Clothing Yourself In Technology

Sixyphe writes "Burton Snowboards has just released a very, very nice snowboarding jacket called the Analog Clone. It includes a padded pouch designed to hold a Sony MZ-N1 MiniDisc player and, more importantly, a large textile control pad on the left arm that acts as a remote control for the MD player. This pad is based on technology from SOFTswitch, a UK company. Production, 100 units, price tag, around 1000US$, MZ-N1 included. Not the first textile-based application I've seen (textile keyboards have been around for a while, I believe), but a nice one. This is cool, geeky, musical, sporty and damn useful all at once. Wow. The part I like best is where they mention that the coat is machine-washable when the MD player is removed. Thanks to minidisc.org for the tip." skratchjerk writes "Financial Times has a short article about Levi Strauss' new anti-radiation jeans. They state that 'The trousers, to be launched in the UK next year under Levi's Dockers brand, contain mobile phone pockets with "anti-radiation lining to prevent possible health risks".' I guess it's about time we protected 'the boys.'" Update: 09/13 21:13 GMT by T : The updated Burton link should make the folks at Burton happier ;)

Comments

I HAVE SEX WITH TRAFFIC CONES

[Anonymous Coward]

Re:I HAVE SEX WITH TRAFFIC CONES

[svferris]

I HAVE SEX WITH TRAFFIC CONES (Score:0, Insightful)

Insightful? Too Much Information, if you ask me.

You'll kill yourself

[gatkinso]

Don't listen to tunes while skiing or snowboarding.

You may think it's your choice.... until you take out a little girl who is just learning how to ski.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[LordNimon]

Agreed. Burton just created a lawsuit for itself. All we need is one person to get into an accident while listening to his suit, and it's all over for Jake Burton.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[Lemmy Caution]

Which is why deaf people don't snowboard or ski, right?

You can't navigate by sound while riding. The tunes don't really matter.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[zulux]

This is so god-damn true...

If you are engaged in an activity that could kill you or others, you don't need to be destracted by anthing - mucic, conversation, cell-phones, naked people.

Activities such as:
Rock climbing, Autoroutes/Autobahn/Montanna, Posing on Slashot, DOD Programming deserve your full attention.

It actually galls me to think that's it's an accepted practice to have blareing music in an operating theatre. If I'm paying $2000 an hour for somebody to cut into my heart, then they better pay attention to their scalpel and not to Britney Spear's latest tean-bop.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[Otter]

OTOH, it's a nice luxury to have while hiking up. It makes the slog up Tuckerman a lot more bearable (although when climbing, you usually have your jacket off). Good for long lift rides, too, and for pre-dropping-in psych-ups.

What really scares me is people who wear headphones while riding bicycles in traffic. That extra fraction of a second you get by having unobstructed hearing and attention could easily the difference between getting doored or hit by a car, and could easily mean your life. Of course, nowadays you see people riding while talking on cell phones -- I swear I see that in Boston once a week.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[CaffeineAddict2001]

"oops, I did it again!
Cut a hole in your heart
and my watch fell in."

Re:You'll kill yourself

[Buck2]

Well, if I'm paying $2000/hour I want the person in charge (in this case a surgeon, I guess) to be doing whatever the hell they want to do. That could be playing music, wearing a corset or a clown mask, or whatever ... as long as they're doing whatever it is that they have been doing to get them to where they are now.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[gwernol]

Which is why deaf people don't snowboard or ski, right?
You can't navigate by sound while riding. The tunes don't really matter.

The point is not just that you can't hear what is going on around you, but that you are concentrating on something else instead of on skiing/snowboarding. Listening to music requires a certain amount of concentration which isn't available for navigation - there is a finite amount of stuff you can attend to at one time.

The good news is that the brain is relatively good at not concentrating on music when other stimuli grab its attention. Music processing is a low priority task. This is different from, for example, taking part in a conversation, which the brain will treat as a less interuptable activity. This is why talking on a cell phone while driving is considerably more dangerous than listening to music while driving - your brain will continue to concentrate on the conversation even when something else (a red light, a driver cutting into your lane, a child crossing the street) should grab your immediate attention.

So, I tend to disagree that music is a huge danger when skiing, although it does impose some burden on the listener.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[stephanruby]

You may think it's your choice.... until you take out a little girl who is just learning how to ski.

Point well taken, but the little girl who's just learning to ski should keep herself to the kiddy blue and green slopes.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[machine of god]

Or the ski instructor who then cuts your pass. Ahem.. Uh, not that that's ever happened to me, or anything.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[Suidae]

This is different from, for example, taking part in a conversation, which the brain will treat as a less interuptable activity. This is why talking on a cell phone while driving is considerably more dangerous than listening to music while driving - your brain will continue to concentrate on the conversation even when something else

While some people do become worse drivers when holding a conversation, I think that history supports the opinion that its not the conversation that is destracting, its the fact that cell phone users are listening with only one ear, forcing them to concentrate much harder to understand what is being said. Try wearing one earplug and talking to someone and notice how much more difficult it is.

Headphones for phones should be dual-speaker (mono-stereo, whatever) if they are intended to solve the problem of driver distraction. That or regular speakerphone.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[zyklone]

Recent studies showed that talking in cell phones did not increasing the accident rate much at all.
It was when people ceased their conversations that the accident rate increased in the following minutes.

A possible reason might be that people drive more carefully while talking on the phone but afterwards think they have to make up for the lost time.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[Liora]

How about speakerphone? It's illegal almost everywhere I can think of to wear two headphones whilst driving... because it may impair your ability to hear an emergency vehicles siren. And the major problem with cell phone driving without a hands-free device is just that... one of your hands is not free.

That said, I still do it.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[sielwolf]

Posing on Slashot

Fuckin; A! Too many fucking poseurs on on Slashdot for its own good! Next thing you know they'll try to sit at our lunch table and find out where all the parties we-

Wait. We're talking about the same thing... right?

Re:You'll kill yourself

[flewp]

And the major problem with cell phone driving without a hands-free device is just that... one of your hands is not free.

Unless you're calling a 1-900, in which case niether hand is free...

Re:You'll kill yourself

[lommer]

I have been a ski racer on the youth circuit now for several years, and just became FIS carded, so I happen to know a thing or two about skiing.

I can tell you that all too frequently when I am ripping along, my ears have alerted me to a potential (and often real) danger.

The most recent examples include hearing the scrape of someones edges as they are about to burst out of the trees ahead of me or cut me off. Not to mention hearing a bunch of snowboarders chatting right underneath the tabletop i'm about to go flying off of. Even on a slow traverse when it seems there is nothing better to do, the sound of someones edges coming up fast behind you can alert you to the fact that someone is passing you.

Music is a great way to pass time on the chairlift, but please, when you're on the hill, take out the earplugs!

Re:You'll kill yourself

[Scrameustache]

The point is not just that you can't hear what is going on around you, but that you are concentrating on something else instead of on skiing/snowboarding. Listening to music requires a certain amount of concentration which isn't available for navigation - there is a finite amount of stuff you can attend to at one time.

Well, speak for yourself.
Anyway since the jacket doesn't play the music but simply gives you access to the controll of the other device from another company, they wouldn't be liable. They could also put a disclaimer/warning/cover-our-ass-gimmick label in the jacket that says "Don't listen to music while performing a task wich requires your full attention, such as skiing, snowboarding or operating heavy machinery while drunk and fighting rabid monkeys", and state that is designed for use in the chairift and the easy controlls are there for easy shut down before getting off the chairlift and it prevents frosbite and so on.

I personally find that music can enhance concentration in some cases (a very familiar tune for instance).

Re:You'll kill yourself

[brarrr]

I took the winter off from school (thanks for that killer summer internship apple:) and went boarding in colorado. I had dutifully picked up an ipod for the 2 month trip, and brought along enough songs on my laptop that I'd never hear the same song twice. Did I kill myself? close...

I never once came close to hitting anyone else or endangering anyone - the biggest risk was being too into a song when getting on a lift and then ignoring someone who was just asking the usual ski lift questions. I also never listened to it loud - always low enough that I could hear it as i wanted, and could hear anything someone might yell at me (namely ski patrol). I also made sure to get headphones w/ a small volume control on the wire that i could use to kill the sound immediatly if I needed to.

But, and the irony here is imense since my name is soon to be mentioned, I went down "bradley's plunge" at copper, a double black cornice thingy that was opening for the first day that season. I was cruising down, finished the run, and was on a flatter section, going too fast listening to face to face. Someone thought i't be a funny idea to burry about 50 sharp boulders under the snow and put them in front of me, so I stopped myself with my hip. Doing so broke my fuck-bone.

Needless to say, it was painful. Once ski patrol found me screaming a while later, I asked them to turn off the ipod because i couldn't do it myself. They said they'd turn it down while we were just waiting there, but once they put me behind a snowmobile for the 30 minute trek to firstaid, they wanted me to have something to listen to and have to scream over if anything felt worse than it already did. Also, they wanted another chance to play with it.

