Fighting Fire With Bass

          Viet Tran and Seth Robertson, two engineering students from George Mason University invented a device that puts out fire with nothing but sound waves.  It is a speaker the size of a subwoofer a little bigger than a regular fire extinguisher, and plays a really loud bass for optimal sound waves.  At first, they thought this would be a failing project.  But it turns out that now they are trying to get their invention patented and turn it into something bigger.
           Regular fire extinguishers are full of chemicals, leaves powder and foam everywhere; and when putting out a fire with water, it leaves behind a big mess too while probably destroying the things that the fire didn't get to anyway.  This new way of putting out a fire can be greatly beneficial.  It will certainly leave less of a mess.  It leaves any harsh mad made chemicals out of the picture.  This can be put over stove tops to put out kitchen and grease fires.  They even think astronauts could deploy them, since the extinguisher contents would spread all over in space.  Sound waves can still be directed without gravity, so there is a great possibility that it could work.  All of this was a senior design project, and I think this is something that can actually be helpful to our society in the future, unlike many other things being invented today.



http://www.kulr8.com/story/28673486/new-fire-extinguisher-uses-sound-waves-to-put-out-flames

Virtual Reality in Cinema

Cinema has allowed us to be transported back in time, explore unknown planets and even find out what our toys get up to when no one’s around. In recent years, technological innovation has meant cinemagoers can become even more immersed in the stories they see on screen. One development in particular is virtual reality (VR) and now, for the first time, film-makers have at their disposal a range of revolutionary VR tools to help craft their movies.

Marketers, broadcasters, engineers, artists and architects are already onto VR. But the question being contemplated by movie executives is whether the VR revolution will catch the imagination of the public – or will a future where we strap boxes to our faces in the cinema aisles be too embarrassing?

Cinema is a spectacle. It’s a social experience you simply can’t get at home. It’s why we pay a premium for it. While home entertainment systems have improved considerably in recent years, the cinema industry has also upped its game. It’s now common for film goers to enjoy advanced digital 3D and 4K projections, complete with surround sound. But today’s digitally-savvy consumers want more – as do the film-makers. This is where VR comes into play. We’re already seeing huge changes to consumer technology as a result of affordable VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift and the Samsung Gear VR. While originally designed for the gaming community, they represent a quantum shift in technology that’s already changing expectations and experiences of going to the cinema.

During the Sundance Film Festival, Oculus announced that they will be launching the Oculus Story Studio. They claim that they will be releasing their first VR movie, Lost. Also they hope to use this Studio to provide VR advice and expertise to those who are interested in hopes to make this technology accepted by the public. 

With creations like this, cinemas will inevitably need to respond. While the big Hollywood studios will still primarily decide what we get to watch, this technology will soon become to popular for them to ignore. Overall, we’re going to see some incredible, transformative technology incorporated into entertainment inside and outside the home and I can not wait to see the future of Virtual Reality, especially in cinema. 

Ears, the new biometric security system?

            Privacy and smartphones typically go hand in hand in today’s world. We have all heard of unlocking your phone through fingerprint, voice, facial recognition, password, or a combination of any of those. Well Yahoo labs is experimenting with their new authentication system Bodyprint, which allows users to unlock their phones using their ear. Sounds crazy doesn’t it. Basically the way this works is that Bodyprint “turns a smartphone’s capacitive touchscreen into a biometric scanner.” Because phones are becoming so much bigger and have a much higher resolution, they are actually able to accomplish it. Don’t worry if your thinking why the ear, Yahoo Labs is actually working on allowing other body parts to act as your key on your mobile device.

            Yahoo labs states that although, “fingerprint scanners are a convenient way to secure handsets…they are pricey and often limited to high-end handsets.” But while touchscreens sometimes lack the resolution to capture all aspects of a fingerprint, it is still able to capture larger outlines of bigger body parts. Bodyprint plans to utilize five different body parts for their security system, which include the ear, fist, phalanges (knuckles), palm, and fingers. According to their team, “our evaluation with 12 participants, Bodyprint classified body parts with 99.98 percent accuracy and identifies users with 99.52 percent accuracy, with a false rejection rate of 26.82 percent accuracy to prevent false positives.” When Bodyprint scanned the ear, they were able to achieve a 99.8 percent authentication precision and this is with a rejection rate of 1 out of 13.

            Apparently using the ear as a biometric scanner is not a new concept at all and the idea has been around for a while. Something surprising is that ears are basically like fingerprints and are all unique from person to person. Although the data is quite positive, Bodyprint is still in the development phase of their project to and will begin to test on a wider scale soon. So my question to you, if you had the choice to use an ear print or fingerprint, which one would you use.

Tech Perception

One of the first design considerations for a product regardless of the field is what is the target demographic?  It seems like a reasonable question, especially when considering the finances, since a designer or investor wants to make sure someone will spend their hard earned money on it.  So regardless of how the product turns out, they want to ensure the right people know about it and most importantly when they know about it that they'll even give a crap about it.  These demographics can typically divide between age groups, creating a general stereotypical subgroup that we slowly percolate through as life goes on.  But there are other demographic definitions that can change seemingly immediately; I am currently staring at the fate of no longer being a college student.

Now I assume, upon receiving my diploma, all does not change and what attracted me for 5 years will not vanish into a bad dream.  But there will come the day very soon where I stop thinking like a poor college student and more like a young professional with more money than I've ever owned, and guess what, companies will probably realize it before I do.  This fact has made me consider how the technology in my life will change, what will interest me in the future, and it can not be ignored how my knowledge of technology will change upon leaving a college environment.

Our perception of a technology's value is directly related how we find it useful, and what we find useful is constantly changing.  Currently, every piece of tech I own is multipurposed, for entertainment and academics, this is economical for me but also lends to a college lifestyle of free form  time management.  Come the beginning of my career a separation of work and home will surely be more clearly defined and how I use and purchase technology will reflect that.  The odd truth is that being away from a Tech school like Stevens, alone may change how I appreciate technology as not being among technology inclined peers will limit my exposure and understanding of new advances.  This is where demographics come into play, while I may still be interested, not being in a youthful Tech school environment will automatically shift my awareness.  I am eager to rediscover, broaden my appreciation, and surely forget and never use some technology as my life changes in a new direction.  

In this class we discussed entanglement, and the reliance on technology.  A startling change of lifestyle may be what is needed to allow for a refreshing reassessment of the technology around me,  as I determine what belongs in my new life and what will fall by the wayside.

Truth or Lie Can Still Disrupt

My mother works at the Ukrainian Bank in NYC. She recently told me that they had to pull a daily newspaper from their stands because there was an article that would have probably caused a rush on the bank to withdraw everyone’s money. The information in the article turned out to be wrong. Just think about it, an article with wrong details would have caused the collapse of a bank that’s been in business for decades. The article turns out to have been written by an elderly reporter who read something “official” online and decided to report about it. Unfortunately, this “official” website with these “official” documents was wrong and misleading.

The reason I’m writing about this is that it still amazes me how often people take what is written online as facts. I know my generation is very aware how much crap is out there on the web. I’m sure most of my parent’s generation has the same idea though it’s not as accepted. Unfortunately, this same idea hasn't really been understood by older people. It still amazes me that this stuff happens. Aren't these the people that grew up understanding that media is not all facts and stuff can be made up?

Another thing that bugs me is seeing articles from different websites that have the same exact wording as other articles. You can type a sentence in quotation marks sometimes and you will get multiple articles with the same exact words. Now correct me if I’m wrong but isn't the full blown plagiarism? It’s astounding how often this happens. It’s even funnier when someone reports “facts” that they got from a satire article by mistake. Shouldn't common sense tell you that something smells fishy?

