Last year I did a quick little project (image above) called RadTag for a design competition. Didn’t get any notice (although I may have screwed up my entry) but I had fun with it. Aside from figuring out a business plan around this thing (a radiation detector that is a peer-to-peer networking device and personal locator), I also did a bit of technology research. One piece that saved my hide on this concept was a child location device I came across that used a wireless signal and cellphone towers. Looks like a better option may have surfaced. I just came across an entry on defensetech.org for a radio chip from Rosum Corporation that probably does a much better job, and I expect the intent is to facilitate exactly the kind of device I dreamed up last year. It’ll be interesting to see where all this leads.

In the meantime, I’ve had some conversations with Jerry Paffendorf (of the Second Life Future Salon blog) regarding the integration of augmented reality and services like Google Maps. He’s been following this stuff and has posted an entry that ties Google’s acquisition of Dodgeball into this. And you can read my comment there as well. Assuming you care….