World Domination

Google might be taking over the world and as much as I love Google, their new business plan doesn’t sit very well with me. There are 2 things as of late that I don’t like. The first is a set of glasses that connects to your phone and allows you to see everything that happens with your phone. Say for example, you receive a text message. It will pop up in your glasses for you to see and you can speak out load to respond to the text and the phone will do the rest. It’s almost like Siri in the form of glasses. You can ask for directions and a map will pop up in the glasses with turn by turn directions. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, are our cell phones really that important that we can’t walk down the street without them? Do we need to see what’s happening on our phones all the time? I’ve seen the demo video for the product and it does look like a cool new invention, but it’s also an awful invention. Imagine someone driving with these glasses and seeing all these texts and email alerts popping up in their line of sight. You think you’re going to continue to pay attention to the road? Hell no. People already look like cyborgs with their blue tooths and now we’re going to add these glasses? I’m out. I can understand having these glasses maybe for a themed type of thing. Maybe an interactive ride at a theme park or a new way to guide people through museums with information about the piece of art their looking at, but for everyday, I think this is a little much. There is absolutely no need for glasses like this. Maybe I’m too scared of technology because I’ve seen too many movies and read too many books. I just don’t see the need for people to literally see the activity on their phones 24/7. Leave it in your pocket and if it vibrates, look at it.

The second invention by Google is a virtual museum called the Google Art Project. This one I’m a little torn about because it is kind of cool. Google has set up a museum guide similar to Google maps where you can guide yourself through museums around the world. They figure that if you can’t visit the museum, they will bring it to you. This is a good idea for people who just can’t travel around the world, but to me the best part of a museum is experiencing the museum itself. Being able to walk around is all part of the experience. Seeing a picture of a piece of art or virtually walking through a museum doesn’t even begin to compare to seeing it in person. I completely understand not being able to travel to the opposite side of the planet, but I have a feeling that if a teacher assigns a student to go to a museum and the kid is too lazy, they’re just hop on this site. But I guess kids will find ways around anything so maybe that’s a bad argument. So maybe Google does have something good here. I guess that I just have to raise my kids to actually want to go to a museum.

Haptic What?

Ok, this has reached a new level of insanity that I just don't think is necessary. Are people really so attached to their cell phones that they need a tattoo to receive signals to alert them that someone is calling, texting or emailing? I mean come on! That's just taking it way beyond all boundaries. Sometimes, it's nice to not know where your phone is.

Nokia has patented this tattoo that vibrates/receives pulses alerting you that your phone is going off somewhere. What happened to just putting the phone on extra vibrate in your pocket? Anyway, they want the tattoo to have the same type of customization as a ring tone. If your girl friend calls you feel warm and tingly. If your ex calls, you feel itchy or something like that. This is getting pretty damn gross if you ask me.

What makes it even worse is the type of ink they think is needed to make this work. Nokia wants to use ink with iron and iron oxide. Can you imagine that stuff in your skin? I don't even want to know the long term affects of that. If they say we can get brain cancer just by holding the phone to our ears, imagine the cancer caused by your new vibrating tattoo. In order to activate this tattoo, you have to run magnets on it. Oy vey, I just can't even continue on with this. Nokia is also suggesting an alternate where instead of getting a tattoo, you could just put a magnetic sticker on your arm that does the same thing. Why wasn't that the first suggestion? Either way, this idea is insane and if it ever comes to be, I will have to move to Canada where they are just now receiving the flip phone. Eh.

Hackers

Wow, people can be such assholes. The Pottermore site has been hacked and it’s not pretty. The hackers are setting up links in search engines that lead people to sites that carry major viruses and they’re sending out fake early access accounts. Some people are even selling fake early access accounts for $100 on eBay. That really sucks because I’m sure a lot of the people interested in the site are young adults and what do they know about viruses and which emails you shouldn’t open, etc? Way to target a weak audience. I never understood hackers and their mindsets. I guess these are just bored kids who don’t have anything better to do on their summer break. The site of course can’t do much other than delete accounts they deem unfit to be a part of the site. I hope there aren’t any other issues because this site looks like it can be super awesome for big or small fans. I consider myself to be a small fan and this site looks amazing. Here’s to hoping stupid hackers don’t ruin it for everyone.

