Ubiquitous? No thanks, just the basic package...

I love how Greenfield tries to sell the idea of a ubiquitous system as something of an upgrade to what you can "already" get. We are far away enough from the ideal Jetsons ubiquitous systems to not have a choice. If Everyware is going to serve, it will do so regardless of what the population says or wants. Here he makes it sound like more of a burden than something that can "simply show us a parking space." I'll say that by 2020, something of the sort will be mainstream in society and we'll have never seen a chance to "buy the basic package".

Concerning processor speeds, multi-core processors have hit the market and blown what we thought was powerful out of the water. I remember surfing the net on a 533 Mhz Pentium III and thinking, "Wow, this is FAST!" That was 1999. This being less than ten years ago, it's easy to see that computer progression utilized technological advancements to increase overall production and decrease size. The multi-core processor has just been a manifestation of a processor of processors in the most recursive thing I've ever seen. Working at Best Buy last summer, I used such explanations as, "it's like opening up a second register at lunch hour." Throw in some key words like delegate and people think they understand what's going on when all they really need to know is that it's faster. I just can't wait until my cell phone boasts a "Tera-core" processor.

Circuits

Thesis 58

In this chapter, Greenfield proposes that ones technological wants are not that easy to figure out. If you think about it, people want what they can’t have, therefore bringing the next generation into the future will not seem as demanding as once thought. Scores of people will complain about privacy and security issues as well.

Thesis 59

Greenfield states in this chapter how the required computational power is already available. Processors are fast enough and doubling every year while hard drives are shrinking physically/growing capacity wise. This got me thinking about the technology in a PS3, the system apparently has 9 different chips that work together to render the next generation graphics. Other companies actually use the PS3 for other uses such as medical breakthroughs. 60 PS3’s have been hooked up and manipulated to provide the most computational power available including supercomputers. The technique is being used to find cures for such diseases as Alzheimer’s and HIV.

Thesis 60

What I liked about this chapter was how he stated that a person’s life from a newborn to the age of 70 can be recorded within 20 terabytes. This includes recording all 5 senses and emotions. If you take this into consideration about the 24 month doubling period of storage capacity, all that information should fit into a grain of sand. This is real interesting as nano-technology will soon take off into un-before-seen advancement.

Too Much is Not Enough (Security)

The usages of Everyware, while far reaching, are going to be more than your everyday person really wants from technology.
As shown in 59 and 60, the increase in technology according to Moore's Law is going to lead to technology that we think is still good today, being worth as much as a light switch in about ten years. The implications of this as stated are that we will be able to install processors and memory storage all over the house at what seems like a very reasonable rate. This is a wet dream for all of those scientists out there scheming and racking their brains trying to decide how to make Everyware applicable to the everyday person. What said scientist may not be thinking however, is that many people just do not care. As stated in thesis 58, what people want Everyware for is things like combining all the remotes into the house into one. A few other examples off of the top of my head might be an intercom system throughout the house that is integrated with the computer, or one switch that allows you to power down all the lights in your house with one push of a button. I, for one, am just fine to use a key to open my house door. I know that their is no way to electronically hack my lock, and if my key were stolen, I would know about it. This is a simple yet important mental comfort that locks by electronic recognition may not be able to provide.
After reading 57 it has really made me question how much of this new technology I really need/want.

Thesis 58

I like that Greenfield brings this point into conversation. There are aspects of new technology I see a demand for. Video game and entertainment advancement, which Greenfield acknowledges, but there isn't a sense of desire for this state of "everyware." I find that most people think it's just amazing what is possible. I find it exciting to think about, what technology is capable of accomplishing. Your living room greeting you, dimming the lights, starting your favorite tv show, adjusting the temperature, and preparing every other aspect you have planned for the night, all by face recognition upon entering the room. That is all very neat. But I'm not so anxious that I can't wait for it to come out. I don't sit here and wish and day dream that one day I won't even have to use a remote to control my tv, or a thermostat for my air. When I think about the future I never think about the aspect of purchasing all of these things. Like in movies, my vision of the future is just with everyone already having these technologies. Like in "Minority Report".

