remember what you saw: “Visitors will be given a ‘human rights key’ that will provide a digital recollection of their experiences that they can later take home.” The museum is scheduled to open in four years in Winnipeg.”

via the raw feed

Mike Resnick introduces an interesting language called scratch if you fast forward to about 20 minutes. You can see him building programs using a easy to use language that even children can use. He discusses this language in the context of education and children. It would be a super handy language for developing roomware apps too!

you can download a beta of this software on the scratch site or go to a toy company that sells kits of interactive toys and offers the software free.

Besides that, Mike Renwick gives a really interesting lecture on learning and technology