ComputerBob

The 'ONE' web.

2009-09-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

Some people feel that the web will become a one source stop for all data. All sites will share their data with all other sites. Formatting this gain interconnected web will not be the issue. We will work out all formatting issues.

The one problem with this is that people are also moving to charging for access to data on the web. The web needs to be a free space for people to exchange ideas. That is why it was created.

Microsoft Bing

2009-09-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Gabcast! Audio #1 - Microsoft Bing

Intellegent Hyways

2009-09-05T17:27:00.000-07:00

In his book "Technology's Promise', William Halal predicts that in the year 2025 (+- 5 years) a network of intelligent highways will begin to grow. These highways will be equipped with the necessary sens0rs to take over the cars driving on them. Cars will form chains of bumper to bumper traffic going at speeds of 70 mph. This will help to increase the capacity of the highway system. GM and others has been working on this system for years now. Progress is being made. The cost of these highways would be about $10,000 per mile. The current cost of highways ranges from $1 to $100 million per mile. SO the cost doe not seem to be excessive.

The real question here is "do people really trust a computer system to control there car feet from the car in front of them at 70 mph." I do not think the technology will be the problem but rather the ethics of this will be.

Trip to Pikes Peak

2009-08-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Take a trip to the top of the world @ Pikes Peak !!!

Alternative Energy

2009-08-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

I selected the case study entitled "Anticipating Alternative Futures in Energy Efficiency" from the Christakis book.
Pretty much everyone agrees that our energy future looks bleak, but what can we do about it.
In the Northwest Energy Alliance a group called the Pacific Northwest (PNW) decided to apply the SDP methodology the tackle this problem. Thirty five stakeholders gathered and shared ideas on methods to help solve this problem. After listing several ideas, the ideas were listed in four focused areas:
1. Energy Conservation
2. Energy Efficiency
3. Lifestyles of the future
4. Energy Supply

Each of these were then discussed and detailed. Implementation of the suggestions would have an impact. There is a link between energy efficiency and lifestyles that needs to be taken advantage of. This analysis helped all involved to understand the choices better and was a success.

WolfRamAlpha

2009-08-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

I think one of the new web 2.0 tools that is showing a lot of potential is the new inference engine http://www.wolframalpha.com/. Notice how I did not call it a search engine. It is not. It is based on the Mathematica library. With those roots, it is good at symbolic mathematical computation. It is also good with multi-part queries that need to be reassembled. An example would be how much does an acre-foot of water weigh. It is also great at comparing two items like. Compare Apple and Microsoft. First it has to infer that they are both companies. An apple could be a type of fruit but a Microsoft could not be. Spend some time and try this out.

Stephen Thaler's Imagination Machine

2009-07-30T09:32:00.001-07:00

Stephen Thaler’s Imagination machine has improved everything from a toothbrush to warheads. It has even composed a music album called “Songs of the Neurons”. How does this work? He uses an artificial neural network. These networks “dream” based on what they know. Random “noise” triggers the machines to dream. One neural network is stimulated via computational ‘heat”. While another is a “perceptron” watching the stream of ideas. The perceptron micromanages the heat in order to generate betters ideas. These “imagitron” networks are not written by humans but are self-assembled.

How much should we trust these AI machines? Should we let them diagnose illnesses? Machines can store and know more about a wide variety of illnesses. They should be better at diagnosing illness. If we let all the doctors go away and rely on the AI machines, then what happens if one of the AI machines produces invalid responses? Do we even notice?

The technology to implement this is here. But we need to deal with the moral implications before proceeding.

http://wfs.org/May-June09/Thalerpage.htm

iWeb

2009-07-24T13:27:00.001-07:00

In the olden days content, design, and web programming have been mixed. It has been difficult for a beginner to break into web design and publishing. The learning curve has been too steep. This tool is Apples attempt to make this easier. It is called iWeb and comes with the MAC OSX leopard operating system. Since I am teaching the MAC OS I thought that I would give this tool a try. It separates the content from the programming and the layout. It is very easy to use. But I did not find it overly powerful. There is a trade off between ease of use and raw power and flexibility. Here is a sample iWeb that I created.

www.dataprocs.com

2009-07-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in more Tips and fun links from Computer Bob, check out my company website.

http://www.dataprocs.com/Datapro/Tips/Tips.html

Horizon Report

2009-07-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

In this prediction, the Horizon report predicts that nearly everything will be Geo tagged. This prediction is about 2 years out according to the prediction. But I am seeing this happening everywhere NOW. Cameras now routinely geo tag photos and show you on Google map where the photo was taken. Parents are tagging there children in case they are lost. But how far does this go. Stores could use geo tagging to track the movements of customers. They could use this information to force customers down isles with items that yield the highest profits. Should our location is tracked on a website so our friends can easily find us, along with the predators? I think that this concept has a lot of good. But it also contains a lot of bad. Are we as a society ready to combat the bad in order to obtain the good points of this technology?

David Pogue on Technology

2009-07-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

http://www.ted.com/talks/david_pogue_says_simplicity_sells.html

David Pogue say Simplicity sells. The problems with software today is that it is poorly designed and poorly supported. We need to improve on these two items.

Why should we hit 'start' in Windows to shut down? Why does it take so many clicks in different places to create a new document in Word? Why does the print dialog box look like a 747 control panel, when all you want to do is print? Oh and just where is that print button?

35% of a company's revenue comes from updates. So we need to find something to add, perhaps a new feature. If we improve anything enough, it will ruin it.

What can we do? Simplicity sells. More ideas like the iPod, Google, Macbook power connector and voice memos need to be developed. Remember it is simplicity, elegance, and beauty that sells.

Points for Discussion:
1. How many items should be on a menu?
2. How many nested levels is too many?
3. Is there a balance between simplicity and power?
4. Should we have different menus for power users and normal users?
5. What about color?
6. What about placement?
7. When should we update?
8. What can we do about support?
9. What about outsourcing? Does it work?