Officials say the system could be used to ensure that the president and officials can address the nation during a significant emergency such as a natural disaster, terrorist attack or cyberincident.

My question is… Did you hear/see it? Were you even watching or listening to any of those channels??  Apparently some people heard Lady Gaga!

I didn’t. As a “net native”, I rarely watch live TV and only listen to the radio in my car.  So I guess I would have had no warning of the impending earth-ending comet or succumbed to the zombie apocalypse.

Or would I?

EVERYTIME there has been a major news story or natural disaster I have seen it on twitter significantly earlier than any news broadcasts. I know this Emergency Alert System is a lot more serious than a breaking news story but that only proves my point. I’m wondering if an internet component should be added to the list? Or as someone twittered:

” An Emergency Alert System that also sends an SMS to all cellphones would be more useful to me.”"

I mean is FEMA the official site for up-to-the-minute information in a disaster? It’d be great to have an interactive site where you can verify what’s true and what’s not. Perhaps the Presidents twitter will suffice? Let’s hope the next one is as social media savvy. I know that when I was in Brisbane, Australia during their terrible floods, twitter and facebook became intrinsic to getting help, putting out current warnings and finding lost people.  Qld Police used their facebook presence as a beacon of Real-Time trusted info.

The Guarding™ wave can be serious business. It’s about proactively fighting fear. The Human Truth™ of this wave is: “If something is after me, I’ll be ready for it.”™ When you look at the examples they gave for it’s use again: natural disaster, terrorist attack or cyberincident... it’s kind of gives you chills. Here’s to hoping they are just being “proactive” and never have to use it for real.

“In the age of multilingual GPS devices, driver seat massages and cruise control navigation, it was only a matter of time before manufacturers developed drowsy driver alerts. That’s right – technology to tell you when you’re in danger in nodding off behind the wheel, bringing you back to full attention through dashboard icons and warning alarms.”

Mercedes and Saab have models that come inbuilt and there are “$250 dashboard devices, like the Danish-made Anti-Sleep Pilot set for U.S. release in the coming months which uses sensors charting 26 different factors to detect tiredness. Drivers using that product also have to tap the sensor every 10 to 15 minutes, with reaction times measured.”

I was shocked to learn that an estimated 100,000 driving deaths a year may be attributed to sleepy driving.

Guarding™ is about being proactive against fear and danger. Its about finding products and services that you feel confident will save you from harm. In this wave we have already seen many innovative safety components being developed for cars. Like this technology for a steering wheel that reads the blood alcohol level through your skin.

The Human Truth™ of this wave is: “If something is after me, I’ll be ready for it.”™  However, in these examples, the danger they are saving you from, could be yourself!

“Our goal is nothing less than to survive the apocalypse to come in comfort and luxury,” Pink Visual spokesman Quentin Boyer told CBS’ Los Angeles affiliate. “Whether that catastrophe takes the form of fireballs flung earthward by an all-seeing deity, extended torrential rainfall, Biblical rapture, an earthquake-driven mega-tsunami, radioactive flesh-eating zombies, or some combination of the above.” Boyer told the LA Weekly that the X-rated bunker will be filled with “multiple fully-stocked bars, an enormous performing stage, and a sophisticated content production studio.”

The essence of this wave is about “proactively fighting fear.” Regardless of how you you feel about people that prepare for “end times”, the fear is very real. There are many products and services that play directly to people who the fear of the apocalypse, but it’s not hard to tap into the unease that most of us feel about the future sometimes. The Human Truth™ of the wave is: “If something is after me, I’ll be ready for it.”™ Wanting to feel safe will always be universal.

“Chick-a-Dee is unique because it combines lifesaving technology, that adheres to the latest safety standards, with a friendly and modern design. The small bird is perched on a branch, which also serves as the fixture that is easily mounted to the ceiling. Just like birds in the wild warn with their loud calls when danger threatens, Chick-a-Dee will warn its cohabitants. At the slightest sign of danger, the bird will respond with a loud alarm signal.”

Just because something has a “heavy” kind of purpose doesn’t mean the design has to match.  Like these cute band aids.  I usually love it when form and function are juxtaposed.  Seeing things in a new light is always fun.

The thing I really loved about this story that NPR just ran is that it takes the same subject, but gives it a real humanistic reality check.  By that I mean it makes the very valid point that one of the keys to surviving a catastrophe- is your community, friends and family.

Political scientist, and Hurricane Katrina survivor, Daniel Aldrich decided to study the aftermath of several global disasters and found that it was the “people power” that was the saving grace.  In many ways, even more so than the government and local relief efforts.

“Instead of practicing earthquake drills and building bunkers, we could reach out and make more friends among our co-workers and neighbors. “Get more involved in neighborhood events,” Aldrich said. “If there is a planning club, a homeowners association — if there are sports clubs nearby, PTAs — those groups have us in contact with people we wouldn’t normally meet and help us build up these stocks of trust and reciprocity.” “Really, at the end of the day, the people who will save you, and the people who will help you,” he added, “they’re usually neighbors.”

I know this from personal experience too.  My brothers home became a refuge for several friends whose homes were affected by the huge Brisbane Flood in Australia earlier this year.  Then a few months later his wife smelled an unusual smell.  Her diligence and quick thinking was able to save their neighbor’s home, which surely would have burned to the ground – due to a gas stove top being left on.  She was rewarded with a bottle of wine, a lovely gift basket and a very heartfelt note.  But what she also has now is a neighbor that will go to any length to help them, if they are ever in need.

The Human Truth™ of the Guarding™ wave is:  “If something is after me, I’ll be ready for it.” All too often this has connotations of withdrawing into a safe place and “guarding” yourself from an “attack”.  I like the way this story emphasizes that when the chips are down, the people that fare the best, are the ones who have a community as a safety net.