It’s sad when you read these articles because it seems that no one has the brainpower to write their own articles with their own views and facts from reliable sources. It seems those days are gone. The internet provides immediate reporting so if you don’t stay ahead, you fall behind really fast. With so many media outlets, it’s no wonder things get repeated quite often.

Getting back on point regarding my story, it’s astounding how something so simple as a newspaper articles based on “facts” found online can have such a huge impact on businesses. Those articles would have led to the spread of the story by word of mouth and then problems would rapidly progress. The same exact things happen to all businesses now a day. If your company does something wrong and someone posts it or writes an article on it, the news can spread like wildfire. The company can go from number one on everyone’s list to number ten within days. News needs to be reported better so that disasters do not occur. 

Just letting off some Steam

Article

I'm sure many know the wonderful being that is Steam. For those that don't, gaming company Valve created a program called Steam that would keep track of all the games you own while at the same time allows you to purchase digital copies of new  ones. What this does is allow a simple platform from which to launch all games tied to your account as well as create a community where friends can see what other friends are doing etc.

However, Steam released a project called Steam Workshop that allowed users to create their own content for games, aka mods. Mods are what PC gaming is most well known for. It allows users to change games to become exactly what they want. In addition, it also allows for games to be played for much longer by giving them added replayability and therefore can extend the life of a game. The biggest example of the modding community is the Elder Scrolls titles. The latest one, Skyrim, has been a modder's paradise for many years. There are photorealistic mods, mods that add more quest lines and enemies to the game, mods that give you new items, armor, and weapons, and even some more interesting mods like adding characters from different games as NPCs. And the best part was that these mods were all FREE.

Steam Workshop worked extremely well and there was no ill-will from developers or the community. This all changed several days ago when Valve announced modders could now charge for their mods. This created an uproar in the community for several reasons. One reason being that they were afraid that people looking to make a quick buck would swoop in and make mods of questionable quality. Another reason that this was an issue was the way the payment was cut. Only 25% of the money was going to the mod creator. With Valve taking 30% and the developer taking 45%, the person actually creating and putting time into the mod was actually getting the smallest cut. In addition, to even receive the 25%, a mod would need to accumulate a total of $400 in sales before the person releasing the mod would even see any of the money.

Valve has since turned around and stated that they would no longer use the mod sales feature. However, many people have already turned against Steam. Other rival clients have been using this as free advertisement and people have been looking mainly into gog.com's Galaxy project which would work in a similar manner. This can be seen by looking that Skyrim's positivity rating has dropped 10% in 2 days since the announcement. Though it is nice that Valve has realized their mistakes, it is uncertain how long before they make their next questionable move and how much damage have they already done to themselves?

AI

This past weekend I saw the film Ex Machina. I highly recommend it to anyone who is taking Computers and Society as it deals with a lot of the issues we have discussed in this class. The film explores issues with Artificial intelligence and what it means to be a human. I don’t want to reveal too much because it is so good. The one thing I want to say is how even though the film is in the science fiction genre; it feels like it only a few years away from where we are now.  The same thing goes for the film Her which feel like it’s only 15 or 20 years in the future. I think these films settings are telling us that we as society are starting to accept the idea of AI being a something that is just around the corner. When you watch older films that deal with AI like Blade runner and I Robot, the societies depicted are so different from ours. This gives the feeling that AI is way off in the future, but now we don’t think that is the case. With the development of things like Siri we can imagine our world with computers that we can treat like human.

It may be that I go to a Tech school or that I am in this class but it feels like AI is becoming a real concern for humans. After watching Ex Machina I watched a TED talk entitled “What happens when computers get smarter than we are?”. After watching this Ted talk I was concerned of what the implications of AI would be. I use to think that the whole Terminator AI takeover was stupid, but know I am not so sure. I guess it all depends on what we make our AI’s motivations. As the Ted talk suggests if we make an AI that wants to make humans smile, does that mean an AI would try to hook up electrodes to our face to force us to smile. It is scary to think that anything we program our AI’s to “want” could cause them to do something we really don’t want them to do. Another scary idea is could AI’s develop their own desires. It is so tricky to answer these questions because an AI by its nature would be self-changing and dynamic. My intuition tells me we will be fine but part of me is very scared at the idea of a computer that is artificially intelligent and smarter than humans.

Even though part of me is scared, the rational part has trouble giving these concerns merit. I think part of my fear comes from the fact that we might be anthropomorphizing these future AI’s. It seems the only reason we do anything is because we have some emotions of bodily functions telling us to do something. We do things out of anxiety or hunger. If we didn’t have these I don’t think we would do anything. I feel like we are scared of AI’s because we picture these AI’s as our slaves. We imagine being in the AI’s situation and feel we would not like it. We then say it makes sense that we in the AI’s situation would try to overthrow our human owners. It is so hard to say what the future of AI would be like but It is good we are talking about know because it may be very soon.

Ex Machina Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYGzRB4Pnq8

Ted Talk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnT1xgZgkpk

Blogging

This is a blog about blogging, how meta... Blogs are an interesting concept, they let us communicate larger pieces of thought (but smaller than a publication or article), but many implementations of them are limited.  Each post is stored in chronological order which is useful only if you wish to read the entire history of the blog.  This makes sense if each post follows from the last for some reason but this is often not the case, especially in a blog with multiple users like this one.  The way most blogs try to fix this is with tags.  Tags are like saying, it doesn't really belong to any one thing its just about this bunch of things.  To a company like Google tags are the best thing since sliced bread because they make search indexing a breeze - but for anyone who doesn't really know what they are looking for (can you believe that actually happens) this concept falls very short.  Often I would like to be able to see a blog broken down by subject content - in some form of hierarchy that is easy to dive into and find interesting content.  It is the same as with many new reference applications - sometimes reading a book from front to back is actually the best way to make associations and understand the material - sometimes I don't want to have to know what I'm looking for before I get to the resource, otherwise why even bother.  I like to think of this as structured reading - something blogs severely lack.  It almost ties back into the notion of the switch tasking mind, people are forced to leap from place to place rather than being led or guided to the next item either by interest or relation.

The concept of the blog has much more to offer, I can see room for it in programatic documentation.  Developers hate to write documentation - but if you could just rant for a little bit on concept or piece of code (keeping to the point of course) and read someone else's rant - things would be much more interesting.  Coupling these short blurbs with the normal wiki style hierarchical setup seems like a powerful concept - no more long dry content about every little detail of code - just share ideas, implementation details are implementation details, they hardly belong in an API let alone a wiki.

Let me know your thoughts on this concept.

Please up-vote the meta!

Facebook and Google...not the bad guys?

For those of you who don't know, over the weekend Nepal was struck by an earthquake. The natural disaster left many family and friends concerned about the well being of their loved ones. Facebook has a new tool known as "Safety Check" which identifies a users friends who might be in the affected areas using location data and profile information. The way it works is that it contacts the people with Facebook profiles in the affected areas and asks them to update their status so people will know they are safe. One man who found this useful was Mr. Vatsa, who said that "when someone marked themselves safe it started showing up automatically in my notifications." Facebook later said that millions of users in the area updated their status as safe.

Google performed a similar task when it came to helping with the Nepal earthquake. Teaming up with the Red Cross, the two corporations complied a database with names of people in affected areas. They reported that 1,385 people were missing and 241 registered as safe. Google used their "Person Finder" and as of tonight (4/27) they were tracking about 6,300 people. The way the finder works is that a user can enter a name, biographical information, and a photo into Google's database and can identify if you're that person, are looking for that person, or if you think they are missing. After a person's name is entered, users can search online or by texting a name.

