Monday, December 10, 2012
Light vs. Electrical Signals
Earlier today IBM issued a press release detailing the use of photons in-place of electrons in the new 90nm CMOS chip design. This new 'nanophotonic' chip with lay the ground work for creating faster and lower cost chips for the next 10 years, if not longer. This new design has increased bandwidth to 25Gbps, using light signals, and in turn will eliminate bottle necking in current systems. This design will also allow terabytes of data to be transferred between distant parts of the computer at light speed, hehe.
Automated homes becoming Affordable
CNN Money released an article today talking about what is new in the home security industry. Blackstone, the private equity firm just invested an large sum of money in the home security company "Vivint." With this money the company can invest in more research to expand its technology and area of coverage. Over the years there has been many advancements in home security, but the ability to have a fully automated home has been the main goal. From sensing where occupants are located to adjust lights and heat, to giving the homeowner the ability to control his house from a remote location the automated home is the future now. I look forward to seeing where this technology takes us and when i can get it.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Texting turn 20 years old
It has been 2 decades now since the first text message was sent and changed the way we communicate forever. Turning dinner time from a family talking about their day to everyone sitting in silence, staring at their phones and listening to the clicks of little buttons. Even when I go out to eat I see families sit down and immediately pull out their phones to see if anyone has text-ed them in the past 5 min. Kids are no longer socially engaged with their parents, but instead sit in silence at the table and stare at their phone. I have even witnessed kids text their parents even though they are just downstairs. Does this hinder the building of a person's social skills and personality? I'm sure restaurants don't mind the less noisy atmosphere, but when I go out to eat I go for the experience and the company. I can eat food and stare at my phone from my kitchen table. I now have a daughter and I worry about her future, will this effect her life? I'm sure it will play a role as technology plays a role in everyone's life, but everything needs to be used in moderation. Well back to the article that sparked this blog. This article talks about the "text message", it's evolution and the future.
Disney Moves to Online Streaming with Netflix
In the past 2 years Netflix and Hulu have become the main source of TV and movies for my wife and I. We parted ways with our expensive cable service as part of our budget cut before our baby arrived. Although I do miss having cable to watch the big game or see content that doesn't appear on either service, I am too busy between work and school to notice. This past week Netflix acquired a new client 'Disney' which will help bring a huge amount of content to the struggling service after loosing stars play last year. I am excited about Disney being apart of Netflix as it will provide a very wide range of kid friendly movies that I enjoyed as a child and now my daughter can as well. Even though we have most Disney movies on dvd this will help with on the go viewing. View the article Here
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Hello Internet
Hello Internet
In this new venture of internet blogging I am hoping to create content that is relevant and interesting to others. I enjoy reading and talking about the latest and greatest computers and electronics on the market as well as stuff that hasn't even been released yet. I am currently studying electrical engineering and even though the work is hard it will be worth it in the end. I am happily married with a one year old daughter and they have brought joy back into my life. Well this blog isn't about them, it is about things that I have experienced in real life and I want to share with the world.
Although I have a ton of stuff to talk about I needed something that stood out for my first blog. Upon surfing the web this morning I came across a post that caught my attention. I have always been a fan of ATVs, Jet-skis, motorcycles, etc. but now there is a vehicle that combines both ATV and Jet-ski in one.
The Gibbs Sports Amphibians QuadSki.
This vehicle sports a 140 hp 4 cylinder 1300cc 16 valve DOHC engine that moves this machine up to 45mph on both land and water. Switching land and sea modes takes only a few seconds, which makes transitioning an enjoyable experience. The applications of this product seem almost endless, from recreation to emergency response.
On the other hand, with all the moving parts during the transition phase leads me to think of the upkeep on this machine. It has been release with a $40k US price tag which limits it to more commercial use than a recreational toy. Although the concept behind this vehicle is exceptional, the real world success may be limited by how well the machine is maintained to avoid breakdowns and malfunctions.
This is not the first vehicle that Gibbs has produced. It has produced various amphibious vehicles ranging from sports cars to larger trucks. This company is making leaps and bounds in the past few years and we should expect to see more great things in the amphibious vehicle category.
I hope everyone enjoyed this post and I look forward to producing more content like this.
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