Category Archives: Technology

Twits twitter twins twice

Twitter

Dear Twitter,

You are quite a mysterious SNS. I’m slightly confused by you. Your sole purpose is to accumulate the equivalent of Facebook statuses from all members, even though most have no connection whatsoever, and post them in a neverending list? Very interesting. I’m intrigued. Enough so that I decided to join your little site today in my continuing effort to master the world of social networking online. I have yet to see your true significance, little site, so you better work hard to impress me or I may have to drop you like a bad habit.

Sincerely,

Vitak

The headset for when your 13-year-old daughter wants to steal the car and talk on her cellphone hands-free

For the last 10 years, since I first decided I wanted a career in the communications/media industry, I’ve dealt with the question of diversity. Do more options make for a better experience? For example, the case of media consolidation is always a hot topic. As the power within the media pours into fewer and fewer hands, will this lack of diversity in ownership lead to a worse experience for the consumer?

However, this is my personal blog, so I will leave my deep insights and brilliant thoughts to my other, more professional blogs. Here I focus on the fun, silly, and dumb aspects of technology.

hello kitty headsetToday’s winner is the Hello Kitty and Chococat Bluetooth headsets. Now I do not have children, but if I did, I would certainly not be buying them cell phones before they are teenagers, let alone buy them headsets. Why does a child need a headset? What could they possibly be doing that required they use their phone hands-free? Maybe this is for those kids in DC who like to steal cars and then leave them burning on the side of the road. Now they can retain a sense of morals, knowing they are only breaking one law by stealing the car, and not two by not using a hands-free device.

We have got to stop turning our children into adults at such a young age. They do not need adult gadgets like cell phones, PDAs and the like while they are in elementary school. Let children be children for god’s sake. They should be climbing trees and playing tag, not texting their friends down the street or strutting around the house with a headset on so they can be like daddy (albeit a much more stylish daddy). Sometimes I feel like my generation was the end of the era, before technology ruled our lives. While I freely admit I am addicted to technology now, I am forever grateful I was free of it (for the most part at least) until my teenage years.

[Courtesy of Engadget]

Mr. T pities the fool who doesn’t play World of Warcraft

How can you not love Mr. T? First, there was his role as the “baddest man in the world,” Clubber Lang, on Rocky III. Then, there was a four-year stint on The A-Team, a show about a group of ex-army men who somehow never managed to learn how to shoot a gun. I’m not really sure what he did over the next decade, but he worked his way back into our hearts with his guest appearances on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, where he shared with us his deep, dark celebrity secrets.

As if that wasn’t enough, now Mr. T has become a spokesman for the MMORPG “World of Warcraft.” Who would’ve thought that such a big, muscley, gold-encrusted man would have a soft spot in his heart for video games? Just another reason to love the man, the legend, the T.

Japanese robots: making everyday cleaning so much damn cuter

lady_bird.jpg
By now we are all aware of the Japanese love of robots. They make robots to serve every possible purpose. Knowing this, it was only a matter of time before they invented a ladybug robot that both cleans public bathrooms and talks to you while you, um, take care of business. The ever-so-cute Lady Bird, due out in 2009, will scrub floors and keep bathrooms looking neat and clean. Sensors will allow it to avoid patrons as they walk through the bathroom. And if the urge grabs you to ask the Lady Bird some questions, like how bad traffic is on the highway, it will have programming to allow for limited conversation.

Man, I love the Japanese. Not only have they brought me the joys of Final Fantasy, but now they make my life easier, and for the low, low cost of $32,000!

And just in case you’re keeping score in what I like to call the “Robot Wars”, this makes it Japan 13,465, USA 1 (courtesy of the carpet-cleaning Roomba).

[Courtesy of Engadget]

Apparently, Google took “Brave New World” a little too seriously

If you haven’t read about 23andMe yet, let me give you a quick description. For just $999, this Google-funded company will take a swab of your saliva and post it online, where you can see the breakdown of various traits and potential disease risks. Then, Facebook-style, you can compare your DNA strands with friends and family-members and decide who has the “prettiest” double helixes.

