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Have any of you noticed that technology now seems to be "taking over"? Now, when I say "take over," I don't mean that these evil, computer robots are going to rise up and start attacking us with their laser guns, or melt us with their eyes. No, I don't mean that at all, but it does seem to me that we are putting a lot of our "energy" and trust into our technology. I did some research and found some interesting technology gadgets. For my first example: the Concert Hands. This device allows those who want to play the piano but don't know how to play, to become "experts." It is basically a set of robot hands--and fingers!--that guide you through a song until you memorize it. True, this gadget could be very useful and beneficial to those who have learning disabilities, but the best part of playing the piano is the hard work and sweat you put into it--it's the mastering of the piano that makes it worth it. Another quick example would be the iKettle. Yup, we now have a kettle that can be operated from your phone! I know that technology is our new communication, but this may be a bit much. What about the older generation?! ...Now they can't even make coffee! 
Instagram was invented in 2010 as a social media tool for sharing pictures. More and more people of ages 18-30 are using Instagram over Facebook making this social media tool a major player for business's. There are five recommendations steps Instagram can be used successfully for business purposes. Step one is optimize profile. Have a public profile and clear high definition images. Step two is be educated on Instagram you must know how to use it for it to be successful. Step three is cultivate a following. Cross platform your social media to Facebook and twitter and make your pictures have interactive attraction. Step four is enhance photo content. Best way to do this is customize hash tags. Step five take advantage of videos. Instagram offers 15 second videos which gives a lot of wiggle room. 
Picture going through a McDonald's drive thru and stopping by the window. The McDonald employee opens the window with drink in hand and gets this puzzled look on his face as he sees there is no driver operating the car. Well, the worker shouldn't be too puzzled because this is the future! Engineers and mechanics are presently working on the driverless car, and interestingly, Google is the means behind it. The car drives itself by "cameras inside the car, a sensor on the vehicle’s top, and some radar sensors attached to different positions of the car." I have my own suspicions about this "ghost driver," but it has successfully driven 1609 kilometers by itself...woo! Although this new technology is--I will admit it--cool and intriguing, there is reason for caution...I mean it's a driving car! For a little bit more specifics on the driverless car, check out Google Driverless Cars (10.). Can you picture yourself riding in the passenger seat with the "ghost driver" to your left? Or do you think this is new technology is merely the stepping stone to the future of our automobiles? Hmmm....
Remember when the smart phones were a big deal, when we were all impressed with the new technology--that's so five minutes ago. Well, now that most everybody possesses them, we are ready for the next BIG thing. In Netherlands, right now, technicians and engineers are working on what they think will bigger than the smart phone--smart. roads. Yes, you read correctly. By mid 2013, Netherlands expects to have their highways equipped with the newest technology allowing better safety pro cautions. How so, you may ask. Well, the designer behind the idea, Daan Roosegaarde, plans to have the highways actually glow in the dark! He also has designed the smart roads to light up large snowflakes on the road when temperatures are low so the driver will know there is a chance of ice. While this would be very impressive and beneficial, we all would still need to take the normal safety pro cautions, such as, turning on the lights and, of course, our common sense. Another interesting mechanism he will install is called "induction lanes." This is an extra lane on the side of the road--basically like our already shoulders on the road--that will be programed to recharge your electronic car. Call me impressed! If that isn't a "smart" road, I don't know what is. Although this is only available in Netherlands, it won't be for long, for many other countries--including countries such as the United States and India--are greatly intrigued by the idea and hope to enjoy this new technology in the future. Check out this interesting video for the specifics and how exactly their smart roads work: Smart Roads.
Have you ever imagined your life in a video game? What if everything around us was computerized and third dimensional. It would definitely be interesting all right! Well, believe it or not, but this is actually in progress! Have you ever heard of augmented reality? Well, it's basically the technical term for a real video-game-like experience one can have. Researchers and engineers pull graphics from your television and computer and then integrate them in a real world environment. Augmented reality is basically the bridge that has connected us with the video game world. Although this progress in technology can seem a bit overwhelming and excessive, it can be useful in life today. If you are perhaps a tourist, this technology can be useful allowing you to focus on something and instantly know its importance. Or perhaps you're in a new city, you have no idea where you are, and you can't find the bathroom--yes, it will even help you find a bathroom. This is all very impressive technology, but our engineers and researchers continue to impress us. Check out this video to see where researchers see augmented reality taking us: The Internet of Things. Our world is literally changing right in front of us, how are we going to keep up? I don't know about you guys, but while all this is great, it's a little overwhelming to me. What do you think? 
Accessing
the internet is becoming effortless through the use of smartphones. Nowadays most Americans would use their phones for the internet and apps
rather than to make an actual phone call. Pew Internet & American Life
Project reported studies showing that two-thirds of cell-phone owning Americans
use their cell phones to surf the Web and check things like emails and social
media. This is double the amount from 2009 in which only thirty one
percent of cell phone users used their phone for online purposes. The age groups of 18-29 year olds still are
the dominate users of web accessing, but there has been an increase in the
50-64 year old group in online phone using. With these smart phones getting faster (3G or
4G), screens getting sharper and apps improving, it is making it easier for the
consumer to access the web faster. A question arises whether it would be difficult to revert back
to a phone that does not have apps or web access after being a smart phone user...
Who would've thought that a 1960's television show would predict the future? That's right, the popular show "The Jetsons" entertained us with their creative ideas for what they believed the future holds, but one of their "predictions" is literally coming true. It started out as a toy teaching assistant, but the realization of a robot teacher is closer than you think. In 1999, an edtech company called Desire2Learn launched this idea and has now practically completed the project. Although there are still a few problems--what computer doesn't have its problems--some schools today are now using a robot teacher. In my opinion, I think it is rather depressing to think that our technology is competing against our own intelligence and, unfortunately, winning the fight. So, what do you think? Do you encourage the idea of this advancement in our technology, or would you rather stay with the norm? For more information regarding the future robot teachers you can visit Robot Teacher.