I wonder at times if the whole idea of "Everyware" is just a scheme to sale more product to the public. A "hyping" technique for the future. People exclaiming this is possible, and this will do this, and this car will fly, and blah blah blah. The excitement and hype has built to the point that I think people find it an inevitable change. Not so much that we can't wait to have these things available or that we can't wait to go out and buy them, but that we can't wait to see if what we think the future will be like is what it turns out to be. At least that is how it is for me. I could care less about the automaticity of my room, I'm just amazed at what we can do, but I don't want to buy something like that...unless I'm just so rich I have more money than I know what do with.

finally someone says it: Theses 58-60

Thesis 58: "Of course, what real people need or want in any given situation is far from obvious" (Gene Becker, Thesis 58). This is my major hang-up with all of this talk of evreyware and ubicomp, sure its nice to discuss all the possibilities of ubicomp but for the most part (at least currently) it seems academic. Me personally, I'm pretty content with the way things are right now. Most would call me provincial but I really have little, if any desire to live in a "Minority Report" or "I Robot" world. I don't mind manually adjusting the thermostat in my apartment or flicking a switch to turn on the lights. On the other hand, I hate going to the bank and don't know what I'd do without my debit card or direct deposit. Sure I'd get by but I'd rather keep my debit card. So for me personally, it boils down to comfort and familiarity. You throw things I'm not familiar or comfortable with at me and I tend to refuse them. The email list and LR are two good examples. Everyware might be progressively becoming more and more a reality but I think it still depends upon people accepting it to fully realize.

Thesis 60: Storing the whole life experience of an individual in a device the size of a mobile phone, or a grain of sand...well that's pretty cool. Who would want to do such a thing? Well, that I'm not so sure about. I for one really have no desire for my own personal little black box (maybe a temporary one for vacations, bachelor parties, lectures etc.), my own personal memory has served me well so far. I can see something like personal black boxes being used in various industries to track individual productivity or record expeditions etc. But I get the point of the example: storage capacity will some day allow it. Is there a limit to storage capacity? Could we map our known galaxy and store it on an iPod or cd? This is the sort of thing that think could be useful applications of the increase in storage capacity, recording natural phenomena and modeling etc.

Is it that time already?

Technology has gotten to a point where it is being developed faster than we can utilize it and also costing more to do so. I remember that there was a time where you could purchase a computer and be pretty much set at least for a couple years before you absolutely had to upgrade. And when you upgraded, most of the parts were still useable. Now, I can barely keep up with what is out there since the processors are becoming more complicated. They are requiring specific types of RAM that match the processor to get the best performance. With the latest processor that I purchased (Intel Core Duo), I had to purchase a new type of video card since they had changed to the PCI-Express card slot. But by the time, my computer was up and running, I was already behind.

Either way, did I REALLY have to spend all that money to build a brand new computer? Not really. But what usually sparks the upgrade (other than just wanting something new because it’s new) are the components, like software (games, applications, video cards, etc). In my case, it was the graphic programs. I wanted to be more efficient in my work so I could get other things done while my system was processing my image. I know that I would have dealt with the speed that it was processing, but since the processors were coming out so fast, I was feeling left in the dust. And I think that everyone would be happier with their purchases if technology would ease in the new stuff instead of constantly shoving it down our throats. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, technology is happening at a more rapid pace than what we are used to.

books on CD

I'm taking Children's Lit this semester and I've made a bad habit out of not reading the four children's book assigned for each exam. But I've found a solution and it resides in the realm of Ubicomp. Thankfully for me, in this day and age I can always turn to books on CD and listen thoughtfully as someone else artfully reads the books to me. I can listen in my car or at home on my computer before I go to bed etc. So, I'd like to take a moment and thank the prevalence of Ubicomp in my world for allowing me to sit back, relax and close my eyes and listen to the digitally transposed text of books which I should have read three weeks ago. Thanks Ubicomp.

2 eggs and an airconditioner

I never considered the fact that there really isn't a need for everyware. It makes sense, though. You never hear people say, "gosh I wish this room would have cooked me breakfast and cooled down two degrees when I walked in". I think in this case, the need will come with having the devices. Once society moves to a new level of comfort and convenience, we never look back. It is unthinkable to move toward the LESS convenient (gasp). The real need according to Greenfield involves simple day to day conveniences like finding parking or consolidating the remotes. Personally, I think these small things will eventually lead right into the everyware vision, because whether we need it as a whole, we do need (or think we need) the individual parts. I read just this morning in the Daily Texan that Texas wants to begin using the fingerprint as a voluntary identification system. Instead of ID you would just have your fingerprint scanned to buy tobacco, alcohol, lottery tickets, and R-rated movie tickets. I believe that this is one of those small components that will eventually lead to the everyware system. We just want more and more convenience, and with more small systems, it will be only logical to combine them to save space and time, thus creating an everyware type environment. My only complaint at the moment is that I still believe that we don't really need that much convenience. I mean, how hard is it to look for a parking place and dig for change in your pocket? But I'm only trying to postpone the inevitable. We as a society will always be looking for the easy way out. That's how it's always been, and I figure that's how it always will be.

