Group items tagged

In this article it describes how many wonderful things the internet has brought to us and how they are safe. Over the internet you can do important things like transfer large sums of money or keep important medical documents but there is controversy about voting. If someone could hack something as important as a presidential election it would cause huge economic effects and possibly war. A good thing would be that more people would probably vote if it was so easy to do.

The video by, Youtube channel ExtraCreditz, is about the issue of frequency space. All information that we use is transmitted through the air by different forms of radiation (radio waves, microwaves, etc.) The problem is we are running out of frequencies to use; there are only a limited band of wave lengths to transmit information with. These wavelengths can't be infinitely divided because they would end up cancelling each other out. This issue derives from the explosion in smartphone and mobile device popularity. These devices use 24x and 122x the spectrum of older cellphones respectively.  Along with other devices, we are running out of the amount of frequencies available to transmit information with. By 2014, there will no longer be any more spectrum to use. This is detrimental to any progress in developments of information sharing, such as cloud gaming. The demand for spectrum space in such ideas and innovations is simply to high with the current usage of the resource. Unless we can find a way to solve this 'Spectrum Crunch,' many future developments will not be possible. This is tagged under Portable Computing, as well as eLifestyle because this issue is born from the expansion of technology into everyday use. Before mobile technology became popular, the 'Spectrum Crunch' was never an issue. However, many companies are now racing to free up spectrum. Some solutions include freeing up spectrum used by television stations. But there is no definite answer. As the future in the world as leaders in an era of information and electronics, our generation must address problems like these to progress in the advancement of technology.

With Christmas slowly approaching, many of us will be shopping for presents online. For scammers, this means there will be more unsuspecting victims to scam. McAfee knows the risk of being scammed is present and has set up a list of 12 scams seen during the holiday season. These include fake charities, malicious mobile apps, too-good-to-be-true offers, and fake gift cards. As online shopping gets more popular, the threat from scammers increases as well so we have to know how to protect ourselves and keep our information secure. While shopping online is more convenient and cheaper in some cases, it isn't as secure as shopping in person at a store. Despite the lesser security in shopping online, people still would prefer it because of its convenience. I think it is good that McAfee released this list of scams to look out for because it will make sure more consumers during the Christmas season and everyday will have knowledge of what to look out for when shopping online. Though I doubt many people will see the list, McAfee has possibly saved many people from having to deal with being scammed, besides even if you can't help everyone you should help anyway.

This article talks about 13 gadgets that will help make your life a lot easier during a natural disaster like a hurricane. Some of the artifacts mentioned are a  wind-up  radio, which would help if you don't have batteries. Solar powered water purifiers and chargers, which would be good in almost every situation. These articles will help you survive. I chose this article because of hurricane Sandy and it is possible that we might get hit by a natural disaster that bad. If we do , you should know what to have that will help you survive.

Previously, Twitter, Apple, and Facebook have been on the list of tech companies hacked within the last couple of weeks. As of March 2nd, 2013, Evernote also joins this list when their network is breached by an attempt to access secure areas of the Evernote Service. Evernote has notified users via  e-mail, blogs, and social media to change passwords so that users personal information can remain safe on the Evernote network. The hackers had successfully accessed usernames, e-mail adresses and encrypted passwords, however, they were stopped before any damage could be done. This relates to the "Privacy & Security" category because users data and personal information is being accessed without authorization. Obviously, this can cause many problems for users especially because their work and information can be stolen or deleted. Evernote encourages creating a strong password to ensure that an account remains secure, however, this is a questionable matter because the website should also consider upgrading their system in order to keep users safe. As part of the eLifestyle, many users rely on cloud storage to store information, especially on Evernote. The recent hacking just proves how reliable cloud storage really is. When saving data, it is important to consider the possibility of it being stolen or deleted. With this in mind, one shouldn't depend on cloud storage for saving all of their work or important material as it hasn't proven to be very reliable. And if you are using cloud storage, it would be smart to backup important files on a USB or Computer.

