Sunday, July 20, 2008

Futuristic windshield aims to help older drivers

Journal Entry #6
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/07/18/windshields.older.drivers.ap/index.html


Technology never stops developing; there is always something new and improved coming to the market. Despite the fact that it's still in the developing stage, everyday car windshields are no exception. This advanced and revolutionary technology improves visibility with infrared sensors, lasers, and a camera all in your car and a part of your windshield. This is specifically designed for the older baby boomer generation who will most likely need enhanced vision if they want to drive with their increasing age. General Motors seems to be the farthest ahead in the research and production phase of these windshields, but Chrysler has also confirmed they have been working to improve this field. Then Ford Motors announced they had no similar plans.

A key concept is to make the objects that are already in the driver's view stand out, not distract the driver with flashy information. I think having flashy details engulfing the windshield would be even more of a hazard, and the technology would be doing more harm than good. Specific examples include having a laser project a blue line onto the windshield, which follows the edge of the road. There are many factors that go into the creation of such a system, which is why it is still in the beginning phase of research. The projections depend upon the car's position, the object on the road, and the driver's head and visual movement. 

There are already similar versions out on cars now, with drop down displays. However the main difference with the newer windshields is that it would cover the entire area, not just a little drop down box. I think the elder population will embrace this new technology, since they grew up with the invention of machines such as the computer. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, currently 12.4% of the population is 65 and older, but by 2030 about 20% of the population will be over 65 (which is about 71.5 million people). They are the fastest growing driving population and they simply want to continue driving (http://redorbit.com/news/technology/1484316/new_windshield_guides_older_drivers/index.html). 

Software saves trees, cash and headaches, says creator

Journal Entry #5
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/03/07/printing.green/index.html#cnnSTCText


This article introduces and explains the workings of a new environmentally friendly technology called GreenPrint. Developed by Hayden Hamilton, this new software actually analyzes what a computer sends to the printer. The computer user sets certain restrictions on what to print and then the software automatically removes these pages from the print lineup. This eliminates those annoying end pages where only a couple of words or a URL prints. In addition, there is a feature that allows the user to save the file as a PDF instead of printing, and provides options to save ink and toner. Overall, this can have a huge effect on how much paper we save. A statistic from the article states that the average employee prints around 10,000 pages a year! If that isn't enough already, about 20% (or 2,000 pages) are wasted. If employees used this product, then it could mean saving tens of millions of trees a year just in the United States. The project is still in its early days and reaches private users ultimately by word of mouth. This amazing program also tells users how many pages and how much money they have saved. The program costs only $35, which is a good deal when it costs about 6.5 cents per page. And now GreenPrint is offering a free version of the software for non-business use. 

I think this is an amazing program and I am so glad to see that someone did something about wasting printing paper. Innovation had led to this functional software that anybody can use. So it's no wonder that huge corporations from the World Bank, and Fortune 500 companies are testing the product to give feedback and improve the software on a larger scale. GreenPrint Technologies is such a big hit that it won this year's Oxford University's Venture Fund Competition. GreenPrint beat out 82 other stiff competitors, and received the prize of media attention and discussions of investment in the company (http://www.printgreener.com/press-releases/oxfordsbs.html). 

Say goodbye to the computer mouse

Journal Entry #4

According to the BBC, the computer mouse has been around for almost 40 years, but has only three to five years left on the market. New technological advancements inspired by video games are making their way into the personal computer world. Instead of a separate mouse, now really only used in the desktop environment, computers will have touch screens and facial recognition devices. Also, an even newer system of detection developed by researcher Kumar at Stanford, is eye-tracking technology. Despite this system still having a 20% error rate, it is a lot faster than using a mouse, while most people tested only did poorly due to lack of practice (http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/18254/?a=f). 

Some companies that have already made progress with facial recognition devices include big names such a Panasonic, Cannon, and Sony. Logitech on the other hand has a different view on the subject. As the world's biggest manufacturer of mice and keyboards they say that, "the death of the mouse is greatly exaggerated." I agree, that it would hardly be realistic that in three to five years nobody will have a mouse. I doubt the older generation, just recently introduced to computers, will want to relearn how to operate a new machine. Logitech is not as far behind the new technology as it may seem. They realize that there are numerous ways for people to interact using computers, and they are manufacturing many of the new devices along with the mouse. 

This article brings up a good point saying that the billions of people in the developing world still have to be introduced to the computer and Internet. So, for them the mouse will be used for their introduction, because it is what the developed world is most familiar with. 

Even though the mouse may not be eliminated in 3 to 5 years, there are subtle new technologies that are pointing it in the right direction. People may not realize they are already using this new technology, but it is incorporated with the new iPhone and Nintendo's Wii system. 

