Presentation day!

We had a chance to showcase what new technologies that we found that we thought were interesting. The entire class created giant poster boards with their specified technologies while the other sections went around and looked at them. It was not too big of a new experience on my part because I have done presentations like this before over the summer when I took a class on presentational speaking. I wish that the time was extended a little longer so that I would be able to walk around and see what other people have done. One of the things that I thought was interesting was the way people would get graded and receive feedback on their posters. I never thought that people would use twitter the way that we had to. The whole thing was pretty neat.

Sixth Sense Technology

This video about Sixth Sense Technology. I found this to be really interesting and couldn't figure out if I was watching a Sci-fi movie or if it was really happening in real life. The ability to use any surface as a platform for computing purposes or even finding out information about what it is the camera is pointed at, is just simply amazing. I can't wait to see how the world will be like in 5 years, how much technology will change and how big a role it will take in our everyday lives.





Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology | Video on TED.com

Mobile Television

So I recently saw a commercial for FloTV. It is a definite upgrade from the old portable televisions with antennas. I looked into it after I saw the commercial for it and I was wrong about what I actually thought it was. It seems that you need to sign up for a service to watch television rather than it's older predecessor.

Here is a small pictures of the old mobile television:






And here are some pictures of FloTV:

Power Mat

The technology of charging our portable hand-held devices have really advanced in the past few years. I recently saw a commercial for the Powermat.This is a new way to charge devices without using power cords.

Here are some images of the Powermat:





Having the option of charging portable devices without the use of cords has made today's society less dependent on cords and being tied down. The design and concept is great and the only flaw that I see is the need to have a power cube attached to your device. Hopefully, manufacturers will find a way around this in the future.

Watches

I was browsing for a watch the other day and I decided to look online to see what new styles were offered. To my surprise, I found many new watches that were not traditional. I have seen many watches that use LED lights and tell time using the binary system. The designs are also very different from the normal metal or leather bands. It is interesting to me to see how they find many different ways to tell time. Using lights is a unique way for people to learn to tell time. These types of watches are very popular in Japan but not in the United States yet. One of my friends actually has one that uses LED lights and it is pretty interesting. I, however, see it more as a novelty item rather than a primary source to tell time.

Here are some pictures of the ones I looked at:

Communicating in the Workplace

http://www.evolt.org/node/60350

I read this interesting article about communication in the workplace. The article recognizes the fact that in large and small companies, communication becomes problematic. Even with the development of devices like blackberries, PDAs, etc., there is still a lot of confusion about which device to use.

Blackberries are great for two-way communication but causes many hurdles along the way. The article says that using Blackberries for communication is not cost effective because a fully functioning computer is better suited for it. You do now need to overload the workers with a whole bunch of devices.

This article was an interesting read because I always felt that devices such as Blackberries were the best form of comunication in the business world. I always felt that the multifunctions of a Blackberries made working more convenient.

Project Natal

Earlier in the week we were shown clips of Project Natal and it blew my mind. I am really impressed with the advancement in the gaming industry. I thought that we already went past the limits when Nintendo developed the Wii. This new gaming system has set the bar higher once again. I especially enjoyed watching the Project Milo where he was able to recognize the person's features and is able to interact with the person. I hope to see it sell on the market well when it comes out in the future.

Mobile Technology

Today I was searching for a new phone and I stopped to think about how much the world of mobile technology has changed. In span of a couple years, mobile phones went from being as big as a brief case, to something as small as your hand and can fit in your pocket. The utility of the phones have changed as well. It is no longer just used to call someone. Now it is something that is able to track the location of people, go on the internet, and take videos and pictures. I currently have a Blackberry and all the different functions that it has now still impresses me. From the days of the Nokia phones where the only options offered were unlimited text plans to having a Blackberry Data Plan. The advancement of mobile technology has made group work easier and more accessible. Although one of the drawbacks involve being on-call for work 24/7. Your work hours do not end after you step out of the office because emails will constantly be sent to your mobile device.

Mobile technology goes beyond cell phones, but entertainment as well. All the new gadgets and mobile devices have gone through a huge change as well. The MP3 players is a great example on how much it has evolved. I remember when they first came out on the market, a 512MB MP3 player would sell for at least 100 dollars. Now, you are able to find a 1GB MP3 player for 20 dollars. The functions of these MP3s have exceeded the expectations of just playing music, but have also given us the opportunity to surf the web as well.

Post 2

This week in class, we discussed in depth about the different forms of communication. We also had a guest speaker from AOL who talked about his experiences at Purdue when he was an undergrad. I could not imagine how connecting to the internet with dial-up connection would have been. We also saw a video presentation about online identity. The video talked about how online identity was different because people know you by your affiliation and your memberships to certain organizations and services.

Online identity

This week in class, we discussed about online identity. We read an article that talked about a woman and her experience with blogging about her thoughts and feelings. It caused many problems amongst people who believed in the existence of her "daughter" who died of cancer. This brings up many questions of ethics involved with using the internet. When it comes to trusting people we interact with online, how do we determine how much information we should disclose? Disclosing the right amounts of information can make or break a new relationship. If you disclose too little information or too much information can determine how well the relationship will go. We also discussed how cues can be misread online through websites like facebook.