A Guy Takes His iPhone to the Pool and ...

Watch it to the end - that's where things happen. Ooops!

Novel Swimming Gadgets I'd Like to See

The NIke people recently released a tie-in with iPods (I guess they didn't want to be the last ones) that allows a runner to link his/her shoes wirelessly into the player so the player can tell the runner to speed up or slow down, etc. Cool, or what? I think swimming needs more gadgets. Let's start with lap counters. They seem to only show up in competitive swimming pools. Really, they are needed in everyday lap pools - folks need to see they've done two laps. It might inspire them to do another. Really, though, lap counting to me is a daily chore. I'd much rather focus on something other than what lap I'm on when I'm doing anything longer than 400 meters. How about those rabbits that the greyhounds chase at dog tracks? Some racing LEDs along the lane line in the bottom of the pool would work for me. Then there's laser tracking and targeting. Every pool should have something that zaps the occasional clueless lane partner who strays into your part of the lane. I've read they're working on heads up displays for goggles. I even linked to them once or more in this blog in the past. Besides the lap counting function, speed, etc. I think some good cinema would be in order for these babies. I know these are somewhat off base, but why not? Any other suggestions?