Thoughts in Tech

The Co-founder of Apple, Inc, Steve Jobs, passed away October 5 at the age of 56. He was a visionary who changed the way we think about computers, phones and digital media. He led a very humble and productive life.

Jobs felt out of place in school starting at a young age. He found himself tinkering with electronics and bored with school. He enrolled in college, but soon realized his overwhelming interest in electronics and dropped out after only one semester. He started Apple Computer in 1975 with a school friend, Steve Wozniak. He quickly saw the business potential of Wozniak’s hand-made circuit board. After perfecting the device, it was the first personal computer to be mass produced. It was called the Apple II. After the success of the Apple II, Apple began to grow more and more. After a failure of the “Lisa” business computer, Jobs was taken off the Lisa team. He took a few employees with him to an outlying building on the Apple campus and started the Macintosh project. A black pirate flag flew over that building. Jobs is famous for saying “Why join the Navy when you can be a pirate?”

The Macintosh was the start of it all, but around this time Jobs was ousted from his position at Apple. Instead of moping around with nothing to do, Jobs set out to form Pixar Animation and NeXT Computer. At NeXT, Jobs created what became Mac OS X, which is still in use today. Apple later bought NeXT, bringing Jobs back to the company that he started. The innovation of Jobs soon took the company into prosperity with the introduction of the iMac and iPod. Jobs has continued creating innovative products with amazing design.

“We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll want to lick them” -Steve Jobs

Jobs also considers the user-friendly design to be an important component. “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like,” he says. “Design is how it works.”

Apple embodies this idea in all of their products. It is part of what makes them so successful. Jobs’s goal is to make products that will cause the “Click. Boom. Amazing!” effect. With Jobs’s drive for excellence, Apple has been able to innovate and create products that no one thought possible and set the bar high, making the competition struggle to keep up.

Jobs set out to “put a ding in the universe” and succeeded many times over.

Thank you Steve, you made me who I am today. You will be missed.

There is a new tech trend setting in at technology retailers like Best Buy.  It seems like every new movie has it, and many new TV’s advertise it.  What I’m referring to is something I’m sure many of you have experienced: 3D video.  It’s cropping up in movie theaters all over the place, and many new TVs and Bluray Players support it.  Contrary to what you might think, I don’t like this new tech trend.  Here are a few reasons why I don’t like 3D.

The first is glasses.  For now, to view something in 3D, you need to wear the red and blue 3D glasses in order to actually make sense of the image.  If you aren’t wearing the glasses, not only is it not 3D, but the colors of the picture are offset, making the video unwatchable without 3D glasses.  Usually when buying a 3D TV, they only come with 2 sets of glasses, which makes the prices of extra glasses outrageously expensive.

The second point is sickness.  By this I mean headaches and dizziness.  There are many people who, when watching a long 3D movie, become dizzy and get headaches. This is due to the fact that when someone looks at something not in digital 3D, the two different images from both eyes are blended together and interpreted by the brain.  When someone watches a 3D movie, the way the two images are blended together is slightly different than when looking at a textbook, for example, this confuses the brain, causing dizziness and headache.

The third thing I’d like to point out is that not everyone can even see 3D due to eye problems.  Being able to see 3D depends on “binocular vision” which means that both eyes are being used simultaneously.  Without it, it is very hard to judge distances and see 3D movies.  According to vision3d.com, about 12% of the general public have some type of eye condition that prevents them from using both eyes at the same time, making it hard or impossible to see 3D video.

Hopefully the 3D technology will get better and better, eliminating the need for glasses and easing headaches and dizziness.  Until then, I think I’ll skip the 3D experience.

I recently wrote an essay for English class about Macs and PC’s, here it is.

When choosing a computer, there are two main types: Mac or Windows PC.  The hardware of a computer is the physical components, whether in many pieces, or an all-in-one design.  The Software, on the other hand, is the dynamic and interactive part of the computer that runs on the hardware.  Macs and PCs are both powerful tools, but have many differences and similarities.

The hardware of a computer is usually the first thing that someone sees on a computer.  It’s the first impression.  On a Mac, there are a lot fewer options when it comes to different models of computers.  Apple always has a well thought out design, which makes fewer options a good thing.  Apple makes the all-in-one iMac.  The iMac is a complete computer, meaning there is a monitor, mouse, and keyboard, and nothing else.  The all-in-one design creates almost no clutter, especially if using a wireless keyboard and mouse.  The trackpad on a Mac laptop is very large.  The trackpad is the area that allows the use of fingers to control the mouse. The Mac supports digital audio in and out.  Digital audio allows a connection to a complete surround sound system with two front, two rear, and center speakers, along with a subwoofer for bass.

The hardware choices of PC’s is much more expansive.  But just because it is more expansive, that doesn’t mean it’s better.  There is often a large tower that goes along with a PC desktop.  The tower creates a lot of clutter behind it with a maze of cables and wires running every which way.  The trackpad on a PC laptop is considerably smaller than on a Mac laptop.  PC’s don’t usually support digital audio like a Mac does.  An external device is often required to allow this functionality.

