LeonardoWake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, AlaskaIcrontian
edited December 2008
Somehow, I don't think this will be of any surprise to any long-term electronics engineers who design cell phones. This may just be one of those cases were the ideal technology has been known for a long time but is just not cost effective to mass produce.
Not likely, since he was able to file a patent for it.
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LeonardoWake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, AlaskaIcrontian
edited December 2008
Still, I am so jaded by the daily reports of revolutionary technical advances. If just 5% of the world-changing tech discovered/developed/uncovered/patented in the last five years had actually found its way into our lives, our lives would be completely different.
Still, I am so jaded by the daily reports of revolutionary technical advances. If just 5% of the world-changing tech discovered/developed/uncovered/patented in the last five years had actually found its way into our lives, our lives would be completely different.
I'd argue that our lives ARE completely different in the last 5 years. Cell phones, GPS, instant location-based broadcast services such as brightkite and loopt, etc. At this very moment, thrax, for example, can live broadcast video from anywhere in the US, on the internet, and have everyone see it. That's pretty goddamnedridiculously amazing to me.
I look around at the tech in my life, from my 46" 1080p display, to video game systems that connect me with any of my friends anywhere in the world and allow me to play with them instantly, to the incredible mobile tech, flat displays, Twitter (whom I've made TONS of new friends and contacts with) and the ever-amazing speed increases of my own desktop computer.
My life is VERY different from what it was 5 years ago.
I'm more excited now about technology than I have been in a long time. Even more cost effective solar technology, advances in TV technology, and general improvement of household life has been awesome.
I also think a primary problem with our view of technology is our "instant now!" way of getting things. Many of the "breakthrough" work that we see just isn't ready for common/every-day manufacturing. The fact that it might take 10 years would have been looked at as remarkable. By today's standards, we're upset if it takes more than 10 months.
I have to go with Leo on this one. I live in the telecom corridor, I go to a school that was founded because TI said "let there be learning" and then there was, I have lost count of how many people from TI and Cisco who have invented/designed new hardware or software that was patented that year and has been sitting around for 20+ years because it wasn't "needed".
None the less I still ackknowlege that there are great advances all the time that we are all using; online gaming, social networking, wireless networks, massive bandwidths. Despite this every week Icrontic brings to the fore front issues of ISPs refusing to keep standards for traffic loads(25% of standard load), price fixing on LCD screens, inappropriate attempts to censor public material despite its acceptance, companies producing sub-standard material costing companies millions. Everyone still needs to make their dollar but this glutenous need is hindering the worlds growth and knowledge.
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LeonardoWake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, AlaskaIcrontian
edited December 2008
A longer lasting cell battery, a prettier TV picture, more pop tunes on a portable player, a smaller GPS: in aggregate, all of that is revolutionary; individually, any of those things constitute only an incremental improvement.
A longer lasting cellphone batter or 1080P television is not life changing, unless one spends his life in front of the TV or glued to a telephone.
Things that really changed the world: airplane, telegraph, original telephone, electrical power generation, internal combustion engine, antibiotics, microscope, Internet. EDIT: add offset printing press to this - even bigger than the Internet, IMO
What we've seen in the fast 20 years has mainly been the accelerated pace of technological advance, nothing really revolutionary with the exception of the Internet.
In my mind, examples of future, truly revolutionary technologies would be: batteries that can power a medium sized car for 400 miles and recharge in less than one hour; small, nuclear "battery" power plants that can be set up in only a few weeks and power small cities or rural zones; true Internet broadband available anywhere, any time; affordable supersonic air travel; and a medical diagnostic tool such as the "triquarter" in Star Trek.
LeonardoWake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, AlaskaIcrontian
edited December 2008
Have you seen that documentary - forgot what it's called - hosted by William Shatner, in which they point out what "Star Trek" technology has actually been invented and is now in use? It's a great show.
small, nuclear "battery" power plants that can be set up in only a few weeks and power small cities or rural zones
I saw something about a working prototype for this. I would dig it up, but I'm wicked lazy right now cause it's late.
I think nuclear power and a SMART grid is the way to go. There is so much untapped nuclear power technology that is out there that we haven't even touched in the U.S. since it's been over 30 years since we built our last nuclear power plant. Japan, France and China are building or running some very impressive nuclear power plants these days.
All designed right here in the U.S. of A. Heh... General Electric and Westinghouse design the stuff, mostly. Japan builds it. Everybody but us is using it.
Why we so stupid?
Oh yeah, we have half the world's coal and ALL the world's coal lobbyists. WOOHOO!
