Is Computer Technology in a Slump?

Sure computer technology is in a slump.
A slump created by the lazy and braggadocios.
The ignorant with money to burn, and the poor who want to look like they have money to burn.
It is now taboo to show people Technology you created from scratch. It makes you look poor and unworthy of honor. No longer do we feel the pride of learning new things and piecing together our ideas and things we learned, into one space to make the things we need.

We have built ourselves into a corner of ignorance.

We used to hack our phones to have web browsers they didn’t have before. We used to get our phones to surf the internet when no one even considered it useful. and we did it with phones that didn’t have a touch screen or a scroll wheel. We created our own mp3 players to suit our phones per model and we would burn that to a 3.5 disk or to a c.d. so we wouldn’t have to rebuild when we changed our phones, we’d just have to modify to work with the version of Symbian on the phone. but now, everything is right there for free with ads, or for sale. No one has to learn anymore. We just nod and smile when someone calls you stupid for not knowing about some app they just downloaded that does what you did 10 years ago, manually. And for god’s sake you can’t tell them this, or they will call you a hipster.

Tech trends are a shame.

All websites are starting to look the exact same crappy HTML 5 over simplified big buttons so people can use it better on their little phone displays that no one can compile a good Java or flash player for.

The days of complexity are gone.
Now are the days of “look, shiney and simple”
and complacency.

It is as if we have dumbed ourselves.

There was a time when software exceeded the abilities of hardware. Which caused the hardware makers to try harder. build better. To evolve.
But now the software makers aren’t trying to create the new.. the more bundled. the bigger deal to make people buy it.
They want to make it easy and super light weight, so you pay again to buy the other crap that used to be in the older version, one by one.

We have become the fat consumer.
And tech… The world for the outsiders… Became fashion-ware for the trendy.
where abilities and functionality no longer matter, just the name brand and brag-ability.
$10,000? Made by apple? Of course it has features functions and abilities that their $150 watch does not have.
In the day when we dreamed of that, we dreamt of hackability. The ability to mod that computer on your wrist to have your own functions to fit your own needs. Now you just download someone else’s idea (app) that best suits you and like it and show off what you downloaded.

We had our DVR. Our home entertainment center from a computer we built with a series of hard drives stacked together to burn our tv shows onto while we worked. With hundreds upon hundreds of function. Those are gone and now we have it in a “cloud” (some hairy dude’s server in his basement Shhhh) and we install an ap for some of the functions and Features with nothing to want to learn.

What the Future will Say about Today’s Technology

As we find that theories change due to altering factors, we may find one day that these things that work today, may be so archaic in the future the people in the future will have no idea how we made this old junk actually function, or could wonder why we even bothered with such self destructive uselessness.

“They carried little radioactive devices in their pocket as a status of wealth and importance, but justified the expensive costs with a need to communicate RIGHT NOW?”.

I worry about the credibility one could hold if they go on record saying that some past theory is worthless because of some new findings. In most cases the new findings are based on findings that started from the original stated theory. In the future when it is explained would ruin the credibility of the current scientists.

Yes the past means old ways, but you wouldn’t have your current knowledge if it wasn’t based on original theories. Meaning a 25 year old theory isn’t wrong just because of new findings, Those new findings are just different outcomes and new circumstances that you might be looking at from some made up rules that you are pulling from another test. Yes, sometimes logic and rational knowledge would lead you to believe both have the same rules or one is the standard of rules of the other, but you can’t 100% verify that your previous finding is 100% the only outcome, but if you look at them both under the same rules you have a definable answer, until someone has the time to try a different but similar test with differing rules to get a whole different outcome. You can then come to acknowledge a whole new standard in science. Main factor is time, altering factor is funds. Your results are based on your funds, and your time to invest in the study.

200-2000 years from now, everything you think is the be all end all rule, will most likely be taught in the lowest grade of education and might be passed off as disoriented mythology.

Look back just 25 years ago. The people of that time dreamed of computers that were not even 1/100th the processing power of today’s computers. And those people thought that type of “futuristic” computer could power a flying car and solve diseases (much like what is proposed to be the purpose of tumbling), work artificial intelligence robots. We now know better. It will never work with that type of power. but at that time, the most intelligent minds of that era considered it possible. Can you truly think that 200 years from now, what our current highest held Scientific finding, will even be a drop in the bucket of ideas and logic?

One day or over a bit of time, some one (one representing thousands) will stand up and say “Oh heck, they have been looking at this completely wrong, all of that is useless”. And suddenly some weird or overlooked factor is brought into the picture and all previous findings are dismissed for a true result that proves 100% correctness from that point forward.

The MUST HAVE App for Android

I personally have a G1. The G1 phones have probably the sorriest battery life. In less than 4 hours, my battery is usually at  1/4 capacity. This means when I go to lunch at work, G1 is on the charger in the car while I eat lunch. This means 0% of my work day involves using facebook. :-(.

