Facebook Interface Changes

If you don't already have a facebook, you at least know what it is. Facebook is a social networking website and is used all around the world. Over time facebook has grown to perhaps the most popular networking website on the Internet. Facebook is used by many from small children to the older generation.

It seems as though, everytime you get used to their set up and learn where everything is at, they go and switch it up on you. If somebody is just joining and then the next day facebook changes thier layout, it can really confuse those individuals. People get very frustated when facebook changes the layout and usually don't like it at first. It takes time to get used to it and then before you know it, the layout is changed. I'm not too sure what their logic is behind it besides probably trying to keep things up to date. I'm sure they don't want people getting bored with it so they try to change things to make them more interesting and user friendly. However, even when facebook does decide to mix things up, people don't just stop using it because they don't like it, they deal with it and get used to it. Facebook has a large enough base of people and is constantly growing, they have the ability to do these things without losing any users to make any significant loss.

Overall, I don't like the fact that facebook changes their layout as often as they do and don't feel like its necessary. My concern is irrelevant to them and they do what they feel is best for their site. They are growing in numbers and any change they make won't lose any ground for them.

Automation

Back in the day calculators was the big part in being automatic then came bigger machines that helped in mass production of products. For the next generation they have to look for the more intricate design of robots. We discussed in class how they have a robot designed by toyota I believe that can play the violin coming out this year.

I did more research on that and they have robots that do more than just play instruments. they have quite a few. They have about five or six different kinds. One that does a tradition Japanese dance, another that plays the trumpet and rolls, another that is like a futuristic wheel chair that moves faster, and finall one that is a futuristic wheel chair with Legs.
www.toyota.co.jp/en/special/robot/

I still can't believe some of the things that we have come up with today these by far are the best. However, it makes me wonder if I Robot the movie was a look into our future society.

Hacker's

Discussing viruses, hacking, and worms in class was something that I know about but didn't understand before then. I knew there were three types viruses, worms, and fake emails (spoofing). I heard of spyware thanks to my mom. She had our home computer attacked by spyware downloading a game off of a website.

I never heard of sniffing and the trojan horse one. Although I knew about spoofing I never knew that was the technical term for that. I remember getting a fake email once from someone trying to run a scam on me. Two weeks later after seeing the email it was on the news for scamming a old lady who fell for it.

Privacy and the Internet....

I remeber in my intro to electronic media we talked about how the internet is not regulated by the federal government almost anything can be put on the internet. When we went over society and how it relates to IS 215 it was one of my most interesting classes. We talked about having the rights to privacy from the government. Opt In or Opt Out but is that really privacy.

You may think that you have privacy and your information is being kept secret but just like the videos we watched in class on the hacker who turned that into a career. Or the pizza delivery ordering video. People information is being looked at and sold to other companies everyday to look at buying habits. Example my old professor told us how a younger boy was over his house while he went on a date and he called one of those chat lines. He said that he received subscriptions for up to two years for dirty magazines and other things of that nature.

i think that it is good that the U.S has the Opt Out unlike Europe with the Opt In. However, credit card companies sometimes make it seem like we have an opt in. I remember growing up and the phone would ring. My mom would answer and say how did you get my information I did not subscribe with you. She'd threaten them and they would hang up.

Internet Security

Internet security involves the protection for a computer's online account and files from intrusion of a different administrator. Security measures include protection by selected passwords, change of file permissions and back up of a computer's data.

Security concerns are in some ways minor to normal business working, but serve to accentuate how important it is that business users feel confident when using these various systems. Security will always be most important when it comes to agenda; simply because cyber criminals know that a successful attack can be very rewarding. This means they will always strive to find new ways to avoid security, plus users will consequently need to be continually cautious. Whenever decisions need to be made about how to increase a system, security will need to be held highest among its requirements.

In 1987, the ‘Vienna’ virus was the first virus to emerge. By taking immediate action the virus was handled and destroyed. We now have various other viruses scanning everyone with internet access in the world. Threats such as the Bropia Worm, WANK/OILZ worm and the creeper virus are just some of the technically problems researchers have determined to be huge.

Non-profitable organizations like CIS help other organizations reduce the risk of online disruptions resulting from failing technical security controls. CIS provides enterprises with the best practice standards for security agreement as well as resources for measuring information for security needs and making crucial decisions about security profits.

It is also important for you to exercise some caution and use social networking securely.

Internet security can be achieved through use of antivirus software, which removes envious software programs. Firewalls are other option that will determine which particular websites can be viewed and block deleterious content.

http://internet-security-suite-review.toptenreviews.com/

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/history-of-internet-security.html

http://cisecurity.org/en-us/

Remote Telecontrol

One of the successful achievements of computer mutual connection is remote telecontrol between two different computers. One computer is regulated leader, and another is controlled.

The remote telecontrol is an easy remote control method, which is attached by Windows XP systems. It helps experts to maintenance systems, install software, and solve problems that exist in the systems or it can demonstrate some processes to somebody. It needs someone to give help signal and waits for other people to confirm, and then the person who needs help can watch the computer screen see the whole demonstrate processes.

The remote telecontrol began Doc Age. However, at that time, the computer technology was not developed, so few of people paid attention to this new technology. With the developing of network, the need for management and the need for creating new computer technology, the remote telecontrol began to appeal public’s eyes. The remote telecontrol supports LAN, WAN, dial method and the Internet. In addition, some telecontrol software also supports Serial Port, Parallel Port, and Infrared Port to control. The remote telecontrol computer is manipulated belong limited scope. The traditional telecontrol software is used NETBEUI、NETBIOS、IPX/SPX、TCP/IP protocols to achieve computer-to –computer control, but now some telecontrol software provide depend on Java technology through Web browser to control computer. In this way, the compuer can be manipulated in different computer systems.

Interface

I interact so much everyday. It has become a way of life for me and everyone else around the world. I think everyone has at least one tech interaction everyday. I have several between school work and personal life.

One of my favorite interfaces for interaction is Twitter. It is basically a social networking client that gives people all over the world a way to connect. You can update your twitter to say what your doing, what you plan on doing or upload media. Twitter is most enjoyable during big events such as the Superbowl, the Grammy Awards and any other awards shows. Seeing everyones comments are so funny.

The world of social networking has it positive and negative aspects. Facebook has reunited so many people and built so many relationships. It also starts trouble by letting people be something that their not via the internet. Overall, I am happy with the direction that interaction is going in our society today. It makes our lives easier and is time and cost effective.

Personal Area Networks

Our discussion on Tuesday led us to talking about Personal Area Networks, which are close proximity networks. I find the technology that goes along with these personal area network to be quite interesting, like wearable computers, using human bodies to transmit data, and RFID chips. In another one of my classes, we have also discussed RFID chips and they are definitely something that will change our futures and spark a lot of debate.

