TechToday - a daily guide to technology news and views.
OCTOBER 2001:
Not only can pills relieve your pain. Now the bottle they come in can talk.
Tiny electronic spies the size of an aspirin could one day provide key intelligence for troops in the field, scientists say.
A company in upstate New York is coming out with a new line of nonprescription soft contact lenses imprinted with the logos of the National Football League teams. The lenses aren't for vision correction and the logos won't affect the wearer's vision.
"Has the era of the great city skyscraper ended? Was its demise signaled by the suicide terrorists' diabolical but brilliantly executed destruction of the World Trade Center's twin towers? The Sept. 11 attack, argue urban critics James Howard Kunstler and Nikos Salingaros, proved that the skyscraper was "an experimental building topology that has failed." "We predict," wrote Kunstler and Salingaros, "that no new megatowers will be built, and existing ones are destined to be dismantled."
A special polymer material may one day power your cell phone as you walk.
Hydrogen-based fuel cells were once hoped to free us from dependence on foreign oil. Now, scientists are trying to invent other cells that could efficiently use more conventional fuels.
Defense contractors are developing the next-generation infantry weapon that could one day give soldiers an edge in fighting unconventional battles such as the upcoming conflict with terrorists.
Future flight data recorders may capture images and video to aid plane crash investigations.
SEPTEMBER 2001:
Robots have been of some help searching the rubble at the site of last week's terrorist attacks. Here's how, in the future, they could do even more.
After the horrific Sept.11 terrorist attacks, aviation industry officials are looking to improve airport security with devices that can recognize a passenger's face or fingers.
Ceramic pottery is often marked fragile because it so brittle. Now Japanese researchers have invented a "superplastic" ceramic that can be stretched to ten times its length and keeps its shape.
NATO troops could one day be firing "green weapons" that are just as deadly to people as their conventional counterparts but not as harmful to the environment, a scientist said. It may sound an absurd idea to develop environmentally-friendly missiles when their whole purpose is to destroy, but scientists point out that the vast majority are fired in training over home ground.
"To help soldiers survive, the U.S. Army is developing a new generation of combat uniforms using tiny, doctored fibers that let air through while blocking toxins from chemical and biological weapons. The "chemical protective overgarment," expected to ship in as little as two years, is one of the early uses of nanotechnology: the science of manipulating single atoms and molecules to create new products. While nanotechnology won't be ready to build tiny machines or computer processors for at least 10 years, researchers in materials science are already using it to change the properties of plastics, oils and textiles, giving them breathability, heat-resistance, strength and flexibility."
A NASA scientist said the next generation of firefighting technology has been built: a robot plane able to circle for up to 24 hours over wildfires, beaming video images and data back to Earth computers by satellite.
Schools are turning to some high-tech tools to help educate today's kids. Here's how computers will change the way kids learn, plus a look at how educational tools have changed over the years.
"According to the September 2001 Popular Mechanics, electromagnetic bombs - a distillation of the destructive electromagnetic pulse discovered during early hydrogen bomb tests - can now be used to irretrievably whack out every electric-powered device modern civilization depends on, from jet engines to MP3 players. Our military is expected to test such a device next year. While they, naturally, are spending untold millions on an elaborate system, the magazine claims that any Billy Joe Jihad with $400 in his pocket can also build a unit capable of permanently shorting out a large area. For those who can't read so good, the magazine even has a cutaway diagram of the bomb. Hello, Stone Age!" (by Jim Washburn)
AUGUST 2001:
Soon, you may be Instant messaging buddies on the Internet, even those on different systems.
Creating a thinking machine - "Meet Hal. Like any 18-month-old toddler, he likes bananas, toys and playing in the park. He especially enjoys bedtime stories. But while other children are flesh and blood, Hal is actually a chain of algorithms - a computer program that is being raised as a child and taught to speak through experiential learning in the same way as human children."
California Firm Wants to Copyright Your DNA - "Want your kids to look like Brad Pitt? With human cloning seemingly just around the corner, what's to stop someone from plucking a hair from Brad's head, brush or bathroom and obtaining his DNA profile? That's where the DNA Copyright Institute claims they can help.
Imagine walking down a busy street, and suddenly everyone can see through your clothes. It's not just a bad dream: it's the reality of a new type of camera that can see through clothes. And some people are posting these nude pictures on the Internet, where they could be available to millions of eyeballs without the person in the picture knowing it.
For the past 20 years, PCs have been nothing but clunky boxes of electronics. What's coming in the next 20 years?
Computer butlers of the future - Computers may be useful today, but consider the near future when computer-generated "butlers" with human-like qualities answer your demands and predict your needs.
JULY 2001:
Smart Shirt Rolls Up Its Own Sleeves When Temperature Rises - "Made from an alloy of nickel and titanium, and interspersed with nylon, the shirt has a characteristic called "shape memory." When its wearer gets too hot, the sleeve fabric is programmed to shorten from wrist to elbow in a matter of seconds. A few degrees cooler, and the shirt sleeves return to normal. "
Scientists develop self-cleaning shirt - the fabric is sown with friendly bacteria to gobble up dirt and human sweat.
Will the digital era mean the end of history? In the future, will they remember what the Internet was like? People used to save records on paper. Now, we use disks, drives, CDs and the Internet, and can search it in an instant. But will it always be there?
JUNE 2001:
Chocolate patch stops cravings - What if you could stop your cravings for chocolates and other sugary sweets with a simple scented adhesive patch?
Non-allergy causing transgenic cats could be only 3 years away - The scientist who cloned the first mammal in the United States plans to turn his research efforts towards cloning a cat that doesn't cause allergies in humans.
With age, people develop vision problems that make simple joys like reading nearly impossible. But a new device worn as glasses called the Jordy can help restore near-normal vision for some.
Expect to see humanoid robotic helpmates sold to consumers within five years and an all-robot soccer team able to defeat a team of humans by 2025.
