Over the past few days, two seemingly unrelated topics converged upon me and sparked some wishful thinking.

First, there’s a mounting roar of media buzz about Apple working to get a tablet PC to market by the Christmas shopping season.   It’s speculated that this book-sized, 3G-enabled, 10-inch touch screen tablet computer will have more in common with the Mac than iPod Touch or iPhone at the operating system level.

Apple’s new device is said to feature only an on-screen keyboard rather than a physical one, so it’s seems a given that this device will offer handwriting recognition, which is a mature user interface technology that’s been employed in Windows-based tablet PCs over the past few years.   Despite being a surprisingly accurate means of entering text, handwriting recognition really hasn’t found its way out of the niche market because tablet PCs have never been widely adopted.

The second topic, the death of cursive writing, has been talked about for the past few years, but has been getting lots more buzz in the blogs just recently.   Increasingly, the news media continues to forecast the demise of cursive writing, calling the once-essential skill now something as quaint as, well, using a telephone to actually speak to people.

I’ve long since been concerned that the loss of handwriting could mean a loss of cognitive opportunity for kids and I’m a big advocate of kids being exposed to analog technologies.   So, the ideas of Apple’s forthcoming device and handwriting recognition sort of snapped together like perfect puzzle pieces for me and I’ve become kind of excited considering the possibility...

Maybe Apple can save handwriting!

And why not?   Apple has certainly revitalized & catapulted other languishing technologies in its wake.   The iPod was by no means the first MP3 player.   The iPhone wasn’t the first touchscreen PDA — it wasn’t even the first multi-touch device, although they spun that little-known user interface into mainstream gold overnight.   Album art has been around since the invention of the record, but Cover Flow made it cool again.   Yup, Apple has a distinguished history of reusing & breathing new life into overlooked or underestimated technologies.

So maybe Steve Jobs & Co. can take handwriting recognition out of its obscure little niche and elevate it to an attractive, mainstream user interface element too.   Perhaps Apple could reinvent cursive writing as a valued technology once again.

What do you think?   Is handwriting worth saving?   Will Apple’s release of a tablet with handwriting recognition have similar far-reaching ripples to bring handwriting back from the brink of extinction?
 

Labels: education, technology

Snap a shot with your digital camera, tweak it on your PC, upload it to the photo processor at a nearby retail megastore, and in about an hour, you’ve accomplished what would’ve required a professional photo lab not that long ago.

Ditto for desktop publishing.   Who needs to farm work out to a professional offset printing firm when you’ve got a snazzy laser printer sitting right on your desk?

What if the same could be applied to manufacturing?   Imagine designing some new widget on your PC then within a few minutes being able to hold the actual, physical item that previously existed only within your imagination.

Well, imagine no more!

RepRap or the Replication Rapid Prototyper, is an exciting grass-roots, do-it-yourself (DIY), open-source three-dimensional printing project poised to turn manufacturing on its ear!   RepRap lets you turn an idea into an object, that is, fabricate your own small plastic items, for around $500 — or less than what you would’ve spent on a decent laser printer just 5 years ago!



RepRap uses Fused Deposition Modeling or additive fabrication to build plastic parts layer by layer by extruding a melted strand of biodegradable plastic filament, kind of like a very precise hot glue gun.

One of the team’s core goals is that the machine be able to reproduce the components necessary to build another version of itself.   The visionary designer Dr. Adrian Bowyer gets a bit too philosophical about this "self-replication" and the exponential growth that it may bring about but the fact that the RepRap can create more than 60% of the parts needed to build subsequent versions is quite an engineering feat.   In addition, the project team has focused on using off-the-shelf parts and adhered to open-source design, so it’s ever-evolving that RepRap owners can download plans for, and fabricate, upgrades at will!

(About 3 months ago, a RepRap equipped with a swappable head system capable of printing both plastic & conductive solder created the first electronic circuit boards, thereby even further increasing the number of its own components that the machine can create.   And the design team believes they’ll also be able to "print" with silicon polymer to produce gaskets & other flexible parts soon.)

In keeping with the overall open-source design goal, the hardware is driven by the free, Java-based Art of Illusion (AoI) 3D modeling CAD software.

This is very much a project for advanced DIY electronics hobbyists rather than the average consumer, but it’s a fascinating concept.   And for the slightly less industrious, at least one company already makes a complete, ready-to-assemble, RepRap kit that you can purchase for about $1,000.

Want to know more?   Check out Dr. Adrian Bowyer’s Pop!Tech conference talks:

    •   What is RepRap? Introductory Lecture - Part 1 of 2
    •   What is RepRap? Introductory Lecture - Part 2 of 2

RepRap is admittedly still a far cry from Star Trek’s instantaneous & futuristic replicators and it’s not likely to spell the end of Wal-Mart for quite some time to come.   But this kind of cheap, accessible, DIY fabrication shatters many of the traditional barriers for design protoyping & manufacturing and, given that computer-aided design shapes every manufactured item we touch, this could pave the way for vast numbers of creative minds to bring more exciting visions to reality.

Hat tip to fellow Basin blogger Joe Ewbank for mentioning RepRap in his "Stuff of the Day" post a few days ago.
 

Labels: technology

atwitter   (u-twit’ ur)   adj.  [1825-35]
Being in a state of nervous excitement;  to chatter quickly;  aflutter;  twittering

By now, unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, chances are very good that you’ve heard of Twitter.   But maybe you’ve intentionally ignored the buzz or aren’t quite sure what it’s about.   Twitter is a free, real-time social messaging service.   Okay, that description may be technically accurate, but it sure doesn’t give a prospective user much to go on, does it?   And in turn, that sort of dry summary also shortchanges the service.   So, what then is Twitter, really?

Deceptively simple, Twitter is a free online social networking platform that allows users to send & receive text updates, or "tweets," from other users whom they’ve opted to "Follow."   Think of "tweeting" as sending an instant message to a whole group of people.   So Twitter is a global conversation; a DIY chat room; a link -sharing service; a permanent cocktail party where it’s socially acceptable to join in on any conversation.   (You can also have private conversations via Twitter’s Direct Message, which are exactly like the public messages except that they can only be read by the intended recipient.)