It is easy to see how both of these tools are excellent resources to use during times of disaster. Often times we (myself included) criticize social media and big corporations for distracting us from more important things going on in our lives. It is nice to see two big Internet giants using their resources and power to help people connect in times of need. Personally I love what Google and Facebook have done and I think they deserve a round of applause, but that's just my opinion. What are your thoughts?

Data Mining and Cloud Computing

So, after the blog posts regarding "Smart Cities" and our discussion on Google, Facebook and their data mining efforts, I felt this was an appropriate supplementary piece. This article centers around the addition of sensors to current technologies to better predict what will happen; essentially, it performs a sort of behavior prediction. For example. General Electric (G.E.) is implementing LED street lamps that have sensors which can gather data. This data can work in many ways, such as determining if someone is moving under the light or not, to presumably turn it on or off. It can gather data on the heat emission and quality of the air in its immediate surroundings. With this technology in consumer households, people can gain insight on how their electric consumption.

This data can help the company save money of course and provide other benefits as well. One such benefit is to attract consumers to one's store by turning on/off a light with motion. It looks like this functionality can be extended to better understand and predict behavior. Consider how Google "mines" your link clicks and web searches to send targeted advertisements to your screen. Facebook uses a similar pattern, with it's "liked" pages. This is the crux of their business models.

Other companies are following suit with regards to the Facebook and Google model, such as Amazon. Amazon's makes $5 Billion (with a 'B') dollars per year by selling their computing services; this outsells the other services and products by Amazon. In addition to their computing services, they will begin to sell data analysis tools. Microsoft will be providing a cloud-based service and IBM will put Watson, it's Jeopardy! computer, in the cloud as well.

The idealist point-of-view sounds perfect: companies can access and analyze data from their sensors to better provide "services" to their customers. Amazon provides better shopping suggestions, Google and Facebook provide more relevant pages and ads. However, as we have seen in other blogs and readings, this is most definitely not always the case. In the Smart City blog, I already aired my concerns about companies having the potential to track your daily habiitys and through that, provide targeted advertisements, shopping suggestions, etc. via those sensors. It would have the potential to be extreme marketing: if a company has enough data and can analyze it for certain behaviors, it's literally the next best thing to having a someone follow you around and log your movements. Obviously companies don't have the time nor the resources to do this (plus they would be accused of breaking laws, so they snoop in a more "passive" way).

The thing is, the interconnection of digital and physical seems to be inevitable and facilitates the data collection and analysis efforts of tech companies. A Chinese computing manufacturer, Huawei, claims that by 2025 there will be 100 Billion (again, with a 'B') things connected to the cloud. Imagine: street lights, buses, cars, watches, refrigerators, traffic lamps, cash registers, etc. Everything connected and data being sent to and analyzed by big companies to better serve their business models.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/envisioning-a-future-when-sensors-are-scooping-up-data-on-everything/?ref=technology

Amazon Launches "Destinations"

Last week, Amazon announced a new feature adding to their website's already expansive services. Amazon Destinations finds and recommends places to stay in various locations for vacations, business trips, etc. So instead of using TripAdvisor or similar sites, people can go to the already trusted amazon.com to search for and book hotels for an upcoming trip.

A major deficiency that Amazon has is that this service is new so the areas where it finds hotels is extremely limited. Right now, you can only search in the Northeast, Pacific Northwest, and Southern California. These are very popular areas for vacations but it can't compete with TripAdvisor's global span. However, I would imagine that it will expand fairly quickly, Also, you can only book hotel reservations where other sites allow you to set transportation while booking your hotel. An advantage that Amazon has is that it can use its review system. Amazon reviews are highly utilized and beneficial when buying products already. Now, if the same users were to review destinations, hotels, and other vacation aspects, new customers would have a simpler time choosing their trip.

I think this is awesome for Amazon because they are expanding their market every day. What started as an online book store now lets you plan vacations. They've taken over online purchases being in one place. They added music and movie streaming and recently the Dash Button. Now with vacation help, it seems that Amazon has no limits. If you were asked "what does Amazon do?" there isn't a single answer anymore. You'd have to bounce around naming several of their services. It's approaching the point where if you need to do anything that requires spending money, you can go to Amazon.

When it doesn't work

What is the most frustrating thing to face in the modern age - when technology doesn't work.  We all have times where pressing that button for the hundredth time just isn't working, or where we sit watching some spinning loader knowing the content will never show up.  Here are three ways to handle that situation that are less detrimental than cursing to throwing the device.

Turn if Off and then On again

The old standby, yup even today this is the best method when something goes wrong. In the worst case and the machine wont gracefully restart, unplug it and plug it back in (just make sure to plug it back in)
Some devices will even have reset functionality - this will reset a bunch of caches and factory settings that may have been messed up causing the device to act weird (for instance, iPhones can be reset without losing any data by holding the power and home button until the Apple logo appears)

Ask Around

With today's network capabilities it is very likely that you are not the only one experiencing an issue.  Especially if you live with other people, if the internet seems slow to you, try to figure out how many people are on the network (roommates often like sharing the passwords with their friends - I once had 54 people on my router at one time) Sometimes an easy solution is just to kick everyone off the network (if you have that ability), otherwise if you are the only one with the issue it might be your machine. (It also helps to test the device in multiple locations, sometimes if there is an issue I will sit in a Starbucks for a little while and test different things to see if the issue persists - this helps narrow down is it you or is it them).

Be Patient

Technology is a work in progress, it is always getting better and it is always breaking down.  This pattern will likely continue for the foreseeable future so it is important for the average user to understand this level of imperfection and not get mad at their devices not working.  At the end of the day the only one worse off is the user whose blood pressure was raised or who has to pay for a new phone because they threw it at a brick wall (or their printer out a window).

A few things not to do

Hit it

If this is an old CRT or radio, go for it, sometimes knocking the parts around actually makes things better - but for newer devices this is probably a really bad idea.  Occasionally I see people smacking around LCD monitors or banging their phones against the table.  First off, the parts in these devices are soldered into place, banging it around is just asking to knock something lose that should be fixed in place. Second, it might relieve a bit of frustration but with newer devices being so expensive its only likely to cause more frustration down the road.

Ignore it

Computers are creatures of habit, they do one thing and one thing only and they never do it differently. If something is actually wrong or unstable with your machine it is likely going to implode or explode but since that is rarely ever the case just leaving it alone wont fix the problem either.  If the machine has a bad part, that part wont fix itself, and if it has a bad program, that program wont rewrite itself.  At the very least send in a ticket - this is something most users fear more than anything else but really it is actually the most helpful thing you can do, because if you are having an issue with a piece of hardware or software, likely everyone else is as well, and that doesn't mean let the other person send in the ticket.  Take the initiative, sometimes you will get emails about how they are too busy to answer you or how they don't know what you are talking about and everything is fine (with those companies, plaster that reply email all over the internet and stop using that service, no good company with a good product will ever do this, but there are a lot of companies that will, help to flush them out) Chances are however this will not happen and you will get a courteous email back and sometimes even a thank you, occasionally even a free service or part - it never hurts to be active about this sort of thing.