Window to the World

I was reading the LA Times the other day and came across this article entitled “Window to the World.” I thought it was kind of odd because it was in the technology section so naturally I clicked on it and I was very intrigued with what I found. Toyota is trying to design an interactive window on their cars for their passengers. They describe it as being similar to an Etch-a-Sketch where the passenger can draw on the window with their fingers. They can even zoom in on something they see outside. Not sure how that works while the car is in motion, but still kind of a cool concept. I remember a long trip I took with my dad while I was in high school and it would have been really cool to have something like this. I saw cow farms and regular farms all over the place and it would have been cool to zoom in on something or draw something on the window. Any road trip could utilize this window.

Car companies are also beginning to create interactive window stickers as well where you can view the price of a car and then interact with the sticker to show you the inside of the car. You can even build your own car. So basically, it’s a car building kiosk type thing. I feel like all this information is on the car website and brochures, but to each his own I guess. I feel like technology gets ahead of itself sometimes. I understand what the car companies are trying to do, but I feel like it’s fun to go home with a brochure. I would much rather gawk at the brochure while sitting on my couch, than have to go to the dealership and play with a kiosk where I can just sit in the car instead. Seems a little silly to me. I’m not a fan of eliminating the man and I feel like this kiosk would do that. I’m all for the window interacting though.

Either way, check out the videos below.

Window to the World


Interactive Window Sticker

Good Friday

The long awaited JK Rowling YouTube count down surprise has been revealed and it sounds very awesome. She and her team have created a website for the fans as a thank you called pottermore.com. It won’t be activated until October of this year, but the video tells you all about it and like I said, it sounds kind of amazing. Not only that, but there will finally be e-reader versions of the books. I think the website will have some very awesome things just by the way the video looks. The moving animation in the pages is very telling. JK also talks about how readers can interact with the stories.

First, you'll choose a magic username and then begin your experience. As you move through the chapters, you will read and share exclusive never before seen writing from JK and participate in Hogwarts just like the characters. You'll be able to visit Diagon Alley, get sorted into a house, cast spells and mix potions to help your house compete for the House Cup. The user experience is so interactive that you are actually sorted based on questions asked by the sorting hat. Same goes for the magic wand. Your wand is chosen out of 33,000 variations based on questions answered by you.

Like I said, the site isn't live until October of this year, but the first million people to register their email address with the site will gain early access. The first Harry Potter book will be the first interaction experience with the second book to follow in early 2012 and so on and so forth. I'm very excited to see how this site works. I have no doubt it's going to be amazing. Check out the video where JK talks about the site.

Book of Jobs

The Steve Jobs biography, iSteve: The Book of Jobs has started to hit Amazon for presale and it’s already a best seller. It still has 9 months to go before its release! That’s insane. The set release date is March 6, 2012. I’m glad that the cover picture is only temporary because it looks a little silly. I’m still interested in reading the book and my hopes are still high for many chapters about his Pixar days.

From bestselling author Walter Isaacson comes the landmark biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. In iSteve: The Book of Jobs, Isaacson provides an extraordinary account of Jobs’ professional and personal life.

Drawn from three years of exclusive and unprecedented interviews Isaacson has conducted with Jobs as well as extensive interviews with Jobs’ family members, key colleagues from Apple and its competitors, iSteve is the definitive portrait of the greatest innovator of his generation.

Are you going to read it?

Cyber Land

I’m not sure how I feel about this. I’m an avid computer user. I mean who isn’t these days? I have to use one for work, I have a laptop at home, and I even carry a mini computer in my pocket with my iPhone. I consider myself pretty good with computers. I mean I can’t build one or tell you what all the parts and words mean, but I can create a spread sheet and a Word documents and a PowerPoint presentation. I can stalk people.. I mean do research really well on the internet. I know how iTunes works or Windows Media Player for the PC world. I can upload photos and create slide shows. I can even change my display if I wanted to. So then, why would I want a computer that doesn’t have any of that? Why would I want a computer that only allows me to do one thing: search the web? Google Chrome is releasing a new laptop and that’s all it does. You turn it on and you’re sent straight to the internet. If you want to create a document or a presentation, you have to do it all on the web. You even have to save it all to the web. I don’t like this at all. I like carrying around a thumb drive with my stuff on it. The only time anyone can steal this info is if they took my thumb drive. I don’t want all my shit all over the internet for anyone to find. I mean, I guess it’s nice to be able to log onto any computer anywhere and have all your stuff right there, but I like having my own personal space that no one else can see unless I let them. Am I alone here? Check out the commercial for the product. It’s a good commercial and it explains the product really well, but I would never buy anything like this.