But really, the following Common Craft video created by Lee & Sachi LeFever explains Twitter far better than I can:



Twitter was designed as multi-platform service so tweets are limited to 140 characters in length so they can be delivered to a cell phone, email account, the Twitter webpage, or any of a vast array of Twitter reader applications that can be installed on nearly any kind of computer.   You may find the 140 characters to be rather restricting at first, but you quickly become adept at writing very concise posts to work within those confines.   And I recommend using one of the free URL shortener service like is.gd to compress lengthy web addresses down to more Twitter-suitable sized URLs so you can share links with your Followers.

On Twitter, you are, of course, free to talk about anything you want, but the question, "What are you doing?" may be a bit misleading.   Oh sure, you can tweet about the awesome BLT sandwich you just ate, but a much more effective or interesting approach is to think of the question above the input box as, "What would be funny, interesting, or useful to one or more of my Followers?"   So for example, while your Followers may not be all that interested in the awesome tuna wrap you’re having for lunch, they might be quite excited to read about the incredible deal you just discovered on a 3-pack of HDMI cables for $10.

Ready to give tweeting a try?   Pop on over to Twitter and get started!   Or if you need a little guidance, check out Darren Rowse’s How to Set Up a Twitter Account article.

So, what’re you waiting for?   Get all atwitter on Twitter!
 

Labels: cool sites, technology

This may seem a bit fundamental, but sometimes a little remedial computer skills review can offer useful new insights to even the most experienced users.

The first commercially-available scroll wheel-equipped mouse was the Genius EasyScroll mouse, released in 1995.   Mainstream adoption of the scroll wheel mouse didn’t occur, however, until Microsoft released the IntelliMouse in 1996 and subsequently began supporting the feature in the Office suite & Internet Explorer browser the following year.

The mouse scroll wheel is a hybrid of sorts, acting as both a rolling input and as an additional button, activated by pressing the wheel downwards (a.k.a. "wheel-click").   Recently, a new form of scroll wheel — the tilt-wheel — has been gaining acceptance as a standard mouse feature.   The tilt-wheel is like a conventional scroll wheel but can also tilt right & left for horizontal scrolling.

So odds are, if you’re using a mouse with your computer, it has a scroll wheel.   But while this ubiquitous feature has been right there under your nose all this time, there’s probably much more to it than you know.

That humble little scroll wheel has the potential to dramatically change the way you use your computer! Especially since so much of our computer use is browser-driven these days, here are a few tricks (for Windows users) that can make a world of difference and take your mouse far beyond simple scrolling:

1. Open hyperlinks in a new browser tab!
   Want to follow a link without losing your place on the current webpage?   Just click on the link with the scroll wheel to open it in a new browser tab!   In Firefox, you can even wheel-click items from the Bookmarks menu to open them in a new tab.   (You are using a tabbed browser, right?)   And if you Shift+wheel-click a link, it’ll open in a new tab and automatically switch to that tab.


2. Close browser tabs!
   Just place your mouse cursor over a browser tab and wheel-click to close it quickly.


3. "Zoom" a web page!
   Enlarge or shrink the contents of a web page by holding the Ctrl key and rotate the scroll wheel back or forth, respectively.


4. Go forward or back on web pages:
   Instead of using the Back/Forward buttons on the toolbar, press Shift and rotate the wheel back to see the previous page or forward to go to the next page.


5. Scroll faster:
   Press & hold the scroll wheel while moving the entire mouse forward or back to scroll very quickly up or down a page.

Know of any mouse scroll wheel tricks that I missed?   Post a comment and let me know!

Trivia:   The computer mouse recently celebrated its 40th birthday!   Although development began 5 years earlier, the mouse was first publicly demoed at the Fall Joint Computer Conference on Dec. 9th, 1968.   That first mouse, a clunky wooden box that’d forever change computer input, was built by Stanford Research Institute’s (at that time) chief engineer Bill English, based upon the design of Douglas Engelbart.
 

Labels: technology

The fictional Dr. Dolittle may soon have some real competition, as we inch enticingly closer to being able to communicate with animals.

In an important breakthrough in deciphering dolphin language, researchers Jack Kassewitz & John Stuart Reid, associated with the Speak Dolphin project, have developed a means to visualize the high definition sonic imprints that dolphin sounds make in water.   The resulting CymaGlyphs, as the images have been named, are reproducible patterns that the scientists believe will form the basis of a dictionary, with each pattern being a visual representation of a word within the dolphin vocabulary.

Underwater sound travels not in waves, but rather in expanding bubbles and beams.   At the 20—20,000 Hertz frequency range audible to humans, the sound-bubble form dominates;   above 20,000 Hertz the shape of sound becomes more of a cone-shaped beam.   CymaGlyphs are created by intersecting these sound beams with a membrane that the vibrations make an imprint upon, revealing an intricate architectures within the sound.   These fine details can then be captured on camera.


The research team has planned a series of experiments to record the sounds of dolphins targeting a range of objects to verify that the same sound is always repeated for the same object.   Ultimately, it’s believed that this will allow them to compile a dolphin dictionary.

So given the chance, what would you chat about with Flipper?
 

Labels: dolphins, technology

As I mentioned in my Digital Daze Ahead blog post recently, analog television broadcasts will cease on February 17th, 2009.   And sure enough, it seems that many people are still unsure about whether they’ll need a digital converter box to continue receiving their favorite shows.   The government, cable companies, & many merchants have plenty of helpful advice available on the Web, but much of that info is still biased towards selling new televisions.   And opportunistic retailers are milking the public’s confusion for all it’s worth to rack up massive profits on truckloads of needless new TV sales during the holidays.

Here’s a hilarious video that perfectly captures the confusion surrounding the forthcoming switch to digital television broadcasts.   Like Clems says, it’s funny ’cuz it’s true!

Labels: humor, technology, tv

I’ve recently read a number of blog posts referencing a new survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, which suggests that cell phones benefit families by allowing them to stay more regularly in touch even when they are not physically together.   But I just don’t know...

