Techpost #3

The Future of Computers

Computers have gone a long way since they were first invented. No one could have even vaguely imagined its progress and the speed that it took society so completely. Even a decade ago, there was nearly no clues as to which direction the computer will take for today. The “thing” a little while ago was voice recognition. Now, it is touch. Almost every new hand held device employs touch screen technology which senses either pressure or heat from your fingers or utensil when you touch the screen. Over the course of the next few decades, we can only guess as to what we will think of next. Thus far, there have been several breakthroughs in areas which would change the computer experience and application. Most, if not all of them, seem like they are straight from a science fiction novel. These include Nanotechnology, Holographics, and Neural control.

2015

It may not be so far a leap to that fictional technology in movies and television shows like Avatar and Star Trek may well be in our grasp in the near future. By 2015, touch screen technology will be the norm. Most, if not all, the control problems that came with it will have been worked out. Like non-flat screen televisions, devices without touch control will become obsolete. We will have moved on to another technology, likely one that did not have too much attention in 2010. This could actually be any of the three mentioned before. I believe that Neural control will be in the spotlight during that time.  Reasons being that, the technology already has a few products in the market, and maybe more importantly, Neural control was primarily made for video games (Waters, 2008). The trend that is taking place now is that video games are making more money than movies. I do not see this trend ending anytime soon. Also, brain controlled controllers have been the dream of gamers everywhere; it was only a matter of time. Neural technology has been in place for many years already. It took the form of cumbersome electrodes and took a technician to even operate. Brain control technology will not be the only thing we will be working on. Technology will become smaller, since we seem to like every to fit in our pockets. Although, what would we be making smaller? Our phones already fit into our pockets and on our ears. The answer would be our desktop computers. Smart phones may already have fit this, but Microsoft has begun to develop devices the size of pens that project the screen and keyboard of a desktop computer (Rense.com, 2006). Holographics will have made developments along the way as well. However, with 3D television screens already in massed production, I do not think that Holographic technology will be able to gain a foot hold until people are ready to spend large amounts of money on yet another television, monitor, or interface. Nanotechnology will be more implemented in medical science and experimentation. As well, by 2015, voice recognition will be the norm with touch screen technology. Voice control will be able to recognize regular users and smart Artificial Intelligence may well begin to understand emotion or body language (Gizmag Team, n.d.).

2020

By the year 2020, Neural control and Nanotechnology will be either supplementing or replacing most other means of interacting with devices. A piece of hardware would be put on one’s head to detect facial expressions or would detect certain impulses from the brain that would interact with electronic devices. By this time, nanotechnology will be in the forefront of medical research and practice. The miniature robots will be affordable to most hospitals in the form of injections. The nanobots will be injected into the body and will give the doctors the ability to do surgery without opening the body and may be able to make decisions on their own (Future For All, n.d.). Holographic technology will start to take over the latest televisions and computer monitors. A holographic display is where a digital picture is projected without the need of a screen or monitor (Computer Generated Holography, 2010). More experimentation will be done on holographic manipulation, where the user would be able to interact with Holographic projections by touching them.

2029

Technology of computers in 2029 can pretty much only be guess work. The rate at which we are developing all kinds of technology, especially computers, is quite unpredictable. I would guess that nanotechnology, neural control, and holographics will be combined. Chips or nano-robots would be implanted into our brains that would send and receive information according to brain commands. We could even have the technology affect our sight. Our sight is what the brain interprets from the information the eyes give. The connection from the device would be connected to that medium and would send information to the brain, thus the user would see a graphical interface in the corners of their vision. A mere plug in or wireless connection would allow others to observe what another specific person is viewing. Even by this time, I do not believe we will be rid of two dimensional screens. Firstly, they will be cheap. And secondly, two dimensional monitors will boast applications that would be difficult on a holographic display. It would feel awkward if one has to read text in a three dimensional format. Maps would be incredibly complex to read if we tried to keep all the information on one page as we are already. At this time, we will have developed the technology where the user will be able to manipulate a holographic display by touch.

No one can truly predict what will happen in the next 20 years, not even in the next 5 years when it comes to computers. What may very well happen is we will progress at a faster rate than even I predicted. Regardless, computers will be even more engrained in our lives more than they are already. Some of us already cannot tell what a computer is and what is not. Within 20 years, we will not be able to go a day without interacting with a computer.

References

Future For All. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.futureforall.org/computers/computers.htm

Gizmag Team. (n.d.). The future of the human-computer interface.

Retrieved from http://www.gizmag.com/go/3519/2/

Rense.com. (2006, January 18). Future PC’s.

