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

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

[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

[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

[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

[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).

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

[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

[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.

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.

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.

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. ;-)

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...

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?

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...

[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...

[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.

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

[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.

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.

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

[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

[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.

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

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.

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

[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: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: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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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>

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???

[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!?!

[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.

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"?

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.

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?

[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.

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.

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 ?

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)

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!!

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.

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.

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. ;-)

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...)