The power of GPS tracking has given car rental companies new information about where you are and even how fast you are going. Some companies are even fining speeders.
Forget cell phones - automakers and tech companies have more gadgets in the works to keep you connected to the world while driving. But researchers are scrambling to find out exactly how much distraction a driver can take and stay safe.
TINY ROTATING SCREW COULD HELP DESTROY TUMOURS - Inventors have designed tiny, spinning screws that could drill into tumours and kill them.
CAP COULD STOP DROWSY DRIVERS FROM DRIFTING - Australian researchers have developed a "cap" to be worn by drivers. The headwear reads brainwaves and warns motorists when they're about to fall asleep.
Boeing plans satellites for air traffice control - Boeing, which created an entire air-traffic management division last year to address the issue of congestion, claims its new communications technology, could extend growth in the air industry by 25 years over FAA projections, all the while cutting flight delays by 45 percent.
Some Envision Carrying Book of Life on a Palm-Held Computer - A few companies are trying to pack such complex genetic information in a computer chip that you could conceivably diagnose your ailments by storing your genetic code on a handheld device.
MAY 2001:
Cars made of plants? Scientists say hemp and other tough plants could comprise cars of the future. The cars would be more disposable and fuel-efficient, but watch out for the smell. By 2010, the New Jersey consulting firm Kline & Company anticipates natural fibers to replace a fifth of the fiberglass in current U.S. car models.
A new polymer coating holds the promise of guarding against infections commonly spread by bacteria lurking on things like telephones and door knobs, researchers say. The anti-bacterial coating could be incorporated into the manufacturing process so the surface of many products could be permanently sterile. Surfaces still would require periodic washing to remove dead bacteria that float out of the air and land on the killing surface.
Oreos introduces its first flavor change in over a decade - The new cocoa-flavored creme version of the classic vanilla-filled cookie has been available in select supermarkets for the past two weeks, and Kraft plans full distribution soon. The cookies will be on store shelves nationwide by June.
Space Energy - Plan to Unfurl Giant Solar Panels Around Earth's Orbit Intriguing, But Costly - "Some scientists look down the road and see an Earth with no energy shortages, no pollution caused by fossil fuels, no rolling blackouts, no dependence on nuclear power or foreign oil, no limits on the amount of energy we can have. Instead, they see giant solar collectors orbiting the planet, or on the surface of the moon, collecting energy from the sun and beaming it back to the Earth. "
With the help of smart tags, which will be tested as early as this fall, companies will be able to keep constant track of their products, all the way from the warehouse to a customer's kitchen, so that they'll be able to determine exactly what and when customers are buying. Each time a customer lifts a product off the shelf, the product's smart tag will zap a message to the manufacturer's database. With smart tags medicine cabinets will sound a warning whenever you remove two drugs that could prove dangerous if taken together. A carton of milk will tell you when it's about to go bad. Already Procter & Gamble, another sponsor of the Auto-ID Center, has demonstrated a washing machine that knows it's not supposed to accept a silk blouse, and even rejects a red sock mixed with a bundle of white clothing. It mya take 10 years before every product includes its own smart tag.
Inventor developing hovering platform to aid firefighters - he is in the midst of creating a vertical take-off platform. It would hover next to burning buildings, making it possible for people to climb out. It could handle up to 10 people, seated or on a stretcher.
Bras that make women's breasts appear larger have been around a long time, but a team of medical specialists have gone even further: They are testing a bra that actually makes breasts grow.
Your milk carton could soon "know" that you passed the grocery store on the way home without picking up a fresh carton of milk. It will simply ask the garage door opener which was told by the car and then inform your briefcase which will remind your cell phone to alert you tomorrow before you pass the market again. Your checkbook will know your bank balance before you balance it, so you won't need to balance it. Your car will insist that you take it to the dealership for maintenance before it reaches the mileage limit set by the manufacturer for required service to keep the warranty intact. The Secretary of State (or Dept. of Motor Vehicles in some states) will be able to disable your car if you fail to renew your registration or license. BlueTooth technology allows anything with this low frequency radio transmission to "talk" with anything else with the same embedded technology. This means that inanimate objects can communicate with each other whenever they are within a specific physical proximity to each other.
APRIL 2001:
IBM introduces a a multiyear, multibillion-dollar initiative intended to allow computer servers to make more of their own decisions and perhaps even heal themselves.
A team of scientists has used gene therapy to restore sight to dogs that were born blind. Now they are hoping the same technology can be used to bring vision to children who have been blind since birth.
Researchers at a South Korean laboratory think they have come up with a breakthrough to allow more widespread use of relatively inexpensive loudspeakers that can be pinned to a wall, then folded or rolled to be carried away in someone's pocket. They could even become a computer screen that's also a speaker.
A robotic U.S. spy plane became the first unmanned aircraft to cross the Pacific Ocean, cruising out of the night sky to touch down at an Australian air force base. The awkward-looking plane resembles a killer whale, thanks to a bulbous nose that hides an antenna four feet in diameter.
Imagine a bed that gently wakes you up at the crack of dawn and reminds you of your upcoming appointments. This multimedia bed is a reality - and it's only one of myriad high-tech, computerized inventions recently dreamed up in the media laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Tiny spyplanes - American soldiers may soon get new power to see beyond hills, buildings and trees thanks to a four-and-a-half-pound, unmanned plane that can be stored in a backpack and is designed to send live images of enemy positions.
The robot age - The promises and perils of human-like machines.
An 'underwater windmill' could provide future energy source - A Canadian company is working to harness the power of ocean waves to create energy. They claim it can meet up to 40 percent of the world's electrical needs while not harming the environment or depending on solar cycles.
MARCH 2001 -
The Robodruggist - Manufactured by McKessonHBOC Inc., of San Francisco, the robotic pharmacist or Robot-Rx, is currently used in 250 hospitals in North America.