I have done everything I could to reduce battery usage. but this story isn’t all about my phone.

I found (from a lady at my job) Advanced Task Killer. You can find the actual app in the Android Market. It’s free and very useful.

Just install it and open your menu bar. Once you click on Advanced Task killer the first time, it should for ever be in your bar at the top of your screen (if you have a g1 like ) do still running the 1.6 firmware). As soon as the program opens the first time, you will see a list of apps that are currently running. Un-check the ones you do not want to disable (may I recommend you do not kill ATK?). If you must disable Advanced Task Killer, I would like to take the time to suggest that you go back to your main screen, press down in an empty space and just wait there with your finger on the screen. After a few (2-5) seconds you should get a pop up. This pop up will ask you what you want to add to home screen. Select “shortcuts”. There will be a second of things to select from, chose applications. This next menu will be in alphabetic order, Select Advanced Task Killer. This will place ATK on your Home Screen.

I myself create folders and separate my apps by placing them into specified folders. You can rename your folders by opening them and pressing in the folder with your finger and hold there for about 5 seconds or less. You will then be prompted to rename the folder.

Only downside, is the programs keep re-opening and you have to keep closing them. and every time you turn on the light to use the app, you run the battery down a bit more.

So for the battery saving Android application that you MUST HAVE, Get Advanced Task killer.

advanced task killerAdvanced Task Killer

Houston Tech Events

Startup Houston Tech Event Listing Calendar.
September 21st – iphone Developer’s Monthly Meet up. Python enthusiasts. (python? Really?)
October 7th PHP User Monthly Meet up.
Scroll down There is more :-)

http://eventful.com/houston/events/categories/technology

Texas Technology Summit – Houston IT Conference, Texas IT Conference
These are registered event holders and sponsors for the 2011 Texas Technology Summit.

Zane Savage on Apple TV

Makes Sense to me.

Zanesavage | September 01, 2010

This device is a DOWNGRADE for anyone who currently owns an Apple TV. I like the price, I just don’t like the hardware.

Very Well put.
I like my media I want my media.
Least they can do is sell some of the New apple tvs come with multiple usb ports, That way you can watch home videos without needing yet another device hooked up to your television.
It looks cool. The concept is good. but the full end delivery is not up to my likings either.
Maybe they should call it the mini or the “budget apple tv” Wait, net flicks on apple???
but they don’t let anyone on their stuff right? Apple is screwy and it trips me out what mac people think is acceptable.

Reasons not to Aprove the H.R.6123

For those who do not know what the H.R.6123 bill is, let me break it down for you.
There was a girl who was stalked , and flirted with by a woman pretending to be a boy the same age as the girl. The woman was the mother of another girl who lost a cheer leading contest to the stalked girl. The woman flirted with the stalked girl then one day got very cold and mean to the girl. Girl killed herself. Here is the bill on Open Congress.
I totally agree that the family of the child who killed herself need some sort of comfort knowing the death of their child can be turned into something good. I would want the same, but these people who are backing this do not understand how the internet works. The description is to broad and vague. There are tons of boys and girls who learn so much every day with just a simple battle of witts. Arguing, flaming and trolling on the internet. It opens their minds to a new range of thought. Without conflict and contrast, we all agree. If we all agree we do not learn from each other. Some people learn from a pleasant suggestion, many learn from brute force. Telling someone they are a moron for thinking the world is flat, pretty much tells the world ” hey don’t bother with this thread, this guys is a joke” . If it was not for the flamers, our world would only be trolls.
Here is an explanation of a troll .
Trolls are people who post false information, not always to harm anyone, but to just get some sort of thrill out of confusing people, or misleading and or misinforming. Flamers are people who tell them to “stfu gtfo” if “H.R.6123″ is passed, then the trolls are left and the flamers are lobotomized. The problem of the troll or some corrupt evil rude person is left to the owner of the site to liable for.
The last frontier will have a flag in it that claims ” you can not argue, you can not fight you will go to jail”.

This bill needs to be scrapped. In fact, any bill that The ex president’s wife tries to pass is a publicity stunt and needs to be looked at again, she is the one who backed jack Thompson, and then stopped associating as soon as she ran for president. She just used that Censorship stunt to get the attention of the elderly who have no idea what computers are good for . People who lived full happy lives without it. But forgot that by the time she hit the polls, the kids she turned against, where old enough to vote now.

This “H.R.6123” needs to be rejected and a statue of the girl harmed needs to be put up at her school in her memory. The school is where it started. Let’s not remove the world’s freedom for the satisfaction of revenge on one lady. What one calls a bully, others call em a punk. Know there are things going on that balance it 90% of the time.

Notice I say no one’s name.. In case this bill is accepted.