Singularity

Last week I posted an article about computers taking over the world and some of you commented to me and told me I was freaking insane. That computers would never take over the world. I sort of started to feel better because one of the people to comment knows computers really well. I know a lot of the references I was making were movie references and book references and we can’t always believe what we see and hear, but last night I saw and read something that proved my theories to be true and I wanted to share it with those who think I’m bat shit.

My parents subscribe to Time Magazine and they leave a few back issues sitting on the kitchen counter. Last night, I went over there for dinner and I saw an issue from February and the cover read, “2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal.” My first thought was “holy shit, perfect timing.” Sure, the article could have been about new medical advances, but it wasn’t! The article was about computers taking over the freaking world and how human kind will cease to exist when that happens!

“…[W]e're approaching a moment when computers will become intelligent, and not just intelligent but more intelligent than humans. When that happens, humanity — our bodies, our minds, our civilization — will be completely and irreversibly transformed. …[T]his moment is not only inevitable but imminent. According to […] calculations, the end of human civilization as we know it is about 35 years away.”

I’m not making this shit up. I was talking to my mom about the article and she said that my generation fucked everything up. We created this crazy social networking and always needing computers and phones to live our lives. She’s right and I hate it.

“So if computers are getting so much faster, so incredibly fast, there might conceivably come a moment when they are capable of something comparable to human intelligence. Artificial intelligence. All that horsepower could be put in the service of emulating whatever it is our brains are doing when they create consciousness — not just doing arithmetic very quickly or composing piano music but also driving cars, writing books, making ethical decisions, appreciating fancy paintings, making witty observations at cocktail parties.”

Some of you may argue that a computer can’t feel passion and I agree with that. Only humans can feel passion for something so for the sake of this, forget that the article mentions computers being able to appreciate a piece of art or music. I know that probably won’t happen, but the rest is scary. They say it’s only 35 years away. In 35 years, I’ll be 61 and hopefully the Earth won’t have exploded by then. I’m scared for my kids more than anything because at least at 61 I will have lead a long life. My kids might only be 30 by this time.

This article talks about something called Singularity and they define it as a transformation our species will make into something no longer recognizable as humanity.

“The difficult thing to keep sight of when you're talking about the Singularity is that even though it sounds like science fiction, it isn't, no more than a weather forecast is science fiction. It's not a fringe idea; it's a serious hypothesis about the future of life on Earth. There's an intellectual gag reflex that kicks in anytime you try to swallow an idea that involves super-intelligent immortal cyborgs, but suppress it if you can, because while the Singularity appears to be, on the face of it, preposterous, it's an idea that rewards sober, careful evaluation. People are spending a lot of money trying to understand it. The three-year-old Singularity University, which offers inter-disciplinary courses of study for graduate students and executives, is hosted by NASA. Google was a founding sponsor; its CEO and co-founder Larry Page spoke there last year. People are attracted to the Singularity for the shock value, like an intellectual freak show, but they stay because there's more to it than they expected. And of course, in the event that it turns out to be real, it will be the most important thing to happen to human beings since the invention of language.”

To me, this isn’t a good thing. I understand people experimenting with it because it might seem cool or insane and people are trying to prove it, but the more and more we prove that computers can act as humans, the more computers we have acting like humans.

I’ve seen ASIMO at Disneyland a million times and I never thought anything of it. I didn’t think anyone actually had a robot that could perform human function. Sure, in retrospect it’s a great robot for someone who is disabled, but humans can do that job too. Why build a computer to climb stairs for you when a perfectly good human can climb stairs for you? If I need to be taken care of for whatever reason, I want it to be a person who can talk to me and comfort me. Not a robot with no feelings or emotions. That robot won’t give a shit if I die. That robot won’t care that I’m in pain.

