The Netflix Solution

What if you could go to your living room, sit down, turn on the TV, and watch any show, movie, or sports game that is currently on or that aired any time in the past? It may sound like science fiction, but we can already do that. Well, almost. This is exactly the type of project Reed Hastings, "a quiet disrupter [who] sabotag[es] business models silently and irretrievably" and the CEO of Netflix, is working on. In an attempt to create a media-streaming infrastructure that by-passes all services provided by the cable company, Hastings is revolutionizing the television experience. Netflix may have gone down wrong paths, may have had some set-backs, and may have dealt with "hell" over the past few years, but Hastings' dynamic business strategy and a very informed view of the technology and the surrounding markets have allowed Netflix to not only pull through but also succeed far beyond the expectations of industry analysts. Something tells me that even though there are a lot of risks in being Netflix right now, the company's vision will keep in at the head of the industry. Just five years ago, most people did not have a TV that could fast-forward through commercials, and everyone had to deal with setting up that bothersome VCR to record shows that they knew they would miss. Now, we can stream cable channels through our computers or re-watch the glorious moments of the Boston Red Sox taking the World Series title in 2007 all with a push of a button, without any extra devices to set-up, and with Netflix making the process easier and easier every day.

The Technological Teddy Bear

I recently found an article that made me realized that the notion of progress is actually much more interesting and much more complex than I had imagined before. Currently, when we think of progress, we think of how technology has evolved and how our minds and attitudes have evolved with the machinery. We take this evolution as fact (for all practical purposes), and we rationalize it to be true, as we hope that technology will work to do great things for us in the future.  But what if we are wrong? What if our digital revolution is not a revolution? What if our "human factor" - our human nature and our love for the natural and the actual - will never allow us to proceed? What if a technological world with perfect living conditions for humans is just science fiction? Humans really love their printed books, Rubic's cubes, and teddy bears. They have no idea why they do, but I think as they refuse to give them up now, they will refuse to give them up in the future. So, yes, in the future, explaining your computer science program logic to your computer may be much more useful than explaining it to your teddy bear (because the computer can help you solve the problem), but the computer will not be nearly as effective as the teddy bear in teaching you about the principles that lead you to make a mistake and the principles that will lead you to the solution.

The Digital Kind of Dorm Experience

Would you like your dorm room to be the most popular hang-out spot on a Friday night? You could start by sharpening your social skills and making friends...or you could just do what Zack Anderson and his roommate RJ Ryan did. Two words: PARTY MODE. This absolutely crazy, yet completely awesome applications of electrical and computer engineering, as well as computer science, puts most college dorms, even the wild ones, to shame. Check it out: blinds, lights, music all create a complete party experience with a push of a button. The security camera set-up is also glorious and a very smart idea too with the RAs walking around.
Clearly, this is not your typical dorm room experience, and not all of us are able/want to build a system like this. I think however that it is a wonderful way to utilize technology in practical matters of the daily life and a solid approach to the dorm experience.

The End of Hard Copies

Portable scanners? Frankly, the idea is not that difficult to conceive, but I have never heard anything about portable scanners before I read the article "Speed-Dating Portable Scanners" from IEEE Spectrum. Apparently, they are becoming quite popular with professionals on the go, and they are reputed to be the digital tool of the future. The device itself is quite simple. A thin, long (20-30 cm) scanner device allows the user to scan any hard-copy document, saves the digital copy of the document, and transfers the document to a computer. The current models of portable scanners vary in size, weight (another 500 grams in my backpack, really?), appearance, and operation. From the article, it is also clear that portable scanners could use some debugging and usability testing, which, I suppose, is exactly the phase they are in right now. As time goes on, however, portable scanners will improve, and it seems we will no longer keep anything in hard copy.
Is it a digital revolution? Perhaps. Keeping digital copies of documents is generally a good practice - not only do digital copies help save space in numerous file cabinets in offices around the world, but also digital copies can sometimes be considered more reliable than hard copies, especially for the disorganized. However, what happens when your digital companion gets a virus or simply gets soaked in the afternoon downpour? What happens when the hard drive gets corrupted and your last back-up was two weeks ago? What happens when you thought you saved in that really important contract, then your little sister messed with your computer, and you just can't find it? It certainly keeps me wondering. I think I will keep the hard copies.