The Apple Watch

I'm sure there are many posts already on or about this topic but I felt the need to give it a go since last week was the official delivery date for the first round of watches. So, the Apple Watch - many have bashed this device but let us all realize that this craze did not start with Apple, Android watches have been on the market for some time now without much competition but the blow up was minimal, so what's the difference.  Well in terms of taking a risk lets make a metaphor - android jumped off the bridge, and apple followed but with a parachute and a team of highly skilled photographers.   Android attempted to be the first on the market (as usual) with a product that worked but without much to do about it - users who wanted the technology knew about it and bought it, those who didn't care for it went on without even knowing about it.  Apple however made a huge stink about it, they launched events, put enticing tidbits of information on their website and media - and when the time came to finally release the product everyone already had their hopes soaring or were already upset that apple could be such a "sellout".  In reality though this is no different than any other Apple product, it is just how Apple marketing works - get the crowd going enough to make a good profit, and this technique is not Apple trademarked.  Companies like Nintendo do the same thing, launching events to cause massive lines that attract more and more people to their doors and limiting their supply of devices (one can particularly remember the launch of the Wii where stores were often limited to one or two devices per week and were sometimes back ordered months ahead) - all of these things are just a ploy to get customer interest,  "oh there are so few they must be selling really well", or "oh look so many people want this I must want it too".  The real difference here and the place where most people have trouble with this device is that it is "not necessary" - it is the opinion of everyone as well, not just Apple haters but also their fans and experts - this device is not a "need to have".  (Let's also get real for a second here and ask ourselves what electronic is actually a "need to have") So to speak on behalf of myself and no one else, I do actually want one of these, completely as a toy, yes a mildly expensive toy (mind you this is less expensive than most modern gaming consoles and certainly less expensive than a gaming computer.) But I am also looking at the lower end models - this is no justification, it isn't something I feel needs to be justified, I want one, nothing more.  As for the really high end models - Apple is brilliant! This is much like the infamous "Diamond" app - where users would pay $1000 for an app that displayed a static image of a diamond - it did nothing other than offer a sign of wealth, and Apple's edition watch is just another "Diamond" app, the people who will be buying these "designer" watches are the same people who would buy a "designer" watch - it isn't meant for the average Apple user yet the average Apple user seems to be the one most upset about it's launch.  To sum up the points of this post, Apple is a company, they market so they can make money - if they make a product or two that is useful or just plain fun to own regardless of the price, they will do well as a company because there will be people who will buy their product.

--Signed, an Apple fanboy

Gamers Anonymous

I’d say all of this started around middle school to early high school. It all began with RuneScape. RuneScape is what’s called a MMORPG, which is a massive multiplayer online role playing game. You create an avatar tailored to your liking and your avatar is one of thousands in this vast world. You can do a lot in these virtual worlds – complete quests or tackle dungeons or beef up whichever skills you so choose for your character. The biggest thing about these kinds of games is that in this world and can interact with hundreds of thousands of others. Behind each avatar (besides NPCs of course) is another human. I remember sitting at the home computer spending hours just chopping down wood to level my woodworking skill up. And soon afterward I came across a new MMORPG, called MapleStory. The concept was the same, only that this was a two dimensional side-scrolling RPG. My life was consumed by it. I would literally be on the computer I would say 18 hours a day on the weekends and around 6 or so hours after school on the weekdays. I even spent hundreds of dollars in order to obtain more of the virtual currency. It was my getaway.  The people I interacted online with felt more like friends than the ones I saw everyday in class. I felt more comfortable when I played Maplestory. I felt that it was okay to be myself. With time, I was eventually able to wean myself off due to my schedule getting busier and me preparing for college and life after, but for a lot of people it’s not as easy. Gaming addiction is a serious issue, and needs to be addressed better.

A website on gaming addiction states that gaming addiction occurs when gaming begins to interfere with a person’s relationships or their pursuit of goals. Most of the time, teens and adults can healthily balance video and Internet games with life, but when it becomes an addiction, real life takes a back seat to the virtual life. Symptoms include having more non-school or work hours spent playing these games, lying about game use, worsening grades, and falling behind in assignments or dropping things all together. Physical symptoms include carpal tunnel, sleep disturbances, headaches, dry eyes, and failure to ear regularly or neglecting personal hygiene. It has been shown that health professionals feel that video games are similar to gambling as an addictive process, yet has only recently been proposed as a disorder in 2013. Even then, there is still debate as to if there is enough evidence to deem it as an official mental disorder, or if it is caused by gaming itself or is the effect of other disorders.  

From what I have seen, there isn't much in terms of support groups or treatment programs for gaming addiction. I also feel like it isn't perceived as serious a mental disorder as others, such as gambling. Many often brush it off, saying it’s just a phase or that just turning the game off is easier that one thinks. I know for me, I felt a sense of belonging on those games, unlike in real life. I didn't want to deal with the struggle of life, because I knew any struggle was much easier to grasp in those games. In real life I needed to worry about SATs and getting admitted into college and finding a job, all extremely daunting tasks. In my virtual world, the only thing I really needed to worry about was how much I needed to train to level up. Whether it is a mental disorder itself or a culmination of others, it should be brought to attention more. With every year more of our world is becoming digitized, as if we didn't live online enough.  Though it was in fact “just a phase” for me, it’s quite the opposite for a lot of others, and getting a taste of how they feel is enough for me to want for gaming addiction to be taken more seriously. 

"For example, mentally ill homeless living under bridges, or in the woods, are probably less likely to have a cellphone"

A few weeks ago, after learning about the existence of programs to provide the homeless with free cell phones, I made an offhand joke about how I hoped they were smartphones and hobos used them to develop apps (“hobo coding”). It turns out that I wasn’t too off the mark.

Tradition, non-digital networking has been essential for the homeless for multiple reasons, such as safety in numbers and the sharing of information. Information is vital to survival in any location. Shanty towns of hobo settlements exist for this reason; a large collection of people results in a large collection of knowledge about where to get food, which homeowners are friendly, and various other things. To communicate over long distances, hobos developed “hobo code,” a collection of symbols used to convey messages to other hobos, such as indicating the presence of guard dogs or free medical services.

These communication methods share similarities with digital meals of communication. Hobo codes can be seen as analog text messages, for example. Now, digital technology has become so pervasive that even the homeless have smartphones. It may seem like a case of mistaken priorities, but a smartphone is actually an invaluable tool for the homeless.

Especially in dense urban areas, free WiFi is easy to find, meaning hobos can take advantage of all the features of smartphones, and turning the smartphone into a kind of urban multitool. Being able to check the weather facilitates travel and gives warnings for when to seek shelter. GPS and Google Maps readily replace traditional maps. By knowing train schedules and traffic patterns, trainhopping and hitchhiking become more reliable and safer means of transportation. Craigslist makes finding work easier as well.

  The most important feature, however, is access to the Internet. Hobos developed a vast array of websites dedicated to providing information for other hobos. HitchWiki, a Wikipedia-like guide created by and for hobos, currently has articles about hitchhiking in 9 different languages. Couchsurfing.com provides a way for the homeless to find people potentially willing to house them for a few nights. Possible the most important resource is SquatThePlanet, the de facto homeless social network. Using this platform, hobos can discuss methods of squatting, organize groups for traveling, recommend equipment, and even warn of shady and dangerous characters.