Isn’t this just another case of today’s parents falling into that "My kids should have it better than I did" snare?   I’ve mentioned before that I think our society is carelessly immersing our children in needless technology.   Sure, I want my child to have every advantage possible, but the thing is, I’ve yet to see anything that convinces me that more technology equals better learning or a better life for kids.   In fact, the hyperactive and tech-laden lifestyle that’s prevalent these days could actually be breaking down the family unit and hindering the quality of our childrens’ lives.

I tend to believe that cell phones actually rob children of their independence & rationale.   Kids today are no longer prompted to think about or mentally map out what they’ll be doing for the remainder of the day as they head out the door.   Instead, they wander aimlessly off into the day, knowing that they’re never more than a button-press away from Mom or Dad who’ll swoop in and rescue them at the last minute.   Rather than having to figure out problems on their own — and in the process become self-sufficient — kids simply "text" Mom and get an immediate answer.   Cell phones are stripping away any need for children to reason through and try to resolve their own situations.

Prior generations of children grew up healthy & happy without all of this instantaneous communication, yet everyone now seems to feel that they "need" constant connectivity just to survive.   What’s your take on this?   Do you (or will you) provide your child a cell phone?   Do you worry that this is just another symptom of helicopter parenting?

* Text-Message Translation:   Too much information, no thinking necessary
 

Labels: parenting, technology

A few months ago when my Mom passed away suddenly, we were confronted with the daunting task of sorting through decades of stuff in her house.   Along the way, we uncovered a treasure trove of old pictures, many of which we’d never even seen before.   Ruby & Rich wanted copies of all of those old photos and I agreed to work on scanning them so we could get reprints done.

To scan a picture or two is no problem, but when you get into large batches or whole photo albums, it can be incredibly laborious process that quickly bogs down to a crawl.   Dede & I had wondered why there wasn’t someplace where you could drop off your photos and get them scanned by some high-speed, automatic machine.   Then she discovered DigMyPics.

Scott & Annette Crossen’s DigMyPics is a home-grown company located in Arizona that, for as little as 16¢ apiece, will scan your photos and send the high-resolution uncompressed TIFF or JPEG image files back on either CD or DVD in about 2 weeks.   Their imaging professionals handle your pictures with the greatest care and use FedEx shipping to return your original photos quickly & securely.   Once you get your disc(s) of photos, you’re free to use & distribute them anyway you please.   It’s a cheap way to ensure that your family’s memories will still be around for future generations to explore.

The only real downside to all of this is that once you’ve pulled all of those old photos out of albums & frames, it may surprise you how much smaller the collection can seem with it all bundled up for shipping.   It’s a little hard to see decades of memories reduced down to a few small piles that easily fit into a small FedEx box.

Well, okay there is one other downside.   You might find yourself wishing that some of that old incriminating evidence had remained forgotten...

Labels: technology

The date for the end of civilization as we know it is set.   At the stroke of midnight on February 17, 2009, millions of TVs across America will go blank.   Cars will cease to run.   Cell phones will go dead.   Rampant hordes of people will roam the streets in a zombie-like daze.   We’ll be plunged back into the Dark Ages and the survivors will be forced to scavenge for food like packs of wild beasts.

Okay, okay, that’s mostly not true.   But that date does signal the end of one thing:   Per congressional mandate, over-the-air analog TV broadcasts will cease as of February 17, 2009.

Why The Switch?

The primary reason for the switch to digital television (DTV) broadcasting is to free up portions of the old analog transmission spectrum for public safety & emergency services broadcasters like police & fire departments.   This will also allow the auctioning off of other parts of the analog spectrum to companies like AT&T to increase wireless broadband technology for faster wireless use.   Additionally, DTV offers far better picture & sound quality and switching to digital gives broadcasters the ability to deliver enhanced technology services to the public with greater efficiency.

(By the way, on September 8, 2008, the lucky folks in Wilmington, North Carolina will serve as a pilot market for the digital switchover.)

Does This Affect Me?

But what exactly does that mean to you & me?   Honestly, probably not too much.   If you have satellite or cable service, your existing setup should keep on serving you just like always.   And that’s even if you’re still only using analog cable.   However, be mindful that while the switch to digital broadcast won’t affect analog cable subscribers directly, many cable provider companies will probably use this as an opportunity to strongly encourage their analog customers to make the transition to digital service.

Ah, but what if you’re still relying upon the old "rabbit ears" or some other antenna to pluck a free TV signal out of the ether?   Then you definitely will be affected.   But even then, unless you have an incredibly ancient TV with no line-in options, all you should need is a digital converter box.   What’s more, your Uncle Sam will give you a $40 voucher towards the purchase of a digital converter box.   (You can call 888-DTV-2009 or go to www.dtv2009.gov for more details.)   And if you’ve bought a new television since 2004, you’re probably already covered since most newer TVs have a digital converter inside.

Does DTV Equal HDTV?

But wait a minute... Don’t you still need a "High Definition" television (HDTV) to handle the digital signal?   No, not at all.   Your TV does not have to be HD to receive digital broadcasts.   Certainly, there are some HD channels in the digital lineup that will take advantage of a HDTV, but the singular, simple truth is that even if you’re still clinging onto an old-school, tube-based television from two decades back, it should still work fine — you do not need a new TV to receive digital broadcasts.

However, this basic truth isn’t going to stop Circuit City, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and every other retailer from doing everything possible to cash in massively on the public’s misconceptions & fear.

Starting with "Black Friday" sales after Thanksgiving — if not sooner — these opportunistic retailers will profit handsomely off of the perception that most older TVs are going to go dead in February.   And of course, there’ll also be the post-Holiday "we didn’t bleed you dry enough already" sales frenzy in January and continuing right up to D-Day.   So for the next several months, you’re almost certain to see rampant hordes of zombie-like neophytes roaming the aisles of stores with a crazy twitch in one eye and nervous shake that intensifies when a salesperson draws near.

Get Set?

So we’ve established that you don’t need to kick that old TV to the curb for the sake of the February deadline.   Your old TV will most likely keep right on working just fine.   But while your older analog TV can handle a digital signal, either via cable or a converter box (and look better than it did with analog broadcasts) it won’t display high-definition resolutions with a converter box.   So, if you’re itching for a TV that can display "High Definition" (HDTV) — or just want a big, new, widescreen, flat panel plasma or LCD TV with all the trimmings — you’ll need to make the move to a newer TV.

