Check this out...
When I was in the 6th. grade, I remember reading a story depicting a day-in-the-life of a student of similar age, only at some point "in the future".. They lived in houses where the beds were essentially built-in cushions in the floor, the showers were cubes with omni-directional jets of water and warm air (to wash and dry you off), and they wore spray-on clothing.
One of the things that I thought was really cool was the idea of going to school without leaving my house, which showed the student sitting in a room in their house with a television monitor showing their teacher and classmates.
We've had some form of interactive televised knowledge transmission for over 10 years now, with both the education and the medical fields leveraging the technology. But there's another reason why I find this new feature from Google interesting...
Disintermediation.
If ("when", actually) this gets coupled with better two-way, rather than one-way, knowledge transmission, Google has the ability to establish a great position for itself. MySpace is already filled with most of the demographic that want to get (or are already pursuing) college degrees. It's no great leap in logic for them to "naturally" look to the web for their course lectures (in fact, college students are citing Wikipedia references in scholarly papers, over the protests of their professors and the founder / editor of Wikipedia!). Professors can leave their entire lecture "on reserve" rather than just their written notes (which never convey the nuances of an idea).
This will also have an impact the pricing associated with getting a degree ("Eventually", anyway...). Will there be sufficient cachet associated with a degree earned this way? Yes, but it will take some time for the Majority to endorse the idea - at least in the U.S. Baby Boomers are going back to school in record numbers, for a variety of reasons. Other nations who don't have the infrastructure of estbalished universities, however, can now take advantage of this right now.
And so can anyone who has an internet connection.
Think about that for a moment...
True, they won't get the college credits for attending the class, nor the degree to "certify" their "knowledge acquisition". But they will gain the information that they can use.
And isn't that what learning's all about, anyway???
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Monday, October 02, 2006
Why Do We Have / Need Quad-core Processors?
"For gaming and video rendering." So says Intel (and I agree - AMD will be making their own announcements in this arena soon). For now, check this out.
And this (the audio quality's poor, but the implications are cool). And, last but not least, some additional (marketing fluff ?) from Intel.
With the dev kits in the ISVs' hands, all the industry has to do now is to deliver...
And this (the audio quality's poor, but the implications are cool). And, last but not least, some additional (marketing fluff ?) from Intel.
With the dev kits in the ISVs' hands, all the industry has to do now is to deliver...
Monday, September 18, 2006
What Happens When The Western Meets The Sci-Fi?
Firefly!
I watched Serenity the other night, and afterwards I went and bought the entire Firefly series (never done anything like that before!), site unseen. I saw the Serenity trailer and wanted to see the movie when it came out, but was too busy. I thought it was a very easily engaged (and engaging!) story.
It's pretty well-known what the impact of Westerns have been on Sci-Fi or related movies (the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises being two of the most lucrative examples). But what happens when you look at it form the other way around? Firefly's the result.
It's got a great ensemble cast (both in terms of how the characters are written, and in how the actors use their many talents to bring them to life). It's got great camera direction (some of the shots that would have to zoom in-and-out to gain the proper focus, actors not being perfectly in a shot and really opening up the world, the jerky, silent space shots that later on became popularized in the remake of the Battlestar Galactica series...but that's another blog...). And it has the right amount of “cheese factor” that I got articulate beyond the “I know it when I see it or hear it” formula. The live action and the CGI are, in two words – REALLY AWESOME!
I thought the writing was really great too. I really liked how the characters went back and forth between English and Chinese – especially when they wanted to convey something with more emotion or feeling. They did it so well, as if they had always spoken that way. The technology was a really cool juxtaposition of old and new...people dealing with the past, their presents and wondering if there's a possible future
Another thing I liked about the series was the depth of the writing. I really felt like each of the characters had really complete lives and back stories for each of the characters – I want to know more!!! Sure, there were some cheesy lines and such, but it was a really tightly written script. I just want to know more...they should never have tried pitching it to FOX – it belongs ANYWHERE else (sci-fi, internet / pod casts, etc.)...
Plus, it just looks like a really cool and fun place to work and play...
I watched Serenity the other night, and afterwards I went and bought the entire Firefly series (never done anything like that before!), site unseen. I saw the Serenity trailer and wanted to see the movie when it came out, but was too busy. I thought it was a very easily engaged (and engaging!) story.
It's pretty well-known what the impact of Westerns have been on Sci-Fi or related movies (the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises being two of the most lucrative examples). But what happens when you look at it form the other way around? Firefly's the result.
It's got a great ensemble cast (both in terms of how the characters are written, and in how the actors use their many talents to bring them to life). It's got great camera direction (some of the shots that would have to zoom in-and-out to gain the proper focus, actors not being perfectly in a shot and really opening up the world, the jerky, silent space shots that later on became popularized in the remake of the Battlestar Galactica series...but that's another blog...). And it has the right amount of “cheese factor” that I got articulate beyond the “I know it when I see it or hear it” formula. The live action and the CGI are, in two words – REALLY AWESOME!
