Google+ vs Facebook

So which is more awesome Facebook or Google+ - watch this video and you can decide... AWESOME - although they need to bring it up to date to talk about how horrific timeline is? As the lovely Kevin put it: "‎- love the way Google are pushing, no, force feeding us Google Plus. The latest attempt via the new navigation bar and it's veiled funneling. It's no Facebook. Bottom line, why do you want two online social lives? If it could import your existing FB then they'd have something but, as it stands, it'll die just as its predecessor Google Wave and Google Buzz. Watch."

Should Computer Science be a core lesson in schools?

I was reading this BBC News article "Are children becoming 'digitally illiterate'?" which piqued my interest yesterday. It points out that computers have become ever more complex over the years and kids are taught in schools how to use them. Most young people know how to use Word, Excel, etc... they can work Windows, they can use a smartphone, they can email, tweet, blog, facebook, play games (from consoles to flash to mobile), they can do many complex tasks from a very early age. Some kids can surf the net before they've even started school... yet they don't understand nor are they taught the basic foundations that allow the creation of this software or hardware.

When I was a teen I had my first computers. They were simpler beasts. Through experimentation I knew how to take them apart, upgrade them, format them, etc. I found ways to make outdated DOS games work on newer versions of Windows. I took games apart, played with the code, customised the look and feel, built my own levels... I found little hacks, little fiddles, I knew the ins and outs of the kit I had to play with. I taught myself HTML and could produce some pretty fancy websites (for the time). Some of my peers took this further - they learnt how to write little pieces of software and scripts.

Many of the people working in the digital and software industries today started their careers as a teenager fiddling with their hardware in their room (chortle at implied inuendos).

But things were simpler then! The mind boggles how a teenager now could learn to build a website now - sure they could learn basic HTML and produce a crappy site like the ones I used to produce (crappy by todays standards)... but can the average teen learn PHP (etc), CSS and proper HTML skills from their bedroom in the same way? Is it possible to take things apart in the same way without irriparably breaking them? Things are so much more complex now than they were. And what's the motivation?

Many of the most well known, multi-billion pound, software and digital offerings started life from some kids bedroom. Someone who'd been tinkering with code as a teen and took this further into something that became Facebook, or Windows, or Spotify or... etc. Many of the well-paid programmers, contractors, producers, MD's, UX's, designers, etc started their careers pottering with a crappy basic computer at home.

But today's generation have super-whizzy computers, mobiles, etc. To complex to take apart - so where can a new generation get the knowledge they need to ensure the UK continues to have a thriving technical industry? Surely in school! As the Beeb article asks, should Computer Science be taught as a lesson in school? I say absolutely - every kid should know basic IT (how to use Word, internet, apps, etc) and they should know the science that goes behind it.

The UK is not a country rich in material resource but (in theory) it is a country rich in smart people. However, if enough people aren't nurtured and encouraged to follow careers in software, media, etc then we'll loose out to other countries that can do it more cheaply (China?).

Everyone needs to be taught basic foundations that will help them get through life - that includes the classic disciplines of science, maths, english, etc - but being able to understand the technological world we live in, how it works, how to manipulate it, how to follow a career in - that's as essential as being taught how to read and write.

Wii 2 (Wii U)

I'm loving E3 2011 at the moment. I spent half an hour yesterday looking through trailers for new games that have been announced. I'm rather excited by Star Wars the Old Republic and Prototype 2... and potentially Resistance 3 but then Resistance 2 was god awful.The game I'm most excited about, and yet so unsure about, is Bioshock Infinite. Bioshock 1 and 2 were stunning; and I expect this will be great. My only reservation is will the move away from the underwater Rapture towards a sky setting work? I'm also pretty excited by Aliens Colonial marines... but I've been waiting for this game for so long, and was so disapointed by the last Aliens Vs Predator game, that I'll wait to see what it's like when it arrives.