I know there are people who “live off the grid’ because they don’t want technology taking over, but a hand full of people living this way won’t change the way NASA operates. It won’t change the way people feel about computers. Yes, I love my computer and my iPhone. They allow me to do a lot, but I want to be in control of it. I want to be the one pushing the buttons and when I’m not pushing buttons, I want it to sit idly by until I come back to it. I don’t want it to talk to me or perform tasks for me, but I guess I’m alone here.

Fail Blog Friday

This is not ok with me. At the market, I try to avoid using the self check out machines because I’m not a fan of eliminating the man. I try to do things by hand when I can because again, I don’t want to eliminate people from their jobs. Well, I read an article the other day about the computer “Watson” playing on Jeopardy. The computer was able to answer questions right alongside other contestants and it even tied with one of them. That is not ok!!! Yes, it’s cool that computers have the ability to do those things, but has anyone ever seen the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey? The computer, Hal freaking tries to kill the dude. Hal can even read the astronauts lips. I mean that’s some scary shit. Also, has anyone ever read Fahrenheit 451? People are controlled by computers. So no thank you “Watson.” You can stay where you are. The fact that you’re smarter than me and don’t need me to tell you what to do is not ok!

Manic Monday

Talk about desperation. We all know Verizon lost A LOT of customers when the iPhone came out. I remember calling to make my change and the lady on the other end of the phone had a script that she read off of telling me how bad the iPhone was and not to switch to AT&T. That was desperation for sure. Well, now that Verizon is finally getting the iPhone, they’re offering people a $200 Visa gift card if they buy the new phone on their network. Wow. From my experience, Verizon is a better company. I had fewer dropped calls and more service in more places, but I know that Verizon’s iPhone won’t have the same functions as my current iPhone. I wouldn’t make the switch based on that knowledge. Over time, that may be fixed, but right now I wouldn't make the switch. $200 is a good offer, but I would also keep from making the switch simply because I don’t want to be bribed. Get me to come to your network because you have good products. Not because you’re bribing me. Another reason I left Verizon was because their phone options were horrible. I wanted a smart phone that wasn’t a Blackberry or a PDA and that’s all Verizon offered. They just recently got the Droid and that thing kind of sucks. So again, I stand by AT&T even though I have dropped calls and shitty signal. They’re just smarter with better products.

To top it all off, Verizon is having major network issues now. My office just recently switched to Verizon for our Blackberry's and recently people were complaining that emails weren't being sent when using the device. A lot of people complained to IT and it turns out Verizon's network is down. Awesome. Way to go Verizon. Right before this huge product comes into your hands, you screw it all up.

Overload!

Will there ever come a point where we all get sick of technology? I think I’m beginning to find the abundance of technology a little annoying. Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPhone and all the things I can do with it, but there’s a limit to the insanity. Starbucks, Disney, super markets, etc are making it so that the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Blackberry can act as digital wallets. You can take a club card, gift certificate, etc and plug the numbers into your phone and create a bar code that baristas can scan at the time of your purchases. The iPhone has been able to do this for a few months now, but more and more phones and companies are following suit. I watch my roommates plug in numbers and create bar codes for their super market cards, while I keep the little cards in my wallet and make the checkers scan them. I don’t want my phone to run my life. It’s bad enough that book stores are going out of business because we can all read on our phones and computers. It’s bad enough that I don’t need to remember anything because I can look it up on my phone. Sometimes I want to get rid of my smart phone and go back to the old school ways. I know people are starting to get sick of 3-D so I’m kind of hoping people will start getting sick of the fact that our phones are running our lives.

Technology Over Haul

I saw this article last week that made me really sad. It's a list of all the things kids born in 2011 will never know existed. I sent it to a co-worker and she asked me why it made me sad. I told her because we grew up with these things and my parents and grandparents used these things and in 10 years they will more than likely all be obsolete. She responded and said, “but think of all the great things replacing them.” Sigh. Maybe it’s just me, but I want to print this list out and keep it so when I have kids I can tell them all these things existed. With my parents still recording their TV shows on VHS tapes, I hope we’ll be ok.