Engineers at Accenture are developing the world's first Internet-connected "smart" closet. Smart tags are embedded in the clothes, hidden in a label or even a button. Scanners in the closet keep track of everything in your wardrobe on the Internet - updating new clothes when you add them to your wardrobe and helping you coordinate them.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin at Madison are developing a device that will allow blind people to "see" the world with their tongues. The tongue is an effective portal to the brain because of its sensitivity, and electrical impulses created by a camera and a computer can allow users to sense objects in space, as impulses from working eyes do naturally.
Electronic lifeguard - A French company has created a different breed of lifeguard. The system uses a network of underwater and overhead cameras to watch for swimmers in distress.
New products are bringing down the price and simplifying the mechanics of 360-degree photography and video, which allows users to photograph their entire surroundings - often in one shot. One expert predicts the technology could be in the hands of consumers in three to five years.
Sun Too Bright? Just Dim The Windows. More than 100 years ago, the dog of an English chemist was shuffling around the lab when it piddled on a tray of iodine. The dog had also just lapped up some quinine for a sour stomach. A combination of the quinine, the animal's own sulfates and the iodine caused the liquid to suddenly darken into green crystals. Physicist Robert Saxe has developed windows that use similar special crystals to block or dim the sun's rays. At the turn of a knob, the windows can dim from clear to deep blue and every shade in between. . The material could also be placed in car windshields, sunroofs and even glasses.
Cellular users may be throwing away their phones by the end of this year. The Telespree phones with AirClips, disposable clip-on battery packs that keep track of how many cellular minutes are left, will be priced at less than $30. The AirClips will be sold in 60-, 90- and 120-minute packages at drug stores, supermarkets, gas stations and other retail outlets.
The power of light may make your computer a hundred million times faster. "NASA scientists are looking into super fast optical computers, which would replace electrons zooming through metal with light waves refracting through man-made, organic molecules. Though the technology may not become reality for another 15 years, scientists said, the power of optical computers will make today's machines look as slow as abacuses."
Steam could power cars of the future - Steam-powered cars haven't been popular since the beginning of the 20th century, but a German company believes steam engines might be the answer to 21st century pollution problems.
FEBRUARY 2001 -
A treasure chest of potential medicine lies in the sponges, algae and coral that live beneath the sea. And doctors think some of them may even help cure cancer.
"The Pentagon today revealed a weapon technology that projects a high energy beam to stun, incapacitate, disorient or stop, but not kill enemies. The technology, called "Active Denial," seems like it's right out of Star Trek. It uses a narrow beam of energy that heats up the skin of a target, causing pain one might experience when touching a light bulb that has been left on for awhile."
Disembodied robotic limbs could be climbing walls one day to help disabled people do household chores that are beyond their reach. The arm can be programmed to do jobs like dishwashing or changing a lightbulb and would move like a snake across the wall from socket to socket plugging itself in before going to work.
Scientists say they have created an "immune system" for composite materials that lets them repair themselves when damaged. Tiny micro-capsules repair cracks in the material as soon as they form and restore it to most of its original strength.
If you don't have a Web enabled cell phone, don't worry, you may soon be able to hear your Web site of choice on a regular phone. Developers are working on a new generation of user interfaces that make it possible to access the Internet with your voice.
JANUARY 2001:
No matter what you predict about the future of the Net, it is probably wrong. "One possibilty could well be an Internet that isn't an Internet at all, but a handful of self-contained cyber-citystates, like AOL or Yahoo - places where you live and work and play under the benevolent eye of the owners. You'd rarely ever want or need to venture out beyond the walls, and you would do so in trepidation, because "no man's land" between the great portal fortresses would be a place of predators and criminals and barbarians...Another possibility is that the portals fail in their land grab, and the Net reverts to chaos - only now, with billions of participants from around the world...The most likely possibility: the Internet grows to sufficient complexity and richness that it is essentially indistinguishable from the natural world. Thanks to 10 billion points of entry, from the toaster to the cell phone, a billion Web sites, broadband content and a general failure of controls on speech, etc., the Web becomes a seamless extension of daily life."
Mobile phones in the future could prove to be lifesavers in accidents and disasters by monitoring vital life signs like breathing.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and casino operators are using computer-face recognition systems - also called biometrics - to find drug dealers and gamblers who may be cheating. The hidden cameras have been put in place in Ontario casinos, and may be put into Canadian airports. The cameras scan the subject's face for distinct bone structures, ignoring changeable features like moustaches and beards. Then a computer searches a database filled with blacklisted gamblers, criminals and suspects in crimes, for a match.
The maker of Kleenex, Huggies and Kotex believes its latest creation could be the biggest advancement in toilet paper in a century - since someone thought to sell tissue on a roll. Seeking to wipe out potty discomfort, Kimberly-Clark Corp. is plunging into the market with a new product, moistened toilet paper on a roll.
Gasoline-powered computers and light bulbs grown from crystals.
The inventor of a mysterious new gadget said to be more important than the Internet has stepped forward to say that the invention known simply as "IT," or by the code name "Ginger", may not change the world, after all.
Virtual Sex - Dominic Choy, an inventor from New South Wales, has applied for a patent to allow people wearing virtual reality visors at opposite ends of the globe who have matching robots to see and hear each other on their Internet connection. If they prefered, Choy said the online lovers could also program the system so that one partner could resemble the other's favorite celebrity. "Servo motors move its limbs and other body parts in response to signals from both the Internet and from touch and sound sensors on its body," according to the New Scientist magazine.
Five Technologies that will Change Your Future. Whether you think we're on the verge of a wonderful new age, or the demise of the planet, there's evidence to support you.
A new method of coupling high-tech silicon panels with a highly efficient fuel cell may be able to unlock solar energy's potential - and help run fossil fuels back into the ground.
DECEMBER 2000:
Some moderately off-the-wall predictions for 2001 are percolating among futurists, think tanks and journalists.
Net radio has arrived sort of. Yes, you can listen to thousands of stations from around the world right now, but you have to be near a connection. The future sounds more promising, though, with wireless freedom.
A lie-detecting telephone on sale in Turkey for $159. The phone has an electronic device which discerns changes in frequency that the ear cannot detect. A red flight flashes if the person is lying, a yellow light means you should take their words with a pinch or salt, and a green light means you can believe what you hear.
One vision for the Internet's future - Analysts and assorted forward- thinkers are talking about the bells and whistles the online world will feature in the coming years with the merger of America Online and Time Warner.
Chemical engineers have found a way to squish molecules so tightly together they form a slick surface. The new, almost impenetrable, surface may be used for a multitude of medical, technical and industrial processes - not to mention for pots and pans.
Cell phone guns discovered in Europe! "At first sight it looks like a regular cell phone same size, same shape, same overall appearance. But beneath the digital face lies a .22-caliber pistol a phone gun capable of firing four rounds in quick succession with a touch of the otherwise standard keypad. European law enforcement officials stunned by the discovery of these deadly decoys say phone guns are changing the rules of engagement in Europe. Although cell phone guns have not hit America yet, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the U.S. Customs are on alert for them. Cell phone users will have to be made aware that reaching for their phones in some circumstances could be misinterpreted as a threat by authorities.
Smart clothes to change everyday life. Absentminded every now and then about mundane things, like where you've left your keys or wallet? A scientific think tank in Europe is developing new clothing that can help you locate such items and manage other parts of your life as well.
German electronics maker Siemens has a solution for people who constantly forget computer passwords: a mouse that recognizes fingerprints. Called the ID Mouse, when you lightly tap the fingertip sensor located at the top of the mouse, the device verifies the fingerprint against reference templates already input into the PC's system.
Computer chip giant Intel has done it again. The company says a new scientific breakthrough will allow the company to build within the next decade or so microprocessors that will be 10 times more powerful than the ones available today.
A singing toothbrush for children will hit the market next year - one of three new power-assisted toothbrushes unveiled by Gillette Co.
NOVEMBER 2000:
" Not too long ago, interactive television was being written off as a geeky experiment that wouldn't catch on as U.S. entertainment giants lost hundreds of millions of dollars on ambitious trials that flopped. But the techies refused to give up and interactive TV is back in town, this time with Europe leading the way."
Engineers unveil a new generation of robots for the home. But are consumers ready?
Will Your Wallet Go Wireless? Industry exec envisions the day when cash and conventional IDs are a thing of the past.
"There was a time when the concept of a magazine was fairly straightforward. Glossy. Topical. Filled with lengthy features. Now, the industry is looking toward a future that will demand much more of it than ink on paper." All kinds of publications are testing new ways of communicating with their readers, whether via the Internet, TV, or event marketing.
Get ready for gadgets that reinvent themselves when you are not looking. As more and more everyday devices - TVs, phones, even cars - contain software, manufacturers increasingly seek to link these devices to the internet, and they gain the ability to morph their products from remote locations. Typically when we buy a VCR or a stereo, we compare features and prices and chose what we like. What happens when companies can alter products after they've been sold? Replay TV recently installed an 'upgrade' in the middle of the night to customers' systems over telephone lines that caused advertising messages to appear where they never had before.
"Imagine walking by a Starbucks in an unfamiliar city. Your cell phone rings, and a coupon for coffee pops up on its screen, good only at that location. How did your phone know you were even near that particular Starbucks? What else does it know about you? Enter location tracking, coming to a mobile device near you. Features that one day can pinpoint your whereabouts to within the length of a football field raise enormous privacy concerns, but they also offer enormous benefits. The challenge will be determining where to draw the line."
OCTOBER 2000:
Australian scientists have designed the Smart Bra, which adjusts its straps and cups to match how its wearer moves. Coated in an "intelligent" polymer that stiffens under strain, the bra offers instant customized support. Lingerie maker Berlei hopes to sell the bra commercially by 2002.
A British firm PDD is developing the Techno Bra, with a built-in heart monitor that will transmit and track distress signals, in case of a medical emergency.
Water-filled windows can keep buildings warm in winter and cool in summer for a fraction of the cost of normal utility bills. Designed by engineer Frederick McKee, the double-glazed windows have water pumped between the panes instead of air so they control temperature and still let the light in.
Concerns the Internet revolution has dehumanized America may be unfounded. Nearly two-thirds of all Americans have ventured online, and the majority of them deny the Internet creates social isolation, according to a study released by the University of California in Los Angeles.
"Talking technology in our cars, on our desktops, in our kitchen appliances is the next gee-whiz, sci-fi, way-cool thing. And dot-coms are out there even as you read this, testing, tracking and teaching their bots to babble in language we can understand."
Researchers are working on ultra-tiny breakthroughs - "A mind-boggling new science and its related technology are being hailed by leading scientists as the basis for what will be stupendous advancements in chemistry, physics, medicine, engineering, communications and a host of other disciplines during the 21st century. The two new fields are known as nanoscience and nanotechnology. Like the revolution in communications spawned by the Internet, the nano fields promise to open the door to a new world of potent medicines, incredibly strong but lightweight materials and ultra-tiny machines --- motors, computers, robots --- no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence."
There were 3,000 robot lawnmowers in use around the world in 1999. It is predicted that purchases of robot lawnmowers will increase tenfold from 2000 to 2003. By the end of this year, home robot vacuum cleaners are to go on the market as well. They work like the lawnmowers, guiding themselves slowly and quietly around the house.
"Over the next decade, we can expect to see unpredictable changes in the computer industry. Most of these trends will sneak up on users. They'll go slow at first; then they'll soar like rockets. A look at the current emerging trends that could easily take off like rockets.
If someone had asked you 15 years ago to predict what you'd be doing for a living today, would you have been right -- or even close? Take advantage of unexpected ways to build your career.
Dinner dates can predict the future A German psychologist has announced that women can judge a man's mating potential and fitness for fatherhood by paying attention to how he handles his food.