RFID chips are microchips that transmit signals in response to radio signals sent by RFID readers. The chip responds by sending out its own unique ID code and is powered by radio signals sent by the transceiver, which “wakes them up” and forces them to respond. They are implanted or attached to people, pets, or objects and do not require a battery to run.

Pet owners are using RFID chips, implanting their pets so that they can locate them if they get lost. Parents are implanting their children in order to track them. Michelin is implanting their tires with the chips in case of theft. Millions of stores are also using these chips in order to know when to restock shelves and to deter theft. People are implanting themselves with these chips that store medical information in the case of an emergency, or so that they simply don’t have to carry around a wallet.

While I definitely see the benefits of having a RFID chip implanted within you (quicker purchases, emergency information readily available), I am not sure that I would want one in me. I don’t want people to know my every move, where I am, what I like, what I buy, who I’m with; I just can’t help but feel that this knowledge will be abused. What if my information falls in the wrong hands? From identity left to stalking to kidnapping to murder, I don’t think we can even begin to imagine what criminals could do once they know everything about us. But then again, I think I just have to face it that RFID chips are our future and hope that security measures advance along with this technology.

Human-Computer Interaction

like we discussed in class, we talked about interaction between people and computers. Interaction occurs when a human and machine work together to develop something the human, with the help of the software that we are using and also the hardware. The faster and more effecient the hardware we are using, the faster we can accomplish something we need.

Interaction can also be used by 2 or more machines, or even personal for that matter. Human Computer Interaction is design to do various jobs for us, including:
1) Communicating through high speed networks
2) Computer graphic capabilities such as image processing, transformation.
3) Systems can handle images, voices, text, sounds, video, and many more.

There are alot of thing that it can do, there are some things we still dont know and we are trying to find out and create, thats why technology never expires.
Also Human Computer Interaction has a loop interaction, like what we discussed in class and also had on the test, which are:
1) the goals set upon the user (us)
2) where the computer is connected.
3) the flow of information
4)the feedback we get from the machine.

I read a nice article online i think its very interesting.... check it out
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/022410-craig-mundie-goodbye-to-point.html it talks about changes to be made with computers in the future. have a great break everyone.

HCI

I thought I would explain a little bit more into the world of human-computer interaction. Defined, it is the study of interaction between people (or users) and computers. It can also be referred to as man-machine interaction and computer-human interaction.

There are four steps after we have studied how people want to use their interface:
1. Design the interface
2. Test
3. Analyze results
4. Repeat
This is what is called Iterative design, based on a continuous process of testing,analyzing, and tweaking a process.

There are two types of methods we use when designing an interface. There is a user-centered design, (UCD) which is the idea that users must take the "center stage" in designing. Basically it is giving a lot of attention to each stage of the design process. The other type is using the principles of user-interface design. If you would like to read more on the seven principles of user-interface design, just click on the link.

For operating systems, there is no end on how we can improve. Windows has come a long way from 1995 to now. Things used to be very meticulous in how you accessed information. Now we have shortcuts, sidebars, a start program, and more. In developing this design for touch technology, it presents a whole new way to work with our information. With Microsoft Silverlight and other like technologies, we can operate as if we wree actually using real physical documents, like you're sitting at a desk. All this stuff is really exciting.

Interface Technology

This image is an example of the interface technology that we may one day be able to use. This image comes from the movie Minority Report. In the image, Tom Cruise is surveying several images on the screen and controlling them with two gloves. With these gloves, Tom moves the images as he sees fit. One day, we may be fortunate enough to be able to use similar technology.

This interface technology could become very useful in construction and medical related fields. The large screen allows a person to have a vast amount of images and information available at one time. And the ability to shift it and move it with their own two hands would make it very user friendly. I believe this technology is very close because of all the touch screen technology already available to us. All we have to do is find a way to incorporate the gloves and the computer to work together.

What most people cannot figure out is how the gloves and screen work together. The answer is the circle around Tom's feet. The circle, is the server and transmitter that interprets Tom's hand movements. If he were outside the circle the gloves would not be able to manipulate the information on the screen. The floor more than likely contains processing chips and software that we can only dream of at this point. However, with current advances in interface technology, I believe that this dream will be a soon reality.

interaction

After class on Tuesday, I started thinking about how interaction with computers has changed over the years. Years ago when interacting with a computer was a lot more difficult that what it is now. 20 years ago, you had to tell the computer exactly what you wanted it to do. It required a lot of typing and was very time consuming. The computers then used a big 5-1/4" floppy disk and a green screen. Nowadays we have big 21" LCD monitors and small jump drives. Yeah, you still have to give it instructions but its minor compared what we did years ago. Thanks to technology, we have all types of things that make using a computer simple. The mouse was an excellent addition to using a computer. But now we have computers that have a touch screen monitor. HP has a computer called the HP TouchSmart. On this computer, basically the mouse has been eliminated and you use your finger to open buttons instead of clicking on them with a mouse. This is a new form of touch interaction. Its been around for a while, just not on PC screens. You can find touch screen interaction on cell phones, grocery stores, kiosk in the malls, ATM machines, and just about everywhere you use a credit card.

Touch Screens and the Death of Buttons

You see it everywhere. You see it in everything. You are probably using one as I am typing this blog. Touch screens are slowly, but surely killing the old ways of button operation. From Ipods to thermostats, the touch screen is the preferred input system for more and more devices emerging in the market. What I would like to accomplish with this post is to go over the benefits of touch screen technology as well as acknowledge some problems.

There are many obvious benefits to having a device with a touch screen (besides feeling like you are using a really cool alien device.) Navigating menus, zooming in and out of web pages using multi-touch, tapping icons to open applications, and just opening so many more doors for simple and effective UI's are definitely benefits to using touch screens. This allows companies to come up with many simple, creative ways for you to operate your device since the whole entire screen can be touched to perform tasks. This makes gaming on devices interesting, it makes swapping through programs fast and effective.

Although there are many benefits to implementing touch screen technology, there are also some problems that will have to be addressed before I completely give up on using buttons. Personally, my main problem is using a touch screen for typing. Cell phones keep getting smaller and smaller and are able to do more and more like text, post things on facebook, write e-mails, play games, and so much more. But, when a phone becomes smaller, so do the buttons. I don't know how many times I have mistyped words on my phone because of how close the letters are to each other and how small they are on the phone. Also, since there are no physical boundaries for each letter, I often find myself hitting things I didn't mean to hit. There is definitely a lot of polish that needs to go into touch screen technology before I am completely sold.