Video tape: Starting this year, the news stories we produce here at Money Talks have all been shot, edited, and distributed to TV stations without ever being on any kind of tape. Not only that, the tape-less broadcast camera we use today offers much higher quality than anything that could have been imagined 10 years ago -- and cost less than the lens on the camera we were using previously.

Travel agents: While not dead today, this profession is one of many that's been decimated by the Internet. When it's time for their honeymoon, will those born in 2011 be able to find one?

The separation of work and home: When you're carrying an email-equipped computer in your pocket, it's not just your friends who can find you -- so can your boss. For kids born this year, the wall between office and home will be blurry indeed.

Books, magazines, and newspapers: Like video tape, words written on dead trees are on their way out. Sure, there may be books -- but for those born today, stores that exist solely to sell them will be as numerous as record stores are now.

Movie rental stores: You actually got in your car and drove someplace just to rent a movie?

Watches: Maybe as quaint jewelry, but the correct time is on your smartphone, which is pretty much always in your hand.

Paper maps: At one time these were available free at every gas station. They're practically obsolete today, and the next generation will probably have to visit a museum to find one.

Wired phones: Why would you pay $35 every month to have a phone that plugs into a wall? For those born today, this will be a silly concept.

Long distance: Thanks to the Internet, the days of paying more to talk to somebody in the next city, state, or even country are limited.

Newspaper classifieds: The days are gone when you have to buy a bunch of newsprint just to see what's for sale.

Dial-up Internet: While not everyone is on broadband, it won't be long before dial-up Internet goes the way of the plug-in phone.

Encyclopedias: Imagine a time when you had to buy expensive books that were outdated before the ink was dry. This will be a nonsense term for babies born today.

Forgotten friends: Remember when an old friend would bring up someone you went to high school with, and you'd say, "Oh yeah, I forgot about them!" The next generation will automatically be in touch with everyone they've ever known even slightly via Facebook.

Forgotten anything else: Kids born this year will never know what it was like to stand in a bar and incessantly argue the unknowable. Today the world's collective knowledge is on the computer in your pocket or purse. And since you have it with you at all times, why bother remembering anything?

The evening news: The news is on 24/7. And if you're not home to watch it, that's OK -- it's on the smartphone in your pocket.

CDs: First records, then 8-track, then cassette, then CDs -- replacing your music collection used to be an expensive pastime. Now it's cheap(er) and as close as the nearest Internet connection.

Film cameras: For the purist, perhaps, but for kids born today, the word "film" will mean nothing. In fact, even digital cameras -- both video and still -- are in danger of extinction as our pocket computers take over that function too.

Yellow and White Pages: Why in the world would you need a 10-pound book just to find someone?

Catalogs: There's no need to send me a book in the mail when I can see everything you have for sale anywhere, anytime. If you want to remind me to look at it, send me an email.

Fax machines: Can you say "scan," ".pdf" and "email?"

One picture to a frame: Such a waste of wall/counter/desk space to have a separate frame around each picture. Eight gigabytes of pictures and/or video in a digital frame encompassing every person you've ever met and everything you've ever done -- now, that's efficient. Especially compared to what we used to do: put our friends and relatives together in a room and force them to watch what we called a "slide show" or "home movies."

Wires: Wires connecting phones to walls? Wires connecting computers, TVs, stereos, and other electronics to each other? Wires connecting computers to the Internet? To kids born in 2011, that will make as much sense as an electric car trailing an extension cord.

Hand-written letters: For that matter, hand-written anything. When was the last time you wrote cursive? In fact, do you even know what the word "cursive" means? Kids born in 2011 won't -- but they'll put you to shame on a tiny keyboard.

Talking to one person at a time: Remember when it was rude to be with one person while talking to another on the phone? Kids born today will just assume that you're supposed to use texting to maintain contact with five or six other people while pretending to pay attention to the person you happen to be physically next to.

Retirement plans: Yes, Johnny, there was a time when all you had to do was work at the same place for 20 years and they'd send you a check every month for as long as you lived. In fact, some companies would even pay your medical bills, too!

