Virtual Comeback?

When I was still in grade school, I remember wanting to try those fancy virtual reality helmets that looked so promising in the way of immersive virtual experiences. I never got to try them because they were virtually impossible to find unless you were lucky and virtually impossible for an 8 year old to afford. From the sound of things, I wasn't missing out. Those who have tried them reported that there was lag between what you did in the real world and what occurred in the virtual world. The headsets were also huge and bulky.

The Oculus Rift looks to change our perspective on virtual reality by improving on the old and pretty much dead technology. There seems to be virtually no lag, and the device looks much lighter than the VR helmets of the past. However, despite the fact that games are likely going to be made for this, there is no guarantee that your favorite games can or will be ported to accommodate this new technology. I have been told that the SDK makes it highly unlikely that the device will catch on. As of yet, there is no solid support for any games. This could possibly make this device a flop before it even gets a chance to gain some footing in the gaming market.

What do you think? Is the Oculus Rift the future of gaming? Sound off in the comments.

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Image Of The Week: Taking Control

Are we controlling technology or is technology controlling us?

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Experimental Computer

Like many geeks, I own an older computer that I’m not afraid to experiment with. It’s an MSI Wind U100 netbook that originally came loaded with Windows XP. I have since run Ubuntu and now CrunchBang Linux on it. I originally bought the netbook so that I could do my college school work from anywhere without having to worry about carrying around a big clunker of a machine. The U100 had the fullest keyboard of any netbook at the time which appealed to me because I was mostly writing papers.

Over the years, I started to notice that I was not using the netbook as much as I thought that I would. Instead of trying to sell it (How much would I get out of a netbook anyway?), I decided to experiment with different use cases. I decided to upgrade the ram from 1GB to 2GB and loaded Ubuntu Netbook Edition on it. I quickly found out that I wanted a fuller operating system, and installed the regular version of Ubuntu. After the regular version of Ubuntu started to look and behave more and more like the Netbook Edition of Ubuntu, I eventually found myself sifting through different flavors of Linux. I decided to stick with Debian based flavors due to compatibility and familiarity. I even tried Debian itself.

However, I stopped at CrunchBang Linux and never looked back. This operating system is perfect for netbooks and older machines because it’s beautiful, lightweight, but still powerful. It can take some tweaking before you get everything working the way you want it but that’s every flavor of Linux that I’ve encountered.

Now I’m using my netbook as a portable option to write for this blog. Who knows what I’ll be using it for in the future.

It just goes to show that as long as a computer is still functioning, it is never dead. You just have to find the right use case for it.

Do you have an experimental computer laying around? Sound off in the comments.

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Speak Now

I recently downloaded the Google app because I had heard about the Voice Search capability. I own a last generation iPod Touch and have not been able to use Siri on it because Apple prevented me from doing so from day one. I could speculate why all I want but it is obvious that the technology would have worked on my device because the Voice feature in the Google app works flawlessly.

I first tested the app by saying “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood.” as fast as I could. The Voice Search feature picked up on every word. I then preceded to use it to look up local businesses. I said “restaurants nearby” and it happily displayed every restaurant within 50 miles of my location. What I did not know at the time was that the app talks back to you. I had the sound muted from being in an earlier situation where I didn’t want to be disturbed. After I realized that the app was talking back, I realized that this was the Google equivalent of Siri and that I was finally free to use this technology after Apple had prevented me from doing so for so long. Of course, my child like curiosity kicked in and I started asking questions geared more toward having fun with the app. I asked what my name was, and the responded by saying "Oh, no! Did you forget your name?" and displayed amnesia information. I thanked the app and it responded by saying "You're welcome." and displayed greeting card information.

The app does run into trouble when there are multiple people talking in a room. However, the app doesn’t seem to pick up on conversations in the background to be translated as search results. Instead, it just sort of hangs, listens, and waits for the background conversation to stop before it displays the search terms you provide to it which is a relief. This means that it is safe to use the app around potty mouthed individuals without fear that it will inadvertently search for porn.

The only other issue that I had was when I was trying to search for a word that the app kept mistaking for a number. Apparently, it can’t differentiate between '2' 'to' and 'too' as easily as a human can. Perhaps more context algorithms can be added to the app in the future.