Laurence Rook must not be your average teenager.

The seeds of his idea were planted when his mother was frustrated at having to go to the post office a lot, because she kept missing the delivery guy.  So he rigged the doorbell with her sim card and made the intercom call her cell phone.  She was then able to direct the delivery guy as to where to put the package.   The idea developed to be an ingenious bugler deterrent because he realized a lot of would-be thieves would ring the doorbell to make sure the home was empty.

Smart Bell, dials the homeowner’s mobile phone and even produces a small amount of white noise to fool burglars into thinking they are speaking to someone inside the house on an intercom system.

The Daily mail reports:  “Laurence has already sold 20,000 units to telecoms giant Commtel Innovate and is finalising a deal with an unnamed second company for a further 25,000 units. When the deal is signed, he will be £250,000 richer. Less than 12 months after the prototype was developed, Commtel Innovate is preparing for the wholesale release of the product and High Street giants B&Q, PC World, Currys and Comet are now set to stock the Smart Bell, which will cost £40.”

The Human Truth™ of the Guarding™ wave is “If something’s after me, I’ll be ready for it.”  This enterprising young man just made people’s ability to guard their homes a little easier.  An entrepreneurial aunt helped Laurence’s idea along. I wonder what other great ideas are dwelling in the minds of our youth?

The White House put a lid on the chatter saying the kitchen is for cooking, not Tweeting, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The White House press operation said it wants to downplay the glamour aspect of the state dinner, citing tough economic times. Oh I’m sure they weren’t eating off paper plates in light of economic times… Bah!  I would think they would be happy with buzz of such a well known chef!  I mean if they were Negative Nancy comments, then yes, Guarding could come in handy, but really, people live vicariously through events such as these and with all the bad press in the media, what’s the harm in a little twitter.

In terms of Maslow’s Hierarchy, is this a Safety issue, or more of an esteem Power Play going on here?  How far should a brand or a company censor what is being tweeted, I always thought kind words were a boost to business, not a liability….but, I guess that’s why I don’t work at the White House.

There are so many interesting apps being released constantly, I’m pretty sure I could do a blog entirely devoted to apps…. Oh look surprise, surprise here’s one…

Aaaanyway, for today’s Guarding™ post, I’m focusing on the idea of services that protect you from yourself.

How about a text with a shelf life of 60sec after it’s been read? Well you can do this and other 007 moves with TigerText:

MSNBC.com: “Called TigerText (ironic, isn’t it?) from a company of the same name, the texting app lets users set a time limit for text messages — and when the time is up, the messages will self-destruct and be wiped from the original phone, the receiving phone, and the server.  It’s perfect for cheating spouses, shady politicians, sexting teens, and people who send a lot of stupid texts while drunk.”

Apparently this app was named before the whole Tiger Woods thing but I’m sure he’s wishing he knew about it.  It’s hard not to think that this is to guard against “naughty behaviour” but the founder of TigerText, Jeffrey Evans says that his service is aimed more at “lawyers and business execs that deal with highly confidential material”.

However, there is a service that wholeheartedly admits that they are saving you from your drunken self.  Straight out of Google Labs came: Mail Goggles

“When you enable Mail Goggles, it will check that you’re really sure you want to send that late night Friday email. And what better way to check than by making you solve a few simple math problems after you click send to verify you’re in the right state of mind?”

The quiz pops up automatically for emails sent late night on the weekends!  This made me laugh when I saw it but I guess if you’ve ever sent a drunken email that had disastrous consequences it’s not a laughing matter!!

The Wave Essence is “ Trusting products and services for security”. We often think that Guarding™ is all about protection from others or some negative occurrence.   Well, these services remind us that sometimes- we actually need saving from ourselves.

Oooo how about a fridge that locks at mid-night?

Berlin Is going to dig up the massive statue of Lenin buried after the collapse of the wall, in a time where the last thing anyone wanted to speak of was communism.  This along with several other statues, from communist and Nazi era Berlin back to the days of Prussia. It’s a sign that a city whose streets have seen both bliss and true horror is no longer hiding the darker side of itself.

Time may not heal all wounds, but covering them up gets a society nowhere. The project leader, Andrea Theissent told SPIEGEL ONLINE. “The exhibition is a wonderful way to portray how historical monuments have been dealt with. It’s typical of Berlin’s turbulent history that nothing is left standing where it was once erected.”

Amazingly, this clever coaster was key evidence in the prosecution of a dirty cop!

“Police said a bartender at the Sugar Shack saw reserve Officer Brad Hellums put something in two women’s drinks. The bartender then went across the street to the Whiskey Bar to get one of the Drink Safe coasters, providing police with evidence, said bar manager Neil Ludwig, who runs several bars that use the coasters. “

“It tells you that there is something foreign in that drink that shouldn’t be there,” said Dennis Burns of Drink Safe Texas. Testing a drink is simple. The coaster has colored dots on the corners that change color if the drink is spiked. And you can do that with your finger in the drink or the straw.

The company also sells caps you can carry in your pocket to cover a beer bottle when it’s unattended, as well as pocketsize drink testers such as the coasters that can be carried in a purse.

It should be noted that the coasters cut into profits by about 40 cents each, but Ludwig said they are worth it. “It’s not a cheap thing for us to do, but we want our customers to feel safe.”

Just like some consumers are willing to pay more for the kind of high quality products they want, these bars are willing pay more to add this kind of value to their patron’s experience.  It makes sense to me, I would be happy to be loyal to a business that I can see is going the extra mile for me – for my well being & personal safety.