So moral of the story, ski patrol likes you to have tunes, don't ski on a run named after you falling, and don't break your fuck-bone - it hinders that certain activity greatly.

- since then fully recovered and looking forward to another season.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[Ironpoint]

This is a joke, right?

Has anybody on Slashdot actually ever been snowboarding? Have they ever seen what snow looks like...

BTW if you are on the slope with the little girls you might as well go back home and turn on your favorite cartoon.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[Chuqmystr]

What really scares me is people who wear headphones while riding bicycles in traffic.

That's exactly why they stay in my jersey pocket until I get to the trail head and off the road. That is if I even decide to take tunes on that days ride. I'd love to be able to listen to tunes on road rides but that's too sketchy so on the dirt rides only.

I'd like to see Camelbak or one of the other pack makers come up with something like that jacket that could interface with MiniDisk, iPod, and other popular portables. There could be a larger strap on one side or the other to accomodate the controls I guess along with a pocket on the pack and cable routing or into the fabric integration. I'd also like to see a well thought out interface for FSR two way radios that involved the pack, helmet, mike/earphone and PTT keys and to see it be very easy to take on and off as well as use. Myself and friends have gotten great use from the little two ways on dirt rides but only when stopped. I've tried various rigs with VOX and over the ear phones but they become a hinderance really fast. I've seen some specialized helmet mike/earphone combos too but they still reley on VOX and have wires running all over the place.

As for a cell phone I'll take one along if I'm going to be gone for a long time on my own but it stays off and in the bottom of the pack. It's there just in case I get in serious enough trouble to call for help. The trails around town have coverage but it's obviusly worthless up in the mountains so no bother there. Hell, I hate my cell phone so much that I have a hard enough time remembering to take it with me just in general.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[Anonymous Coward]

Yea but if she doesnt stick to the green slopes you ll still have hurt/killed someone even if you are not to blame. That is a lot of sleepless nights.

Re:You'll kill yourself

[Anonymous Coward]

If the little girl doesn't stick to the easy slopes, she'll probably kill herself anyhow.

oh goodie

[Sc00ter]

"The trousers, to be launched in the UK next year under Levi's Dockers brand, contain mobile phone pockets with "anti-radiation lining to prevent possible health risks""

And cuts off all ability to actually recive a call while in the pocket..

Re:oh goodie

[maddh]

Actually reading further into that Levi cellphone pocket article it says that the radiation protection is only on the inner side of the pocket between you and the phone. So as long as that material doesn't absorb any more radiation then your leg would, its not going to cut reception.
matt

Re:oh goodie

[American AC in Paris]

"The trousers, to be launched in the UK next year under Levi's Dockers brand, contain mobile phone pockets with "anti-radiation lining to prevent possible health risks""

And cuts off all ability to actually recive a call while in the pocket..

...unless, of course, they're only shielding the body-facing portions of your pockets. Whether or not they were bright enough to do it this way is an exercise left to the consumer.

Of course, then the aliens would be able to read and control your cell phone's mind, so maybe you are better off with full tinfoil^H^H^H^H^H^H^H radiation-blocking pockets.

I'm still waiting for them to make something that shields the space between your hand and the steering wheel from dangerous cell phones. I mean, if you wanna talk safety risks...

Re:oh goodie

[Anonymous Coward]

Microsoft bought Rare.

hahahahahahaah !!!!!!!!

Re:oh goodie

[MountainLogic]

Near field (H) radiation is a bit more complex than far field (E) radiation and simple shielding is less likely to be effective. Also, as was pointed out, the phones average power when not talking is very low. One detail that further complicates is that the phones will boost their signal output if they can't get through, so simple shielding may have some unexpected results.

Is just me or does moving the phone closer to your gonads seem like a very bad idea?

Re:oh goodie

[Rick the Red]

I'm still waiting for them to make something that shields the space between your hand and the steering wheel from dangerous cell phones. I mean, if you wanna talk safety risks...

OK, then what about shielding the space between your hand and the steering wheel from dangerous coffee, hamburgers, radio controls, A/C controls, etc?

We already have laws on the books about inattentive driving, we don't need any new ones that are distraction-specific. Once we go down that path, we're doomed:

Your Honor, there's no specific law against driving while drinking fruit juice! Coffee, yes. Beer, yes. But not fruit juice! The legislature clearly doesn't care if drivers are distracted by spilling orange juice in their laps or they would have included orange juice in the list of banned substances in the "Stupid Drivers act of 2007."

Re:oh goodie

[American AC in Paris]

Dude, where in my post did I say "We need a law"?

Re:oh goodie

[iamethan]

This is actually something that makes me nervous... I always keep my phone in my left pocket, so for 8-16 hrs/day I have this thing exposing me to whatever might be getting emitted.

I've carried a phone like this since 1998, so it's nearly 5 years now... I wonder if 30 years from now I'll find that I have cancer in my left leg...

some sort of radiation protection might not be a bad idea... if it's just on the inside I don't think it'll make a huge difference in the signal, plus the f used (~1800-1900MHz) is pretty close to uwaves anyway, which don't handle h2o very well, so chances are that my leg was just as much an insulator from signal as the pants will be... at least now I'll be protected from direct exposure...

some of us poor souls need the phone to survive in our jobs... sorta like the people who worked lining the inside of ships with asbesoes 60 years ago. We know it's bad, but what other alternative is there? I suppose I could attach a 10' pole to my chest and dangle the phone from the end...

Re:oh goodie

[MonsieurPiedlourde]

I think it will the protection will only be in the inner lining. Your phone transmitting to the big tower down the street; not the little tower you pee with. ;>

Re:oh goodie

[laserjet]

Acutally, the lining is just on the "skin side" of the pands. The clothing side that faces the world doesn't have the lining, so it shouldn't block signals more than normal clothing.

Re:oh goodie

[danimrich]

There is not much sense to anti-radiation pockets for cell phones.
The output power of modern GSM phones is determined by the reception quality. The base stations constantly monitor the signal strength of the phones in range and have them raise their output power if the signal is too weak. Every phone's signal strength is monitored by a couple of stations so that the station with the best reception quality handles the calls.
When you carry your phone in an anti-radiation pocket, it will have to raise the output power to stay in contact with the main base station. Thus, the amount of radiation outside the shielding is somewhat comparable to the amount of radiation that would be there without any shielding.
Unless, of course, the shielding is efficient enough to interrupt the connection between the base stations and the phone altogether, in which case no calls can be made or received and the phone is as useful as it would be when turned off, except that the batteries won't last long.
Whatever shielding is in place, the phone will need to raise the output power and thus drain the batteries.
In any way, the radiation levels are highest during phone calls, thus, if a part of our body is going to be microwaved by mobile phones' radiation, it's most likely our brain. Studies and tests have shown that phones with built-in antennas are more likely to produce higher levels of radiation than phones with external antennas. There have also been suggestions to place the antenna in the lower part of the phone, away from the brain.
If Levis wants to produce anti-radiation clothes, they should produce anti-radiation baseball caps. A small piece of anti-radiation lining in one pocket is just a marketing gag.
And much less effective than carrying the phone away from the sensible parts of the body, in a bag or in a backpack, for example.
By the way, cars do usually act like shielding, which is why the radiation levels inside the car can get quit high. If you're concerned about it, and if you use your phone a lot in a car, think about getting an external antenna.

A better way re: radiation

[xiaix]

The trousers, to be launched in the UK next year under Levi's Dockers brand, contain mobile phone pockets with "anti-radiation lining to prevent possible health risks".' I guess it's about time we protected 'the boys.'"

Wouldn't an anti-radiation codpiece be better suited for that? Especially considering that everyone around you has a mobile phone, and may not have theirs in a lined pocket.

Levi's marketing genious

[gazuga]

"anti-radiation lining to prevent possible health risks"
I guess it's about time we protected 'the boys.'

They've just captured the entire male market precisely for the above reason. When it comes to the family jewels, better safe than sorry ;)

I want I want I want I want

[Dynedain]

Cool....with a little hacking I can have that soundtrack to my life like the guy in Tad Williams's Otherland series.

But seriously, a lot of people listen to music when running, working out, etc....but its difficult to do when skiing/snoboarding (try getting out your CD/Tape/MP3 player and pressing the buttons while wearing gloves)....I think once the price comes down this will be a very popular item.

Re:I want I want I want I want

[Buck2]

If you want to be that guy who has the "soundtrack to my life" in Otherland then you NEED TO SEE A PSYCHIATRIST NOW.

This has been a PSA. You all should thank me. I'll probably be dead in the next couple of weeks.

Re:I want I want I want I want

[CableModemSniper]

Oh come on. Dread never saw a psychiatrist and look how he turned out.

