Braille, in its original form, has been helping the blind read since 1821. It’s static, plain and unmoving. Sounds like it’s also time for a change. A blend of technologies from the National Institute for Standards and Technology hopes to push the threshold of reading to seeing by incorporating images and simple animations.

A computer translates images into thousands of tiny pins called a tactile graphic display. They, in turn, create a physical image that can be felt on the fingertips. These pins can be raised in any pattern and can simulate Web pages, printed material and scanned images. Animations could be outlined as a succession of images that continuously refresh on the device.

An even more exciting prospect straps to fingertips and allows the user to scan any item to be translated on the fly. The fingertip graphic reader immediately develops that image into tiny pin-receptors that are raised against the skin. This type of technology turns any computer screen, book or photo into a tactile object.

So where is technology that helps the blind see get its inspiration from? You remember as a child, that bed of nails toy that you could press your face or hand to and it would replicate it? Simply add a field of electric signals with a complicated translation device and, voilà, childhood toy turned modern miracle.

The same technology when applied to future tech could yield some very interesting byproducts. Imagine having the ability to transport tactile simulations through the internet to another person (wink, wink). Or being able to feel, with uncanny accuracy, the same thing a robot is touching. It puts a whole new spin on virtual reality.

[gizmag]

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• Microlending: Earn Money while Ending Poverty: How microloans from $50-$500 are being paid back 98% of the time while alleviating global poverty to those entrepreneurs who don’t want handouts.
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Kate had an interesting article about the NYC Condom Campaign. David talked about the importance of mascot branding while Jay pointed out logo branding. Zath covers all of my TV and gaming needs while Rod always has interesting takes on innovation.

My introduction to microfinance was during my visit to India about two years ago. I heard that a banking institution was loaning low-income households and businesses amounts that ranged from $50-$500 to be paid back at 3% per year over 3 years.

My first thought was that the default rate, or unlikelihood of paying back the loan, must be fairly high. That’s when I had a rude awakening. I didn’t understand the culture. Entrepreneurs in emerging economies weren’t looking for handouts. They’ve never had the opportunity to apply for a loan. These are people that have rigorous work ethic as craftsman, artists, and tradesman who couldn’t make the move from apprentice to business owner because of their economic status.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve never worn a save the pandas T-shirt in my life. The idea of charity never sits well with me either. I guess that old Chinese “teach a man to fish” proverb has always been tugging at my logic. The best part of microlending is that these people have already been taught, your just the means knocking at their doorstep.

Here are some stats from CREDIT Cambodia: Borrower repayment rate: 98%, Total loan portfolio: $7,469,076, Average loan balance: $522, Operational self-sufficiency: 147%.

If you’re impressed you’re not the only one. eBay recently took notice and began their Internet investment service, MicroPlace. Their mission is to help alleviate global poverty by enabling everyday people to make investments in the world’s working poor. Similar organizations include Kiva and Globefunder.

When it comes right down to it I would much rather loan $100 to an aspiring businessman or woman in Mumbai than calling a late night hotline hosted by Sally Struthers. It’s all that talk about making an investment in someones life. I’m glad some organizations finally took it to heart.

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So I admit, I tend to tune politics out. That is, unless it involves issues I’m passionate about. Like many of you I took political science classes in school, yet I could never identify myself clearly within a political party. I tend to sway with the issues. So then who should I vote for this next coming presidential election?

The first step was to understand my political affiliations. I wanted to see a graphical chart showing where I stand. Political Compass does exactly that. It was developed by a political journalist and a professor of social history. This anonymous test places you on a grid that goes from both left-wing to right-wing and authoritarian to libertarian. It gives you modern examples of who you’d love to have a cocktail conversation with.

After I found out if I’d be sipping brandy with Stalin or Gandhi I wanted to put this newfound information to work. How can I research a 2008 presidential candidate based on the issue positions that are stressed in their campaigns?

Connect2Elect is a new website that matches your personal issues to a list of candidates with similar views. These stem from social issues (where I stand on stem cell research, the Patriot Act), political issues (military spending, trade policies) and core beliefs (flat tax, global military strength vs. diplomatic global peace).

So now that I have candidate values versus mine, I’m able to compare them with graphs and review my custom top 10 recommendations. The site’s biggest downfall is that it only references the campaign websites and doesn’t offer any open discussion.

Choosing a candidate based solely on their official public stance may also be a mistake. A solution would be to decipher their speeches and paper trails and convert them into what they are most likely to actually support when voted into office.

At least now I’ve narrowed down the field a little with a few innovative tools. Too bad they still need some sharpening.

What has six legs, smaller than a grain of salt and is designed clear blocked arteries? Give up? It’s a new microscopic robot that was produced by the Chonnam National University in Korea.

This little crab-like device was designed to release a chemical that will immediately clear obstructions to the heart. The legs are made of grafted heart tissue and may need to be grown from stem cells based on the patients own body. Otherwise the little bugger might be destroyed by the patients immune system.

External power has often made such projects impractical if not impossible. So they came up with an ingenious alternative. Sugar in the patients blood will power this bad boy.

Just like the personal computer these machines will become more efficient and much smaller. Nanomedicine will make even this robot seem big one day.

Robert Freitas at the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing is on record stating that a common nanorobot would be between 0.5-3 micrometers in size. For comparison purposes, that is about 1,000 times smaller than this artery clearing crab.

Nanorobots will provide cures for life threatening diseases, like cancer. They could even repair cells to slow biological aging, allowing us to live hundreds of years. This is just the first step in a succession of advances that will change medical and human history. It sure is an exciting time to be alive.

[Gizmodo]