This article informs us on the latest news about Sony's new OLED TVs, which can output in 4K.  4K resolution is the highest resolution possible so far, and Sony wants to be one of the first companies to put a product out on the market with 4K resolution.  Sony's 30-inch 4K OLED prototype is set for a 2014 release date, with the A series monitor available in May.  This 4k technology will either be a break or bust for Sony.  If consumers are interested in 4k technology, then Sony TVs will help the company prosper.  That said, 4k may not be good for Sony. 4K TVs may end up not generating much of a user base, as 1080p is very good, and there is little improvement between that and 4k. Instead of buying these new TVs, people may just stick with their 1080p televisions. Only time will tell.

An up and rising company by the name of DoorJamz has created something that is perhaps the pinnacle of human ingenuity and progression. The guys at DoorJamz have a door bell that can be altered using a smart phone. This means that no longer will you have to hear the annoying ding dong sound, now your guest recognition device can be any sound clip your heart desires. The app side of things has many additional features. It lets you lower the volume of your door bell in case you trying to raise a colony of ants to do your evil bidding. Also available is to have the ability to pre-schedule specific sound clips for certain times and days. Having an annoying relative over that has an irrational fear of Celine Dion? Have the Titanic sound track play while she's over whenever a guest arrives. Can't control your bowels unless you hear the opening song to Jurassic Park? You can have that play as well. The possibilities are truly endless. I'm surprised you're still reading this, by now I would've expected you to violently type in the URL to DoorJamz's website and order 20 of these bad boys. Trust me, you're kid defiantly wants a DoorJamz door bell for Christmas.

Google is looking to expand its high-speed internet service, Google Fiber, into the city of Austin in Texas. Google Fiber is an internet service that offers ultra-fast Gigabit internet speeds with no bandwidth caps that no other provider in Canada and the United States offer for a price under $120.  This is because there are major internet service providers who create a monopoly over the entire industry keeping all their prices the same so they maximize their profits and offer sub-par internet connection.  With Google Fiber, these companies will have to provide better internet or they won't be able to compete, so many people want Google Fiber to expand as fast as possible over North America so that the monopoly is broken and people are given better internet.   This plays into eLifestyle because Gigabit internet connections with unlimited bandwidth will allow most people who pay for internet to pay less, have a more reliable connection and have faster speeds. This also plays into economics because Google Fiber will allow small businesses to use the internet without fear of high costs.

Cedars-Sinai hospital in LA provides a service called "Baby Time". This allows mothers who have had difficult births to stay connected to their new born child. This is possible because an iPad is linked to another iPad which is placed by the baby's incubator. The hospital allows mothers to use "Baby Time" twice a day. The iPad's foreshadow the video monitors and plan to be accessible by cell phone .

EA has once again made the Worst Company in American History. Although many think the constant hate towards EA is a circlejerking karma train their problems and mistakes are very much real. This article outlines 3 of their main failures: -not providing a product their costumer will want -not selling a product at a reasonable price -not supporting the products they sell Despite selling games that millions of people buy most are rushed, including features that nobody wants, and not fixing previous mistakes. They also try to squeeze as much money out of their consumers as possible. They make people pay for money in-game products that should already be in the original copy and the make many of their games pay-to-win. The last big point that makes EA the Worst Company in American History was the fact that they have a habit of not supporting the products they sell. For example when

This article is about an App that prevents incest in Iceland. Since Iceland is so small, many people find that they are starting relationships with their second cousins. This app uses Íslendingabók, which is an online genealogical database. This database contains records of more than 720,000 Icelanders going back 1,200 years using as many records (church documents, census information, and so on) as possible. When two Icelanders meet each other, they bump phones and will be told if they are related or not. This new app already has 5000 downloads and has made life easier for Icelanders by and revamping the dating scene.

