Adventures Of A Global Network

Posted on June 19, 2013 by

new-technology-connect-world-peopleI’m sheltering from monsoonal rain at the moment, somewhere just north of the equator, tapping out this blog on my iPhone. Around me travellers from all over the globe are also using their personal devices to go about whatever digital communications they desire. Even in what seems a remote and idyllic paradise, people are still connected to their ordinary lives, and seamlessly maintain the link to their ordinary lives either by the pool or in the bar. Through technology, the world and humanity are changing immeasurably; no other time in history can compare.

I’ve opted to stay off line for the fortnight. Ben and I pre-recorded our recent FiST Chat episodes so I could. It’s the first time I’ve been offline in 8 years, since I spent a couple of months in Nepal making films. It feels weird, but it also feels quite nice to break the invisible ties of the internet.

Of course, I’m not completely disconnected. Every few days I enjoy a location with free access to check emails, post on Facebook, and Google the best buys for knock off brands. But I’m not constantly connected by phone or internet even though the wireless network is accessible practically everywhere.

There are folk from every continent here (except Antarctica), and a content stream from most of them is being fed back around the world through their personal networks. Experiences are being shared remotely, as easily as they are face to face. Distance is just a difference of location, which if can’t be solved by a taxi ride or airfare can be solved by a post, tweet or skype call. No one goes missing anymore, unless of course they want to. The world is definitely shrinking.

Amongst the phone towers and base stations are Western style experiences in food, fashion and entertainment. The only thing that really differs are the people and the climate. Perhaps given another couple of decades technology might even change that too. The mixing of cultural DNA is bringing people all over the world together, gradually eliminating the space between us. It’s easy to see the rise of a global citizenry throughout the next century as national borders dissolve, and passports are no longer needed thanks to Google tracking. What a weird and wonderful world might it be then? A life of freedom where one can travel wherever they choose but can never be offline. Where big brother watches everything, never tells about the little things, but will be waiting for you at the border if you make the mistake of going too far.

It could be like that today, but the world is not quite ready yet. It will be someday soon. Until then, enjoy life offline because tomorrow there may be no option to disconnect.

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Brand New Diets, Easy To Make Tasty Meals, And Mars

Posted on June 12, 2013 by

Recently on FiST Chat, we once again found ourselves discussing food and diets. It’s a popular topic and one obviously enjoyed by our followers.

chef-cooking-eat-weight-lossAlongside gardening, cooking is one of the most popular book genres, and in spite of the trend toward online, its one aspect of book publishing that continues to thrive. The fact that these two pastimes are based in the real world of creativity, dexterity and sensate pleasure more than likely has something to do with it.

Suffice to say these days it is highly unfashionable to display a disdain for the drudgery and time consuming nature of sourcing good quality fresh produce and then preparing it into a gourmet delight. If you don’t believe me, invite friends around for a dress up dinner party and serve some burgers from a well known fast-food outlet. It will be the last party you host at your place, no matter how expensive the wine.

Now I do like a good meal, and I’m lucky enough to (still) have friends who can cook fantastic dishes, but I must confess to being over the first world obsession with food that permeates every aspect of our lives. There is no question people should eat home cooked meals with fresh ingredients whenever possible, but we should also eat much smaller serves and cut processed foods from our diets. Yet this all seems so incredibly difficult, so much time spent shopping and preparing food. There must be a better way?

You might remember we mentioned Rob Rhinehart on our show a few months back; the man who got sick of shopping and cooking and created his own nutrition shake called Soylent. Using chemicals bought in bulk, some powdered carb, fibre and olive oil, he claims to have created a wonder meal in a glass. It was so good, he no longer eats solid serves of food. His claims are completely untested and unproven, but he continues to attract followers and as predicted, is in the process of creating a business around this dietary enterprise.

His blog is worth checking out even at the risk of encouraging him. It lays witness to the effects of malnutrition on cognitive function. While much of what he writes is reasonable, lucid and rational, he quite frequently stumbles into moments of complete mindless ranting and insanity. Perhaps he could do with a burger, or maybe even just a small bowl of steamed rice?

While I do share some sentiments, largely in regard to the time taken to source and prepare food, it should be noted Rob is not the first or only person who has attempted to tackle this issue. NASA scientists have been working on the challenges of creating quick, simple and nutritionally balanced meals for years. Currently they are working on their biggest challenge yet, preparing a range of tasty, healthy meals for a trip to Mars.

These meals have to be packed sterile in light-weight microwaveable pouches and store for over 500 days without losing nutritional value or becoming unpalatable. Research has shown vitamin pills lose their potency faster in space than well stored food, so they are not an option to supplement diets. This is a huge issue when it comes to maintaining levels of essential nutrients like vitamin C and the important B group vitamins.

The dangers of malnutrition during space flight are real, and that is why NASA is investing so much in their space food program. Interestingly it seems that Astronauts, let alone ordinary folk, would struggle to keep their sanity on a palate as bland as Soylent, even if it as good as Rob claims. The reality is that those with “the right stuff” to be astronauts don’t require any superfoods, potions or fad diets up in space. They just require small portions of nutritionally balanced homestyle meals. How can it be that mere earthlings require anything more than that?

