In a world where we are confined to machines for our technological and informative needs there is a paradigm shift on the horizon where we will actually be able to interact with the physical objects around us and the world of computing will be seamlessly blended with the world of technology and information. This idea of interacting with objects in this way is best described by seeing an example for yourself. In the embedded TED video Pranav Mistry showcases his SixthSense technology that will be used in the future to create a more interactive world. The most amazing thing about his technology is that he will release it as open source software so anything you could imagine doing with a physical object from projecting images on any surface to looking at a map in the newspaper and having real time weather projected onto the surface to pinching text from a physical book and pasting it to the surface of another object or dragging it to your computer screen all with simple intuitive hand gestures will be possible. After watching the video feel free to post useful ways you could see people using this technology in the comments section.
Fully immersive virtual reality, mind uploading, extended life, cyborgs, Utopian society and pathogen killing nanobots…
First off, while you read through this article make sure you have your Terminator theme song playing on loop for the most transcendent experience possible. Terminator Soundtrack - Classic
Singularity… the theory coined by renowned futurist Ray Kurzweil paraphrased in its simplest form is as follows:
“The functionality of the human brain is quantifiable in terms of technology that we can build in the near future.” When artificial or non-biological intelligence has the capacity to think like we humans do it will be able to access its own’ design’ or source code and rapidly redesign itself, essentially the evolutionary process would be sped up at an exponential rate and artificial intelligence would soar past human brain processing capability. AI would take over all further development at such an alarming rate humans would not even be able to comprehend what was going on…
Currently average computer processors can run billions of bits per second, thanks to the internet computers are also able to share information instantaneously… Now, imagine this; The inner workings of the Human Brain have been quantified. With a synergy between human intelligence and AI processing speed a ‘human’ could now have billions of thoughts per second and be connected on a conscious level with other connected ‘humans’ processing billions of thoughts at the same time and all this information can be stored and retrieved instantly… This unfathomable event is a lot closer to feasibility than you might think. With processing speed, bandwidth, capacity and many other types of measures increasing at an exponential rate, see Moor’s Law, Artificial Intelligence will completely take over the cutting edge of all scientific research and development, and will generate new advancements (including improvements to their own programming) so quickly that normal humans will not be able to follow what is going on. By this point, the Singularity will definitely have been reached.”
Courtesy of Wikipedia we have a timeline to walk us through this natural technological progression that ultimately leads to Singularity. When you break this timeline down, and put all the converging technologies in place it really does seem like Singularity is imminent:
1. From Xbox graphics to fully Immersive Virtual Reality: Yes, 3D rendering will become so realistic it will be indistinguishable from the real thing. Add nanobots into the mix and you will be able to experience all of the human senses in a virtual world. Hello Smellivision.
If the word ‘nanobots’ is too Sci-Fi for you, guess what? the technology already exists and has largely been fueled by its potential uses for medical applications.
2. With nanobots and nanotechnology in general, we should be able to “explore and analyze living systems in greater detail than ever before considered possible”. Imagine nanobots injected into the brain allowing us to map the inner workings of the brain using a bottom up approach where on a molecular level we can paint a big picture of exactly how the brain works… Or, imagine nanobots programmed to identify and destroy deadly pathogens like HIV in a sort of inner body star wars.
“Autonomous molecular machines, operating in the human body, could monitor levels of different compounds and store that information in internal memory. They could determine both their location and the time. Thus, information could be gathered about changing conditions inside the body, and that information could be tied to both the location and the time of collection. Physical samples of small volumes (nano tissue samples) could likewise be taken.
These molecular machines could then be filtered out of the blood supply and the stored information (and samples) could be analyzed. This would provide a picture of activities within healthy or injured tissue. This new knowledge would give us new insights and new approaches to curing the sick and healing the injured.”
3. Once the brain has been mapped this makes room for other cool applications like “mind uploading” (Mind Uploading which would essentially be the ability to upload our thoughts to a computer for later retrieval. This is where the religious and cult-like concepts surrounding Singularity come in to play because if this happens the consciousness of an individual human mind could be literally ‘Saved’ and therefore you would exist forever, at least on a conscious level. Nanotechnology would also be so advanced at this point that molecular machines could find and replace deteriorating cells and rebuild our DNA so that we would appear to be ‘Forever Young’.
4. From a Terminator Judgement day perspective, we wouldn’t be overrun by giant human looking machines but rather by swarms of self replicating nanobots that can convert matter at an atomic level into intelligent computational substrate. See “Waking up the Universe” at the end of the wikipedia article on Future Predictions below.
5. Potential for world war? Absolutely, as technology begins to rapidly change accepted paradigms naturally a lot of people will be enraged by the emergence of new tech. therefore threatening the mentality of “the way things were” in regards to the nature of human life as radical life extension, genetic engineering, and cybernetics begin to reign supreme.
