Article Review: Future Technology

Here is an article I found really interesting, written by Rick Chin called "8 Current Technologies That Will Shape Our Future."

http://mashable.com/2011/09/18/future-technology/

Here is a breakdown of the article. He outlines 8 different technologies that will have a profound effect on the future. It is his predictions for the way technology is going to lead us. These are the technologies and my opinions on his predictions for each one.

1. Smartphones- Chin describes the future of smartphones being their advancement into tiny super computers. I have heard other research about this idea, with people describing the glasses Chin also mentions here- the ones that can show you information about everything you look at using Internet data. Basically, Chin is saying that people are making cell phones with so much power that it is going to become so powerful it will have control of everything. We can all see how this is true, because we all own smart phones and can see for ourselves the amount of power those little gadgets have. We can even see it through the power of the phones over our own minds. As I said in a previous post, most of us cannot go anywhere or do anything without our phones by our side. In the future, there will be more reasons why we can't be apart from them.

2. 3G and 4G Wireless Broadband- Chin says that in the future, cell towers will be easier to set up and therefore they will be set up everywhere. Because of this, he says that there will be wireless connections everywhere you go, and our devices will always be connected. He goes as far as saying that there will not even be signal strength bars because, since everyone will always be connected, there will be no need for them. We can see signs of this constant wireless access already through public places offering free Wi-Fi in order to draw in customers. This means that customers are attracted to places that they can browse the Internet in, even at dinner. People want to be constantly plugged in, and Wi-Fi is becoming available almost everywhere. Even on planes.

3. Cloud Computing- Chin says that in the future everything will be available to us at any time in any place, so that we always have access. This is true to a point right now, especially through Apple. Chin says that some companies have not been able to market cloud well enough yet, but that will change. Apple already uses cloud so that you can access files that are on one device on another device. I personally don't think that cloud will make a big difference in the grand scheme of the future universe, mostly because it is something that people are already using right now and I don't see a way that it can change enough to make a difference later on. Therefore, this point I don't agree with.

4. Eye-Tracking/Voice Commands- Chin describes the idea of "information glasses" that will tell you anything you want to know about just by knowing where your eyes are looking or by asking it out loud. This I definitely agree with, because voice commands are starting to become relevant in society right now (just look at Siri). People don't want to press buttons any more and look things up for themselves- they want information right then and there. This is something that will definitely shape the future in the regards of people becoming lazier and less self sufficient.

5. Augmented Reality- Chin describes augmented reality, which is floating images and 3D text that enhance the user's experience and information gathering process. This is going to be something major in the future, because of the current 3D trend in the movies and television. Once it has become normal in the movies and television, it will spread until everything we do is in 3D and "virtual reality." This is also one of the more scary ideas for the future, in my opinion. For me, it means we might start to blur the lines between reality and the virtual world.

6. Social Networking- Chin's point is that social networking will become more integrated in our lives than it is now, and that it will be more tailored to the individual's interests. This is already happening in our current time, because of Internet tracking that gathers the user's interests and caters their advertising towards those interests. I don't agree with this point only because I think that social networking is already shaping the future and is already having an impact currently, therefore will not be as innovative in shaping the future since we are so used to it.

7. CAD, 3D Printing and Custom Products- Chin describes the new concept of consumer-created products and the upcoming idea of 3D printing. He says that in the future people will be able to design their own products and have them printed instantly. This is something I agree with because I have heard of this being in its early stages and have seen customization for users becoming something more popular. You can see this even through going online to order a pizza and customizing your own pizza tailored to your own hunger needs. This is going to change online shopping and make it more effective, without increasing prices in a major way. I feel that a lot of people are going to catch on to this and want to be involved in it.

8. Autonomous Cars- Chin says that cars of the future will drive and operate on their own, and humans will not need to drive their cars. He says this is safer as the cars do not get distracted by things like text messages. This is already the direction that cars now are heading, just on a smaller scale. Some cars now come with things like park assist where the car virtually parks itself. Not only is this something that will shape the future it also adds to that laziness factor of the current and the future. People will not need to learn how to drive any more, and there will be way more cars on the road and in parking lots. If you find it hard to find a place to park in Toronto now, just wait until more people can have cars because they don't need to know how to drive!

That concludes my review of Chin's article. I agree and disagree with his points, but the overall message is relevant.

Ipad Mini Reviews

One of the newest innovations in technology has been the introduction of the iPad mini. Apple has developed a smaller version of their tablet that has been marketed as a new generation of iPad. Here are some reviews I have recently seen about the new iPad Mini: Not an iPhone, but not quite an iPad. Apple is yet again trying something new, which I am sure will inspire other companies to reinvent their own tablets. That is the pattern that seems to occur whenever something new in the technology world is released. It seems the iPad mini is making its debut to mixed reviews and mediocre ratings.

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/ipad-mini-1096514/review

http://www.trustedreviews.com/ipad-mini_Tablet_review

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/tablets/3406694/apple-ipad-mini-review/

http://reviews.cnet.com/ipad-mini/

These are basic reviews to give you an idea of what it's like. I have yet to try it, as I have an iPad2 which I am perfectly comfortable with. Many people might not get a chance to try it because, as per usual for Apple products, it is expensive. But with Christmas coming up, it is a good idea to read about the iPad Mini.

World Domination Web

The Internet is taking over everything.

I mean that in all seriousness. Everything is going online. You don't even have to go to the bank to deposit a check any more. They have banking apps for your phone where you can do all sorts of banking- for some banks, this means depositing checks by taking pictures on your phone. You don't have to go to the bank to deposit a check. You can buy almost anything online, from clothes to appliances to groceries. The other night my room-mate and I ordered a pizza online. Every retail store has a website that allows you to order clothes from home. Newspapers can be read online, books can be read online, you can shop for cars online, you can take classes online, you can order take-out online- I could go on for a long time. My school's library is entirely online, so in my four years of education here I have not once set foot in the library to get articles and sources. In my defence, our school is a tiny satellite campus with no library of its own. Yet the idea is still there. You can take classes online and order your textbooks online instead of walking on to campus to the book store. If you miss a class, lots of professors post their lecture slides online. Class cancellations are posted online. I can play Xbox with my friends that live in other cities from the comfort of our own homes through Xbox Live. You can get dates online, video chat with someone in another continent, watch a TV show that you missed- I think you get the hang of it.

So is the Internet making people lazy? Well, it does eliminate many forms of physical activity. For instance, you no longer have to walk from your house to your car, and from your car to the bank. You can just stay at home and not go anywhere. You can stay in and play Xbox with your friends instead of going to the park. Instead of doing things you'd need to go places to do, you can do it from the comfort of your own home. You don't even need to wear clothes.

Don't get me wrong, the Internet didn't cause our lazy culture. The Internet just gives us more ways to be lazy. They label it "convenience." So, is that it? Is it just for convenience instead of laziness that we do everything online instead of going outside into the fresh air? I think the real question here is whether convenience is different than laziness or not. I can give you some ways in which convenience and laziness are the exact same thing. I booked an appointment online with the vet this morning. "Why, you hypocrite" you say? I did this because I was in class and knew I would forget to call when I got home- this was convenient and not lazy because I did physically walk to class and back. Just to show you the difference, an instance when convenience is laziness would be doing all of your Christmas shopping online instead of physically going to the mall to do it. Yes, there are ways that the Internet is more useful than doing things in person, I will admit that. But it just seems like we rely on the Internet to do everything we don't want to go out and do. 

Try to find something that you can't do on the Internet that you used to actually have to go somewhere and do. Physical activity is the only thing I can think of, but who knows where that will go in the future? They might just invent some sort of virtual workout you can do while you lay on your couch and watch TV. That's the thing about the future- you just don't know. We have no idea what technology is going to become in the future, but we can be sure of one thing- the Internet will be there in all its glory.

I just have one final question- what do we do when the Internet crashes??????????