Human / Computer Interaction

In Tuesday's class we learned a bit about human/computer interaction. Presently, we do most of our interacting with computers using a keyboard and mouse. And so its been for about 26 years (since the first commercially wide-spread use of the mouse). That's obviously an eternity when juxtaposed with the rapid pace of technological development seen in other areas. In fact, the OS's of the world haven't REALLY changed that much since about Windows 3.0. But that's for another blog post. I'd like to talk a little about the rise of touch interaction.

Touch technology has been rapidly increasing to meet the demands of smartphone users. As more and more people have begun moving to the use of smartphones, the need for high-quality touch interaction has increased, and companies have increased the amount they spend to develop the technology. Some of the largest handset and mobile OS companies have in recent years acquired smaller, start-up businesses that were working to refine the various aspects of touch interaction.

The iPhone was perhaps the first widely adopted computer with a primarily touch interface and was one of the first phones upon which you didn't need to use a stylus. One of the keys to its success is the incredibly intuitive implementation of touch, such that any new user can almost immediately begin using it productively. As development continues, the move is toward more complex gesture-based interactions (think pinch-to-zoom on the iPhone), sometimes referred to as multi-touch because the screen can respond to multiple points of contact (multiple fingers) at the same time. Here is an example of a prototype build for an Android home screen concept that demonstrates future implementations of multi-touch.

Wearable Computers

We have come so far with technology that we will soon be wearing it. In class, we talked about watches and an actual dress that makes us and technology become one. According to the European Union, "for mobile workers, the goal is to replace traditional interfaces, such as screen, keyboard or computer unit, by speech control or gesture control, without modifying the applications." (pictured below) The project was named WearIt@Work (http://www.wearitatwork.com/), and is currently being tested in four different fields including aircraft maintenance, emergency response, car production, and health care. This is just one of the many things that are currently in the works in wearable technology.

Another type of wearable technology comes in the form of a watch (pictured below), but it's use is far greater. It measures a person's stress level through several sensors that gather information about the user and the environment. It will ask questions and transmit answers to a central computer to reveal correlations between environmental factors that may increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. This study is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. With using technology to study humans, are we going to be able to answer the question: what causes certain health problems? Is it worth the money if it helps us to live longer, or is it pointless because of how badly we treat our bodies anyway? How far is technology going to go in saving our lives?

How about transforming a phone to becoming "an angel on your shoulder?" Alex Kass and his team from the Accenture Technology Lab in Palo Alto, California is working on the Mobile Personal Services platform (the angel) "capable of running a number of personal coaching applications to help someone be more effective both at home and on the job." The first module has been designed for salespeople as they interact with co-workers or sales contacts. The salespeople wear a handset in combination with wearable sensors and a personal area network employing Blue tooth, as well as connecting to servers to do the heavy analytics lifting. With technology doing the work for us, are people going to be as smart 100 years from now as they are today, or is technology just going to destroy our minds? Will we even have to think in the future? The use of calculators has stopped several people from knowing how to do simple math. Is the advances of technology, such as "an angel on your shoulder" to find information for you, going to do the same thing in other area of our lives?

Pictures and information found at: http://www.redwoodhouse.com/wearable/ and http://www.wearitatwork.com/

NASA and Technology

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has played an integral part in the world of computers and informations systems. Many people have witnessed a shuttle launch, but many do not realize all of the technological advances we have achieved through the space program. Over the last 40 years, it would take too long to mention all of the experiments in space that have lead to advances in our ability to perform calculations and process information.

GM has partnered with NASA to improve robotic technology. We have learned in class that when we are talking about robots, we are talking about information systems. NASA's value in technology has been in its ability to test objects and theories under the conditions of weightlessness. Many of the experiments performed have helped GM build safer cars and plants.

Today, Congress is meeting in committees to discuss cutting NASA's budget for the upcoming years. In addition to costing many people their jobs, this will also reduce many of the missions to space. Reducing missions to space will have a huge impact on the new technology. These budget cuts will affect our quality of life.

Modularity

Last week in class we learned about modularity which means that systems have interchangeable parts. I think that it is really cool that Legos was apart of last weeks discussion because I used to always play with Legos. I used to always put the model that I was building together, and then maybe play with it for a couple of weeks. After a while I got sick of playing with the same thing, so what I would do is I would take it apart and rebuild something else with the parts that had with other Lego sets.
This can relate a lot to a computer system because a computer system are like Legos only at a much more complicated level. Even when it comes to building a computer you can put interchangeable parts into the computer. For example using a key board on different computers would work as modularity. Most of the hardware on computers can be interchangable with other computers. You can just swap it out and replace the part. For example replacing a fan in a computer is easily replace just by changing the fan.
Another thing that falls into the category of modularity are computer programs. The only problem with this is that you can't do it with all computers. Like trying to make a word document run on a Mac if the Mac doesn't have Microsoft Office

Interaction

We interact everyday. We do human to human interaction and human to computer interaction all the time. When you have a converstation with a person, you are interacting human-to-human. When you use a computer, you are interacting human-to-computer. The last interaction is computer-to-computer which includes telecommunication.

In society today Human-to-computer interaction feels like it is most common. Just writing this blog is an interface of human-to-computer interaction. The interaction occurs through an interface. These interfaces have been produced in a way that makes it easier for humans to use. The design of the web page is layed out in an way that will appeal to out eyes and make it easier and essentially quicker for us to use.

As I write this blog the interface is set so the important items are set to the left and are in bigger print. Things that seem of less importance (or less used) and in the upper right. The reason the interface of the blog and many other sites are set up like this is beacause in the English language we are taught to read from right to left, top to bottom. There for the more important things (like titles) will be at the upper right. This is the first thing we will read and determine if we are interested in continuing the reading.

People have done studies on this to make their web pages more effiencent to users. In the research they discovered what is called the F pattern. In the F pattern it shows that we read web pages in an F formation. Top, to right side, Middle, right side again. (Middle picture shown.)

This pattern varies on cultures through out the world.

Interaction - Facebook interface

It seems like everyone these days are using facebook. When my mom and my grandma are on facebook that's when you know that facebook is very popular not just with the high school and college crowd. Facebook is a social networking website. In 2004 facebook was launched, and just as myspace was facebook blew up and everyone had one. These days its worse than ever you have people that are very addicted to it and even spend hours at a time on it. But the day that i looked at a friend request, and it was my Grandma that when i knew that it was a very large success.
what i would like to talk about is interface issue that happen with facebook and its 'friends'. It seems like recently faebook has been trying to make a new layout that would make it easier for the users to be able to access friends and wall posts. This has not gone over well since once people got used to the original style of the interface. You wouldn't imagine how much this upsets people, when the layout is changed.
This change in interfacing is a problem when you have a product that you get very used to using the program how it is, this makes it hard for companies to go from what has been successful, it seems to me like that would be a risky move from the business perspective.
Changing a interface can be done but it has to slowly be done, so that we the consumer can adjust at a normal rate.

moores law and the future of information systems?????

