GLIMPSES OF THE
FUTURE |
Dreaming Of Sun, Sand and Wi-Fi? If you're dreaming of sun and sand this drab January (at least, those of you in the N. Hemisphere), you need to know which beaches offer free Wi-Fi internet connection. Unsurprisingly, most of the connected beaches are in the USA including 85 in California and many in Florida (full list here). But Brighton in the UK was also a pioneer of open access. In 2003 the local council approved a free service (pier to pier!) and although there's neither sun nor sand to be had at this time of year, a weekend in Brighton no longer provides an excuse for not keeping up with those emails. And there's at least one nude Wi-Fi beach in the world: Florida's Haulover Beach. Shirley Mason, the executive director of the naturalist Beaches Foundation, says she sees people using their laptops all the time. See you there. (p.s. There are now over 7,000 Wi-Fi hot spots in Russia.) Washing Machine 'With Added Nano' Seen As Environmental Threat A new Samsung washing machine that injects nano-scale particles of silver into clothes has fallen foul of environmental regulators in California. With the claim that the minute particles of metal serve to 'immunize' clothes against body odour, Samsung says the following about its latest SilverCare machine: "An increased consumer demand for energy-saving products prompted Samsung to develop a system to use silver, widely known for its antimicrobial properties, in the wash water of its newest line of washing machines. Metallic silver atoms, electrolytically stripped of an electron, are injected during the wash and rinse cycles, allowing over 100 quadrillion silver ions to sanitize clothing without the need for hot water or bleach." Yes. And then they're washed down the drain. Low Cost E. Ink Phone For The Developing World Motorola has announced Motofone, a low cost mobile phone aimed directly at users in poorer societies. It is available in both GSM and CDMA versions. The new phone uses an electronic paper display from E.Ink (as used in the excellent Sony Reader) rather than a conventional illuminated glass screen. This display is easily readable in bright sunlight and, to help users who lack literacy and familiarity with phone technology, the screen provides clear graphic clues to the phone's functions. Users of pre-paid services will be provided with a display showing the balance of their account at the end of each call. It is not hard to see the hand of Nicholas Negroponte, an MIT professor and a long-term Motorola board member, behind this phone. Negroponte is also the prime mover behind the 'One Laptop Per Child' initiative to provide low cost computers to children in the developing world. Panorama Pictures From Your Mobile Phone If you've ever felt that your mobile phone pix don't really capture the feeling of a holiday destination, Swedish mobile phone software company Scaldo has released software which allows you to stitch individual frames together to form 'panorama' images. “No photo effect is more dramatic than sweeping panoramas, and anyone that can operate the phone’s camera can create spectacular images using AutoRama,” says Mats Jacobson, CEO of Scalado. “It’s made so simple, you don’t need to be an expert as you just point and shoot as the phone automatically does the rest for you, vibrating to tell you when to take the next shot to create the perfect high-resolution multi mega pixel panorama.” Do Virtual Worlds Cause Damage To Real Life? Does deep immersion in Second Life, MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn help or hinder one's life in the real world? This was a question put to the CEO's and senior executives of these virtual worlds at a recent discussion group in Silicon Valley. The panel included MySpace vice president Shawn Gold, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Robin Harper, vice president of Linden Labs, which runs the popular online game Second Life, and Reid Hoffman, founder and CEO of LinkedIn, the professional online networking site In an analysis of the top 10 percent of Second Life users, Linden Labs found that they spend on average 84 hours a week logged on to the site. Some 7,000 profitable businesses are based in Second Life and for some users, being on Second Life is their job. The average age of LinkedIn users: 39. MySpace is 18 to 35, Second Life is 32 and Facebook is 21 to 22. Recently MySpace has seen an influx of 38-year-olds. The reason: 20-year-on high school reunions. Second Life participant Anshe Chung doesn't care what people think of the time she spends in a virtual world. She recently announced that she has become the first person ever to make over $1 million profit from trading in virtual real estate.
