Are We Leaving on a Toxic Jet Plane?

By Aditya Basu

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Richard Westgate, Karen Lysakowska, Karl Barolia and Mathew Bass are just not names. In short, they may be indirectly responsible for modification of Air Safety Guidelines and Airplane designs in future.

Unfortunately, they all had to die for it.

Richard and Karen were talented British Airways Pilots, and Matt and Kal worked as Flight Attendants. It is interesting that they were not part of the same Flight Crew and might not even have known each other. Other than the fact they all worked in the Aviation Industry in Britain, the point of concern is all of them died courtesy prolonged exposure to TCP or Tricresyl Phosphate. TCP is a Neurotoxin and is found in Engine Oil of modern-day Jet Planes.

TCP is used as an additive in Turbine Engine Oil to act as a Hydraulic Fluid and Heat Exchanging Medium. It is to be noted that TCP is also used as a Nerve Agent in production of banned Sarin Gas which is classified as a Weapon of Mass Destruction.

Question now arises how come such deadly Toxic Chemicals were found in the bodies of various Pilots and Flight Crews? The Jet Engines are outside the plane, how come they got poisoned staying inside the plane?

This happens courtesy a basic design flaw of modern-day Airplanes. Designs have been evolved for cost cutting, and as a result Air Intake for Pressurized Cabin Air which was supposed to be a separate mechanism, has now been merged with the mechanism for pressurized Jet Engine air. Pressurized air in the Jet Engines is required for combustion and moving the Jet Engine propellers. Effectively, what happens is that the air that we breathe inside Airplanes comes from the Intakes of the Jet Engines and is called Bleed Air. This is the air that enters the engines and gets channeled to the Ventilation and Air Conditioning System that supplies air to the Cockpit and the Passenger Cabins. So effectively if anything goes wrong in the Engine or the Auxiliary Power Unit (Bleed Air also comes via APU,) toxic fumes from Chemicals and Engine Oils might enter Cockpit and Passenger Cabins. Mind you, these gases are dangerous gases and are considered hazardous. Inhaling these gases leads to nausea and headache and nervous breakdowns, among other things. It is chemical poisoning that happens to people who come in contact with those toxic fumes arising from Synthetic Oils like Mobil Jet ll and others. And these toxic fume incidents are known as Fume Events by the Aviation Industry. This is how contaminated air enters Passenger Cabins and Cockpits in airplanes. What is to be noted here, there is no Filtration Device present in the airflow schematic to filter out the toxic fumes before it enters the air circulation system.

This is how aircraft air gets contaminated, watch the video.

Now the question arises, were those four unfortunate souls, victims of rare and isolated contamination incidents? Even though how much we try to believe that, unfortunately it is not true. From British Airways again, John Hoyete, Bearnairdi Beaumont, Dee Passon and scores of others have been exposed to TCP Poisoning via Bleed Air over the decades. It has affected their efficiency and health and they have retired from flight duties. What is more, these Fume Events are not isolated from Britain only. These Fume Events as they are known, which are chemical exposures, are a worldwide phenomenon. It's just that the Aviation Industry hid this fact for over 70 years from the public eyes. But this information has finally come out in the public domain over the last few years, courtesy various efforts by the Pilots and Flight Crews in Britain and Australia and from the US.

A question arises here, then how many Fume Events are we looking at worldwide and how frequent are these incidents?

A figure comes from the Australian Aviation Industry... Around 1 per 130 flights. In Britain alone, close to 700 Fume Events are reported every year as per the British Pilot's Union BALPA. So, let's do a little maths here. Popular industry assumption is, there are 100,000 flights happening every day. So, by Australian estimates around 769 Fume Events are happening each day worldwide. So, each day, flight crew and passengers of 769 planes get gassed with toxic chemicals in other words if you put it very bluntly. British Aviation Industry's estimates are way off the Australian one, and they claim around 1 incident per two thousand flights (as per aviation officials). Going by that woobly goobly number, then still 50 incidents of Fume Events happen each day worldwide.

Let's assume going by the British woobly goobly numbers, if one hundred passengers and crew are travelling in each flight that means five thousand people are getting exposed to toxic fumes every day. Exposure level might vary from plane to plane. By Australian numbers 76,900 people are being exposed to toxic fumes everyday courtesy a design flaw. The flaw, which has not been rectified by the Aircraft Manufacturers and various Airlines for over 70 years now since the problem first surfaced. Who will do the math of people exposed to toxic gases in the last 70 years?

Why so? Cost of rectifying the design vs cost of life. Life was decided to be expendable but not money by these aviation companies.

Difference Between Fume Event Contamination and Basic Contamination and Short Term and Long-Term Exposure to Toxic Gases:

Before we divulge into all contamination details let me point out a couple of facts.

* There is no Filter present to filter contaminated Bleed Air before it passes into the Passenger Cabins and Cockpit.