In a nut shell Moores's Law states that every couple of years the processing power of a computer chip will increase. it is without a doubt that we have seen the immense power of these chips thus far and one can only wonder just when will it end or will it?

As we all know when you breakdown on object into the elements in it made of, you can only go as far down as a single atom. Engineers have been able to place more and more smaller components onto processing chips to increase their power and some people wonder if you can breakdown a component any smaller than an atom.

if you can then Moore's law will then become obsolete, but if you cant them Gordan Moore's theory would become a fact! Only time will tell!!

Moore's Law

We talked about Moore's Law the other day. This, of course, is the law that states that the number of transistors in a circuit will double every 2 years. In addition to being an observation of trends, it was stated that this has become a sort of "self-fulfilling prophecy". This is a very important factor in our technological world, but it also makes me wonder. How close are we to having computers do most of our work for us? I believe that, with minimal human input, computers will be able to do so much in the future that a lot of jobs, industries, and even just facets of everyday life will become obsolete. We will have computers readily available that can do complex calculus and physics formulas just by observation.
I am ambivalent toward the concept. On one hand, it would make things easier for everyone. Not to mention that all the programming in computers is put there by humans. So we wouldn't necessarily have an age of technological rule over humans or some hyped-up thing like that. However, those with skills would be completely unappreciated. This, combined with the number of human jobs taken by computers would make it difficult for people to find work. It's an interesting concept. I'm intrigued to find out how it will turn out in the near - and far - future.

modularity

When you look at legos what do you know just by looking at them? Hopefully like any other person you will see that you can connect and disconnect each part anyway you want it to be. In the technology there are some parts that do the same thing as the legos. In our lecture for class we know these parts as interchangeable parts for example a part that is interchangeable part is the memory chip we use in our phone most the smart phones. Its very simple, but yet we do it without even thinking about the history that got these parts to this point.

People today now take interchangeable parts for granted. We seem to forget that until early ninthteenth century when parts broke down we had to go to a craftsman to get it made. Even with that it was a long time consuming jobs plus very expensive to do. Though all that was face sometimes the part was impossible for the craftsman to recreate again so most of time people back then waste their money to get parts so their machines can work again. Now today we can just walk into a store and get the parts we need to replace.

So as we go through life and when we notice parts that break and need to be fix. As you go through the store to part the part we need to think about how hard it would be to get parts replace when craftsman were the only way. Think how expensive the job maybe and still not be able to get the part. When I do I'm thankful for how far technology came to help us out in this time of day. Whether memery cards or engines for cars interchangable has help and special thankful to the men that took apart 10 rifles group each parts mix them up and put them back together knowing the parts not the same, but still fit anyway.

link to interchangeable parts: http://www.ryerson.ca/~dgrimsha/courses/cps841/Interchangeable.html

Computer Software

Computer Software is basically all of the data, that is digitally stored on a computer. The term originally was used to describe all information read and written by computers, but has now expanded to include nontraditional data; such as films, tapes, and records. The term "software" was developed to contrast the term "hardware". The difference between the two is that a computer's hardware are the physical components that make up the computer, and a computers software is the data stored inside of this hardware.

Many people think of software as applications that can be installed or downloaded. While these components are forms of software the definition is a lot more far reaching than that. Software literally includes all of the various data stored within a computer, and can be stored in many different techniques. Different programming languages, Scripting languages, and microcode are just a few of these techniques. There are many different aspects to software as every application is different and will have similarities and compatibilities with many other forms of software.

Most computer systems divide software into three major categories. These three categories are system software, Programming software, and application software. Each of these variations have a specific function that are assigned. System software is what enables the computer hardware to run, and helps different applications transfer onto the computer smoothly. Programming software is generally used to help programmers write new programs, and transition computer languages effectively. Application software on the other hand is the definition that most people are referring to when they talk about software. This is your installed software that includes applications such as video games and word processing.

Windows

Last week in class, we talked about different operating systems, particularly the windows series. First off, the Microsoft Windows was invented in the 1980s, with Windows 1.0. This started off with the basics like a calculator, calendar, and a couple other different programs. Another thing that was really different about this series, was the way it was set up. The tool bar and the start box didn't come along until later. After the Windows 1.0, came the Windows 2.0 followed by the Windows 2.1. These early types of Windows were very important to how we got to where we are today.

Windows 3.0 and 3.1 came next. These still early versions of Windows were basically the same, with improvements that made them better. Mostly, that had to do with the memory. Next, Windows 95 and 98 came out. This is when we got what we know and love from the Windows series. Windows 95 and 98 really put the push out there to increase computer production and make them as good as they can. It really is amazing to look back at Windows 95 and remember using it. It seems like so long ago, when in fact it really was a little over ten years.

Finally, Microsoft came out with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. On my laptop now, I have Windows Vista, which, when I bought it, was the best there was, and that wasn't that long ago. It is amazing that in just a short few years, something new can come along very quickly and replace what is now considered "old." Windows Vista and Windows 7 are both really big launching points into the future of operating systems. Just think, in a couple years, they are already set to come out with Windows 8. When it comes to operating systems, things change very quickly.

Anna's 6th Post

Social networking sites have become extremely popular in the past five or so years. From Xanga, to Myspace, to Facebook and Twitter, it seems like everyone uses them at some point. They are a great way to stay in touch with friends and family far away and share pictures. A recent article explains that these sites peaked in December, although I don't understand why because that is such a busy time of the year. It claims that the time spent on social networking sites increased 82% in the past year.

The same article tells that of these types of websites, Facebook is the most popular and 67% of social networking users are on Facebook. Not surprisingly, the majority of the people on social networking sites come from the United States. Australia takes the title of most time spent on these websites though, averaging about 7 hours a month per user. Honestly, that doesn't even seem that high because i know so many college students who are probably on Facebook an hour a day. The United States spends the 2nd most amount of time on the websites.

Although it doesn't seem like that much time is being spent on these websites, it is really scary how the amount has increased in the past year. From December 2008 to December 2009, the time spent on Facebook in the United States doubled and Twitter use rose by 368%. Although I'm in full support of these websites, I think everyone needs to realize that computer interaction will never be the same as face to face interaction, and it is important to get out of the house, move around and interact.