True, most of us won’t live and work in space anytime soon, but it’s a message we should all give some thought too. Not only will these meals fuel the astronauts on their mission to Mars, but it’s likely they may well become available in your supermarket sometime in the future too. As much as I admire Rob for coming up with Soylent, when it sits side by side on the supermarket shelf next to the NASA brand, I’ll be choosing the food they eat in space.

Watch FiST Chat 124: Why We Need Food for more on this topic.

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Google Is Great, Google Glass Is Creepy

Posted on June 5, 2013 by

google-glassGoogle’s big announcements at the 2013 I/O Developer Conference might have seemed low key but in reality they were big statements as to the web behemoth’s intentions to lead the next technology wave. The upgrades to Gmail, Google Plus, and Hangouts are all part of a much bigger picture that will see Google integrating all of its products and services more tightly. The improvements to Google’s cloud based storage, messaging, and social networking services, and combining them through a single interface (like G+ or hangouts), points to a very powerful platform that transcends the famous search function. We are talking a single destination for all your online interactions.

On its own, Google’s announcements could easily be dismissed as the usual hype, but Google is not your usual tech business, nor did they go out of their way to crank up the buzz. This is a company based on an algorithm, that became a search engine, that today defines the modern browser based experience. And while it might have achieved all that in a remarkably short space of time, Google has now proven it’s a company on a mission to shape the future.

As impressive as this online presence is, Google still had a show stopper (not such a) surprise of Google Glass; a product that might set the bar to a whole new level in a way not seen since the iPod. Glass is unquestionably groundbreaking hardware. If successful innovation is solving a problem with a cost effective solution that satisfies public demand, then Google Glass should do very well. It scores for problem solving. It puts a gopro and a mobile device into an easy to wear, fashionable set of eye protectors. Four-eyes is now in style. Record what you see in still frame or motion capture and post it to the Google enhanced cloud through G+ or hangouts. Awesome. No other hardware and no other digital experience even gets close. Cost effective? Hell yeah. If it retails at anything under $600, that is value you can’t beat. Camcorders used to cost twice as much just a few years back and you cant wear any of the current tablets on your head. Google Glass is a device that could revolutionize our world, but it’s worth asking whether or not the public will accept it.

The iPod personalized your music as Steve Jobs famously demonstrated, and put your playlist in your pocket. By contrast, Glass can take an experience in the first person POV and share it with the whole world instantly. But it does this before asking the whole world and inhabitants for permission first. In the modern world it’s hard to be sure if this is a question of ethics, etiquette or both. These days it is mostly fine to wave a phone around taking video because others can see and judge your actions. How does anyone know if your Google Glass is on? Granted others might hear you speak the (ridiculous) commands out loud, but you might also have been recording non-stop for the last 24hours. No wonder some venues have already banned this product. The simple fact is you could never trust anyone wearing Glass, not until absolutely everyone is wearing a pair and constantly uploading every interaction and conversation to the cloud. And at that point people will stop doing or saying anything without legal advice first. What a very, very strange world that would be.

So it won’t be a matter of how good Glass is, because it is an amazing product. The question will be whether people will accept a brave new world where Glass is watching you and storing your actions in the Google cloud. The jury is still out on this one, but for Google it might be a case of Glass being a little too far ahead of its time.

Watch FiST Chat 122: Google I/O and Xbox One for more on this topic.

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Why Your Grandparents Love iOS

Posted on May 29, 2013 by

As a long time Apple user, it’s a little grating to have the younger generation accuse me of being old because I have a preference for iOS. I can’t really argue against this because the people making the statements are much younger than me and weren’t even born in the olden days of Windows 95. But the parallels of history are there, no matter what these green robot fans might think is the latest and the best.

iphone-3GS-ios-7iOS is old, almost 6 years old, but if you consider it an offshoot of the Mac OS, then at 30years old it’s positively ancient. But in all the best traditions of Apple it works, without the need for 3rd party intervention, or the necessary secret knowledge of hidden semi-technical menus. It’s clean, it’s neat, it’s simple, and that’s why your Grandmother loves it.

Using Android on the other hand harks back to the era of Pentium PCs (Google that kids), where some apps work, some don’t and good old PC style error messages are making a comeback. Maybe no android device is perfect, but is that really preferable to the smooth running of iOS? Old folks of the PC era used to pray for a simple, easy PC experience without calling a help line and that’s why your Grandfather won’t touch Android.

Having said that, I do like the way the Android system gives you a little more control over your phone. After a play this week with the HTC1, Nexus4 and GalaxyS4 there is no question that the physical feel of these devices combined with the positive aspects of Android OS seem to give this interface an edge over Apple products.

The ball is now in Apple’s court with the September release of the next iPhone. Word has it Apple’s head designer Jony Ive has created a new interface for the next iOS in response to the drift away by the younger generation. So there is no question the new iOS will look fresh, be wonderfully ergonomic and function smoothly. However, a new look interface might not be enough to bring the kids back, especially if it all works perfectly. They want the imperfect, they want to be able to tinker with the settings, they want the power to personalize their device just like we had in the olden days. Maybe all the time that my generation spent searching for updated firmware and compatible drivers for their PCs was actually a cool hobby and not a constant frustration. And it figures then, if that’s the case, then as long as Apple designs simple, easy to use lockdown systems, the kids are always going to look for exactly the opposite.

