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“The OS is the interface, the interface is the OS…they’re inseparable, they are one.”
- John Underkoffler
What is “invention”? That is a question we tossed around tonight at a small get-together between friends. I can’t quite remember how we got into it, but a lot of the discussion centered around what invention means and how something can be considered to be an invention. By the end of the conversation we established that to be an invention, it would need to be more than just a progression of something else; a novel creation in other words.
If my mother had told me about a video game camp when I was little, I would never have gone camping. Ever. One of my memories from Camp Chief Hector (well, actually in the days before going to camp) was how hard it was to let go Duke Nukem. It was just so amazing shooting down aliens in post-apocalyptic Los Angeles (with computerized exotic dancers to boot). As far as time consumption was concerned, I didn’t want to go camping out in the woods. Being bitten by mosquitoes while cooking dinner in a pot over a campfire, surrounded by 9 other boys just couldn’t compete with the comfort of sitting in a chair and blasting aliens.
Seven years ago on this day, Apple opened its iTunes store. Music that had once been confined to CDs was no longer bound by such physical concepts. The iTunes store forged a new path for music lovers in the way they accessed and enjoyed their tunes. If you had an iPod and an internet connection, vast quantities of songs were at your fingertips. And they still are, albeit in much larger numbers now.
Yesterday, as my sister was packing up to go back to Vancouver, she played for me a couple of songs by a singer named La Roux. As a name, I had no idea who La Roux was. Only after hearing a few of her songs did I recognize her from an episode of Ellen. But the fact still remained, I didn’t know who this singer really was or anything about her music (though I must admit, I am intrigued by her music and sense of artistry).
How do these two concepts fit together you ask? That’s a good question. Read more
When Apple announced their revolutionary iPad, there was much disagreement between those who believed in the product and those who thought it completely ridiculous. And then release day arrived and droves of avid Appleites lined up outside retailers to be the first to pick up their very own iPad. Nevermind the silliness of the name, or the fact that it didn’t support Flash, or any of the other so-called “deal-breakers” missing from the flashy device, people wanted it. So much so that the international release has been pushed back due to incredible demand in the US.
My goal here isn’t to describe the frenzy surrounding the iPad, it’s to talk about the touchscreen that it employs. Ever since the iTouch/iPhone release, Apple has clearly had the vision to make multi-touch screens a reality. Like many of their products, the display is incredibly easy to use and relies on basic ideas about kinesthetic learning to function. Resizing images is accomplished by dragging corners in or out, turning pages by swiping fingers across the screen, and so forth. They have, in essence, trained an entire generation on the basics of touchscreen usage. Read more
Today’s seminar marks the end of not only this course, but also the entire MT Program. It’s been a long two years, but also a really fast degree. Sometimes I can’t even believe how fast two years have flown by. It doesn’t seem like so long ago that I was sitting in my first Prosem class. Even more surprising is that today is also the end of 20 years of formal schooling. From kindergarten all the way to the end of a second undergrad degree, it’s been a long journey to get here.
Our SIPS class has easily become my favourite on-campus course of the entire program. The focus on technology and how it can be used to great benefit in the classroom has been both engaging and exciting in ways I’d never imagined before. It’s been such a great class, that other classmates have even agreed that this is the course that everyone should take. I’ve probably gained more from this single semester seminar than I have from several different seminars combined. It is THAT influential.
I was browsing Wired magazine this evening when I came across an article that reminded me how much I want to own an Aptera. You’re probably looking at it and thinking, “WTF is that?!” Some of you probably think I’m nuts. But I would bet there’s a few of you who would love to own something so unique and visually stunning that you would forego the scorn of other drivers.
Honda and Toyota have carved a path into the automobile market with their hybrid vehicles, the Insight and the Prius respectively. On their tails came hybrids of several other mainstream vehicles like the Ford Escape, Honda Civic, and so forth. In the new couple of years, we can expect to see Nissan and Chevy enter the arena with the Leaf and Volt. We’ve reached a point in time where hybrid vehicles are becoming a viable option for drivers looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
I’ll be the first one to admit that I’ve not been very good about reducing my own carbon footprint when it comes to vehicles. I drive a 1997 Ford Explorer, often without other passengers, and I fill up roughly once every two weeks. As I look at my own habits, I’m wondering if we can’t influence our students to be better than ourselves? And that’s where the idea for this unit comes into play.