Even if this timeline is somewhat off, our generation is in for some incredible changes and amazing experiences within the next 40 years.
Feel free to post other implications you can think of in the comments below!
Make sure to check out the Q & A with Futurist Ray Kurzweil: Q & A
Today I am going to show you how you can set up a Media Server to stream your music, videos, photos and playlists via the internet so that you may access your media content anywhere from almost any internet connected device. If you are not familiar with exactly what a Media Server is or how it works don’t fret. Essentially it is just software that allows for your computer to send out content when it is requested to do so. Whenever you click on a youtube video for example, you are requesting that the video be played and the server acknowledges that request and sends you the video which is then played in your browser. This system works the same way. We are going to be using a free software called Tversity to do this along with a few minor configurations to your home network. When configured correctly you will be able to access all of your media content on your PC either from another room in the house streamed to devices you already own like your Xbox360, Playstation3 and even the Wii (assuming these devices are all connected to your wi-fi). Or, if you are on the go you will be able to access your media from a web browser wherever you have an internet connection and even from your iphone! You can check out some of the other Tversity features here: http://tversity.com/download/features. Once we are all set up I will show you some of the other Tversity features like its ability to connect to your Hulu and youTube accounts so that all your videos and favorite shows are consolidated in one place alongside the content you already have.
For a brief overview of all this before you get started check out this link for videos and screenshots:
1. Go to www.tversity.com and click the download button at the top of the screen to get the latest version. Make sure to get the Pro Edition , this is free but you are asked to make a donation if you enjoy using it.
2. Once the download is complete, run the installation.
3. Agree to the terms, and click next until you arrive at the following screen:
4. Make sure all the options are selected, especially the firewall configuration option as this is necessary to get access to your files through the firewall remotely.
5. If you have a youtube and/or hulu account go ahead and enter your login on the next screen and all your content from each service will be added to Tversity when the installation completes.
6. On the next screen go ahead and click finish to complete the installation. Once Tversity starts we will get down to the nitty gritty of configuring this thing.
Add your Media to Tversity
1. Click Library on the top menu.
2. From this screen you can add or remove your media folders that exist on your PC to Tversity so that they can be accessed by your devices or from the web. I created a folder for My music, one for My Pictures, and one for My Videos. You can do this by clicking the Add Item top right menu and clicking browse… to search for the folder you want to add.
3. Next we want our menu to look just like it does in our file system so click on the Media Library icon on the left side of the screen and under Media Library Menus select File System. Your will now be navigated the same way it would be as if you were using windows.
4. Up to this point, your media should now be accessible from your devices at home and Tversity should be automatically detected on your Xbox 360, your Playstation 3, and your Wii. For more information on configuring Tversity for these devices if you are having trouble go here: http://tversity.com/support/
Tversity Configuration for Web Access
Before we begin you, should click on the Settings menu option at the top, this is where we will do most of our setup so that we have access to our media remotely and from all our desired devices. You should now see a screen like this:
1. Our first option is to select a Media Playback Device, we will leave this as Auto Detect so that no matter what device we are trying to connect with, Tversity will stay compatible. You can see in the dropdown the list of devices that work with this service is quite extensive.
2. The next option, Media Sharing is basically what turns Tversity on or off. This should read “Tversity Media Server is running” in order for your files to be accessible.
3. The Temporary Media Files option can keep its default value of 8192 MB for now.
4. This last option, Home Network is very important for getting this up and running. To do this we will need to follow the guide below:
Set up a static IP address for your computer
This is necessary to uniquely identify your computer from other internet devices in your home. See the videos at the end of this article and visit the links for more information on how to do this correctly in either Vista or Windows XP. Once you have completed this you should now know what IP number can be used to connect to your computer. Now we just need to know how to connect to your home network , to do that we need to get your home network IP address.
If you are lost at this point think of it this way, your home network IP is like the phone number you would use to call a business. That business may have a lot of people working for it just like you might have a lot of internet devices in your home. Each individual in this business has his or her own extension number that can be used after you dialed in to the business to reach a specific individual, the same goes for connecting to your home network to access a specific device. That extension is basically the same thing as your static IP address.
When I finished this I set my Static IP Address to 192.168.1.50 , you may have specified something else but I recommend using the same as I did.
Now, back to the Home Network option in the Tversity settings panel, enter your Static IP number into the IP address box, leave the Port number as the default value of 41952 and check the box below, assign a username and password and click SAVE.
5. Now we need to configure our router to forward all requests to use Tversity to our computer, so please note the Port number from the previous step as this will basically say, any requests to use Tversity will connect to the computer with IP address {your IP static IP here} when port 41952 is specified, this will become clearer in the next steps.
