Augmented Reality Sprint and Soccer Training

Trying something unique. SprintAR - a Mixed Reality app for sprint, soccer, football or basketball training. Here's a quick overview video:

It's worth listing some of the advantages and disadvantages of this approach:

Three Unique Advantages

• Chase your ghost: this is something no other medium (not even VR) can do. It feels amazing to chase a life-size, 3D, recorded version of your previous best time. The ghost feels like 'you' because it moves uncannily like you. It's a real out-of-body experience. It's extremely competitive and motivating but also not intimidating (because it's 'you').
• Zero setup and pack down: again, something no other medium can do. Training cones appear magically in their correct formation and at their correct spacing. You don't have to set them up, or pack them away again, or keep diagrams of different formations to remind you how to do them.
• Interactive checkpoints: also something no other medium can do. An interactive blue circle guides you from cone to cone, and enforces you step into it.

Side Benefits

• Automatic time recording: times are recorded without needing to start/stop a stopwatch. Also a leaderboard of best times are maintained.
• Beep test: the app can manage the entire beep test (multi-stage fitness test, MSFT, PACER): all audio, all timings, interactive warnings, all measurements etc.

Some Disadvantages

• VR headsets are heavy: despite huge improvement in recent years, VR headsets are still about 15x heavier than regular running glasses (500 grams vs 30 grams). Personally, I find it fine. But your mileage may vary.
• VR headsets are expensive: there's no doubt you're paying more for a unique experience. But the good news is, VR headsets are tied to your face! You're much less likely to damage or drop them than phones you carry in your hand, or something strapped to your foot.
• VR headsets are sweaty: this is less of a problem for short sprint training than for the many popular VR Fitness apps out there, but still not ideal. I recommend using an Open Facial Interface:

On balance, I feel the good outweighs the bad. But try it for yourself and let me know!

You can download the app here:

https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/sprintar/9252256208171998

PozeAR at Master Poomsae Seminar

Honoured to present PozeAR at the 2024 Korean Master Poomsae Seminar. Enormous thanks to Grand Master Bilal Elmowy for letting me speak to Masters from NSW and Korea.

PozeAR Launched

 Excited to launch our new Augmented Reality training app to help others on their Taekwondo journey, PozeAR:

Black Belt in Taekwondo

Thrilled to receive my black belt in Taekwondo from United Taekwondo. Many thanks to Master Paul Mitchell and Chief Instructor John Tomic for getting me over the line! 

Wealth Central wins Best New Advice Technology

I’m proud to announce that Wealth Central has been awarded the Best New Advice Technology Application by Investment Trends - a specialist financial services market research organisation.

Investment Trends released the 2020 Advice Technology Benchmark Report in March 2021, which provides an in-depth review of recent developments in the Australian advice technology space, including a benchmark of functionality offered by established advice software providers. Wealth Central was awarded as a standout planning application amongst our industry peers in this report.

This award is based on the analysis of the 2020 Advice Technology Benchmark Report identifying the best in class providers across seven categories. Commenting on the results, Investment Trends said: “Wealth Central remains the pre-eminent implementation of a goals-based advice process in Australia and possibly the globe.”

Elgato Stream Deck: Useful for Programmers?

I thought I'd make a quick blog post about using a Stream Deck as a programmer, for anybody who's on the fence about picking one up.

What The Hell Is A Stream Deck?

Regardless of what it's meant to be (some kind of DJ Deck for streamers? idk I've never streamed), the Stream Deck is a small programmable keyboard with OLED screens for each button. Buttons can be configured to display arbitrary content (including animated images), perform arbitary actions on an attached PC (including reconfiguring the Stream Deck itself, so for example a button can display a set of sub buttons), or respond to arbitary events on an attached PC (for example, opening a program can switch to a set of sub buttons).

So, is a Stream Deck useful for programmers? Absolutely! But figuring out how takes a little bit of time. Here are my own use cases, hopefully they will inspire others:

1. Binders Full Of Shortcuts

Sure, you can move your mouse to navigate folders of bookmarks to frequently used shortcuts, but it's tedious hovering the mouse in exactly the right place and clicking. Being able to fat-finger punch a nice, binary on/off button is much quicker.

With the Stream Deck, I can configure buttons that open sub-screens of other buttons, and categorise all my front-end and back-end systems.

2. Handy Apps

Sometimes you want a little app and your main screen is already full of Web browsers, IDE windows and debugging consoles. For me, I often need a quick calculator.

With the Stream Deck, I can write a simple JavaScript app that turns my buttons into a calculator. This is better than a separate, physical desk calculator because a) it takes up no space when not using it; b) I can cut and paste values to/from my PC.

Another handy app lets you turn every button into a separate copy/paste clipboard, so you can (finally!) have multiple cut and paste buffers.

3. Mini Status Windows

Sometimes I want to check on an external system just at a glance, without having to open a Web browser.

With the Stream Deck, I can write a JavaScript app to poll a web service and animate a button. For example, I can show my Jenkins build status and, if one's in progress, how long it's got to go.

4. Shortcuts For The Forgetful

I use a lot of different programs, and haven't committed to memory the keyboard shortcuts for all of them. For example, I will occasionally fire up After Effects. Whenever I do, I have to Google how to trim the video composition, because I can never press the right keyboard key or find the damn option in the menus.

With the Stream Deck, I can configure it to display a set of After Effects-specific buttons whenever After Effects has the focus. And these buttons can be named after what they actually do (for example, 'In Point' presses the 'B' key). It's like a modern-day version of one of these bad boys:

5. A Second Screen

Some apps, like Zoom when sharing somebody else's screen, need all the screen space they can get. They fill the display and have no visible toolbars.

With the Stream Deck, I can configure it to have icons that don't fit on my primary display, whenever that app has focus. For example, to mute my microphone.

Conclusion

I've had the Stream Deck about a month. I bought the XL version (has more keys) and although I wasn't sure if it was overkill, I'm gradually filling up the buttons. Plus I have about 10 sub-screens of buttons. I've found it an immensely useful little gadget. The ability to quickly check on things, and quickly invoke actions without using the mouse, is great for programmers!

Wealth Projector acquired by IOOF

Wealth Central has recently been acquired by IOOF as part of its Advice 2.0 strategy. It is a proud moment for us that IOOF share our vision and recognise the enormous potential for helping more Australians engage with their finances and the financial planning process. We would like to thank our awesome development team and our customers, advocates and experts that enabled us to create something amazing. We look forward to the next exciting stage of the journey.