I don't know how many people open their doors with their voice, but most of the other tech stuff has come true in one way or another.
[via David Pogue]
technology-related stories
How many of the "You Will" predictions have come true?
Remember the early 90s commercials from AT&T that asked various technology questions and then ended with Tom Selleck saying "You Will?" Someone on YouTube has put a montage of the ads and it's interesting that so many of these tech predictions/plans have actually come true.
I don't know how many people open their doors with their voice, but most of the other tech stuff has come true in one way or another.
I don't know how many people open their doors with their voice, but most of the other tech stuff has come true in one way or another.
The scariest video you'll see today: teens without technology!
I've been online every single day for about 14 years, I have several e-mail addresses, I have a couple of computers, I have a cell phone, and I Twitter. Still, I don't think it would be a problem for me to give up my cell phone and iPod for ten days.
Not the younger folks though, if this video from Today is any indication. The kids just can't handle not being able to get online or text to their friends (17,500 messages in one month??). One kid doesn't even know how to use a newspaper, and another can't read a regular clock (seriously). I think their heads would cave in if they tried to use a typewriter.
Not the younger folks though, if this video from Today is any indication. The kids just can't handle not being able to get online or text to their friends (17,500 messages in one month??). One kid doesn't even know how to use a newspaper, and another can't read a regular clock (seriously). I think their heads would cave in if they tried to use a typewriter.
So how accurate was The Jetsons?
I got the Flintstones complete series DVD set for Christmas, and I've been thinking about getting the complete set for The Jetsons too. The two shows are compatible. Not only were they made by the same people (Hanna-Barbera), but The Jetsons always seemed like a space age version of The Flintstones. The Jetsons had video telephones, The Flintstones had washing machines run by elephants.
FailOften.net has a fun piece about the technology of The Jetsons and how it predicted (or in some cases didn't) predict the world of 2009. One thing they got right was that video phone/video chat. The above pic shows a screen which is probably bigger than the computer screen you have in your home, but it's basically accurate. I particularly like that the animators remembered to include a camera on top of the screen. That could have easily been a bit of detail that could have been overlooked.
Continue reading So how accurate was The Jetsons?
CNN drops space and science; Miles O'Brien looking for a job
After 16 years, Miles O'Brien is leaving CNN.The reason? CNN has decided to get rid of their science/tech/environment/space division, because nothing ever happens in science, technology, the environment, or space. The network says that they're getting rid of the division because the "Planet in Peril" series already covers all of that stuff, and they'll just integrate the rest of the science coverage into their regular news. Translation: more cost-cutting in the news business.
It's kind of sad to see O'Brien go. Just a couple of years ago he was the co-host of American Morning with Soledad O'Brien, and then he lost that gig and went back to covering space and technology, and now that coverage is gone. It was always good to have him around for space shuttle launches and for his expertise when their was a problem with a plane or a plane crash.
I'm sure they'll still cover space shuttle launches, but now they'll be hosted by D.L. Hughley and Nancy Grace. (Kidding)
Fox looking to replace old ads on your TiVo with fresh ones
Fox is hoping to patent technology to replace the commercials in shows sitting on your personal video recorder. In other words, if you record 24 Monday night, but wait until Thursday to watch it, some of the promos for upcoming shows, movie release dates, and ads for retail sales will be outdated by the time you watch it. This patent would automatically download updated commercials to replace the old ones.
Fox says it hopes to test the process with TiVo. On the one hand, this leverages the power of a PVR as basically an internet-connected computer. On the other hand, it ignores the fact that the users who skip past commercials don't really care if they're new or old.
Of course, if this technology works, it could lead to advertisers putting firmer cues than brief black screens on their commercials, which would make it easier for 3rd party developers to come up with accurate programs to automatically skip commercials. Programs like ComSkip and Snapstream BeyondTV's SmartChapter generator each do this today, with varying degrees of success.
[via TiVo Lovers]
Is technology improving your TV viewing, or making it more complicated?