A University of California, Davis chemist has invented odourless sports socks using a technology that one day could also be used to make everything from odour-free diapers to hospital gowns that ward off deadly bacteria and viruses.
The technology that revolutionized the way the world received information decades ago is heading toward an evolutionary change. Satellite radio promises to deliver a whole lot more programming to a much wider audience.
SEPTEMBER 2000:
Help create history! Talk to a computer 'baby' - the world's first computer program to attempt to learn from the world-wide community how to be artificially conscious. Plus you own shares of it by interacting with it.
New drug and explosives scanners, so sensitive that they can tell if you even touched a dangerous object days ago, may soon be coming to airports. They check for drugs, explosives, and bombs with a puff of air.
They said it would happen. Now security experts have found the first real virus aimed at Palm Pilots.
Too many handheld gadgets cluttering your life?Top firms in technology and electronics such as Motorola and Palm hope to change all that by combining cell phones and handheld computers.
Some analysts predict that computer screens will be built into the dashboard of future cars - with one important safety feature. The car will have to be in park with the safety brake on in order to get to the Net.
"If this vision of the future is correct, every personal computer will come with a plug-in apparatus, analogous to a printer, that wafts odors in the general direction of the user's nose. Users download images and sound. Why not smell?"
Cornstarch Clothes - Few people realize that the manufacturing process that creates fibers like polyester and rayon is an environmental nightmare, but scientists are well aware of it and have been working hard to find an earth-friendly alternative. The result of their work is a new material from Cargill Dow that is created from the starch in corn kernels and can be spun into a silky, breathable fabric or molded into a substance similar to plastic. Those eco-friendly folks in Europe are using the material for food containers and clothing, and one designer even fashioned a wedding dress from the stuff. (Discover magazine - September)
"You know that vicious tangle of wires and cords under your desk? The one that links together your PC, monitor, printer, a pair of speakers and who knows what else? If Bluetooth lives up to the hype, that little rat's nest under your desk will vanish."
A one-cent rate increase - to 34 cents for first-class mail - is thought likely to take effect sometine in January 2001. Currently before the Independent Postal Rate Commission.
Imagine walking into a meeting 20 years from now wearing a suit made not of cloth but rather of digital fabric displaying images and text for all to see. Perhaps 20 years from now, a computer will not be the box under your desk but rather the desk, the chair you sit on, or the coffee cup you hold.
In criminal trials of the future, juries may find out whodunit by tapping into the memories of victims, even when those victims are dead, according to futurists advising the British government. Within 20 years, scientists will decode the complex system of chemical markers with which the human brain stores information.
Cheaply-produced robots that can perform mundane chores may be a step closer thanks to American scientists who have made a robotic system that can for the first time design and construct other robots.
"Ensure Technologies in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and California-based watch manufacturer Golden State International have clubbed together to make watches that unlock your computer when you approach it and lock it again when you walk away. Each watch contains a tiny radio transmitter that beams a password to a receiver on the computer." ( newscientist.com)
"Seth Lloyd has seen the future of computing, and it's bright. Blindingly bright. For, according to Lloyd, the ultimate computer will be nothing like an IBM ThinkPad and everything like a "billion-degree piece of the big bang". Before you dismiss the idea, just consider the awesome power you would have at your disposal. According to Lloyd's calculations, the ultimate laptop could solve in less than a nano-second a calculation that would take any state-of-the-art computer the age of the Universe to complete."
"As cameras, microphones, and sensors begin working themselves into computing, less human effort will be needed to run future computers, which, scientists say, will become less visible but more powerful."
PC World has seen the future--repeatedly. In fact, they've been predicting the shape of PCs to come since 1983, armed with the best guesses of researchers, analysts, and other technology gurus. A reality check on some of their past prognostications.
AUGUST 2000:
"A new piece of technology offers what could be a major breakthrough in cancer treatment no scalpel, no blood, no postoperative pain. It is called the CyberKnife and it combines powerful radiation with pinpoint accuracy to kill tumors.
"Researchers said they had developed microscopic chemical switches that could form the basis of tiny, fast and cheap computers that will "do things we cannot even imagine now." ..The team at the University of California Los Angeles hope they have taken a big step toward making a "molecular computer" that will replace the big, unwieldy and power-hungry silicon computers of today."
"The final word on the Internet is not yet in. Its greatest, and worst, days are still ahead of it and we have no idea of its final form. The technology alone has several generations yet to go. And so, too, does its social impact.... We Americans are comfortable with the Net because it is us. Loud, commercial, fast, a Wild West show where the quickest gun rules...As always, we Americans assume that everyone is just like us; and when they are not, that they will happily (and with great relief) accept our way of doing things. The French case, I think, is a harbinger of the future, and we had all best hear its whisper. We like to the think of the Internet as being the great equalizer, bringing all the world together on the common ground of the World Wide Web; and as the great emancipator, freeing the minds and the imaginations of billions of people currently trapped in totalitarian societies and dreaming of liberation. But what if the rest of the world doesn't see it the same way? "
Huntsville scientists studying crystal growth have made a breakthrough discovery that might someday lead to a cure for sickle-cell anemia, better weather prediction, and stronger metals.
What will technology bring us in the next three to five years?
A descendant of today's cell phone will likely be the universal key to the digital future. This device will be always on, always with us, and always ready to turn the crank on the wheels of commerce -- from buying a soft drink to trading stocks.
JULY 2000:
U.S. scientists announced they had designed a robot that runs on meat. Dubbed Chew Chew the "gastrobot," a 12-wheeled train-like robot runs on a microbial fuel cell, which breaks down food with bacteria and converts it into electrical energy.
Computer scientists are warning that future viruses could spread via intelligent mobile phones or personal digital assistants. A virus could record conversations and forward them to other people or run up huge telephone bills.
"You finish reading something on your computer, and then roll it up? Not yet, but scientists in England are working on a new type of flat-panel display they hope will make color plastic screens for devices from laptops to cell phones easier on the eyes and the wallet."
"Polystyrene, used for insulated cups, is learning to snatch and store energy from light, in the same way plants do. Chemists eventually hope to build a new breed of cheap polystyrene-based batteries which will power everything from cars to cellphones."
Patients in five U.S. hospitals may soon have a robot performing their gall bladder operations, with help from a human physician. The FDA has approved the first robotic surgery device.
"An electronic hula hoop that monitors your hip-gyrating fitness regime has been launched by a Korean company. An array of soft plastic pressure sensors around the inner rim of Lento's patent-pending Magic Hoop keeps track of how many times the hoop has spun around. It also works out how long you've kept it spinning, how many calories you've burned, and even how many millimetres you've trimmed off your waist in the process."from New Scientist
Japan prepares to bury its dead with their DNA samples.
New from H.J. Heinz Co. this fall - green ketchup. Called EZ Squirt, the product is designed to appeal to kids, who selected the color in focus groups. The bottle is designed to emit a thinner stream of ketchup that apparently allows for better lines and designs to be drawn on food.
JUNE 2000:
Microsoft Corporation chairman Bill Gates unveiled an ambitious effort to transform Microsoft's software products into Internet-based personal services. The initiative, called Microsoft.NET, will allow individuals to access data from a wide array of devices, including personal computers, handheld organizers and cell phones. The devices will communicate behind the scenes, coordinating between themselves and constantly updating each other.
Ever wish you could design what you wear? Now you can, as e-retailers offer customized services online.
Want to see like Superman? Scientists say enhanced vision is only a few years away. The technology is the same as that used in telescopes to take the twinkle out of stars.
AT&T Corp. has sealed a deal that could make speaking to machines over the telephone a more common, but far less annoying event."SpeechWorks and AT&T will concentrate on developing key services like text-to-speech services and natural language recognition. Text-to-speech services allow text from a Web page or an e-mail message to be read back to the user. Natural language recognition allows a person to speak to a machine, which understands exactly what is said, despite variations in language and tone. "
MAY 2000:
Scientists have developed a tiny camera that patients can swallow for footage of their intestinal tract.
IN THE wake of the Love Bug virus attack, computer scientists are warning that future viruses aimed at intelligent mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) may be even worse. They could record your conversations and forward them to others, delete money from "electronic wallets", or perhaps rack up huge telephone bills.
Broadcasters have suddenly realized Internet broadcasting is about to ruin them. Internet Radio is big and getting bigger. Already more than 20 percent of Internet users listen to radio online each week. This audience is already bigger than FM radio's when it was exploding in the 1970s. The MIT List of Net Radio Stations - currently it numbers 9000.
You can even start your own Internet radio station from the comfort of your home. Live365.com streams your favorite CDs or talk to anyone who wants to hear it 24 hours a day. San Francisco's GiveMeTalk.com lets you broadcast your own talk shows. Both are free.
These days the Web is weaving into every aspect of our lives as public-access terminals sprout up everywhere. Such terminals are expected to grow in America from less than 10.00 today to 100,000 by 2002. Look for them in:
Laundromats - Surf during the spin cycle.
ATMs - Web access will let you check on your balance and then buy a book from Amazon.
Gas pumps - Get road conditions, driving directions and weather reports while you fill up.
Truck stops - send e-mail from the road,. (Nearly half of truck drivers these days have access to the Web; many take laptops on the road.)
Hotel lobbies, cruise ships and travel resorts - Send "Wish you were here" e-postcards that are delivered immediately.
High-rise elevators - watch news, get stock and sports updates as you ride.
Airports - take advantage of flight delays to get things done on-line.
APRIL 2000:
Self-cooling Cans? Chill Tech says it is about to start production on Arctic Can, a beverage container that will cool itself, without refrigeration or ice. The secret is a tiny canister of refrigerant sealed inside the can. Open a valve on the bottom and the canister cools the beverage. The drawbacks: the coolant takes up about 30% of the container space and it's expected to cost almost 10 cents a can to produce, compared to less than one cent for conventional cans.
Floating Train to Take Flight - Company Unveiling Plans for Magnetic Railway between Mobile and New Orleans, and possibly all the way to Los Angeles. The high-speed train will travel on a track 12 feet above the ground and be powered by electromagnetic propulsion.
The race is on to give Swedes already among the world's most avid users of mobile phones and the Net the ability to control machines in their homes with their cellphones and the Web.
Australian Olympic Hopefuls Don High-Tech Speedo Suits - Sydney-based swimmers were scheduled to receive their high-tech suits Monday, followed by those elsewhere in the country. The bodysuits, designed to mimic a shark's skin in the water, have created a storm in Australian swimming. They are said to improve race times by up to three percent.
A Canadian company is developing a plastic food wrap that will change color if food is contaminated with dangerous bacteria.
MARCH 2000:
How bug-eyed Stars Wars fans could end up driving your car - "Making locusts watch battle scenes from Star Wars could eventually help cars steer themselves out of trouble. Researchers in Britain and Switzerland have already exploited this bizarre research to build a robot that can dodge approaching objects. "
What Science will know in 2050 - Top scientific authorities speculate on the great questions that further research will answer within the next five decades.
"U.S. scientists moved a step closer to developing a super-computer after looking at a branch of physics which researches the physics of particles invisible to the human eye...Conventional computers are based on binary "switches," or bits, which can either be switched on or off and computers carry out calculations utilising these switches. Quantum theory holds that entities such as atoms do not decide whether they exist in an on or off state until they are measured or interact with something. When they are not interacting the atoms exist in both states at once."
"New technologies, including digital video surveillance, radio frequency identification and computer-based training, will play a larger role in how retailers predict and detect crime. But retailers are not alone in their use of technology. Thieves, too, will rely more on computers and other technologies to commit costly retail crimes."
Train travellers could soon be flying to their destinations if Japanese scientists have their way, New Scientist magazine said. The goal is to have a 335-passenger train capable of travelling 500 km per hour by the year 2020.
Next time you pull into the gas station, could a robotic gas pump actually start filling your tank? If you're driving by Indianapolis, the answer is maybe. The Shell Smart Pump could gas up your car in under three minutes.
"In 15 years, without a doubt, analog television (the system in use today) will be completely gone, and there will be one device providing everything -- network television, Internet television, computing, DVDs, the works. And not just one per house. It'll be like today, with people owning five, six, seven, eight.''
Role of Robots Expanding - "Robots could be moving out of the realm of science fiction and into the nation's defense, environment and health care. Within decades simple robots could be defending America, monitoring the environment and helping control the nation's spiraling health care bill, a Sandia National Laboratories scientist told an opening session Monday of the Space and Robotics 2000 conference. "The next revolutions are in robotics, high performance computing, information technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology."
FEBRUARY 2000:
Major airlines backed off Monday on an attempt to increase fares for the second time this month, but industry experts predict they may try again as soon as this weekend.
Space visionary Arthur C. Clarke sees in the 21st century a world that is globally networked and geographically transparent -- one that blends satellites, telecommunications and information technologies to solve global problems. One such concern that demands early attention, he believes, is the havoc created by natural disasters. Each year, countless lives and billions of dollars in property are lost to floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions.The Clarke Institute for Telecommunications and Information (CITI) plans to help tackle these Earth-in-upheaval challenges by pushing a sort of early alert systemto both plan for and react to such catastrophes.
Predictions of a cashless society are over 50 years old now. Yet credit cards have not replaced cash completely. Part of the reason is that a growing chunk of U.S. and German bank notes circulate in countries where the local currency isn't trusted. Another explanation is that tax evasion and drug trafficking are conducted in cash, and such activities have increased. A third reason is that an expansion in the number of cash machines has increased the convenience of using cash.
Scientists have found a way to stunt the growth of grass and other plants and keep them greener longer by tinkering with a single gene. Plant breeders have long searched for ways to slow the growth of grass to reduce maintenance on golf courses, lawns and parks. Questions have been raised that dwarf plants could cross-pollinate with standard plants and stunt the growth of their off-spring. Federal approval of a biotech grass could take several years.
All Software May Be Shareware Soon. Increasingly, top-notch programs are given away for free over the Internet, in many cases supported by ads within the software. In the future, what isn't free or shareware will likely be available for rent over the Internet.
"Life-altering innovations of the past century have included the airplanes, radar, radio, television, ICs, PCs, the Les Paul guitar, CAT scans, and Starbucks coffee. What's in store for the next 100 or 1,000 years was the subject of a giddy panel discussion at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference. Labeled "Nostradamus II: Technology's Impact on the Next Millennium," the panel took a stab at predicting the future without the wherewithal of that venerable soothsayer of the last millennium. With many of yesterday's technologies and discoveries are now taken for granted, panelists were charged with identifying science fiction ideas of the past that have become reality today."
You can make your SUV stand out - with a roof-mounted satellite dish that will let you watch TV as you ride. The dish swivels from side to side and up and down to stay locked on to a satellite signal no matter how much the car turns. Units sell for about $4000 plus installation and then add in the cost of a satellite receiver, monthly fees to Direct TV or Dish Network, plus the cost of a TV set or two.
Where is television going from here? Television, the box itself and what it does, is on the verge of changing quite dramatically. While nobody is really sure what it's going to look like, TV and the Internet are coming together. Viewers will have much more of an interactive role in what they are watching, as television converges with the Internet.
The need for information storage is exploding. Now some Harvard University researchers are taking that idea literally. They are using an extremely fast laser to trigger tiny explosions that create "microcraters" to encode data. . Other possible uses: eye surgery and optical computing, where the microblasts could carve tiny spaces required to engineer optical circuits.
Did you ever dream of being a superhero? Superhero powers are already available to non-superheroes, less than 60 years after the creation of Captain Marvel. Superman's X-ray vision? Today we have the Elex-ray - a hand-held fluoroscopic x-ray system originally developed for NASA, it's now used in everyday medical and security devices. Wonder Woman's Steel Braclets that deflect bullets - Kevlar, a synthetic fiber used in helmets, boots and vests, can stop even .44 Magnum bullets and is also flame-retardant. Spider-Man can climb any surface - Engineers created "magnetic grippers" for hands and feet that let climbers scale metal structures without ladders or other climbing devices. Aquaman breathes underwater, communicates with fish - Using "rebreather" systems, divers can stay underwater up to 24 hours; U of Hawaii scientists communicate with dolphins using a gesture-based artifical language. Nightcrawler ( of the X-men) can teleport - scientists in Austria moved a photon by converting the light packet into energy and then reconverting it across the lab.
JANUARY 2000:
Cutting-edge couch potatoes are taking advantage of these new services - like TiVo and ReplayTV. Although the services can cost about $700, they make it possible for consumers to watch what they want, when they want. Analysts predict that 14 million people will be using personal video recorders by 2004.
A faster version of PC memory will start to appear in workstations and server computers toward the end of the year. Although the clamor isn't universal, a number of executives and analysts are predicting that the technology with an unwieldy name--Double Data Rate Dynamic Random Access Memory, or DDR DRAM--is in line to become the de facto standard for computer memory.
Sega Toys says that it will introduce its "Poo-Chi" robot dog on April 1. Sony previously released its virtual pet dog last May and sold out of them at prices up to $2,500. Poo-Chi is less complex, with less learning ability and will cost just $28. The new robot dog responds to light, touch and sound and its visor-like face shows different shapes to indicate mood. They expect to sell 1 million of the battery-operated beasts in a year in Japan.
Shape-shifting robots that can configure themselves into a chair, a hammer or a scuttling spider-bot, as needed, may one day result from work under way at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (Parc).
