Sunday 24 May 2009

Cairns web guru develops iPhone app

Track it. Manage it. Drink it. Organise it.
That's the tune song for DrinkTracker, a world-first application for the revolutionary iPhone and iPod Touch, created by Cairns' best known web design and internet marketing specialist, Greg Slapp.
The application is a personal breathalyzer that also measures blood alcohol levels. It's due for release on 31 May via iTunes. DrinkTracker is also supported by a comprehensive Breathalyser and BAC calculator website called RUPissed?
"DrinkTracker is still awaiting final approval from Apple in the US," Greg Slapp told CairnsBlog. "Our first submission got rejected by iTunes on human interface grounds. This is nothing serious, just annoying. I am now waiting for Apple to respond to our re-submission."
The application will sell for $2.49, will Apple taking a 30% fee.
Extensive research has gone into the mobile application, and is supported by a wealth on information.
Alcohol is absorbed from all parts of the gastrointestinal tract, largely by simple diffusion into the blood, however the small intestine is by far the most efficient region of the gastrointestinal tract for alcohol absorption because of its very large surface area.
The online calculator varies based on sex, age, body size, body type, and a whole range of other things that make the calculation indicative only.
"It's not to be used as evidence in a court of law," Greg Slapp reassures. "If you want to know your BAC accurately, go find a policeman and ask him to breath test you!"
The assumptions used to arrive at the calculations are:
  • Alcohol Metabolism Rate: 7.0 grams/hour (male and female) & assumed constant with time,
  • Specific Gravity Of Alcohol: 0.79 grams/milliltre
  • Water Content Of Blood: 81.57%
  • Body Water Volume Adjustment Factors:
    -Height: ~ +0.11/cm
    -Weight: ~ +0.34/kg (male) and ~ +0.25/kg (female)
    - Age: ~ -0.10/yr
  • No adjustments is made for liver function or variations in gastric absorption levels
  • No adjustments is made for body temperature or ambient temperature
Greg's web design and internet marketing business, Port Douglas Internet Services, better known these days as PDIS, has created nearly 500 of North Queensland's travel and business websites. His wife Chris, is also behind a range of ventures, marketing under the Rainforest Agencies group.
You'll also find Greg Slapp on Twitter. You can email Greg with any dumb questions.
"The advent of the iPhone has really changed the way we use the Internet," Greg says.

In just over two years since the iPhone was launched, there are around 35,000 applications available for downland. These exclude Jailbreak programmes, that are not sanctioned by Apple. The keenly awaited version 3.0 operating system, will be released in July.
Click the video below, and you can listen to Greg's best non-ABC radio voice.


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