I thought the writing was really great too. I really liked how the characters went back and forth between English and Chinese – especially when they wanted to convey something with more emotion or feeling. They did it so well, as if they had always spoken that way. The technology was a really cool juxtaposition of old and new...people dealing with the past, their presents and wondering if there's a possible future
Another thing I liked about the series was the depth of the writing. I really felt like each of the characters had really complete lives and back stories for each of the characters – I want to know more!!! Sure, there were some cheesy lines and such, but it was a really tightly written script. I just want to know more...they should never have tried pitching it to FOX – it belongs ANYWHERE else (sci-fi, internet / pod casts, etc.)...
Plus, it just looks like a really cool and fun place to work and play...
Friday, September 15, 2006
STAR WARS!
I first heard about this movie when one of my brother's friends came over to our house on a Saturday, when we were all fixing our bikes (tires, oiling chains, etc.), and all he kept talking about were these space AWESOME battles! I had no idea what he was talking about, but since I knew I wasn't going to be seeing "Jaws" anytime soon (my parents said I was too young), I was determined to see this.
My Dad, Mom, brother and I all went to see this movie, one night after dinner. While they enjoyed the movie, none of them took to it like I did. And I don't really know why; I just did.
I had no idea what I was in for when I saw this movie, and it literally changed my life:
- I met a friend at school via Star Wars, and together we saw the movie more than 50 times.
- I walked around with stiff arms and legs, perfecting my first British accent, as portrayed by Anthony Daniels (playing C3PO, of course) - it drove my Mom nuts! Later, I increased my accents, as I got more into Monty Python, but that's another post...
- I became interested in really good story telling, classical music, how music could be used to enhance moods (which would come in handy later on in life), and the art of the movie (scripts, comics, trading cards, toys, etc.)...it was all good.
The closest thing I have found to re-experiencing this effect has been through video games and the video games industry.
Why? It's a more immersive and inviting medium than any other. It not only engages all of your sense - it also engages your imagination, which is much more powerful.
Think about this - one of the next five U.S. Presidents (and their administrative staff) will not only have been kids influenced by Star Wars, but they will also probably have played video games, probably an Atari or a Nintendo...
I first heard about this movie when one of my brother's friends came over to our house on a Saturday, when we were all fixing our bikes (tires, oiling chains, etc.), and all he kept talking about were these space AWESOME battles! I had no idea what he was talking about, but since I knew I wasn't going to be seeing "Jaws" anytime soon (my parents said I was too young), I was determined to see this.
My Dad, Mom, brother and I all went to see this movie, one night after dinner. While they enjoyed the movie, none of them took to it like I did. And I don't really know why; I just did.
I had no idea what I was in for when I saw this movie, and it literally changed my life:
- I met a friend at school via Star Wars, and together we saw the movie more than 50 times.
- I walked around with stiff arms and legs, perfecting my first British accent, as portrayed by Anthony Daniels (playing C3PO, of course) - it drove my Mom nuts! Later, I increased my accents, as I got more into Monty Python, but that's another post...
- I became interested in really good story telling, classical music, how music could be used to enhance moods (which would come in handy later on in life), and the art of the movie (scripts, comics, trading cards, toys, etc.)...it was all good.
The closest thing I have found to re-experiencing this effect has been through video games and the video games industry.
Why? It's a more immersive and inviting medium than any other. It not only engages all of your sense - it also engages your imagination, which is much more powerful.
Think about this - one of the next five U.S. Presidents (and their administrative staff) will not only have been kids influenced by Star Wars, but they will also probably have played video games, probably an Atari or a Nintendo...
Doom's Seed
“The Two Johns” (Carmack and Romero) had been described as the Lennon and MCCartney of video games, and I think that's a great moniker, especially after reading this book. Written in an engaging, easy-to-follow style, the read is taken inside the environment and motivation for many decisions and inspirations for why they did what they did. I found that thoroughly fascinating!
What was really cool, though, was remembering MY views and experiences, as I read the book – hooking up with other Doom players on the University LAN – and not really knowing what it was, playing by myself on the PC for the first time (10 hours straight) and then going to sleep and having completely lucid dreams as I re-ran the levels in full, vivid, dynamic color, being a user in the shareware movement / business model, etc.
Each accomplished in their own right, I don't think they really appreciated each other's talents and abilities until after they split up. It would be interesting to see what they can create with each other, now that they are older, financially successful and are driven (possibly?) by different things.
At about 300 pages, it's a very entertaining read for anyone interested or involved with the games industry; others may find the interpersonal dynamics of a young startup insightful and enlightening.
What was really cool, though, was remembering MY views and experiences, as I read the book – hooking up with other Doom players on the University LAN – and not really knowing what it was, playing by myself on the PC for the first time (10 hours straight) and then going to sleep and having completely lucid dreams as I re-ran the levels in full, vivid, dynamic color, being a user in the shareware movement / business model, etc.
Each accomplished in their own right, I don't think they really appreciated each other's talents and abilities until after they split up. It would be interesting to see what they can create with each other, now that they are older, financially successful and are driven (possibly?) by different things.
At about 300 pages, it's a very entertaining read for anyone interested or involved with the games industry; others may find the interpersonal dynamics of a young startup insightful and enlightening.
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