6. In your browser window type 192.168.1.1 (this is the IP of your home router), you will be prompted for a username and password. If you never specified a username or password when you originally set up your router it will be the default of something like username: admin password: password. The default login information is usually on the bottom of the router. The following screen will differ depending on whether or not you are using a linksys router, a netgear router, etc… Somewhere in the menu there should be an option titled Port Forwarding.
When you click this option you should see a screen that looks something like the following, you will need to enter the port number for the service “Tversity” and specify your Static IP address 192.168.1.1 we set earlier:
for more information on port forwarding if you are having trouble please visit this site: http://portforward.com/
Secondly, not all routers have this setting but some do. If you see a WAN Setup option, click it and if there is an option titled Respond to Ping on Internet Port select it. WAN stands for Wide Area Network, by enabling this you are basically saying the following: “if you want devices to be able to connect to this router from the internet remotely (WAN), and you have services like Tversity set up with an assigned port number, enable connections”.
Assigning a Web Address to your PC
1. The last thing we need to do is create a friendly web address so that we can connect to our home network. To begin open your browser and go to www.dyndns.com and create an account, once set up correctly this service will allow us to enter something like www.BriansMedia.dyndns.tv into the browser instead of 192.151.12.45 to connect to our home network which is harder to remember. This service basically automatically detects the IP of your home network and assigns it to a website address you specify as seen above.
2. Once you have an account login and do the following:
a) click Services on the top menu.
b) on the following screen click the Dynamic DNS option under Domain Services
c) next select Dynamic DNS Free and when that page opens click the Get Started button on the right hand side.
d) Follow the instructions, chose a hostname (I chose myMedia.dyndns.tv), for the service type select Host with IP address and lastly click the Use auto detected IP address to determine your home network IP and assign that to your Hostname you specified. When finished it should look something like this:
3. Now that we have finished this step, we should be all set! You should now be able to open your browser and enter your Hostname followed by the port number we specified in step 4 that tells us what computer has been assigned requests originating from that port. Just enter your web address you created earlier (http://Mymedia.dyndns.tv:41952)
Your can now navigate through your pictures, music and video and play or view all of these files from your internet browser!
Alternatively you can also access the iPhone interface by adding /iphone at the end when viewing in your iPhones browser (http://myMedia.dyndns.tv:41952/iphone)
Simply put this web service with the catchy name of www.canvaspop.com allows you to upload ANY photo from ANY device (yes that includes your Iphone), no matter the resolution and create works of art in ANY of their available sizes all in a matter of minutes and starting at ONLY $49, ’nuff said.
As devices have become increasingly smaller over time it is now possible to bring an entire training regimen with you to the gym and forego any kind of hired personal trainer or 3 ring training binder to tell you what you need to do that day. Better yet, everything you do in the gym or outside the gym (bike rides, runs, swims etc…) can all be monitored and recorded automatically so you can see your progress, set benchmarks and ultimately keep a healthy rate of improvement over time without any hassle! The best part is that all this can all be done from devices you can wear normally or that fit in your pocket.
The Ipod
This device has not only partnered with Nike to develop Nike+, the add-on that is inserted into your shoe and logs all the data from a run (speed, time, distance etc…) wirelessly and syncs up with your computer when you get home to store it all. The ipod has a lot of other great applications for creating a great fitness routine as well.
My favorite is ripping a fitness training video into an ipod format (you can get a great video converter here Free Ipod Video Converter) and taking it with me to the gym where I can show up to the gym, pop on my video and go through the routine glancing down at the player only when I am unsure of the proper form for the exercise otherwise I can just listen in as a professional trainer tells me what to do and keeps me at a good workout pace. If this sounds cool to you, then check out P90X, you may have seen the infomercials on late-night TV and if you have not just Google it, but let me tell ya, that program will kick you in to shape in no time and it’s actually fun to do since it involves a diverse and balanced mix of exercises based primarily on the concept of Muscle Confusion. The best routine is Plyometrics, you might want to do that one in a secluded room since it involves jumping around like a lunatic. Anyway, this is not an infomercial so I will let you check out more on that yourself but if you need motivation the P90X program is one of the best fitness programs I have ever done.
There are also great fitness apps in the app store for the Iphone and Itouch, my favorite is iFitness. This app is a database of exercises organized by targeted muscle groups. All you do is click on a muscle group, you get a list of exercises to choose from, make your selection and you get a real life demo of the proper form and technique as well as a detailed description of the exercise. You can put exercises in a list to step through when you are at the gym so no time is wasted thinking of what to do next.
(feel free to leave your favorites in the comments below!)
