Just a few years ago, DVD players cost thousands of dollars and were the last word in sophisticated video technology. Today, DVDs are everywhere, players can cost as little as $30... and DVD's successors are already being planned.
Sony is developing its Blu-ray technology, and Toshiba is leading the HD DVD group. But an even more advanced technology might trump them both. Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD) uses holographic technology to store vast amounts of data -- up to 60 times more than an ordinary DVD -- throughout layers of the disc. HVD discs are also touted as being highly shelf-stable, able to archive data for 50 years or longer.
Manufacturers are planning to release a 200GB HVD system by the end of next year, and 1.6 terabytes are possible by 2010. A 300GB HVD disc can hold up to 26 hours of broadcast-quality HD video.
The earliest adopters of HVD technology are likely to be broadcasters who want to archive their video catalogs (Turner Entertainment, which owns the rights to 200,000 movies, is reportedly expressing interest) and video game developers, who could create ever more sophisticated games with the massive storage afforded by HVD.
Source: GameDaily
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
BP Putting "Green" Money Where Its Mouth Is
You've likely seen the TV commercials from BP touting itself as a "green," environmentally conscious energy company. Now, though, it appears that BP is making a serious financial commitment to alternative, renewable energy.
BP has announced plans to invest $1.8 billion in solar, wind, hydrogen and combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power over the next three years. The company plans to bring a wind farm online in the US by 2007, and deploy CCGT units to be major contributors to the US power grid.
Although alternative and renewable energy remains a fraction of BP's overall business (oil and gas still dominate), BP appears to recognize the urgency of developing such energy sources in light of increased global demand and possible exhaustion of oil and gas supplies. And because its competitors are largely ignoring this market, BP is being given an unprecedented opportunity to stake a claim in alternative and renewable energy.
Source: Alternative Energy Blog
BP has announced plans to invest $1.8 billion in solar, wind, hydrogen and combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power over the next three years. The company plans to bring a wind farm online in the US by 2007, and deploy CCGT units to be major contributors to the US power grid.
Although alternative and renewable energy remains a fraction of BP's overall business (oil and gas still dominate), BP appears to recognize the urgency of developing such energy sources in light of increased global demand and possible exhaustion of oil and gas supplies. And because its competitors are largely ignoring this market, BP is being given an unprecedented opportunity to stake a claim in alternative and renewable energy.
Source: Alternative Energy Blog
Ten Rules for Startups
Thinking about starting your own Web 2.0 company? If so -- and even if you're not -- you'll find Evan Williams' Ten Rules for Web Startups compelling reading.
Williams is the co-founder of Pyra, the original parent company of Blogger, and current CEO of podcast site Odeo. All of his "rules" make sense, and though some may seem obvious, we all know of instances where they have been ignored, to the business' detriment. Williams also provides links to useful tools such as David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) workflow methodology.
Williams is the co-founder of Pyra, the original parent company of Blogger, and current CEO of podcast site Odeo. All of his "rules" make sense, and though some may seem obvious, we all know of instances where they have been ignored, to the business' detriment. Williams also provides links to useful tools such as David Allen's Getting Things Done (GTD) workflow methodology.
"Spray-On Computers" Becoming a Reality
A UK-based group called the Speckled Computing Consortium is developing networks of tiny computers that could one day be sprayed on a surface to help make pervasive computing possible, and help monitor hard-to-reach surfaces.
The group's goal is to create tiny computers, or "specks," about 1mm squared, that would network with each others, as well as with other devices. Currently, the smallest devices are 5mm squared. Each speck is a fully functioning processor with about 2KB memory, and each can be programmed to carry out a specific task.
Among the potential uses for speckled computing are monitoring the structural integrity of aircraft surfaces, and in smart clothing that would allow physicians to monitor the condition of a patient. There's no word on when this technology will be deployed in a production environment... but as it moves closer to reality, concerns about abuse of this technology are sure to be aired.
Sources: Roland Piquepaille's Tech Trends, Discovery Channel
The group's goal is to create tiny computers, or "specks," about 1mm squared, that would network with each others, as well as with other devices. Currently, the smallest devices are 5mm squared. Each speck is a fully functioning processor with about 2KB memory, and each can be programmed to carry out a specific task.
Among the potential uses for speckled computing are monitoring the structural integrity of aircraft surfaces, and in smart clothing that would allow physicians to monitor the condition of a patient. There's no word on when this technology will be deployed in a production environment... but as it moves closer to reality, concerns about abuse of this technology are sure to be aired.
Sources: Roland Piquepaille's Tech Trends, Discovery Channel
Monday, November 28, 2005
The Washington Post Mixes It Up
Taking its RSS feeds to the next level -- and heralding one future direction for mainstream media -- the Washington Post is supporting creators of "mashup" sites that integrate Post feeds with other functionality. The Post Remix site is a blog that supports developers, whose projects include news quizzes and a world map that combines Post news feeds with Google Maps.
Source: Web 2.0 Explorer
Source: Web 2.0 Explorer
Happy Cyber Monday!
Did you sleep in after Thanksgiving rather than deal with the insanity of Black Friday, even though you missed out on some bargains? Who can blame you? But for those of you who prefer the comfort of your home or office to combat zone of the local mall, this is your day -- Cyber Monday!
With people returning to work (and their high-speed Internet connections) after the holiday weekend, the Monday after Thanksgiving has produced a spike in online shopping in recent years (don't worry, we won't tell the boss!).
Online sales are expected to rise 24% over last year to hit $20 billion this season (not counting private sales such as those on eBay), so e-business is no small consideration to retailers, though it's still a fraction of the total holiday sales tally. Many retailers have special offers that are only available online. Shoppers are also discovering wholesale sites such as Overstock.com and bargain-finder aggregate sites such as Shopzilla.