If you’re ready to shop around for a new TV, you’re bound to find some enticing deals in the coming months.   So this might be just the right time to be in the market for a replacement for your old set.   But before you join the ranks of those living dead scrabbling through sales fliers and hopelessly trying to rationalize dropping a grand or more on a new TV so you can get it home in time for the next season of American Idol & NBA playoffs, take a deep breath and spend a little time seriously considering "need" versus "want."   Don’t let the paranoia & hype surrounding the looming digital broadcast switchover deadline pressure you into a costly move if you’re otherwise happy with what you’ve got.
 

Labels: technology, tv

Shut down, switch off, unplug, disconnect, go offline, go analog, jack out — No matter how you say it, sometimes it’s really a good thing to get away from technology for awhile.

Shutdown Day is a non-profit Canadian organization founded by Dennis Bystrov & Ashutosh Rajekar to help raise awareness of the increasingly excessive use of digital media (TV, computers, game consoles, cell phones, MP3 players, etc.) and how technology can interfere with real world social interaction.

The idea of this global experiment is simple — just turn off your PC on Saturday, May 3rd, for the entire day and involve yourself in some other activity:   go outdoors, play sports, get together with friends & family — whatever, the point isn’t to reject our wired culture, but just to take a brief technology vacation and re-engage with the real world.

Maybe this also serves as a good opportunity to reflect & consider:   Are we too wired?   What do you think — can you survive for 24 hours without computers, email, & Internet?   Are you willing to take a technology vacation for just one day?   Do you think there’d be any benefit to doing so?

Note:   (I first mentioned Int’l Shutdown Day quite a bit earlier last year.   Dennis & Ashutosh explained that the annual event was shifted from its original March 24th date to May 3rd for the sake of warmer weather and a tree-planting event that’s to be held in Quebec.)
 

Labels: technology

Y’know how quite often you begin reading about one specific thing on the Internet and you end up meandering all over the place?   Next thing you know, you’ve hyperlinked & explored across the Web — reading blogs, watching videos, & listening to streaming audio stuff — and couple of hours have suddenly vanished?   Well, that’s exactly where this post originated...

A relatively new site called Jamendo that offers more than 5000 free music albums in high-quality DRM-free MP3 format.   You can save individual tracks or use your BitTorrent client to download entire albums in a jiff.   This is an excellent way to discover emerging new artists & music!   All music on Jamendo is licensed through Creative Commons, making it legal to copy & share, and even modify.   Some of the musicians even allow for the use of their music in commercial products or to be redistibuted as part of other projects.

And that’s how I came across Deus and try^d.   French electonica musician Deus’ captivating track called "Nothing Is Impossible" had been used in The Machine is Us/ing Us, an excellent video by Michael Wesch & the Digital Ethnography students at Kansas State University.

Internet-based electronica group try^d’s "Waltz Into the Moonlight" is featured as the soundtrack to a cool new video that I discovered last weekend, thanks to Michele Martin’s The Bamboo Project Blog.   Prof. Wesch has produced another thought-inspiring video, "A Vision of Students," that summarizes some of the most important characteristics of students today — how they learn, what they need to learn, their goals, hopes, dreams, what their lives will be like, and what kinds of changes they’ll experience in their lifetime.

Labels: music, technology

Recently, I’ve been thinking...   The widespread acceptance of digital music has probably caused album artwork to become much less important since so much music is being bought electronically now.   And even of the CDs you might’ve physically purchased in the past few months, what was the last one you bought that featured a truly memorable cover design?   Can you even recall the what the album covers from the last 4 or 5 CDs you purchased looked like?

I believe that’s all about to change...



Cover Flow, the 3-D interface that iTunes & the new iPod lineup features for visually browsing through your digital music libraries via album covers, was created by independent Mac developer Jonathan del Strother and purchased by Apple back in ’04.   It’s a gorgeous, intuitive, & fun way to peruse your music collection — almost exactly like flipping through stacks of vinyl LP record albums back in the old analog music days.

The more I see of the visually-stunning Cover Flow interface, I’m convinced that its popularity — thanks in no small part to Steve Jobs’ miraculous iPhone — will spark a revitalization of the previously-withering art of album cover design.   Since thumbing through your music collection’s cover art is the coolest way to find stuff on all of the new iPods (except the display-less iPod Shuffle), I think we’re about to see the visual aspect of music get a serious kick in the pants!

And I don’t think the impact of Cover Flow ends there.   No sir, not by a long shot!   Similarly-styled GUIs are going to spring up left & right — not the least of which is Leopard, or Mac OS X v10.5, the sixth major release of Apple’s Mac OS X operating system due out in October ’07.   It’s a safe bet that we’re seeing the next paradigm shift in user interfaces.

What do you think?   Will Cover Flow revitalize album cover design within the music industry?   And will it become as imitated as the iPod’s venerable click wheel?
 

Labels: iPod, music, technology

Oh yeah.   The MIT wonks gushed over the educational potential of their One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program, but somehow, I don'’t think this is quite the "educational opportunity" they had in mind...

Via Gecko & Fly, I read a Reuters news article reporting that a pilot group of Nigerian schoolchildren who received some of the first OLPC notebook PCs have been caught using them to explore pornographic sites on the Internet.

Well, sure enough, that is educational...

An OLPC representative pledged that the computers will now be fitted with content filters.   Of course, installing safeguards to ensure that these PCs cannot freely browse adult sites with explicit sexual materials is vital — and I’m baffled how this was overlooked to begin with.   But there are core-level, big-ticket issues that’re far beyond this embarrassing incident.   For me, there are two separate but equally important concerns:

First, should we really be in such a hurry to place computers in Third World childrens' hands when basic survival needs have not first been met?   While I appaud the good intentions & ideals behind this project — namely, to provide educational opportunities for children who’ve not had them before — I’m still convinced that the money would be better spent establishing self-sustaining agriculture, sewage & water systems, and/or disease prevention & cure rather than on PCs.   I’m not advocating quick-fix handouts - I’m talking about helping these people build infrastructures needed to become self-reliant.

