sounds like a good idea to me

I was recenly reading an issue of Wired and learned about shot spotter technology. I have actually heard about it before because it has been implemented where I live(Rochester, NY). When a gun is discharged the technology used sound sensors and triangulation to find ut where the shot came from and even the type of gun. Authorities are notified and dispatched to the location. Shotspotter is borrowed from army technology, it seems like a trend that once the army has used it for a while it goes into civilian production.

3 D films

A high tech 3 dimensional film surge is expected by 2009. Nasa created technology to help train astronauts for making repairs on space shuttles and it is now going hollywood. The new generation on movie experiences will be in the realm of 3 dimensional features. Many film studios are remaking their filsm for 3 d re release. I found it interesting that one release is called avatar, which is related to second life avatars which we learned about in this course. And 3D goggles will be provided but the eyestrain will be less then that of the old movies, since the technology is now better calibrated.

efficent trash

I found an article about a portable biorefinery that turns decomposable trash into electricity. I haveread about farms that use methane from cow manure to create electricty but this one I found particularly interesting. This biorefinery can use kitchen scraps to create portabel power for troops, from 2,500 pounds of trash a day it can power 3 mess tents. I want to know when I can run my car on food scraps like in Back to the Future part 2





http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/05/02/mobile.bioreactor/index.html

Video Project

This post is a bit later then it happened. I have a few of the old posts recorded in a notebook, I just need to transfer them to the internet. I met with my video group the other day, we had a panel discusion about technology and how it has related to our lives. I had hoped to do something more creatve with this assigment but we had scheduling conflicts and I decided to just put together what we had made and hoep for the best. I wish I had more camera angles and an external mic for this project. Ours seemed on par with others so I am glad we accomplished what we did.

ipod battles

Musical Pirating is a major controversey on the internet today. It seems often that we see a story about a college student being procesuted because of illegal downloads. Itunes makes it possible to download songs right off the internet for a small fee without having to worry about piracy. Steve Jobs is now working on getting Itunes mp3's onto other mp3 players. It is looking like that the mp3's ables to be trnaferred onto 3rd party mp3's will cost $1.30 a song as opposed to the 1 dollar we're used to.

video games on the mind

New brain reading technology has been revealed. Neurosky has plans to release a brain wave reading lightsaber as their debut toy to utilize this groundbreaking technology. Users have to concentrate on keeping the lightsaber illuminated inorder for it to work. A report states that it is crude and simple as far as the lightsaber toy, but the company hopes to incorporate thier technologies into video games and even educational programs. This technology blows my mind, pun intended, it really makes me think about where technology can go in the not so far future.

sleep easy

As I was browsing the net I came across a product called dreamate. It stimulates certain nerves in you wrist to relax you and in turn, allow you to sleep easier. It works much like acupuncture and is cheaper at 80 dollars. I don't have enough money or trouble sleeping to invest in this contraption but I admire how it is an alternative to other sleep drugs. I wonder if this has any side effects.

virtual realty

I have been reading Play money lately and I have found it's ideas to be very interesting as far as economics. Gamers can make money off of selling untangible items in the virtual world. Julian Dibbell writes how the game is more addicting then he thought it would be. MMORGP's seem to be very addicting buying items such as gold, leather and land are not strange to those immersed in the game. From the outside looking in it is a strange business venture. But if there is a demand and a market for virtual items then somebody will sure make money off of it.

smart mobs and flash mobs

I was clicking through the internet and i found an article about how 4,000 "silent dancers" assembled in Londons Victoria train station recently. Silent dancers listen to thier own ipod or mp3 device and dance silenty to the music on the headphones. The flash mob contined for about 2 house before police ended the dance.
I've heard of silent dances before but this struck me as interesting because it took place in public. Mobile music and internet communication made this peculiar but entertaining event possible. I'd go to one if my ipod battery didn't run out after an hour.

Thanks Brain!!