This article ponders the question "Will 2013 be the year of the smartwatch?" It begins by describing some of the failed attempts by companies at wearable tech. In 2004, Microsoft created the SPOT watch which used FM radio waves to display information such as stock quotations, weather forecasts, and news. At launch this device was $800 which was a huge turnoff for many consumers, and was proven when the device died in 2008. In 2009, Samsung also had an attempt at wearable technology with their S9910 which debuted in Europe. At a 450 Euro price tag, this was also too expensive for consumers, and along with limited functionality this device was destined to be a flop. Now with more functionality possibilities and low cost production, companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, LG, and Samsung are able to create modern, functional smartwatches. It is also encouraging that Pebble recently funded over $10 million for their smartwatch on Kickstarter. So will 2013 be the year of the smartwatch?

This article talks about the problems Facebook could have if it were to be breached by a hacker. Facebook is one of the biggest social networking websites to date and is the biggest holder of personal information, and yet they have been able to keep this information safe from hackers. Comparing to Twitter who had 250,000 accounts accessed by hackers, Facebook has done a remarkable job to keep our information safe, and although they have been able to do so for now, eventually they will have to face the problems of hackers. When you look at Facebook over other social networking sites like Twitter and Tumblr, there is a big difference when it comes to privacy and security. Twitter, for instance, is a more public social networking site with the odd soul that locks their account from the public. Facebook has privacy by default, which means Facebook has a lot more to lose if they were to get hacked. The physical damage that would pertain to us would include some of our photos and messages might be stolen, and the worst that could happen would pertain to credit card information, but Facebook would jump on and respond to these problems with password changes and other stuff. The real damage that would hit Facebook hard would be the psychological damage, and it would nearly destroy them. When something big happens in our society, the media jumps on this and will twist the truth in the story to give us, the viewers, the best story that will manipulate us into thinking an entire wrong. Facebook would be all over the media, whether it be on the radio, on the internet, on the news or in newsprint. The world would know about what happened, and fear would sweep across the globe.  People would start asking questions about what is safe on Facebook and if it is safe at all. Facebook already has a problem with people not being sure if everything is safe on Facebook, and this would just ruin everything for Facebook. No matter how much Facebook tries to keep its network safe, i

TL;DR

TL;DR

This article talks about the current state of transparency in smartphones and where we are headed. So far, transparent smartphones have only existed in concepts and prototypes that have never gone into full production. This is largely due to the difficulties in creating fully transparent smartphones while keeping the same quality that smartphones like the iPhone. Another problem that this new type of smartphone is facing is that is currently has no software so it's difficult to actually visualize what the end product will be. There is also the fact that the consumer market may not even want transparent smartphones and that we're fine with our current ones. The company that created the prototype, Polytron, has more money to work with and their current prototype is already looking better than most previous attempts at creating a translucent electronic. Polytron stated that we may see transparent smartphones by the end of this year. That is possibly a little too optimistic but within a couple of years we may see transparent electronic devices emerge resembling those in movies we have seen today.

Mini Router? Fits in Purse? Only $40?!  Is this even possible? Guess so. This Mini Router which can fit into a purse is only $40. It is being released by a company called Satechi and it works as a repeater. This Mini-Router gives you a private, 300 Mbps WiFi access from any hotel's wired internet, but can produce and redistribute a wireless signal anywhere else in the room. It can also work as a router stand-alone, or even as a bridge which will let you take an exisiting WiFi network, and make it basically your own with a different name, and potentially a different security code, useful in internet cafe's, hotels, even St. Elizabeth ;).

This article describes the effects of mobile/portable computing on our everyday lives. The article writes that mobile computing is a great advantage for both ordinary people and business men.  In the business area, portable computing is the easiest to approved business everywhere in the world. This means that you do not need to physically be at a business meeting to approve of a transaction. This saves a great deal of money, time and is much more efficient and fast. Portable computing has also made just our regular daily lives a lot easier. From just being able to call anyone outside of your house, to booking a hotel, flight, even finding the nearest gas station, it's all in the palm of your hand. Whatever the case may be, portable computing has made all of this possible.  In my opinion, being connected 24/7 increases productivity up to a point, but it also can cause stress and can also disrupts life. 