Retailers will also watch online sales carefully this season because some (but not all) Black Friday sales results were below estimates. Perhaps shoppers are more price-sensitive than in the past in light of higher fuel costs. Or they may just not be that anxious to be trampled by a mob.
RELATED: Concerned about the safety of online shopping? Visit the Federal Trade Commission's online shopping guide.
UPDATE: Although there may be an uptick in online sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving, retailers say that the busiest online sales days of the year are actually between Dec. 5 and 11. Indeed, Cyber Monday appears to be mostly about marketing hype. But then, so is Black Friday, which has morphed into what is almost an unofficial holiday in its own right.
Source: CNET
With people returning to work (and their high-speed Internet connections) after the holiday weekend, the Monday after Thanksgiving has produced a spike in online shopping in recent years (don't worry, we won't tell the boss!).
Online sales are expected to rise 24% over last year to hit $20 billion this season (not counting private sales such as those on eBay), so e-business is no small consideration to retailers, though it's still a fraction of the total holiday sales tally. Many retailers have special offers that are only available online. Shoppers are also discovering wholesale sites such as Overstock.com and bargain-finder aggregate sites such as Shopzilla.
Retailers will also watch online sales carefully this season because some (but not all) Black Friday sales results were below estimates. Perhaps shoppers are more price-sensitive than in the past in light of higher fuel costs. Or they may just not be that anxious to be trampled by a mob.
RELATED: Concerned about the safety of online shopping? Visit the Federal Trade Commission's online shopping guide.
UPDATE: Although there may be an uptick in online sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving, retailers say that the busiest online sales days of the year are actually between Dec. 5 and 11. Indeed, Cyber Monday appears to be mostly about marketing hype. But then, so is Black Friday, which has morphed into what is almost an unofficial holiday in its own right.
Source: CNET
When Gaming Hurts Relationships
Ladies, you might want to think twice before buying your boyfriend or husband that new Xbox 360 for Christmas. A growing body of anecdotal evidence suggests that some young men are becoming so preoccupied with video games that it is hurting their relationships.
For some, playing video games mirrors the addictive behavior of drug and alcohol abuse, with players going on "binges," ignoring everything and everyone around them, and reporting symptoms of withdrawal when they try to quit. In response, female students at Kansas State University have started a support group, Girlfriends Against Video Games. One member, Megan Hoffman, says of her boyfriend's obsession, "I think the biggest issue I have is how much money he spends on it... He has a campus job, and campus jobs don't pay very much at all. Then he gets his paycheck and spends it all on video games." For his part, Megan's boyfriend says that he has begun selling plasma to pay for his gaming habit.
This appears to be more than the typical "battle of the sexes" scenario. Something so powerful that college-age men prefer it over relations with the opposite sex is a true force to be reckoned with! If we were talking about a chemical substance here, there would surely be calls for its criminalization -- after all, the driving forces in the Temperance movement of the early 20th century that led to Prohibition were women fed up with their husbands coming home drunk from saloons.
But this example begs a broader question -- are we entering an age where we prefer interacting with technology over relationships with other humans? At what point will young women give up on gamer boyfriends and look elsewhere for companionship (Older men? Men who have actively sworn off video games? Amish men?) How often is the situation reversed, with "girl gamers" forsaking boyfriends? As video game junkies grow older, will their addiction further hurt their ability to form relationships with either men or women, maintain families, hold jobs, or participate in society at large? At what point could a broader backlash set in?
We may only be seeing the tip of the proverbial iceberg if video gaming -- and technology in general -- drives an irreconcilable wedge between men and women.
RELATED: For years, psychologists have theorized that Internet addiction is as real as addiction to any chemical substance. Recently, at least one hospital reports admissions of patients suffering from obsessive computer use, and experts now believe that one in 10 Americans has a technology-related dependency.
Sources: MTV.com, Joystiq
For some, playing video games mirrors the addictive behavior of drug and alcohol abuse, with players going on "binges," ignoring everything and everyone around them, and reporting symptoms of withdrawal when they try to quit. In response, female students at Kansas State University have started a support group, Girlfriends Against Video Games. One member, Megan Hoffman, says of her boyfriend's obsession, "I think the biggest issue I have is how much money he spends on it... He has a campus job, and campus jobs don't pay very much at all. Then he gets his paycheck and spends it all on video games." For his part, Megan's boyfriend says that he has begun selling plasma to pay for his gaming habit.
This appears to be more than the typical "battle of the sexes" scenario. Something so powerful that college-age men prefer it over relations with the opposite sex is a true force to be reckoned with! If we were talking about a chemical substance here, there would surely be calls for its criminalization -- after all, the driving forces in the Temperance movement of the early 20th century that led to Prohibition were women fed up with their husbands coming home drunk from saloons.
But this example begs a broader question -- are we entering an age where we prefer interacting with technology over relationships with other humans? At what point will young women give up on gamer boyfriends and look elsewhere for companionship (Older men? Men who have actively sworn off video games? Amish men?) How often is the situation reversed, with "girl gamers" forsaking boyfriends? As video game junkies grow older, will their addiction further hurt their ability to form relationships with either men or women, maintain families, hold jobs, or participate in society at large? At what point could a broader backlash set in?
We may only be seeing the tip of the proverbial iceberg if video gaming -- and technology in general -- drives an irreconcilable wedge between men and women.
RELATED: For years, psychologists have theorized that Internet addiction is as real as addiction to any chemical substance. Recently, at least one hospital reports admissions of patients suffering from obsessive computer use, and experts now believe that one in 10 Americans has a technology-related dependency.
Sources: MTV.com, Joystiq
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