I Now Pronounce You Husband and...Cell Phone

Everyone is in a marriage: married to their cell phones. It seems ridiculous to think that this is where our society is now but it's true. How many people could go a full day without their cell phone? When you think of all of the things that we use our cell phones for, it's obvious we are dependant on them. How many people own a good, old-fashioned alarm clock? How about a day planner- the paper kind, you know, with the pages with days on them? A memo pad? You get the idea. It seems like peoples' lives are over if they don't have their cell phone with them at all times. When the power goes out and your cell phone dies, what do you do? With the invention of smart phones, no one has to look very far for something. Need to do online banking? All banks have online banking Apps. Need to remember something? Pull up the notepad on your phone. Alarm clocks, calendars, reminders, music and videos, Facebook, Twitter- it's all there on your smart phone that you conveniently take everywhere. No one communicates face to face or even through a phone call like they used to do. BBM, iMessage, text messages, and Facebook messages are the most common ways to talk to people now. We all want what is fast and easy and what will not take time out of our day to do.

A few weeks ago I went out to a club and got there early, before it started to fill up. I was upstairs where there is a lounge area that overlooks the dance floor. A friend of mine made a joke and pointed out to the dance floor. The only people who were dancing there was a group of about 6 girls in a circle facing inwards. Every single one of them were on their cell phones while attempting to dance by swaying their hips from side to side. These girls could not put their cell phones away to dance with their friends. This is an example of the dependency people have to their cell phones. We just can't go anywhere or do anything without them.

Here is a hilarious commercial outlining the exact point that I am making in this post.

The thing that I find ironic about this commercial is that it is a smart phone commercial. The Windows Phone does exactly what they are claiming they don't do in this commercial by having everything at the user's convenience. Thus you can be on a date and check your Facebook status. In reality, I would be offended if I was on a date and my date was using his phone to check Facebook or text people. However, the angle this commercial gets at is extremely relevant.

All of this aside, I don't think I could go without my cell phone for a day. I can resist using my cell phone during lectures and tests, or during a sport when I physically can't be near it, and I use it minimally when I am out with friends or at the bar. And I would never use it on a date.

Anyone willing to take the challenge of shutting their phone off for a day? I doubt it.

On a Trip to NYC

Over Thanksgiving weekend I went to New York City. During the trip I have noticed some of the advancements that technology has been slowly implementing in the past decade or so.

I've been on a fair number of planes since I was a little kid. On this last flight, I noticed some things that have changed. I used to be afraid of using electronic devices on planes because in my head- keep in mind I was young- I thought it had something to do with how the plane was flying and operating. I found out that it is actually just the radar. In fact, the airline we took offered free Wi-Fi on the plane. To me that indicates that some people cannot last the duration of a flight without needing the Internet. We rely on the Internet for almost everything now, and most restaurants and fast food places offer Wi-Fi to their customers. Wi-Fi is like air to us now; it's everywhere and it's becoming something that is vital to everyone to live comfortably.
When I was young I remember the flight attendants asking the passengers to shut off their cell phones. Then it was electronic devices. Now, after a somewhat long list of items that needed to be shut off (they specifically said cell phones, iPods, laptops, iPads, cameras, and handheld gaming devices) the flight attendants told the passengers to shut off "anything with an off switch." The definition of things that need to be shut off during take-off and landing has broadened significantly since I was a little kid questioning whether I needed to shut off my GameBoy.

The photograph below is one that I captured while in the airport. I took this photo for this post because I wanted to show the dependence on technology that we as a society have developed. These recharge stations were everywhere in the terminal, indicating to me that people cannot go the duration of a flight and cannot wait in an airport without using their electronics.

Times Square is something that everyone knows about. It is one of the biggest tourist spots in New York City and a place where advertising runs the show. But this advertising is not normal advertising, such as billboards or signs. This advertising consists of giant outdoor TV screens that are the size of buildings. The picture to the left is an advertisement for the TV show American Horror Story on one of those giant TV screens. It is actually one big screen, but for some advertisements the pictures are broken up so that it looks like several TV screens. Technology plays a large part in advertising because the more ways that technology advances, the more ways advertisements can appear. Advertisements will always be first to jump on a new piece of technology, and no matter how new something is advertisements will be there. This is also a sign of the times, because 50 years ago, Times Square's advertisements were billboards and not giant screens.

There is something to say even in the type of parking garages that exist in New York City. Because the city is so jam packed with buildings, there is barely any room for cars to park. Parking lots exist minimally there in the way that we are all accustomed to. People who live in Manhattan in particular are known to rarely drive themselves anywhere. When people do, the parking garages are a little bit different. These parking garages use technology to park cars on top of each other, like shelving. I have been to New York City 4 times and still have yet to see one of these parking garages in action, so I am very curious as to what it looks like when someone needs their car from the top level and how fast or slow the machine gets their car.