Perhaps one of the most exciting is Wii U... which sounds as far from the Wii as possible (read more about the Wii U on the BBC). A good move for Nintendo or not? It sounds like they've ditched the wavey wavey hand controller for something a bit more traditional, i.e. a controller with heaps of new features, camera, screen... etc (some of the things I suggested before would be great to have in the next gen controllers... am I a tech guru; or just one of many many hopful gamers who dream mad things? I think the latter, and it sounds like Nintendo have been listening. Hoorah!). Nintendo are trying to bring back the core gamers... but does this mean the Wii U won't cater for the new market of family and casual games they've created? Are they ditching this market following recent competition from XBox Kinect and PS3 Move?

I'll be keeping an ear out to see what Microsoft and Sony plan to do... will the PS4 or next XBox be announced soon?

Solar panels... on the moon

Another article about sci-fi that could soon be reality... or at least a dream that, in the wake of recent events to do with the Fukushima Power plant, has been given more consideration.

The concept is simple(ish)... send robots into space, land them on the moon, and use the moons natural resources to build a giant belt of solar panels that would beam energy back to Earth solving the worlds power problems in one single, green, swoop.

Read the article on Treehugger "Japanese Company Eyes Building 6,800 Mile Solar Array On Moon, Constructed By Robots".

Of course the technology, funds or will doesn't actually exist yet. Indeed while the idea is sound I'm not quite sure how they would get the energy back from the moon to Earth (visions of cities being microwaved by giant arrays)... and what if something went wrong; would we come to rely on the moon belt so much that the whole planet gets turned off (would we end up eating eachother?) - no, it's a great idea and one I hope gets properly considered. Dream big and who knows what we may end up with! Certainly we live in an age where I hope to see pioneering projects and journeys to space becoming the norm (e.g. space tourism). But in terms of powering our planet? I'd like to see more green power generated down on here on Earth.

 

Spaceplanes

British Space rocket - looks like sci-fi... but isn't! This is too cool not to mention. Check out the BBC news article about the UK spaceplane that could one day revolutionise spacetravel. WHOOP!

Google could optimise your car journey

Many of us already use Google maps to plan routes. But the next step seems to be cars which are optimised by Google to maximise electric and fuel efficiency. Read more on Treehugger "Google's Prediction API Could Optimize Your Car's Fuel Efficiency".

No Mouse, No keyboard - two screens

I said it would happen, here it is - 2 screens, no mouse, no keyboard -via CrunchGear the Acer Dual-Screen Iconica "touchbook":

It just makes sense - keyboards are great... for typing (and some games) - but what if you want to use it like an iPhone, what if you want to use it to produce graphics...

Watch this space - we'll see devices that use this concept coming out in droves soon I'm sure. Still, I reckon this is a pioneer in how we use laptops.


And as a bit of a tangent - the ability to speak to your computer, becoming mainstream, is finally just round the corner in Chrome 11 - that is if it works, it never has before but if anyone can get voice recognition to work surely Google can? 

If you can't beat them join them

Hoorah, for Microsoft??? Yes Microsoft are going to open up Kinect to let hackers play around with it according to the BBC. This is great news for everyone, Kinect is a great peace of hardware with enourmous untapped potential. Check out this article for potential uses for kinect (google for more, there are heaps out there). Everything from controlling Windows 7 to controlling robots!!!

My favourite potential use for Kinect is that it provides the technology to build Minority Report style interfaces.

To my knowledge the ultimate use of Kinect has yet to be applied. That is of course to allow cats to use the internet. Due to a lack of opposable thumbs cats have thus far been excluded from the net. They have to do with make do with manipulating their owners into managing their social presence with some success. An estimated 10% of all internet traffic is now related to cats.

The iPad was the first device that handed control over to our future feline masters (with so far, limited success):

It won't be long now until some fool owner creates software that connects Kinect with cats. Then we're doomed; 99% traffic will be cat related and 99.9% of e-commerce traffic will be cat related, mostly ordering kibble.

Dream time for gamers

Just as Sony have announced the arrival of their first Playstation Phone and their next generation PSP the NGP I've started thinking about what I would want from the next generation of consoles.