Despite these minor issues, I am impressed. I believe that this is more than a gimmick way to interact with one’s device. We are living in a world of touch screens and voice activated computers that was imagined by Gene Roddenberry not too long ago. This technology can only get better over time.

What do you think? Do you use voice controls? If so, do you like using them? Sound off in the comments.

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Online Ordering?

My first experience with ordering food online was through a certain pizza place and I’ve ordered pizza online ever since. I just found it more convenient than calling because I could look at the latest menu while placing my order and there was less of a chance of an employee misinterpreting what I wanted.

Since then, other types of restaurants have added online ordering to their forms of serving the customer. For instance, Chipotle now accepts orders ahead of time from their mobile app. Anyone who’s ever been to Chipotle knows that there can be a long line between you and delicious burrito goodness, but the app allows you to cut right through the line.

I particularly like when there is a feature that tracks the status of your order. Domino’s has one of the best order tracking feature by far (see image). Am I the only one that wants more types of businesses to provide this feature? Sometimes, it can be a real waste of time to go to the store. Sometimes, I don’t even have time to go to the store. I want grocery and retail stores to start offering delivery services straight from the store.

Wal-Mart is going to start testing something like this. The items won’t be delivered to your house, but they will be stored in a physical locker after your order is placed. This at least allows one to bypass the check-out line, which is notoriously long at many Wal-Marts across the country.

Am I the only one who wants this? Am I being lazy? Sound off in the comments.

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Is RSS Really Dead?

The other day, I had a conversation with someone regarding RSS. The topic of the conversation was “is RSS dead?” The simple answer to this is “no.” However, we all know that things are not that simple. With Google recently announcing that Reader would be shutting down, I think that this marks an end of an era for RSS readers.

While I’m sure that RSS readers will still exist in some form or another (not to mention that it’s the driving technology behind podcasting), social media seems to have taken over the act of gathering news through them.

Am I completely wrong in assuming this? Do you still use an RSS reader to gather your news? Sound off in the comments and let me know.

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Image Of The Week: Social Disruption

Has technology enhanced or disrupted your social interactions? According to this image, it may be the latter...

 

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Getting Fit With Technology? Not I

It seems that there has been a trend lately of fitness devices and apps. These technologies are meant to make it easier for health conscience individuals to keep track of their workouts. For instance, the Fitbit keeps track of the user’s steps. These devices usually set a goal for the wearer in addition to tracking the wearer’s progress.

However, it is ultimately up to the wearer to actually make process. This is why I wouldn’t find these devices particularly useful. I have always been under the ideology that if I am not motivated to do something under my own will, I am never going to make progress in that something. I’m not saying that creating a motivation for oneself won’t work for everyone, but I would much rather look up the information that I need to get the most of my exercise ahead of time and then just do it. My motivation is that I enjoy doing it because it makes me feel and look better. 

What do you think? Do you find devices and apps useful for keeping track of your exercise progress? Sound off in the comments.

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Video Of The Week: Epic Space Battle

An iconic villain returns in this commercial for the latest Star Trek video game. Does this mean that we will see this race in the movie?

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Rule Breaking Technology

With businesses and lawmakers already raising concern about Google Glass, one has to wonder about the future of Glass and similar products. I know that I’m not the only one wondering about this as the Google Graveyard at Slate already has a plot for the device.

However, technology running counter to society’s rules is nothing new. In fact, it seems to be a recurring theme any time there is a new technology that can be “abused.” For instance, everyone knows about the mess that file sharing caused, but file sharing clients survived in one form or another and can be used in the best of intentions.

 The issue that some seem to have with Google Glass is that it will disrupt the privacy of individuals and expose business operations. These concerns are well founded, but this does not mean that we should instantly fear this new technology. Here’s the thing: I don’t believe that Google is looking to make Glass an instant hit. I believe that they are releasing this product as a test bed. This is nothing new for Google. Many of their products and services are released in a beta form way before we see a legitimate market contender from them.

I believe that Google Glass is meant to cause a disruption in order to pave the way for more polished devices. In my opinion, it’s not a matter of if the technology behind Google Glass will become a part of our daily lives, but when. This product will lead to a greater good.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments.

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