I was reading though a whole new mind and I cam across a familiar quote. James Watson states, “The most complex thing we have yet discovered is our brain.” This quote stood out to me because it is in a snowboard video trailer by a company called Think Thank. The name of their video is “Thanks Brain” I also believe this quote to be true. The video is below





I was also reading that creative jobs will be higher demanded in the future job market, as jobs such as accountant can be automated by a computer. I’m not suggesting that we get rid of all accountants, but computers follow rules, and when a job like that has as concrete rules as that which deal with math, it can be done by a computer in some ways. Computers as of right now aren’t very creative or individual. While we are on the topic of creation and snowboarding you can check out the trailer I made for my snowboard video, which is in production now.

media forms

I have been reading and experimenting with mixed media lately. Adding drawings to photoshop and modifying them, or scanning poloroids and digitally modifying them. Mixed media is becoming popular in all creative industries also. A fovorite musician of mine is Beck. He has been utilizing mixed media and new ideas to keep his music innovative and stimulating. I bought his new cd "the information" about a month ago. It came with stickers your could use to personalize the album and give it you own flair. He also released web videos for each of the songs on his cd onto youtube. They are low production quality and very random, but it works well with the music. In an iterview in Wired magazine he talked about creating an album where the listener can mix the tracks he provides for a totally original listening experience. I think that's its important to use the amazing technology we have now but not stray from old methods that work well. As the world of technoloy and art advances we shouldn't forget where we came from, mergeing both analog and digital for well rounded entertainment.

electric cars

I've recently been trying to increase my awareness of technology around me. I rented "Who killed the electric car" a documentary looking into the story behind the discontinuation of the procuction of the electric car. There are many reasons why it failed so you'll have to rent the dvd too learn all about it but I extracted that the technology and marketing was ahead of its time in a bad way. Sure enviromentalists will drive a zero emissions car regardless of how it looks, but the average american doesn't want to look like a liberal hippie wuss, which is how the ev1(saturns electric car) looked. Today hybrids are beginning to look like a normall car which is a great trend and will help marketing it.
Another reason the electic car failed is because of lack of infastructure and the battery life issue. Consumers were not impressed with the short 60mile per charge distance, and there weren't enough places to charge. The improved batteries that we have today as oposed to 10 years ago can go 300 miles on a charge, but mobil and exxon bought the patent too that technology so it wouldn't ruin their oil business. I suggest you do not buy gas from either for that reason. The good news is that plug in hybrids are in the near future and were even unveiled at this years detroit auto show. These hybrids rely more on electricy than gas and wil hopefully ease us into the electic car age. tesla motors is also introducing a sport electic car that is faster then a porshe, they will be on the road in the near future, in California where they can be afforded of course

intrusive technologies

A major trend in technology is surveillance, monitoring and tracking. Cell phone companies know where we are and when, even if we have nothing to hide it is weird to think that we are being watched. The world is getting smaller now that cell phones with GPS on them, maps and asking directions are soon to be a memory of the past.
Shortcuts like these are taking hold in other ways too. Such as Internet dating services. Computers and surveys can now determine who would be a good companion for you. In a mesh between the real and digital word there are “interpersonal awareness devices” that let you know when a person who you would get along with is nearby. I feel like this could be interesting in that meeting people could get so efficient and too efficient that we have too many friends to deal with.
Every person I know seems to be acquaintances with more and more people due to face book, myspace and other technological communication devices. It is important to find a group of real friends that you can physically meet. If your computer crashes you can still hang out with real people.

first post

I was confused with when to post where so this is the first blog I am posting here, I'll catch the other ones up soon. When I first started this book I didn't know what to expect. After reading a good portion of the book I realized that I should know more about my surroundings as far as technology goes. I consider myself technologically savvy and I often forget how connected we are to our devices and the information that we share on them.
Not to sound paranoid but big brother watching, listening or reading our information or the ease at which they could sets uneasy with me. I consider myself a faily legitamate person so I don’t have to much to worry about. The principle of people being able to know so much about me without or before meeting me is a new idea for the masses. Websites such as myspace or facebook generate lots of controversy. To me the solution isn’t to difficult to grasp. If you don’t want people to read or see it, don’t put it on the internet.