Remember the scene from Beauty & Beast? Where all the object is the house are alive and they can talk, plus serve you tea and even groom you? That all seems very magical and wonder doesn't it? Well, we live in an age where technological advancement is at its peak, and has made many advancement that we can only dream to see on a sci-fi film. The idea of communicating with objects sounds marvelous to me, is how I always picture the future to be. In fact, we are already communicating with objects, take for example our desktop computers and laptops, they are objects yet we communicate with them and spend so much of our time with them, possibly more time then any other device in our home or office.
In Julian Bleeckers article, "Manifesto of for Network Objects - Cohabiting with Pidgeons, Aprhids and Aibos in the Internet of Things", he highlighted the fact that the concept of "internet of things" has been well implemented through Blogjects. For now we can see that objects are starting to "communicate" with each other somehow, though they have to be connected first in order to do so. He also stated that there are a couple of common characteristic possessed by these objects.
Traces- Blogjects Known Where They Are
Most smartphones today has access to Facebook which allows people to do check in when there are at certain places, this works the same as the check in apps in Facebook as it acts as a tracking device telling people where are you currently. With the world becoming more and more dangerous, more and more gadget have been implemented with GPS technologies so that if the gadget was to be stolen or missing it can be found through its tracking device, other then tracking down object it can help track people too, which brings me to my question how sure are we that this would not lead to invasion of privacy issue? One may have good intention to have tracking devices implemented in their cars but the company who produce that tracking device could sell the information of your daily activities to other companies which could be a possibility. Not saying is not good thing, it is actually a wonderful advancement to up safety for the people, just that we can never be sure as invasion of privacy could be an issue to this.
History- Blogjects Known From Whence They Had Arrived
Just like having a memory of their own, they (blogjects) may soon be becoming more and more human as us. The idea that they know what you like just base on how you have utilize them seems too good to be true, but in reality it is happening, I remember I have to set the timer for my own air conditioner so it will turn and off at a specific time possibly in the future the air conditioner would be turn on and off by itself and thus saving you the electricity bill and the environment. But it's also creepy the fact that the gadgets and object know you so well to the point they know what time you will get home, and what your favorite meal, music and etc. is even possible they know more about you then you know about yourself.
Agency - They are assertive and soon to be human
This makes blogjects more human like, it gives them their own personalities and traits just like a normal human would have. Every blogject is different from the other with different designs as well as uniqueness and even capabilities. And blogject can be personalized to make themselves stand out from the others. Which if we take a look around us is very true, so many objects sports different vibes, different uniqueness and they all look different from one another. Take for example our mobile phones is different from others because of the design, is different from other similar design because it has been personalized by you to your own liking to be able to make it stand out from the other similar designs.
My take on this on communicating with objects is that, it will benefit us a lot in the near future, but the only worries that the blogjects gives to me is that we will be communicating with them much more then we would with people, the blogject can only do so much as to imitate the way humans, but in terms of communicating it can never top that of a human.
Friday 4 November 2011
Thursday 3 November 2011
Clash of the Titans: Droid vs Fruit
Probably two of the most anticipated smartphone of this year belongs into one of the two categories as an Android and IOS, it was surprising to see that when the Samsung Galaxy SII was launched in Malaysia the bee line that people would make just to get their hands on the phone can compete with that of Apple when the launched the Iphone 4. However, Apple has since release its answer to the Samsung Galaxy SII with the new Iphone 4S which is yet to be launched in Malaysia. However, it is rather shocking isn't it? Since the start of the smartphone war, the Iphone seemed to be a runaway winner, and many other smartphones competitor just could not compete with it or pose much of threat to it. Well, it would remain that way unless one who has already read the article 'Google's Open Source Android OS will Free the Wireless Web' by Daniel Roth will get a much better insight as to how can Android pose so much of a threat to the IOS as well as many other brand OS.
Google has come a long way from being a simple search engine to one of the most widely used search engine today. And now Google brings the Android OS, partnered together with many well know mobile phone brands and carriers they created and OS which is OPEN. Yes, the Android OS is an open source software which means the source code of the Android can be obtained and modified by people. Which is what Google want the people to do. To personalize.
Let's take a step back into the past and look at smartphones, previously before the smartphone war Nokia was the crown king of the mobile phone industry and it was also was the first to have its own smartphone that ran own their very own OS, the Symbian OS, over time more and more smartphones came into the picture but there was one small problem, none of them could actually really satisfy the user when it comes to browsing the net, complaints comes pouring in about the poor performance of the smartphone but no one bother to up the ante, not until Apple came in with their IOS and very much over thrown Nokia from its comfortable throne.
The Iphone and its IOS were praised for its cutting edge and high tech advancement and I would agree to that, because i felt that the Iphone really set the bar for what a smartphone should be like. However, the Iphone was never completely user friendly, despite it superb capabilities, this smartphone comes out as a snobbish selfish phone that only seeks to attain to the like of themselves only and never bothering with the others (other phone brands). But what was severely lacking in the Iphone was the personalization bit, in this day and age, we love to personalize our things but no, Mr Jobs won't have that and made the Iphone pretty unable to customize at all in fear that their OS source code would be leaked out.
Android on the other, just screams customize all you want, take my source code and make me better please! There is just so much possibilities with the Android. Fine if one isn't too into the technical area Android has the ability to allow you to customize and personalize your home screen, re-size widgets etc. The possibilities are unless and probably this is also the reason why many well known phone brands are willing to partner with Google to allow its Android OS to use on all their phones. I myself am privilege to be using an Android as well and the OS just keeps getting better and better everytime.
My take on this whole smartphone war and the Apple and Google war is that people today are always on the go now and they need something light and something the can use while really on the move. Mobile networking is definitely in the works already and we are beginning to see that around us. Thus, it all comes down to the OS, how far can it go to keep the users satisfy, user satisfaction is what both Apple and Google are trying to achieve that, users now want more and more things thus it depends on how can both these giants can keep up to please their users.
Google has come a long way from being a simple search engine to one of the most widely used search engine today. And now Google brings the Android OS, partnered together with many well know mobile phone brands and carriers they created and OS which is OPEN. Yes, the Android OS is an open source software which means the source code of the Android can be obtained and modified by people. Which is what Google want the people to do. To personalize.
Let's take a step back into the past and look at smartphones, previously before the smartphone war Nokia was the crown king of the mobile phone industry and it was also was the first to have its own smartphone that ran own their very own OS, the Symbian OS, over time more and more smartphones came into the picture but there was one small problem, none of them could actually really satisfy the user when it comes to browsing the net, complaints comes pouring in about the poor performance of the smartphone but no one bother to up the ante, not until Apple came in with their IOS and very much over thrown Nokia from its comfortable throne.
The Iphone and its IOS were praised for its cutting edge and high tech advancement and I would agree to that, because i felt that the Iphone really set the bar for what a smartphone should be like. However, the Iphone was never completely user friendly, despite it superb capabilities, this smartphone comes out as a snobbish selfish phone that only seeks to attain to the like of themselves only and never bothering with the others (other phone brands). But what was severely lacking in the Iphone was the personalization bit, in this day and age, we love to personalize our things but no, Mr Jobs won't have that and made the Iphone pretty unable to customize at all in fear that their OS source code would be leaked out.
Android on the other, just screams customize all you want, take my source code and make me better please! There is just so much possibilities with the Android. Fine if one isn't too into the technical area Android has the ability to allow you to customize and personalize your home screen, re-size widgets etc. The possibilities are unless and probably this is also the reason why many well known phone brands are willing to partner with Google to allow its Android OS to use on all their phones. I myself am privilege to be using an Android as well and the OS just keeps getting better and better everytime.
My take on this whole smartphone war and the Apple and Google war is that people today are always on the go now and they need something light and something the can use while really on the move. Mobile networking is definitely in the works already and we are beginning to see that around us. Thus, it all comes down to the OS, how far can it go to keep the users satisfy, user satisfaction is what both Apple and Google are trying to achieve that, users now want more and more things thus it depends on how can both these giants can keep up to please their users.
Wednesday 2 November 2011
Socialize to revolutionize
"any and all instances in which a state or a political regime is overthrown and thereby transformed by a popular movement in an irregular, extra constitutional and/or violent fashion" - Jeff Goodwin
If you have read most of my previous posting for these past weeks, you would notice that i have describe the internet as if it was a godsend gift to humanity to be able to voice out the unheeded plea and opinions. Well after reading "Facebook and Twitter are just places revolutionaries go" by Evgeny Morozov, I realize that the internet has caused us to change, in a way that we could do so in the past. But in the article it stated that social networking sites today acts more of a new tool for us to voice out our dissatisfaction, is more of a place that we put up our emotions rather than a place where people keep in touch which originally intended. It seems to me that we as the users are trying new ways to be able to voice out and send a clear strong message to the authorities or just trying to create an awareness all through social networking site that was never originally intended to use that way.
Let's look at Facebook, Facebook was originally intended to a site where people can be kept connected with their friends and over time Facebook added in applications and games which was something new, it was a smart move in order to keep the existing users happy with things to do and thus getting more user migrating from various other social network. However, over time when you have 500 million and counting user in a social network site things tends to get really personal, emotions starts to flare and users are willing to fight over on Facebook now, Facebook itself is like a public area where people can see whatever you do, this proves one thing that users are becoming more daring now, in terms of expressing themselves and their emotions on social networking sites. However, in the article it talks about how Facebook and Twitter could stir up such a revolution and overthrow the government, which actually possible. Of course you can't start a revolution through your own Facebook wall, you will get arrested long before you could get a "Like" on it. The internet is crawling with the authorities keep an eye on almost every invidual, but the good news is about Facebook is the fact that you can create groups, groups which are private. And so that is where they can gather, that is where they can voice out their opinions. Many users believe that the internet is their hope for a freedom of speech as well as freedom of expression, because there are no real sets of rules when it comes to the internet, sure authorities may set laws for it but there was no rules to begin with.
Times are changing at a rather rapid pace now, back then to start a protest or a revolution was not an easy feat, but today is just like a push of a button. Facebook and Twitter, both were never intended to be revolution and protest starter kit, both were originally made to be keeping people connected and in touch with each other. So this leaves a big question mark as to whether or not is a good thing to have the social network around, what will happen in the future? Will users find new ways to utilize social network for more justice or injustice in the future? Will it disrupt the balance of the harmony? Whichever it is, is rather rhetorical. However, the internet is still a godsend gift to humanity to voice out their opinions and worries. If voicing out in public would lend themselves in prison, then the nest best thing is the internet. Besides it is the best way to garner the support of millions of user who uses the internet.
We live in an era where the people can no longer be contained like they do back then, technological advances has given many people hope that they can now voice out when they couldn't previously. Traditional media could allow them but new media like the internet gives instant connection to the world and thus enables them to express themselves more freely. From mere chat to organizing a protest and revolution, the internet has proven once again that it has so much capabilities that we should not take it too lightly, as well as the authorities. They can try all they want to silence the people but so long the internet exist the silence cannot be contained and the echoes of voices would be heard by the millions.
If you have read most of my previous posting for these past weeks, you would notice that i have describe the internet as if it was a godsend gift to humanity to be able to voice out the unheeded plea and opinions. Well after reading "Facebook and Twitter are just places revolutionaries go" by Evgeny Morozov, I realize that the internet has caused us to change, in a way that we could do so in the past. But in the article it stated that social networking sites today acts more of a new tool for us to voice out our dissatisfaction, is more of a place that we put up our emotions rather than a place where people keep in touch which originally intended. It seems to me that we as the users are trying new ways to be able to voice out and send a clear strong message to the authorities or just trying to create an awareness all through social networking site that was never originally intended to use that way.
Let's look at Facebook, Facebook was originally intended to a site where people can be kept connected with their friends and over time Facebook added in applications and games which was something new, it was a smart move in order to keep the existing users happy with things to do and thus getting more user migrating from various other social network. However, over time when you have 500 million and counting user in a social network site things tends to get really personal, emotions starts to flare and users are willing to fight over on Facebook now, Facebook itself is like a public area where people can see whatever you do, this proves one thing that users are becoming more daring now, in terms of expressing themselves and their emotions on social networking sites. However, in the article it talks about how Facebook and Twitter could stir up such a revolution and overthrow the government, which actually possible. Of course you can't start a revolution through your own Facebook wall, you will get arrested long before you could get a "Like" on it. The internet is crawling with the authorities keep an eye on almost every invidual, but the good news is about Facebook is the fact that you can create groups, groups which are private. And so that is where they can gather, that is where they can voice out their opinions. Many users believe that the internet is their hope for a freedom of speech as well as freedom of expression, because there are no real sets of rules when it comes to the internet, sure authorities may set laws for it but there was no rules to begin with.
Times are changing at a rather rapid pace now, back then to start a protest or a revolution was not an easy feat, but today is just like a push of a button. Facebook and Twitter, both were never intended to be revolution and protest starter kit, both were originally made to be keeping people connected and in touch with each other. So this leaves a big question mark as to whether or not is a good thing to have the social network around, what will happen in the future? Will users find new ways to utilize social network for more justice or injustice in the future? Will it disrupt the balance of the harmony? Whichever it is, is rather rhetorical. However, the internet is still a godsend gift to humanity to voice out their opinions and worries. If voicing out in public would lend themselves in prison, then the nest best thing is the internet. Besides it is the best way to garner the support of millions of user who uses the internet.
We live in an era where the people can no longer be contained like they do back then, technological advances has given many people hope that they can now voice out when they couldn't previously. Traditional media could allow them but new media like the internet gives instant connection to the world and thus enables them to express themselves more freely. From mere chat to organizing a protest and revolution, the internet has proven once again that it has so much capabilities that we should not take it too lightly, as well as the authorities. They can try all they want to silence the people but so long the internet exist the silence cannot be contained and the echoes of voices would be heard by the millions.
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