If you are from Down-Under and haven’t voted yet, go and see http://www.nescafebigbreak.com.au/ and make your choice.
Voting is open till 3rd of November.
You don’t know which chap to support? I already talked about the ColorLuminator and Color Vision for Colorblinds. Ian Cannon invented a nice little handy tool which can read colors. If you need some more information about the ColorLuminator to make your choice I can give some insights from the inventors themselves:
- Extensive colour palette – We have divided the RGB colour palette into 729 well-defined divisions and we have researched numerous colour-industry colour charts and major internet sites to assign a suitable colour name for each division. This procedure took over four weeks, for we wanted to make sure that each colour name is universally recognised eg. For the division R-128, G-160, B-96, we had the options of using Nile Green, Paris Green, Asparagus Green, Dull Green, Arcadian Green … We decided upon Asparagus Green as we felt this name conjured up the best image of the specific green colour being described.
- LCD display with clear black writing on a light green background, that includes the following details for each colour:
- color name
- integral RGB values
- integral CYMK values
- integral luminosity, hue and saturation values
This will allow for more accurate colour matching and laboratory or industrial use if required.
- Luminance Contrast – Our device has a small memory which can store the last colour reading. This enables the device to measure the luminosity of two colours and determine the luminosity contrast between these two colours using an algorithm integrated into the device’s software. This has a huge application in the building industry. According to Australian Standard 1428.1 – 2001, all new buildings are required to have a luminance contrast of over 30% for stairways, door frames, signage, large glazed areas, handrails, reception desks and even door handles. Bus bays, train platforms, pedestrian crossings are all required to have tactile indicators with a luminance contrast of over 30%. Even public park benches, bollards and garbage bins must have the same level of contrast.
- Currently industry is supposed to use expensive spectrophotometers or colourimeters to determine the luminous values of contrasting surfaces and the analysis of the luminous contrast is conducted back in the office. This is so cumbersome a procedure, that most of the relevant organisations are unable to perform these readings. In recent contact with the two men who chaired the ME64 committee that was responsible for developing the Australian Standard 1428.1, they have expressed deep interest in our project. So much so that they want us to do a presentation at the Association of Access Consultants of Australia AGM in early November 2006. They believe our device would be an ideal instrument for on-site luminance contrast readings. One of the two men is also a member of the ISO (International Standards Organisation) and he taking our recommendations to the international committee for the use of the Australian version of the luminance contrast algorithm to be standardised internationally.
- Applications of our device:
- Builders and restorers can simply match paints, stains and other finishes
- Luminance contrast can be determined. This is useful for making building and facilities safe for vision impaired, designing web pages, selecting the clearest chalk in a classroom, for the most effective advertising, for signage, for image contrast in aviation helmet displays …
- Army can quickly produce camouflage clothing for local
- Gardeners can determine when fruit or vegetables are ripe
- Colours can be identified at night
- Colours can be determined in most light sources, eg navy and black are difficult to differentiate under fluorescent lights.
- Stamp collectors can readily determine different shades of older stamps
- Profoundly blind can determine colours
- Colour blind and vision impaired people can readily identify colours. This can be a big problem in Geography where topographic maps have altitudes colour coded and the colours chosen are extremely hard to differentiate.
I hope this is enough to convince you that they really made a great job and need your voice.