The Future is Now
More amazing technology on its way…
Tuesday, August 1st, 2006Dr. Ulf Leonhardt of St. Andrews University in Scotland has described a theoretical device that can make people invisible.
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Microsoft Takes a Cue from Spielberg
Monday, July 31st, 2006Check out TouchLight technology from Microsoft – 3D images that you can manipulate with your hands (like Tom Cruise did in Minority Report).
Very, very cool.
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Oh, By the Way, We Cured Cancer…
Friday, May 19th, 2006This story was the third story on the evening news last night, and it didn’t even make the front page of the New York Times:
WASHINGTON, May 18 (AP) – A vaccine that blocks viruses that cause most cervical cancer is safe and effective and should be approved, a federal panel recommended on Thursday. The maker said the vaccine could cut global deaths from the cancer by more than two-thirds.
Wow. I mean, isn’t this a really big deal? Where’s the banner headline? The special address to the nation by the President praising the researchers for all their hard work, etc.? Is this how the world found out about the Polio vaccine too?
Kind of “ho hum” if you ask me (not that you did or anything…)
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Commercials on Demand
Monday, May 8th, 2006From the Wall Street Journal online (via Hugh Hewitt): TiVo will soon be offering commercials On Demand.
For the most part, the marketers won’t run traditional 30-second TV commercials. Instead, they will offer longer ads that attempt to be more informative than typical commercials. Kraft, for instance, will offer 20 different cooking videos that will show such things as how to grill its Tombstone pizza, potato-salad basics, or how to create a cantaloupe-and-Jell-O dessert.
General Motors, likewise, will offer detailed video presentations about its vehicles. Ford is trying something more entertaining: one-minute takes of magicians Penn & Teller performing various tricks on a golf course, with a Ford vehicle shown nearby.
It’s an interesting concept, but I think it’s doomed to failure. To generate an audience for something, not only does the content have to be compelling, but it has to be someplace where people will look for it.
If I wanted to know how to grill a Tombstone Pizza, for instance, I’d probably go to Tombstone.com, or even more likely to Google. The reason I’d do this is because when I think “information need,” I instantly think “Internet.” The TiVo commercial might be a better product, but my sense right now is that if that’s truly the case, then they (or someone else) will eventually put a copy of it on the web, and Google will find it (side question: do you think Madison Avenue would get all up in arms over people illegally downloading bootleg versions of their commercials?).
To change my behavior, the On Demand ads must be more informative (or at least more entertaining) on a consistent basis, and there must be enough of a critical mass there to make me turn to my cable box first, as opposed to my web browser. That’s a long row to hoe…
On the upside, if this takes off, maybe they’ll take the commercials out of shows & just post links to the On Demand versions at appropos moments:
Donald Trump: You’re Fired!
TiVo: Click here for a video on writing your resume from Monster.com
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The Future of Google
Saturday, March 18th, 2006Here’s what Google will look like in 20 years. (Hat tip: Jeff Porten)
UPDATE: Michael Weinmayr adds another example.
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The History of Computers
Thursday, March 16th, 2006A classic from James Lileks:
Remember: your iPod has more storage capacity than everything in this room.
If you like that, check out the whole series here.
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The Philly Skyline
Thursday, March 16th, 2006For the UPenn alums in the crowd (any any Philadelphia fans, I guess), check out the new building that’s going up near the Walnut Street Bridge.
When I graduated from UPenn 15 years ago, the only real “skyline” building was 1 Liberty Place.
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Video Navigation Systems
Sunday, February 12th, 2006This from Google and Volkswagen of America look really interesting.
Basically, it’s the in-car navigation system we’ve all seen, but with photographs instead of those line drawings we’re used to. So rather than driving to that hotel or restaurant’s block & then looking around, you could see the building on the screen.
The proof is, of course, always in the usage, but given the existence of Google Earth, GPS, and high wireless bandwidth, it sounds promising…
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Sentences that didn’t make sense 5 years ago: “Excuse me while I Yahoo my TiVo.”
Monday, November 7th, 2005I’ve been wondering out loud for many years about why no one’s built a VCR or other recording device that can be programmed remotely (either via telephone or internet). It seems Yahoo and TiVo have finally gotten the job done:
TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq:TIVO – news) and Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO – news) on Monday launched a service that allows TiVo users to program their digital video recorders remotely using Yahoo’s television information Web sites.
I’m not a TiVo user, but if this catches on, I’m sure the other DVR providers (I use Comcast’s) will follow suit relatively quickly for fear of losing subscribers. So now, when I expected to be home in time to watch <fill in favorite mindless TV entertainment vehicle here>, but find myself stuck in traffic, working late, or whatever, I can pop over to my web browser (or my blackberry, or my PDA) and tell the DVR to tape the show I’m now going to miss.
Still more evidence that we were all born at exactly the right time…
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TiVo In Your Pocket
Friday, October 7th, 2005It sounds like there a still a few glitches to be worked out, but we’ve finally gotten to TV In Your Pocket.
It’s not exactly a click-and-go sort of thing, but neither is it very difficult to send your favorite programs to your Windows-powered mobile device.
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