Almost free bare-bones GPS

While toying with my new cellphone (yeah, had to get one... lost the previous one - and yes I'm going to try and trace the previous one - or at least block it.) anyway... where was I? yeah.. while toying with my new cellphone today, I noticed that it can store the broadcast messages like the cellular tower's location. Example: "Market Yard", "CBS", "Savedi", "Pune Road"... now if the company would transmit the GPS coordinates of the tower, I guess there should be a way to access these broadcast messages on the phone and download a map of the location.

If that is possible, it would be a lot helpful to the tourists and even new people! Else, there can be a special number say for example: "9999" where you can send a SMS "gps". The message is interepted (because it is sent to the special number) and the station itself replies with the GPS coordinates.

I guess for the safety of the tower (everybody in the management would like that - whether it really helps or not...) the GPS coordinates can be offset by a small random value - so that the exact location of the tower is not revealed to everyone (I dont know why I am thinking like this... because technologies like Google Earth already make this "security plan" seem like a joke.)

Anyway, there's also this issue - sometimes when you are on the edge of two or more cells, you can be registered under any one of them - like my cellphone says that it is registered under "Kapad Bazar" cell, then after a while, "Cantonment" and then "Nr Zendi Gate" and sometmies even "Sarjepura". People who know Ahmednagar would recognize these areas... and that they are not exactly very close. So this barebones/ rudimentary GPS system might actually be a pain too...

The only use I can see is perhaps while on the highways... you could download a map (using J2ME/MDIP application) and look for hotels, restaurants, hospitals and possibly even traffic jams.

I would love to work on this project... given the resources and time. Hey cellular companies... are ya listening? Your next killer app - location based content - the technology for which is actually embedded and ready to be exploited in almost all cellphones "as we speak".

A similar but more easy idea is to make service providers pay for their advertisements (not your usual ads... mind you) and people will be able to choose what content they want to receive as they move through the city... maybe a person could go out shopping and choose to receive the special offers from the shops - and choose the next destination based on the fresh content!

Hmm... this crazy "thoughts on rails" thing goes on once it starts... I need to apply brakes to my imagination and put my time to something that gives more immidiate joy - like listening to music!

Good night world.

Electronic Pendant

So what did we (as in Amit and me) cook up today?

How about a geeky pendant hanging down your neck? A elegant yet cool idea - have an electronic component embedded in amber or glass.

I am sure it would look nice enough, but on close inspection would tell about the 'geek inside' :)

That's all for today.

Fun With Ultra Violet

I found a handy toy today. An ultra-violet LED! This toy opens up new avenues for crazy photography. Yay! Will post the experiments soon :)

P.S. I found an old envelope that I had received from SDF back in June 2003. :)

Why Does The Moon Appear Larger Near The Horizon?

We have learnt that the green-house gases trap heat. And we have learnt that things expand when heated. So... when the moon is near the horizon, we see it through hot gases, hence it appears large. When it rises up, it is seen through colder layers of air, which make the image contract in size.

Also, Doc. Amit added... "Everyone starts the race in a big way... but later the steam wears off." Which also proves that the moon appears smaller due to loss of heat.

Smart, isn't it?

Disclaimer: This post is a joke. Please use your common-sense or if you lack that, then use google-sense to find out the right answers.