* There is no Alarm or Toxic Fume Detector on board. So effectively, unless a Pilot smells the gas there is no way to know contamination is happening.

* There is no effective way to switch to a Backup Air Compressor in case of contamination, as there is no backup. Air can only come through via the Bleed system of the twin Engines and APU and GPU (only exception being Boeing 787.)

You will get a detailed overview of the Bleed Air System in this Video

You will get detailed overview of an Aircraft Airconditioning System in this Video

You might think let's trash Passenger Airlines and fly in smaller planes... Unfortunately, contamination risk is higher in smaller planes but at least they keep Carbon Monoxide Detectors! So, you will at least know beforehand if something is wrong.

Coming back to the exposure part of it, many News Crews and Flight Crews have taken swab samples off planes during normal times to check for contamination both in Australia and Britain. Each time the results have come back Positive. But despite that, the Airlines always maintained that contamination is well below Safety Standards. What they are bypassing is that samples were not taken during a Fume Event but taken under normal situations and then too results came back Positive. What will happen if samples are taken during actual Fume Events? I think most Airlines do not keep Exposure Metres and Toxic Gas Level Monitors on planes as the cat will come out of the bag if they do keep one voluntarily, and regulations don't ask them to do it. And so, they can get away with it.

The whole concept of well below Safety Standards is arguable though, as the World Health Organization stated in 1990 that "Because of considerable variation among individuals in sensitivity to TOCP, it is not possible to establish a safe level of exposure" and "TOCP are therefore considered major hazards to human health."

So there goes the silly defense put up by the Airlines and Aircraft Manufacturers regarding presence of Toxic Elements inside planes under Normal Flight Conditions also.

Let's now look into Short Term Exposure to elevated levels of Toxic Fumes during a Fume Event, experienced by both Crew and Passengers. And Long Term Exposure to Low Level of Contamination, experienced by mostly Flight Crews and Frequent Flyers (Loyal Customers). Both have short- and long-term effects. And long-term exposures can even lead to death as we saw at the start of this article.

Immediate and Short-Term Effect of a Single Fume Event includes:

Seizures, Graying Out, Unconsciousness, Disorientation, Problems with Coordination, Nausea and Vomiting.

Long Term Effects of a Single Fume Incident includes:

Cognitive Problems, Chronic Fatigue, Acquired Chemical Sensitivity among others.

The detailed problems have been described in an independent report on Aero Toxic Syndrome by Chris Winder, School of Safety Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia and Jean-Chirstophe Balouet of Environment International, Nogent sur Marne, France. You can access the report in this link

Download the Report

You can get a brief overview of Short- and Long-Term Effects from this image I have captured from the Report.

It is to be noted, the groups of people mostly at risk are... Pilots, Cabin Crew, Old People, Pregnant Women, Unborn Babies, Babies, Frequent Fliers.

As the report suggests, the fumes can induce Unconsciousness, Seizures, Nausea, Disorientation, Problem with Coordination. Imagine being in the Pilot's seat when such an event happens. Plane crash is a big possibility and even if the Pilot somehow manages to land the plane, the Flight Crew might be disoriented and will not be able to evacuate the plane as per drill. And you can't blame either the Pilot or Flight Crew for this, you just must blame the Airlines for flying planes which can make the crew sick while performing their duty. And not only sick... Some may eventually die like the four I have mentioned at the start of this article.

Day after day Pilots are getting forced to fly Planes which can have a Fume Event, and that might lead to loss of control of the aircraft. And that will result in loss of lives both inside planes and on the ground, but Airlines don't care about that! May be most crashes are not Pilot Errors, Pilots must be physically fit to act as per training! They are just killing the crew slowly by ignoring the problems and denying that there is a link between the sickness and the Toxic Fumes!

Flight Crew Falls Ill. News Report.

EasyJet Crew Falls Ill. News Report.

Nine Hospitalised Post Fume Event. News Report.

These Fume Incidents keep happening every day, check this video taken live by a passenger inside one plane when one Fume Event happened.

Unfortunately, very few Fume Events get reported officially and hardly any report makes it to the media. In most cases Pilots and Flight Crew are pressurized to withdraw complaints and might even face sacking if they complain about it too much. So instead of solving the problems the Airline companies are keener to kill the messenger. The Pilots and Flight Crews keep quiet to feed their families and make a living.

The hushing up of Fume Events does not stop here. Instead of prolonged official treatment by Company Doctors on Chemical Exposure oriented sickness, the affected Crew gets prescribed Anti-Depressant and other medications by Airline Docs. This is done to make it look like the Flight Crew are at fault regarding the sickness and not the Airlines. And as for the Passengers the Airlines totally ignore them, as if they are disease affected sheep and no longer the Airline's responsibility as they stepped out of the plane.