Phones

The world is always changing and evolving and I have noticed that the world of cell phones is a great example. When I was five I remember that the guy who lived in the house behind us had a car phone. This was the first time I had ever seen anyone drive and talk on the phone at the same time. The cell phone business took off and the next thing I knew everyone had a cell phone. I remember playing games on my parents cell phone during car trips or other various boring times. Even the first cell phone I had was nothing compared to the phones of the day.

I remember the first cell phone I had was really cool for it's day. Ok even for it's day it was really lame, but it did have some basic functions. It had the basic calender, clock, and contact list. The fanciest thing it had was and old game called snake. As time went on I got newer and more advanced phones ending now with what is considered a smart phone. It has the ability to run multiple functions at once along with Internet connectivity. This phone is really a fun tool. The amount of things I can do are amazing and the phone really helps. Even though this the phone i have now still isn't the best.

We all know that smart phones have the ability to connect to the Internet and they allow you to keep track of your life. The smart phone is always getting smarter. I see now that you can watch T.V. at any time and any place on your phone. This is just a few of the things that smart phones can do. One of the newest things is a phone that has a projector. the projector allows you to show others what is on your phone without a tiny screen holding you back. This new projecting ability can allow you to watch a movie on any flat surface or show your friends those pic's you took at the bar last night.

Input Technologies

Input Technologies have really shaped they way of the future. Some types of Input Technologies are touch screens, digital cameras, and the magnetic strip on credit cards. It is amazing to me that 50 years ago, none of these things existed. One of my favorite new things is the touch screen. The picture is a picture of a touch screen. In the late 1960s, the idea of touch screens really came into thought. But it wasn't until the 70s, and 80s, that they took off and really made the first ones. Over the years, the improvements in the touch screen have been amazing. Before, touch screens could only sense on point of touch, but now, something called multi-touch technology is improving on that. Some good examples are the i-pod touch, and the iPhone. Something I never knew before is that touch screens are used in airplanes. I never really gave it much thought, but I guess it makes sense.

Another type of input technology are digital cameras. Thinking back, it is hard to remember the time when you couldn't just look at the picture you took right after you took it. Digital cameras have made taking pictures so much easier. Now, if you take a picture and you don't like it, then you know right away. Also, you are able to tell if the picture actually came out, or if its just a picture of shadow. One of my personal favorite things about a digital camera is that there are no more random purse or bag shots, and if there are, then you can just delete them. Digital cameras are a great improvement in technology.

A different type of input technology is the magnetic strip on credit cards. Along with this magnetic strip, there is also the MICR, which is the numbers at the bottom of the check. Both of these technology improvements are two things that most people take for granted. I never really think about it when I am using my credit card, but not that long ago, this simple transaction would have taken a lot longer, and probably would have been done with cash. It is just amazing to me how something so little as the magnetic strip on a credit card can have such an impact on my everyday life.

Microsoft Surface(Revised)

In my blog today I would like to discuss the Microsoft Surface. the Surface is a large multi-touch computer that allows users to interface with technology in a whole new way. This technology has a wide variety of business and personal uses that stands to change the way that people view computers. Some companies like AT&T have already began to capitalize on this technology, with many more likely to follow suit. The surface has broad implications in the business world, where it has potential in many industries from retail outlets and restaurants, all the way to manufacturing or office use.

The Surface has four main areas that differ it from any other computer system. First is the direct interaction that the user has with the computer; there is no keyboard or mouse, and it is not just a simple touchscreen either, as the Surface also can be instructed by gesturing. Secondly it is a multiple user computer. With a 30 inch screen it is easy for several people to gather around and interact with each other using the Surface. Third development adds on to the second, saying that it is directed from multiple areas. While object recognition is the last and most fascinating area. This feature simply lets you place objects on the screen, and will provide different responses depending on the object.

The Microsoft Surface has a distinct makeup, unlike any other computer system. It has a 30-inch screen that sits on top of a table like build. It is 22 inches high, 21 inches deep, and 42 inches wide. Important features include the powdered steel interior frame, and acrylic top surface. The system is run by a custom version of Windows Vista has capabilities to support Ethernet, wireless, and bluetooth connectivity.

Thought controlled computing, and gaming!

After talking about automation in class i got interested and searched the web for something related to the Olympics. Visitors to the Vancouver Olympics this year are in for a special treat. A canadian company has created the largest thought-controlled computing installation, and is letting visitors try it out! It is an experiment that allows people to use their brainwaves through a special pair headphones to contol the lighting at three major Canadian land marks, one being Niagra Falls! Talk about Automation! "The headsets have an external probe that touches the wearer's forehead, to measure baseline brain activity." It measures the brain's electrical output and alpha waves, realated to relaxation, and beta waves, related to concentration. When you relax or concentrate it sends a signal to change the lighting accordingly.

"As consumers get more comfortable with going beyond the keyboard and the mouse to interact with their computers, companies are looking for more ways to make the experience better." Posted by Priya Ganapati, on february,3,2010 @ Gadget Lab Blog, a blog for people to interact about gadgets and technology. She thinks harnessing brain waves or other biological data are slowly emerging as a third option, especially in gaming.

There is a company called Neuro Sky, and they make special head phone.They are said to translate gamer's brain waves into action. Microsoft is working on alternate forms of input, my boyfriend told me about Project Natal. I youtubed it and saw that they say they will add gesture recognition to xbox 360 systems late this year. Check out this video about Natal on youtube..Its amazing! Cant wait to see what we have in 5 years!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jqG28KTepY

IKEA and modularity

The discussion in class on modularity led me to think of other ways that modular design is implemented. The essence of modularity is that, as was stated in class, it "improves innovative capacity" through the utilization of coupling and cohesion. This is true when we think of parts used in an assembly line, or parts that are used in a computer. There are, however, other ways that modular design can be useful to people.

IKEA products are a good example of the usefulness of modular design. Their merchandise allows customers to design living solutions that conform to each individual's decorating styles and space considerations. Since many of IKEA's products feature interchangeable parts, consumers can rearrange or add on units as they see fit, or as they can afford them. This leads to unique storage and decorating setups that are custom fitted to the needs of each individual consumer, without having to make each unit individually.

The benefits of this system are the customization that was mentioned in the previous paragraph, as well as a huge cost savings due to not having to special order individual units if you want them custom fitted to your home. Also, because the parts are interchangeable, if the customer decides that they don't like the configuration they can move or change the way it is configured. The pieces can also be moved relatively easily to different rooms in the living space since they are not made of large, heavy pieces.

The biggest complaint that I have in regards to IKEA's designs are that they sometimes seem cold and impersonal. I would like to see a greater variety of design ideas that incorporate different materials (since many of their products seem to be made of plastic), and less boxy furniture. This, however, is just my personal taste.