Second, as I’ve wondered before, do computers magically equate to better learning (or life) for children?   As a parent-to-be, I’m nervous about how computer-use skills are being made a priority for very young kids.   Are we wise to so casually rush to acclimate children - impoverished or otherwise - to the digital world?   And in doing so, are we robbing them of real world learning opportunities?

What’s your take on the OLPC project?
 

Labels: education, parenting, technology

Although not exactly new since it’s been circulating around the blogosphere for several weeks, there’ve been a few friends who drew a blank when this was referenced, so Dede encouraged me to post an entry about this video.

Ethnography is defined as the study of the origin, characteristics, and distribution of different cultural and ethnic groups.   An ethnographer’s job is to immerse himself in the social scene being studied and participate in order to get a better understanding of that culture.   Professor Michael Wesch & his students in the Digital Ethnography group at Kansas State University have done just that with their The Machine is Us/ing Us video.

Considered a crash course on Web 2.0, this fascinating presentation neatly dissects the dizzying social impact of the Internet, where people are more plugged in than ever before, creating, collaborating, discussing, & sharing virtual worlds.   The web is a machine.   It’s a tool.   It’s home for many of us.   Or to paraphrase Prof. Wesch, the web is us...



Did this video strike a chord with you?   Does the whole "Web 2.0" thing leave your head spinning?   Leave a comment & let us know what you think!
 

Labels: technology

I was recently invited to join the beta test for Postful, a service whose concept is so simple you might wonder why it hasn’t already been done — email you send to Postful is printed, stuffed into an envelope, stamped, and mailed to a physical address.   What’s the point?   While anyone reading this blog undoubtedly has an email address (or several), we all still have family & friends who, for one reason or another, don’t have email yet.   Postful hopes to help bridge this digital divide...

So, for 99¢, you can fire off an email (plain text, with attached photos, or even a multi-page PDF document) and it’ll arrive as a glossy, full-color, physical letter in Grandma’s mailbox.

Perhaps most interesting (and ironic) is that, while the Internet has nearly rendered the U.S.P.S. irrelevant, it is simultaneously playing a small part in keeping snail mail propped up on life support.

I see some distinct advantages to this, but Dede doesn’t believe there’s much use or need for such a service.   So, do you think it’s just wishful thinking, or will Postful actually be useful?

Labels: opinion, technology

Cars are transit, sure.   But increasingly, with all of our cell phones, notebook PCs, MP3 players, & other electronics gear, they’re also serving as mobile office & entertainment hubs.   Given that, why are we still stuck with these lousy 12-volt power ports (formally, ANSI/SAE J563) in our cars?

The Toyota Matrix (a.k.a. Pontiac Vibe) has had on-board standard 115V power outlets for several years.   Mercury Hybrid Mariner, Volkswagen Touareg, & Honda Odyssey van all have AC outlets now.   So it’s high time the other automakers get on-board with this idea.   As our dependance upon gadgets & mobility continues to exponentially increase, automakers should be adapting to meet these new needs by making power outlets a standard on all cars.   Considering that you can buy a top-notch power inverter for less than $30, surely the added expense for automakers to build that functionality right in at the factory (beginning at the drawing-board stage) would have to be nominal.

And y’know, there’s a little "Oliver Stone-esqe" part lodged deep in my primative monkey brain that wonders if there might just be some minor conspiracy at work here.   Manufacturing & marketing all those assorted power inverters & "cigarette lighter" chargers for every gizmo known to man is probably quite a profitable business, after all.   Maybe "big electronics" is in cahoots with "big oil" in a dastardly & insidious plot to keep us all hopelessly strung-out on all those annoying, blister-pack-bound, cheap whatzits & doodads for the obsolete car power port.

What do you think?   Isn’t it time for the old 12-volt power port to go away?

Labels: opinion, technology

Okay, okay, even as great as it is, RSS probably can’t actually help you lose weight.   That was just a catchy tabloid-style title for this post and, hey, it got your attention, didn’t it?   What RSS can help you lose, however, is WAIT.

Yup, RSS will save you time and open you up to a vast array of new content on the Internet.

What’s This RSS Stuff?

RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is a format for delivering regularly-changing web content.   RSS isn’t new, having begun at Netscape back in 1999, but it has really taken off in the last couple of years.   A rapidly-growing number of websites (online newspapers, weblogs, and such) now offer their content in this format - known as RSS feeds - to make keeping up with your favorites sites much easier.   RSS allows you to easily stay on top of the latest web content and saves you loads of time since you no longer need to visit your favorite sites individually.

In addition to scouring the Internet for new content, RSS also takes care of presenting that information in a standardized, easily readable format arranged in a convenient organized list, very similar to your email in-box.   You can easily scan headlines & brief article descriptions, and decide whether you want to read the article right there, mark the article read & skip it, or tag the article for later reading.

What Can RSS Do For You?

Using RSS, content from web sites delivered & constantly updated via an aggregator or feed reader application.   You simply subscribe to a site’s feed and the RSS reader automatically monitors to see when updated content has been posted.   And RSS content distribution has been further adapted to reach far beyond the original basic purposes envisioned by it’s designers.   You can subscribe to RSS feeds to monitor eBay auctions, track FedEx or U.S.P.S. packages, and even get weather updates.

The clever guys at Common Craft created an excellent 3½ minute video called "RSS in Plain English" that does a fantastic job of explaining RSS:

Click To Play

Getting Started With RSS

A variety of RSS readers are available but to be honest, ever since Dede nudged me into trying the browser-based Google Reader, I’ve never looked back.   Among the numerous beauties of Google Reader is that it stores your settings with your Gmail account.   So anywhere you can get to an Internet connection (at home, work, library, Starbucks, or even the lobby of a salon where your wife is getting a pedicure), your feeds travel with you, right there, ready to pick up where you left off reading.



As you surf your favorite websites, you’ll notice that many sites feature an orange button labeled "RSS" or "XML" or the now-standard RSS icon.   This indicates that the site is setup with feed capabilities and be subscribed to for viewing and constant updating.