What I suggest is, if you have been exposed to chemical poisoning like this don't stay silent. Approach your Flight Union and do report it. Also visit www.AeroToxic.Org which is an initiative by Capt. John Hoyete who is fighting this against the Airlines. Capt. Hoyete himself had to retire on medical grounds post long term chemical exposure. If you are a Passenger, then too you can take the Airlines to Court for compromising your health and safety. Watch a few hard-hitting documentaries I am embedding after this post to know how to deal with it.

What is unfortunate, it is not a problem that has been discovered today. This problem has been in existence since the 1950s when Bleed Air concept was first introduced. So over 70 years, the Airlines Industry has ignored the problem and Aircraft Manufacturers keep on making planes with Bleed Air systems. Read this report which explains the problem and suggests solutions in 1955. Still nothing has been done to rectify it and Airlines keep hushing things up, they have been doing it for over sixty years now.

1955 Report on Bleed Air System Problems and Solution

Aircraft Manufacturers keep denying the existence of the problem meanwhile.

What needs to be done to tackle the problem is, Regulatory Bills have to be passed by Governments, where it makes the following things mandatory:

* Installation of Filters to filter contaminated Bleed Air is a MUST

* Installation of Toxic Fumes Detectors a MUST

* Support Infrastructure for Affected Crews and Public including Legal Help

* A regulation to Phase Out Bleed Air Systems from Aircrafts with a specified time limit of 5 to 10 years

* Statutory warning should be printed in tickets; Flying can be Injurious to Health in case of Fume Events. (Public must be informed of risk)

On an ending note, though all planes can be affected by a Fume Event, three models, BAE 146, A320 and Boeing 757 are very prone to it. Boeing 757 is widely flown in Americas, Europe, Australia by various Airlines. A320 is flown globally including India.

In India we mostly fly Boeing 737 Next Generation from Boeing and A320 from Airbus Industries. I could not find any reported Fume Event here in India which is very odd. And that can happen courtesy two reasons

* Airlines hush it up and force crew members not to go public.

* Airline Companies are flying comparatively newer Aircrafts which are not overused like their Western Counterparts. So effectively it will happen in coming years unless steps are taken now to prevent it.

Unfortunately, worldwide Fume Events have been reported in Boeing 737s and A320s also.

Co-Pilot Falls Sick During Fume Event Onboard Boeing 737. News Report.

Crew Falls Sick in A320. News Report.

Though many deny it officially, some Airline Regulators do have on paper Fume Event related Procedure Manuals which itself is a proof that it happens.

FAA Advisory on Fume Event

If you go through the hard-hitting documentaries on the same subject produced by various News Channels worldwide, you will realize how severe the problem is.

My concluding suggestion in this regard, if Airline companies don't change the Bleed Air System or if they don't put Air Filters in the Airplanes it's high time we stop flying in these jets. We have to hurt them where it hurts most and only then might things change for the better.

And if the Airline Bosses insist that contamination is under Safety Level, why not all board a plane together and create a Fume Event with those chemicals involved and inhale it for some time and prove to us that flying is safe. Will they ever do that? But they make their employees and passengers go through it every day. And there rests the case.

Inspiration for researching this topic and writing this article came from watching the movie A Dark Reflection which is based on true events. Do watch it when you have the time along with the Documentaries I shared. It's based on the guys I talked of here.

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Unboxing the World One Viewpoint at a Time

By Aditya Basu
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As We Knew the World and as The World Knew Us:

I still remember the day when Indira Gandhi was brutally gunned down by her own bodyguard post Operation Blue Star. We heard rumors and saw Police Jeep doing rounds of the neighborhood. We were clueless as our National Broadcasters; Door Darshan and All India Radio were tight lipped about the whole incident. But news came through. News came through via BBC World Service. We all tuned into BBC and tearfully heard India lost one of its most dynamic Prime Ministers of all time. Such was the power of BBC back then, and we knew which Channel to listen to when you want some authentic news, and one news organization you can always bank on.

Then some years later I remember watching excitedly, American and British warplanes taking off from Aircraft Carriers in the Gulf and flying their bombing sorties. Iraq skyline ablaze with tracer fires, and occasional bomb blasts here and there. We were watching start of Gulf War live on television via CNN International sitting at Kolkata, India.

What was happening back then is away from the State sponsored Television Networks we were getting exposed to International News Broadcasters and our dependence on those channels of information were growing leaps and bounds. We trusted and bet our lives on news from BBC and CNN. That is exactly how we came to know the world, and how the world came to know us. What these channels showed us about the world, and what the channels showed the world about us.

Uncovering Bitter Truths and Understanding Perspectives:

But gradually with the onset of the Information Age and opening of many more Channels and News Networks around the world and within India, we gradually started taking in more sources of news. But still BBC and CNN remained one of the most trusted sources of World News when it came to International News Networks.

Then suddenly one day India was up in arms against BBC as it televised visuals of Russian Tanks roaming in Chechnya, as Indian Army Tanks roaming in Kashmir. We understood that BBC was pushing a hoax story to cater to British national interest back then. Whoa! BBC, a channel we trusted so much.

