There are millions of blogs out there. While bloggers communicate with their readers with written language, I am wondering how attractive it would be for readers to view videos of bloggers speaking on various subjects. Qik Video Streaming allows streaming videos from mobile phones, and such content could appear on blogs or related sites like Facebook. I am pretty sure that video streaming blogs will not replace traditional blogs. On the other hand, I am also pretty sure that some bloggers will want to integrate video streaming to some degree. Qik Video Streaming has a latency of around 1-2 seconds, so it is pretty efficient. Time will tell how popular it will become. While it may not become very popular within a year or two, I think that video streaming will gain on popularity when fast broadband connections will be even more accessible. Many Internet users have download limits set by their Internet service providers so they cannot download as much data as they would like. However, this is also likely to change and this is one of the reasons why video streaming might gain on popularity in the future. Of course, it does not mean that regular blogs will disappear.
Blog, Tech, Web
Computer games have been around for a long time now, and it might even seem that they have been with us forever. However, computer games really gained in popularity during the last twenty years, as the technology became more accessible. When we look at the influence of games, it is hard to say exactly what their influence is, but the trained eye will be able to see some important facts. First of all, games are something that can really draw people’s attention. They can be quite addictive, and they are also challenging. They also give a sense of accomplishment when the game is won. One can wonder what would happen if computer games were invented a few hundred years ago. Maybe we could have avoided a couple of wars because of that. When you think about it, winning a game could give a sense of accomplishment which wars often revolved around. Rulers who were greedy for power might have sometimes declared wars just to prove that they are the strongest. Is it a coincidence that there are less wars these days than there were a couple of hundred years ago? What is your opinion? What influence do computer games have on our society?
If we look at the current trend, it is easy to notice that computer games are selling very well even during recession. That is because they are relatively inexpensive taking into account for how many hours they can entertain us. Games are an economical choice and maybe that is why they are so popular.
Tech
Scientists are working on a system which could allow people to feel shapes and objects of 3D designs on computers. This is supposed to be achieved without any inconvenient mechanical gear. The research took place in Carnegie Mellon University, and it was announced that the system would be based on a touch-based interface, without using any gloves or force feedback. This device is going to provide the most realistic sense of touch of any haptic interface in the world today. Users will move a control handle while optical sensors measure the position and orientation of the device in relation to objects displayed on the user PC, while electrical coils inside the device receive signals and interact with magnets, causing the unit to levitate. While the description of the device might seem a bit complicated, I think that it has really great potential. This device sounds like it might be very useful, but additionally I think that it also sounds like a lot of fun. Such 3D designs could be used for games, various programs, or even for education purposes. While this technology is not exactly as sophisticated as the holodec from Star Trek, it is certainly a step in the right direction.
Tech
In today’s world we are being encouraged to multitask. When you drive a car, you might be required to talk to your children or on the phone, eat while watching the news etc. While multitasking can be tiring, it can actually be a lot of fun. It allows you to do at least two things at the time, and thus use your time more effectively. There are many activities which can be combined together like, for example, eating and watching TV. Why would you just look at your food, if you can watch news at the same time? Additionally, many doctors argue that talking with full mouth is not healthy, and thus it is not the best idea to talk with family members while eating a meal. Many children and teenagers do their homework and watch TV simultaneously. This might be more difficult, so I would not recommend it in most situations. However, if someone can focus on doing his homework while listening to music or watching TV, then there is nothing wrong about that. I know that many people dislike multitasking, but in many situations it is beneficial. In my opinion, you do not have to worry about multitasking as long as you use your time more effectively this way. Some people can concentrate on a lot of different things at the same time. However, if multitasking is making you tired, then you should consider doing just one thing at a time.
Tech
One reason why many people buy a Personal Data Assistant is to be able to organize their plan of the day. You can easily fit your PDA in a pocket, and use it in the subway or train. This is the reason why this small device is an excellent reminder of what else you have to do during the day. To make this even easier and more convenient, you can organize your PDA desktop so that it will include categories like notes, tasks, calendars, business events etc. Start with very few basic categories and try to develop them as you go into more categories. If you wish, you can use a simple software that will help your organize your plan of the day like a calendar. Remember that by creating categories you increase your productivity and make your notes easier to find.
While not everyone might benefit from a PDA, it is especially useful for those who tend to be late appointments. If you notice that very often you miss appointments or you are late for work, it means that you could benefit a lot from having a PDA. These days Personal Data Assistants are relatively inexpensive, and you can probably find a bargain on eBay.
