Mike Elgan – Page 19 – WindowsTechs.com

What it’s like to experience the internet

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Mike Elgan

What do Snapchat stories, Pokémon Go, Facebook live video and virtual reality all have in common?

Two words: virtual experience.

In his book, The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future (Amazon), author Kevin Kelly talks about the “internet of experiences,” where the internet will increasingly become more about virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence-as-a-service, rather than the old “internet of information” that it’s been since the beginning.

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What’s in your food? Tech will tell!

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Mike Elgan

People are getting more interested in what they’re eating, but reading a food label will tell you only so much. Some foods — fresh fruits and vegetables, for example — don’t have ingredient labels.
In a perfect world, food labels would tell you u… Continue reading What’s in your food? Tech will tell!→

Is it dumb to trust smart technology?

Posted on July 30, 2016 by Mike Elgan

Did we learn nothing from Arthur C. Clarke’s 1968 sci-fi epic, 2001: A Space Odyssey?
In the film, astronauts on a mission to Jupiter discover that the HAL 9000 artificial intelligence computer that controls and automates all functions on the space… Continue reading Is it dumb to trust smart technology?→

Pokémon Go and the demon-haunted world

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Mike Elgan

Are Pokémon monsters really “digital demons”?

In Carl Sagan’s 1995 book, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (Amazon price), the author makes the case that science makes it impossible to believe in a world of invisible beings.

Now we can understand volcanic eruptions, for example, as natural phenomena caused by plate tectonics rather than the wrath of an angry volcano god lusting for human sacrifice.

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Why Google Fi? Because it’s fast, cheap and easy

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Mike Elgan

I’m a digital nomad.
In fact, I’ve been living (and loving) the digital nomad lifestyle on and off for 10 years now. Specifically, my wife and I got rid of our house and put all our stuff into storage. Now we choose various places around the world,… Continue reading Why Google Fi? Because it’s fast, cheap and easy→

Where’s my single social stream?

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Mike Elgan

Social media moguls like Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg talk about uniting mankind through the power of social networking. Back in 2012, Zuckerberg wrote in a letter that accompanied Facebook’s IPO paperwork that “Facebook… was built to accomplish a social mission — to make the world more open and connected.”

That’s a worthy mission, and it’s hard to find any who who opposes it. We all want a more open and connected world, don’t we?

On a practical level, there are two ways to make the world more open and connected. One way is for a single company, like Facebook, to get all the users. And Facebook is trying to do that — through organic growth, and through the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. Despite lofty rhetoric, it’s clear that Facebook sees monopoly as the best way to achieve a more open and connected world. If everybody’s on Facebook, then everybody’s connected.

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Why wearables will replace your smartphone

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Mike Elgan

The next iPhone won’t have a headphone jack, if the leaks and rumors are true.
Some say: Good! The 3.5mm audio jack system is literally Victorian-era technology, a small version of the 6.35mm jack invented in 1878 for telephone operators. Removing … Continue reading Why wearables will replace your smartphone→

YouTube live mobile video changes everything

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Mike Elgan

Google invented live-streaming video for the masses back in 2011.
It was presented as a feature of Google+, but was really all about YouTube. Called Hangouts On Air, the idea was to live-stream video with up to 10 participants. Unlike regular Hango… Continue reading YouTube live mobile video changes everything→

There’s no such thing as a flying car

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Mike Elgan

You’ll never “drive” a “flying car.”
The phrase “flying car” is code for a futuristic vision of transportation. The dream is that, instead of traveling in earth-bound vehicles, everyday people will be able to avoid gridlock by taking off and soarin… Continue reading There’s no such thing as a flying car→

These three virtual assistants point the way to the future

Posted on June 8, 2016 by Mike Elgan

We all need a little help sometimes. After all, what are cloud-based, artificially intelligent software agents for?
By now we’re all familiar with the usual suspects: Siri, Google Now, Cortana and Alexa. They introduced most of us to the idea of ta… Continue reading These three virtual assistants point the way to the future→