Then came 2nd Gulf War and we were told by BBC and CNN that the coalition is attacking Iraq as Saddam is stockpiling WMD. Wait! Was not Saddam a product of USA against old rival Iran? So well, the West went to war with a small country and CNN and BBC and likes made us believe that it was for a worthy cause. It has been a decade I guess after the war, and still there has been no proof of WMD that ever surfaced. So, it became apparent, the Western Mainstream Media pushed their Government Agenda and did a propaganda that Iraq was stockpiling WMD. They were puppets on a string, and we believed them. Resulted in destruction of a country.

Same thing happened in Afghanistan. We were led to believe it was Al-Qaeda who were responsible, and it's needed to invade Afghanistan. Mainstream did not cover the angle, but which many independents did, where the whole 9/11 attack looks like a Government Agency setup for invading Afghanistan. Does Al-Qaeda exist? As per mainstream we have been led to believe yes it does. Independents does question the theory.

So, over the years what we came to understand is CNN, BBC and the likes have been pushing their Government Agendas and pieces that have been approved by the States. So there goes Freedom of Press. It is nonexistent in the mainstream, especially in the US.

How They Fooled Us and Keep Doing It:

Unfortunately, they keep on doing it. Situationally the Western Coalition does not want Iran to dominate the region, oil is valuable stuff, so is regional power and dominance. Unfortunately, Assad of Syria happened to be pro Iran, so via the mainstream media again the world was led to believe Assad is a bad guy, so he must be invaded in support of the rebels. What the mainstream did not tell us is (now its verified by UN fact finding teams) that the initial massacre at AL Quebir in 2012 was carried out by Saudi backed anti Assad militia and it was made to look like the Syrian Army did it. It plunged the country into a blood bath which continues till date. What was the story we keep getting from the mainstream? Everything that is Anti-Assad. As that is what the Western Governments wanted us to know. It prepared the ground for invasion of Syria by western forces. Remember WMD and Iraq?

Now something unexpected happened which was not able to happen during the Gulf war. This time the Internet was there, and so were the alternative news sources along with social media.

So effectively what happened is, people were more aware that the western powers were again pushing for another invasion (they have some serious problems in dealing with rest of the world,) and this time worldwide people started objecting. In many news sites Anti-War articles started getting published, people started talking about it in social media, people were out in the streets in US also, and fortunately a World War III kind of situation was avoided. Weapons manufacturers could not sell weapons and the Western powers just had to back down as people knew what was happening, despite propaganda by mainstream news networks.

It gave birth to the rise of Alternative and Free Press, and Social Voice on whom people can bank on, unlike the mainstream media who mostly spread propaganda in times like these. The world now knows that they too have an opinion in what is happening around the world. And once united they can stop these big boys from playing war stuff with each other. It's like mom scolding... "Son come back home, it's time... play time is over."

One Who Owns the Media Controls the World:

So, it's quite evident that whoever controls the information channels can form mass opinions. So intact, a big war is happening now over how to control news and information sources they can't buy off. Say Social Media and alternative Non-Commercial Free Press sites, and Non-Western News Networks like Al Jazeera and Russia Today who are reaching out to the world with their viewpoint, and with what they feel is right or wrong about this world. Western leaders are petrified to the extent that they openly speak about CNN and BBC losing their voice. They are now even asking for more funds to be allocated to counter non-US/UK Media Networks. There are talks happening in US, to counter Russia Today by opening a Russian Language News Channel which will spread American propaganda to the folks in Russia. But what they don't understand is that the world is tired of false stories and propaganda and war, to fill some select coffers. They are tired of invasion by a select group of countries. What is happening right now is people are realigning themselves and their viewpoints as they are more informed now than before. People can make their own decisions. People themselves are becoming media editors.

Understanding Propaganda and Real News:

So, it is quite evident that what we are told is not always the truth. Sometimes States, Political Parties and even Corporations try to mislead us with the help of the mass media, which is the commercial news networks. Not only USA, but in most of the countries including India. Especially in the US, very few journalists are there in big companies like CNN, Fox News, USA Today who can chase news stories which are against Governments and Big Corporations. In India journalists enjoy more freedom to report than journalists in US.

If mainstream journalists were free to report in US, then stories like certain Government Agency was planning to assassinate Occupy Houston Movement Leaders (if needed) with Suppressor Sniper Rifles would have made Headlines. That agency also suggested using that method in other Occupy Movements. FBI did officially acknowledge this. If this would have happened in India, media would have gone crazy and would have run after the Government to disclose facts. People would have been out in the streets and the Government would have to step down. But nothing like that happened in the US. Why? Because the mainstream media never informed the public about it. It came out via alternative news sources and was totally blacked out by the mainstream. Imagine having a plan to assassinate own citizens who dare to raise voices!

