Tweet-aholics are most likely applauding today’s announcement from Ford Motor Company at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Vegas. Ford plans to help people drive under the influence — the influence of Twitter, that is. Ford plans to put new technology in its cars to enable people to hear their Twitter feeds read aloud while they are driving. It’s expected that drivers also will be able to post tweets verbally in the next 12 to 18 months even though that capability wasn’t formally announced today.
MyFord, a new computer in the dashboard of new Ford vehicles, will make it all possible. The system features a voice-controlled interface with an 8-inch touchscreen display, USB ports, Wi-Fi capabilities, and support for smartphone applications like Pandora, Twitter, and Stitcher. In addition, drivers can use voice commands to control everything from their stereo to A/C to phone. When parked, you can use the touchscreen display to surf the web, but once you start driving, it is disabled for safety. Ford will roll out the new system in its new Edge and Focus models first, but the company expects the technology to be installed in 80% of its vehicles within five years.
Some safety groups are criticizing the new technology saying it’s too big of a distraction for drivers, but I disagree. How is listening to a Twitter feed any different than listening to a radio broadcast? Furthermore, it’s much safer than someone fumbling with a mobile device and taking their eyes off the road to read the screen while driving. With the rise in deadly accidents caused from texting while driving, I think the verbal prompts are a much safer alternative. Personally, I’m a big fan. Anything that doesn’t force a driver to take his eyes off the road is a positive in my book.
The only downside: becoming even more addicted to Twitter.
Most people who want to protect their wireless signal from outsiders simply turn on the security in their wireless router, but now there’s another option that will keep even the best hacker out: anti-wi-fi paint.
The University of Tokyo has developed a special paint that blocks radio frequencies in higher spectra where Wi-Fi and other higher-bandwidth communications occur. If you put it on the walls of your home, it will keep the signal from passing through, effectively stopping anyone outside your house from being able to access it. This unique paint — the first of its kind — mixes aluminum-iron oxide particles with ordinary paint. That’s the “special sauce.”
According to Yahoo! Tech, movie theaters are also interested in this new paint. A frequent problem in theaters is that pesky cell phone which people “forget” to put on silent during the film. Theater owners can’t use cell phone jammers because that’s illegal, but passive materials (like paint) that block signals are not. Since the anti Wi-Fi paint can also block lower-frequency signals used by cell phones, it could put an end to those annoying calls and ring tones during your next movie. Cool, huh?
You may be surprised at the answer. In this case, a carrier pigeon was the undisputed winner in a race to move 4 GB of data between two towns. Unlimited Group, an IT company tired of struggling to use the Internet in South Africa, staged the race. The pigeon, Winston, flew between two of the company’s offices carrying a data drive with 4 GB of data. He flew 60 miles in about 2 hours according to the BBC. Only 4 percent of the data was transferred over the Internet in the same timeframe!
This report offers yet another reason why I’m glad to live in North America — fast Internet speeds. The US ranks 17th on the International Telecommunication Union’s list of countries with the best Internet and communication technologies. South America ranks 87th. Surprisingly, Sweden and South Korea are at the top of the list.
Carrier pigeons have been used for many years to carry messages. According to The Hallowed History of the Carrier Pigeon, “The first message-bearing pigeon was loosed by Noah. The ancient Romans used pigeons for chariot races, to tell owners how their entries had placed. Genghis Khan established pigeon relay posts across and Asia and much of Eastern Europe.” Pigeons were also used during both WWI and WWII. They are even used today to carry blood samples from remote regions of Britain and France.
I was surprised to learn how important these birds have been throughout history. What’s even more surprising is that, even with the rise of the Internet, they are still the fastest way to transfer information in some countries. Who knew?
I’ve been to a few restaurants trialing table-based electronic payment systems, but London’s Inamo restaurant has taken the high tech restaurant concept to the next level. At this Oriental restaurant, you can sit down, browse through an interactive menu, and place your order without needing a server.
What’s really different about their system is that there are no embedded screens or small computer devices placed on the table. Everything is projected from above. When you sit down, the table is activated. After perusing the menu and ordering, you can play games like Battleship with your dining partner while you are waiting for your food to arrive.
Don’t like the look of your table? Change it. There are several virtual tablecloths to suit the taste of a wide variety of diners. Select pictures, colors or bright patterns. You can change it several times during your meal — a different tablecloth for each course. What fun!
Finally, you can get a bird’s eye view of the action in the kitchen and watch Inamo’s chefs cook your meal. It’s probably not as exciting as Hell’s Kitchen, but it might be entertaining if you need a break from the tabletop games.
If you need to make transportation arrangements after dinner, you can use the system to book a taxi or browse a map of the tube. When you’re ready to leave, you can view your bill and pay using the system — no waiters needed!
It’s a clever concept. I don’t know why more restaurants haven’t done it yet. Maybe it won’t be long before some of these pop up in the states. When it happens, I’ll definitely be making a reservation.
For a quick view of what it looks like, check out the video below.
It’s a sad day for employees and former employees of Nortel. Today, the company announced that it will liquidate and sell its businesses, ending its efforts to restructure in bankruptcy court.
After 114 years in business, it’s a sobering end to a company that once had so much life. At one point, the company was valued by investors at $250 billion, but that was before the dot-com bust and accounting scandals. The company is forced now to liquidate in order to pay its creditors and ex-employees to whom it owes severance and pensions. The first piece of the business to be sold off is its lucrative carrier networks division and a wireless research unit. These are being picked up by Nokia Siemens for a bid of US $650 million.
I spent nearly 15 years working at Nortel, starting in college as a paid intern in the corporate communications group. During my tenure there, I managed customer and community relations, enterprise public relations, and product marketing for contact center solutions, mobility, and unified communications solutions. Nortel offered many outstanding learning opportunities and enabled me to develop valuable skills which helped to advance my professional career long after my departure from the company.
I have many fond memories of my time at Nortel. The good times were amazing. The people were top notch. In fact, I have many life-long friends that I met during my time at Nortel.
Even though I’ve been gone for a few years now, I mourn the loss of a company that was once a bright shining star in the industry — a company that brought much joy and career growth into my life.
Although Nortel will continue to exist until its businesses are sold off, this story is quickly coming to an end…goodbye, my friend. You will be missed.
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