By andres on November 23, 2010
Posted in ae8
By andres on August 22, 2010
Here is a quote from an AP news item (E-reading: Revolution in the making or fading fad) that I found particularly amusing:
“It’s cockamamie to think a product like that is going to revolutionize the way most people read,” analyst Michael Norris of Rockville, Maryland research firm Simba Information Co. said in an e-mail. Americans use e-books at a rate “much, much slower than it looks.”
Funny that the analyst was quoted in an email and even more amusing to think of all the people (myself included) who are reading the article online.
E-reading is here to stay. Sure, ebooks have been for early adopters up until now, but with the introduction of the Kindle wifi at $139 it won’t be long before you can buy connected e-readers for under $99. Looking at current growth trends, by 2020 the majority of book (non-textbook) publishing revenue will be from ebooks.
Textbooks are the next frontier but progress is slow because of the molasses that is the educational system. As we learned this year with our oldest going to high school, lugging heavy textbooks around is incomprehensible when the technology exists to make them portable and convenient. We need to tackle this problem head-on as parents and citizens for the benefit of future generations.
Posted in ae8
By andres on July 27, 2010
Multi-touch interfaces are having a profound impact already on tablet platforms like the iPad and I expect it won’t be long before we have displays with multi-touch built in.
But two other technologies have also sparked my enthusiasm recently:
- Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360
You move your body and your hands, you speak commands and without touching a keyboard or even a controller you are quickly interacting with the characters in a game. All you need is a special sensor bar ($150) While this is very exciting from a gaming point of view, more importantly it paves the way for more development in natural, accessible user interfaces beyond sci-fi movies like Minority Report.
– TechCrunch’s coverage can be read at: http://www.crunchgear.com/2010/06/14/kinects-launch-lineup-something-for-everybody/
- Emotiv EPOC Headset
You think or visualize the action you want, moving an object on the screen for example, and the computer follows your commands from a sensor you wear on your head. Changing the behavior of a game based on your emotional response is among the first uses, but more importantly from my point of view is the price point of the controller ($299) and its ability to be used as a more general purpose tool.
– Emotiv’s Tan Le presentation at TED can be seen here: http://www.ted.com/talks/tan_le_a_headset_that_reads_your_brainwaves.html
Very exciting times indeed!
Posted in ae8
By andres on June 13, 2010
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. … No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others” — Martha Graham
Posted in Personal
By andres on June 9, 2010
So when AT&T announced their new data plans for iPhone4 , my first reaction was one of frustration of having to get rid of the unlimited plan in order to finally add tethering. Aside from the fact that I’ve yet to reach 2GB of data usage on the iPhone on any given month, I decided to compare potential tethering to my trusty Sprint MiFi device.
Sprint MiFi 5GB limit for 3G and 5 cents / MB thereafter at a monthly cost of $59.99
AT&T iPhone tethering(2GB limit and $10 / GB thereafter at a monthly cost of $20
Yes, I know that I’m not including the cost of the iPhone data plans, but the question here is whether or not it makes sense to drop the unlimited and finally get tethering.
The answer is simple: YES.
| Usage in GB |
Sprint MiFi |
AT&T tethering |
| 1 |
59.99 |
20 |
| 2 |
59.99 |
20 |
| 3 |
59.99 |
30 |
| 4 |
59.99 |
40 |
| 5 |
59.99 |
50 |
| 6 |
111.19 |
60 |
| 7 |
162.39 |
70 |
| 8 |
213.59 |
80 |
| 9 |
264.79 |
90 |
| 10 |
315.99 |
100 |
| 11 |
367.19 |
110 |
| 12 |
418.39 |
120 |
| 13 |
469.59 |
130 |
| 14 |
520.79 |
140 |
| 15 |
571.99 |
150 |
Posted in Tech
“Describing your glass as half-full or half-empty is not nearly
as important as pursuing that which fills your glass!” —ae8