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Clustered cloisters

Journal Entry #3
https://connect2.uncc.edu/us/lnacademic/results/docview/,DanaInfo=www.lexisnexis.com+docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T4151537814&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrl
Key=29_T4151537821&cisb=22_T4151537820&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=7955&docNo=7

"Clustered cloisters." The Economist. (21 February 2004). LexisNexis Academic. J. Murrey Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte, North Carolina. 13 July 2008.

This article takes an economic view on technology and how it clusters together. A cluster can be a geographically centered group of firms interdependent on one another. They have important similarities in technology and working environments, such as Silicon Valley. These clusters thrive on innovations, which drive technological advancement and economic growth. Clustering of technology allows face-to-face contact, social and cultural interaction, and an enhancement of knowledge and information. However, their strength is their weakness and if the cluster fails then numerous jobs are lost.

Specifically, Europe's much smaller version of Silicon Valley is in Cambridge, England. The Cambridge network originated from university and business ties. A cluster of technology not only has to work together to invent the product, but also has to mange, finance, protect, and sell the result. This proves tricky for Cambridge because their products are designed in England and made in Taiwan because they are cheaper. So with the increasing technological advances in the East, Cambridge may be seeing a grim future. Already, the housing is costly and scare, and transportation expensive. The tech firms need more venture capitalists and managers who bring money and knowledge, which is becoming better but not good enough.

Technology is much more complicated than meets the eye, and has a profound effect on the economy and society. There are also many attributes that influence the expansion and production of technology. The expense, bureaucracy, and time of the process can hold many new technologies back, because they are afraid to take the risk. Particularly, in Europe people are less obliged to take a risk because if a firm collapses there is not a Chapter 11 file for bankruptcy. So in some circumstances clusters are an advantage to technology, and then in other situations there just are not enough resources in order to succeed. Overall, fresh thinking, venture capitalists, and entrepreneurs are exceptionally important to the technology world. 


Changing the way we think

Journal Entry #2
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7459182.stm


I agree that the reaction from visual and screen-based information and entertainment impacts viewers in different ways. I know that I could not possibly read a whole book online, even though it is now available. I would most definitely prefer the original 'old' technological hard copy, where I could make all the notes I wanted. Looking at a computer screen for numerous hours would not be very beneficial for my eyesight. But even though viewers prefer different methods, I do not agree with Professor Susan Greenfield (author of ID: The Quest for Identity in the 21st Century) that it is changing the way our brains work. 

There could be two ways to view how the style of Internet searching has impacted society. First, search engines such as Google and Yahoo, do narrow and limit the information we are looking for, which allows us only to read that information. Because the searches are easy and fast to use, other research forms such as hard copy encyclopedias and books are simply forgotten. These general search engines could result in giving the user complete rubbish by people pretending to know what they are talking about. The Internet can be an extremely good source if you know how to use it, because there is also a lost of nonsense out there to confuse you. On the contrary, the sky is the limit for those Internet surfers who do know how to use the Internet properly and find accurate information. It can be viewed that reading is something we learned how to do, and now that technology ahs advanced there is not reason why new forms of reading can be developed, specifically, on the computer. 

The article also brings up a good point that we are now more easily distracted than ever. With a short attention span brought about by flashy advertising, it becomes even harder to gather information from a simple news article. In addition to showy marketing just from the Internet, there is also the distracting text and instant messaging systems. 

Google's experimental Gmail toys

Journal Entry #1
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7441132.stm


Technology is always changing, trying to be bigger and better. Of course the dominant search engine Google is no exception. First they introduced their own version of e-mail, called Gmail in 2004. Now four years later they are trying to improve their own system in a different way. Instead of allowing their own employees to find improvements and glitches in the system, they have opened the testing process to tens of millions of public Gmail users. The everyday Gmail user can give suggestions on what to change or keep. This is the first time the company has opened up testing to outsiders on such a large scale. 

Personally, I think it is about time they opened up feedback to the general public since they are the ones actually using the product. Also, I believe it would be better for the average person to test the software instead of highly qualified engineers from Google. Technology is spreading faster than ever and making an application such as Gmail easier to use is very important. I feel the real reason behind this outreach, to make Gmail better, is to compete against Yahoo. Even though Yahoo has recently formed a deal between Google (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7452060.stm) concerning search advertising, they are still major competitors. Customers would be more than willing to use Google if it was a search engine and an e-mail hub, similar to Yahoo. As a Yahoo user myself, I did not know that Gmail existed until I read this article. 

Furthermore, in the BBC article the journalists were allowed to go behind the scenes of what actually happens inside the 'Googleplex' building. While reading the last half of this article I realized that these engineers are really just people trying new and different ideas to sell a better product. The product is developed based on new innovations, and Google is just using the public to help.