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LeonardoWake up and smell the glaciersEagle River, AlaskaIcrontian
edited December 2008
Yes, you are correct about the mini-nuclear power plants. Why aren't they being deployed? No, not the coal industry. The fault lies with the maze of regulations and laws that must be surmounted. Three Mile Island caused legitimate concerns in this country but it also caused a massive, exaggerated knee jerk reaction from which we haven't recovered.
I totally agree, Leo, but all of that insurmountable fear, and the insurmountable regulation that followed it, was fueled by a PR campaign against nuclear by Big Coal! That's also where the money has come from to fight the new nuclear power plants that have been planned since, using the laws passed at the bequest of coal lobbyists in the 70's to endlessly delay new nuclear power plants and cause the projects to run so far over budget that they're abandoned outright.
The cost for a single nuclear power plant for France, China or Japan is approximately $1 Billion from design to operation, and that includes a 15% "clean-up" cost.
In the U.S., the last time we attempted to build a similar power plant it never even got finished and it cost over $12 Billion!!!!!!
It only takes one person/company to invest in one of these "ground-breaking" ideas and then everyone jumps on the bandwagon. Being cutting edge = $$$ & company recognition.
So maybe our world needs more small businesses willing to invest in new ideas. Just I thought.
Actually, it means quite a bit in this case. Patents in Canada and the United States are hand-reviewed for prior art before they are awarded. If he was given a patent for this technology, it's something that no one else has made before.
Thrax
🐌Austin, TX Icrontian
Comments
I'd argue that our lives ARE completely different in the last 5 years. Cell phones, GPS, instant location-based broadcast services such as brightkite and loopt, etc. At this very moment, thrax, for example, can live broadcast video from anywhere in the US, on the internet, and have everyone see it. That's pretty goddamnedridiculously amazing to me.
I look around at the tech in my life, from my 46" 1080p display, to video game systems that connect me with any of my friends anywhere in the world and allow me to play with them instantly, to the incredible mobile tech, flat displays, Twitter (whom I've made TONS of new friends and contacts with) and the ever-amazing speed increases of my own desktop computer.
My life is VERY different from what it was 5 years ago.
I also think a primary problem with our view of technology is our "instant now!" way of getting things. Many of the "breakthrough" work that we see just isn't ready for common/every-day manufacturing. The fact that it might take 10 years would have been looked at as remarkable. By today's standards, we're upset if it takes more than 10 months.
None the less I still ackknowlege that there are great advances all the time that we are all using; online gaming, social networking, wireless networks, massive bandwidths. Despite this every week Icrontic brings to the fore front issues of ISPs refusing to keep standards for traffic loads(25% of standard load), price fixing on LCD screens, inappropriate attempts to censor public material despite its acceptance, companies producing sub-standard material costing companies millions. Everyone still needs to make their dollar but this glutenous need is hindering the worlds growth and knowledge.
A longer lasting cellphone batter or 1080P television is not life changing, unless one spends his life in front of the TV or glued to a telephone.
Things that really changed the world: airplane, telegraph, original telephone, electrical power generation, internal combustion engine, antibiotics, microscope, Internet. EDIT: add offset printing press to this - even bigger than the Internet, IMO
What we've seen in the fast 20 years has mainly been the accelerated pace of technological advance, nothing really revolutionary with the exception of the Internet.
In my mind, examples of future, truly revolutionary technologies would be: batteries that can power a medium sized car for 400 miles and recharge in less than one hour; small, nuclear "battery" power plants that can be set up in only a few weeks and power small cities or rural zones; true Internet broadband available anywhere, any time; affordable supersonic air travel; and a medical diagnostic tool such as the "triquarter" in Star Trek.
I think nuclear power and a SMART grid is the way to go. There is so much untapped nuclear power technology that is out there that we haven't even touched in the U.S. since it's been over 30 years since we built our last nuclear power plant. Japan, France and China are building or running some very impressive nuclear power plants these days.
All designed right here in the U.S. of A. Heh... General Electric and Westinghouse design the stuff, mostly. Japan builds it. Everybody but us is using it.
Why we so stupid?
Oh yeah, we have half the world's coal and ALL the world's coal lobbyists. WOOHOO!
The cost for a single nuclear power plant for France, China or Japan is approximately $1 Billion from design to operation, and that includes a 15% "clean-up" cost.
In the U.S., the last time we attempted to build a similar power plant it never even got finished and it cost over $12 Billion!!!!!!
Freakinregoddamndiculous, if you ask me.
So maybe our world needs more small businesses willing to invest in new ideas. Just I thought.
Very interesting subject. any links to any details? or a link to the patent