Retrieved from http://www.rense.com/general69/future.htm

Waters, D. (2008, February 20). Brain Control Headset for Gamers. BBC News. Retrieved from

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7254078.stm

Wikipedia.

(January 2010). Computer Generated Holography.

Retrieved April 7, 2010, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_generated_holography

Facebook Profile: Nikola Tesla

July 10, 1856 –January 7, 1943

Nikola Tesla was an inventor. He specialized in physics and electrical engineering. What made him most famous was his rivalry with Thomas Edison. Thomas Edison invented Direct Current (DC) current for electricity. Nikola Tesla invented Alternating Current (AC) for electricity as well. For several years, the two inventors battled each other. It turned out that AC was actually the better, more efficient way to transmit electricity. However, Edison made DC first and everything was manufactured to use that form of electricity. In his later years, Nikola Tesla invented other electrical devices. These included designs to wirelessly transmit electricity and his “death ray”.

Tech Post #2: History

Pre-Industrial:

Pre-industrial age is the time before the Industrial Revolution, before the 1800’s (Transtutors.com, March 2010). Back then, there were no factories or automation. There was a focus in hand made products and operation by hand (Transtutors.com, March 2010).

The computers we know today did not exist back then. The digital interface and any kind of personal electronic devices were not even contemplated. However, the definition of a computer is, “a machine which can take instructions, and perform computations based on those instructions” (WiseGEEK, Jan 2010). In the age when we did not have personal electronics, there were far simpler types of computers. Far, far before the calculator, was the Abacus. The Abacus was used to count large numbers (Abacus, Aug 2007). By the definition of computers, the Abacus takes input (moving beads to simulate numbers) and computes the answer, which would be a combination of the beads you have moved. It would be many hundreds of years before the calculator would be invented, and not even the electronic ones.

Industrial age:

The Industrial age can also be called the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution went well under way during the 19^th century and goes on to the 20^th century (Wikipedia, Industrial Revolution, March 2010). It was the start of automation, factory work, and massed production on a global scale.

At the start of the Industrial age, Otto Büttner made the first calculator in 1888 (History of Computing Project, Oct 2006). That calculator could perform the four basic arithmetic functions: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Later, more calculators were developed. However, some of these would be far too complex and only the inventor would be able to operate them (History of Computing Project, Oct 2006). Eventually, the printing calculator was invented. It was key driven, in other words, the input was given and the output was immediate (History of Computing Project, Oct 2006). The first electronic calculator was invented at this time.

Finally, in the early 1900’s, the first computer was invented (Bellis, 2010). However, this computer was massive. It took a large amount of space, usually the entirety of a room, mostly to store all of its systems. Even with its massive bulk, memory capacity of it was equivalent to a basic electronic calculator today. Nearing the end of the industrial age, wireless technology was getting off the ground. The first wireless phones and radios were being developed.

Post-Industrial age:

Post-industrial age is more of a state of society. It is the point where there is a transition “…from a manufacturing based economy to a service based economy. (Wikipedia, Post-industrial Society, March 2010)” Manual work, such as assembly line work, declines in importance to professional and technical work, like doctors and computer scientists respectively (Wikipedia, Post-industrial Society, March 2010). The time that this age started is different for each country, but it seems that around the 1980’s was the time that the post-industrial age was truly under way in the Western countries (Transtutors.com, March 2010).

This age is the time when computer engineering and science flourished. Everything about the computer improved. Its speed was faster, the size was significantly smaller, and all of its components were superior. The desktop computer that everyone knows and loves today was made available to the general public. Calculators could do higher level math, and not just the basic four functions. Video game systems were also made available to the general public. Video game systems were given the same components that computers use, graphics cards, memory, sound cards, etc. Wireless technology was now widely used. Mobile phones and anything wireless was being developed at an unprecedented rate.

Eventually, well actually now, it has became impossible to not interact with some kind of computer in our everyday lives. The computer has been developed so far that we can sometimes forget what a computer is.

References:

Abacus.

(Aug 2007). A Brief History of the Abacus.

Retrieved March 23, 2010, from

http://www.ee.ryerson.ca/~elf/abacus/history.html

Bellis, M. The History of Computers. Retrieved from

http://inventors.about.com/library/blcoindex.htm

History of Computing Project.

(Oct 2006). The Pre Industrial Era.

Retrived March 23, 2010, from

http://www.thocp.net/timeline/1886.htm

Transtutors.com.

Historical Development of Industrial Engineering.

Retrieved March 23, 2010, from

http://www.transtutors.com/homework-help/Industrial+Management/Industrial+Engineering/historical-development-of-industrial-engineering.aspx

Wikipedia.

