High Tech Beds

At what point does a bed have to be smart enough that we can be sufficiently afraid to go to sleep in it? I understand we want everything so connected but this bed that was showcased at the CES is going overboard. First of all the bed has a WiFi connection. Why is this necessary? Because a bunch of sensors built into the bed can track your sleep patterns, relaying your sleepy-time data to a connected app that gives you a sleep score. Also with the internet connectivity you might throw in some app development for this bed and program how it work and more than you can do with it. The bed also has tasteful ambient lighting that shoots out from under it in a sort of nightlight mode. And the thing does full-body massage, because of course it does if you are going to be paying eight grand for it. All existing technology of it aside, use your imagination as to the different apps and sensors that you can have on it.

Future of the Laptop

The definition of the laptop is getting a bit murky. Before, the type of factors that people had to consider were size, graphics, and the processor. These days computers are products that can be either a tablet or a laptop based on their configurations. There are over a couple of dozen to choose from now, but at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in early January, there will be at least 50 products introduced under this branding campaign. Some will be as low as $299, but most quality two-in-ones will start at around $499 and go up to as high as $1299 depending on the configuration. These laptops will also be greatly integrated with communication services such as internet phones and social media. If you are thinking of buying a new Windows laptop this holiday, I suggest you consider one of these two-in-ones or convertibles. If you are buying a traditional laptop and, like most, expect to use it for at least three to four years, products like these give you perhaps a more future-proofed design. With add-ons, they can actually stay more up-to-date over this time frame. Are you thinking of getting a new laptop this season? As far as operating systems go, if you are getting a new computer, Windows 8 is better for touch screens than the traditional laptops.

Ticket for Driving in Google Glass

In California last week, a woman received a ticket for speeding and then an additional citation for wearing her Google Glass. And the debate still rages on over whether it was valid. The officer considered the head-mounted display a monitor that was visible to the driver. Traffic laws vary state by state, but many now have broad distracted-driving laws or bans on certain monitors that could easily apply to Google Glass. The turn-by-turn directions on Glass can be turned on with a voice command. The display will show a map view, but for extra safety the screen can be turned off while driving so there's only voice navigation. These laws create a very thin line that officers have to walk because on one hand, the device can be used as a navigation device but on the other hand, it have phone service capabilities built in. What do you think?

Computers Doing the Driving

In some ways, computers make ideal drivers: They don't drink and then climb behind the wheel. They don't do drugs, get distracted, fall asleep, run red lights or tailgate. And their reaction times are quicker. Currently, with all the added software development that is added to the car's cost, the price of these self driving cars is a bit over $100K. In several years though, large scale production will greatly decrease the costs. Nevertheless, the advantages of self-driving cars are such that if only 10 percent of cars and trucks on the road were self-driving, they could reduce traffic deaths by 1,000 per year and produce nearly $38 billion in economic and other savings, said the study by the Eno Center for Transportation, a foundation dedicated to improving transportation. Some of the things to consider before jumping up and down at the idea of self driving cars is that since there will be a computer on-board, it means that there will be an ability to hack it. Also, there would need to be major regulation as far as manufacturing these computers go to ensure that there are no computer errors being made and the code is good.

Criticism of Google Glass

There has been quite a lot of skepticism about Google Glass, from privacy and safety issues, to the aesthetics of its design. The criticism has even reached the core of the product, that is to say that it provides no compelling benefit to the user. This concern about the lack of a compelling benefit is the one that is most frequently expressed, across a range of industries and demographics. At its root, this criticism is based on a comparison to existing products, mainly smartphones that can provide potential users with the same functionalities and mobile applications. As a consequence of this comparison, potential users do not perceive the existing functionalities of Google Glass as being innovative and valuable. The interface might be the only thing that is new and innovative to the glasses but I do not think that it solves any problems and adds to the tech of today. What are your thoughts on it?

Broadband at Home

For many of us, we grew up knowing that beeping and wailing sound of the computer connecting to the internet. No, I do not miss it and if I ever hear it again, that computer is going out the window. Many people actually do not have internet at home so the internet from their phone services is the next go to, thanks in part to affordable pay-as-you-go packages with data plans. Pew found that 10% of Americans have a smartphone but not a home broadband connection, meaning their phone is their primary means of accessing the Internet. When you look at young people versus older people and you add smartphones in, it actually makes that gap worse because so many 18-to-29-year-olds have a smartphone and so few people 65 and older have them that when you include them in the calculation, the gap between young people and old people actually gets bigger than when you didn’t have smartphones in the equation at all.

What is Your Name?

"According to several studies, the number of women who keep their names after marriage peaked in the 1990s, falling from 23 percent to roughly 18 percent a decade later. Women are marrying, at older ages, on average five years into their postcollegiate careers. They’ve already established professional reputations and networks of contacts who know them by their given names. Setting aside the shoulds and the whys behind which name to pick, the obvious answer for the ambivalent is to use both."

This is definitely an interesting issue that women are encountering. Technically, the official documents have to match in order to not run into problems with taxes and traveling. Other problems that come up are not so much legal but can still cause an unnecessary headache. Questions such as when building security guards often usher people in to work appointments with a married name emblazoned on a temporary-ID card, or calls up and leaves a voicemail to whomever I’m meeting asking if they’re expecting a person they’ve never heard of. What are your thoughts?