Wrapping Up & Shameless Plugs

I certainly don’t claim to be an authority - this RSS stuff is still a little new to me too - so some of you more savvy surfers may be able to add more to this, or correct me where I’m wrong.   But what I do know is that using a RSS feed reader can really boost your productivity on the Internet and I am sure that you’ll end up keeping tabs on many more websites, but in far less time than before.

Another great feature of Google Reader is that you can share feed posts with others.   Here’s a sample of shared items from my account.   Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that you can subscribe to the 2Dolphins RSS feed or subscribe to our Russian Adoption Journal RSS feed to stay current with our new posts.   And be sure to leave a comment if you know of other RSS feeds that’d be worthy additions to our Google Readers.

Labels: software, technology

On The Bamboo Project Blog, Michele Martin recently noted an article Seeing No Progress, Some Schools Drop Laptops from The New York Times.   Although she cited this as a prime example of how technology cannot create change if culture remains unchanged, but there’s also an underlying theme that echoes one of my chief arguments against MIT’s OLPC project.   The article observes that many schools that had launched programs to provide laptop computers are now reconsidering because they seem to have no impact on student achievement.

Author Winnie Hu referenced studies showing no real difference on state test scores in schools with laptops - although some data suggest better math class performance from high-achieving students with laptops than those without.

Diehard proponents insist these programs are failing simply because teachers haven’t been trained to integrate the use of this technology into their classes.   But when 6 of one of the study’s control group schools (ones whose students didn’t have laptops) were offered computers this year, they opted not to accept them.

As I’ve commented before, I worry about making computer-use skills a priority for kids.   Could computers, in fact, be a barrier to kids learning to think creatively and solve problems?   Are we naive to assume that technology will magically equate to a more efficient learning environment for children?   Does this concern anyone else?   Post a comment!
 

Labels: education, opinion, parenting, technology

Undoubtedly, many of us would probably find daily life extremely difficult without our PCs that we’ve come to rely upon for so many things.   But what about for just 24 hours?   How many of us have the self-control to forgo computers & Internet use for even a single day?   And what might be the effect of doing so? Dennis Bystrov & Michael Taylor have devised a social experiement called the International Shutdown Day on Saturday, March 24th to find out. It’s a worthwhile question, y’know — are we too wired?   Can you kick your tech addiction & unplug from your computer for even one day?

Labels: technology

With the release of Windows Vista not quite 2 weeks ago, Microsoft’s operating system takes its next progressive step forward. I’m still of the mind that Vista is little more than Windows XP with loads of eye candy & fluff — and Vista’s The "Wow" starts now! slogan does little to dissuade me.

But then again, the same could’ve been said for XP — internally it’s known as "v5.1," whereas Windows 2000 was "v5.0" — but I’ll readily concede that Windows XP is superior to 2000. So I’m sure that, in due time, I’ll come to love Vista too... in spite of the tremendous horsepower (don’t you dare believe the meager minimum system requirements touted by Microsoft) needed to do practically the same things that XP already does, but with less flair.

Clems & I were talking about all of this earlier this week and neither of us understand the harsh criticism that XP gets. We’re all the time reading hateful rants about how unstable and buggy the OS is, yet we just don’t see it. In fact, having used every prior version of Windows made, I think XP is, well, da bomb! Anyone who has serious complaints about XP should be relegated to working with Windows 3.1 in a networked environment for a week. That’d shut ’em up!

And in case you don’t recall just how far Bill & the Redmond gang have come with this stuff, Steve Wiseman over at IntelliAdmin has a brief writeup on The Many Faces of Windows.

For reference sake, here’s a glimpse of Windows v1.0 in 1985:



...and the gorgeous Windows Vista now:

Labels: software, technology

A couple of weeks ago, I finally worked up the courage to replace our old crank-the-dial, manually-operated, & inefficient Trane thermostat with a new eco-friendly Honeywell programmable digital thermostat.   I’ve wanted to do this for some time now, but was a little intimidated about the whole thing...







Turns out, it couldn’t have been easier.   This model was about $65, features a nice Indiglo-style backlight; big, easy-to-read display; and allows 4 schedule changes for Monday thru Friday and another 4 each for Saturday & Sunday.   Y’know, all the whiz-bang stuff that any gadget-lovin’, techie dude would want...

Been thinking about doing this yourself?   Hesitate no longer!   You’ll be helping the environment and your wallet — you can likely recoup the expense of the new thermostat within a few months thanks to lower energy bills.   And it’s a very straight-forward swap that even a rookie homeowner can tackle.   Read more about the steps required at DIY Network’s Guide to Installing a Digital Thermostat.
 

Labels: environment, home improvement, technology

Reader response to a Nov. 30th article on the New York Times site reflects some of the raging debate being stirred up by MIT's OLPC project that I blogged about last week.

Some responses have been glowing, even naively positive, calling the distribution of these $150 notebook computers to 3rd world children a pivotal accomplishment in human history, on par with Gutenberg's movable type that made possible the mass-production of books. Enthusiastic believers are quick to suggest that ready access to the Internet will introduce and bring acceptance to concepts of racial & gender equality, tolerance, and nonviolence in developing nations.

But some comments were more rational, with common-sense concerns about doling out computers in third-world nations where — at least in the western mindset — it seems people have more immediate needs, like clean water, food, medical supplies, and basic educational opportunities. And even more felt OLPC to be a technological solution to a social problem. For example:

"Is there some vast, unrestricted pool of [financial] resources dedicated to educational enterprises in developing countries? No, the $100 laptop idea is a notion that is attracting attention — and investment — where little had existed before. In fact, rather than take (arguably imaginary) funds away from teacher training and curriculum development, this project, naive or not, offers great potential to draw supplementary funding to such endeavors. At the very least, it's laying the groundwork for a cooperative effort to produce palpable results in the education of the world's children."

"Governments should spend the little amounts they have for education on bulking up their respective teaching communities. If these laptops only last five years but teachers can teach for 20, 30 or 40 more years, what has the most benefit to any society as a whole?"

But most of the comments seemed in sync with my biggest concern — do computers in the classroom pay off for any child, third-world or otherwise:

"The track record to date [in the U.S.] is dismal, where 95% of K-12 classrooms have Internet connections, and the average ratio of students to computers is better than 4:1. Why would technology be any more effective in the developing world? Note, by the way, that in previous generations movies, radio, & television all were touted as educational panaceas."