GPS + Heart Rate Monitors
There is a lot more to the concept of a pocket size personal trainer than just the ipod though. You can now pick up a watch that monitors your heart rate , tracks the route you just biked or ran and maps it when you get home alongside detailed statistics on where you were working the hardest along the run (probably hills…) and you can see where you were slacking so you know to pick it up in that spot the next time, a great alternative to a personal trainer standing over your shoulder telling you to work harder.
The bottom line is all of these devices collect data about your physical activity and provide visual and quantitative meaningful feedback over time. These devices allow you to train much more precisely and therefore naturally lead to you working harder when the feedback is right there in front of your face. There is no number fudgery since your exercises are all monitored automatically. For me at least, when I know that my last best 3 mile time on a run around the neighborhood was an average of say 7 minutes a mile, I am going to make darn sure I beat that by at least 5 seconds on average the next time. I think the same way of thinking goes for everyone as we all have a competitive spirit inside us, these devices really allow us to compete with ourselves. If that isn’t enough there are websites that sync up with all your devices, collect the data, and posts it for the world to see as a way to motivate people to do better because their results are highly visible (if you enjoy trashtalking these sites can be an outlet for that as well.)
For your convenience I have included links to a bunch of my favorite performance monitoring and workout tracking sites as well as the gadgets that make it all happen. Enjoy!
Resources:
http://www.weendure.com
Monitor your performance and leave “comments” on the performance of others. This online performance tracking site lets you upload all your personal metrics from dozens of devices and lets you critique others as well as monitor your own stats.
http://www.mapmyride.com/ http://www.mapmyrun.com/
These guys map your routes on google maps with uploaded GPS data you can sync up when you get home, you can evem see and rate all the routes others have posted in your area with the option to print directions right from the map itself:
TrainingPeaks.com
Training Peaks collects data from a hanful of fitness devices and reports back with visualizations of heart rate, power output, speed, distance, elevation, and much more. A great tool for benchmarking your progress and finding areas for improvement.
Garmin Forerunner 310XT
This bad boy is the ultimate workout tool. It does all that fancy stuff I mentioned earlier and automatically syncs it with your desktop or laptop when you get home. That and it is even waterproof!
Ditch your thumb drive and sign up with DropBox now! This awesome web application installs on all of your desktop or laptop machines and adds a folder called “dropbox” to your regular documents folder. Anything you put in that folder is automatically saved to their website for online access and synced up with all of your machines so you can access your files without having to manually transfer them. Basically it creates a copy on every machine and when any changes are made those changes are updated everywhere! Aside from that you can share folders with any other dropbox users so for example, I could drop an mp3 in a folder I am sharing with my roommate and he will automagically have access to that file on his computer in his dropbox folder that I shared with him. Pretty cool huh? Aside from that there are a ton of other features some of which are referenced below but you can learn more about here.
If you are considering jumping on the Kindle bandwagon I strongly urge you to reconsider, or at least take a quick look at the Stanza app for the iPhone or iTouch. You might be thinking, “reading on such a puny screen will strain my eyes”, but try it first, the text can be resized to accomodate even the near blind and the reading interface can be changed to a less eye-straining color. I am always amazed at peoples willingness to purchase a single use device even despite a hefty markup (the kindle costs over $300 bucks!) vs. using a device like the iTouch that is backed by the slogan “There’s an app for that” and even costs less. You are sacrificing a giant screen but reading from a huge screen you are actually worse off as studies have shown that text other than the line you are currently reading just distracts you and actually slows your reading pace (Ask any speed-reading instructor, they tell you to scan the text with your hand to block all the unnecessary text below). Since turning pages only involves the tap of a finger I just set the text to HUGE and speed tap my way through books. I have read for hours on this nifty little app and no tears to speak of. Stanza is jam packed with features, many of which surpass even those of the Kindle. Some noteworthy features include:
Tap a word to look it up in a dictionary
Browse the online book catalogue of over 100,000 books
Save your place
Support for all kinds of ebook formats including pdf.
Desktop app that connects to the iTouch over wi-fi that makes syncing your pc ebook collection with the app a snap!
Case Study: While reading the new Dan Brown novel on my big comfy couch with iTunes playing in the background Queen’s Fat Bottomed Girls began blaring and I deemed the song inappropriate for my reading mood. Too lazy to jump across the room to turn down the volume I just popped open my iTunes remote (the free itunes remote application that allows you to control your itunes library wirelessly) from the iTouch and turned it down the easy way, then open stanza again and I am immediately brought to the page I left off on. Let’s see the Kindle do that!
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Check out the featured gadget on LaymansTech.com: A handheld camera that can project movie theater size photos on your wall!01:36:24 AM October 08, 2009
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ours on this nifty little app and no tears to speak of. Stanza is jam packed with features, many of which surpass even those of the Kindle. Some noteworthy features include: