iPhone App Helps You Actually Keep Your New Year's Resolutions This Time

If decades of analogue failure at meeting New Year's resolutions has got you down, then try a new a tool for the digital age. A European start-up called Motivapps recently released a coaching tool,Goal-Setting Workshop, for iPhone and iPod touch, just in time for 2011.

Of course, there are already a wide range of apps that can help you with specific New Year's resolutions. If you want to get fit, download one of the countless personal trainer apps; if you want to save money, get one of the countless budget apps.

But for a more organized resolution experience, one that takes you from the conception of your goal through its completion, Goal-Setting Workshop might appeal. The app works in four stages: first you brainstorm ideas, then you narrow them down to a small list, then you commit to a few, and then you get motivated to meet those goals.

Most apps on the market currently"are just glorified to-do lists,"Tomasz Kolinko, the app's maker, tellsFast Company. (Kolinko says he got the idea for his own app after kicking a nasty habit of drinking a half-gallon of Pepsi every day.) To-do lists are fluid things, with tasks added and dropped at whim. Goal-Setting Workshop is about getting serious about a few goals, and finding concrete ways to get there.

"The Goal-Setting Workshop focuses on that initial moment when you are motivated,"says Kolinko."It guides you through the process of setting your resolutions. It asks you questions and requires you to really take time to reflect on the answers. You end up with a list of nine resolutions that make sense to you and a short list of first steps to perform."

It's hard to say how effective the app is at turning slackers into strivers. (Our favorite New Year's resolution tool to date, though an old one, isStickk.com.) Kolinko does seem to have given a lot of thought as to what works, and doesn't work, in New Year's resolutions. He encourages users to set reasonable, even fun, goals for themselves:"In many cases people choose for their resolutions things that they should do and not the things that they are excited to do. They write down 'quit smoking' or 'lose weight' while they should write 'Go bungee jumping' or 'Master the art of cooking healthy and tasty food.'"

We're also intrigued by another app from Motivapps, the recently updated"Blow Up the Frog."It's billed the"world's first frog blowing simulation,"featuring"relaxing natural sounds including frog farts."This app is only useful as a New Year's resolution app if your New Year's resolution is to inflate virtual frogs by blowing into your iPhone's microphone.

{Image: Flickr userlel4nd}

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Warning: DNA Discoveries by Mars, Hershey Could Lead to Advanced Chocoholism

A team of French-led scientists hasunlocked the genetic code of chocolate. The scientists, steered by research agency Centre de coopération internationale enrecherche agronomique pour le développement (CIRAD),just unveiled the DNAof the high-end Criollo variety ofTheobroma cacao.Theobromacacaois used primarily tomanufacture gourmet chocolates. This marks the first time that agenome study of the cacao tree has been published in an academicjournal.

CIRADis a research agency designed to help developing countries developtheir agricultural industries, in a form of French scientificdiplomacy. They partnered in this project with scientists in 18different countries, the United States Department of Agriculture, theUniversity of Reading in Britain, and theBiscuitCake Chocolate& Confectionery Association. The latter is aBritish trade group representing sweets manufacturers in both Londonand the European Union. No word whether they're hiring.

Accordingto apressreleasefor theTheobromastudy, unspecified“support” was granted through chocolatemanufacturers Hershey Corp. and Valrhona along with the VenezuelanMinistry of Science, Technology and Industry, among others.

TheDNAof the cacao treewas just published in the scientific journalNature Genetics.Parsing through the scientific jargon, the study abstract indicateseconomic benefits to the study:

Wesequenced and assembled the draft genome of Theobroma cacao, aneconomically important tropical-fruit tree crop that is the source ofchocolate. This assembly corresponds to 76% of the estimated genomesize and contains almost all previously described genes, with 82% ofthese genes anchored on the 10 T. cacao chromosomes. Analysis of thissequence information highlighted specific expansion of some genefamilies during evolution, for example, flavonoid-related genes. Italso provides a major source of candidate genes for T. cacaoimprovement.

WhileTheobroma is often used to manufacture gourmet chocolates, thatparticular variety of cacao tree often remains vulnerable to disease.Information gleaned from this study could be used to breedbioresistant varieties of Theobroma.

2010was a bumper year for deciphering the genome sequence of cacao. Arival cacao DNA studywasfunded by Hershey's archenemies over at Mars. This study, the CacaoGenome Database, focuses on the more commercially mainstream cacaovariety of and has not been published in an academic journal as ofpress time.

Accordingto research team member Siela Maximova of Penn State, the Theobromastudy could have big benefits for chocolate lovers:

“Ouranalysis of the Criollo genome has uncovered the genetic basis ofpathways leading to the most important quality traits ofchocolate--oil, flavonoid and terpene biosynthesis {…} It has alsoled to the discovery of hundreds of genes potentially involved inpathogen resistance, all of which can be used to accelerate thedevelopment of elite varieties of cacao in the future.”

Othergenes found in the project were responsible for the creation of cocoabutter, the production of flavonoids, natural antioxidants, hormones,pigments, and aromas.

Themost likely initial ramification from this study will be the creationof bioengineered disease-resistant fine cocoa. While this will be aboon for consumers, the resulting commodity price changes might notbe as good for cacao wholesalers and speculators.

{Photo via Wikipedia userAndreKarwath}

Follow Neal UngerleideronTwitter.

 

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Photo Issue 2010: Jamie Chung Gets Us All Dolled Up

SpinMaster Toys created the hit Liv Dolls, thoroughly modern marriages of tech, storytelling, and 21st-century marketing that has industry giant Mattel looking over its shoulder. Liv Dolls' wigs can be styled, cut, or switched ... its no wonder Barbie is running to keep up (or get away). Shot by Jamie Chung.

How Spin Master Mixes Tech and Toys—And Keeps Mattel Looking Over Its Shoulder

See more of the best photos of 2010

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Bespoke Innovations, Maker of Designer Body Parts, Gets Fresh Funding

Bespoke Innovations, which sells what the New York Times calls"designer body parts,"has recently drummed up another $1.6 million, according to anSEC filingspotted byVentureBeat.

The San Francisco startup is a partnership between an orthopedic surgeon and an industrial designer. People buy bespoke suits, bespoke shoes, and bespoke furniture, goes their thinking. If people care about personalized touches on things they merely wear or sit on, then wouldn't they feel similarly about things that actually become a part of their body?

Bespoke Innovations' prosthetic limb casings can be"wrapped in embroidered leather, shimmering metal,"or just about anything else.“I wanted to create a leg that had a level of humanity,” Scott Summit, the designer half of the team,told theNew York Timesback in September.“It’s unfortunate that people have had a product that’s such a major part of their lives that was so underdesigned.”

Here's how it works: customers show up at the San Francisco studio, where they have their measurements taken. Bespoke then sends back a 3D protoype that you can check out in your web browser, and offers a library of patterns to chose from.“We can do a midcentury modern or a Harley aesthetic if that’s what someone wants,” Summit told theTimes.

Indeed, Bespoke calls its casings"fairings,"using a term from motorcycle design.“If we can get to flexible wood, I am totally going to cut my own leg off,” he jokes.

Bespoke is"still in a beta stage,"CEO Paul Lego tellsFast Company, and has offered services free of charge to something like a dozen beta customers. Folks can go on to its site to join a waiting list, which already has quite a few members signed up. Since the fairings are considered an FDA Class 1 device, requiring  certification, Bespoke can't yet officially sell them. Lego hopes that will change by the first quarter of 2011. The fairings will cost $4,000 and up.

And what does Bespoke intend to do with the new funding?"Our ambitions are much broader than just prosthetic fairings,"is all Lego will say. Currently, Bespoke only sells the casings, not tailor-made limbs themselves. But with the fresh funding, it should be able to experiment with full, customizable limbs. Summit applied early for a patent on the fairings, and secured it after years of waiting."We've been working on a lot of other IP,"says Lego.

{Image:Bespoke Innovations}

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Nominations for The Most Influential Women In Tech 2011 Close on Friday

Just in case you missedour call for the Most Influential Women in Technology, this week is the last chance to get your nominations in. We're looking for the best and brightest in technology -- the media stars, the gamers, the developers, the activists, the entrepreneurs, the executives, the evangelists, the brainiacs, and more. We've already had overwhelming feedback on our site, on Twitter, and on blogs, and now we're putting out the last call so that we can start readying the final list.

To nominate, just add your voice to the comments here or on our original post. If you want to use Twitter, your blog, YouTube, or Flickr to nominate someone, be sure to include the hashtag #WIT11. We'll need the nominee's name and company, along with either a Twitter handle, blog, company website, or Linkedin URL.  

In the past two years we've featured Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook; Rashmi Sinha, Co-founder and CEO of Slideshare; Morgan Romine, Team Captain of Frag Dolls; Amber Case, a cyborg anthropologist; Jill Tarter, Director, SETI; Clara Shih, founder of Hearsay Labs; and many others.

To take a deeper dive on who made the lists in the past, visit:

Most Influential Women In Technology 2009 

Most Influential Women in Technology 2010

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iPhone-Style Antennagate Hits A Hypocritical HTC

HTC's HD7 handset is a sweet piece of hardware. It boasts a monstrously big screen, the hot-ticket Windows Phone 7 OS, 720p video recording, a handy little kickstand... and a signal attenuation problem when you hold the phone in a certain way. That's according to numerous users who are aggravated at their new phones' dropped calls.

Does this sound familiar? Oh yes,antennagate. Apple hit the headlines shortly after the launch of the iPhone 4, which sports a"revolutionary"antenna in which the metal frame of the phone itself is used to transmit and receive radio signals. Some people reported that when they held the phone a certain way (the"deathgrip") they could see the signal strength drop on the phone's screen. Others complained the phone dropped calls too frequently. All kinds of nonsensical legal threats were made.

We noted that the entire affair wasoverblown, partly because the scientific questions are actually pretty complex, partly because the media seemed keen to take Apple down a notch or two. Our take was, however, pretty rare at the time. The CFO of HTC, Hui-Meng Cheng, felt compelled to get a dig in at Apple's expense, courtesy of theWall Street Journal:"The reception problems are certainly not common among smartphones,"he said."{Apple} apparently didn’t give operators enough time to test the phone."

Now HTC is defending its HD7 handset with the following statement:"Quality in industrial design is of key importance to HTC. To ensure the best possible signal strength, antennas are placed in the area least likely to be covered by a person’s face or hands while the phone is in use."Which, of course, is true--firms like HTC and Apple have extensive testing facilities to ensure that antennas work properly. Then there's this line:

However, it is inevitable that a phone’s signal strength will weaken a little when covered in its entirety by a user’s palm or fingers.

So is this a classic example of corporate double-speak? Perhaps Cheng will call Jobs to apologize--assuming, of course, that he can get a signal.

Keep up with my updates by following me,Kit Eaton, on Twitter.

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American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship

Professional blowouts, business cards, glossy ads in magazines -- if you want your bitch to win, be prepared to pay up. And dog owners do: Americans spend $330 million annually on competitive shows, from travel and training to promotional campaigns (winners can shell out $100,000 a year in trade ads alone). This 10th annual invite-only event draws 1,500 purebreds to Long Beach, California -- and, for the first time, network viewers -- as it dog-paddles from Animal Planet to ABC. Better prep for your close-up, Princess.
-- Kate Rockwood

Sat, December 04
Primp
American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship

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Cheesy Microbes Could Make Biofuel As Well As Brie

Lactococcus lactisis a hard-working bug. Designated as the state microbe of Wisconsin,Lactococcusis used in the production of buttermilk, cheese, and yogurt. And according to researchers from Concordia University, the microbe could help turn plant matter into biofuels.

So should we gear up for a cheese shortage, considering how ethanol subsidies diverted corn crops and raised global food prices?

Concordia researchers recently discovered that the scaffolding proteins on the surface of the microbe can be engineered to break down plant material."This is the first study to show how the scaffolding proteins can be secreted and localized to thecell surfaceofLactococcus,"explained Concordia biology professor Vincent Martin in a statement.

It's a small step towards biofuel production, to be sure, but the Concordiaresearch paperemphasizes that it is a"key step in the development of recombinant microorganisms capable of ... direct conversion of cellulosic substrates into fuels."In other words, theLactococcusstudy could be the precursor to other studies that use genetically-engineered microbes to efficiently produce fuel.

It also means we don't need to worry about a cheeseshortage anytime soon. Other bacteria could be used for the same biofuel-producing purpose (e.coli, for example). In any case, the microbe can be produced in the lab. As long as researchers feed fast-growing and easily replaceable plant matter to their biofuel-excretingLactococcusmicrobes, we won't have a problem.

 

Ariel Schwartz can be reached onTwitteror byemail.

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