IKEA's website can be viewed at http://www.ikea.com/us/en/

Microsoft New Touch Table

Last week on monday we looked at the new product by Microsoft, the touch table. This I think, is just incredible. I mean, who knew we could have something of this magnitude that can do just about everything. I couldn't get the video to post on here but if you go to http://www.youtube.com/ and type microsoft new touch table, there are a few videos you can watch that show many of the new features that this product offers.

It just amazes me that a video table can actually do all of these things. If you lay your camera on the table, it can pull out all the pictures and they will all pop up on the table for you to see. You can paint or draw on it with your fingers, it allows you to order things off a menu if you were to go to a restaurant and use it. There is no need for a waiter or anything along those lines. You simply click what you want and you can even edit it and what comes on your meal. You can order drinks and have them served right to you and one of the coolest things about it was that you can actually set your credit card on the table and it will read the barcode and get all of your information. It allows you to choose on the table, what tip percentage you want to leave and it calculates that and then adds that to your tab and you are all set to leave. There was even an application where you can put a live moving jigsaw puzzle together like for example they showed us a racecar driving and each square was a part of the picture but it was in action moving so I thought that was pretty neat.

Some bars and restaurants already have these tables and they are expected to keep growing in more areas. They say in the video that they expect people to start having these in their households in three to four years but the video was in 2008, so that would mean within the next year or two. However, the price tag on these is outrageous so I don't know how many people would be willing to actually buy them that can afford them. Certainly they won't be a common household item like a television or what not, at least not for quite some time.

New Xbox

The world of video gaming has come along way. From the beginning with Atari's world of pong to the Nintendo wii which has a whole new way of interacting with the system. The wii allows you to play along with an interactive controller. For example in a baseball game you swing the controller and your payer swings the bat. Will Microsoft has stepped there game up and they are now coming out with the Xbox Natal which surpasses the wii's ability to interact.

The Xbox Natal is really a new way to game and with this comes a new way to interact with your system. This new system has no controller, it makes you the controller. It has the ability to recognize who you are and what your doing. This new way of controlling your system leads to all kinds of new ways to play. Instead of swinging the controller you can scan your bat and the use your own bat. This allows you to use your own bat allowing for you to pretty much play the game without leaving your living room. This system has all kinds of new features.

The Xbox Natal allows you to video chat with your friends from your couch. The scanning system allows for a whole new way of sharing. Lets say you draw a picture and you wanted to show your friends. The Natal allows you to scan that picture and send it to all your friends. This system really is amazing and just goes to show how fast the technology is evolving. This has to make you wonder what they'll come out with next.

Windows.

When thinking of Windows, they first design that comes to my mind is windows 95. There are plenty more versions of windows that I didn't know it about. So in class, Drake showed the us a video clip on Youtube and I was surprised by how many windows there were. I'm only 18 years old so I wasn't around to see the very first windows. I wonder how did Windows develop. Did they take surveys and got the public's opinion about the program or any other method.

In the clip you can see how far windows has came a long. I think its amazing how technology continues to innovate. The very fist windows was created in 1985 and it was called windows 1.0. In sense, it doesn't even look realistic compared to what we have now. To watch the evolution of computer programming is all new to me. Just to think that there is more technology out there. Also some that is already developed, but not available to the public. For example. the Air Force has many technologies that we are not open to.

There are other computer programs, but windows is the most popular. I've only constantly heard about Apple and Windows. That's about it. I know there's Linx and stuff like that. Honestly, I don't care about the others. They don't compete with Windows and Apple.

Malicious softwar

Malicious software is nasty and its everywhere. But how exactly does this stuff get into your computer. It seems like if your computer is connected to the internet it seems like it is just a matter of time before your computer is infected by some Trojan, virus, or malicious applet. One good step to take to prevent an invasion is to never go to adult websites. Another good precaution is to stay away from using pirated software. A lot of it contains viruses and trojans. Keygens make valid keys for applications and unlock them illegaly. These almost always contain some sort of virus or trojan as well.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 (Modularity)

Since we talked about Microsoft in tuesdays class, I wanted to talk about Windows Vista and Windows 7. Windows Vista was hardly a success Microsoft wanted it to be, if anything it was a failure. Now Windows 7 is more modular than Vista. Meaning that all you get with the default version of Windows 7 is basic GUI (graphical user interface). This may only serve to confound consumers even more than they already are.

With Vista, Microsoft saw it was important to have Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate. This was confusing for many which had led to law suites, and also the differential in price.

The problem was mainly with Vista Basic. It lacked Media Center, Windows DVD/movie maker and several other features that were included with the more up-market versions of Vista, but you had to pay for the extra.

Microsoft failed to provide proper information on this to the Customer and those that were unlucky enough to wind up with Basic found that some systems, even after an upgrade to Home Premium were unable to use some of the new features.

Vista can be upgraded to other editions, from Basic to Home Premium to Ultimate. All the versions of Vista are included on the same DVD whether you buy Basic, Home Premium or Ultimate but your license key determines which features get unlocked, and that cost money ofcourse.
Please comment on this and let me know what you think of windows Vista, because I have it on my computer but I'm really thinking about purchasing Windows 7.

Modular Design

After talking about modules in class, I decided to do a little research on modularity. My search lead me to modular design information that strongly correlated with our class discussion. Modular design is used to subdivide a system into smaller parts, these smaller parts are whats known as the module. The module can be created independently of a whole unit, and then can be used in many different systems. Modules are implemented in these systems for multiple functions.

One function of using modular design is cost reduction. This reduction is due to the need for less customization of units and in some cases saving the cost of lost time. Cost reductions are also found in the flexibility of the module and the ability to replace just the module and not an entire unit.

Modular design is found in everyday life. It is used in our computers through programs such as Microsoft Office. Computers also use modularity to make the computer manufacturing process more streamlined. Modular design is used in cars, telephones, and construction. The advantages of modularity make many processes in life much simpler. The ability of modularity to allow us to adapt to our environment and problems more quickly is perhaps the single most important affect it has on us.

Modularity

Recently, I've come across two different examples that lead me to think about modularity. The first is a pretty obvious one, given current developments. The second is a tech that has just been displayed for the first time at the Mobile World Congress currently happening in Barcelona, Spain. The two offer a dramatic contrast in terms of size and highlight the benefits of modularity and its alternative, integration.