Levi article /.'ed, here's the text:

[Anonymous Coward]

Posted AC to avoid k-whore:

NATIONAL NEWS: Levi Strauss to launch jeans with 'anti-radiation' phone pockets
By Gautam Malkani
Financial Times; Sep 12, 2002

The fashion industryentered the debate over possible health risks from mobile

phones after Levi Strauss, the jeans group, unveiled a pair of trousers designed to protect wearers from handset radiation.

The trousers, to be launched in the UK next year under Levi's Dockers brand, contain mobile phone pockets with "anti-radiation lining to prevent possible health risks". They are also said to increase the size of the user's penis by 3 inches, or the wetness of the female user's vagina by 3 tablespoons, it was reported.

The move is likely to inflame the mobile phone industry, which is already tackling claims by manufacturers of radiation shields and other devices that their products protect consumers from harmful radio frequency emissions.

Levi said it was responding to consumer concerns rather than suggesting fears about mobile phone radiation were justified.

Years of research have failed to establish any adverse health risks but the government's committee of scientific experts has advised consumers to adopt a "precautionary principle", with special consideration given to children.

Earlier this year, Sir William Stewart, head of the expert committee suggested text messaging might be a safer option for young children.

Prof Lawrence Challis, a fellow committee member, urged children to protect themselves from possible risks by keeping handsets away from their heads and, in the case of boys, away from their laps.

Scientists and the mobile phone industry would not comment on the new trousers because no further technical information about Dockers' anti-radiation lining was available yesterday.

However, a recent Department of Trade and Industry review of existing radiation shielding devices for mobile phones found shortcommings with many products.

Michael Milligan, general secretary of the Mobile Manufacturers Forum, said yesterday: "Numerous studies, including the DTI report in the UK and World Health Organisation advice have concluded that shielding devices are not necessary and not very effective.

Sounds great...

[misfit13b]

...till you land on it.

AHA!

[Asprin]

So *THAT'S* why my nobody calls me anymore!

Get it?.... cell phone... in... EM shielded pocket... assuming shielding works.... unable to connect.... to tower.... no ringy-dingy.... ... oh, bother.

Dockers

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a couple pairs of last year's version (Dockers Mobile). They're great. Roomy, nice thickness, tons of pockets (some hidden!), great for stashing all your tech gear.

Although I don't have a cell phone (gasp! mostly because I don't like phones in general), if they're like their predecessor, then they're worth buying.

Re:Dockers

[WEFUNK]

I love mine, though I don't use the extra pockets very often. In addition to being very comfortable, even the regular pockets are supported with extra stiching and mesh so you can put objects like cellphones and keys in them without them sticking out, looking bulky, or jiggling around too much.

I call them my "geek pants". If I was a kid still I'd probably call them "super agent pants" because of all the secret pockets.

For the Frank Herbert fans out there, perhaps the new ones could be called "no-pants" (okay, that's a stretch, they only block radiation, not prescience). How about "radioactive containment pants", "prophylactic pants" or "hypocondriac pants"?

Re:Dockers

[Anonymous Coward]

no-pants? Makes me think no-pants-Smith, I will Fear no Evil a la Heinlein...

I think the pants themselves fall into the tinfoil hat category...

Hey...

[GeneralEmergency]

.

...I thought all geeks were too fat to ski!

Re:Hey...

[majestyk2000]

Nah, just too fat to carry an M-16 and get through FBI training.

Re:Hey...

[John Whitley]

No, they just slide down the hill on their tummies... like Tux does. ;-)

Re:Hey...

[dossen]

I can't say about FBI training, but being too FAT to carry an M-16 would be quite an accomplisment.
One of the reasons that the M-16 was designed for 5.56 mm rounds was to cut down the weight of the rifle and the required amo. And having caried one around for close to a year (military service), I'll say it was a fairly good design.

Re:Hey...

[superpeach]

.. so I guess the Levi mobile phone jeans wont be sold to many wannabe tux (as in racer) geeks, as they obviously dont care. I'm sure that sliding down a hill on your front is going to cause more damage than a mobile in standby.

Re:Hey...

[Zebbers]

ummm he didnt say weak. He said fat. Have you ever seen obese people maneuver objects, when they themselves are the main obstacle.

spindles?

[[amorphis]]

Minidisc??

Why not something solid-state, like MP3 or OGG?

Built in 802.11b would be cool, too, so you could download new songs while waiting on the chairlift :)

Re:spindles?

[DaytonCIM]

Probably wouldn't be too difficult to adapt the "fabric control panel" to access an MP3 player.

But you're forgetting that Sony had to come up with some kind of "cool" marketing idea to get rid of all of the MD players collecting dist in warehouses across the country.

$1000US... uh, no thanks.

Re:spindles?

[curunir]

What I'd like to see is integration with the talkabout walkie-talkies that everyone now uses at ski resorts. Just put a small mic in the collar of the jacket and add a control on the arm. The sound can be piped into the headphones you're already wearing.

Hell, you could even integrate in a cell phone...not like you'd get much reception on the slopes tho...

Re:spindles?

[Ransom342]

Well, as a proud MD Owner,

1)A MD can hold 320 Minutes of tunes on one $2 USD disc. I can easily hold my MD unit and an extra disc in my shirt pocket. That is 10 hours of music with no repetion for a much more affordable price than most MP3 Players, Definitly a must have for a hard day on the slopes.

2)With a NETMD Player such as the MZ-N1 you can burn MP3's WMA's and Wavs to an MD digitally... So there is not an advantage there

Re:spindles?

[waterhouse]

Any modern Minidisc player is very close to solid state anyway. My Sony MZ-N707 spins for about two seconds to load the song data and then all mechanical action stops during playback (as near as I can tell, I'm just holding the thing up to my ear). Minidisc has always been marketed as a shock resistant format and I doubt I could make it skip if I tried.

Minidisc is much more akin to a CD-based MP3 player than an audio CD player. The discs are just a medium to store the compressed ATRAC3 data. The only difference between my Minidisc walkman and a solid state player is that the walkman has (essentially) infinite storage capacity. As another poster commented, at five hours per disc (highest compression rate on 80min blanks), MD is much more attractive than others would lead you to believe.

Re:spindles?

[Anonymous Coward]

320 minutes of AM radio quality music. Wow.

The 1992 MZ-1 could 'burn digitally'. That's a meaningless statement. And you're re-compressing audio. Wow.

Face it, MD is dead. I've been there for 10 years and now's the time to move on!

Re:spindles?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Any modern Minidisc player is very close to solid state anyway. "

Yeah, I'm tired of all those players with vacuum tubes in them!

Re:spindles?

[Q2Serpent]

802.11b! Peer to peer sharing on the mountain! I hope it catches on :)

-Serp

Re:spindles?

[Sunnan]

Are you proud to own a product? What's up with that?

You failed to adress the issue, as well. You can build solid state ogg players with no moving parts (larger than atoms), while an MD player'll have a disc that spins round and round.

My MD player broke before a year. I liked having it but I'm looking for a really durable player. Solid state is the way to go.

Re:spindles?

[Anonymous Coward]

You liked having it? What's up with that?

Look, I don't know what the thing is with you people. That disc spins round and round. So what?

There's no contact anywhere. There's no vacuum tubes anywhere.

And what kind of conclusion can you draw from a sample size of one?

Re:spindles?

[Sunnan]

"You liked having it? What's up with that?"

I liked having access to music in my pocket. I didn't enjoy any proud feelings of "ownership" if that's what you're referring to.

"That disc spins round and round. So what?"

That makes it sensitive to shocks and crushes.

Re:spindles?

[Ransom342]

Actually yes, I am Very Happy with my MD Unit.

There are many factors I used when I decided to purchase a unit to play my music collection, alot of which is currently in MP3 format.

Yes, you can build a completly solid state unit. There are many on the market. The disadvantage is Memory size. How large of a Memory card do I need to store a the same number of MP3's? What is the cost of that?

for this application, Skiing & Snowboarding, I would hate to only have one hour of music and have to listen to it over and over all day on the slopes.

The advantage of Low cost storage was a big factor in my decision to get a NetMD unit. Sure theres the IPOD and other hard drive based units, but dont those have moving parts? I'll put my MZ-505 to drop test against any of the hard drive based units on the market.

Now, if they had affordable smartmedia I would switch in a heartbeat. I would love to have my entire music collection on a media that would fit in my wallet, its just not realistic yet in my opinion ( and Price Range ).

Ok I'll bite

[PhatAir]

$1000US - Geez I'd rather get a new deck and/or a seasons lift pass for that kinda cash. Burton may still make some great gear, but you gotta question whether they're going just a little bit too corporate for my liking!

Please reproduce responsibly

[Inthewire]

I guess it's about time we protected 'the boys.'

Get fucking real.

Pinky are you thinking what I'm thinking?

[theophilosophilus]

Well yeah brain but where are we gonna get lead pants our size this time of night?