Here is my wish list so far:

Firstly, interaction - don't drop the humble controller but do make it awesome from the start (don't release the rumble pack edition months after you've paid for the lame-ass edition). I don't want anything half-arsed, if you're going to build in motion sensitivity build it in properly! I love the speakers in the Wii remotes. Please copy this Sony and Microsoft!

Of course the Wii has shown that there is a market for other forms of interaction (and Playstation Move and XBox Kinnect have been launched so that MS/Sony can get their cut of this market). The Wii really changed everything. I doubt these new ways of playing games will disappear as a gimmick. I just hope that traditional gaming doesn't die as a result.

Innovate - has anyone created a game with audio control before? What about touch screens, is there a place for this sort of tech in the gaming domain yet? Certainly touch has opened up new gaming possibilities not available before, can Angry Birds work with a controller? I doubt it (although I've yet to try it on the Ps3)

Have fun - of course there are other ways of controlling certain games that require specialist equipment, e.g. Karoke mics, drum kits, guitars, dance matts, balance or fitness boards, etc - these are all great and have their place. So basically carry on as you were here please Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft/Newcomers?

Secondly the hardware: I want to see some kick-ass graphics and massive processing power in any new system. The Wii's only flaw was a lack of power. The PS3 and XBox rule here, but even they are being stretched these days. 

Blu-Ray player - This is one of the most expensive parts of the PS3 but to drop it would be mad. People like owning things i.e. disks, I want a console I can play my old games on (dropping a disk player would make this impossible), and I want to play Blu-Ray's - part of the attraction of the PS3 is it's a Blu-Ray player, and regardless of how big my hard-drive is one day it will get full! (and no - we're not interested in another format). 

Massive harddrive and cloud computing - A massive hard-drive is ideal to store all those updates and downloads (I've one of the larger PS3 drives and it's clogged; and seamingly with absolutely nothing). Cloud computing could allow my most frequently used data to be stored locally for quick access and my less frequently stored data to be stored elsewhere but not lost. i.e. infinite space on your console via cloud but no lag via hard drive. Cloud computing would allow for back-up's in case of system melt-down. In theory cloud could replace a HDD but only if broadband allows; personally I hate lags of any kind. Users still need locally cached data and lots of it.

Thirdly, I want an entertainment system. - I want my new console to be a practical media server, web-browser, family and indvidual games system, I want IP TV, apps?, social networks? (PlayStation Home had so much potential, as did platforms like SecondLife. I'm hoping the next gen consoles can deliver hi-res, Tron/secondlife-on-speed-eque social networking). I can already do most of this on my PS3; the PS4 I hope will take all of this to the next level (and hopfully integrate with other tech, i.e. my phone, TV, laptop...)

Fourthly, the visuals have to be great. I'm thinking HD and 3D, ideally without the need for silly glasses.   Saying that, is the time right for virtual reality helmets to make a return? Why not, with Kinnect/Wii/Move like controls a VR helmet could fully immerse you into the gaming world (of course the potential for bumping into coffee tables needs to be worked out!)

Finally, make it work - no red rings of death, no half-arsed attempts (yes, I'm talking to you PlayStation Home) - just get it right!

The TechRadar articles are great for some further reading on the next gen consoles:

• Playstation 4: Read TechRadar.com's thoughts on what might be incorporated into the PS4.
• XBox 720: Read TechRadar.com's thoughts on what might be incorporated into the XBox 720.
• Wii2: Read TechRadar.com's thoughts on what might be incorporated into the Wii 2. 

I'd love to hear what extras you think they should have have. Does anyone have the word on what they are planning?

Bravia to me

I was a bit naughty this weekend and bought a Sony Bravia. Well I had to really, my housemates are always watching (COUNTRYNAME HERE) Next top Model. NO! BAD HOUSEMATES! 1080i 42" plasma screens are made for PS3 and hollywood blockbusters not Tripe's Most Whacky Celebrities Het Me Out Of Here Cameras Everywhere Got The X Factor Dance Troop Do the Funniest Things 2011 on ice! But I can hardly renegate them to their bedrooms while I use the most expensive piece of kit in the house for what it was meant to. So naturally I get a 1080p TV for my bedroom, at 40" the reduced screen size is just about tolerable.

