Nov 15, 2016 | Computer technology
Do you remember Google Glass? Well, not too many people do. And for those who do remember, the memories aren’t good ones. In fact, I don’t think Google wants to remember Google Glass. But Apple might invest in digital glass. Let’s go to the rumor mill: Will Apple invest in digital glasses?
Keep in mind, this is very early in the exploration phase. The glasses would connect to iPhones and iPod Touches only (keep in mind this is an Apple device). Also, it would show images and information while the wearer bears on the glasses. It’s kind of similar to what virtual reality does now. Rumor has it Apple is talking with suppliers. Furthermore, they’re ordering eye displays for testing. Let’s say the tests are successful. If they are, then we can see public display and promotion in 2018. But that’s best case scenario. When asked, Apple employees didn’t comment.
But Tim Cook’s company is somewhat in a peculiar phase. The iPhone sales are disappointing. Many tech insiders complain about the lack of new, revolutionary products. Cook sees the success of Pokemon Go and VR headsets. He studies augmented reality, or as it’s more commonly known, AR. Cook says Apple invests a lot in AR technology. Could AR glasses be the break Apple needs?
With all due respect Tim Cook, I don’t think so. Remember why Google Glass hardly sold? First of all, it was an invasion of privacy. With Google Glass, you took a picture with your eyelash. That alone opens up a lot of privacy abuse issues? Plus, Glass was expensive and exclusive. If Apple wants to invest in AR technology or VR technology, then invest in VR headsets. They are so much more successful that Google Glass ever was. I get Tim Cook wants to build the next revolutionary tech thing. But please, don’t go digital glass. It was a failure for Google. It will probably be a failure for Apple as well. How should Apple invest in AR and VR technology?
Nov 10, 2016 | Computer technology
Apparently, Donald Trump could be the least of Silicon Valley‘s problems. I’ve read articles that shook me to the core. Whether you run a computer service shop doing PC repairs, or you work in IT support and you?re the one people always go to to get their laptops fixed, you should be cautious. The whole IT community should be cautious. And they should all be asking the same question?Can robots replace IT jobs?
According to Vinod Khoslo, co-founder of Sun Microsystems (which Oracle bought out in 2010), the answer is yes. He should know since he helped launch the computer server. Khosla believes artificial intelligence (let’s just call them robots) will run every data center in America. Many IT and computer repair companies already use programs like managed services to automate a lot of their work. Imagine robots taking over the rest of the work that those companies use human technicians to do. Khosla spoke at a conference in San Francisco and stated robots can replace 80% of IT staff. He also says AI technology can replace most doctors. But as you can imagine, this doesn’t sit well with many people. He replied with the quote: “But we’re all in the other 20%, not the 80% that’s automated.”
Khosla said job automation will become normal in due time. Furthermore, he claims robots will be better than humans at diagnosing problems. I hate to say it, but evidence backs him on that claim. Companies have already started replacing human workers with programs that monitor, diagnose, and even in some cases fix, problems their systems have before they even realize the problems are there! They get full IT support without having to call a computer service shop or wait for their IT service to show up, and that?s just the beginning of how human workers are being replaced in this industry. In fact, automated data centers and corporate networks are becoming the order of the day.
Do you know what got me though? Vinod Khosla didn’t give a timeline of this change, but it sounds like he wants this sooner than later, and said he’s excited about such changes. I am not. Does it occur to Mr. Khosla how many lost jobs will come out of this? His quote about the 20% to 80% isn’t a good enough explanation, either. I want to believe no human jobs will be lost. I wish I could believe no human family will go without. But I know how human nature is, especially at the top. There are companies who’d rather replace cashiers with robots rather than give cashiers an extra wage. And we’re talking minimum wage. Imagine what those at the top would do to a technician working in computer repair making $15-$20 an hour. That’s scary, not exciting. Or I could be looking at this the wrong way. But what do you think? Can robots replace IT jobs?
Oct 26, 2016 | Computer technology
Amazon unveiled the new tablet. They call it the Fire HD 8. So, this new tablet has Alexa the Amazon voice. Therefore, Amazon’s new tablet?meets Alexa. Will they get along?
The Fire HD 8 is the first tablet that has Alexa’s support. But you don’t have to talk or shout to her. Hold down the home button and watch Alexa come to life. Also, it takes the same voice command as Amazon’s popular Echo devices. But be careful. Sure, use the Fire HD 8 to command Alexa while watching TV. But telling Alexa what to do while chopping wood or cutting potatoes…not a good idea. Due to one hand being on the home button, you’re limited to following Alexa’s instruction. What if you need both hands to do something?
Nonetheless, you can’t beat the price. The Fire HD 8 costs $90. It has super speed, but many complain about bad battery life. From what I read, it’s about 10 hours. Apparently, the new Alexa feature costs the user nothing. They didn’t mark up the price when they added this new feature. Some are notorious for doing this. There’s also the experiment ‘voice cast’. This displays request cards on your Amazon Echo or Fire tablet. But don’t go trying out the ‘voice cast’ yet. It’s still in test mode. It will probably take six weeks for it to be out. When it is, it will be available for New Echo Dot. I doubt it will ever be available for The Fire HD.
I have mixed to good feelings for this Fire HD. The price is only $90! This comes at a time when new smartphones will cost you $600 or even more. And even then, they can explode on you. Isn’t that right, Samsung? So a $90 price on a tablet that talks is refreshing. What’s not so refreshing is holding a button down so it can talk. That puts physical limitation on the user. And, there are few things more annoying than a device you have to charge every time you blink. So I wold give the Fire HD a B-. It’s a good device to have, but could use a couple of improvements. What grade would you give Fire HD 8?
