Thursday, May 31, 2007

Outsourcing - More Bang for the Buck

That sounds nasty, but, I'm thinking simple things that I wonder why people haven't thought of them yet. How about remote watchmen? Go into a police station and you'll see people in rooms looking at closed circuit TVs. Why not outsource stuff like that? It's an idiot job.

Also, in the future, remote chauffeuring. Dual/triple redundant too. Works like this - say you're prepared to spend $200 a month on a chauffeur. That's a decent amount in the third world. Let's say you can hire 3 people for that money. Now, three of them get control of your car simultaneously - they don't know that they're working with two others. Hopefully, all three make the same (correct) decision during the drive. But, if one of them errs, the other two should still be able to carry you safely.

Surprised They Aren't Around Yet

Artificial hearts. Don't we already have the mechanical and control technology to create something to keep pumping continuously? Once in a while, the patient removes the used battery and puts in a new one - he always has two in his artifical heart - and both the charger and the heart will ensure the battery is okay. Acutally, the battery could be a smart battery that can decide for itself (has enough functionality embedded in it) if it is ready for the job or not.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Not Stuff that Abides

but patterns that perpetuate ourselves. Ever consider that ultimately, we are only software. The mind controls everything. And, the state of mind is akin to a program in a certain state. Now, in the future, looks will count for little since cosmetics will advanced to the state that anyone can look like anything they want and they won't feel bad about artificial body parts because those parts will be practically real. When that point is reached, and man is, for all practical purposes immortal, and man accepts to live with an artificial brain, then teleportation will be real - why, because you can transmit your state of mind electronically to a distant location and have it downloaded into an identical body - you reappear in another place. Of course, there should be laws to prevent replication of the mind - strict controls I'd think - otherwise people would be able to raise armies of like-minded citizens.

Futuristic Fly Catcher

Picture this - you see a fly in your house, you take a can, aim it and spray. The can releases hundreds of micro-flybots that coordinatedly zero-in on the real fly and finish it off. Poor fly. Then, the bots just fall harmlessly to the carpet after reducing the each bit of fly that they contain to simple elements/compounds that can't be food for germs. You'll want to vacuum sometime soon.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

God-Based Society

Picture it - everywhere - there will be a camera - but, you can relax knowing that only God will be allowed to watch. This makes you safe, in some sense, because, now, every crime can be solved. On the other hand, "God", in this society is not God as we understand today but a human being elected by everyone else, who manages the data with computers.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Unobtrusive Film Production

How do they make pictures now? Large, conspicuous cameras that tell everyone - here's a picture being made. But, I think we already have enough technology to produce pictures in public without the need for extras and cordoning off. In fact, this will give rise to collectible films. The first take, one member of the public was involved - without realizing. Next take, someone else. Some of those takes will become very rare.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Wanted: Better Surveillance Cameras

especially in high-crime areas. Because... when you see someone in real life, it's not exactly from a surveillance camera point of view. You know what I think - I think people should be asked to swipe ID everywhere. That's the only we know if we can trust them. People who refuse would have to be treated with caution.

Cleaner Kitchen Counters

How about a gadget that lets you cover the countertop with some cellphane/plastic wrap sort of thing when you need to do some cooking? Something based on a roller that's just below the edge of the counter with a roll of the material.

The Liberation of the World

begins with freedom from Microsoft. I guess the folks in charge are just starting to realize it. Dell's just started shipping Linux laptops. In the future, computers will be so generic and super-functional that apartments will come with builtin computers that are acceptable and meets some standards. All you have to do is login to some secure account and start.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Better Cigarette Lighter

in your car. One that can not only power your cellphone charger, but can connect to your cellphone - which has GPS capability - and talk to the navigation system display - what this needs - a cheap display that no one wants to steal - costly and good software that the only the cellphone companies will give you on their phones. Otherwise, you could just put GPS in your car. Eh?

Location Based Reminders

Suggested this before in the Major Design Project class that Dr. Barnwell was teaching: a gadget using voice recognition that reminds you to do something when someone you know is closeby or on the phone. That's not what the title of this post says - that's a similar device that knows if you're at or near a grocery store and reminds you accordingly. I think rich people have this already in their cars.

Dr. Townes on Technology

Many of tiday's practical technologies result from basic science done years to decades before. The people involved, motivated mainly by curiosity, often have little idea as to where their research will lead. Our ability to forecase the practical payoffs from fundamental exploration of the nature of things (and, similarly, to know which of today's research avenues are technological dead ends) is poor.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Enviro Friendly Hard Copies

Remember those magic pads you saw when you were a kid - you could draw stuff and then erase it by lifting the page off the wax? How about something like that that you could connect to the computer and print stuff - text/pictures/plots on? Wouldn't we love that - print something to show to someone else and then reuse the page again and again?

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Here's the Next Hotmail

type of idea. For desis or anyone for that matter. You know how you've been asked by friends and relatives one time of the other if you know someone who'll be travelling to India/US around so and so dates because an old person they know will be travelling and needs a companion? Why not create a website where people can register and find matches?

Saturday, May 5, 2007

One Kilometer Wide

The size of the tornado that hit Greensberg in Kansas. People said their ears started popping. Looks like the future will call for pressurized bunkers in the basement - where the pressure can be regulated. How come history doesn't recount any such calamities. I've heard that tsunamis in prehistoric times were a thousand feet high - compare with a 100 feet today. I guess once the core of the earth cooled down, things cooled down with it. As for tornadoes, how about erecting solid steel structures that can foil it - the steel structures are, say, 2'x2' and hundreds of feet tall and they'll be raised from the ground at regular intervals to slow down the high speed winds and prevent damage at ground level.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Car Theft Prevention

You realize your car's been stolen and you tell the cops your license plate number. Now, with that info, they use a special reserved frequency to send a code to the transmitter of every similar car and, if it is the car, it'll respond. For example, if it's a blue 98 Nissan Sentra, then, everytime a cop sees one a blue Sentra, he'll use his transmitter to try and talk to the one in the car. The code needs to be really long and the transmitter should be illegal to possess - only the cops are allowed to have it. Also, such transmitters can be installed in toll plazas. Everytime a car passes through one, RFID can be used to get basic info about the car without need for a special trasceiver of any sort - can be completely reflection based, located on the underside of the car. Also, it should be illegal to remove this reflector.

Now, how do you get around this... within hours of the car being stolen, the bad guys are already dismantling it for parts and trying to sell the parts. Hmm...

Watch Downtown Closely

Why haven't they done it yet? Just put some cameras on the high rise buildings that the bums can't get to. How many times have we heard of someone getting mugged on Tech campus and the assailant then running in the direction of downtown? But, if you had surveillance at night, you'd be able to see what happened at the time of the attack and track things down.