Cheaper Tech Except...

The trend is for tech to get cheaper over time... with the exception of your cable bill.

I've been thinking about cutting the cable cord and going a la carte - $40 gets me lots of channels including ESPN(s), SEC Network, and HBO.  I should probably pick up an ARRIS SURFboard SB6183 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem and quit renting, too.

Technology Good for Jobs

So we aren't all going to be replaced by robots...

"Their conclusion is unremittingly cheerful: rather than destroying jobs, technology has been a “great job-creating machine”. Findings by Deloitte such as a fourfold rise in bar staff since the 1950s or a surge in the number of hairdressers this century suggest to the authors that technology has increased spending power, therefore creating new demand and new jobs.

In the case of Ashley Madison, robots are just supplementing the number of women.

Inflation

In about 7 months average web page size will be same as Doom install image. Well done us! Onwards & upwards! pic.twitter.com/xtSAtZjPGl

— ronan cremin (@xbs) July 30, 2015

The Danger of the IoT

Got to be careful with that IoT.

 

Paper

What?

NPR just called paper "the iPad of its day." pic.twitter.com/r6e96mOE6H

— Squarely Rooted (@squarelyrooted) May 26, 2015

Via David Burge / @iowahackblog

Tesla Energy

I'm pretty excited about Tesla Energy - not so much for the product itself, but for what I think it represents.  I hope there is a coming wave of battery technology that will have performance improvements and cost reductions.

Cycle

What is old is new.

The evolution of the mobile phone since 1990, via: @itredux pic.twitter.com/dSQtH8x8uy

— evernote (@evernote) May 1, 2015

NoteSlate Pre-orders

Pre-order for $199... shipping in September for Collector's Edition and October for the standard version.

Celebrate #EarthDay with #Noteslate SHIRO. Pre-order starts now at http://t.co/YRXG98xstr #handwriting #SlateWasBorn pic.twitter.com/oabe9DqHDl

— NoteSlate (@noteslate) April 22, 2015

Docker and Windows

I'd been looking at Docker and saw this Slashdot post about a Windows container technology. As I was reading the comments, it made me think of how we used to setup a new Windows 3.1 machine. Basically, we got the machine on the network (with a PE3 if we had to problems!) and copied all the folders down. Change a few config/ini files and it was ready to go. Looks like I wasn't the only one thinking this way.

Jellomizer says in this comment:

"The is to solve the problem is simple. Keep the apps self contained. No shared libraries or dll. To move the package you just move the directory containing the app to an other location. Some will say that is how Macs do it. But I would go further and say that is how it was done in DOS. 

The shared library is an out of date concept, while sounds good when storage was expensive, today we are virtualizing full platforms just to prevent version incomparably.
What may be a little bonus is to give application/process level networking settings so you can just virtual network your app from the OS"

No More Cert Renewals

What a great way to save some money!

How not to deal with an expired SSL Certificate http://t.co/h5U9qWm8PT pic.twitter.com/FehGNvQsF8
— SERVERTASTIC (@servertastic) April 9, 2015

Bunnie Related Tweets

Nothing to do with Easter...

Check out my article in @IEEESpectrum The Death of Moore's Law Will Spur Innovation http://t.co/ZOHYZi0mS9 #OSH4ever #MooreAt50
— bunnie (@bunniestudios) April 1, 2015

"For example, throughout the 1990s and into the new millennium, programmers were encouraged to abandon hand-optimized assembly language in favor of cramming in more features using ever higher-level languages. Snappy performance, if it wasn’t there on release day, would come soon enough with the next generation of CPUs."

chumby was a former project of Bunnie's. I have a chumby One and used it for awhile, but it was never the smart desk clock on steroids that I thought it would be.

C3 prototypes pic.twitter.com/UPd3tZZnxP
— chumby (@chumby) April 1, 2015

USB Type C

The new Macbook has a Type C USB connector.

"USB-C port with support for:
Charging
USB 3.1 Gen 1 (up to 5 Gbps)
Native DisplayPort 1.2 video output
VGA output using USB-C VGA Multiport Adapter (sold separately)
HDMI video output using USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter (sold separately)"

I wonder if the Lightning connector will be replaced.

IoT: Neo Smart Jar

So there was the crockpot and now there are smart jars. I don't see them getting much traction at $99 for a pair.

Via The Blaze.

There's An App

...for that.

My trash company is urging me to download their app. I have to draw the line somewhere, and this is where it is.
— Michael Arrington (@arrington) March 6, 2015

New Phrase

A co-worker just talked about a "Darwinian Fate Accelerator." That's a new one to me, but I think I'll have to use that.

IoT: Keen Smart Vent

Sounds like a great idea... the Keen Smart Vent. I've got problems with hot and cold areas in my house. (It's much better since I've replaced both HVAC systems in the last 8 months or so.) I'd love to see if it could actually lower utility bills rather than just even out the temperatures.

Patching

I like this quote:

“You can’t patch people. They want to be helpful. So train them.” @swordshieldsec #knoxcybersummit
— Clarisntwrks (@ClarisNtwrks) February 5, 2015

Li-Fi and NLOS Lightwaves

Tangentially related...

Near Line of Sight (NLOS) Lightwave experiments

And Li-Fi:

Hot Jobs in Knoxville

Woo hoo!

Computer and Information Systems Managers are expected to be the hottest job in Knoxville between now and 2020.

Technology

On the one hand, you'd think they'd have something nicer. On the other, I appreciate a company being frugal.

Just visited the WOW! Cable offices. Their lobby setup includes a VHS player and a CRT television. #cuttingedge pic.twitter.com/tdKMOfqJ6C
— Lone Nut (@LoneNutVolFan) December 12, 2014