Author Archives: admin

Something new at the horizon.

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Important day today.

Went for a 12 Km #running workout where we had to keep a stable pace at 5.00 min/km. Perfect field trial for a POC of an app we’re working on as a side project.

Basically I think there are powerful ways to drive our mind to do something we do not want to do. Ways to commit ourselves to the perfect result. Not really a la B.J. Fogg.
Let’s just say I’m truly convinced that when you’re concentrating in pumping all those muscles in the run, and breathing, and looking and where your placing your next step, etc., let’s just say I think I have a way to convince your brain to do what I want, which – in our case – is to keep a stable pace.

And I’m the worst pacer ever. EVVVER. Not able to run a single KM at the same pace as the previous one.

Still, being able to control your pace is DA skill if you’re serious about running.

My objective today was to keep a pace of 5. So here’s the result (tracked by runkeeper):

  • [app was off] Km 1: 6:13
  • Km 2: 4:46 [turned the app on]
  • Km 3: 4:56
  • Km 4: 4:56
  • Km 5: 5:00
  • Km 6: 5:00
  • Km 7: 4:56
  • Km 8: 4:49 (shit)
  • Km 9: 5:01
  • Km 10: 5:11 (street crossing)
  • Km 12: 4:59

Still have a lot of stuff to fix. and the UI. Lord forgive me for this UI. But we’re on the right track. Can’t wait to start gathering feedback from testers who don’t have my name and surname.

A trend for 2013: our relationships with our smart phones gets more physical

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Update 12/13/2012: this was republished on Co.DESIGN

In 2013, the combination of 20-nanometer processors (ARM, Intel, and Apple are planning launches for Q2/Q3) and 4G Networks becoming available in most countries will alter how we use our smart phones.

Higher computational power, reduced energy consumption, and faster data communication in our hands will accelerate the development of biometric applications, such as the authentication of the eye or fingerprints through a hand-held device’s camera. This will play a big role in sensitive applications such as mobile banking or payments. Pairing biometric authentication with voice-based logins will start becoming the norm, granting us faster and more secure access to information. As a result, private databases storing bio-information will arise, fueling start-up and funding action in this area.

We can look forward to a time when the authentication layer won’t be based on our human memory anymore. In 2013, we’ll move closer to a time when we won’t be forced to rely on easily forgettable (and not very secure) passwords because each of us, with our biological individuality, will become our own password.

Note: this was originally write for frog end of year booklet “20 Tech Trends for 2013″; you can read it here and grab the free PDF poster here.

Frontiers Workshops: revealed

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In the last 8 years I spent most of my spare time together with Leeander (and lately with Massimo, Marcello, Gian, Paola, Valentina, …) crafting the first of the two days that together are what we call the Frontiers Experience.

It’s a day packed with excitement (the final wrap up of the venue, the attendees registration, all the information we have to provide) and work: it’s the workshops day.

We introduced the workshops for the first time in 2010 in Rome: 4 workshops in parallel for the half a day day. Result: too noisy. We partially pivoted in 2011 in Florence with 3 parallel tracks. Our guests where confused and, at the end, we weren’t happy.

That’s why this year we decided to cut the tracks down to two (for a total of 4 workshops) and, oir the first time – thanks to Biccio – you can now have a glimpse of what it means being there.

Feel the energy. Feel the fun. Feel the passion. This is Frontiers.