Along with their many differences, Macs and PC’s have many similarities, as well.  There are many common inputs you’ll find on both Macs and PCs.  Some of these include USB, a Kensington Lock Slot, microphone, and a webcam.  USB is a standard method of connecting many different devices to computers.  Anything from an external hard drive to Wireless adapters that allow wireless Internet.  The Kensington Lock Slot is a standard slot developed by Kensington for securing electronics to a desk or table.  The microphone and webcam can be used on both Macs and PCs to communicate with each other using a service like Skype video calling.

The Software on a computer is what makes it all work.  One of the first things one might notice is the menu bar.  On a Mac, there is a menu bar at the top of the screen that controls all menus inside the operating system.  When one looks at the operating system on a PC, the menu bar appears within each program, instead of having one dynamic menu bar.  The concept of a bar consisting of lists of items organized in a drop down fashion, however, remains the same on both Mac and PC.

Program launching is something that Mac and PC handle differently.  By Program launching, I mean clicking on a program to open it.  The Mac has what is called the “Dock”.  The dock is laid out as a shelf at the bottom of the screen.  On the shelf, there are various customizable program icons.  This allows quick access to frequently used programs.  On a PC, The task bar has a similar function.  The task bar is a bar at the bottom of the screen that shows all open programs, along with things like the time and “services” running in the background.  These services include things like keeping a constant connection to the Internet and a battery monitor for laptops.  The Start button is also on the task bar. The Start button is completely unique to the PC.  The Start button is where it all begins.  Clicking on the Start button will bring up a list of all programs on the computer, along with files and a search box for doing fast searches for programs or files on the computer.  The Mac has a similar feature located in the menu bar.  The Mac search feature is called “Spotlight”.  It can be used to search for files or programs, along with solving simple and complex math problems with the built in calculator.

Deciding on the right computer comes down to one thing: What are you going to use it for?  If you are creative and like things that are intuitive, then the Mac is the better choice.  The Mac is built with creativity in mind.  It is for those who wish to create media.  Media can include music, photos, video, or art.  For those who like gaming, the PC is the better way to go.  It is possible to get very high-end graphics, creating smooth fast action experience.  High-end graphics come with a high price, however.  But what if you just want to do some word processing, email, and maybe some video chatting now and then?  A PC would be the more affordable option.  A Mac can do all of these things quite well, too, but it’s not worth the higher price.

Overall, Macs and PCs have many differences, but when it comes down to it, they are both tools to get things done.  Some basic features are common to both systems, such as USB and video conferencing.  Others are unique, such as the Start menu or dock.

If you don’t already know, there is a war taking place all over the internet.  The two sides, you ask?  Adobe Flash and HTML 5

Up until a few months ago, Flash has been dominant, mostly due to the fact that HTML 5 was still being developed.  This new version of HTML is now supported by all browsers – the last of which to add support was Internet Explorer, which is still in Beta.  HTML 5 has a new <video> tag built in, which makes it possible to add videos to a webpage with very little code and, since the tag is built into the language, no plugins are required, unlike Flash.  Flash also likes to hog an unreasonable amount of resources such as CPU and RAM and battery.  For instance, the MacBook Air gets 5 hours of battery without Flash, but when websites are loaded that contain flash, the MacBook Air only gets 3 hours of battery life.

Slashdot Apple Story | Flash Can Rob 2 Hours From MacBook Air’s Battery Life.

Some people may say that Flash gives more control over content, but I disagree.  With HTML 5′s “canvas” feature, it is possible to draw and animate using HTML code.  The canvas extends the whole page, which is different from Flash’s limited “Stage”.

There is also a technology that comes with HTML 5 called CSS 3.  CSS 3 adds many features including transitions, effects, and gradients.  Imagine if you clicked a link on a page and instead of loading another page normally, the current content slides back like the page of a book.

Combining HTML 5 and CSS 3 will bring a richer and more visually appealing internet experience.  To see a demo of HTML 5 and CSS 3 in action, visit:

thewildernessdowntown.com

So I bet most of you have used or at least know about bluetooth devices.  These can include wireless mice, keyboards and cell phones that can connect to your bluetooth-enabled computer.  I have a bluetooth mouse that I use with my laptop.  Today I found that I was unable to connect the mouse to my computer.  After trying many times, many different ways (turning off bluetooth, turning off the mouse and turning them back on in different combinations), I was having no luck whatsoever.  After being very puzzled for about 1/2 an hour, I started thinking, “what else could the mouse be connected to?  There are no other bluetooth devices in my room!”.  I thought for a while, then it dawned on me, there’s a bluetooth enabled desktop on the other side of the wall!  So after investigating and finding very strange things on show up on the desktop, as if someone had just shaken the mouse and clicked randomly (which was obviously me), I brought the mouse to the desktop and sure enough, the mouse was connected to the desktop.

I believe this is a flaw in the bluetooth technology. I was able to have the mouse paired to two computers at the same time, but it can only be connected to one device at a time, so my two computers were “competing” with each other on who would get the mouse.  The desktop seemed to win out every time.

Hello!  and welcome to “Thoughts in Tech”, a new blog about my life in tech that will soon become so popular that I will take over the entire blogosphere…

By the way….I have just a slight Mac bias!