More Techno Buffet….
The recent passing of Arthur C. Clarke reminded me about the relationship between science fiction–and science fact….
Back in 1945—before anyone even thought about space travel, he proposed the idea of geostationary satellites…
At the time it was dismissed as crazy talk. It became a reality within 20 years.
Now, our reality changes with exponential speed…
Check out these offerings from the Techno Buffet….
TURNING THE TABLES ON COMPUTING….
Star Trek has long featured cool, touch-screen computers that need no mouse—and can do just about everything instantly…
Now, Microsoft is getting ready to deliver its first table-top computers to casinos, restaurants, and hotels…
The $10,000 device brings Star Trek’s 23rd Century technology right into our time.
It uses something called multi-touch technology—which is demonstrated in this clip…
Right now—the tabletop is only being marketed to business clients—but Microsoft says a consumer version should be available with-in 3 years….
STOP DRAGON YOUR MOUSE….
Up till now, your view of images on the computer has been limited to what you could drag on-screen with your mouse from whatever source you were accessing…
Now, Microsoft’s Seadragon unit demonstrates how people can access anything on the Internet—and zoom in and out as deeply as they want….
It will also allow you to take scores of separate images of one subject—and combine them into one, three dimensional image that can be manipulated in multiple ways…
The video clip shows it all—although it takes about a minute and a half for the person demonstrating Seadragon to get to the “WOW” factor…
GEE P.S. ….
- The Chinese general and military strategist Sun Tzu advised his soldiers back in 400 B.C. to “Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.”
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Tzu would have loved LOOPT.
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It’s a real-time mapping service that uses GPS technology on your cell phone to show you where your friends are located.
It works with-in a 25-mile radius… You can literally watch the people move around an on-line map.
The technology allows all kinds of text, and visual communication with the friends in your LOOP…
LOOPT isn’t the only tracking service–just the first…
As these things proliferate, the question which needs to be answered is: How much freedom do we allow ourselves to give up in the name of convenience ?
—Steve
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