Issue 221 | 5 August 2014

What Next?

How ‘smart’ are your shoes?

The days of walking the streets, staring down at your Google Map app and accidentally walking into street signs may be over.

Indian wearable tech startup Ducere Tech has created Lechal, the world’s first pair of ‘smart shoes’. So how does it work? The user simply plugs their destination into the Lechal app and Lechal does the rest; sending out ‘buzzing signals’ to the user’s feet to indicate which direction they should turn.
In future years ‘smart shoes’ like the Lechal may prove to be a significant innovation for the vision impaired and at around $100-$150, they’re affordable too.

Video of the week

It has been a while since we’ve seen a good flashmob

What do you get when you take the sleek new BMW M235i Coupé and the good old flashmob concept? A viral video, of course.

Naturally, it’s been dubbed Driftmob and while the authenticity of the audience on the street is questionable, it’s still awesome. With over 7 million views and counting in the first 5 days, it’s safe to assume the world agrees.

Check it out:

TV Ratings

The Block is back on top

All People National – Free to Air Station Audience
THE BLOCK GLASSHOUSE – SUN  Network 9  1,377,000
SEVEN NEWS – SUN  Network 7  1,269,000
NINE NEWS – SUN  Network 9  1,269,000
NINE NEWS – MON  Network 9  1,171,000
SEVEN NEWS – MON  Network 7  1,156,000
NINE NEWS – WED  Network 9  1,152,000
6:30 NINE NEWS – MON  Network 9  1,149,000
NINE NEWS – TUES  Network 9  1,144,000
SEVEN NEWS / TODAY TONIGHT – MON  Network 7  1,134,000
NINE NEWS – THURS  Network 9  1,122,000

And the most outstanding taxi journey in Stockholm goes to…

Swedish cab company Taxi Stockholm has launched a new website for tourists, using the data from millions of taxi journeys to highlight the top destinations in the city.
Called Taxi Trails, the site offers tourists a guide based on the places where local residents really go, as opposed to the opinions of critics. Accessible on all devices, it’s essentially a heatmap – the more orange an area is, the more “hip” it is.

Check it out in action:

Website of the week

A place to learn, connect and create

Not only is Google’s Entrepreneur website damn pretty, it’s also a creators hub to read up on success stories and, more importantly, connect with other like-minded people in what are known as ‘Startup Communities’.

Meet TIYO: the answer to any awkward situation

You’re on a bad date. You’re in a boring meeting. You’re stuck in a terribly awkward conversation with your father-in-law about ‘twerking’. You need an out.
Luckily the people at This Is Your Out (or TIYO) have your back. One simple press of the magic TIYO button and you will receive a real phone call in just seconds.

Check out this video of TIYO in action:

App of the week

Every drop really does count

Everydrop LA wants to use big data to avoid a drought in California, by encouraging residents to report incidents of water wastage. According to the creators, even the smallest amount of water wastage can lead to meaningful losses over time. By using the Everydrop LA, citizens can report the location of leaking faucets and fire hydrants as well as occurrences of blatant water wastage.

Check it out in action:

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