The Future is Not here.

  • Thread starter Der Alta
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Der Alta

Der Alta

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DerAlta
In recent months/years, we've seen the technology Industry steadily decline.

They've blamed the economy, war jitters, and even SARS.

You know what I think?

Everything has been centered around a PC. This is where everything is stalling. The growth in technology is that it should be everywhere, and unnoticeable. Yes, I mean handhelds that I can link to my main office from. A laptop that works on a wireless LAN. No more 5 GIG operating systems.

I want voice recognition software operated from a choker chain on my next. I want a monitor system that is projected onto my glasses lenses.

Have we not recognizd that this world is being turned into a last minute process.

My main office in Vermont will prep a board for a client presentation. They will then e-mail it to me, I deliver it on CD to Kinkos, and they print and mount it in 3 hours. What we used ot have to do, was have it ready two days in advance One to print and mount it, and another to overnight it. Now, we've trimmed it down to finishing the prep work at 10am for a 4 pm meeting.

I want to be able to trim that even shorter. I want to have them work on it until 4:45, load it to a server, and I can download it to the handheld on my hip. I wirelessly beam that into my projector, and shoot it onto a wall.

I can dictate through my chocker necklace, to note changes, and at the end of the meeting e-mail my minutes back to the team in the Main office.

The future is not sitting here at my desk in front of a PC. It's bringing all of the connections and documents with me where I need to be when I need to be there.

Sorry, just frustrated with having to deliver presentations all over the place, when i know there is an easier way to do it.

Your thoughts?

AO
 
I remember when I first got my computer and I was first noticing how the internet and computer technology in general changes one's life in huge ways. It was only a week or so before I envisioned every house having a computer in it somewhere, but not some big hulking box and a fifty pound monitor taking up an entire room (how many houses now have "the computer room"). Rather, it would be more like your water heater or air filtration system. It would be invisible, and if working properly, totally out of mind. Some where there'd be an inconspicuous control center like a thermostat in the hallway. If you need a screen you could just use your TV. A keyboard, if desired, would be wireless and stashed under the couch for use any time. The computer would be the heartbeat of the house and operate in the background, letting you occupy yourself with more important things.

But people still see computers as a novelty. They are still trying to make them stylish instead of useful. Technology companies are inventing new gimmicks, new stuff with no substance. One of my favorite examples is text messaging on mobile phones. Apparently punching in sentence fragments is more advanced than actually speaking to someone remotely??? It's all toys for the masses.

I heard on NPR yesterday that several parks in NYC now have free wi-fi access. Anybody with a device can sit down in the park and use the internet. The implications of this are truly astounding to me. It is the first significant step toward total information accessibility I've seen in a while. If they can do it there they can do it everywhere people are. I don't know how many times I've wished I had internet access when there was none. This could fix that problem (they could use DA's glasses lens projection idea).

Eventually, as the internet becomes more and more necessary and less of a luxury/novelty, the public's perception of it will change to that of a utility. Concurrent with this will be a shift of its development from fad/gimmick driven development to useful development.
 
I had a massive post typed up, and then my computer mysteriously shut down, so here is a basic summary:

There is a Sydney show with some of the technologies you described AO, but unfortunately at the moment they are only available to rich people, many of them costing upwards of 5,000-10,000 dollars. So, instead of going where they are needed (businesses) they're just probably going into the houses of rich people, to be used a few times, and then go to waste...
 
Originally posted by milefile
One of my favorite examples is text messaging on mobile phones. Apparently punching in sentence fragments is more advanced than actually speaking to someone remotely???
Click to expand...
Eh, there have been many times when I wish I had had a cell phone with text messaging during my English class... Seriously, my teacher seems to strive to be a bore.

Regarding the topic at hand, I've often felt the same. Computers should be a more integral part of our lives... right now, you still have to go to certain places to actually harness that technology.

Being the Apple advocate that I am, I will have to note that Apple has taken a huge step forward in the right direction by introducing its Rendezvous technology... Rendezvous (not the Buick!) is a type of networking that doesn't need any configuring. With the addition of Bluetooth, this technology already has awesome potential... In the extremely near future, you will be able to buy Bluetooth-equipped printers and peripherals, and instead of connecting them with USB cords to your computer and dealing with drivers, you'll be able to just set your laptop within several feet of the peripheral and it'll automatically "connect" with it, without even telling it to do so. This has huge potential...
 
Now that's what I'm talking about.

From my handheld/hip pocket computer I should be able to access the printer to my immediate left, without having to worry about drivers, cables, configurations...

[sidebar: I can print on 14 different japanese envelopes on my plotter, which for it's entire life has held nothing but a 36" wide roll.]

From my handhled that I plug into my GPS system in my car, I should be able to view the menu at any restaurant (and get directions to) with a 1 mile radius. I should be able to pull up the location of any gas station with in 25 miles.

How many times have I been cruising to a meeting, and really wanted to get mapquest?

I also think that verizon and Dell should team up to make a handheld that can have software loaded into it, so that I can use it as my cell phone/car phone. Again, all talking done through my chocker chain microphone.

The Rendezvous technology sounds great. The Wi-Fi in New York is fantastic.

The reality is that I'm going to have to wait ten years before it comes on-line where I live.

Thanks for the input.

AO
 
Well, think about what the 'net was 5 years ago, and think of it today. Double it, and double that. We'll be there in 5 years from now.

The thing is, despite huge technological advances, computer processing is still the holdup. Once we get to the point where you never have to wait for the computer, engineering will move onto the size issue. Once that is solved, and computer minimum sizes are limited by the convenience of using them, rather than by the components that have to fit in the box, then engineering will move onto the kind of integration and convenience that you are looking for. That will take a while, but it will happen.
 
I think Size is already coming to a point where we are really small and compact.

Processor speed is approaching 4gigahetz. I'd love to have a compact OS that can run a big machine. Think MS PocketPC on a 4 GIG machine. Would I really need a 120 gig Hard drive?

This is the frustrating part of technology. Do many different companies building encumbered software because they have to provide for every possible connection.

As for size, how's this for a 1gig hard drive? And the 4 gig Version will be out at the end of this year.

AO
 

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I saw a special on Discovey about student projects at MIT. You might wanna look there, considering they have developed many 'wearable' computers. Nothing extremely efficient yet like your thinking of though.
 
Well, the USB toothbrush is proof enough that we've got it made!

I think neon_duke's point is correct, imporvements come when things get streamlined, not necessarily when we have a one-chip-fits-all type of microprocessor production mentality.

I think there's plenty of new stuff to bulid, but we're centered on computers because that's what people are buying. Thank goodness there's some oversight on cars getting the same tech goodies, or there would be serious safety issues. Some ultra-expensive new homes in So. FL are getting voice recognition hardware/software, but the complaint's been that it doens't work 100%...or more aptly, 25%!

There's still a long way to go...sometimes great ideas need both capital and patience to work out in the end.
 
Here's where I disagree.

The attached picture is of a 386sx computer (from 4 years ago). This is hte entire motherboard. with the additional of one more board that screws to the back of this, it has everything you need. Simply connect to your peripherals, and you're up and running on Windows.

With the addition of the 4 gig HD mentioned above, and the bluetooth combination, the only thing missing is the wire stringing from building to building.

This is what I find aggravating. All the pieces are there, the companies are simply too concerned with "Their piece of the pie" that they hold all their cards tight to their vest.

Now don't get me wrong, if I spent 4 years develping and tuning a product, I'm not likely to give it away. But if you can produce it and market it and people want it, pick out the nearest/lowest bidder and start firing htem out the door. In three years, you'll have made millions.

Just my aggravation.

AO
 
The thing is that what you're suggesting requires real intelligence. In an age where we're only just coming to grips with Bluetooth and WiFi, we're really not ready for that. I ask you: what's to stop your wireless PDA from wirelessly syncing with the server in your office? Nothing, right?

So, what's to stop it from syncing with the server in the office in the next building? Or choosing the wrong printer? It's all in the configurations. You either have to restrict it with wires, or make everything so fast it can do anything (what you want being a subset of that), or finally, you have to imbue all the devices with some sort of intelligence.

There's a thread in the Questions and Comments forum asking if GTP is an out-of-the-box forum. It's not. It's heavily customized, and by a user who really knows what they're doing. vBulletin will do what Jordan wants, but only because he knows what he wants. You're basically asking for systems that auto-configure and can read your mind.

And that's not going to happen for a while.
 
Thread dredging time.

I was cleaning out some of my old attachments, and came across this thread.

I've owned a Motorola Q for 18 months+ now, and it works almost exactly like I described above.

This thread is only 5 years old, and it amazes me to see the progression of technology in that short of time.
 
Its kind of odd reading through a thread like this, its amazing how far we've come in 5 years. I loved the bit where you Der Alta shows us the tiny 4Gb HDD, and now what? We have ipods with 120Gb flash drives of the same size holding more songs than our own memories can remember!

So where do we go from now?

Right now Ireland is rolling out wireless broadband across the country (most is done already) and all will be done by August 2010, with speeds of at least 3.2Mb/s and above using some form of 3G technology. Now why is this significant?

Well if (and its a big if) the Government were to pay for this broadband, which is widely seen now as an essential utility, and possibly charge the people a tax for it, then here at least everyone would have quite fast broadband 100% of the time. This could mean then that everyone could have some sort of device which would just automatically connect to the network, a small, simple uncomplicated device. Then possibly people could purchase virtual OS's. So say you have bought Windows 7, and you start up your machine and then it prompts you just to pick your OS (ideally this is all the power it would need really) then you log into Windows 7. Now your also connected to a cloud computing network which is used to carry out all the tasks you ask from the OS, and of course your HDD is non-existent, instead you have a space for your own documents on the internet, just like Windows Skydrive etc. So in theory we would all only need one device a type of VDU only, perhaps with a few forms of input eg microphone, touch screen etc.

Then of course you would also need your home DSL or whichever network, to do much more bandwidth intensive tasks, such as your internet connected only TV, or your PS3's online services.

But the possibilities are almost endless if a free-to-all broadband service was available. Live health reports streaming continulously to you hospital or health insurer, and if somethings wrong an emergency file is sent to your doctor, who then decides whether or not to send out an ambulance which then can have access to your GPS, then they scan some network to see if other Ambulances have been sent there and so on and so forth.

Or am I getting way to far ahead of myself. I guess I'll still be carrying round this laptop for a lot lot longer.
 
Wow, things really have come a long way since then. The Blackberry and iPhone, arguably, have been driving a lot of the technology you were talking about in the OP. Considering that there are a lot of devices that do what you're talking about now for well under $200, its just amazing how far we've come - and yet - how far we have to go to meet any of those silly estimations that people used to make in the '70s and '80s on the '00s.
 
I think when it comes to any sort of technology the reliability aspect should be considered much more than it is these days. Sure, it's easy once you get used to it. For the most part it saves time. But you know what, when my wireless net dies for just a split second it really screws with my online headshot percentage.

So, make it work every time first and then you can make it easy and widespread and sell it for astronomical prices and whatnot.

Also, some people don't enjoy being busy while on the go, like myself. I'd rather take care of my online business at home, relaxing in front of my computer.
 
So what's the benefit of a throat mic/ear bud combo rather than a Bluetooth earphone/mic combo?
 
One of your ears is not obstructed and you don't look like a fool with a bright blue glowy ear. But of course you're still talking to yourself sooooooo...

...I'll just have a typical cell phone, thanks.
 
Honestly, they look like unused headphones to me. I suppose that if you were wearing it under a collar or something like DA suggested, this could be avoided.
 
They should also benefit because all sound would be picked up directly off your throat, hopefully reducing background noise.
 
*chuckle* you DO know who originally invented the throat contact mics, right? they wear boots, goosestep, and start with an N. they used them in Tanks.

I've seen technology progress more, and damn quick, in Entertainment devices. unfortunately, the old quote about cost is right on the nose.you have to wait 5-10 years for the cost to come down for stuff to become common. something to think about is that a VCR in the 70's sold for around 1500 bucks. put that in today's money, I dare ya...that was half a Japanese car, and a third of an american expensive or European import. when new, a simple single disk CD player in the 80's sold for 800 bucks, and the unit was the size of a computer tower. I remember when friggin videotapes sold for 89.95 APIECE if you wanted to snatch a movie when it first came off the truck.
technology takes time to filter down to common, cheap and fast...while the other half of the population is starting to go into panic mode that the world will be swallowed in Concrete and glass and sterilized to death by all the technology.
we're not gonna get all the "star trek" level stuff as fast as you think. they have to make it safe, recyclable, and biodegradable FIRST.
 
Philly
Apparently in one rant, DA has influenced the progression of technology...
Click to expand...
Yes, I am that good. :D

ExigeEvan
They should also benefit because all sound would be picked up directly off your throat, hopefully reducing background noise.
Click to expand...
That was my intent. Eliminate background noise, and improve clarity.

Sniffs
*chuckle* you DO know who originally invented the throat contact mics, right? they wear boots, goosestep, and start with an N. they used them in Tanks.

I've seen technology progress more, and damn quick, in Entertainment devices. unfortunately, the old quote about cost is right on the nose.you have to wait 5-10 years for the cost to come down for stuff to become common. something to think about is that a VCR in the 70's sold for around 1500 bucks. put that in today's money, I dare ya...that was half a Japanese car, and a third of an american expensive or European import. when new, a simple single disk CD player in the 80's sold for 800 bucks, and the unit was the size of a computer tower. I remember when friggin videotapes sold for 89.95 APIECE if you wanted to snatch a movie when it first came off the truck.
technology takes time to filter down to common, cheap and fast...while the other half of the population is starting to go into panic mode that the world will be swallowed in Concrete and glass and sterilized to death by all the technology.
we're not gonna get all the "star trek" level stuff as fast as you think. they have to make it safe, recyclable, and biodegradable FIRST.
Click to expand...
Indeed it does. Look at the date on my first post, and see how long its taken to go from an idea in my head, to affordable reality.

As for the Nazi's inventing it, they also invented the Jet engine.

Now, I hadn't thought of the netbook idea. If only this wasn't a concept. If they could incoporate the throat mic, a webcam/5MP camera, GPS, and sit it on a 4g wireless network with "cloud computing", I could see it eclipsing the use of smartphones/laptops. Just gotta work out that battery issue.

Configure the screen to also act as a solar cell, along with a kinetic battery charger (movement charges the battery) and I'd never need to sit down at a desk again.

That is what I see coming. The availability of infomation/communication/contact anywhere at anytime.
 

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