The first is the more obvious: the International Space Station. I've been following a Japanese astronaut currently on the space station on twitter. He's been charged with the task, among others, of taking pictures of the earth from the space station. The results are pretty amazing. But one of the coolest pictures he took was of the space shuttle endeavor approaching. This picture got me to thinking about modularity because of what the shuttle carries in its loading bay. The cylindrical object you can see there is called the "cupola" or Node 3. It provides some amazing views to the astronauts on board. One of the amazing things about the mission is how quickly they were able to attach the new piece. Within a couple days of arriving, the astronauts had already fully attached and made functional the cupola. Such ease of piece-by-piece construction is a prime example of one of the benefits of modularity. You can watch them continue to work on the ISS live here.

The second example is the new technology on display by SK Telecom. What they've presented is a SIM card (like the one's used by T-Mobile and AT&T in their cell phones) that carries the phone's processor, memory, 1 GB of storage, and even the Android OS. I know, I know, this is the opposite of modularity. Its an example of a competing trajectory of technology development. The benefit of such a SIM card is that when you want to change phones (whether for a new form factor, bigger screen, etc.) you can simply switch the SIM card from your old one to your new one. This means no worrying about contact transferral, or manual transferral of info from to the other at all. It also potentially means that you could have several devices (phone, netbook, tablet, desktop) that could all utilize the same SIM card for their data, OS, processing, memory, storage, and internet access.

Finally, while I was typing this, I thought of another example of modularity vs. integration. Android is an example of software modularity in that it is designed to be implemented on a wide variety of devices that have very wide-ranging processor power, screen size, ram, etc. Apple's iPhone OS is an example of software integration. The only device you can get that OS on is an iPhone. The benefits of this method are obvious. It is easier to design software for a very specific set of specs and ensure that the software utilizes that spec list fully. The difference of approach demonstrates the difference in business model. Apple is in the business of selling hardware, so designing an OS for their specific hardware makes sense. Google (developer of Android) is in the business of generating internet ad revenue . Thus, they simply want the greatest quantity of OS incarnations running on any phone possible to increase the number of people utilizing their services and hence, looking at their ads.

The Microsoft Surface

In my blog today I would like to discuss the Microsoft Surface. the Surface is a large multi-touch computer that allows users to interface with technology in a whole new way. This technology has a wide variety of business and personal uses that stands to change the way that people view computers. Some companies like AT&T have already began to capitalize on this technology, with many more likely to follow suit. The surface has broad implications in the business world, where it has potential in many industries from retail outlets and restaurants, all the way to manufacturing or office use.
The Surface has four main areas that differ it from any other computer system. First is the direct interaction that the user has with the computer; there is no keyboard or mouse, and it is not just a simple touchscreen either, as the Surface also can be instructed by gesturing. Secondly it is a multiple user computer. With a 30 inch screen it is easy for several people to gather around and interact with each other using the Surface. Third development adds on to the second, saying that it is directed from multiple areas. While object recognition is the last and most fascinating area. This feature simply lets you place objects on the screen, and will provide different responses depending on the object.
The Microsoft Surface has a distinct makeup, unlike any other computer system. It has a 30-inch screen that sits on top of a table like build. It is 22 inches high, 21 inches deep, and 42 inches wide. Important features include the powdered steel interior frame, and acrylic top surface. The system is run by a custom version of Windows Vista has capabilities to support Ethernet, wireless, and bluetooth connectivity.

When talking about computers, it's hard not to think about how they have had an impact on everyday life. Whether it be simple mundane tasks, to elaborate calculations, they're everywhere you go.
Just by getting up in the morning to your digital alarm clock, or your cell phone, you've already depended on a computer. And then, you check the weather. Again, someone's computer played a part in making up the forecast, and then broadcasted to you where ever you are. And then your car. It's pretty obvious so I won't even delve into that. But even over the fast 10-20 years, the amount of interactions the average person has with computers has dramatically changed.
Even if you wanted to, there is no real way to get away from computers. It's around every corner, and even in the traffic lights that you go through everyday. Without computers, life would be a completely different, and in my opinion, much more difficult way of life.

Modularity

When I think of modularity I think of interchangeable parts like batteries. Small electronic batteries and large automobile batteries. All remote controls require small AA or AAA batteries. They can be replaced by anyone, no expert needed. This helps the small electronic manufacturer save money. No extensive training required for normal maintenance. Anyone can pop them in and out whenever needed.
Automobiles also require batteries. They just like the small batteries that are in remote controls, just bigger and heavier. Anyone that can lift one, can install or replace one. When thinking of the automobile in its entirety, it contains a lot of interchangeable parts. From the tires to the windshield wipers. The interchangeable parts are usually the cheapest and the ones that require to be replaced most often than others. You could dissect a car or truck and see that close to 50% of it (if not more) is interchangeable.

The "Reader"

In last class, I know the output and input of a computer and the storage of computer. When I first touched the flash drive, I know people always called it “reader”. It just likes USB drive. People insert the single-chip of cell phone into this “reader”, and then insert “reader” into USB socket. Therefore, people can transmit and read the information between two different cell phones. It is another way to change information.

There are some different style and shape readers, such as CF reader, SM reader, PCMICA reader, memory reader, USB reader and double deck reader. When we use a kind of electronic equipment, we need a kind of material storage which is used for changing data. The semiconductor reader can achieve this goal. The Flash RAM is popularly used now, because it has potable, shockproof function. It is used in digital camera, cell phones, MP3 and PDA. With the appearing of electronic reader, more and more various chip cards which are sold in the market can be read, such as Smart Media, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Multi Media Card, SD Memory, IBM Micro drive and Micro SD Card. If we lack such a “reader”, we can’t change and share the information very quickly and fluently.

The advantage of the reader is magical, but it doesn’t read the software, it reads different flash cards. It is a new kind of storage tool, and it is designed to provide convenient way for storage.

modularity

Sticking with todays topic of modularity, I wanted to talk about something that all of us use in our everyday life without even recognizing it. In fact, I had no idea that what I was doing was related to this strange five syllable word until today. We use modularity nearly every single day of our lives and don't even blink at the amount of innovation that has gone into it. 

An example of modularity that sparked my interest is the evolution of word processing documents. Sounds thrilling right? Wrong, it's not. However, what I found interesting is that we utilize a form of modularity every time we type up a two paged, double spaced wikepedia summary for one of our classes. Todays word processors are able to function completely independent of each other, yet through some magical process, seem to open and edit each other's documents with flawless ease. These programs are great examples of modularity in our lives. They operate completely independent of each other yet coupled with a minimal upgrade or built in convertor, they are able to work in cohesion between different computers and program versions. For example, no matter what version of Microsoft Office you happen to be using, you are able to open and edit your document with ease on a multitude of computers and operating systems. With the addition of the "x" on the end of the file name, some of the older versions may require an upgrade to open the newer documents. However once this "coupler" is installed, you will be able to open all versions of Office documents with ease. Mac has taken this a step further. Their new "office" package, iWork (Pages, Keynote, Numbers) is able to seamlessly open and edit all Microsoft documents, no matter the year or version. They have been able to build an advanced "coupling" system right into their software in order to maximize the ease of which we view and edit documents. If formats are not compatible (fonts, colors, etc.), the program will automatically convert into a compatible format and give the user a comprehensive list of things that were changed. No downloads or file conversions necessary. 

This is not particularly riveting stuff but its important to acknowledge the level of innovation that we are able to utilize on a day to day basis. This idea of modularity that once upon a time helped connect train cars together is now being used to easily integrate thousands of different world wide file formats into one easy user interface. 

The wonderful world of modularity

Modularity has been around for a little bit, but in the computer world it is only as old as computers. Operating systems are a perfect example of using modularity. On the first computers, without an operating system, every program needed the full hardware specification to run correctly and perform standard tasks, and its own drivers for peripheral devices like printers and card-readers. Even then, with the rapid growth of technology, an operating system became necessary.

Why are operating systems necessary? Could you imagine getting on a computer and not knowing where to start? Imagine going to work and not having a desk to work on. An OS serves as an interface between the hardware and the application you are using. There is something called a "kernel" in the OS. A kernel serves as a sort of bridge between data processing and applications. The kernel manages the system's resources, such as the communication between software and hardware components. In other words, the kernel is the biggest component of all operating systems.

This is not the only thing that an operating system handles. It takes care of things such as managing system memory, interrupts (a signal indicating the need for attention or an event in a software command), dual mode operation, and many other things.

This might be a bit much for those of you who only know how to turn a computer on, but the important thing is that it does all of this work for us so we don't have to. My favorite operating system? You had to ask. Go here and you'll see.

So, without modularity, our computers are useless. Although this post barely shows how an operating system works, I hope I have taught you a little bit more about how operating systems work.

Modularity - Windows 7

In class today we learned about modularity and what makes it up. We went over different programs that help us run our computers on a daily basis. We looked at all of the windows that have come out since the beginning in 1985. They released Windows 1.0 in 1985, Windows have come along way since releasing windows 1.o. In 2009 Windows 7 was released and has become very popular and is being installed as the main operating system in many new computers that are sold.
When Windows releases a new operating system, many people are excited about what they will be able to discover and what is new applications on the operating system itself. For me i still have Windows Vista and I'm still getting used to everything that is new about Vista, but i guess i really only use my computer for homework and listening/storing music for my music player. So i guess I'm no expert when it comes to using a computer, but i believe that why they have you take these kind of courses in college, so that you have some basic knowledge on how computers work and what advances have been made in computers and technology.
With Windows 7, there has been new and improved, such as new features including a easy way to access what you want to quickly, by adding your favorite programs to your task bar, and they will be right there for you to get to where you want to quickly on your computer.

Another new feature includes Windows Touch, if you purchase a touch screen with your new computer then you would be able to apply Windows touch to what you are doing on the screen. You will be able to manipulate the computer screen to what you want that to do.

These are a couple of new features that are new with Windows 7, if you want to learn some more information on windows 7, because maybe you want to upgrade your operating system, visit www.microsoft.com

Inovation!!

Wow, this past Monday in class we looked at quite a few new electronic products that will be soon hitting the market. I was in total amazement at some of the things that can be done when some of these technologies are used. Just the thought of all the possibilities that can come out of them is almost scary.

For example the Microsoft surface. This things is so advance that it is unreal. Placing a Microsoft Surface in places like restaurants will changed the food industry in ways never seen before. I have never been so amazed, shocked, or even stunned by anything in my life like I have been by the capability of the Surface.

I have my fare share of gadgets and they have changed they're designated industries, such as music and the ipod. But that change seemed to happen without me even being aware of it. One day I had a ton of cd's and the next 7500 songs on one single device.

Overnight is a understatement for the Microsoft Surface. It will surely change the way people do things.

Uncanny Valley

Was anyone else freaked out by that robot dog video? I know I was. That thing was creepy looking. Anyway, it got me thinking about the Uncanny Valley. It is a theory about how humans react to robotic beings. The basis of this theory is that how lifelike, or similar to a human being (or in this case dog, I guess) a robot is, determines how one will respond to it. The Uncanny Valley itself is, in a graphical representation (included in this post) what happens directly before something is exactly humanoid.
The reasoning behind the existence of the Uncanny Valley is complex. Most of the reasons stem from primal urges or feelings in the human psyche. For example, if an android moves in a very jerky fashion, it elicits the fear of losing control of one's bodily movements. Basically, an "uncanny" robot or object reminds one of the possible flaws in one's self. Another reason for the Uncanny Valley has to do with disease. Flaws in one's self can indicate disease. An uncanny robot reminds one of the possibility of contracting a disease, and causes angst.
To sum up, I suppose the reason the robot dog creeped me out so much is because it isn't quite humanlike. Or doglike... It acts similar to a dog, it can even right itself, and walk on uneven terrain. But it lacked a head, made lots of noise, and was made of metal. This makes it uncanny, as it is similar, but not exactly like what it is mimicking.

The At-Home Super Computer

This is image is a little difficult to see, but do not worry tonight's blog will tell you all about it. What you see here is Silicon's design for the 2010 PC. It is about the size of a Frisbee and will one day be able to store and process as much information as today's most powerful super computers. Silicon's idea behind this computer is for it to be totally wireless except for a wall power cord plug-in. The computer will be light, fast, storage friendly, and reliable. "SECURITY: The PC will be protected from theft, thanks to an advanced biometric scanner that can recognize your fingerprint. INTERFACE: You'll communicate with the PC primarily with your voice, putting it truly at your beck and call" (Crosby 1).

To complement this advanced computer, Silicon is also designing a "true desktop." The plan is to produce a desk with a monitor touchscreen top. Similar to the touch screens on today's smart phones this desktop will be totally user friendly. Files, a keyboard, internet, you name it; the touch screen "desktop" will be another amazing technological addition to 2010. The 2010 PC and the Desktop will work together through wireless technology to eliminate the hassle of cords.

The final project behind the 2010PC is its ability to control your house. With the super computer technology behind the 2010 PC you'll be able to program the heat in your house, your television, even your coffee maker! According to Silicon, once the 2010 PC is plugged into your home, you'll be able to communicate with it vocally to confirm schedules or create new ones if you desire to do so. In the end, the 2010 PC is going to take computer technology to the next level. The control and freedom of this computer will be unrivaled by anything we've seen yet.

If this Blog has struck sparked your curiosity the website link is:
http://www.forbes.com/asap/2000/0821/087.html
The article was written by Kim Crosby 8.21.00