Archive for Technology & Computing
August 29, 2008 at 10:00 am · Filed under Science & Nature, Technology & Computing, Society & Culture, History
As an American, I have always been a bit ambivalent when it comes to units of measurement. I learned units like inches, pints, and pounds first, but all through elementary and secondary school, the metric system (or S.I., Système International) was taught, along with dire warnings that we’d better get used to the new measurements because the U.S. was going to be giving up Imperial units Real Soon Now. That would have been fine with me, because I’m fluent in meters, liters, and grams too, and they all make more sense to me than their Imperial counterparts. (Temperature, strangely, is the exception: I can’t seem to switch my brain out of Fahrenheit.) The entire world—excluding us wacky Americans—has come to the sane conclusion that units of measurement based on outdated and arbitrary standards should be abandoned, and that everything should be based on easy-to-calculate units of ten.
Everything, that is, except […]
Original post by Joe Kissell
August 1, 2008 at 10:00 am · Filed under Science & Nature, Technology & Computing
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been a fan of Star Trek in its various incarnations. I have no trouble suspending my disbelief in the seemingly incredible technology of the future, and I can even accept that somehow, mysteriously, humanoid beings all over the galaxy speak English. But there are some recurring Trek themes that boggle the mind because they seemingly defy the laws of statistics. For example, we viewers are expected to believe that upon encountering any alien race, there is a 35% probability that some hot alien chick will fall in love with the captain of the Enterprise within an hour. Well…I don’t know that the probability is 35%, but it’s certainly a few orders of magnitude higher than what common sense tells me. Likewise, when our heroes encounter a new planet, almost without exception they observe with feigned surprise that it’s a “Class M” planet—Trek shorthand […]
Original post by Joe Kissell
July 14, 2008 at 10:00 am · Filed under Technology & Computing, Clever Ideas
Like many people, I fantasize about one day owning my dream house. Perhaps I have hobbit blood; for me, the idea of a cozy and inviting dwelling is one without many right angles, giving it an organic, somewhat cavelike feel. Although I have always lived in buildings with conventional vertical walls, I picture a home in which each room is a different shape, with rounded corners, curved ceilings, and angled doors. In a concession to gravity, I’ll leave the floor flat and level for the most part. Without a doubt, at least one room must be completely circular—no matter how hard it is to buy furniture or hang artwork. And of course, my ideal home would be sturdy, secure, economical to build, and highly energy-efficient.
All these tastes would seem to make me an excellent candidate to own a monolithic concrete dome house. Like geodesic domes, this type of building encloses […]
Original post by Joe Kissell
June 11, 2008 at 10:00 am · Filed under Technology & Computing
Perched atop my computer is a shiny, high-tech video camera. Through the miracles of modern technology, I can have live video chats with friends or business associates on the other side of the country or the other side of the world, without even paying long-distance phone charges. Although I could opt for an audio-only conversation or even the text-only format of email or instant messaging, there’s something about seeing another person’s face that makes communication much richer and more satisfying. Using similar technology, I’ve participated in countless videoconferences involving multiple people in each of two or more locations, using cameras mounted on large video monitors and special microphones so that we can all see and hear each other. This is all good. But there’s one thing about the current state of the art in video communication that still bothers me greatly: the inability to make eye contact with the person […]
Original post by Joe Kissell
June 9, 2008 at 10:00 am · Filed under Science & Nature, Technology & Computing
Thirty years ago, the most interesting thing I knew of was the digital watch. Never mind that digital watches were harder to read than analog watches, that they went through a set of batteries every few weeks, that they cost a small fortune. These things were not important. What was important was cutting-edge style. You could now wear a computerized device on your wrist that, at the press of a button, would display the time in glowing red LED numerals! How cool was that? When my dad got his first digital watch—a huge, clunky thing—I was deeply envious that he had the best toy in the house.
Just a few years later, though, digital watches had moved into the mainstream. I distinctly remember, as a nine-year-old in 1976, saving my allowance to buy my very own $20 digital watch. I was the first kid in my school to have one, the […]
Original post by Joe Kissell
June 4, 2008 at 10:00 am · Filed under Technology & Computing, Society & Culture
Like most people, I thoroughly enjoyed the three original Star Wars films, and like most people, I found the prequel installments rather disappointing. The special effects and visual quality were dramatically improved, but the stories left much to be desired, the acting was mediocre, and the writing had none of the intensity or sparkle of the originals. After “Episode I: The Phantom Menace” appeared, I was discussing it with my friend Johanna. We spent a lot of time complaining about Jar Jar Binks, the interminable pod race sequence, and the complete absence of memorable dialogue. But as we talked, I realized that despite my criticism, there was still something about the film that inspired me. So I said, “Even considering all these problems, be honest. When you left the theater, didn’t you want to be a Jedi knight?” Johanna smiled sheepishly and said, “Well, yeah, of course!” Me too.
That’s not […]
Original post by Joe Kissell
April 28, 2008 at 10:00 am · Filed under Science & Nature, Technology & Computing, Mind & Body
While out for a walk in my neighborhood, I caught a whiff of something that instantly made me think of my grandmother’s house. I haven’t experienced that smell—either from its original source or elsewhere—in well over a decade, but the memory of being back at my grandmother’s house was immediate and striking. On the other hand, I can’t really remember or recreate that smell in my mind; either it’s there or it isn’t. I have convenient analog and digital methods of recording images and sounds so that I can see and hear them later, but no way to capture the scent of a dish at a restaurant, a favorite vacation spot, or any other smell that moves me in some way.
Read the full post (1462 words, 9 images)
Original post by Joe Kissell
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