"Good teachers first, computers second. Information accumulated in the absence of a conceptual foundation is confusing, not elucidating. If laptops were the key to 'learning how to learn' for the average student, America’s students would stand apart as the best & brightest in the Western world. [Yet] the data suggest otherwise. Educators have been seduced by technology [and corporate] marketing."

"The U.S. is awash in computers, but it hasn’t done anything much to improve learning or knowledge. If anything, it has made things worse. Test scores are falling. Our youth can't do math, but can play games & surf the net just fine. Computers have proven to be a false panacea."

"To believe 'learning how to learn' is more valuable than traditional memorization and testing flies in the face of plunging U.S. science & math scores. [And] reports of poor preparation for many recent graduates entering the workplace further fuels the debate."

"Laptops for students means a loss of eye-contact. How is [the teacher] supposed to know if they're listening or playing Tetris?"

And of course, there were some bluntly anti-OLPC opinions:

"[$100 notebooks] will make a tremendous difference... assuming they're edible."

"While beautiful in theory, this sounds a lot like giving out free ATM cards to Katrina victims."

"To give [third-world children] laptops would be like giving flashlights to blind pupils led by blind teachers."

"This seems like a good idea but might be analogous to giving everyone in the third-world a car but no money to buy gas. Eventually the computers will break and networks will fail — where's the budget to support, replace, & maintain the computers?"

"This is simply the next link in a long chain of the abuse of the less sophisticated by the more technologically elite — to turn them into consumers of our own culture."

So, what's your take on this?

Labels: education, technology

There’s been lots of buzz in the past months about MIT Media Lab’s One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project.   According to a WorldChanging article posted Saturday, the OLPC is now a reality — the first 1,000 units rolled off the assembly line in Shanghai and headed for Argentina & Brazil last week.

On one level, a self-powering, portable, kid-friendly computer — and for under $150, no less — is very appealing.   And sure, the idea of giving children in underdeveloped countries like Cambodia, Nigeria, Libya, & Thailand the opportunity to connect to the sum of human knowledge on the Internet seems a noble notion.   But Randy over at electrogeek.com wisely posed a question that’s been weighing on my mind too...   Do Starving Children Really Need a $100 Laptop?

Are notebook PCs really the key to a better life (or even better learning) for children?   Countless genuises — people whose ideas changed the world — existed long before the advent of semiconductors, so it hardly seems likely that the lack of a computer will truly hamper any child’s learning ability or intellectual potential.

I’m baffled why more people can’t see that funding books, teachers, & schools is more appropriate than placing gadgets in the hands of impoverished children.   John Wood, founder of Room to Read, sensibly notes that a $2000 library can serve 400 children, costing just $5 per child.   A $10,000 school can serve 400-500 children, or under $25 each.

As I’ve wondered before, maybe we need to seriously consider the wisdom of introducing computers into kids’ lives at too early an age.   Does technology magically equate to a more efficient learning environment for children — or could it actually become a barrier to kids learning to think creatively and solve problems?
 

Labels: education, technology

From previous posts, you may recall that we're supportive of the campaign to free Tibet from China's oppressive and atrocious occupation.

In addition to its continuing genocidal persecution of Tibetans who remain faithful to the teachings and (spiritual) leadership of exiled Dalai Lama, Chinese authorities are also perpetrating "ecocide" or the reckless and systematic destruction of Tibet's natural environment. Given that Tibetans have (for several centuries) advocated being ecologically responsible — and have warned of the price for failing to do so — it is fitting that China is now beginning to suffer the consequences since it (and several other neighboring countries) is so highly dependant upon the rivers of Tibet.

So it is encouraging, that despite all of the atrocities inflicted upon Tibet's people and environment, efforts are being made to ensure that its culture will live on — digitally. Tibetans living in exile, in partnership with others worldwide, have a number of massive projects underway to digitize manuscripts that represent the unique Tibetan cultural heritage. Glyn Moody sums up this noble endeavor eloquently in a recent post on his Open... blog:

[...]The world of bits offers a partial counterbalance to some of the terrible losses taking place in the world of atoms."

Labels: technology

The Internet is all abuzz over the first Intel-based Mac, the MacBook Pro, shown by Steve Jobs earlier this week at Macworld. Apple intends to transition their entire product line to Intel chips this year.

What's going to be interesting is to see what happens in the coming weeks and months as creative techie types manage to run Windows on these new Mac hardware. Apple has officially stated that they will not intentionally prevent Mac users from using Windows on their new Intel-based Macs. Already, industry insiders are probing the differences between Intel-Macs from Intel PCs and there's no shortage of folks already burning the midnight oil to figure out what it's going to take to get Windows XP to run on the new Mac hardware.

This is sure to open up some incredible design possibilities. PC makers have made strides in the past few years with boring beige boxes becoming all but extinct, but Apple's products have always had, if nothing else, a distinct aesthetic upper hand. In fact, Jonathan Ive, the design genius behind almost every piece of iconic Apple hardware (not the least of which includes the iPod), was recently named a Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II for his international achievement in the field of industrial design.

Maybe even more exciting is the prospect of seeing the Mac operating system, Unix-based OS X running on a commonly-available "PC" box, like the trusty eMachine, HP, or Dell or homebrew PC sitting under your desk. To be sure, this won't be simple at first, but I believe it will happen this year and I can't wait to see what shakes out when Mac and PC can be compared, dare I say it, "apples to apples."

An interesting angle some insiders see is that Apple's move to the Intel platform might turn out to be an incredibly sly manuever to dramatically expand Apple's fanbase. There's some compelling arguments that suggest that this is a strategic trojan horse that will put Macs in the hands of countless Windows-lovers hands who would've otherwise never touched one.

Labels: technology

This week’s edition of Deb Shinder’s WXPnews featured an editorial that centered around Jodi Upton’s short essay Handwriting on The Wall for Cursive.   It seems the growing trend is for elementary schools to stop teaching cursive writing as a mandatory part of their curriculum and, like Deb, I’m both surprised and saddened by this.