(March 2010). Industrial Revolution.

Retrieved March 24, 2010, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution

Wikipedia.

(March 2010). Post-industrial Society.

Retrieved March 24, 2010, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-industrial_revolution

WiseGEEK.

(Jan 2010). What is a computer?.

Retrieved Feb 9, 2010, from

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-computer.htm

Online and Offline Public Spaces

Food Court/Invisible Audiences

Our group chose ‘invisible audiences’ from Danah Boyd’s four properties of online public spaces. The property of invisible audiences according to Boyd is that in mediated public spaces, you cannot actually see who is creeping you whether it is your Facebook profile, Tumblr blog, etc. However, in physical public spaces you are able to identify who your audience is with your eyes. The physical open space location we have decided to observe was the food court inside of Central City Mall.

Scanning above the area, we noticed there were a few security cameras facing the tables so security guards are able to view people purchasing their food and eating their meals without them really realizing it. We also noticed that with the tables placed side by side, it is really not that difficult for a person to start eavesdropping in on another table’s conversation. If it is a small group of people sitting at a table and talking to one another, their conversation will sound quieter and more private as opposed to a larger group of people sitting and talking together because they have a more public feel. Of course, someone can just have a seat at a table and watch intently at a stranger who is obliviously eating their food. We also noted that if a person was sitting at a table in the food court talking on their cell phone, the person on the other line can listen to conversations from surrounding tables indirectly if the talkers are loud enough.

Ultimately, the observation of invisible audiences within the physical public space that we have chosen is more different than the invisible audience from an online public space. Within a physical space, at least you can feel that you are being watched whereas on an online public space, you will not even have the slightest clue as to the kinds of people who watch virtually watch your every move.

Studio Lab #3- Reflection

The advantages of using wikis and their equivalents are many. So are their disadvantages. A wiki is a resource that easily allows groups to collaborate. The group members can add and edit the information on the wiki instantaneously and relatively easily. It is also a way to keep information together and accessible to everyone at once. There are however, downsides to this. The wiki can be viewed by anyone who has an internet connection; anything that is private should not be on a wiki. Also, wikis are indiscriminate, they do not care who joins the group. The edit button available on wikis can be used by anyone in the group at any time. If there are disputes or someone feels spiteful, they can delete any and all the information that is on the wiki.

I believe the experiment did work. It showed us the pros and cons of collaboration and how difficult it is to work with crowds. We also, as a crowd, were able to work together to produce a document that would not have been possible individually.

If it was done by myself, I would not have used the wiki. The topics would all be on one document with headings and sub-headings. Also, in the time allotted I would not have been able to cover all of the topics in depth.

The experiment gave us an idea of what it would be like to use one open to the entire internet. However, having it in the same room and all of us using it at the same time hindered us, because we would accidently delete other people’s writing. As well, if we were more of an open class or less shy, I think that hindrance would not have been there as we would be talking to each other rather than communicating through the wiki, since we were pretty much right next to each other.

A video game rant

Where has all the good video games gone? Video games used to be top quality stories or entertainment. You got your money’s worth because it was impossible to finish the game within 24 hours. Now, video games are all about the most real looking graphics and how much brains you can splatter across the screen.

Back in the “better days”, it was not easy to pull yourself from the television screen because you were so engrossed in the game. Way back to when Super Mario World was new, back to when the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was new. The games from then had characters that looked like pixelated icons more than characters. It did not matter that you could know who was who and what was what. The only information was needed was which icon was you and which was the enemy’s. Then, with the Super Nintendo (SNES), graphics evolved as well as the complexity of the games. You could now recognize humanoid (or other) figures with what shape they were instead of them being an icon. The NES games were all 2-D side or horizontal scrolling games. The SNES, had much better software and hardware, it could support more complex graphics and code. 3-D environments were attempted with the ability to go into the back ground of side scrolling games, or interact with things that looked distant. Far more complex was Star Fox where the player flew the fighter into the screen, which gave a sense of depth. The systems that were made back then, like the SEGA, NES, and SNES did not have animated characters they were drawn in programs like Paint called “Sprites”. Each Sprite had a collection of different poses and were put together in the game to seem like it was fluid movement. Both the NES and SNES had many games that were extremely challenging. So challenging in fact, that from then on, all video games were made to be beatable by children.

Possibly the last decade of the “better days” came in the form of the Playstation and Nintendo 64 (N64) in the 90’s. Sony came out with one of the most popular series of games in video game history, up with Super Mario and Legend of Zelda, called Final Fantasy. And Nintendo came out with arguably one of the greatest video games of all time, the next addition to the Zelda series, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The Playstation and N64 pretty much set the ground work for the graphics seen today. Most of the games from both systems were all 3-Dimensional. All the environments and characters were 3-D models, textured, and animated to seem like they were “alive”. Even though the characters were blockish and cartoon looking, one was still immersed in the environment and story of the game.

And then it all went south. The newest systems like the Wii, Xbox, and PS3 have hardware and software that rivals a desktop computer. The graphics are so realistic it is like an interactive movie. There are now menus that are displayed before you played the game, which are equivalent to the Desktop on computers. It is now a given that you can play or go on-line to experience more of the game. Unfortunately, those are the things that game developers focus on now. It is all about the latest and greatest technologies and the best looking system. There is no more story or anything that immerses you in the game other than very real looking blood and guts.

Models of Knowledge

Stephen Colbert in Vancouver

Stephen Colbert, on his popular satirical talk show program, poked fun at Canadians when the Olympics were only months away, calling us “Syrup-sucking Canadian iceholes”. In response, Ted Townsend himself, the Spokesman of Richmond, offered Stephen Colbert a job monitoring the ice time for the U.S. speed skating team. Colbert also announced that Colbert Nation, Stephen’s website, became the primary sponsor of the U.S. speed skating team.

Over the course of the Olympic two weeks, Stephen Colbert broadcasted his show live in Vancouver. He interviewed various athletes and dignitaries. All without saying, “Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Winter Games”. Instead, he called his program “Exclusive Vancouverage of the 2010 Quadrennial Cold Weather Athletic Competition”.

After winning medals, Colbert would interview the American athletes on the show. Making fun of their sport and taunting Canada in the process.

During his stay, Stephen had some very funny material, from touring the country houses to interviewing the athletes. He made fun of the Swiss for various reasons and challenged the Swiss director to fondue pong (where you drink bowls of hot cheese instead of beer). Stephen also went to the Irish house to, again, make fun of them. He thanked the welcome dancers in the Opening Ceremonies and saying “there moves are almost as white as their clothing”. Interviewing two Olympic Ariel Skiers, Ryan St. Onge and Jerret “Speedy” Peterson, Stephen made comments such as “are you doing things with your body? Such as flailing your arms in panic?” and “How much of it is green screen and wire?”.

His stay in Vancouver has shown him that the Canadian stereotypes of being polite are completely true. Obviously being kept up by fun-loving Canadians.

Tech Post #1

Computers

Computers are one of the most widely used and known technologies in the world. A computer is defined as “the ability to take instructions and execute them” (wiseGEEK, Jan 2010). Over 70 years have passed since the first binary computer was first invented (Computer Hope, 2010). Since that time, computers have evolved and are still evolving at a tremendous rate. The present, most advanced, and most innovative technology is the most popular technology with computers. Touch is the latest technology that has been released to the masses. Much more innovative technologies for the computer are being experimented on, holographic displays, physical manipulation, and, the quite innovative, neural control. The computer has, almost single handedly, opened the door to reality for human imagination.

Describing the Technology

Computers can be both a personal device and personal  technology, and now is vital to the media infrastructure. The range of the different computers has gotten to the point where we, as users, cannot tell what is and what is not a computer. Computers, by the definition, are cell phones, calculators, game systems, and much more. The Abacus and basic calculator may not be considered computers purely for the reason that they do not have preprogrammed algorithms to complete complex tasks (wiseGeek, Jan 2010). Computers can be used for several different purposes, from entertainment to communication and business to education. Most uses of the computer are personal. However, that personal use can be used to view other people work and opinions; it is this that turns it from personal use to a social network.

Change Brought from the Technology

Computers are one of the most influential technologies in human history. They are so wide spread, that computers have been engraved into our lives. At first, computers were made as military projects and for businesses willing to spend substantial amounts of money. Eventually, as the computer became cheaper, the computer was made accessible to the average person (Rowland, 2006). This brought about all kinds of change in all areas of society. We can now communicate to people across the globe, which allows us to experience different cultures.

Negative or positive?

I believe that this change is for the better. Without the computer, we would still be living in ignorance and isolation. Although ignorance and isolation are still abundant, it is not as much as it was even in the late 1900’s. The computer has allowed us to consolidate so much of our technology, which was previously separate, into one. Anything that was on paper can be put onto a computer. Physical land line phones are being replaced by wireless phones. Even the phone itself has been combined with the computer to create a computer that can fit in a pocket that is also a phone. No one can deny that the computer was vital to unite the world. The world just seems so much smaller if you can communicate with someone across the world instantly. However, there are also negative ramifications to the impact of the computer. It has virtually taken over our lives. We cannot go one day without interacting with some type of computer. It has gotten to the point where it is vital to have access to a computer device at all times, for safety and other reasons.

