Texting and Driving Safe?

Can it ever be safe to use a smartphone to text while driving? Or even an internet phone that projects the image on the window? There is a start up that wants to make texting and driving a safe pastime. Personally, I think that it should not be done but I was curious enough about the article to click on it. Navdy is a device that sits on your car’s dashboard and projects information from your smartphone onto a 5.1-inch-wide glass display. The device is also hands-free: you can simply swipe left in front of you to answer a call, or right to dismiss a notification. This way, you can keep your eyes on the road, or at least looking forward, while using your phone. Either way it seems like a distraction from the road that will not end up in a good situation. Not to mention that state laws differ on hand free texting, talking, and other communication. Unfortunately, it is even harder to enforce. Do you use hands free communication?

Recharge This Summer

The summer is upon us and it is time for vacations and time to just relax and recharge. There are some tips and tricks of the trade that can help in that department.  When you are out of the office, you usually turn on that message but how many times do you sneak onto the email or internet phone service to see who has called? If you are going to put that message up, make you that you respect it as well and actually be out of the office. The second thing that you should do it log out of your social media account. When you are on vacation, it is important to be in the present. Better yet, go somewhere where there is no service. That way there is absolutely no temptation to even get online. Lastly, limit the screen time during your vacation. That gorgeous sunset in front of you is something that you will want to remember with your significant other.

Ways to Work Smarter

If you are working on a huge software development project or you have a million small things to do, it is still important to be able to work smarter in order to get more done. One of the greatest tips is that it is necessary to take more breaks that line up with our natural attention spans. Stretch your legs, grab a drink, check your email, or just sit back and relax. Or, if you’re really strapped for time, try switching to a different kind of task to give your mind a rest. Another great way to relax is to spend some time in nature such as taking a relaxing stroll in a park. Studies have shown that it increases motivation and memory. Lastly, it might be a good idea to check your email in the morning. Since many companies are having more remote employees, it is no surprise that some of them might be working while the others are sleeping. Checking email in the morning lets you be able to be on the same page as all the other people. Happy working and making it a wonderful day!

Ownership in Light of Technology

With the technology of today, can you definitively say who owns what? We post things online and share ideas and information through a variety of mediums such as social media, mobile applications, and other outlets. It is not black and white as to who has rights over what. And what happens when people work together to create content? On the other hand, collaboration is extremely cost effective. Even the way we gather information has evolved to be more collaborative and shared. Platforms like Twitter quickly spread information to large groups of people. Sites like Reddit, a news, entertainment, and social website allows users to submit articles and then vote the articles up or down on the list, thus determining the "top read" stories of the day. Companies like Pulse allow users to view articles on subjects they are particularly interested in. This move to a more minimalistic, shared society is more collaborative, cost-effective, and efficient. Everyone's needs are met with minimal resources. Less human and physical capital is wasted. With technology continuing to advance our lives, in combination with the sharing economy, people are paying the bills, saving for that dream vacation, working more flexible hours, collaborating and meeting new people.

Mini Cell Towers

Have you even been frustrated because you dropped an important call because of horrible services? Of course you have since it is part of having a cell phone and subscribing to a phone services. In contrast to the massive metal towers that can beam out cellular service for miles, small cells are only about the size of a wireless router, and their signals don't extend much beyond the boundaries of your home. Qualcomm sees the devices as a solution to the wireless industry's so-called spectrum crunch. Wireless spectrum -- the invisible infrastructure over which all wireless transmissions travel -- is a finite resource just like cloud services, and it is getting gobbled up by people streaming Netflix and YouTube videos on their tablets and smartphones. Small cells help address that problem by routing traffic to your mobile carrier's network via your home Internet connection, leaving more space on the airwaves for other users. Aside from those designed for home usage, there are also slightly larger cells that can be installed in places like malls and city blocks to provide more coverage space.

Technology as Babysitters

Picture this: your kid is screaming their head off over wanting that new fancy toy in the middle of the store and there is nothing that is calming them down. Enter the smartphone or tablet with Minecraft of Candy Crush. This type of pacifier has more computing power than required to put humans on the moon. As long as it works, it really doesn't matter. These wonderful computers also occupy kids while the parents just sit by quietly waiting for the batteries to run out. Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture? When these smart devices came on the market, they were shiny and the future of computing looked bright. I mean we could now see the person we were talking with over internet phone services. Now it is just business as usual since the novelty has worn off and they are your kids' virtual playground. In my day, we had actual playgrounds and we ran around playing games and saw each other in person. Any suggestions before kids forget what it is like to play outside?

Reinventing Aging

There are so many different technologies that can help redefine the way people age which are available. Despite their availability, technology has not been widely adopted by older people or their families. The reasons are easy enough to intuit: Seniors are technology-phobic, or afraid of being stigmatized; they don’t know what products are available or where to find them; or they do know, but the gadgets themselves are too expensive. There is a pretty good handle of the science of the technologies but the really problem that needs solving is a gaining of understanding of how people that age view themselves and the technology that is supposed to be helping them. Some of the technology are communication services such as cell phones and alert systems. There are even gaming apps that help with different cognitive functions. Many people have not considered this issue but it going to hit like a tidal wave in about 2050 with the aging population.