In other news

[Anonymous Coward]

RIAA lobbies clothes manufacturers to include DRM in fabrics.

Re:In other news

[Anonymous Coward]

Considering all the security breaches M$ is famous for, wouldn't you rather have girl's wearing M$ clothing. M$ Buttons bra fails causing girls assets to spill.

Not like protection is needed anyway...

[Andy Dodd]

The phone transmits a minimum amount of power when it is in standby mode. The time you have to worry about it is when it's next to your head, if at all.

You don't get power for free... If a phone has 6 days of standby battery life and 4-5 hours of talk time, it's clearly NOT transmitting much when in standby.

Re:Not like protection is needed anyway...

[Anonymous Coward]

What does StandBy mode have to do with Rx.
Unless it shuts off its Rx amp in standby
then that has no effect.

Eitherway, "it's clearly NOT transmitting"
has nothing to do with a ring signal being
Transmitted FROM THE TOWER, and Received
BY THE PHONE.

But this is beside the point that a RF shield
in your pocket either way will prevent RF from
the tower to the phone to tell it to ring.
still degrade

Re:Not like protection is needed anyway...

[Rick the Red]

You don't understand how cell phones work. They have to be in constant contact with the base stations (cell towers), so the system knows where they are. When someone calls you the phone company doesn't go looking for you, they already know where you are; the network constantly tracks you as you move from cell to cell (thus the government's interest in forcing the cell phone companies to provide this location information for "safety" reasons).

Anyway, the way the system knows where to find you is that your phone is transmitting even when you're not on a call. If these pants work as claimed, then your phone won't work when it's in your pocket. If you're really worried about this, save yourself some money and just turn your phone off.

Re:Not like protection is needed anyway...

[cliffjumper222]

Doesn't sound like you know too much about how they work either. Digital cellular phones do not have to be in constant contact with the base station unless they are actually in a call. In fact, they only occasionally contact the network with a location update when in standby. How often they have to do this is determined by the network but it's not continuous and the silent period can be quite a long time. The location update isn't even that accurate. It places you within a location area which could span a number of cells. Yes, the exact cell ID that you transmitted to can be logged but it is not without reason that a number of cells can form a location area for paging purposes. Also, don't forget that the cell size can be really quite large - many many square miles. A location area approach is used because you can move in and around that group of cells or sectors and for efficient paging of the phone, when you get a call, all of those cells can be used to try to look for you. The fact that you might not even be there any more might be unknown to the network.

As a lot of people know, in the US the FCC has mandated that phones be capable of being located when they initiate an emergency call. Phase 1 of the effort was to provide at least cell ID, but was never going to be of much use. What is being rolled out now in handsets is fairly accurate positioning technology, either provided by assisted GPS (AGPS) or E-OTD, (Enhanced Observed Time Difference). Of course, it isn't just the handsets that need upgrading but the network and also the appropriate technology has to be installed in the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), i.e., the place which gets the E911 call.

Enhanced 911 is a lifesaving public safety service. Being able to immediately identify the 911 caller's location allows public safety call takers to quickly send emergency services to the scene. Many times during a crisis a 911 caller is unable to provide this critical information. Enhanced 911's location feature helps minimize delays in emergency response that could endanger a person's life or property.

Cliff

Re:Not like protection is needed anyway...

[Rick the Red]

However often or seldom the phone has to contact a base station, if you put a cell phone in a lead-lined pocket, it won't work. If Levis think they can "protect" their customers and let the phone still work by only lining the inside of the pocket, then why not just sell lead underwear? If you really think this is a health issue, just turn your phone off.

Re:Not like protection is needed anyway...

[danimrich]

... then why not just sell lead underwear?
Like this doesn't pose any health risks.

You got a point.

Conspicious omission?

[Spazholio]

Oddly enough, despite the fact that this is hailed as something that snowboarders would use, it is mentioned nowhere that this outfit (or the MD player) is waterproof. Admittedly, I've never snowboarded before (damned snowless FL), but I can imagine with the inevitable wipeouts, some snow would HAVE to get inside the jacket. And what about an actual hardened protective layer for the MD player? I can only imagine if you fall on it, it's toast.

Re:Conspicious omission?

[vivekb]

You can assume all snowboard jackets are waterproof... Pants, on the other hand, seem to just soak it up.

I ride with my iPod in a zippered inner pocket, and it's been fine (despite many spills, yard sales, and track switches during snowstorms).

Generally, when you fall on a board, the areas that take the most force are your wrists, knees, butt or face. Your torso doesn't usually slam into the ground with much force.

OT but why do my electronics freak out

[t0qer]

When I go snowboarding? Does it have something to do with the cold?

A few years back me and my buddy were tryin tape some gnarly moves up at squaw. I KNOW the battery was fully charged on the camcorder, and was working fine in the cabin.

The moment we hit the slopes it started to act real funny, suddenly turn off for no reason. It wasn't just limited to the camcorder either, my diskman was having difficulties too.

When we returned to the cabin, all our electronic equipment was fine, absolutely no sign of damage or that they had ever been malfunctioning.

Does it have something to do with the cold?

Re:OT but why do my electronics freak out

[dmachine]

I always thought the cold would help electronics...but then again, I guess no one would be overclocking their cd players...well on slashdot, I wouldn't count anything out =P I can see it now "new burton jacket with anti-radiation backpack unit to carry your overclocked PC in" =P

Re:OT but why do my electronics freak out

[msheppard]

Yes, it has something to do with the cold.

Batteries don't work well in the cold.

Take the batteries OUT of the device and put them in a pocket close to your skin until you use them. I use a camcorder/GPS/Mp3 player when I ski and keep the batteries in my inside pants pocket.

(Why do I need a GPS skiing? Max Speed readout!)

M@

Re:OT but why do my electronics freak out

[ncc74656]

A few years back me and my buddy were tryin tape some gnarly moves up at squaw. I KNOW the battery was fully charged on the camcorder, and was working fine in the cabin.

The moment we hit the slopes it started to act real funny, suddenly turn off for no reason. It wasn't just limited to the camcorder either, my diskman was having difficulties too.

If you took it out of a padded bag that had recently been inside someplace, there's a chance some condensation might've caused the camcorder to act up. The elevated humidity of the warmer environment condensed on exposure to cold air. To keep from chewing up the tape and the heads, it'll shut off and refuse to start up until it's had a chance to clear up. As for the CD player, maybe the pickup lens fogged up for the same reason.

Re:OT but why do my electronics freak out

[PhatAir]

Yep, rechargeable batteries really don't like the cold. They usually have some operating parameters in the handbook and 0 degrees C is usually about the minimum (if they say less, they're lying). I have a digital Ixus which I love for taking snaps of mates, but things got so bad I'd I took to keeping the battery in my inside pocket where it's warm. Just reinsert the battery when needed!

Re:OT but why do my electronics freak out

[mwjlewis]

don't forget the solid state Hard drive.

"wiping out" on a snowboard with a moving parts hard drive in your backpack, would have a little pun intended.

Re:OT but why do my electronics freak out

[Anonymous Coward]

Uhm, I think that you are the one that SHOULD NOT have the mp3 player on the slope.

How can you tell?

[gwernol]

has just released a very, very nice snowboarding jacket called the Analog Clone

How can you tell its "very, very nice"? An important ingredient in any piece of clothing is what it looks like. The photos on Burton's website are so badly exposed that I can't see the jacket at all.

I would be much more likely to shell our a grand for a jacket if I knew what it looked like.

Re:How can you tell?

[Xerithane]

How can you tell its "very, very nice"? An important ingredient in any piece of clothing is what it looks like. The photos [burton.com] on Burton's website are so badly exposed that I can't see the jacket at all.

I'm not worried so much about that. Did you see the headphones? I mean, seriously. Those headphones will cause massive trauma on your first head-meets-object crash. I've done a face plant while extreme riding that broke a pair of carbon-fiber glasses into 5 pieces. I don't trust anything that large or made of hard plastic on my head.

Re:How can you tell?

[crossseyed]

I don't trust anything that large or made of hard plastic on my head.

Ummm... one large piece of hard plastic I would trust on my head: A helmet.

Burton.. how sad

[Lawrence_Bird]

their boards are already a reach for many they market to.. where is Jake heading with this? Are we gonna have a special tissue compartment next? Or something to blow our noses for us like lift attendents at Deer Valley or Squallywood? Sad..

Burton... MD...

[PaulAllen]

That would be cool if it was made by Special Blend or some other not horrible snowboard clothing company. Maybe they should make it work with my mp3 player too.

They just need to include a bong somehow

[pyite69]

Maybe a hash pipe holder would be ideal.

Re:They just need to include a bong somehow

[Buck2]

Oh, yeah ... sweet.

Good idea.

Hey, you know, that's smart! I just read it again!

Sweet.