The primary purpose of 23andMe is to help fight and cure diseases. However, at the same time, it is minimizing the obvious risks of placing your personal blueprint on the Internet. Wow, I can compare my DNA with Jimmy Buffett? That’s awesome! Oh wait, someone could potentially steal my DNA, make hundreds of evil clones of me and take over the world? Oh no! (As egotistical as I am, I certainly do not want more than one Vitak on this planet, and I think most people would agree with me.)

I realize I am exaggerating the situation a bit, but as per usual, I am doing it to prove a point. We already put enough personal information on the Internet and look at the problems that causes. Do these people have any concern for the privacy of putting our DNA online? As much as I would love to know what diseases and other medical conditions I am at a risk of developing, I think I’ll pass on 23andMe for now. There’s also the obvious point of how this information could impact the quality of life of people who find out they risk developing a medical condition. Take colon cancer for example. Families that have a specific gene connected to colon cancer have a 90% chance of developing it. A North Carolina mother had her three children tested: all tested positive for the mutated gene and had subtotal colectomies in order to reduce their risk for cancer. I can understand this. But say you find out from your DNA results that you have a slightly increased risk of developing heart disease? Should you quit going to restaurants and turn vegan? I fear people participating with 23andMe will have such extreme reactions when they find out all the problems they could develop. It’s just human nature.

So don’t expect to see me joining any genetic social networking sites anytime soon. As long as I have the assembly-line-style cloning image from “Brave New World” stuck in my head, I think I’ll just keep that information to myself.

Those Germans must really, REALLY want their iPhones

 

First, the good news: According to Reuters, T-Mobile will sell the iPhone in Germany without a contract requirement.

 

And, the bad news: If you want the phone without a contract, it will cost you almost US$1500.

 

Holy crap. I don’t know, maybe the Germans have rooms filled with money like Scrooge McDuck, but I have a sneaking suspicion they aren’t keeping 1000 euros set aside for a rainy day when they can blow it on a little phone. Don’t get me wrong. I definitely like the iPhone, but I would never ever be able to justify spending that kind of money on a phone (unless it was made of pure gold and I could resell it). I’m one of those people who has a hard time spending any amount of money for a phone after the discounts, rebates and $100 off for renewing my 2-year contract. (Which is why I still have a Razor, even though I have dropped it in a toilet and gotten it wet on two other occasions. Surprisingly it still works. Well, kind of.)

So my advice to Germans: Don’t do it! It’s not worth it! It’s just a freakin’ phone people! I have first-mover friends who have to spend ridiculous amounts of money just so they can say they bought whatever gadget on the first day it was available. I think those friends are crazy, and you will be too if you spend that kind of money on a phone. If you desperately need to spend money, I’d be happy to give you my address and you can send me a check. Sound good to you? Fantastic.

 

 

I want the Kindle…wait, no I don’t…yes, I do…damnit, I can’t decide!

This week Amazon released the Kindle, a wireless book-, newspaper- and blog-reading device for the low, low price of $400. If only it wasn’t so damn expensive. If only it didn’t require a subscription fee. If only books were free to access. If only it read books to me in Sean Connery’s voice. Sigh.

Jessica is so happy Facebook is removing “is” from status updates

It’s official. Facebook will be removing the word “is” from status updates. No longer will we be limited to passive forms of verbs when sharing our status with our friends. Now it’s all about action people! Booyah!

[UPDATE] As of Thursday, Dec. 13, and after weeks of teasing and waiting (and waiting, and waiting), the removal of “is” has finally become a reality. Thanks, Facebook. I know you’ve had a few other things going on lately with petitions against you, threats of lawsuits, and your CEO making dumb comments. I’m glad you still managed to take the time out to remove those two little letters. It must have been a struggle, but I really appreciate it.