|
World Futurists' Top Ten Predictions for 2007 And Beyond The World Future Society, a professional organization for futurists, has just produced a 'Top Ten List' of its members' predictions for 2007 and the next 25 years. 1: Hydrogen fuel cells will be cost competitive by 2010. The cost of power via fuel cell is dropping rapidly—from $600,000 per kilowatt-hour in the 1970s to $1,200 today. By 2012, fuel cell power is expected to cost around $400 per kilowatt-hour. It would then be competitive with every type of power. Fuel cells will power cars and allow each home to have its own non-polluting electricity generator. 2: The era of the Cyborg is at hand. Researchers in Israel have fashioned a "bio-computer" using the DNA of living cells instead of silicon chips. This development may soon allow a computer to connect directly with a human brain. 3: By 2015, New York, Tokyo and Frankfurt may emerge as hubs for high-speed, large-capacity supersonic planes. NASA's X-43A Scramjet recently flew at 7,000 mph (nearly ten times the speed of sound). These hyperspeed planes will whisk passengers across continents in the time it takes most people to drive to the airport. 4: Schools based on classrooms and a human teacher will dwindle over the next 25 years. Why sit in a classroom when you can visit virtual worlds and experience your subjects? An "avatar," a personalized interactive guide, will answer all of your questions and help you pose new ones 5: Speculation in hydrogen energy stocks could create an investment bubble, as happened with the Internet. When investors see the huge potential of hydrogen energy, the stocks of companies with promising technologies may skyrocket to unsustainable levels 6: Ocean Currents May Surpass Wind as an Energy Source. Turbines driven by ocean currents could generate four times more electricity than windmills. At one site alone—in the Channel Islands off the coast of France—the potential electricity could match that produced by three nuclear power plants. 7: A snail may save your life. A non-addictive painkiller one thousand times more potent than morphine could soon be on the market, thanks to research on conotoxins, the distinct set of chemicals found in tropical cone snails. Future medicines from the snails may help treat heart disease, depression and spinal cord injuries, among other ailments. 8: Weapons of mass destruction will be even easier to obtain over the next 15 years. Terrorists may move from bombs to creating havoc on the cellular level. The weapons of the future—genetic engineering and nanotechnology—require neither large facilities nor mass materials. 9: The convergence of genetic engineering, nanotechnology and robotics will allow humans to change their bodies in profoundly new ways. In the next 15 years, people may be able to rearrange their genes to change their physical features, extend their lifespan, merge their brains with computers and their bodies with robots, among many other remarkable developments. 10: Robots and smart environments will improve care and independence for the elderly. Intelligent walkers will help seniors get around while sensors on the handlebars monitor their vital signs. Handheld devices will track senior citizens' movements and guide them around town, keeping people mobile and independent. Please note: The opinions expressed by members of the World Future Society do not necessarily reflect my own views. Charge Your Mobile Naturally ModeLabs, developers of mobile phone technology, has announced the launch of three concept phones which are able to recharge their batteries 'naturally,' drawing energy from the world around them. The "YoYo" concept phone is suspended around the user's neck and draws power from both solar cells and kinetic energy from the wearer's movement. The "U-Turn" concept phone has an opening keyboard for email users and energy is drawn from the opening and closing action. The "Runaway" phone is for joggers and sportspeople who transfer energy to their phone from their energetic movements. ModeLabs is bringing these phones to market with the French mobile network operator, SFR. Got A Flat Screen TV for Christmas? But Is It Also A Mirror? Recognising that many viewers who want a flat-screen LCD television for their homes also want it to be discreet as possible, Dutch electronic giant Philips has launched a wall mirror that turns itself into a LCD television and back again. Available in sizes between 17in. and 30in., the Mirror TV reverts to a looking glass when not in use. The Mirror TV is the first product from Philips's HomeLab R & D facility to make it to market. Wi-Fi In Your Car O.K., so Wi-Fi is everywhere. But now you can also have it in your car - or you will soon be able to if AutoNet mobile has its way. The company naturally says the in-car Internet service (which uses cellular technology to provide constant high-speed internet access) is intended for passengers and NOT for drivers. Yeah, right. "Sorry officer, I didn't realise my laptop was still turned on." Back issues of "Glimpses" are archived here.
|