Re:They just need to include a bong somehow

[brer_rabbit]

that'd be cool...I can see it now, the jacket zipper doubles as a roach clip.

Re:They just need to include a bong somehow

[Anonymous Coward]

just use a oney under the jacket while on the lift.. works great.
I learned this trick boarding at night at Keystone.. great time.. great time =)

Re:They just need to include a bong somehow

[duffbeer]

these damn druggie longhair extreme kids these days *grumble*

well, I'm outta here. It's Miller Time...

Re:They just need to include a bong somehow

[protohiro1]

Most snowboarding jackets already have them.

Re:They just need to include a bong somehow

[Night Goat]

that'd be cool...I can see it now, the jacket zipper doubles as a roach clip.

Nah, that's what your lift ticket wicket is for!

Er...

[Whispers_in_the_dark]

When they get to textile DISPLAYS, then I'll pay attention. I want to wear my DOOM session damnit.

What a deal!

[ShadowPass]

The new line of North Face/Marmot/... jackets almost cost $1G anyway. And they don't even include dying format technology.
--

The ultimate geek ware

[Anonymous Coward]

Everyone knows that the ultimate geek jacket/vest is at http://www.scottevest.com/

I have no association with that company other than as an extremely happy customer.

Around for a while..

[Anonymous Coward]

While a cool example, this sort of thing has been going for a while. I bought a jacket two years ago that had a left breast pocket sized for a discman.

It has an internal conduit of material for running headphones up into the hood, and the hood has mesh material so you can hear your audio. The right breast pocket is a removable CD pouch with plastic sleeves.

Still, as many other people are going to point out, there must be a few dangers in people snowboarding without the ability to hear anything. And once they listen to some crazy music they'll probably be even more dangerous in their fearlessness :)

Re:Around for a while..

[Heywood Yabuzof]

Are you forgetting the coolest part? The remote control built into the fabric of the sleeve? I would think that puts it leaps and bounds above any jacket with a pocket and conduits.

Hardly

[Anonymous Coward]

Listining to music while you're skiing or snowboarding is no more dangerous than listening to it in your car.

I've been skiing all my life, and snowboarding for half of it.

People who are inclinded towards dagerous skiing (that is to say dangerous towards themselves and towards others by the way they ski) are a problem regardless of the distractions afforded to them.

Re:Hardly

[gatkinso]

I have skiied virtually everywhere - save Antarctica. One thing I have noticed... ....headphones are banned at many resorts.

I wonder why?

Re:Hardly

[GuyMannDude]

Listining to music while you're skiing or snowboarding is no more dangerous than listening to it in your car.

You can't be serious. Your sense of hearing is the only indication you have of what's going on behind you when skiing/snowboarding. Without it, you'll have no idea if someone is about to run you over. A car has side and rear view mirrors so hearing is not as essential to avoid being rear-ended.

I've been skiing all my life, and snowboarding for half of it.

Oh, okay. I guess my straightforward, obvious logic doesn't count then. Sheesh.

GMD

Re:Hardly

[forii]

Your sense of hearing is the only indication you have of what's going on behind you when skiing/snowboarding.

Roughly halfway between each ear and your nose are two organs that are extremely useful for navigating. You might want to acquaint yourself with them. Especially when combined with the rotational ability of your neck.

Re:Hardly

[Anonymous Coward]

"You can't be serious. Your sense of hearing is the only indication you have of what's going on behind you when skiing/snowboarding. Without it, you'll have no idea if someone is about to run you over. A car has side and rear view mirrors so hearing is not as essential to avoid being rear-ended."

Which is why deaf people can't ski. =p

"I've been skiing all my life, and snowboarding for half of it.

Oh, okay. I guess my straightforward, obvious logic doesn't count then. Sheesh."

If it was logical or straight forward.
If you've ever done any serious sking, you'll find out that with your ears covered from your hat and the sound of the wind and snow as it rushes past you generaly limits your hearing to a point where listining to music won't affect it anyways.

Re:Hardly

[SCHecklerX]

Roughly halfway between each ear and your nose are two organs that are extremely useful for navigating. You might want to acquaint yourself with them. Especially when combined with the rotational ability of your neck.

At which time all will be popped out of your head as you collide with that tree you didn't see b/c you had to look behind you instead of depending on your ears.

Re:Hardly

[Anonymous Coward]

I suppose most those resorts happened to be on the continent of lawsuits.

Re:Hardly

[Anonymous Coward]

If you are close enough to hear me, you are already dead...

Re:Hardly

[daddymac]

Listining to music while you're skiing or snowboarding is no more dangerous than listening to it in your car.

You're absolutely right. Listening to music while snowboarding (or roller skating, or riding a motorcycle) is no more dangerous than listening to music while driving. What you might notice is (at least in the US) it is illegal to drive a car with headphones. Background music is one thing, but music that blocks out all other sounds (car horns, ambulace sirens, screeching tires, screaming pedestrians) is something completely different.

Re:Hardly

[Anonymous Coward]

>You're absolutely right. Listening to music while snowboarding (or roller skating, or riding a motorcycle) is no more dangerous than listening to music while driving. What you might notice is (at least in the US) it is illegal to drive a car with headphones. Background music is one thing, but music that blocks out all other sounds (car horns, ambulace sirens, screeching tires, screaming pedestrians) is something completely different.

One more reason to outlaw those motherF* who have 250W+ systems in their car. Outlaw lame music too!

For MiniDisc?

[doc_traig]

C'mon, get with the times here. How about you make me a jacket where I can groove to my LPs while I'm doing sixty on my face down the side of a mountain...

Another kind of pants lining

[mrroot]

They state that 'The trousers, to be launched in the UK next year under Levi's Dockers brand, contain mobile phone pockets with "anti-radiation lining to prevent possible health risks".' I guess it's about time we protected 'the boys.'" most of us geeks are already used to wearing pants that have "anti-copulation" lining, or so it seems

Geeks? Snowboarders?

[Cyno01]

Geeks, and something cool? or at least cool clothing?

#2

[Tsali]

the levi's tinfoil
gave me a third nut, I thought -
alas, a leg mass.

Because it's Minidisc.

[Anonymous Coward]

It allready has a solid-state called ATRAC3

Re:Because it's Minidisc.

[Anonymous Coward]

Uh. That's a compression algorithm.

Solid-state means there are no moving parts and, therefore, no skipping.

Re:Because it's Minidisc.

[CableModemSniper]

So is Ogg and MP3.

Why not something solid-state, like MP3 or OGG? Ah the joys of file formats and media.

Re:Because it's Minidisc.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Solid-state means there are no moving parts"

Uh, Solid State means there are no vacuum tubes in it. I'm so sick and tired of the misuse of that term. As if there's liquid or gas in other technologies.

Re:Because it's Minidisc.

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know what decade you come from, but today, solid state means no moving parts.

ie. a Floppy disk is NOT solid state, since it has internal moving parts. A CompactFlash card IS solid state, since it has no moving parts.

Re:Because it's Minidisc.

[Anonymous Coward]

Fantastic! So all my vacuum tube equipment is now officially Solid State, since there are no moving parts!!!

Thanks Perfesser!

Re:Because it's Minidisc.

[Anonymous Coward]

Technically, there are no moving parts in a compression algorithm, so he's right. See, that's what happens when precise engineering and physics terms are hijacked by marketing departments and people then try to be precise again with the wrong meaning!

Cheers!

Anti-Radiation

[muertos]

If anyone is interested, I'm bringing out a new line of tinfoil underwear. Aside from being anti-radiation, they have the added benefit of making it harder for aliens to control your nuts! Plus, you can easily identify people just like you.

Eh...

[EHUDs_Rhino]

I usually use a piece of tinfoil over my crotch. Not only does it keep "the boys" radiation-free, but it also prevents aliens from invading through my crotch.

I'm waiting for textile Levi's

[Anonymous Coward]

Then I can say to my girlfriend, "What's that you're typing, or are you just happy to see me?"

bite this: only 1,000 are being produced

[Anonymous Coward]

supply = low, demand = high, price = high

what is so hard to understand?

Re:bite this: only 1,000 are being produced

[PhatAir]

I get the economics, and I get the "I wanna cool gadget to show off" type feeling. I just question the fact that Burton (who are generally known for making great boarding gear) seem to be getting more and more corporate each year. Hardly the same spirit that Jake Burton used when he founded the company.

I just find it a bit sad, that's all.

Hercules Goes Bananas on DVD!!!!!

[olson_twin_troll]

Yes, I'm movin' Yes I'm movin' I'm feeling like a bad boy mmm feelin' like a bad boy I'm rippin' up a fag doll like throwing away an old toy somebody talkin' too loud tryin to tell me about the new crowd new version of the old scene ol' tin lizzy do it til you're dizzy give it all you got until you're put out of your misery! Fag doll, livin' in a movie Hot tramp, daddy's little cutie so fine, never see you leavin' by the back door Yes I'm movin', I'm really movin' I'm headin for the big time tap dancing on a land mine slow gin fizzy do it til you're dizzy give it all you got until you're put out of your misery!

