It’s four days until Christmas. But you don’t know to get that person on your list. However, you do know you’re not getting anybody that $1,000 iPhone X. At least I hope not. But here are last minute holiday tech gifts: for 2017.
One of the biggest IT support gadget crazes this year is the voice assistant. And if you think it’s too expensive, then Google and Amazon can help your dilemma. Because both Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot go for as little as $30. However, if you must get an expensive smart phone this year, help then keep it safe and clean. You can do that with an Speck case for as little as $20.
Now this next one is a little controversial for my taste. I say that because it’s a tracker. But it isn’t to track people…necessarily. Trackers like Tile Mate helps that person who is always misplacing stuff, like keys, wallet, phone, etc… (hey, don’t look at me…okay who are we kidding…I’m guilty as sin with this one!). This Bluetooth tracker will help you find where it is. It can even do it on silent mode. This is really helpful if you’re in the movies, church, or business meeting.
And I can’t talk about gift giving without talking about entertainment gifts. There are gift cards for Apple, Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, and even Comixology. Because even in our computer service shop, there is somebody who can’t get enough comic books. Let’s face it…wherever there are computer geeks, there are those who can’t get enough comics. These are just a handful of ideas that I came across. And guess what the cool thing is? You can get these gifts for well under $50. Think about it. That’s less than 5% of that dreaded thing you were about to get somebody. Plus, is there anybody even worth a $1,000 iPhone? What are your last minute holiday tech gifts?
Space X CEO and IT support guru Elon Musk wants Mars so bad. He also wants us to go there, too (well, the most elite of us, at least). His Falcon Heavy rocket plans to launch as early as this month. It’ll also have his car on it. Elon Musk Sends Tesla car to Mars.
Furthermore, his car radio will play David Bowie’s classic hit, “Space Oddity”. You can read his excitement on his tweets he sent out yesterday. Musk expects they will launch his Falcon Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida sometime this month. Or it will be early 2018 at the very latest. But in the net tweet, five minutes later, he admitted the car could blow up during take off. However, that’s the risk he seems willing to take. If it survives, then he said, “Will be in deep space for a billion years or so…”. In other words, he doesn’t expect to see his expensive Tesla ever again. Falcon Heavy follows Falcon 9, and it’s stronger, too. They want to use it for more trips and missions between Mars and the Moon. In fact, Falcon Heavy is three Falcon 9’s strapped together. So now, it can serve beyond Earth’s Orbit.
But that’s not all. Space X wants to recover all the rockets that power Falcon Heavy. He even wants to pour more of his money, talent and resources into rocket technology. But everybody in computer repair, and many others, knows what Musk really wants. He wants to do this to send people to build colonies on Mars and the Moon. I’m talking permanent colonies. He’s not the only one in tech who wants to do this. Because Stephen Hawking believes our only hope is to evacuate Earth and move to Mars. His words, not mine. Elon Musk sends Tesla car to Mars. He wants to send us, too (well, only those he think are worthy). Do you think he will?
Yesterday, I talked about a West African tech firm making it big. So now, it’s Europe’s turn. There’s an IT support venture firm they call Atomico. They offered the state of European tech: It’s actually pretty good.
So according to Atomico, 2017 is a banner year. First, Europe invested a record $19 billion in regional startups. Then, over 50 tech firms made over $50 million in Europe. That’s also a record. In fact, seven IT service and tech firms crossed the billion dollar worth mark this year. So who are the heroes? They include Rovio, a gaming studio in Finland They gave us Angry Birds. They also include Outfit 7, a mobile app company that started in Slovenia. Because they develop apps for Apple and Android.
Even Atomico itself has their part to play in this. At their London headquarters, they raised over $765 million in venture capital in 2017 alone. Other European venture companies helped out as well. For instance,?Sequoia Capital helped invest $50 million in a AI company in Bristol, England. And yes, Silicon Valley venture companies invested in the state of European tech. So when somebody ask, “What does this have to do with me or us?, that’s what. Even American companies, those who make the computer tech products you use daily, contribute to the state of European tech.
You know, the last couple of years in Europe haven’t been that good. The continent endured terrorist attacks, racial/ethnic tensions, political shakeups, and then some. So Europe can use some good news right now. And here is some. You know, come to think of it, I haven’t reported too much on Europe as far as computer repair or technology is concerned. So this is a good step. But where does Europe go from here? Will all of this venture capital produce jobs, the jobs that this continent so definitely needs? Will it help Europe?