So, it's quite clear that via mainstream media we don't always get to hear what we should hear and instead we hear what is made for us to hear. Officially cleared versions. CNN and BBC journalists go to other countries and try to break stories ignoring what is happening in the US and UK.

So, it is especially important for us to understand what propaganda is and what is real news.

Fighting Media Disinformation:

Somehow people in the West are under the impression that they live in a free country. But the fact remains their reporters can't go and report against the Governments and Big Corporates. The civilians in US are more likely to be killed by a Trigger-Happy Policeman than any Terrorist, considering 5000 people have died courtesy the Cops in US post 9/11, is a proof of that. Their Government Agencies plan to assassinate Activists. Rapid Militarization of Police is happening in the US. Police brutality in US during group protests like Occupy Wall Street and Anaheim Protests are making headlines across the world, except in US. Is this Freedom and Freedom of Press? I don't think the UK too will lag far behind in this regard, as they normally follow US footsteps everywhere.

So, it is especially important for people worldwide to be more aware about what mainstream media tells them and what they do not tell them. They need to know how much truth in what there is they get to hear from the mainstream. In this regard let me say journalists in India enjoy more freedom to report on things than journalists in US or UK. In India too, TV Channels at times get biased in their coverage and openly support some political parties during elections. Let's not forget that Political Parties do buy Media Advertising Slots and Corporates attached to them also buy Advertising Space. But still in India, journalists enjoy more freedom than their Western counterparts when it comes to criticizing the Government and its policies and Police brutalities. Media can still bring down Government here in India by publishing the Right News so that it reaches the Right Ears, in West they can't do that. The News Networks have become small pawns in the hands of the Governments, else they mostly publish Tabloids and do Yellow Journalism to sell copies.

So, it is clear you must learn to fight Media Disinformation, and only way to do that is take in more news sources from various kinds of outlets and be vocal about it. Fight Media Disinformation and be more aware of what is happening around you.

Understanding International Perspectives:

While you listen to News Broadcasters from foreign countries, say the likes of CNN and BBC, it is especially important to understand that they do have some agendas which they push globally among other things. Their national interest is there in some stories, and it is not always the whole picture that you get to see and hear.

So, it's important for you not to rely on just two Channels for your cup of International News which comes from the West, heavily laced with Western viewpoints of the world. It's just one side of the coin.

Open to comparatively much liberal viewpoints, Channels like Aljazeera (Quatar), Russia Today (Russia) who courtesy their nation of origin has counter viewpoints about what they report on while doing international stories. NPR from United States is a reliable source of news. Read stories from The Conversation. You must learn to see both sides of the coin. Global perspectives vary from region to region. So, opening to new sources of information gives you multiple perspectives of the same news. You will also discover underperformed stories this way and get to know more about your own world.

Developing an Objective Viewpoint and Being Your Own Editor:

It is important for you to open to more information sources. Mix news from both mainstream and alternative media so that you are a much better educated citizen. You must be able to build your own version of the story in your own head, just by hearing ten perspectives, some of which can be biased. So, you need to learn to filter information and become your own Editor of News. The gatekeeper of what gets into your head, and that helps you to decide and act and motivate others to act. You have to be more aware of what is happening around you and develop informed viewpoints.

Open Your Eyes to the Real Truth and Less of Untruth:

If you remember the movie Cloud Atlas an extremely popular quote from it is, "Truth is Singular, all its versions are Mistruths". In other words, there is only one truth. It might have different versions, but fact remains what is truth is truth, but the versions of truth as portrayed remains an untruth.

But the Truth is Out There (X Files), and it is for us to find it and separate it from the Untruth. How do we do that?

Primarily, what we must do is learn to observe multiple news sources. Few from the mainstream from various countries and not one, and some from the alternative news sources which can be a mixture of Blogs, Magazines, Crowd Funded News Sites. Social media is a good place to discuss these issues and spread the news what you feel is right.

Secondly learn to do your own research before betting on a story which changes your perception of things, and the way things are. Some things I said here might have intrigued you, say that of Assassination Plans related to Occupy Houston Movement...research it and form your opinion about it. Only after you have researched it from multiple perspectives will you be able to differentiate the One Truth over a Thousand Untruths.

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Merging Physical Realm with the Digital Realm and Leading a Real Smart Life - Part 2

Merging Physical Realm with the Digital Realm and Leading a Real Smart Life - Part 1

Near Field Communication (NFC):

This is the Next Generation RFID Tagging system. Unlike its predecessor NFC allows two-way communication between NFC Tag and NFC Reader. It has many novel usages and soon all Smart Phones will have NFC Readers inbuilt in them. The possibility of using this technology is infinite.

• Device to Device:

One of the most common uses of NFC technology will be to do Data Transfer just by touching two NFC enabled devices. So, you can pair a phone with your friend just by touching the two phones. In case you need to access Wi-Fi, just touch the NFC enabled Router with your NFC enabled phone. Similarly, you can check out of Departmental Stores by touching your Smart Phone with the Billing Machine. Play games with your friend from two phones just by touching the two and pairing them.