The 'Relationship' in the Language of New Media

It was interesting getting Manovich’s rather scientific perspective on analyzing media. It’s worth noticing how despite the ‘different’ principles of analyzing new media and distinguishing it from old media, all the stated principles converge on a number of issues. It's bringing out this relationship by means of connecting the dots and forming a cyclical pattern that seems to repeat itself over and over again.

There exists a great synergy in the way principles of technology work.

Numeric Representation of media in forms of digital codes is connected heavily with the principles that follow. An essential part of this Numeric Representation is the ability to manipulate itself based on a defined ground or premise. (For the mathematically inclined, an algorithmic function is a procedure of sorts that will terminate itself after converting from the initial state to a defined end state.) What’s important here is that there needs to be a defined ground to assess change. All these set grounds for the second principle of Modularity. The single modular identity concept comes from the earlier principle where we have mathematically defined a new form of media. Each different module is a function of developing an algorithmic manipulation system, whereby maintaining the integral identity of the media object yet branching out into a different rendition of its earlier form.

Case in Point:
Windows 95 --> Windows 98 --> Windows 2000--> Windows ME--> Windows XP--> Windows Vista

All the different ‘versions’ of the operating system had undergone modifications in its operation yet maintaining a steady increase in the number of applications contained in the respective version of the unilateral operating systems. The base, conceptually however remained the same. These ‘manipulations’ in function were caused by numeric manipulation (code shifts, changes in pixels, development of voxels, characters, scripts etc).

Similarly, ‘Automation’ was a function of Principle 1 and Principle 2, aka Numeric Representation and Modularity. After establishing some basic relationship, we can see how then the ‘Variability’ principle and the eventual ‘Transcoding’ principle follow suit.

It will indeed be interesting getting perspectives on this relationship process between the five mentioned principles.

Art in Technology

I admit that I didn't like this reading too much, too mind numbing. But I have to say that it did make me remember and think about my modern art class. I mean, what is all creation if it is not some form of art? And, what is technology and new medias if not new creations and inventions? New frontiers are constantly being explored in art and technology, computers, performance art, brain scanners, and even Duchamp's toilet art submission. It's funny how everything seems so connected once you take a step back to look at it.
Especially with the talk of how all this new technology is fundamentally based off all the old ones. It’s like the background of a mural, you first have to invent/paint the foundation and you build off there. From there we just keep on combining what we already have, keep on layering, and each time we get new images and new technology. I believe the basics will always be the same, no matter how complicated the instruments get. I mean, all we’re trying to do is accomplish new ways of communication and entertainment. This could all be done, though it takes longer, much more simply. But we want it fast, easy and affordable, and we’re always moving, changing, destroying, and creating…I could expect no more than constant change, it is who we are…always trying to make life “easier”.

Ubiquitous Already?

Reading Everware is not really getting redundant as much as I'd like to think so. The readings touch the same topics but the ways to look at them differ. Fifty-two suggests that ubiquitous computing is already embedded in society. I honestly do not find this hard to believe. From the smart cams at Vegas that search databases to identify cheats to the Exxon Speedpass that pretty much brings up your info on the spot are as commonplace as ever now. My fears escalate when I remember that these devices and technologies are indeed hooked up to the network. By the network I do mean the vast web of cyberspace ready to gobble up and permanently seal your involvement in certain activities as soon as you hit enter or send (possibly before). So are they really spying on us? Not really I think. My day to day dealings are too unimportant in the scope of things. Fifty-four however states that Everyware will fully mature in about ten years. But I’d like to think of it as a child. True, while the danger is small while the evil is young but to me, maturation is simply a time to collect and gather all necessary information.

Surveillance

This past saturday i worked at the sts civic forum titled "Surveillance and you." The forum discussed surveillance in the present state of our digital world. I worked along with other participants to provide a sense of being watched throughout the event. The coordinators scripted a play of surveillance where the guests became the participants of the revealing experiment which became the forum. The experiment went as follows; Participants walked in and were greeted by a table for registration. The participants were then asked to give the registrar their thumb for fingerprinting. If the participant willingly gave their fingerprint they were given 5 aninimity dollars which they could later use to buy items towards concealing their identity during the forum from cameras that were taping the entire forum. If they would then provide another finger for identity then they would recieve another 5 aninimity dollars towards hiding their identity. If the participants were unwilling to provide their finger they were given a red ticket to go in with and were unable to recieve any aninimity dollars. The reactions from the participants unwilling to provide their fingerprinting was very interesting to experience. At first I thought the older participants would be the skeptical ones but it was random who would participate and who would refuse. I was shocked at first when I was told of the fingerprint scanners being used. Even though we are surveilled each day by many hidden "Cameras" of surveillance I felt my personal information being violated through the scanner. The experiment helped me to better understand surveillance and the actions being taken to have and protect our information. The topic of surveillance is ever present with the identity 2.0 increasing as the internet continues to develop. At this pace the internet will pose many security problems if they are not addressed soon.