It seems like a ridiculous concept, but it’s easy to see how access to the Internet could greatly improve homeless people’s lives. Among food, water, and other essentials, new hobo codes are drawn up that include information about WiFi and electrical outlets. Instead of mocking the homeless who take advantage of these resources by calling them trust fund hipsters, we should probably take them seriously. I think part of the reason why many people find this so hard is that they see the homeless as “separate” from them, so seeing them with a device that “normal” people use for entertainment can be jarring. One of the ways in which the Internet was revolutionizing is that is greatly increased access to information, and extending that access to the homeless shouldn't be such a ridiculous idea.

http://www.newsweek.com/homeless-millennials-are-transforming-hobo-culture-323151

(also check out the Newsweek comments, they're super cool)

New bacteria that lives off electricty

New microbes that eat and breathe electricity have forced scientists to re-imagine how life works on this planet and others. Groundbreaking research is currently being done by Professor Kenneth Nealson at the University of Southern California (USC) where he is growing colonies of bacteria in his laboratory. Nealson has beakers and bottles full of bacteria that busily breaking the long accepted rules of biology. Life, as Nealson explains, all comes down to energy. Every organism depends on the movement and manipulation of electrons as fuel to survive, grow, and reproduce.

The bacteria growing in Nealson’s laboratory depend on energy as well, but they obtain it in a fundamentally different technique. These bacteria power themselves in the most elemental way: by eating and breathing electricity. According to Nealson these bacteria are growing continuously on an electrode which happens to be the only source of energy present. The electrode that is present acts as an “electrically charged dinner table” and is the key to attracting this type of bacteria.  These microbes are not just new to science but require an entirely new method of collection and culture.

All conventional science methodologies would say this isn’t possible and that finding life without a molecular energy source, such as carbohydrates, is about as unlikely as “seeing passengers flying through the air without an airplane”. Until now scientists have only been examining life forms that agree with the conventional methods of attaining energy. The fact of the matter is that this discovery opens a new world in biological diversity that could really have some sizable implications. Nealson states that this bacterium is unlike anything we’ve ever encountered and is forcing us to rethink life as we know it. This bacterium could also be vital in finding new forms of life that exist outside of earth. The National Science Foundation has come to call this discovery the “dark energy biosphere” and is funding Nealson and his colleagues to learn more about this parallel microbial universe.

From a practical stand point, electric bacteria could be harnessed to create new types of biological fuel cells that can clean up human waste. Nealson states that one of his students has already received a grant to build a bacteria-powered sewage system that utilizes this biological discovery. This would be done by sticking an electrical anode in human waste where it would then attract communities of bacteria that eat feces and breathe electrons. By hooking the electrical anode up to a fuel cell you would have a self-powered wastewater treatment system that produces significantly less sludge then current systems. These systems could be greatly utilized in third world countries where people could bring their sewage to the treatment plant and get clean water without the need for outside power. Other theories claim these biological microbes could comprise of a vast, largely unexplored realm of life on this planet and planets beyond ours too. Nealson has already begun to work with NASA to utilize this discovery by installing electronic probes on Mars landers that can test the subsurface for electric bacteria and signs of extraterrestrial life. By looking for electric gradients on a planet’s surface we can find possible locations of biological activity. This discovery could be the future of how we look for new life on and outside of our planet. 

Google adds Mobile Friendly to search rankings

You ever execute a google search on your phone, chick the first site the comes up, then realize that the mobile site you selected looks like crap? Many times, the top ranked sites dont have a very great mobile version. Why should the number one site on a google search have a bad mobile layout? Google decided to tackle this issue by labeling mobile sites as "User-friendly". One of the determining factors of the search results will include this "User-friendly" label. “Users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimized for their devices,” Google emphasized in its announcement. “By boosting the ranking of mobile-friendly pages on mobile search results, searchers can more easily find high-quality and relevant results where text is readable without tapping or zooming, tap targets are spaced appropriately, and the page avoids unplayable content or horizontal scrolling.” Google says that making these changes to offer a better mobile experience for searchers, giving the people what they want. As mobile internet access grows, and mobile banking competition intensifies, the formula used to determine page rank must adapt to accommodate these usage patterns. I think Google really hit in on the head with these newly implemented search results. Now, not only will users have a better mobile search experience, but companies will be forced to make sure their mobile sites are up to par with their non mobile site. 

The Couchlet puts the power where your posterior is

Every day there are technological advancements that either greatly revolutionize society or simply improve the efficiency of a product and ease everyday life. The new product I decided to focus on today leans more toward the luxury side of products. The Couchlet is a foldable USB power system that sits in very convenient places such as wedged between the cushion and arm rest of a couch or alongside your mattress. This may seem like a minor enhancement in technology, but I believe will prove to be a monumental product. I’d go as far as to say that over 90% of the time people are charging their phones they are in bed or on the couch. Instead of struggling to find an outlet that will reach your comfortable position; why not have the outlet right at your side? Since having a charged phone is such a necessity, you will have to buy a few of these for your family members so you don’t fight over them right? Well, maybe, but the Couchlet enables you to have not one but two open USB plug-in ports so it is accommodating for those with a friend or sibling trying to also charge their device. The couchlet comes equipped with a 6-foot USB cable that uses your current wall charger for power. It fits securely between the cushion and arm rest of your couch with no visible wires which can only be seen out the bottom/back of your couch or bed leading to your wall outlet.

This product only costs $16 dollars which is right around the cost of similar, less practical, devices. It is also a low voltage device so spills will not be dangerous. In today’s world, specifically the younger generation, can’t seem to go 5-10 minutes without checking their phone. It has become commonplace and almost seems to be a necessity at this point for young adults and kids to have their phones charged and by their sides or in their hands at all times. Instead of struggling with extension cords, or even worse, your phone charging across the room from you, you now can have a charger outlet always by your side. The Couchlet was wisely designed to be sturdy, compatible with any cell phone, have a long cord, and be slim and easy to slide in between seat cushions.

Christopher Hawker is the inventor of the Couchlet and he is a well-established professional inventor. He has over twenty products currently on the market including numerous in the cables and power strips/cords field. He is a trusted inventor with many successful technological products and the Couchlet will surely follow suit. There are already models made, but this product won’t be for sale in the open market until December of this year unfortunately. I foresee the Couchlet making a killing its first month of sales at holiday time as long as they market their product well. They can expect me to be an early customer.

The Internet of Things and What Comes from Those Things

My uncle is self-employed and owns a large plot of land over the plains of Addison County, Vermont. The air carries no cellphone reception for miles here, only perpetual breeze. He rises before the sun, every day, to tend his land, the bees he rents, and his cows. He operates his small-scale dairy farm mostly by himself, unknowing and uncaring of our modern-day utilities like: cellphones, caller I.D., and the internet.

                              

If I were to throw the word “network connection” at him and ask him to define it, there’s no doubt his response would be different from what most would say. Data networks we are familiar with like, cellphone networks and the internet, have redefined what it means for us to be connected. How different we become when we have immediate access to music, knowledge, friends, and family sticks out like a sore thumb when we talk to people, like him, who have lived their whole lives without it. The internet serves no purpose for his life-style and work. For now anyways.

The internet has not journeyed to what we know in our real-world to be “rural space.” This isn’t to imply rural farmland will be forever undisturbed from its unrelenting influence.

The internet is not a static, invariable system. We are constantly putting our high-tech ideas into action, inventing new technologies, and challenging our concepts of networks and communication.

Imagine a world where everything is “smart” and “connected”. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of connected objects, of things. “But of what things?” you may ask. Human hearts, trees, cows, cars, and your dog to name a few. The IoT is limited to anything that may be monitored, so essentially, any thing may be part of the Internet of Things.

Embedded sensors in objects provide its operators with rich, valuable information that they would not otherwise possess. For my uncle, tags could monitor the health of his cows. Technology could notify him of any issues of his livestock well before problems develop. Embedded fences could notify him of when they have fallen over or in need of repair. IoT comes into play when these objects are able to transfer information over networks, transferring vital information between the farmers in his area.