• NFC Tags:

NFC Tags are small Tags like RFID Tags which can have pre-programmed Data in them. It can even be a Call to Action. So, when you take your phone near a NFC Tag beside the product, without you having to do anything the NFC Tag will communicate with your phone and Digital Information will come to your phone in form of a Video or Picture or Customer Review. You can do many other things with a NFC Tag. While going out of home tap the NFC Tag on the doorway with your phone and phone will switch from Wi-Fi Internet to Mobile Internet, the NFC Tag was programmed to Call for that Action in your Smart Phone. You can send a traditional greeting card to your friend and when he or she touches the phone with the NFC Tag on the card, his or her favourite song can start playing from YouTube. The possibilities are just endless.

• NFC Apps:

There are already a bunch of NFC Apps out there for NFC enabled phones as NFC is gradually gaining popularity.

• GoogleWallet:

It's been sometime that Google incorporated NFC in its payment App. So, you can check out in stores just by touching your phone with the NFC Readers installed in stores. It will charge your Credit Card without you having to do much at all.

• Trigger:

This is a NFC Tag programming App. So, with this App you can program the NFC Tag to execute many Call-to-Action protocols. After creating a Trigger, you must touch the NFC Tag with your phone and the Tag will get programmed. Now you can send the Tag in a Greeting Card or paste it to the doorway as explained above.

• NFC Tools:

This is another popular NFC Reader cum Writer so that you can both read and write NFC Tags with your phone.

iBeacon:

This innovation is coming from the house of Apple, targeted at iPhone users and Departmental Store Franchises. Imagine the iBeacons as Wi-Fi like digital signals emitting from a Department Store. When you are crossing the store, your phone detects the signal and communicates with the iBeacon Emitting Device. The device then pushes a message to your phone regarding offers in the store. If you are interested, you enter the store and various iBeacon emitters then coordinate with your phone, guess your location, and guide you to the product. iBeacons use Low Power Bluetooth technology so it will not drain your phone's battery.

This is how iBeacon works.

Augmented Reality:

This is where the real fun starts when it comes to innovations happening in the digital space to merge the physical world with the digital world. So, let's explore the technologies that are going to make us live life as in Sci-Fi movies. It's all about merging Digital Data and GFX with Real World inside a Smart Phone or in a HMD or in front of you via a Portable Projector.

• Sixth Sense

This is a highly futuristic technology which is being experimented at MIT in the US. It's a Wearable Computer System which consists of a Camera, a Smart Phone sized Computer and a Projector. Conceptualised and developed by Steve Mann and later further developed by Pranav Mistry at MIT. It's a Wearable Gesture Interaction Device. So, you can frame an object or scene with your fingers and the camera takes the picture. The computer then fetches all related data from the Internet and via the projector projects it on the wall in front of the user. The user then can interact with the data that is being projected in front with fingers by making movement gestures. What is interesting here is that I myself was lucky enough to watch the Demo of it in Delhi and met Pranav Mistry. He was on a promotional tour in India, for the launch of Technology Review in India along with the Editor of Technology Review. It was an overwhelming experience to see what it can do.

Watch what it can do in a Demo by Pattie Mae at TedX.

• Google Glass

Google Glass is another example of Augmented Reality viewer where the user can see all sorts of Digital Data flowing in front of eyes, which is related to what he is seeing via the Google Glass. Remember the Terminator movie? It uses an Optical Head Mounted Display and activates by tilting the glass 30 degrees. Operates on voice command and touch pad. You can hook up your phone and programme it via an App called My Glass. Third party providers are also making Apps for Google Glass.

Why Google Glass?

• SnapShop

Brought to you by SnapShop Inc. This is a highly innovative Shopping App for shopping household furnitures online. They have an online furniture store, which sells branded furniture from various well know manufacturers. What you can do in their store is pick up virtual furniture and place it on the photo of your living, dining, or bedroom, and see how it gels with the room. So, using Augmented Reality (AR) you can experience the final look of the room virtually.

See how SnapShop works. Someday maybe you will be able to put a virtual dress on a 3D model of yours and see how you look and then buy.

• Theodolite

It is an Augmented Reality View Finder App for iPhone which pulls all kinds of location data from GPS, Compass Heading, Time Data, Elevation and puts it on the phone. All that you need in the wilderness. Viewfinder is like those role-playing games where you get to see all kinds of locational data on a Head Mounted Display which is overlaying over original image of the location. Developed by Hunter Research and Technology, this is a truly Sci-Fi Age Application. For Android the App to look for is Theodolite Droid.