Philadelphia Daily News columnist Ellen Gray says technology has started to take over her TV viewing habits. In some ways, this is a good thing. She's a TV critic, and her Slingbox lets her keep up with TV shows while she's out of town. But she also spent an unreasonably large amount of time proving that she could record programs on her PC and then play them back on her TV set in blurrier fashion than if she'd just watched them on TV.I know the feeling. I've spent so many hours setting up my PC-based PVR that I feel like I could never watch enough hours of television to justify it. Sometimes, when I'm not in the mood to spend 22 minutes watching a sitcom or cartoon, I'll flip through movie listings to see if there's any films I want to record in the next two weeks. It takes about the same amount of time, but I record far more shows than I ever get around to watching. It's okay, I have a large hard drive, and I keep telling myself that one weekend I'll have a movie marathon to make room for more recordings.
But honestly, I think it's the thrill of finding that movie that you've always meant to see and knowing that you don't have to miss it that's most exciting. Actually watching it feels more like a chore sometimes. And the challenge of figuring out how to stream video to every TV in the house for under $150 was a lot of fun. Much more fun than spending an hour watching Lost could ever be.
My name is Brad, and I'm addicted to video technology. More so than video content.
Discovery Channel visits the year 2057 tonight
Tonight starting at 8:00pm, the Discovery Channel will look fifty years into the future with a three-part series called 2057. The series will mix speculation from leading scientists with dramatic storytelling to try and envision how our world will change over the next few decades. One of the questions, of course, is whether or not we'll have flying cars, and more importantly, will Martian hookers be both plentiful and affordable? Okay, the second one is my own personal preference, but I think it's worth looking into.
The first part of the series, "The Body" airs at 8:00pm and looks at modern technology and what it holds for human health and longevity in the future: things like robotic surgery and custom-built organs. At 9:00pm, "The City," the second part in the series, will look at advances in robotics, automobiles and surveillance systems. Finally, at 10:00pm, "The World" will examine how technology will help transfer more information even faster than before, and the possibilities of space travel for average folks like us.
You can watch clips from the series here.
"Elevator to space" tonight on NOVA scienceNOW
Tonight at 8pm on PBS, NOVA scienceNow will look at a competition to build an "elevator to space." Participants will compete to see whose prototype can go the highest, and the winner takes home a $150,000 prize. The episode will also focus on scientific research surrounding the carbon nanotube, a stronger-than-steel material that just might be used to create the cable for a real "space elevator" in the future. It would be awesome if such a thing were constructed in my lifetime, though with my luck I'd be stuck on this lengthy elevator ride with some guy who just polished off a beef and bean burrito.
Other segments from the episode will include research into "longevity genes" and how they may hold the secret to living longer; using satellites to uncover Mayan ruins; and studies in "Quorum Sensing," the way bacteria communicates.
Two new shows from MythBusters creators
The production team behind the Discovery Channel's MythBusters have two new shows in the works for the science-loving channel. First up is Prototype This, a 13-part series that looks at the viability of gadgets seen in sci-fi movies. As in, they'll actually try to build some of these futuristic marvels. I'm sure the military will be ecstatic. I'll just take my Jetsons personalized jet pack and robot maid, thank you very much.The second show, Cool Stuff: How It Works, is a four-part series that takes a look at how the wonders of the modern world work - fireproof suits, robotic bomb detonators, etc. No word on whether or not they'll be able to explain TiVo, the electoral college or how a penalty kick shootout is fair, but they're smart guys. I'm sure they'll get around to it.
Wired Science debuts tonight on PBS
Wired Magazine's new series for PBS, Wired Science, debuts this evening at 8pm. Alternatively, you can watch the entire pilot episode by clicking here. Just don't confuse the show with the '80s flick Weird Science. As far as I know, Oingo Boingo didn't compose any music for this new series. David Byrne of the Talking Heads, however, did compose the theme music, which is much cooler (no offense to Danny Elfman).