Oct 24, 2016 | Computer technology
Yesterday, I wrote a blog about the late David Bunnell. He is the father of tech media. He also has a legacy of social justice. ?In the 1980s, he criticized the tech industry for being, ‘a white male revolution’. Maybe he was onto something. Because women in computer jobs fall…and keep falling.
Research says women in the computer tech workforce could fall to 22% by 2025, while it’s at 24% now. Just think…women made up for 37% of computer based jobs back in 1995. In addition to that, the news goes further downhill. Only 18% of computer science majors are young women. In 1984, that number was 37%. And another thing: Silicon Valley is just as bad. In the tech capital of America, only 30% of employees are women. But women make up for 51% of the US population.
A group called Girls Who Code work hard to combat this trend. They’re encouraging women and girls to pursue computer science careers. They want to increase the number of women in computer jobs to 39% by 2025. Girls Who Code runs computer science summer camps for girls. They hosts conferences to get women of all ages interested in computer science.??Reshma Saujani, CEO of girls who code, urges teaching computer science to girls at an early age.
But despite efforts of Girls Who Code, and Silicon Valley leaders like Sheryl Sandberg, the gap isn’t getting better. Instead, it’s getting worse. We need less legal changes and more cultural changes. Another statistic says girls and boys are equal in math and science. But come college time, most computer science majors are men. I remember this commercial from several years ago. This young girl is playing with a computer. The parent yanks the computer toy away, and gives her a doll instead. Another girl says she wants to work in computers. The people laugh at her. We need to change this mind set. Let’s encourage all our young people, especially girls, to live their dreams. If they want to be computer technicians, teach and encourage. America’s future might depend on it. How else might we bridge this gap?
Oct 19, 2016 | Computer technology, Software
The 1930s was the decade of radio. The 1950s was the decade of television. The 1990s was the decade of Internet. The 2010s is the decade of smart technology. We have smart watches. In addition to that, we have the new smart crib: a good idea?
There’s a smart crib called Smoo. It seems like Smoo automatically puts crying babies to sleep. That’s because it mimics the womb. It rocks the baby back and forth. Also, it comes with a swabbling blanket. Also, it has straps. The blankets and straps stops the baby from rolling over into dangerous places. This prevents SIDS and other catastrophes.
Here’s another Smoo addition: built in microphones. They detect when the baby cries. It detects how loud the baby is. As a result, the crib plays noises, depending on how loud the baby cries. It rocks while it plays noises. The noises mimic heartbeats from an ultrasound machine heard during a sonogram. But when it’s baby bedtime, swaddle baby in the organic blankets provided. It begins the calming process. ?The Smoo cribs come in small, medium and large. Most noteworthy is Smoo’s cost. The cost is $1,150. It begs the question: How much do sleep and sanity costs?
But if you ask me, $1,150 is far too much for any crib. I don’t care if it performs miracles. That is an insane number for a crib. If Smoo wants any business at all, they must lower the costs so more Americans can afford it. Other than that, the smart crib can work. It can give parents the rest they’re deprived of. Just keep in mind…Smoo is for newborns and infants only! This smart crib won’t help toddler tantrums. It won’t help your older kids get their grades up. And it won’t keep bad boys away from your teen daughter…or bad girls away from your teen son. Hence, this is for small babies only. But it can keep your babies quiet, happy and at peace. Thank goodness Smoo can do that. But is $1,150 worth the peace and sanity?
Oct 12, 2016 | Computer technology, youtube
Have you seen the commercials of Amazon’s Alexa? Alexa is Amazon’s talking machine. You speak a command to Alexa. She answers and carries it out. But wait…there’s more. In addition to commands, there’s music. As a result, Amazon, Alexa and music unlimited combine forces.
Amazon launches Amazon Music Unlimited. For $3.99 a month, customers get unlimited access to over 10 million songs. Furthermore, that’s twice the amount Apple Music costs. It’s several times the amount of Jay Z’s Tidal service. Seems like that’s the streaming service nobody wants. But there’s a catch. This service is available through Amazon devices only (like Echo or Amazon Tap). Also, you need Amazon Prime membership. With your own devices, you’ll pay $7.99. Without Amazon Prime membership nor Amazon device, you’ll pay $9.99 a month.
So, what does Alexa have to do with this? Quite a bit, actually. With Amazon Music Unlimited, you can ask for any song. For instance, you want to hear ‘No’ by Meghan Trainior. Just tell Alexa, “That new hot one by Meghan Trainor,” or the title and artist. You’ll get the song. Here’s another way you use Alexa. You want to hear a certain genre, or a certain decade. You don’t know, or you don’t care, what song it is. Say, “Alexa, play 1990s grunge”. You might get Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” or Soundgarden’s ?”Black Hole Sun”. Hence, the possibilities are endless.
Amazon seems obsessed with dominating every aspect of our lives. They want to shop for us at grocery stores. They ship for us everyday of the week. Now, they want to play our music. I must admit, Amazon Music Unlimited is a great start. With the program alone, it rivals Apple Music and Spotify. However, you have to join Amazon Prime get an Amazon device to get the generous $3.99 a month price. I have mixed feeling about that one. But Alexa’s assistance in music titles, genres and even year and decades, is a huge plus. Just don’t expect me to ask Alexa to play any music from this decade! But back to this $3.99 price bargain. Will it get people to get Prime and devices? Or will it hinder people from getting Amazon Music Unlimited?