I'm rather excited about the prospect of hooking it up to the internet and trying out the apps. I've been thinking about convergence for ages and it's good to know that it's happening just as all the clever people out there think it will. My TV can access the internet, my console can access the internet, my phone can access the internet, my laptop and console can play TV, my phone, console, laptop and TV can download apps - in fact these days the only difference is screensize - ok not just yet, but it's great how one of these things can do a bit of everything (although they have their specialisms, a laptop is still best for the net, the console for games, the tv for tv, the iPhone for apps and the Sony Erricsson for phoning people (Yes the iPhone is NOT good for making phone calls!)

I was very tempted to buy an LED TV and then I thought why not go 3D too... then I realised that eating was required this month and seeing as I have rent and bills to pay I figured I would compromise and only get a humble LCD. If anyone can tell me about the why LED is better than LCD (is it?) and if 3D TV's are worth it yet I'd be interested to know.

You can read more about what my TV can do better than yours here: www.sony.co.uk/BRAVIA/internetTV

Today I have also been reading:

• 11 ways to create great blog content
• Will you be my social media manager - Are most companies really loooking for someone to manage their social media or do they expect it'll handle itself (answer: I reckon most think it'll handle itself...)

Paying for things with your mobile phone

Paying for things with your mobile phone... What a great idea (as long as security is worked out).

Read the BBC article "Orange customers of Everything Everywhere get mobile payments".

I think security is the biggest issue, but I see no reason why you can't type a pin into your phone to authorise a transaction... it'd be as easy as unlocking your iPhone. Hoorah!

View by date on images - would you want this

I've just read an article on the BBC News website about some new tech which puts an expiration date on images.

The way it works is upload images contain an encrypted code which will retire the image after a certain date. I can see why this was thought a good idea. Although I'm sure the reality is even if your uploaded images have an expiry date it'll still be the case that others upload embarassing photos of you which don't... and if you don't want your embarassing images in the public domain why would you upload them at all?

The problem I see is, assuming this is how it works, when I download an image might it expire at some point? As a bit of a hobby I collect images from movies I like. What if these images start expiring on my computer and I'm left with a load of dead files? Will I know which ones are immortal and which ones have an expiry?

Generally I think this is going to be annoying!

 

Biotechnology - Bacteria harddrives

"Researchers have figured out that data can be stored in bacteria, and that a single gram of bacteria can store more information than a giant 900 terabyte hard drive!" - Read full article about bacteria hard drives on TreeHugger.

We're still a long way away from biomechanoid spaceships like Moya in FarScape. Yes I just out geeked myself!

Become a Jedi / and about Kinect

Hmm, rather excited about the possibility of using Kinect in a Star Wars game.

One of the best parts of Star Wars has to be the Jedi Light Saber. While the Wii could be a good candidate for a light saber game the graphics are poop.

The XBox 360 with Kinect has both the power and the interface now.

Read the Eurogamer review of Star Wars Kinect or view trailer below:

Goes to show that these new Wii clone controllers have potential for more than the family market. Serious gamers can get on board too. It'll be interesting to see how the user actually moves about... is this controlled by Kinect, a controller, or do you move around arcade style? I hope they have found a way to move around freely otherwise it'll just irritate.

If you can't wait for this Kinect game? Get the Force Unleashed 2. I've played the first and can't wait to try the second. Ok, so it's not connected to Kinect but still one of the best Star Wars games out there. 

PS: Just saw a fun little Star Wars fun in the snow video tweeted:


Snowy trench run from Aaron Dabelow on Vimeo.

Also of much excitement (thank you @Melkirk for tweeing this) is the news that Kinect may be developed for the PC. The possibilities of how this could change the way we interact with PC's and TV's is large. The most obvious application - Minority Report style interaction:

You wouldn't even need the silly glowy things on the fingers that Tom Cruise uses.