Continue reading Wired Science debuts tonight on PBS
Trying to make CNBC more hip
There was about a year and a half when I was completely addicted to CNBC. It was the mid to late 90s, around 97 or 98, when I was starting to write more online and became fascinated by how technology was driving the economy and stock market to new heights. I remember having CNBC on all day along (along with CNN and MSNBC), and I loved seeing all the numbers fly by the bottom of the screen. Sure, I had no idea what any of it meant, but CNBC also had a lighter, pop culture bent to it that made it entertaining. I watched Power Lunch every afternoon, I waited for interviews with the CEOs of companies I was intererested in (like Steve Jobs from Apple - that was a big comeback story), and I even got to know the anchors and reporters (oh, Maria Bartiromo!).
Then the bubble burst and people didn't really enjoy watching CNBC anymore. And now it's really a shadow of what it used to be. But now two guys are trying to make it good again. Ex-Today producer Jonathan Wald and ex-60 Minutes producer Josh Howard have been brought on to pump new life into the business network. The duo plans more documentaries, as well as other big changes for the network.
What do you think needs to be done to CNBC to make it better?
The Prisoner: Arrival
Do not adjust your web browser. You are now entering the Retro Squad, where we are reviewing past episodes of your favorite shows, in order, every week.
(S01E01) "I am not a number. I am a free man!"
You can't get much more "retro" than The Prisoner, which first appeared on British television in the fall of 1967 and then in the U.S. about a year later. It starred Patrick McGoohan, who also served as the 17-episode show's executive producer. (You may remember him as the warden of Alcatraz in Escape from Alcatraz starring Clint Eastwood.)
When you watch this show, it seems other-worldly. Granted, it's nearly 40 years old, but it also was ahead of it's time, especially in the blending of technology into the stories. (Dig those cool cordless phones!) It also has influenced many television shows and movies (just do a Google search and you'll see what I mean). It's very difficult to talk about a show you've seen many times and have enjoyed for just as long without giving away too much, but let me set you up with the basic premise and take off from there.
Continue reading The Prisoner: Arrival
BBC mistakes cab driver for computer expert
This is like something out of a sitcom. The BBC is apologizing for putting a cab driver on television as a computer expert. How does this happen? Well, the cab driver appeared at the BBC front desk and someone assumed he was the computer expert who was scheduled to appear on a news program. Without asking any questions, he was whisked onto the set and interviewed on live television. He made a valiant effort at trying to answer the anchor's questions! She only asked him three questions about downloading music before suddenly tossing to a reporter in the field. I think someone told her in her ear that she had the wrong guy on set.It's especially funny when the cab driver is introduced as the editor of some tech magazine -- the look on his face is priceless. Apparently, the real tech editor watched the whole thing from the BBC reception area.
The YouTube video is after the jump:
Continue reading BBC mistakes cab driver for computer expert
CES 2006: All about television
While we didn't attend the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
this year, I've done my fair share of reading about it. If I had to pick one theme that seemed to pop up several times
a day, it'd be television. Not just television as in new TV hardware and gear, but also in how content will reach the
masses. A few highlights:- onthegoLIVE -- Stream TV audio to any phone
- Google Video Store -- Selling episodes of CSI, NCIS, Survivor and other CBS shows.
- Yahoo! Go TV -- Link your computer with your television (also, Ellen DeGeneres showed up on stage for this)
- AT&T and Verizon turning to Microsoft for IPTV to the home
- Intel's Viiv -- Intel's digital entertainment computer specification
- Westinghouse's 56-inch 4x 1080p LCD -- So what if it's $10k -- look at that monster!
- If that's a little too large for you, how about Pioneer's 50-inch 1080p screen?
- Bill Gates's views on TV content
delivery in the future -- Facinating stuff, Vongo, etc.
- TiVo's own wireless adapter -- 60% faster than other brands!
- Finally, a TiVo desktop is coming for Mac OS X
- TiVo's Series 3 recorder -- Dual CableCARD slots and dual HDTV recording
- The MediaREADY 6000 -- Pricey, but oh, the features
- HD Beat's LG booth tour -- Some awesome TV technology in there
There's a lot more over at Engadget's CES coverage, so be sure to go check that out soon.
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