In other news

[Target Drone]

Microsoft entered the techno clothing market by announcing its new line of MS Pants. The pants feature among other things a built in cell phone and PDA running the Windows CE operating system.

Microsoft officials flatly denied reports of the fly release mechanism failing at "in opportune times", causing beta testers to become trapped in their pants. A spokes person said "MS Pants have been designed with the same attention to quality and security we put into all our products".

The pants are expected to be available in time for the Christmas shopping season. A more powerful retro 70's jumpsuit will be available next spring.

wow

[Anonymous Coward]

what a great way to make yourself look like a fucking dork!

Thoughts on expensive jackets, future innovations

[m_chan]

I spend a lot of time in weather that is less than pleasant, under conditions where good gear makes a big difference. Audio hardware integrated into your clothing to make it easier to listen to music while riding is not necessarily very safe, as evidenced by numerous incidents of which I am aware where riders have hit snow cats and other riders while oblivious to external sounds. That aside, it sure is fun, being so free on the mountain while listening to your favorite tunes.

I witnessed an experience of a friend of mine about 15 or 20 years ago that makes me think twice whenever I want to drop a few hundred dollars on a new coat.

I was skiing with a teammate on our racing team. She took a fall as we were heading toward the lift line and slid through a plastic mesh fence. Her arm got stuck in the fence as she slid underneath, resulting in a compound fracture. When the Ski Patrol came to extract her from the fence and get her to a care facility, they had to cut off her rather new $300 Descente racing jacket.

I remember, in between her yelling about how much her arm hurt, cursing at the Ski Patrol as they sliced through the exotic fabric and ruined the jacket.

Of course, it was only a jacket, but it is kind of funny how some people, myself included, grow quite fond of the gear we use when out in the elements. It is not entirely a money issue either, but more how one grows comfortable with, relies upon, and trusts the hardware we use.

I think that it will be really interesting when biometric monitors, GPS gear, and transponders are integrated into clothing to help first responders locate and field diagnose victims in the wilderness or on the trail.

old technology...

[Lumpy]

The wearable computing crew at the University of toronto with the Group at MIT and not the University of Georgia have had this cince 1999.

One of the guys (I cant remember who) who worked with Thad Starner embroidered a control pad in his jean jacket that controlled a synth that was in his jacket.

It wasn't invented in the UK it was invented by a Grad student working on Wearable computing here in the Americas...

Forget safety

[j1mmy]

I don't want to listen to anything when I'm boarding. The best part of skiing and boarding is the utter silence you can discover on the slopes.

Re:Forget safety

[Heywood Yabuzof]

Side Note: utter silence not available at most East Coast ski resorts (except for those really really cold days)

But I know what you mean - when you get those rare moments of silence with a great view on a sunny day - perfect!

Re:Forget safety

[zsmooth]

East Coast ski resorts

I'm used to boarding in Utah, so when I hit the slopes in PA... Oh man, I couldn't believe people actually went. I guess when it's all you have...

Re:Forget safety

[haizi_23]

ha. try the midwest. all the ice of the east coast w/o ANY altitude. lots of hiking up the sled hill to hit the one crusty jump you built over and over and over.

Dumb Idea...

[Mysticalfruit]

Wearing headphones on the slopes is like driving with headphones. All you'll end up doing is getting someone or yourself hurt.

Contradiction

[Anonymous Coward]

... not the first I've seen ... I believe.

I'll take 5 of them

[mrroot]

Anything advertised^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hreported on slashdot must be good, right?

Re:I'll take 5 of them

[Anonymous Coward]

Anything advertised^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hreported on slashdot must be good, right?

Ever heard of ^W?

"The Boys"?

[Chazman]

Excuse me, but that's "Heavy D and The Boys" to you...

Re:Thoughts on expensive jackets, future innovatio

[Anonymous Coward]

I remember, in between her yelling about how much her arm hurt, cursing at the Ski Patrol as they sliced through the exotic fabric and ruined the jacket.

What a bitch. I can understand yelling about the arm, but cursing at people trying to help her? I would have just left the bitch on the fence.

Lets try an something...

[Anonymous Coward]

A man is to penis, as a women is to...

Vagina

Terrorism is to Arabs, as goatse is to...

Taco

Control is to Hitler, as karma is to...

Slashdot

Re:old technology... FOUND IT

[Lumpy]

here is a link to a story about this and the man behind it.

and here is more detailed info.
and IBM's take on it can be found here

again, this is nothing new.

MOD PARENT DOWN

[Anonymous Coward]

no shit mr obvious. i dont see how this shit gets modded up and someone that does actually post something that's worth a shit gets modded TROLL. this site is such a peice of fucking shit. DIE DIE DIE

Radiation

[Anonymous Coward]

Why do the effects of radiation always have to be detrimental? I reckon the guy that invents a phone that uses a specific wavelength that will enhance the user in the wedding tackle department will surly be on to a winner, and then poor old Levi won't be able to give their tin pants away, unless they convert them to collect radiation from other people phones.

Re:Thoughts on expensive jackets, future innovatio

[m_chan]

Well, to be fair to her, the cursing was not directed at the patrol but more the situation, as in, "You have to cut jacket? God Damn it! Okay, go ahead. GOD DAMN IT!" . Perhaps I should have said, cursing next to the Ski Patrol.

Maybe we could use the nuclear power to power...

[Komrade S.]

the minidisc? Or you could use the pocket to save up the radioactive energy so you could put a Spinal Tap endorsed "Hot Pocket" (tm) in there. THINK OF THE IRONY!

As an avid and experienced skier, I beg to differ

[div_2n]

If you have a ski hood on and possibly a ski helmet, you can't hear much anyway over the sound of your skis/board moving through the snow. Adding music is damn near a moot point. Being visually aware of your surroundings is the key to not killing somone while skiing.

By law, you are only responsible for those in front of you. All skiers in front of you have the right of way. Sound has nothing to do with your ability to see them.

The only time you shouldn't listen to music is when loading and unloading from the ski lift. You may miss some instructions from the lift operators. Once on the lift, hopefully you are social enough to talk instead of blare music.

Pants remind me of the F-Ray Futurama Episode

[disco_stu00]

Professor drops the F-Ray into the hands of Fry
and Bender, who giggle to each other, and then set out to the street to have some fun with their
new toy. Fry volunteers to be the first test-subject, and when Bender shines the beam at his pelvis Fry bends forward in pain.

Fry: Ow, my sperm!
Bender: Wow, neat. Mind if I try that again?
[he does so]
Fry: Huh! Didn't hurt that time.

screw you and your hype

[Anonymous Coward]

forget about trying to sell things on slashdot, you already made me loose my shirt buying VA stock at $320 a share.

Heh.

[zapfie]

I guess it's about time we protected 'the boys.'

Unless, of course, you are female. :P Kind of silly to assume everyone here is a guy.

Re:Heh.

[skratchjerk]

Nah, I was just thinking about myself.

Re:Heh.

[Anonymous Coward]

Will you sleep with me?

Re:MOD PARENT UP

[Anonymous Coward]

<b> <i> </b> </i> ???

reliable?

[Scrameustache]

Sounds (and looks) cool, but does it actually work?

I mean, it probably does work, in the right circumstances. But on the slopes, after a few falls, does it still work well or do you need to pound away at your arm like a madman?

Not all of us.

[SHEENmaster]

Hell, I've even had a few girlfriends!

From what I can tell, real geeks don't "plump up" until they get out of school. That's a good thing, since I can barely carry another person, much less 3-5.

giant headphones

[phriedom]

Wow, you aren't kidding. Those are huge. There is no way those are going to stay in place while skiing or snowboarding. I guess they would be okay for the chairlift though.

I think one would be better off subbing in little ear-bud phones under your hat and/or helmet, even though the sound is not as good.

Better yet, forget the whole thing and enjoy the silence.

Damn another female

[Dareth]

How come your man lets you post on Slashdot without permission?!?

Damn liberal feminist.

Advertising

[mxmissile]

Gee I wonder how much Burton paid to advertise on /.'s homepage?

What, No whining?

[QuantumRiff]

Shouldn't there be more posts moderated up that mention that this jacket is definately not GPL compliant? Nothing about emailing the exec's at Burton and telling them to shove their proprietary Jacket somewhere uncomfortable? What on earth is happening to slashdot? Is it possible we're growing up?
</Sarcasm>

Re:What, No whining?

[Sunnan]

"Shouldn't there be more posts moderated up that mention that this jacket is definately not GPL compliant?"

Actually, that is sort of a valid concern in this case, but I digress...