Is there any way to reverse the effect from the technology?

In my opinion, nothing short of the total removal of computers and its elements will be able to reverse the trend that computers have made. Even if a technology trumps the modern computer, that technology could have only derived from one place, the computer. Unless we suddenly become very fond of paper, there is no plausible way to reverse the social change that computers have done.

References

wiseGEEK.

(Jan 2010). What is a computer?.

Retrieved Feb 9, 2010, from

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-computer.htm

Computer Hope.

(2010). When was the First Computer Invented?.

Retrieved Feb 9, 2010, from

http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000984.htm

Rowland, W. (2006). Spirit of the Web.

Studio Lab #2

Group members:

1. Billy Tam
2. Jason Bergunder
3. Gabrielle Haynes
4. Mary Ngo
5. Yang Lin

Part One

Questions:

1. Tell me about the different ways that you used communication for 24 hours in your journal.

Everyone: Telephone, cell phone, email, radio, paper, computer, dimdim, MSN, Facebook, Youtube, Internet in general.

2. What was the most common communication media that you used in 24 hours?

Jason: Paper.

Billy & Gabrielle: MSN.

Yang & Mary: Cell phone

3. What was the most common purpose for the communication media you used?

Jason: Homework

Billy & Gabrielle & Yang: Chatting with friends

Mary: Confirming to Mother that I am safe and unharmed on the way to school and back home.

4. What do you think you learned most about the role of communication media in your everyday life by keeping this journal?

Billy: We use it so often that we do not realize it.

5. What was the most surprising thing that you learned from keeping this journal?

Mary: I learned that I do not really communicate often to the outside world.

6. What are some of the positive implications about having communication media in your life?

Everyone: Keeps people more accessible. You can talk to them anyone, anywhere, anytime.

7. What are some of the negative implications about having communication media in your life?

Everyone: You are not communicating to people face to face.

8. How do you think your life would be if you did not have access to communication media;

Please talk about both the positive and the negative things that might happen.

Everyone: Positive – Time efficiency. You can spend more time in the ‘sunshine’. More family time.

Negative – Isolation; knowledge will be limited. You can get kidnapped and cannot call for emergency. If you get lost, you’d be out of reach.

9. If you had to choose one communication media to take on a deserted island, which one would you choose and why?

Jason: Cell Phone; there’s nothing else to take because there is no electricity on the island. And to keep me entertained until I manage to build a fire for smoke signals.

Billy: Paper in a bottle; then you can ask for help (the Old-Fashioned way)

Gabrielle: Flares; to use as signal.

Yang: Loud speakers; call for help.

Mary: Satellite dish; so group mates can use the Internet and/or cell phone.

——————————————–

Part Two

Banned Communication Mediums:

-          Telephone

-          Mobile Phone

-          Internet

-          Paper

-          Radio

-          Computer

Alternative Ways of Communication:

First Scenario

Physically go to the countries of the five representatives and confirm their attendance.

Second Scenario

Send the representatives messages via Morse code and/or telegram.

Third Scenario

Recorded CD or DVD of the invitation. Physically mail it to the representatives and they will mail back their reply.

Fourth Scenario

Send out a messenger who will deliver the invitation to the representatives.

Fifth Scenario

Broadcast the invitation live on international television. They will mail back their reply.

Detailed Plan:

1.)     We will have a recorded version of the invitation on either CD or DVD and send it to the representatives via conventional mail.

2.)     We will physically go to the hotels, airports, and rentals to book their rooms, flights, and rental vehicles 1 week in advance before the representatives arrive.

3.)     The representatives will confirm their attendance by mailing back the CD/DVD with a message written on it.

The most difficult part of the mission would have to be working around the restricted communication Medias. Also we took into consideration the cost of the particular communication method.

The communication media that would be most missed in the world would be the phone. The phone will be missed because it is the most efficient and easiest way to communicate. It is real time so you can get the reply back instantly and is the closest way than talking face to face with someone. It makes it possible to access people who live on the other side of the world.

The expenses will include:

-          Cost of sending out the CDs/DVDs via Canada Post within 2-3 weeks

• CD/DVD – $3.00 (package of 5)
• Canada Post – $2.00 x 10 = $20.00

-          Approximately 1 week for bookings

• Hotel – $200 x 5 = $1000.00
• Flights – $1500 x 5 = $7500.00
• Limo (one week before the representatives arrive. All shall enter the same limo from Vancouver International Airport.) – $100.00

Total = $8623.00