Apart from rural space, IoT has practical applications in our regular lives as well. Imagine a “smart” toothbrush. It is capable of sensing one’s body temperature, sugar-level in saliva, etc. Perhaps, it is capable of notifying your doctor if you’re at high risk for developing diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis. This device and devices like these would be connected as part of the IoT to notify your doctor of your health history when you go in for a check-up.

Today’s internet connects us together through our devices. We can talk to our friends over vast distances and stream silly videos we’ve taken to strangers on YouTube. As our bodies, our cars, and many other things send data through the network, communicating without our instruction, our concept of what it means to be connected will also become an antiquity.

Related article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141210080601.htm

How SpaceX is going to Revolutionize Spaceflight!

I cannot wait until SpaceX makes history and successfully lands their booster rockets on a floating barge in the Atlantic Ocean!

For anyone who may be unfamiliar, here is some background information on the company SpaceX. SpaceX is a private space company started by Elon Musk. You may have heard of him because he is a billionaire who also founded the companies Tesla, SolarCity, PayPal, and SpaceX. As anyone can tell, Musk is a very ambitious man just going off the number of companies he has played a role in establishing. As I am about to discuss, SpaceX also shares Musk's ambitious attitude. 

Throughout all of spaceflight history, booster rockets have never been seen as a device to be reused. Before SpaceX, booster rockets were just components that would assist in launching a spacecraft into space and then fall back down to earth to splash into a body of water, never to be used again. Well not anymore if Elon Musk and his company SpaceX have anything to say about it! 

SpaceX has been attempting to land its booster engines onto a landing platform after it launches the spacecraft into orbit. A feat such as this would make spaceflight massively cheaper, more efficient, and quicker. The landing platform is located on an autonomous drone ship named Just Read the Instructions (shown below) that floats of the coast of Cape Canaveral whenever SpaceX is going to attempt a landing. SpaceX plans to land its boosters at a land location in the future, however, it is performing the tests at sea where there is little chance of harming people or property.  

SpaceX Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship

So far there have been two attempts to land on this drone ship. Incredibly, both attempts were so close to making it!! I remember both landing attempts were subject to postponements either due to poor weather conditions, the air force tacking system experiencing issues, and the Atlantic Ocean being too rough to attempt the landing. Each delay made left me in greater anticipation for the rescheduled rocket launch date and time.

The first attempt to land on the platform was decently close. Sadly, SpaceX failed to land the rocket successfully. After reviewing the flight records and data surrounding the landing, it was determined that the grid fins ran out of hydraulic fluids. The grid fins are a crucial part of the landing procedure because they guide and control the rocket booster's descent down to the platform. 

SpaceX Grid Fins (or Lattice Fins)

As seen in the GIF below, the rocket did approach the barge, however, the loss of steering control resulted in the booster's off center angle and the imminent crash and explosion.

SpaceX First Landing Attempt

The second landing attempt fared much better! In fact, the rocket did manage to land on the barge this time around but failed due to a different reason than the hydraulic fluid for the lattice fins running out. "The rocket fell on its side because the legs could not support its weight. The landing legs are designed to help keep the rocket upright, but are not strong enough to either support the rocket if it lands too fast and hard on the platform or prevent it from tipping once that process has begun." Elon Musk tweeted that the tipping was the result of a, "slower than expected throttle valve response." 

Unfortunately, it is too soon after the landing attempt for me to find a GIF to place in this blog post but I highly recommend everyone who reads this to watch this video below to see the second landing attempt. It is really, really impressive because the rocket descends vertically and lands in a vertical position before beginning to lean and eventually fall over and explode. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAzwuEmZcmE

I have no doubt that the engineers at SpaceX will solve the throttling valve response problem and reinforce the landing gear! I also look forward with (great anticipation) towards the next landing attempt! 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/spacex-discovered-caused-falcon-9-181917817.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-did-the-spacex-falcon-9-crash-2015-4

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/04/fine-tuning-falcon-9-landing-throttle-valve-response/

Langue de l’Internet

It is interesting to notice colloquialisms that have merged themselves into common vernacular through only means of the Internet. Selfie, Meme and LOL to name a few; these words have no meaning outside the scope of the Internet nor do they limit themselves to a language or geography (Words for LOL in other languages include MDR in French (mort de rire, die of laughing) and WWW in Japanese (from the word for laughing, warai, though sometimes you just see a bunch of 笑笑笑))  These words connect our societies - it is even more interesting today to know that people make friends father away often before ever making them with their next door neighbors. Take an apartment building for example - while its neighbors will eventually meet when leaving or entering at the same time it is no longer a custom to welcome anyone into a residence, it is no longer normal to introduce yourself to people in the building.  It is however very normal to form a network of friends and people you have never met before who live miles away sometimes even continents away.  This new manner of communication is very different wether better or worse is up to interpretation.  It lends to very impersonal exchanges - people are less apt to share their secrets and hopes with one another because they are distrusting since everyone, sometimes even their closest friend is still just a stranger.  It also limits interaction since it can only occur on the basis of online status - you can’t exactly knock on your Facebook friends door and ask for a cup of sugar.  In the same way though if you wish to be left alone going offline is good enough for that, and if you wish to find solace in conversation you can do so at any hour of the day since you can connect with people in different time zones.  The language of the internet breeds its own sense of manners and etiquette very different from the ones of our parents or their parents.  It is something our generation and certainly the ones after us are much more comfortable with - we see it as much better than that of our parents while our parents would say the same of us.  

Out of curiosity I looked up other countries versions of LOL 

Israel: חחח/ההה (khkhkh) - which is taken to sound like laughter (much like hahaha)

Sweden: asg - sort for asgarv which means intense laughter (much like www)

China: 哈哈哈 (hahaha) - literally pronounced as hahaha

Latin America: jajajá - hahaha with emphasis at the end

Middle East: هههههههههههه (hhhhhhhhhh) - equivalent to hahaha

Brazil: kkkkkkkkkk or rsrsrsrsrs (couldn’t find why)

Korea: ㅋㅋㅋ and ㅎㅎㅎ (hehehe or hahaha sound)

Thailand: 555 - this one is really interesting, apparently 5 is pronounced as “ha” so they abbreviated hahaha to 555

Russia: xa xa, хи хи, гы-гы and бу-гы-га-га (couldn’t find why)

Greece: ΛΟΛ

Nigeria: LWKM and LWKMD - translates to “laugh wan kill me” and “laugh wan kill me dead” (I still don’t get it)

ha3 - this wasn’t given a country but apparently it is popular in "Malaysia and the Arab world” and it stands for “ha”x3 or hahaha

Vaping: The Smoke of the Future

You may have heard the term vaping or vaporizer in the past year or two and may be wondering why. It isn’t just a thing of the present, vaporizers have been around in various forms since the 1960s though back then they were more of a tabletop item unlike today’s pocket able devices. The modern vaporizer (also known as e-cigarette) was first created by a Chinese pharmacist named Han Lik who found his inspiration after his father died of cancer. He called the device Ruyan meaning Smoke in his homeland and it became a hit. This new device was introduced in the US in the mid-2000s.