Regarding your signature about God dropped acid;

We were roleplaying the other night, I whipped up a little adventure based on Neil Young's "After the goldrush" lyrics. The characters (The Knight in Shining Armor, The Chosen One, The Hopefully Lying Friend, the Queen and the Archer) traveled to the sun and visited God and tricked him into taking drugs. He burst out in song and the Queen had to break his brains with a ninjutsu move.

I kinda wished I'd seen your sig earlier because it would have been funny to have God seeing people.

ShieldWorks

[johnstown]

If you don't like the feel of tin-foil in your hat ShieldWorks makes a very stylish hat with RF reflective material in it.

And when you wipe out???

[fmaxwell]

Great idea. Put on a $1000 jacket with an expensive MiniDisc player into the pocket, put on your headphones, and then go snowboarding.

I can just see it now. You don't hear the skier/boarder behind you and you cut him off. You both wipe out hard. You're lying in the snow with headphones 15 feet behind you (entangled with your goggles) -- the cable still around your neck, the MiniDisc player crunched, and your $1000 jacket's keypad mysteriously non-functional.

Do us all a favor and don't get the radiation shielded pants. We don't need you breeding.

Re:And when you wipe out???

[FattMattP]

I can just see it now. You don't hear the skier/boarder behind you and you cut him off. You both wipe out hard. You're lying in the snow with headphones 15 feet behind you (entangled with your goggles) -- the cable still around your neck, the MiniDisc player crunched, and your $1000 jacket's keypad mysteriously non-functional.

WOW! That'd be EXTREME!!! Just like in those Mountain Dew ads!

Re:And when you wipe out???

[Anonymous Coward]

This jacket isn't going to sell people on listening to tunes while you're riding...it's just gonna sell to people who already crank to tunes and want something more convenient.

Besides which, if you're only using audio cues to figure out where people are on the slopes you're a jackass anyway...that'd be like only looking straight forward in your car or walking on the road, and only being able to avoid accidents when people start honking like mad.

Re:And when you wipe out???

[fmaxwell]

Besides which, if you're only using audio cues to figure out where people are on the slopes you're a jackass anyway...that'd be like only looking straight forward in your car or walking on the road, and only being able to avoid accidents when people start honking like mad.

Skiers rely on being able to say "on your left" or "on your right" when they come up behind someone who is going slower. They say it, you cut in front of them, and the crash ensues. You can't turn your head 180 degrees, so don't give me that "I don't need to hear anything" bullshit. In your car, you have rear view mirrors. You don't have them on snowboards or skis.

BFD!?!

[binaryDigit]

OK, so you stich a contact based control panel into the arm of a jacket to control a player you have in the inside pocket. Ohhh, ahhhh, boy aint that too kewl, now that's some advanced tech.

Can anyone explain to me how this is so cool and why people are so impressed? You could take a 20 year old atari joystick control board and wire this puppy up yourself in about an hour.

Hell, my normal attire (work or otherwise) is a pair of shorts and a tshirt, the last thing I need is a wearable anything to clutter up my ensemble. Give me something I can clip to my shorts or stick in my pocket with decent ergos and I'm a happy man. Having a 802.11 antennae in my pocket (are you happy to see me or is that a WiFi antennae in your pocket, then again, with the size of a typical antennae, it had better be an antennae or it will be the only thing keeping you warm down there) is not my idea of enpowering, except in the literal sense.

Harumphhh.

Re:BFD!?!

[greymond]

You should make a backpack that has an 802.11b antenna sticking out of it and a connection for your laptop - im sure it would get slashdotted and all the people dumb enough to spend a grand on this jacket would also spend a grand on the backpack too.

Re:BFD!?!

[Anonymous Coward]

You're an idiot...the point is that when you're on the slopes, you're so bundled up that getting to any devices/controls becomes a pain in the ass. And this thing is totally unobtrusive...just a little pad on your sleeve.

Next time you're snowboarding down in a t-shirt and shorts, with no gloves on, i'm sure you'll be in fine shape to muck with your audio gear. For the rest of us that want to avoid frost-bite, wind-burn, and ice-rash, this is great.

Re:BFD!?!

[binaryDigit]

Actually, I did not imply that I snowboarded in jeans and tshirt (aamof, I don't snowboard at all), just that the concept is obvious and easy to do, which made it's newsworthyness very questionable.

I ride a motorcycle, and I'm bundled probably much more than any snowboarder, but it would make more sense to come up with a flat velcro control panel that could attach to the arm of my riding suit, or my tankbag, or my tank. This would be truely useful, not the overblown hype of "wearable" computing (give me smart ergo/form factor computing anyday). All this wearable hogwash reminds me of pen computing. It's obvious and it has it's place, but for some reason there are lots of people who want to make it into something much grander, and tons of people who follow right along.

dying format?

[Anonymous Coward]

I am on my 2nd MD recorder/player and I love it. You don't buy it to get pre recorded music for it. You use it to take it on the go and they're great for that purpose. You record music that you own, find, record live onto discs. IMHO current ATRAC whips MP3 and you can take tons of discs with you. I run with my MD and have never had it skip yet, and the battery life is great.

Works for me I guess.

Please ignore... [Re:You'll kill yourself]

[shlong]

Moderators, I'm just stating the obvious here, please move along...

This is different from, for example, taking part in a conversation, which the brain will treat as a less interuptable activity. This is why talking on a cell phone while driving is considerably more dangerous than listening to music while driving - your brain will continue to concentrate on the conversation even when something else (a red light, a driver cutting into your lane, a child crossing the street) should grab your immediate attention.

Hey, I hate loosers who talk on their cell phone while driving just as much as the next guy, but statements like yours seem a bit overly-broad. What about holding a conversation with a passenger? Is that going to interrupt too much processing power? What about dealing with screaming kids in the back seat? If using cell phones are so dangerous that we need to criminalize their use while driving, then we should criminalize these other activites too.

Re:Please ignore... [Re:You'll kill yourself]

[Anonymous Coward]

A passenger in the car is aware of the fact that you are driving and expects pauses while things such as lane-changes and left turns occur. I have not seen statistics, but I would imagine that fewer sentences are said per minute between two people in a car than between two people on the phone.

Crying backseat babies can also be dealt with at opportune times (red lights, etc.)

The point? There is a fundamental difference between talking on the phone while driving and other conversations in the car.

Re:Please ignore... [Re:You'll kill yourself]

[Anonymous Coward]

Hey, I hate loosers who...

Where is losenotlooseguy when we need him to come and save the day?!

Remote Controls Standard

[harrisj]

Regardless of whether it's appropriate for the slopes, it's kinda cool having a controller on the sleeve that's more durable than the standard wired remote control provided with such projects (easier to be operated with gloves).

That's all fine and dandy, but are there any sort of standards for these wired remotes? I'm assuming that each manufacturer picks their own, which kinda sucks. Imagine you decide you want to use an Ipod or a RIO, etc. Your jacket pretty much becomes useless (unless there was some sort of swappable internal adapter). It might not even work with different products from the same manufacturer? Also, are these controls usually analog or digital signals? Anybody more clueful than I care to comment? Anybody really care (at least it's not the Nth post about how dangerous this is)?

What about side by side?

[Gorimek]

By law, you are only responsible for those in front of you.

Mostly out of curiosity, what's the rule for people sking side by side? From the rule you quote, it seem like nobody is responsible.

I'm curious since I tore a knee ligament when being hit by a snowboarder from the side. Or possibly I hit him from the side, it's a little hard to tell.

Re:What about side by side?

[lommer]

There's generally two conditions for this happening.

The first is when someone is passing another person and collides with them while side-by-side. In this case it is the passing persons fault. This also goes for people who cut other people off.

The second is when two trails merge. In that case the more-horizontal trail (or the trail with the yield sign if there is one) must yield to the uphill trail.

Finally, it is possible that two people can collide as you mentioned without either of the above to cases being true. In that instance, the case will be evaluated and if things like excessive speed/reckless skiing are involved, guess who's fault it is...

I would suspect that any judge who take into account music playing as well when reviewing a collision lawsuit.

Re:What about side by side?

[SagSaw]

There are some situation which are accidents. If two skiiers/boarders collide side-to -side (been there), it is usually because neither was aware of the other's presence.

Most of the time when I've seen people collide like this, it is because they are making wide sweeping turns in opposite directions such that the convex sides of their paths meet. In this case, neither is in the other's field of view, as each person tends to be looking ahead for hazards.

What is the value add of putting them together?

[f97tosc]

What is the improvement over having the player of your choice inside the garment of your choice?

A padded pouch????

The only advantage seems to be that it has a big textile control pad - and the value of those could be captured better if they were sold separately.

Tor

Re:What is the value add of putting them together?

[Ransom342]

Thats True, You could shave $200 by switching to the MZ-505 How much audio recording are you going to be doing on the slope anyways!

It's about time..

[Frank of Earth]

.. we start integrating some jetsons like stuff into our lives.