This last picture below was also captured in Times Square, but in a different area. It depicts an advertisement for the new smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S3, under the phrase "The Next Best Thing is Already Here." This showcases society's need for the next big thing. Samsung used this phrase in their advertisement because they know that people want what's new. Everyone wants "the next best thing." Companies are constantly upgrading things and putting out new versions of their products. Apple is on the iPhone 5 and the iPad 3. This is a newer version of the Samsung Galaxy. What was "new" even last year is "old" now and people feel like they need to have the new products that come out.

New York City is a place that is constantly changing. It is always first to have the newest technology, such as pay pass and debit machines in taxis. Therefore, it is a good example to use when describing the advanced state our society is in regarding technology.

The Simpsons: The Mapple Store

In this episode of the Simpsons, they do a satire on Apple and their popularity. This caters to the idea that everyone believes they "need" Apple products, yet they are very expensive. People want the coolest and most popular gadgets, and the fact that prices of Apple products are this high is an indicator that people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on these things. In this episode Lisa wants to at least look like she has a "Mapple" product, which she cannot afford, but she cannot afford even fake headphones. The idea around this is that everyone is swayed by marketing. Lisa is an intelligent, mature child who one would not suspect to fall for marketing ploys. Yet, she is still desperate to have any Mapple product, regardless of what it actually is. In the video it parodies the Genius Bar as well as Apple brand products.

Below is a photograph I took on a trip to New York City of the Apple Store, which has become famous in itself. I have included this to showcase the spectacle that Apple provides to its customers.

Are you one of those people who has fallen for Apple's marketing ploys? I know I am.

There's an App for That

We live in a world of Apps. There are Apps for almost everything. With the amount of Apps there are out there, I'm surprised there isn't an App that helps you dress yourself. Think about it: you'd add in all your clothes and then mix together outfits based on the database of clothing. Just a thought. Someone is probably working on that right now.

The top grossing Apps at this current moment on the App Store are "Bad Piggies HD" in the paid charts, and in the free charts it is "LostWinds." Both are games. "Bad Piggies HD" costs $2.99. My question is how many people pay for Apps that they never use? Personally, I have a rule that I never pay over $0.99 for an App because I frequently change them up. I find myself getting bored of Apps very quickly and constantly delete them and get new ones. It's a vicious circle, because there are only a few Apps that I can count on one hand that I use on a frequent basis. I tend to get really excited when I see a really cool App, and then download it and forget about it. I did this with UrbanSpoon. I travel often, and I thought it would be cool to have an App like that. I have not used it once.

Are Apps making us lazy, though? There are a lot of Apps that save the user from having to tap a few extra times to go on the Internet. For example, I came across a Google Search App that you can tap open, then search for what you want. It connects right to the Internet and searches for what you typed in. To open the Safari browser, then go to Google, and then type in your search would be an extra 2 taps. Now, is it really that much more convenient to tap the App than to simply go on the website? There are other Apps like this, such as Kijiji or Expedia, which are simply versions of the websites. In reality the websites probably have more information on them in the first place. I have a 16GB iPad, which I am finding has limited space depending on the Apps that I download. So, for me, it's a waste of memory space to have an App that saves me 2 finger movements. Does anyone else see the logic here?

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not a hypocrite- I do use many Apps frequently and love them. Some Apps I love are from TV channels, such as CTV or Global, that have the most recent episodes of their shows. Instead of downloading them illegally, or streaming them online, all I have to do is tap the video and it plays that episode. With commercials, mind you. However, it is very convenient for someone who does watch a lot of these shows. There are some other really cool Apps, such as GarageBand which actually lets me plug my guitar into the iPad (through my own connecting cord) and it will record what I am playing. Then, I can put that recording into a song and add other instruments to it. As a musician, this is something I absolutely love and I am guilty of paying money for that App.

So in short, maybe Apps are going too far. What do you think?

UPDATE: I just watched an episode of the Simpsons, and in it Mr. Burns sends a lawyer down his trap door in his office. He then holds up an iPad and says, "this trap door App works like a charm!" As the Simpsons is known to satire popular culture, this is a perfect example of what I am getting at.