So what is “vaping”? Vaping is simply just applying heat to a liquid which creates vapor. The vapor is created and is breathed in. There are hundreds even thousands of varieties of e-cigarettes these days. You may have seen cigarette shaped ones in common stores such as seven-eleven or mall kiosks, but the market has evolved to much more. The traditional disposable vapes seem like child’s play compared to what is being called a “mod” or mechanical vape pen today. Mod’s are simply pens on steroids, the battery is much larger and in different sizes, there are possible temperature and voltage customizations, and much more including colors and shapes of your mod. The whole point of a Mod is to product more vapor, increase the throat hit, and increases the flavor of the e-juice you are using. Now where would you get yourself one of these mods? It is actually quite easy, so easy that you could walk to 8^th and Washington and buy one in 15 minutes. The vapor culture has created this new type of store called “vaporiums” which supply the user with their customizable mod to their liking and whatever else they need. These vaporiums are also made for their users to refill on their “e-liquids”. What is an “e-liquid” or “e-juice” you may ask? These liquids are simply a combination of propylene glycol (PG) or vegetable glycerin (VG), artificial flavors, and the level of nicotine of your choice with levels ranging from 0mg to as high as 24mg, the average pack of cigarettes contains about 20mg per box. In these vaporiums you are able to get your supplies and even test hands on (or should I say lungs on) with an enormous variety of flavors. Not just your average flavors like tobacco or menthol, I’m talking about flavors like green jolly rancher, captain crunch cereal, banana bread, unicorns milk, the list goes on.

Today the industry is growing more than ever. Revenues in 2013 reached about $1.5 billion, 2015 is projecting about $5 billion in revenue, and by 2017 revenues are projected to reach about $10 billion. The vape industry is growing but nothing has been proved that it is better for your health than cigarettes since the technology is so new. Although it seems healthier than breathing in a vapor instead of a combustible plant nothing has been proven yet. Research is already in the making and I am looking forward to seeing the results in the future of this new form of smoking.

Repent, the End is Nigh

Windows XP has gone into the void—why have companies only just started caring?

The Legacy of Windows XP

Shiny and new operating systems have always intrigued me, so I was always the one to stay on top of the new OS’s that came out for whatever machine I was using. I love learning new things, and I was (and still am) convinced that an upgrade to an OS was a chance to learn and improve on the tactics I have already been using on my current machine. It brought new life into the products I owned, and I appreciated it.

The operating-system-formerly-known-as-Windows-XP took a nose-dive into unsupported territory after April 8th, 2014. When I heard this news, I glanced over the article. I don’t think I even read it, to be honest; probably just the title. An operating system that is almost 13 years old has to be used by such a small subset of users that really don’t feel like keeping up with the times that their cries would probably be muffled by all the people who yell at them to “upgrade already”.

However, if we take a look at browser statistics, there are upwards of 10% of all users that think very differently.

Looking at the numbers

Windows XP has seen a downward trend over the last year, but I could not believe that at the start of 2014 there was still \~12% of users still using the OS to browse the web. Just a few months ago, the traffic from all Mac and mobile devices was still lower than all of machines that still ran XP.

Looking at that type of data almost puts me in a panic for the companies that still run XP. In many cases, entire plants and server structures rely on the OS to work every day, all because their management wanted to ride the XP train as long as they could, most likely in an attempt to save money. I have worked at companies that still have their critical functions set up with their XP computers. That is a potentially scary place for a lot of employers—their entire infrastructure relied on Microsoft supporting an operating system that they have no real investment in anymore.

I’m particularly interested in how companies can move forward and get rid of the mentality that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, and move onto the mentality that if it can be done better, why not do it? If enough people—or better yet, enough companies—think this way, it will make a fundamental shift in the way a lot of people think about the business of getting things done. One thing that I’m concerned about is: how can upgrading be dealt with?

To Update, or not to update?

When people are given the choice between updating and staying on the same operating system, I think that consumers end up always getting the short end of the stick. Change-logs are often filled with technical jargon that filters out all the people who want to know what they are getting in the fancy new release. Many companies stick with telling the people to update only when a critical function they want implemented is added, which is most likely a terrible thing to do since most updates have security updates or workflow changes that make things more efficient and safer. 

I’m going to have plenty of enemies here, but as for the corporate world, the least that a company can do is update to the latest operating system that they have running on their machines. Unless it is absolutely critical to their day-to-day function, I think it should be necessary to upgrade, if only for the sake of not getting left behind. Specific programs that have support dropped should be quarantined to computers put under lock and key and only used when absolutely necessary, and definitely only when offline. Many of the key viruses that are distributed are done so online, so taking the critical machines off that need to use older firmware would definitely be a good start.

However, as much as I think about it I can’t come to grips with the fact that everyone should update at the same time. Take iOS, for example. Whenever Apple comes out with a new version to update, it is impossible for a user to revert back to an earlier version should anything go wrong. Sure, this encourages developers to keep supporting newer and newer software, but what happens if the software is no longer reliable, or is abandoned? Newer users won’t be able to use the older software because it cannot run properly on their device.

There are many things that can go wrong with staying on older firmware; updated software is usually better, the restriction associated with not being able to have faster workflows, the security updates that come with newer firmware, etc. On the other hand, updating to newer firmware and abandoning the old seems harsh, and kind of totalitarian of the companies that create the software. The mantra of today is “update or die”—although this might be a true thing that people must live with everyday, it doesn’t make it any less depressing when thinking about it.

Final thoughts

I came this far in the argument to say this; I have no concrete solutions. I’m not sure what should be done, because everyone is fully within their rights to upgrade or stay on a firmware they are comfortable with. That isn’t going to change for the foreseeable future. I think that developers just have to make a compelling argument through the software they create to convince people to stay current, but there will always be abandoned limitations to the ways that people can update.

Sometimes money is the determining factor and sometimes its the software that runs on the operating system that is to blame. Whatever the case, I think that this XP situation should be studied closely to decide what would be the best way to move forward. We could learn a lot from how the market and people reacts to the OS’s retirement.

This post is adapted from a post I had already written previously on Medium, but I found it relevant with all of the latest operating systems that are getting their due--iOS, OS X, Windows 10, etc.

Mr. Nobody & New-New-York

In 2009, the film Mr. Nobody was released.   It is one of my favorite movies, and stars one of my top celebrity crushes, Jared Leto.  Mr. Nobody is about the paradox of choice, mainly.  Society presumes that better options and greater happiness comes from more choices.  This movie shows that an overload of choice can lead to us questioning our decisions before we even make them.  We have unrealistically high expectations, and blame ourselves for every single failure we have.  This eventually will cause us to not make any decisions, due to the fear of making the wrong one.  And in a society like the one we live in, there is a lot of pressure to be perfect, especially in a world with so many options.

The reason I want to blog about Mr. Nobody is because the film starts off in the future, in New-New-York, and I want to describe that future to you.  It is a time of “quasi-immortality” and “telemerization”, which they call the endless renewal of cells, and a time where smoking, and driving cars doesn’t happen, and where sex is obsolete.  Nemo Nobody is 118 years old and is the last living mortal on Earth.  He wakes up in a completely white room to a man sitting in front of him.  This man is dressed in all white, but has black tattoos covering his entire head.  Nemo doesn’t remember him, but is immediately reminded that he sees him every single week, almost like a therapy session.  There is a floating camera with fast-moving wings documenting everything Mr. Nobody is saying.  The tattooed man asked Nemo his name, where he says, “Nobody. Nemo Nobody.”  Nemo is told that that’s an unusual name (as if it is a made up name) to which he responds, “Sometimes people call me Mr. CRAFT. C-R-A-F-T; Can’t Remember A Fucking Thing.”  The man continues to ask Nemo basic questions, and then asks him how old he is.  “I’m 34. I was born in 1975.”  Nemo is told to look at his hands, and he then sees that he is much, much older than 34.  He is asked the year. “2009. I was born February 9, 1975.”  Nemo is now shown a moving, virtual kind of newspaper with the front page reading, “THE LAST MORTAL TURNS 118” with a moving picture of him on it.  He keeps insisting that he is 34, and is now convinced he is dreaming. 

