Cell Phones..Not So Much a Phone

Cell phones, we all know about them and most of us have at least one. I remember a time when you had to be well off to have a cell phone. Eventually they became attainable to the rest of us. Like other technologies I often think of the advancements I have seen and where some of these may be headed. The cell phone is one gadget that I can think of that has truly developed into something other than what it was solely intended. How many of us now plug our phones into our stereos and TVs to access our music and video collections, and how many of us do most of our web browsing on our phones? The truth is we’re all spending more and more time on our phones because our phones enable us to complete more of our daily tasks.

 I remember my first cell phone back in early 2000. It was...a phone. Nothing more. A little bulky, monochromatic screen, no camera, no text ability, just a phone. But hey, it did have ONE game. They have come along way since then, they are sleeker, slimmer, and extremely functional. Phones now can communicate with your car, your home, give you the weather, tell you where you are going and there are a ton of apps available. Phones have basically become a computer with a phone application. Like most of us, there are tasks that I do not use a computer for anymore, like social networking and email. Eventually the desktop computer will fade away, the laptop will become the next desktop, and the phone (and tablets) the next laptops. This transition has already started but there is still quite a bit a cell phone can do.

 As current developers create newer, more efficient screen technologies we may see the cell phones in the future will have even smarter screen capabilities. We may not even need to touch the screens in the future as cameras and sensors will have the ability to recognize a series of hand gestures. The phones in the future are also likely to have better voice recognition capabilities, who knows, your phone may even have a programmed personality and talk back to you. We will probably begin to see 3D technology being incorporated fairly soon providing us with a 3D experience without the need for glasses, this technology is currently present in TV's (with glasses) and will trickle down.

Another development we’re likely to see in the next few years is the flexible screen. This technology is already developed and as the price of production decreases we can expect to see a new wave of development in cell phones. It would be kind of slick to be able to roll out the screen from your phone so it is closer to the size of a tablet but can be rolled back into your phone or fit in your pocket. This kind of technology really does have the potential to make our laptops and desktops obsolete. Physical designs of mobile phones will really evolve and we could start to see a whole range of weird and wonderful designs. 

As technologies continue to develop, I’m sure we’ll see the phones of the future incorporate new technologies to enhance their design and usability. Imagine future phones being designed to incorporate projection technology. In theory we could begin to see our TVs and projectors being replaced by cell phones. Projection advancements in infrared keyboard technology could provide cell phone users the ability to project a light based keyboard onto a surface which could be used like a regular sized PC keyboard. The texting problems experienced by people with large fingers would be a thing of the past.

This is just a glimpse of what the future may have in store for these amazing devices. The possibilities are truly endless. Like my family, computer, and a good pair of shades my phone is pretty much glued to me. With a never ending supply of apps and slick abilities I cannot imagine that changing anytime soon.

Marco Tempest: A cyber-magic card trick like no other

I had watched this presentation on TED talks. Instead of something more serious, I had chosen something a bit lighthearted and somewhat fun. Marco Tempest is a cyber magician citing that he combines elements of illusion and science. I have always had a slight interest in illusionists, but a deeper interest in astrology and technology. What interested me was how Marco combined all three in this presentation. Marco first puts on augmented reality goggles, which are modeled after Google's project Glass, and then performs his card trick. As Google glass augments reality with data, notice the four corners of the screen as Marco performs his trick, the various bits of data that are displayed is interesting. As he setts up the trick, Marco outlines the meaning of the cards, mentioning how the four suits represent the four seasons, the 13 cards are for the 13 phases of the moon, and how there are 365 marks on all the cards to correspond with the days of the year. He even brings up how the suits themselves are some of the oldest symbols. The "environment" that is seen through the glasses interacts with Marco in a humorous way as each card in the deck is used while Marco tells his story. And each card that corresponds to the point in his story comes up at the right time, such as every king and queen in the correct order to portray people he has performed for. Since Marco is using reality glasses the cards come to life at certain points such as being animated, and floating around. In the end there are two cards left, one that was marked as a special card and another card of a similar number. Overall this was not just a typical card trick. It was new and state of the art, and for me the trick had an interesting mack story that tied some ancient beliefs.

Corporate Social Media

Hello, it has been a while. I apologize for the lack of updates, this semester, although going well, has been a challenge so far. For this update I will be looking at two different companies and how they use social Media. The two companies I have chosen are companies I have supported over the years, they are Pepsi and Sony.



First up is Sony, this is a large company that covers a large number of product lines. Sony has some cool toys and they use Twitter and Facebook to keep people updated on them. Sony's Twitter page(s) appears to be just as vast. There is a main hub which breaks of into a number of separate Twitter pages for every product line Sony offers. The main Twitter page doesn't seem to have a lot of content or updated much, but the sub pages are very active, with a lot of updates and interaction. Sony also has a Facebook page which seems to highlight videos and clips that demonstrate their products. I believe Tweets are linked to their Facebook page, which connects the two. At first glance it didn't appear Twitter was used by Sony too much, but after looking at the sub pages one realizes that Sony uses Twitter a lot more than Facebook. Twitter is allowing Sony to interact with and keep their customers informed on their products. As for the people Sony is trying to interact with? It is clear Sony is targeting the gadget, music, and gamer enthusiasts. More of a middle age and below type crowd with expendable income. Sony appears to be wise to the fact that the younger adults are growing up with and using social media on a large scale, and have implemented these tools to keep their loyal customers and fans informed.




Link to Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/Sony
Link to Twitter:        https://fr.twitter.com/Sony



Next up is Pepsi, another large company, but with a simpler social media structure than Sony. With what appears to be only one Twitter page, Pepsi's  approach is simply just trying to bring everyone together. They have a slogan on their main page "Everyone's got a #livefornow moment. Tweet yours" No matter what is going on in peoples lives, Pepsi wants to be there and the want it to be shared. Pepsi also has a Facebook page, both are linked together. Their Facebook page has the live content that the Twitter page lacks, but it is just as active. Pepsi uses both tools extensively and interacts with fans. Even more so fans can interact with cultural icons through their accounts. Pepsi is definitely targeting the younger generations with it's content, and portrays an image of if someones having a good time Pepsi isn't far away. Pepsi has definitely keyed in on what is the younger generations are all about, music, shows, fun, it's all there and Pepsi wants it to be shared.

Link to Facebook:     https://www.facebook.com/pepsi
Link to Twitter:         https://twitter.com/pepsi

Until next Time...

Why I Am At MATC

Welcome to my Blog, and my first post. Hi, My name is Steve Frey. I am currently a student at Milwaukee Area Technical College enrolled in their IT Programmer/Analyst program.

Why am I at MATC?

I have been employed with Charter Automotive for 12 years, and recently the decision was made to go to a different shift schedule. As I co-led the team to decide the new pattern, the team decided on a 5-2-2-5 pattern. To clarify the way we work this pattern is by working every Monday and Tuesday, we have off every Wednesday and Thursday, and work every other complete weekend. Knowing I would not want to work this schedule for the rest of my career, I started talking to a fellow employee I knew from IT about a career change. Though I do not have any IT experience, I do have a heavy interest in computers which is why I chose Programming as they are problem solvers, and creators. Both skills I have done well with on the manufacturing shop floor.

Through MATC and communicating with our IT team, I now have a plan and a path leading me to something new, something I have wanted to do for a while. I don't want to leave our company so I have been in contact with out IT director and things look promising as to moving into our IT department. I even have a chance to work with the IT team on a part time basis this winter. This is my third semester and all is good so far, and very interesting. As my classes get tougher and I try to balance my crazy work schedule, homework, and family, I will do my best to post regularly moving forward.

Until next time...