• iOnRoad

iOnRoad is like your Personal Driving Assistant who keeps giving data related to your driving. So, you will get alerts when you accidentally change lanes, collision alert when collisions can happen. It also lets you know how far behind you are from the vehicle in front of you. So, it also calculates the speed of the vehicle in front other than yours. Another excellent feature, it records Video, while you are driving, like a Dashcam. So effectively it can be used in courts like a Black Box. With over a million downloads this is a popular App for both Android and iPhones.

See how iOnRoad works.

• Field Trip

This App from Google can work with your phone, Google Glass, and Google Watch. What it does is overlay your surrounding visual with information on various buildings and locations around you. So, with the help of this App, over the visuals, you get to see interesting information about the places. You can discover things and stores and hangout joints you never knew existed. With integrated maps and pointers, it's a helpful App to have.

Experience FieldTrip in this Video.

• Wikitude

Wikitude is for Brands and Companies who want to develop Augmented Reality Apps for their own products. So, you can have your own App where you mark out all your stores and locations. So, when a viewer uses your App, the user can access information regarding how far off the store is, and which one is the store among many buildings. Data gets overlayed with visuals via the camera. Can be explored by companies like Retail Chains, Restaurant Chains, Hospital Chains etc.

Image Recognition Application:

Image recognition application works by reversing the Image Search process and punching Augmented Reality with the search results. Various Apps are out there, let's examine the popular ones.

• Google Goggles

Coming from Google's stable this versatile App is a box full of wonders. What it does is, when you click picture of a building or a product it conducts a search of matching images in Google Database, and fetches information regarding that building or product. If it's a building, you will get to know what building it is and what all is there. If it's a picture of a product that you clicked, then it will fetch different prices from different online stores and other product related information. What's more, you can scan Barcodes with it and get related information. Interestingly, you can take pictures of road signs in a foreign language, and the App will translate it to your choice of language, using Text Recognition Technology.

Watch how Google Goggles work.

• Clickable Paper

Clickable Paper from Richo Europe, is like TouchCode when it comes to linking Posters or Tickets or Cards with Digital Media Content, be it Web Pages or Pictures or Videos. But it is more versatile in use and uses Image Recognition Technology instead of Hard Linking or Mobile Tagging. What it does is store images of Partner Products and Creatives in its Image Database with pre-configured Rich Media links. When a user clicks the Image of the Creative with the Phone Camera from a Magazine or News Paper, the App searches its Image Database, matches the Creative, pulls the embedded links, and presents them to the viewer.  The user can now click one link and enjoy Rich Media Content in the phone.

This is how Clickable Paper works.

• Blippar

Blippar is a funded company established by Ambarish Mitra in London having offices worldwide including Delhi, India. It has recently acquired a Duch AR company called Layar and combining their database together now commands the world's largest Augmented Reality User Database. Their offering too works on Image Recognition Technology like the above two. What is special about Blippar is it can trigger any Application or Action in the phone as requested by the Advertiser from downloading a PDF File to that of launching a YouTube video. Presently its working with its Partner companies only but wants to make all English Books and English Movie DVDs blippable (scannable).

This is how Blippar works.

Conclusion:

On a concluding note, before you start whipping out your mobile and start clicking pictures and scan etc after reading this article, let me tell you, all technology has limitations, and you might get disappointed at times also with the quality of the search results. Most of these technologies solely depend on how fast you can connect to the Internet and upon where you are based. A lot depends on how much data is available on your location and product you are searching for in the Digital World. But it should not stop you from exploring the Digital World around you and merge it with the Physical World and lead a real Smart Life from now on.

Hope you liked reading this two-part article, so please don't forget to share it with your friends and family, so that they too can know about all these wonderful technologies, which are changing our world as we know it!

Merging Physical Realm with the Digital Realm and Leading a Real Smart Life - Part 1

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Merging Physical Realm with the Digital Realm and Leading a Real Smart Life - Part 1

By Aditya Basu

Imagine moving into a new neighbourhood in a new city and everything is unfamiliar to you. The streets, the parks, the restaurants, the people, the shops, the historical buildings... Everything. Pretty overwhelming huh at start! Especially in places where you must act and behave like a local so that people won't bother you or try to get smart with you. It can be very intriguing and scary at times depending on where you are. Unfamiliar locations without anyone to point you towards your destination or to help you out with your query.

Then recall the movie Terminator where Arnold is looking at people and fetching details about them in his Heads-Up Display (HUD) and knowing whether they are the people he is searching for or not. Punch it with the movie Predator where the Alien is scanning for Heat Signals emitted from humans and getting the information on its HUD, irrespective of Day or Night. Let's take this concept further forward and see what else can be thought of and can be done.