The movie now jumps to one of the three lives of Nemo’s we are shown throughout the movie.  We are unsure the entire time which is the real one.  Back in the future now, Nemo has tests being done on him while he sleeps.  We are shown the city of New-New-York, which has pointy buildings, transportation that moves at the speed of light, and almost everything appears to be made of glass and acts as a television screen.  There is man on the screens with a small microphone coming out of his actual cheek.  He is the host of the television series “The Last Mortal.”  (We see here that something everyone in this future has is compatible pigs…)  The TV host is not talking to the doctor from before.  It’s said that Nemo’s records are nowhere to be found, and nothing at all is known about his past.  While the doctor explains Mr. Nobody’s situation, we see other futuristic places in the city. First, we see a bar.  Some people are naked, some people are clothed, but are dressed in feathers or light-up clothing.  It reminds me of Star Wars actually.  Glasses are shaped differently, and the screen the bar people are watching just appears in the air like a projection.  We then see a dentist’s office.  The only difference I noticed here was that the patient had no shirt on.  Then a hair salon is shown.  It looks different from the hair salons we are used to seeing, and the hairstyles themselves are interesting. 

This possible future, I worry, is more likely to happen then not.  I feel like we are already so close with where we are headed technologically.  We keep thinking it’s a good thing, but as anyone would see in Mr. Nobody, there’s really nothing very good about it.  No one appears to be in pain or anything like that.  Everyone appears lifeless for the most part though; brainwashed.  Although as I said before that this movie’s main message is about the choices we make in our lives, everyone should watch it anyway.  Just to get your own opinion on this New-New-York, and if that’s what you think this world will eventually turn into.

Kim Jong Un: The Mountain Climber

Recently, photos of Kim Jong Un were released by North Korean news outlets that showed him climbing "the highest" peak in his country. Once he reached the summit, Kim Jong Un was greeted by his closest advisers and a number of North Korean soldiers. The figure below shows the image in question and one can't sit back and not laugh at how horrible of a Photoshop job this is. If we direct our attention to the group of soldiers in the back, we have to question "what the hell are they standing on?!" Another funny thing is how everyone is covered from head to toe and Kim Jong Un is there without a hat - he must be so warm in the studio his picture was taken. There are numerous other red flags and its just lame how Kim Jong Un has to do this. He has been off the news for a while because of his health and he decides to make his big come back by scaling a mountain. North Korea has been notorious for Photoshopping images of their rulers to make themselves appear able and powerful. Its a big propaganda but no one outside North Korea is falling for it. Millenials in North Korea are gaining access to laptops through the black market and its just a matter of time they are able to find out the truth about the leader they all so love. 

Will Wearables Create the Next "New Gesture"?

In class several weeks back, towards the beginning of the semester, Vinsel mentioned a book that recently came out that detailed all of the new gestures that have been invented in the past decade or so as a result of technology. The most obvious example that he gave (that I remember) was the motion of swiping your index finger across the palm of your opposite hand to unlock your iphone. This is something that everybody with an iphone (or any  phone that unlocks in a similar way) does multiple times a day, but nobody ever did before the advent of the smartphone.

This concept got me wondering (with the recent release of the apple watch, and the already existing smartwatch/wearable technologies), what will the next new gesture be? If wearables blow up like they're poised to, will we all be swiping our wrists in 3 years? Or poking at our watches to text? There are so many potential new movements and gestures that could come about from these new gadgets. But on the other hand, they also have the potential to phase out our current gestures (to an extent) and bring back some from the past. For example, say everybody has a smartwatch. When you receive a text, it goes to your watch. Get an email? It's on your watch? Want to check the time? From this example, we can see how getting notifications on your wristwatch would drastically reduce the amount that you perform the gesture of swiping open your smartphone (assuming you can use your watch to communicate and not just see things, I don't know how they'll end up working when they're in their heyday). This would also bring back the gesture of moving your wrist towards your face to look at the time, which also reduces the amount that a person would be opening their phone (since now it seems like most people will use their phone to check the time rather that wear a watch, and some people with watches only wear them for the style and can't read analog clocks, but that's another discussion).

The up-and-coming wearables have the potential to create a whole new motion that humans never really performed before, and I think it's kinda cool to be able to see that happening and actually realize what is happening in real time. This phenomenon also got me thinking about what the next big invention will be, but I'll save that for my next post perhaps.

Security of Computerized and Networked Devices

Nick Bilton, a New York Times tech columnist, had his 2013 Toyota Prius broken into three times, and others in his neighborhood also experienced break-ins. All the cars in question used a remote keyless unlocking system. The system works in this way: when the car detects a wireless key fob carried by the driver, it unlocks its doors. The car’s range for this detection is just a few feet. Unfortunately, the security flaw used in this case allows anyone with a power amplifier (not a very expensive device) to walk up to the car and amplify its key-searching signal, which allows the car to detect the keys when they’re much farther away than a few feet. When the car detects the keys, it unlocks. The car’s signal is amplified enough so that if the car were in a driveway (or on the street if close enough), and the keys were in the house, the key fob would be detected and the car unlocked. In the case of Nick Bilton, the keys were “sitting about 50 feet away, on the kitchen counter.” This type of attack is described in detail in this paper.

This is just one instance of security issues in automobiles, and it’s not the first time cars have been subject to security flaws. Back in 2013, security researchers presented their findings at Defcon 21 regarding hacks they found against cars. In a much more sophisticated attack than the power amplifying device, these researchers connected to the car’s electric control units (ECUs) and were able to inject “rogue signals into it included disabling the breaks while the car was in motion, jerking the steering wheel, accelerating, killing the engine, yanking the seat belt, displaying bogus speedometer and fuel gauge readings, turning on and off the car's lights, and blasting the horn.” While all of this happened while the researchers were physically connected to the ECUs, they were able to “achieve persistent attacks by modifying the ECU firmware to send rogue signals even when they were no longer physically connected to the control units.” As vehicles become increasingly computerized, there will no doubt be many more issues.

Similarly, other devices that are becoming computerized are also at risk. Medical devices with wireless communication functionality have been shown to be vulnerable to attacks. In a proof of concept, Barnaby Jack demonstrated how he was able to instruct insulin pumps, worn by diabetics, to release their contents into the wearer’s body. This could be done from quite far away, as he was able to “scan a public space from up to 300 feet away, find vulnerable pumps made by Minneapolis-based Medtronic Inc., and force them to dispense fatal insulin doses.” Other medical devices are also vulnerable to attack, such as a “popular pacemaker-defibrillator,” which could be “remotely reprogrammed to deliver deadly shocks.”

These cases highlight how important it is for manufacturers to focus on security. In some cases, such as the automatically unlocking car door, perhaps the security risks outweigh the convenience. In any case, in an increasingly computerized and connected world, taking security serious is a necessity.

http://www.networkworld.com/article/2909589/microsoft-subnet/thieves-can-use-17-power-amplifier-to-break-into-cars-with-remote-keyless-systems.html

http://www.techhive.com/article/2045895/researchers-reveal-methods-behind-car-hack-at-defcon.html

http://go.bloomberg.com/tech-blog/2012-02-29-hacker-shows-off-lethal-attack-by-controlling-wireless-medical-device/