Mail: What's left when you take the mail you receive today, then subtract the bills you could be paying online, the checks you could be having direct-deposited, and the junk mail you could be receiving as junk email? Answer: A bloated bureaucracy that loses billions of taxpayer dollars annually.

Commercials on TV: They're terrifically expensive, easily avoided with DVRs, and inefficiently target mass audiences. Unless somebody comes up with a way to force you to watch them -- as with video on the Internet -- who's going to pay for them?

Commercial music radio: Smartphones with music-streaming programs like Pandora are a better solution that doesn't include ads screaming between every song.

Hiding: Not long ago, if you didn't answer your home phone, that was that -- nobody knew if you were alive or dead, much less where you might be. Now your phone is not only in your pocket, it can potentially tell everyone -- including advertisers -- exactly where you are.

It's The End of The World as We Know It

I have been talking a little bit about the Apocalypse coming closer and closer, but I’m mostly joking. People thought all computers and technology were going to crash during Y2K and nothing happened because a lot of IT people were working around the clock to allow computers to transfer the date over. It was really no big deal and people freaked out anyway. Even if no one worked on the date transfer, I’m sure the world would have been just fine. Well now, people are saying the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012 meaning the world is going to end because the calendar ends when in actuality the calendar is a mathematical equation that never ends. People are also saying that phenomenons were predicted and every prediction has come true thus far causing an even bigger stir. I’m pretty sure we’re all going to be ok this time around as well, but there are a lot of people out there who have seen one too many end of the world movies and aren’t willing to take the risk.

Last night, I read an article in the LA Times about this guy who will be building underground bunkers in Barstow and selling them for an incredibly steep price of $1.7 million. These bunkers will be going 15 floors beneath the ground and they will be called “underground survival condos.” This makes me laugh a little. If the world does end, wouldn’t it explode from within or something? I mean, I would think the people underground would be harmed first, don’t you? I would think the core of the Earth would be the first to go if something were to actually happen. But one can also argue that the Earth survived when the dinosaurs were all killed off. Who knows. Bottom line is that people are going a little crazy. I’m still building my arc though.

Manic Monday

Well, the iPad came out this weekend and I have to say that it didn’t seem to be as big of a hit as the iPhone. Maybe it has something to do with the economy, but I was in the apple store the day it came out and there was no line. Yeah, there was a small crowd gathered around the table where the iPad was being displayed, but other than that, I saw a few people buying them and that was it. The apple store was closed on Sunday for Easter so if people wanted to buy them, they would have gone on Saturday. One guy bought a bunch at one time, but I’m sure it was to sell on eBay or something. I think the iPad is a waste. If you have an iPhone and a macbook, the iPad is kind of a waste of money. If you have any phone and any computer, the iPad is a waste. I wouldn’t buy it as an e-reader because it’s back lit and that would kill my eyes. I wouldn’t buy it for the email capabilities because I get that on my phone and my computer. I wouldn’t need the picture capabilities because I have iPhoto on my macbook. I just see no reason for it. I wonder if the rest of the world saw that too.

Technology Rules the World

We all know how insane the iPhone has become. It is the most popular cellular device out there. All other cell phone companies have lost many customers to AT&T because of the iPhone. Not too long ago I read an article that said that the early termination fee for Verizon customers will soon go up to $300. We all know this increase is to keep Verizon customers from switching over to AT&T.

I am an owner of an iPhone and I have to admit it is pretty freaking amazing. It can do everything except cook you dinner and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an app for that soon. You can keep track of your weight loss, your calendar, your Christmas list, play games, check what the wait is at your favorite Disneyland ride. The list just goes on and on. It is quite incredible. I do have fears that one day the iPhone will control our minds without us knowing because Apple is just that good.

The latest invention with the iPhone is pretty freaking scary. I logged on to CNN.com this morning and found a video that discusses how engineers figured out how to make the iPhone drive your car for you. Don’t get me wrong, that is pretty cool, but at the same time freaking terrifying. Who knows what they can make the iPhone do in the future. Again, who knows if the app for cooking your dinner is so far off. What do you think? Terrifying?