Tech
Some movies are known to have great dialogues. Just the only problem with movies is that as a viewer you do not have influence over the dialogues in any way. When it comes to computer games, the situation is completely different. The developers of games can allow users to choose what their in-game character will say, but I feel that they do not use this liberty as much as they could. To truly feel like you are your in-game character you need to have influence over the actions of your avatar, and this includes what he will say in specific situations. Games like Neverwinter Nights, or Knights of the Old Republic are examples of games that contain hundreds of pages of dialogues. At the same time, they allow the player to choose what he will respond to non-player characters. This adds a new dimension to games, because you are faced with many choices. On the other hand, movies do not allow you to make any choices. However, I believe that this may change in the near future. Would it not be exciting if there existed interactive movies that would allow you to make some decisions regarding the behavior of the main character in the movie?
Tech
Almost everybody who watches Jon Stewart from the Daily Show knows that you cannot believe everything he is saying, because his program is a so-called fake news show. However, things are different on the Internet. With so many new websites being created, you might not realize that what you are reading is not true. There are many hoax websites on the Internet with the goal of misleading their readers. Some of them are more misleading than others. Let us look, for example, at MoonBeam Enterprise, which advertises as an ultimate place to buy your property on the Moon. Probably, you would not fall for it, but you will be surprised to find out how many people actually fell for this hoax. My advice is, whatever you read or watch on the Net, be prepared for misleading websites and scammers.
It is so easy to get scammed these days. For example, you might have received a scam email like this: “Congratulations! You are the 1,000,000th 1-800-Mail visitor! YOU WON $400! Recently, we have reached 120,000 members. 1-800-Mail has over 4,000,000 visits monthly, so we decided to give cash prizes every 1,000,000th visitor every month. This month, you are the one of 4 winners who will get $400 from 1-800-Mail!”
When you click on the link, you will be redirected to a website which looks like 1-800-Mail, but apparently has a different domain address. After I visited the site, you might be asked for your PayPal email address to “claim the reward”. You have to realize that the email could be used to spam you in the future, and that they would not pay you anything. Watch out for such type of scams, because some are more dangerous than others. You can benefit a lot from using the Internet, but you should also be aware of potential dangers.
Tech, Web
Most computer users these days have a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitor, and they prefer it over any type of traditional CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor. If you still have a CTR monitor, then perhaps you should consider replacing it. Here are some reasons why that might be a good idea:
• The price of LCD monitors is falling all the time, and even though LCDs might still be more expensive than CRTs, the price difference is not that big. There are many palces where you can buy an inexpensive LCD monitor.
• LCD monitors take a lot less space than traditional ones. This is an important point for anyone who does not have a lot of space on his desk. Carrying a LCD monitor is a lot easier.
• There is generally a better image quality on an LCD monitor. That is because it uses more advanced technology. The future definitely belongs to LCD monitors.
• LCDs consume less energy and are more efficient. This could save you a lot of money if you spend a lot of time in front of your computer.
• CTR monitors can cause eye-strain due to their flicker rate. You will not suffer from the same problem using an LCD monitor. Because of this it is possible to spend more hours in front of a LCD without being tired.
• The response time of an LCD monitor is a lot faster than that of a CRT which is very important if you are a gamer or watch movies.
Tech
To some people it might appear that the Internet contains only pages written in English. Of course, this is not true and there are a lot of interesting and useful sites that are Spanish, German, or French. Even if you do not know these languages you can still read such sites by using translation tools. My favorite translation tool is Google Translate as it can translate between over 20 languages including the ones that I mentioned. All you have to do is visit translate.google.com, and indicate from which to what language you want to translate. There is even a feature to detect the language automatically if you are not sure what language the text is. I benefited from this site a lot, and I know you will like it as well.
Biz, Education, Tech, Web
There is no doubt that there is substantial progress in technology. This obviously also applies to games, and includes empire management games. I can only wonder how such games will look like in 20-50 years. When I was thinking about it, I remembered a Stargate Atlantis episode. I do not remember the name of the episode, but it was about Shepherd and Rodney who were controlling two rival empires through an interface that looked like a computer. Those empires really existed and were located on a distant planet. Whatever orders were given by Shepherd or Rodney through the computer were in reality applied on the planet. The whole game was very realistic and that is what made it so appealing. Wouldn’t it be great if we would have such realistic games in the future? I think that we might have as the progress in technology is exponential, rather than linear. I am not saying that I would like to control the life of real people like Rodney did, however, I would like the game to be as realistic as possible. Games are already quite realistic, but I am sure that each year they will keep improving – just like it has been for the last two or three decades.
Tech