New Media: AI and Virtual Reality

After reading The Language of New Media, I want to explore more about AI (artificial intelligence) and virtual reality on which Manovich touched on briefly. I think the computer is the ultimate form of presenting, distributing, and storing media. Anything after will be a play off the computer but that does not mean everything after will not be creative or innovative. I can picture some kind of connection from your computer to your brain where you can visit a website as if you were there in person. Say you are looking for a car and you visit a dealership website. As soon as you are connected you start looking for a car and select one you would like to see. An AI car representative gives you a tour and responds to your eye movement or placement in or around the car while giving descriptions at each of these points.
Imagine the possibilities of search a virtual reality in regards to education. A child could get connected and play in a “hands on” simulated environment that could truly aid in then learning process. Or imagine going back to 1963 and be there at Lincoln Memorial to hear Martin Luther King Jr. “I Have Dream” speech. The advantages of new forms of media are endless but we must not count out the disadvantages. We need to also imagine that terrorist who wants to learn how to develop a dirty bomb. All that person has to do is get connected and instead of following instructions or instruction videos that terrorist can follow an AI instructor where they can interact and ask questions.

In Lev Manovich selection, The Language of New Media, Manovich goes through the time continuum in describing how media has evolved. He examines and ponders what the characteristics of new media are and where we can find them. An important characteristic of new media is they are created from scratch on computers or converted to a digital product from an analog source. New media should also contain modularity and automation meaning layered information and automatic action/Artificial life components. To me, new media is anything that is innovative and makes its predecessors nearly obsolete.

Like how a modem works, new media is described to take in part in maintaining the digital age. Technology has to convert analog signals into digital signals which then can be decoded back into almost the same original product. Modems use sounds over a telephone wire to transfer packets and decode them on the other end. Analog to digital converting turns reality into ones and zeroes.

An interesting fact that I never knew was about IBM and how it was initially created. It was a product from a merger of three Tabulating companies. IBM is one of the most world renowned companies and a pioneer in information technology.

Thesis 52

The subtle integration of Everyware into our day to day lives is something mind boggling to contemplate. On one hand, it is easy to see how information processing technology keeps getting smaller and faster, but it is also quite difficult to imagine information processing that is not centered around a personal computer. Today, most everything that is considered personal technology ends up getting plugged into a computer for one reason or another, and that is a trend that seems to make a lot of good sense. Why not allow your PC to be the hub for almost all of the technology you use? You get the songs from your Ipod off of Itunes, and upload them and listen all day. The same goes with digital cameras but in a reverse fashion. Doing it any other way does not make sense, especially since you will most likely just be E-mailing your captured images to your relatives anyways.
The way the author talks about a shift away from personal computers to Everyware, but still leaves a place for PC's in the world is good for his theory, because I do not think people will be ready to give up the ease and familiarity of a personal computer for sensing microchips that allow them to do whatever it is that needs to be done. The way they talked about smart houses that would sense and adjust is cool, but I bet many people would be just as supportive if not more supportive of a program on the PC that allowed they to control all of the settings and logistics of the house. Basically, I do not think that Everyware will ever be able to fully replace the PC for day to day tasks.

Time and space

While reading the article about new media I begun to put together a time line in my head. This time line is a crazy one because at the start of the timeline is a train. The train is traveling very very slowly but as it travels it begins to double in speed. Within a hundred years which is where we are today the train is going very very fast. This train represents technology and the timeline represents, well, time in which we are living. This train will not be stopped because there will be no one to stop a train this fast. It will keep getting faster and faster. The train also represents the way in which technology is growing at such a rapid pace. Its amazing how every foot further the train travels it doubles in speed. It is very coinciding with how technology today is acctually going. It keeps getting faster and everything keeps getting smaller. I am scared to see what our world will be like after another hundred years of the train effect. I am thinking it will be a very relaxing way of life. Becuase after all one of the main things technology does for us is make life easier and relaxing.