Imagine walking down a street without a name, in that new place you moved into, and stopping in front of a beautiful building. Suddenly Digital Data floats up in front of your eyes regarding which building it is, and its history, and its location on a map that you can see in front of your eyes. Then you look at a poster beside the building which has a picture of an upcoming rock concert, and you point at that, and then suddenly you get to see a Music Video of the featured Rock Band playing in front of your eyes. Meanwhile something beeps and a line comes floating in front of your eyes, "This is Walmart, pick milk, you have run out of milk in the fridge." Then you move in and Digital Data guides you to the rack where the milk can is kept. You happily pick up the milk can and then Customer Reviews float in front of your eyes regarding that product and its price. You are happy with the reviews and take it and leave the store without waiting for the queue at the counter as there is NO Que and NO Sales Counter!!! Your bill has been paid by your bank automatically to Walmart. You get into your car and start driving, getting all kinds of data on your speed, proximity to the next car, lane change alert and collision alert. You decide to let the car drive itself and take you back home while you take a nap. It has been an exhausting day.

Straight out of Science Fiction Films, right? Noppes. It's Happening.

Believe me it's all happening, and within 10 years we will be able to effortlessly do all these as proper steps have been taken in this direction, to merge our Digital Information World with our Real Physical World. It's Happening folks. Right now. It's Happening.

We are toddlers now, but yes, we are getting there. So, let's explore some technologies now that are helping us to merge our Physical World with that of the Digital Information World.

QR Code:

Quick Response Codes have caught everyone's attention nowadays, both consumers and people who want to market their services and products. This is popular in Japan. It is those square Black and White boxes you get to see beside Newspaper Advertisements and Magazine Advertisements. QRCode boxes have those black and white geometrical shapes in them. Those are codes, which can be read by any QR Code Reader App. The geek terminology for it is Hard Linking or Mobile Tagging. Those QR Codes have coded URL Links in them which once decoded by your QRCode Reader takes you to that URL. So effectively you can Tag any physical object with a URL or other information. Most common use is to link a Physical Poster or Outdoor Advertisement with the Facebook Page, or some other important landing pages, say that of downloading a Mobile App of your company. You can generate the codes for free via QR Code Generators and stick it anywhere you need it in the Physical World. That code once scanned, connects people to the Digital World and gives them access to more information about that object or product. It has become extremely popular now a days to the extent of people affixing QR Codes to Gravestones even, so that you can visit and read more about the person who lies buried there. Innovation does not end there. Watch this video to see how Virtual shopping malls have been created in Subway Stations in South Korea using QR Codes.

SnapTag:

Well let's be honest QR Codes look Old School and gibberish and looks ugly beside a nicely composed creative. So what to do? In comes SnapTag. It does all that is done by QRCodes, and much more. SnapTag instead of all those black and white codes, has a small Code Ring, which sits around a company logo, or say a Facebook "Like" symbol. So effectively it's Hard Linking physical objects with help of Company Logos. It has tremendous marketing potential, but the only hitch is the creation of a SnapTag is a paid affair unlike QRCode, as it's a patented technology by SpyderLynk. To read the codes you also need a special App called SnapTag by SpyderLynk, which you can download for free. So yes, this is a significant improvement over QR Code, but you must pay to create the Tags and users must have the SnapTag App installed in their devices.

See how a SnapTag works.

TouchCode:

In a comparable manner like the above two, a German company T-Ink, has developed a coding system which is invisible to the naked eye. When you hover the smart phone camera over an advertisement with the invisible touch code in it, predesignated digital content gets pulled into your phone. So, while scanning a picture of a furniture from the magazine you can have a360-degree view of it in your smart phone. So, the code triggers the TouchCode App to fetch digital content for you. Imagine buying a ticket for a concert and then you hold the ticket beneath the camera of the phone and the TouchCode App triggers a music video from the Internet where you can see the guys performing on stage. This too, like SnapTag is a paid to create code and it's patented by T-Ink.

See how Touch Code works.

RFID Tags:

RFID Tags have been in use for over few decades now. Recently RFID is being widely used in Departmental Stores to keep track of the inventory. It's also popular in the Cargo Industry to keep track of the shipments. Use of RFID tags in keeping track of pets and flocks of sheep is also becoming common. Few RFID implants have taken place in humans too. The main purpose is to store some tracking data in chips and embed it in packaging or inside the biological or artificial body. So, when the embedded Tag is near a matched RFID Reader, the data can be accessed, and shipment tracked. Many Smart Cards use this technology to fetch data about the user. In future Departmental Stores can do away with Sales Counters courtesy tracking capability of RFID Tags. When you pick up a product from the shelf and keep it inside the Shopping Trolley you will get billed by the RFID Reader which is attached to the Shopping Trolley. By the time you leave the store your Bank Account will be auto debited. So, this technology does away with Point of Sales Terminals. Many other uses of RFID are coming up every day.

Well, these technologies are just Tip of the Iceberg, of what all are happening around the world today. Do read Part 2 of this Article to see where we are headed to merge the Digital World with the Physical World. Bigger surprises are coming up in the next Article. 

Merging Physical Realm with the Digital Realm and Leading a Real Smart Life - Part 2

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