The "Green Brain Project" aims to create an insectobot (a robotic insect) with the brain of a honey bee. It's not as crazy or difficult as it sounds though, the researchers working on this project are not directly copying a bees brain but trying to recreate it. More specifically they are recreating bees two most important senses- sight and smell. They will then upload this fake brain into a small insect like robot so it can act somewhat like a real honey bee. This is important, as it would be a huge step forward in robotics and also because scientists say they could use robotic bees to artificially pollinate. This could help  with the reduced number of honeybees. Bees are very important to the whole environment so this project could possibly be revolutionary. I chose the tag "environment" because scientist are trying to recreate a natural animal that not only comes from Earth but greatly impacts it. Plants need bees pollination to grow, and animals need plants to eat so with a lack of bees, the whole food web would take a major hit. This project aims to try to fix this. To me, it seems like it would be extremely expensive and difficult to create as many bees as the earth would need. Maybe in the distant future though, this may be realized.

In the recent weeks, it seems to be the societal trend to chastise Apple Inc. for their mistakes, the most recent of them being their native iOS 6 'Maps' application. Earlier in the week, CEO Tim Cook published a letter on the Apple website apologizing for the poor quality of the app, saying that "At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment." However, this is not a first for Apple admitting their mistakes and apologizing; one example is in June of 2012, Bob Mansfield (SVP) expressed remorse for Apple's withdrawal of the EPEAT rating system, which ensured the company met an eco-friendly standard. They later recanted their actions and went back on to the rating system. Many people attribute Apple's recent downfall to the shift of power from Steve Jobs to Tim Cook. Apple has also come to fire for their general decreasing of employees per Apple store to increase profitability, their standalone podcast app and ultimately the widely regarded inadequate 'Siri', supposedly improved in iOS6. This relates to the tag 'eLifestyle' because when Apple limits the users experience by introducing faulty software and refuses to adress things because of pride, evidently the customers suffer. This relates to 'Environment' because of Apple's debacle with the EPEAT, and society's increasing desire for products that are eco-friendly, and Apple's supposed "higher environmental standards" that they operate under. Legally, Apple has actively been taking and giving lawsuits over the past years, including Samsung and Adobe (a lawsuit directly following Steve Jobs' choice to abandon flash on iOS devices.) From an economics standpoint, Apple seems to be making all the wrong choices, being that they abandon things that work (e.g. Google Maps, third-party podcast apps, EPEAT) and tries to 'reinvent the wheel' and many people argue that without the direction o

This article is about the advancement of 3D printers recently. A 3D printer is a device that creates 3 dimensional objects from digital models. A 3D printer accomplishes this by spraying on layers of plastics or metals to eventually create an object. This article focuses mostly on new software which pinpoints weak spots in a 3D print digital model and adds thickness or struts where needed. There is also an option to reduce the thickness in some areas where it is already structurally sound enough, reducing the amount of material needed, weight and cost. 3D printers have become so advanced recently that an average person can go and pick one up for as little as $300. The future of 3D printing looks amazing and as time goes on, these devices will become more and more advanced.  I chose the tag of eLifestyle because 3D printers are quickly becoming a household device that many can afford. Advances in printer technology are making it possible to find a model online and then print it out right in the comfort of your own home, instead of going out and buying it. I really like the idea of 3D printing, it feels so futuristic in that we can print our own things on a whim. I think 3D printers could also be quite dangerous as anyone who has access to one of these devices could print out weapons such as knives and firearms. It seems as authorities would have trouble controlling this and could pose a major problem in the near future. Overall 3D printing has both its ups and downs.

This article says how much speech recognition software has already grown. Ask someone 10 years ago if they thought it would be possible to ask your phone to call some or to remind you to do something at 2pm and they would say you were dreaming. A new company has come out for android called Dragon software which is going ti be used to compete with siri. There are rumors that apple was planning to build a tv with voice software and that so is Dragon software. How convenient would that be; just to ask your tv to pull up the walking dead .