Why not create a jacket with an integrated GPS/Compass/Temp guage and mp3 player for hikers? Imagine pulling off a protective cover on your wrist and seeing a display showing your heading, location, your body temperature, outside temperature and which mp3 is playing. Doesn't even have to be color, just backlit.

Guaranteed, you can sell this jacket for 700 bucks and people will buy it. Maybe I'm in a minority, but I have money for gadgets, but there just isn't anything out there I want. Got Tivo, got xBox, got my own weather station [offline at the moment as I rewire it], got an Audrey. Maybe I'm just spoiled ;-)

And a big D.A.R.E. patch on the back!

[mekkab]

Just to throw off the fuzz!

I remember when I first saw a pair of pants with the inner thigh stash pocket... I just about flipped my wig. I thought that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Sure, cops were probably on to it shortly after they came out, but still. Dare to dream.

As long as

[Anonymous Coward]

The radiation doesn't effect my ability to get an erection I will keep my phone in my pocket without any "radiation" protection. Frying the sperms is a good thing. Back in the seventies when I was working with radars we usually took a few minutes in front of the feed horn every Friday to avoid any misstakes during the weekend. Worked flawlessly.

Mmmm... Fabric...

[DJPenguin]

If you had a SAN in this jacket would it be a fabric?

Don't knock it till you try it

[mekkab]

1: low volume
2: keep one ear free
3: have music you "know" by heart- that way you aren't really listening to the music, its just background. And then when you hear a child scream or a snow cat roar, you say "Hey! That's not part of the chorus!" and you either stop or get out of the way.

There is nothing better than ending your day on a blue square run with some kickin' 'choons.

Frank Herbert

[Salsaman]

Null pants ?

umm...

[greymond]

My jacket has a pocket that can fit my minidisk player in it. and on wire there is a little volume control. so why would i pay a grand for something I DONT NEED and ISNT ALL THAT GREAT. jebus people let them make something cool AND useful not just random shit thats lame.

Getting REALLY off topic...

[srvivn21]

Many moons ago, L.L. Bean carried a "ski-dometer" that you attached to the back of your ski. There was a little wheel with a magnet embedded in it that hung off the back, and a sensor in the unit that kept track of when the magnet passed by.

Very cool little device. Kept track of your current speed (if you were brave/psycho enough to look as you were skiing) average speed, top speed and distance traveled. It only cost about $50, and worked really well.

Wow. It still exists.

Re:Getting REALLY off topic...

[msheppard]

It's funny you mention "brave/physcho enough to look" as we used to have to do that. The Garmin 12XL didn't come from the factory with the "max speed" readout. So you had to look at the gps (usually strapped to your sleeve) to see how fast you were going. First time I read +50mph I almost fainted! I mean hell, you can die IN A CAR going 30mph. 50mph and nothing between you and a tree == ouch.

Anyhow, I sent the GPS back to Garmin for a firm-ware upgrade and now you just put it in your pocket, ski as fast as you can, and then check the readout. Also keeps people honost, as you can then show it to "Mr. 62mph" and say HA ha.

Also works great for tabagonning, snow-tubing, white water rafting, stuffing in R/C airplanes... not to mention those long straight sections of I89 near Bolton.

M@ (aka Mr. 68mph)

Your plea falls on deaf (ok, headphoned) ears.

[cryptochrome]

Since when do snowboarders give a shit about anybody else on the slopes?

no moving parts!!!

[master2b]

I'd much prefer an mp3 player with no moving parts that won't skip . . .unless your an incredibly fluid snow boarder ;-)

Re:no moving parts!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Only issue with this is that most CF/SM based mp3 players max out at 256MB...and when you're out on the slopes for 6 hours a day, for a couple days...you start to get sick of hearing all the repeats...and the multi-gig ones all use laptop hd's that tend to freeze up in the cold.

Re:no moving parts!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

minidiscs have a reputation for NOT skipping under harsh conditions (jogging, etc...)

Too Fat To Ski? No Way.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm 6'1, 350 lbs and I can tear up the mountain. (In the good way.)

I just have to stop frequently to catch my breath.

I don't know if you can learn to ski while this heavy, though. Falling down and getting up wears you out faster than anything except black diamond moguls.

Beeing cool with techno gear!!

[McFly69]

"With my ectoplasmic backpack, I can catch any ghost. With this rod I can open any sports car. With my third forhead eye, I can see through walls and clothing. With the blue gun in my pocket, I can conquier any nintendo game. With all this, I still cant get any booty!!

Be cool with techno gear!!

[McFly69]

With my ectoplasmic backpack, I can catch any ghost. With this rod I can open any sports car. With my third forhead eye, I can see through walls and clothing. With the blue gun in my pocket, I can conquier any nintendo game. With all this, I still cant get any booty!!

Fast Times at Fairmont High

[technoCon]

Suggest a cool story by Vernor Vinge on this topic.

Re:As an avid and experienced skier, I beg to diff

[lommer]

"By law, you are only responsible for those in front of you. All skiers in front of you have the right of way. Sound has nothing to do with your ability to see them."

There is right, and then there is dead right. While skiing fatalities are not too common from collisions with other people, serious injuries are. I would rather hear the jackass about to cut me off and avoid him than spend the next 6 months in hospital (or possibly paraplegic) and get a couple million bucks in a lawsuit.

Skiing (well) is risky enough as is (that's why I like it :-), so there is no need to make it moreso in a really avoidable fashion.

That said, I support listening to music on chairlifts.

When you crash

[lommer]

What happens when you bail and go sliding along the snow on your "buttons" and you suddenly find that not only have you busted your knee, you are now listening to your girlfriend's side of the disc...

that would suck.

anti-radiation jeans

[lingqi]

When first read I thought it was a response / appealing to this whole "Bush wants to go to war REAL bad" political climate.

I mean, after all, while the US keeps talking about "we want peace," we still got more nukes than anybody out there, combined, right?

responsibility

[g4dget]

I hope anybody who listens to music while skiing or snowboarding and gets involved in an accident will be held liable for damages and criminally responsible. Paying attention and hearing others are very important for safe skiing (deaf people have to be extra careful). And it's unfortunate that a clothing manufacturer would support this.

Re:gazuga's spelling genious

[Anonymous Coward]

(sic)

genius.

Burton's wonderful webpage

[thogard]

Did anyone else notice how useful and functional their web page was? After digging up an "alternate" browser, I managed to be able to read their site slow, ugly and disfunctional. The problem is I can't find out any more about the product like if I can order it and from where? I've got a birthday present to buy for a friend since I think she would love one of these jackets. Too bad Burton's web site is such a pain to use.

Nice!

[Zaphod-AVA]

So the solution to cell phone idiots is to figure out a way to put in a nice (19) on the conversation process!

-Z

Re:Thoughts on expensive jackets, future innovatio

[jeko]

Listen to an old man on this:

There's always more gear at the store.
The same is not true for your hide.
Tell your friend to get her priorities straight.

It's about time.

[Tsunamio]

I've always felt that we needed to way to get snowboarders to pay less attention to what they're doing.

New poll idea

[Anonymous Coward]

Which of these would you least like to have left inside you after surgery?

• Junior Mint
• Surgeon's watch
• Sponge
• Hockey-puck mouse
• Windows install media
• Infinite Justice(R)* ID transponder
• CowboyNeal

*Why the hell don't &reg; &trade; &copy; etc. work anymore?

Re:Thoughts on expensive jackets, future innovatio

[addaon]

I'm a member of national ski patrol, and I've met my share of folks like this, who curse at the people who are trying to help them. Unfortunately, we're supposed to be nice, so I can't tell them that I'll just leave 'em there and save there jacket... However, when someone actually is reasonable, and realize that their health is more important than their clothes, I let them in on a little secret. For any of the major gear companies (Descente, North Face, Rossignol, whoever), if you write them a letter saying exactly what happpened (I fell going down this run and cracked my arm, and the patrollers had to cut the sleeve of your wonderful jacket off) and toss it in a package with the jacket, they'll send you a replacement within a few weeks. Every single time, assuming it's one of the good companies. Good to know. ;-)

Re:As an avid and experienced skier, I beg to diff

[Anonymous Coward]

yea by law you are not responsible for an accident caused by someone from behind....
So?? you were still in an accident, if you break you legs or you spine it wont really matter whos fault it was cause youll still be pretty much incapacitated for a while (not to mention hurt)

uh

[Anonymous Coward]

i think ill just stick with my belt made from ribbon cables and an old processor....its held together with hdd magnets... ;]

Where did I say...

[Andy Dodd]

That standby mode had anything to do with reception?

My point was that in standby mode, the phone is RARELY transmitting. Transmitted RF is what people think harms them. (I won't get into whether it does or not...)

Knowing the speed vs. KNOWING the speed

[srvivn21]

There is a benefit to not being able to see how fast you are going until it's all over, don't you think?

The GPS certainly sounds more versatile.