Unquestionably, I believe there’s no price you can place on the value of teaching children handwriting.   But there’s an underlying issue at stake that’s even bigger than that.   It’s the ever-increasing emphasis on making computer-use skills a priority at such an early age that truly disturbs me. That kids now start using computers in kindergarten is just a bit stunning.   Seems to me that kids need time to just be kids.   They need to learn how to interact with the world around them and develop social skills.   Since I don’t yet have a parent’s perspective, maybe I’m off the mark, but isn’t it more important that kids learn to doodle with crayons or play ball before they learn Powerpoint, video games and/or instant messaging?

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m a bona fide techno-junkie and I love my PC, iPod, DVR, & other electronic goodies.   And I’m certainly in favor of teaching keyboarding skills in school — nearly every day, I see firsthand how not being able to type well hinders people in the workplace.   But I’m tentative about introducing computers into kids’ lives at too early an age.   The next generation will be enslaved by technology to a degree that we may not even be able to fully forsee.   Computers will undoubtedly dominate nearly every facet of their lives.   So, maybe we need to make sure kids have ample opportunities to learn how to exist & succeed in the real world before thrusting them headlong into the inescapable cyber-world.

What do you think?   Post a comment!
 

Labels: education, parenting, technology

I just discovered Nancy Blachman’s Google Guide website.   This is a great site for learning about all the stuff you can do on Google.   It always frustrates me to find out months down the road about a feature that has been available at Google for a while.  I knew there must be some place on the Internet that would list all the features in one place and now I have found it.   Thanks Nancy for this terrific website!
 

Labels: technology

I just finished joining Technorati, which is a search engine focused on the world of blogs, indexing over 14 million weblogs to bring you the latest buzz on the Internet.

If you're still a little confused about blogs, you can think of a blog (short for "weblog") as a sort of personal journal or diary-style website. Kinda like the one you're reading right now.

Here's my Technorati Profile.

Labels: blogs, technology

On July 14th, the name "MP3" celebrates its tenth anniversary!!   On this day back in 1995, the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS in Erlangen, Germany decided upon the filename extension ".MP3" for their new audio coding technology.   Soon MP3 became the generally accepted acronym for the ISO standard IS 11172-3 "MPEG Audio Layer 3" designed to greatly reduce the amount of data (10:1 compression is common) required to represent audio, yet still sound like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio to most listeners.

As mentioned in my Digital Music Project blog post back in February, we’re big fans of digital music, so happy birthday, MP3.   Rock on!
 

Labels: mp3, music, technology

Some of the best ideas are so simple, you’re almost ashamed that you didn’t come by them sooner.   Last year, I was shopping for new glasses and Rob wasn’t able to go with me, so with the help of our friend Candy and a digital camera, Rob was still able to help me decide on my selection.

Last month was Rob’s turn to get new glasses.   While I was available to go shopping with him, he couldn’t see well enough without his glasses to see how the new frames looked on him.   Once again, we pulled out the trusty digital camera and the problem was solved.   So I snapped 2 pictures (1 straight on & 1 profile) of each of the frames that he was interested in.   Rob reviewed the photos on his PC at home and even emailed out the ones he liked to get second opinions.

Tip:   Make a note of the frame names & models in the order that you take the photos so they’ll be easier to find when you go back to buy them.)

So, shopping with the digital camera saved Rob from making a bad decision (see second photo below).   Instead, he went with the very stylish Robert Mitchell 301 frames at EyeBastards.




I’m betting that some of you have come up with clever or innovative uses for your digital cameras, too.   Post a comment and let us know about ’em!
 

Labels: shopping, technology

Ever feel like your life may be a bit too "wired," what with PCs, PDAs, cell phones, MP3 players, DVDs, digital cameras, and all the other cool high-tech goodies we all seem to endlessly crave?   Well, these guys in Brendan Leonard’s video are so wired into the digital life that you may feel downright normal:



Brendan Leonard's "Instant Mess"

(Note: Requires Apple's QuickTime player.)

Labels: humor, technology

Several weeks ago, Dede and I had a chance to see an Epson Photo Stylus R200 printer in action at our favorite adult candy store, Best Buy. I had been wanting one of these and seeing it in person convinced us to take the plunge. Our 4-year old HP Inkjet 722 was out of ink and the 2 replacement ink cartridges were going to run more than half the price of a whole new - and far better quality - printer.

For about $85, this printer is an awesome value! It's a no-frills (no LCD, no memory card reader slots, no complicated setup) printer with 6 ink cartridges for very nice photo quality output and features borderless 3x5, 4x5, and 8x10 prints. Even more exciting for me is that it allows you to print directly onto a CD or DVD with the use of a special caddy.

If you're in the market for a new printer, this is certainly worth a look! Here are a few links to info and reviews on the Epson Photo Stylus R200.

 Imaging Resource Epson Photo Stylus R200 Press Release

 PC Magazine's Epson Photo Stylus R200 Review

 PC Plus's Epson Photo Stylus R200 Review

Here's a photo of the printer and several custom CDs I've done:

Labels: technology

We were watching TV last night, saw an ad for some new Subaru car, & randomly pondered, "I wonder what's the meaning behind the Subaru logo with those 6 little stars?"   So, now I know...

Turns out that "Subaru" is not only a Japanese word meaning "unite," but also a term for the Pleiades star cluster in the constellation Taurus that includes six stars visible to the naked eye, according to "Origins of Subaru".

So, the question that this brings up again is, how did we survive before Google?   Okay, okay, yes, I know we had AltaVista, Infoseek, Excite, and other search engines before that.   But what about before the Internet?   Were we simply less curious back then or more patient when information wasn’t just a keypress away?
 

Labels: technology

The Register is reporting that Victorinox, the Swiss Army knife people, and Swissbit, the USB memory people, have teamed up to unveil the ultimate pocket tool for geeks at the German computer fair CeBIT next week ...

The SwissFlash Multitool (a.k.a. USB Swiss Army knife) comes in various memory capacities and configurations, some including a pressurized ballpoint pen and/or a super-bright LED light.

Update:   Versions with up to 16Gb are available at retailers such as Amazon.com.
 

Labels: technology