When we think of computer technology and IT support, what countries do we think of? Probably the US, China, Korea, and a handful of others? But what about West Africa? Could West African tech get it’s big break?
In Nigeria, there is a tech firm they call Interswitch. It helps with Nigeria’s banking system; it also offers payment infrastructure. In fact, they got so big they were about to go on the London Stock Excahnge. Interswitch would be the first African tech firm to do so. But there are obstacles. A Nigerian recession, a sliding currency, and acts of terrorist violence are holding Interswitch back.
While their stock exchange debut is delayed, Interswitch is still optimistic. One executive assured their company will be on the stock market before December 2019. Even Nigerian politicians are hopeful. For instance, one Minister of Communication says the time is right for them to go public. Though this West African tech company poises to be the first to go public, they’re not the only ones. A Kenyan grocery store company and a rival Nigerian tech firm Flutterware are also contenders. But even rivals say Interswitch is the best African tech company to be the first to go public.
But what does this have to do with me? Well, it levels the global playing field as far as tech. In fact, I think this this is the first blog I have done on West African tech. I hope to do more. Sometimes, I think this continent gets a bad break. You ask the average person what they think about Africa. Images of extreme poverty, war, and mayhem probably come to mind. It’s time to change that. I’m glad West African tech companies like Interswitch are leading the charge to that change. How do you think this will impact the international tech world?
I talked about AI a lot around here. In fact, some say I talk about it a little too much. But this concerns even NASA and tech leaders. AI vs NASA: This is getting realer than real.
So NASA built 3 drones to help them fly high speeds while avoiding crashes. A human pilot ran some of the drones. AI ran others. Then, they raced both. The race showed the AI run drones flew better and was more cautious. It also showed less human flaws. The man who ran his drone said he got tired and mentally drained easy. Though the man’s drone won the race, the AI vs NASA was an eye opener about how powerful AI can be.
The rise of AI worries tech leaders. For instance, Mark Cuban said AI will change everything 180 degrees. Not only did he address the job situation, but it could turn into an international race. He stressed Russia and China compete hard to beat the USA in the AI race. Elon Musk is totally freaking out over AI. He worries AI and humanoid robots can start WW3, which could literally be a human extinction? level event. In a tweet, he said, “In a few years, the bot will move so fast…sweet dreams”. He urges the government to regulate AI and robots like they do alcohol, food and cars.
They’re not the only ones. I watched a special about Boston Dynamics, and it scared some viewers. In fact, one viewer believes Boston Dynamics wants to wipe out the human race. Well, I won’t dare go that far. But us in computer repair and IT support are watching. I’m not as fearful as that one viewer is, but I feel his worry. I agree with Elon Musk. These bots need to be regulated by the government. Because if these bots get in the wrong hands, then who knows what can happen. And if AI can almost beat NASA’s greatest and brightest, then what hope is there for the rest of us?
Today is Black Friday. At retail stores across the country going mad over the latest products. So yes, this includes IT support gadgets, and all things computers from laptops to the latest smartphones. However, one online, Shopify, that’s keeping up with it all. It’s the Shopify Black Friday madness.
As I write this, I look at Shopify’s global live map.? If you look at it, then you’ll see dots light up on the map. These dots represent retail stores sales. Of course, the majority of dots are blinking in the USA, but some are overseas as well. Technically, the USA is the only nation that celebrates Black Friday. However, the shopping Christmas spirit is global.
You’ll also see lines. These lines represent where the customers are coming from. Here also, the USA dominates. But lots of lines are coming from Europe, Asia, and some even from Australia. So what can you get from watching dots and lines fly everywhere? Maybe not much, but it also tell you how much is selling and at what pace. For example, you can see $300,000 a minute worth of shopping change hands. You can see over 3,300 orders per minute change hands. It even shows what’s selling the most and which cities are doing the most cities.
For those of us who don’t want to be caught in the madness, the Shopify Black Friday madness map is fascinating. It’s definitely is for those looking at a distance. Yes, we can see where the most shopping action is, at least by nation and city. I don’t know if you can minimize it by neighborhood. But I wish they would show the uglier side of Black Friday: the brawls, fights, arrests, mass chaos, and injuries. I don’t say that to sound like some sadist. But as shoppers, we should be aware of where the danger zones are so we can avoid them. And here comes a plug: If you’re getting a laptop, just know we at Computer Geeks are experts at laptops fixed.