Engineers from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pennsylvania have designed a new generation of robots to make life easier for the elderly and housebound and to inform their doctors of any medical problems. The engineers are also working on ways to enable the robots to open jars and bottles for arthritis patients.
Weary of glasses or contacts, and ready for a permanent solution, but not eligible for laser eye surgery? Take a look at a new option: implantable contact lenses.
A durable "natural" plastic made from corn rather than petroleum is ready for commercial production and use in items from clothing to food containers.
Ford to Bring Internet to Millions of Vehicles. Ford Motor Company will equip 2001-model-year vehicles with voice-activated telematics systems offering advanced security features and information access.
Glow-in-the-dark fluid made using genetic material from jellyfish and other sea creatures may have medical uses - squirt guns that shoot glow-in-the dark ammo are already for sale.
Technology will bring great changes by 2020 .
Just as meteorologists can forecast the weather days in advance, a Georgia Tech researcher is designing a system that can predict traffic jams long before rush hour begins. The software being developed by Georgia Tech civil engineering professor John Leonard will predict traffic flows or "temperatures," showing drive times in bright colors like a weather map. He also is developing a scale for gridlock so traffic conditions can be expressed in a figure.
Bill Gates To Preview 'Microsoft Home' - Gates is expected to introduce a new version of The Microsoft Network's mobile operating system, which will allow users to get e-mail from cell phones. Gates' primary focus, though, will be on trying to sell electronics manufacturers on his vision of interconnected VCRs, stereos, cell phones and appliances - all connected to the Internet and managed through the PC.
Vodafone AirTouch, which launched the first mobile in Britain 15 years ago, believes soccer fans will be able to see matches on their phones within two years.
DECEMBER 1999:
No Stall Too Sacred - Bathrooms Are Latest Spot for Interactive Advertising. Talking posters greet public bathroom patrons in this unusual advertising campaign. One audio ad is set up like an answering machine complete with flashing message light that plays back "messages" from your mother, best friend and sister. Another is designed to make you feel like you're taking a taxi ride on a trip to French-speaking Montreal.
OUTLOOK 2000 - Inventing the Future. A gene-based cure for cancer. Quantum computers. Airport ESP. Safer burgers. The bold innovators in this special issue of U.S. News Magazine will help shape the 21st century.
Science paves way for future products - Importance of Internet might seem small one day
"For virtually the last century, the year that will debut in just two weeks has loomed large in the human imagination. Endless predictions have been made about what life would be like by now with the assumption that amazing advances and changes would transform the world and ease its daily burdens. But as it turns out, the future that's knocking at the door, with some notable exceptions, bears scant resemblance to what was foretold. "
Red Herring's Top Ten Technology Trends For 2000
Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid. Freaking Out About the Future. "Contact lenses that project computer displays onto our retinas are just one of the bizarre and upsetting! phenomena experts say are poised to change our lives, and bodies, in the future. Like, kitchen appliances that are smarter than us. .. "Smart cars" are going to tell us where to go. "Smart clothes" will demand to be laundered. "Smart chairs" will know how much we weigh. "
A sophisticated new surveillance system may soon be tipping off police and security officers about crimes before they even occur, a science magazine said. British researchers have developed a means of spotting a potential shoplifter or mugger, a car thief lurking in a parking lot or someone about to commit suicide, perhaps by throwing themselves in front of a train. People contemplating these acts behave differently from others and their actions can be predicted mathematically, New Scientist magazine said.
The LifeShirt--a turtleneck with six built-in medical sensors. LifeShirts measure vital signs and relay the information to palm-sized computers, which download the data for online diagnosis. It is able to monitor more than 40 signals from the wearer's body. These measurements include such standard stuff as electrocardiograms and blood pressure, but also more subtle signs, such as a difference in expansion between the right and left sides of the thorax, which is symptomatic of pleural effusion (fluid in the lungs). Marvin Sackner, the doctor and inventor behind the LifeShirt, has adapted most of the sensing technology from bedside equipment in hospitals, finding ways to make such devices comfortably portable.
U.S. News & World Report, Dec. 13 - The cover story claims a "new generation of wireless services" will change the way the world communicates. Finland is leading the way toward a "networked society," with wireless services such as phone banking and mobile sports updates. Sixty-seven percent of Finns carry cell phones.
Planes in the near future won't get much faster because it's just too expensive. The same goes for better accommodations and more leg room.
Innovative technologies emerging over the next decade promise to affect virtually all aspects of everyday society, from transportation to health care, communication to recreation. Engineers and scientists envision super-efficient cars, "smart" offices equipped with myriad wireless sensors, a new class of miniature devices that dramatically speed up medical and biological testing, and electronic gear that runs for days on a single charge. Agricultural researchers hope to spawn a novel industry using sugars from paper and other wastes to make a variety of products. More compact and versatile robots will enter the work force. And artificial intelligence may help to improve the commercial power grid, reducing the frequency of brownouts.
MORE AND MORE ONLINE MERCHANTS ARE OFFERING INCENTIVES AND ANALYSTS SAY THAT SHOPPERS SHOULD EXPECT A FLOOD OF ACTIVITY IN THE COMING YEAR.
ClickRewards, a popular incentives program used by more than 40 Internet merchants, including ETrade, the Gap.com, Yahoo.com and OfficeMax.com, is run by Netcentives and offers frequent flyer miles to online buyers.
MyPoints sends e-mails from its 250 clients, including Disney, Dell Computer and macys.com, that match shoppers interests. Just by opening the e-mails , consumers can get points. If they then shop at the site, they are entitled to even more points. Points can be redeemed for free dinners at Red Lobster, discounts on Carnival cruises, free long distance with Sprint and gift certificates from retailers such as Target, Sports Authority,Sharper Image and many more.
"We've only seen the beginning of this and in the next few years, shoppers will see a barrage of incentives and deals," says Delhagen of Forrester Research. "You name it and they'll be giving it away."
"Join the MyPoints Program. Earn free rewards!"Articles From Prior Months