Flying machines

One day, they say, we will run out of crude oil. If there are a finite amount of resources on this planet (to my knowledge giant rock munching oil secreting butt worms don't exist) then this makes sense. The utopian dream of zero reliance on oil is a long way off, but stretching our resources further using alternative tech is already here. We can already reduce fuel consumption with hybrid cars and more efficient engines. Our electric is slowly being supplemented by limitless green alternatives... one day I hope all energy will be green.

A big consumer of our finite fuel is the aviation industry. However there are those with a dream - a dream of flying machines! And I love it!!

Airships are back - see the BBC for article and video.

Yes, we'll soon be flying around again in airships thanks to companies like Hybrid Air Vehichles and potentially the return of the Zeppelin.

Zoooommmm

How people use the iPad

Just saw this interesting post on Twitter about how people use the iPad. It contains lots of lovely graphs to make it easy to consume. Hoorah, lazy knowledge!

Wireless syncing - it's the future

Wouldn't it be great if your laptop, internet 3D TV, mobile, tablet, NAS drives, blah, blah blah all worked together in a beautiful harmony without the need for stupid cables.


Wireless sync is the future, read a tech crunch article about it here.

Will you need cables to power these devices? Not with wireless charging - see the telegraph. 

Perhaps in the future you won't need electric to be transmitted by a cable at all - read the wiki article on the future possibilities of wireless energy transfer.

Wii love new technology - help me obi wan kinobe, you're my only hope

Everyone loves the Wii (even though Nintendo last reported a loss - but they can afford considering the oodles of profit they were earning before). And PS3 and Xbox want a piece of the action with their various offerings. Today Microsoft's XBox "Kinect" goes on sale, and unlike the PS3 and Wii offering it's completely hand's free. I can't wait to have a play with this - from an interface point of view it's quite exciting. We're basically heading towards full on Minority Report - and let's face it, everyone wants to live the Minority Report dream.

I always get very excited about the tools that let us interact with computers because it brings about new possibilites. And as a geek I like looking at the tech in sci-fi films and TV that has or is coming true.  Like Star Trek Next Generation style touch screens - great for new games like "Angry birds" or 3G web-surfing. Rubbish for making calls, text-typing (I can write a full message with my Sony Erricsson without looking, impossible with my IPhone4) and rubbish for games like "Tetris" which lends itself so well to buttons but not to our stubby digits. (And if you're a fan of old style Star Trek we've had flip phones for ever! May they not live long or prosper!)

What's next - well 3D obviously. Avatar brought 3D to the forefront (although there were 3D cinema films before like the brilliant Coraline) - thankyou mr Cameron. It won't be long until TV's / consoles are 3D and don't require glasses. Nintendo have already acchieved this with the new 3D-DS. And these 3D-TV's will be delivered via Web-TV in glorious super HD. HOORAH!


So what's next? Well if we look backwards at what we might dream of - how about the Star Wars 3D holograms. We're not quite yet but the technology is starting to exist.In fact holograms are already being used (albeit in a crude form to what I hope the future will hold) in concerts e.g. Gorillas.

Anyway - I'm off to eat some sandwiches but I'm pretty excited about the future!

Robots that mimic animals

Ok this is seriously cool - robots that mimic animals. And unlike usual reports of cool robots these ones aren't shit - at least the first dog one isn't. Check it out



More on the dog walker: 

Windows XP

Why do people still use Windows XP on old rubbish laptops to save money? I have a laptop that I think, possibly, may pre-date the type-writer. It looks like crap (I miss my MacBook pro!) and is so slow it needs a full time nurse to make sure it doesn't choke on it's own inadaquecy. I'm trying to write a proposal right now and word has slowed down so much that I have to stop touch typing just to wait for the bloody thing to catch up.

If there were windows on this floor at eye level I would chuck this pile of crap out of it.

Note: This is not my laptop, this one is in better condition.