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Love, Hate And Hollywood

Posted on May 8, 2013 by

Like most of us, I love Hollywood and the film industry that made it famous. I love how Hollywood is synonymous with the craft of screen writing, the amazing technology that immerses us in the best stories, the glitz and the glamour of celebrities and red carpets. I love how Hollywood inspires us to change the world, save the world and dream of a better future for all. Yet behind all this love there lurks the bitter sweet paradox of all that is Hollywood; I love to hate the studios.

hollywood-sign-movie-studio-blockbusterThe reason for this strange love affair is that no matter how grateful we are for all the wonderful moments Hollywood films deliver, they are also responsible for some of our greatest disappointments. There surely can’t be anyone in the western world that hasn’t been devastated by a Hollywood film that managed to butcher their favourite book, portray their favourite superhero out of character, or even just kill a good story with an insipid, corny finale.

Perhaps it is with some irony then that the Chinese cinema fans who welcomed the arrival of the Hollywood behind the Great Wall are now outraged at the Chinese version of Iron Man 3. The film, a joint production between Disney and China’s DMG entertainment opens with the name of a popular milk drink on the screen, which then becomes a focal point for product placement throughout the film. There is even a Chinese character not seen in the US version that saves Iron Man’s life at the end of the film. In addition to these changes there are also extra scenes in the Chinese version that feature Chinese actors and landmarks.

As a result Chinese fans have taken in numbers to Weibo (the local version of Twitter), to express their dissatisfaction with Hollywood for attempting to capitalize on China’s cinema market. Perhaps the Hollywood grass seemed a little greener over The Wall? Maybe they thought that the US film push into China would finally allow them access to the best films in the world?

But film making is a business, and Hollywood is the biggest business of them all. At the top end of the film making food chain, the Hollywood Blockbuster is all about big budgets in the hope of big returns. The stakes are high, and the enormous potential of the Chinese cinema market is a way to ensure investors get a return.

That the studios put profit ahead of the craft has been an ongoing trend since the 1970s. Awful remakes of classics, sequels that spoil the original release and big name casts in films that stink are more common than they should be. Product placement, blatant merchandising and inappropriate endorsements are now part and parcel of the film industry. For the Chinese fans of cinema upset by the local version of Iron Man 3, perhaps it’s just their first taste of the love hate relationship the rest of the world has with Hollywood.

Watch FiST Chat 118: Hollywood And China Get Cosy for more on this topic.

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Social Media reporting, Traditional News Gathering And The Boston Marathon Bombings

Posted on April 24, 2013 by

74248272The world changed after 9/11 in so many ways, most of which have been documented at length in the years since. Sadly the horror witnessed in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon is also testimony to how much the world has changed since 2001. In addition to the professional broadcasters covering the event, hundreds of members of the public armed with their own digital devices caught the tragedy as it unfolded. When the bombs detonated, the moment was captured from every angle; the explosions, the carnage, the chaos and even the identity of the perpetrators. Authorities with the benefit of time and hindsight, and the ability to pick and choose the images to tell the story, were able to piece together what happened with incredible accuracy. In the vast assortment of captured images, they saw the bombs placed and were able to identify the guilty parties with remarkable precision.

Yet contrast this with the evolution of the story via social media and traditional news platforms. The mass of information that overloaded social networks in the moments after the blasts distorted the truth and our understanding of what had actually happened.

There were inaccurate reports of extra bombs, graphic images uploaded without consent and even innocent people accused of this awful crime. In itself this sort of confusion has always gone hand in hand with traumatic events, but the difference used to be that traditional media could filter out the errors. In those days a breaking story would often take hours to check, report and publish. Journalists were trained to communicate with accuracy, clarity and context. That was the value encased in traditional media, and it was why we trusted those news sources to be right.

But the 24 hour media cycle and the need to publish with speed has eroded the accuracy in breaking stories as traditional outlets fight to keep up with the mass of information broadcast by the public. It is an interesting and natural evolution of the news gathering model we’ve discussed on FiST Chat before. The role of the traditional media is no longer to gather the information itself, but to piece together the story in real time. The public now forgives inaccuracy (where once it would have condemned it), in exchange for having a trusted source update and piece the story together as it is verified. This represents a new role for modern media but also one that society still has to fully understand. The Boston Globe must be commended for lowering its paywall in the aftermath, so the Boston community (and the world) could keep up to date with important local developments.

Undoubtedly and tragically, we are likely to see more stories of human tragedy reported like this in the future. So it is very important that people learn that in times like these unfiltered images and posts do not tell the story by themselves. It is also important to remember that a single tweet does not represent the truth either. What we all need to remember is that it takes time for someone to sift through all the data to create an accurate representation of the real story. And that is the reason why, in testing times we will always turn to the professional media sources we can trust.

Watch FiST Chat 115: Citizen Reporting and the Boston Marathon Bombings for more on this topic.

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