2046 - 40-years Into The Future

What will things be like 40 years from now in 2046? USAToday posted an article from a demographic and economic perspective, "2046: A boomer odyssey". Based on what this article forecasts, we will start seeing the changes today and gradually escalate as the boomer generation continues to influence everything as it has in the 40 years. One impact to be noted is how engineering will be affected. Boeing is currently designing its 787 Dreamliner (next gen jet) to have wider aisles to faciliate the increaesd use of wheelchairs in the next 40-years as the boomers age.

Other changes that we'll see are the changes to laws, policies, health care, advertising, technology, and social services. I think that technologies like exoskeleton devices, replacement body parts genetically engineered, and implantable and wearable computers will continue to advance and becom common place in the next 30 or so years. Sounds a bit frightening but look how far we have come in the last 20-years. A good percentage of the technology that exists today was considered far-fetched in 1980.

I still want those personal flying vehicles and personal space ships but that may be too far fetched for the foreseable future. Maybe my kids will see this stuff happen. I can continue to dream. Who knows, we are only a few scientific or engineering breakthroughs away from this becoming a reality.

Science, Politics and Religion

Science, Politics and Religion are three interesting and explosive topics alone respectively. As a combination, these three can be very powerful or very controversial. There are many recent rumblings about how the U.S. might becoming anti-science, "Is the U.S. becoming anti Science?". Given, the climate of the last few years it seems that we in the U.S. are not embracing science whole heartedly. This Reuters UK "Is US becoming hostile to science?" article has some very good points about the Science in the U.S. It does not paint a very nice picture. CNN posted a similar article.

Other recent articles about our eroding science and technology leadership, "Broad Federal Effort Urgently Needed to Create New, High-Quality Jobs for All Americans in the 21st Century", are sounding alarms before this situation worsens.

As a high technology country, we must adapt and learn to balance science, religion, and politics. Every great civilization has managed to balance these pillars and survive the test of time. Hopefully, we will elevate above and become a greater civilization and do the same. At only only slightly over 229 years old, we are yet an infant as a country. As a scientifically inclined person who is enamored with technology, I think we will eventually learn to adapt and balance our science with everything else. Time will tell.

Exoskeleton technology

I remember reading about HAL5 earlier this year. Looks like this technology is coming of age. I recall that HAL5 was going to be available in Japan any day now. This technology has lots of promise for the disabled, elderly and of course the military.

I also found a more recent article at IEEE Spectrum, "Rise Of The Body Bots", that discusses the advances made so far this year. This article talks about the research work in Japan and in the USA. Looks like Japan and USA are the leading researchers in this emerging technology.

Remote Control Humans

This is actually pretty cool and somewhat scary. Anyway, Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. (NTT), has developed a technology that will make games more realistic. Read about it here at CNN, "Japan developing remote control for humans". I can think of all kinds of uses for this type of technology related to gaming and entertainment. On the darker side, the military implications of this are scary.

What is Techno-Politics?

I was perusing FreshNews.org and found this article "What Is Terrorism? Can It Ever Be Ethical?" that raised my curiosity (long article and requires above average reading comprehnsion). Anyway, after reading the article published at Kuro5hin, a technology meets grassroots culture site, the mutual exclusion of technological and political rhetoric appears to be dissipating. In other words, technology and politics are no longer at opposite ends of the spectrum and never are. They are now both means to an end. Which end that is always primariy politically driven.

In my mind, I have always coined this 'techno-politics' from what I have seen in the technology field. It is becoming more mainstream since technology affects us in just about every facet of our daily lives. It is inevitable that politics and technology is on a collision course.

Some of the more interesting notes in the above mentioned article is the definition of 'ethical terrorism' and viewpoints on past acts in history that would fit the modern definition of terrorism. Ok, that's it this is not a political weblog so will stop posting about this topic in this weblog.

Archos Portable 100GB Audio/Video Device with 7" LCD

It's that time of year again when I get catalogs galore in the mail. While perusing the latest Sharper Image catalog, one of the gadgets piqued my interest. The Archos 100GB Audio/Video Recorder Player. This thing is neat. It has a 100GB hard drive in it, a 7" LCD, remote control and you can record digital video and audio on it via standard A/V and USB interfaces. While the Apple iPod Video is getting all the recent buzz, this device has all the specs for the killer portable video gadget. I wonder if Sony is monitoring all these new products.

I like my Sony PSP, however, a 100GB hard drive and a 7" LCD just blows everything else out of the water. The only thing this device needs to be a 'gotta have it' gadget freaks is WiFi, Bluetooth and a decent software that will allow you to browse the web and listen/watch streaming content (AVI, MP3, RealAudio, WMA, MOV, Flash, etc..). It does have the accessories that allow you to record TV (NTSC,PAL) or any video source directly to the hard disk and take it with you.

With the 7" LCD screen, I am not sure how long the battery will last. That is the tradeoff with larger displays. They tend to consume more power. Will have to wait for someone to post reviews of it online.

The Archos is still pretty cool but a bit expensive at $799 list. If cost was not an issue, then this definitely would be a cool device to get this winter.

Nokia 770 Internet Tablet

I was talking a co-worker recently about portable web browsers and he told me about the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. I have been using my Sony PSP as an internet tablet since Sony released the 2.0 firmware upgrade in August 2005. It is actually a decent WiFi device as a portable web browser. I use it almost everyday as a browser than as a game machine. Well, looks like other companies have been catching on to the internet tablet concept. Nokia's new device is designed specifically as a WiFi tablet. Here are f ew more articles about the device, "Nokia unviels Linux based 770 Internet Tablet", "Nokia Launches Linux Based 770 Net Appliance".

Based on the published specs, the Nokia 770 is slightly smaller than the PSP however has better resolution (800x600 x 64k colors) touch screen LCD and is running on top of a Linux operating system called Internet Tablet 2005 software edition. It has 128 MB RAM, supports WiFi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 1.2, and much more. It will only be available online in selected countries. I am not sure if the USA is one of the selected countries.

Internet tablets are definitely the trend of the future. Some of the usability features I like about using my Sony PSP as an internet tablet is that I can hold it while laying down on the couch with ease. Try that with a notebook computer that weigh 2-8 lbs. Your arms would tire quickly. The dimensions of the PSP are near ideal for a ultra portable web browser. The Nokia 770 looks interesting. I am sure there will be more of these devices on the market in the next year.

For now, looks like Nokia will be releasing this thing sometime in the next few months, "Nokia 770 Internet tablet delayed" (10/05/2005).

Transparent Aluminum, Science Fiction becoming Science Fact

This one surprised me. Star Trek is getting here sooner than anticipated. Over at Slashdot there's a posting "Transparent Aluminum a Reality" about how the U.S. Air Force has been working on transparent aluminum (aluminum oxynitride - ALONtm) as a replacement for traditional multi-layered glass. The original Air Force article, "Air Force testing new transparent armor", has more detail about this new material. So in times of war, the best of technology comes out of the labs and garages.

I wonder if we'll ever see this as a commercial product in the next 20-years. If it is being researched for military purposes, then probably not. It is still progress in the materials research domain that is quite impressive.

What is Sony LocationFree Technology

After updating my Sony PSP with the latest 2.50 firmware last night, I was curious about the LocationFree Player that is now included. Doing more research I found out that this is Sony's digital hub for portable multimedia entertainment devices that was released this year. Here's the 09/08/2005 CEDIA press release, SONY UNLEASHES PORTABLE ENTERTAINMENT WITH NEW LOCATIONFREE PRODUCTS, that provides a decent overview of what LocationFree is. I am impressed. Here is the original LocationFree concept press release from the JAN2004 CES show.

LocationFree Player Pak which lists for $350 in the US, contains the base station and software to allow your PC to work as a LocationFree Player. I am not sure if it works with Linux and Mac. I am still researching this.

Some of the really cool features of the LocationFree base station:

• Integrated dynamic DNS so external DNS is not required.


• Access all your content from anywhere on the internet.


• Remote control over WLAN or internet


• Works with PSP, PCs, and LocationFree 12" LCD TV.


• Uses MPEG4 compression.

This is something to watch in the next year. If Sony gets this right with the PSP and Playstation 3, then looks like they may be back on top of the innovation curve for consumer electronics and cool gadgets.

Sony PSP 2.50 Firmware Update and LocationFree Technology

Sony just released the PSP 2.50 Firmware update. I just used the Network Update feature and updated my PSP. Since the 2.00 Firmware update, I've been using my PSP as a portable internet browser with much success. In the new firmware update, Sony has added a feature called LocationFree Player.

You can watch TV or videos on your PSP™ system by using the LocationFree™ Player. To watch TV or videos at home, you must have a LocationFree™ Base Station (a Sony product sold separately). To watch away from home, you must have a LocationFree™ Base Station (a Sony product sold separately) and access to the Internet using a wireless LAN. For details, visit LocationFree BaseStation. Based on what I've read, the Sony PSP now has turned into a portable remote control, streaming video device. Is this cool or what? Now I get a LocationFree base station.

RLS, Solution Looking For A Problem

If you haven't heard about Restless Leg Syndrome or RLS, then join the club. Neither have I until I saw a few pharmaceutical commercials on cable TV about a new product that addresses RLS. I can't remember the name of the product however I did remember the name of the syndrome.

It looks as if the drug companies have created a solution looking for a problem. I thought this was a joke, however I looked on the web and found the RLS web site. The 'four simple questions about RLS' has got to be a joke. I can answer yes to all four of the broad questions, so does that mean I might have RLS? This reminds me of another syndrome, ADD, that appears to have been fabricated by the pharmecetical companies so that Ritalin and other related drugs had a market to support.

It would be a shame to see RLS become a major cash cow for the drug companies just as ADD and Ritalin have infected 15-20% of our drugged child population. One solution to hyperactive children used to be more running around and playing outside. I know, I was a relatively hyperactive child for which my parents just let me play outside, sports and other physical things for which our modern obese children no longer do.

So will RLS be another solution in a pill that would otherwise be resolved by a non-drug solution like getting more exercise? Time will tell on this one. I plan to keep an eye on this and see how it turns out over the next several years.

JAXA launches successful supersonic jet test

JAXA successfully tested their supersonic jet passenger liner in the Australian Outback today (10/10/2005). "Successful Supersonic Jet Launch". This was the 2nd attempt after the 2002 failure. At this rate, it may look that a supersonic Concorde 2.0 may be flying again within the next 10 years. The new jet will able to fly from Tokyo to New York in under six hours.

Top Ten Impossible Inventions That Work

Here's a good reference to impossible technologies that work however ("Top 10 Impossible Inventions That Work", we have yet to see. I have read a few books about Nikolai Tesla and everything mentioned in this article I have read about in those books. Ther is even solutions to the hydrogen economy problem that are too simple to believe.

Seven Technologies That Changes Everything in 2005

You would never guess what is #1 on the list published at Business 2.0.com. I won't mention it here again but it surprised me since I share the same viewpoint of the #1 thing that changes everything in 2005. I don't think anyone saw this coming in 2005. It just sort of happened and changed everything.

One of the technologies that I was not aware of are High-definition Radio. One of my favorite topics of late, fuel cells, is in this list for the emerging micro fuel-cell technologies that are already in prototype phases by major consumer electronics companies. I can't wait to have my notebook computer, PDA, mobile phone, digital multimedia devices all running off of micro fuel cells in the coming years. I thought we would already be using this stuff in 2005. Now it looks like the within the next few years we should start seeing micro fuel cell powered devices.

DARPA "Grand Challenge" results

History was made this week when 3 of the 23 robotic vehicles "DARPA contestants make robotic history" completed the 132-mile race funded by the DARPA Grand Challenge. The Stanford Univerity entry won the race. DARPA sponsored and funded the $2 million prize race. The race is based on Pentagon goal of using fully automated logistics vehicles in approximately 30% of military vehicles by 2015.

Recall that DARPA funded what is known today as the internet in the 1960s. The goal back then was to create a 'survivable computer network'.

Dawn of the Diamond Age

There is this new process called chemical vapor deposition (CVD) that allows the practical creation of man-made diamonds. It has been researched and perfected by a company called Apollo Diamond (started by a former Bell Labs scientist). "Man-made diamonds with potential". So why is this important? Aside from man-made gemstones, this will allow a new age of semiconductors based on diamond wafers instead of silicon. Diamonds are the hardest, great conducting, and best heat dissipating material known today. Being able to manufacture these will be the start of a new age of technology similar to what steel did for the Industrial Age and silicon did for the digital age.

An unplanned side effect of this new technique was the creation of gem stone diamonds that are almost identical to mined diamonds. At any rate, using these manufactured diamonds will permit 3D storage in crystal structures. This would allow a future digital multimedia device (i.e. iPod) to store 10,000 movies instead of 10,000 songs. Another use would be design of very high powered lasers (industrial and military), and ultra fast computers with none of the heating problems of todays silicon based circuit boards. This could be the dawn of a new age based on diamonds.

Blu-ray (Sony) vs. Microsoft over future DVD technology

Microsoft is spreading itself pretty thin these days. Just last week they stopped negotiating with the music companies because they could not bully the record companies around for better terms of digital music. Now, it looks as if the tide is turning from HD-DVD towards Blu-ray after Microsoft starting its FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) campaign against Blu-ray and Sony. That may have back fired and now it looks as if Paramount and Time-Warner are have now decided to back Blu-ray after Microsoft's behavior in the past week. "Dagger Drawn over DVDs", "Warner-Bros gives Blu-ray green light?". Even Toshiba is now changing its position with Microsft about its HD-DVD format after Sony made some big gains with its Blu-ray technology and signing up 11 of the 12 major movie content providers.

In addition to Microsoft's aggressive announcements concerning XBox 360 this past few weeks, it appears that the old FUD machine that Microsoft has successfully used in the past no longer has its luster. The rest of the business world now understands the tactics Microsoft uses to get its way in yielding its power. We'll see in the next 6-12 months how the hi-definition format war unfolds.

Hybrid automobiles going mainstream

My outlook and belief that hybrid automobiles is the future for the next 10-20 years appears to have been on the mark based on the "Hybrid Envy" article. Looks like Toyota and Honda have quite a head start in the hybrid vehicle technology arena. Honda just release their 3rd generation hybrid with the new Civic. I am still waiting for a hybrid Pilot, Odyssey, MDX and Ridgeline from Honda. Toyota is also increasing their hybrid product offerings in the Highlander and Camry models this fall.

As for fuel cells, well that is a whole different problem and possible solution for the world in 20-30 years from now. The largest problem is the lack of a hydrogen infrastructure issue in our current world economy.