Manovich

The Manovich essay really showed me how the development of technologies fueled the creation of further technologies. A kind of perpetual force of motion evolves essentially beginning to maintain itself on its own. One thing leads to another, so forth on so on, in a never ending progression. When I think about IT this way it tends to start making more sense to me. Technology in general seems to follow this progression. Some key points from the reading I found especially relevant: The specialization of technologies. By this I mean both the customization and standardization of technologies and the infrastructure which props up around it. For example, the Industrial Reveloution and all of the changes it entailed, social, economic, legislative, bureaucratic, represents a prime example of how one technological shift can in turn cause shifts across a varied range of others. The evolution of IT helped subsume these advances into the status quo. Some other interesting points which came about because of this specialization: "fractal structure of new media" = modularity. So digitization has lead us to new media and the quicker dissemenation of info. The advent of AI really intriguied me because I never thought of AI as a tool of info retrieval, easing the overload of info for the user to interface with.

New Media

When reading "The Language of New Media" I found the talk of what "new media" actually is very interesting. How words on a computer are, but words on a piece of paper are not. I didn't really understand his point as to why this shouldn't justify this media as being new media just because they can both equally have effect on society.

Manovich's first principle of "new media" really made me think about digital technology. The numerical representation of a picture. I already knew that everything in a computer is in binary code, but I don't really picture the design of something like that in text, or especially in a picture. When Manovich talked about how new media is subject to algorithmic manipulation, or that "media becomes programmable." Like the formulas required to change the sharpness of a picture. Although I agree that both new and old media have the power to effect equally. What makes computer's new media is this programmability. Which allows this "Modularity" of movies or clips. The program Photo Shop has to be mentioned when talking about these principles. I watched a clip the other day on you tube of speed drawing on with photo shop. There is no doubt in my mind that we are well on the way to replacing hand drawings with digital drawing. The detail was amazing. This is a new media...not because it's new information but because of the medium, the method. The digitalization. The modularity & automation.

I just liked this article because it makes me think about the actual process involved in creating something like this text for this blog input. It's easy to take it for granted and think that displaying this text was a simple process. But the algorithms are crazy. I can't even imagine creating programs with capabilities of iMovie, or iTunes, or Photo Shop.

Everyware Here Already?

Our world today already has the components to make everyware a reality which is also why we have devices that uses the intelligent user interface described by Everyware. But I think it is safe to agree with Gene Becker from HP Laboratories’ when he states that this idea is a “hundred-year problem” because although we will have a whole bunch of devices using RFID tags and ID sensors in numerous locations, there will always be room for a topic like that to grow, always be places to stick sensors. Just like technology today, we can set goals to having a “final” technology in our grasp, but it could be considered an never-ending problem because there will always be new technology to be thought of or discovered and invented. As thesis 53 stated, we do have the components that make our lifestyles capable of such “Everyware” devices but as more and more devices are used, more and more will be thought up and will need higher end components. This is similar to how programs that are running on today’s computers would have never been able to run on computers 10 years ago and 10 years from now, the computers will have us questioning on how we ever got by in life using the intelligent machines we are using now. As time goes by and technology grows, it doesn’t just “fill” up a room until we reach the maximum of growth, it’s more of a world in itself expanding everyday a little more and has no boundaries on how large it can reach.

How Do They Do It?!?

It is amazing how far we have advanced since the 1830s. What makes it even more amazing is what made these inventors even think to start trying to figure out how to make life easier with these crazy inventions? Adobe Photoshop is a tool that is critical to my job function. Without it, I would not be able to product the graphics needed for projects. But as I sit there and use the program, it baffles my mind at the team of software writers at Adobe for creating such a powerful application. And not only does the application remain the top software in its category, the computers that are being developed use Photoshop as a benchmark for their processors, as well as high end graphically intense PC games. I mean, how do they even start to create anything like that? Not being a strong programmer, I just couldn’t even see where to begin. But ask me to create a graphic, you've got it! Much kudos to programmers and developers!

And then the idea of customizing lifestyles is happening everyday all around us with all the new technologies that supposedly are able to predict and read what we want to see and feel. The excerpt brings up web pages often about this because it seems to be the easiest method for customization. Websites can be programmed to leave cookies in the user’s computer in hopes to be able to retrieve the information later to display certain ads that the user had once expressed interest in previously. Working with HTML, I have built a website at my company that tracks the user’s data in a cookie that then we use to display themes and settings that they had chosen before. Even looking at how all the main search engines allow you to customize your main page to include the types of news and information that you are most interested in.

We are quickly moving into a time where we almost expect everything to be handed to us on a platter whether it is information on a website or the preferred temperature in a room that we spend most of our time in. Not trying to say that we are getting lazy, but our expectations of technology have gotten a lot higher and it is our human nature to try to push it to its limits.