Should I get the iPhone 6 or the Nexus 6?

The glorious time has come where I get to pick out what kind of phone I want to purchase and i've decided between the iPhone 6 and the Nexus 6. The age old question of IOS or Android. Apples and bananas. I have spent a good deal of time on the internet looking at reviews and reading articles on the two devices and I still despite that can't make up my mind. So to help me solve my problem I took out some scrap paper and wrote down the pro's and con's of each and came up with this. (UPDATE) I think i'm gonna go with he Nexus 6!

Pro's and Con's of the iPhone 6

Pro's

• the use of iTunes for free
• integration with mac
• sleek design 
• good battery
• fast processer
• good screen size

Con's

• no customizations
• not unique
• EXPENSIVE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pro's and Con's of the Nexus 6

Pro's

• newest version of Android 
• not very expensive 
• you can customize to your specific taste
• long lasting battery
• advanced specs and display

Con's

• hard to obtain at first release
• not compatible with macs
• the use of Micro USB to charge

Apple Pencil

Let's get one thing clear alright I like Apple I really do but this whole Apple Pencil thing is making it hard for me to take the company seriously. I like the concept but they are a while behind, Having a devices that has to be changed after 8 hours of use  for something like that is a bit odd, It's a pencil! why should it need to be charged?! Another thing is did you see the way it get's charged, you plug it into the bottom of the iPad Pro! It freaking sticks out and could get snapped off accidentally. I think that right there is a bad design.

On top of all the bad design aspects of the Apple Pencil it comes in at $100 (USD) I'd personally recumbent getting the Apple care warranty just in case you snap the end off while charging it.

With this all being said will I be buying one? Not anytime soon. Not because I don't see a use for this in peoples lives because I can see this being a great tool for a student taking notes or for an art student but as far as i'm concerned I don't see myself finding any good uses for this device not to mention I don;t have an iPad Pro so it wouldn't really help me in that case anyway.

I hope you all enjoyed and are going to put some thought into this before purchasing the Apple Pencil.

[UPDATE ALERT] 10/31/15

Hello everyone, Marc here with an update on how things are going and the direction for this Blog and the newly formed YouTube channel. As those of you who follow me on the Facebook group probably know I have made a YouTube channel for Marc's Tech Talk and I have been trying to figure out what to put of it. I don't want to just be like every other tech reviewer and record me talking about the product then upload it to the channel because well you can watch a lot of other people do the same thing, I want to change the game. I want to use the channel to bring me Rants and Raves of the products that I write the articles about on my website. You don't see many people giving their HONEST opinions on what they think of the product so I would like to change that. 

As far as the website goes I will be trying my hardest to keep it updated with new articles every few days but it will be hard because I'm working 5 days a week right now and only have weekends off. I plan on making the Rants and Raves on the weekends so the channel isn't empty all the time. I have seen a lot of growth on the blog over the past few weeks viewership wise. More and more people are enjoying my articles and that pleases me. 

With all this being said Marc's Tech Talk is doing very well and I hope you all are enjoying the articles! Until the next update, Peace! 

A rumored surface phone??

With all the buzz over the release of the newest windows phone people are starting to ask the question “Is this phone the one to make or break the lumia line up?” With this question comes the return of the rumor of a surface phone. Now this rumor has been around for a while but has just made its appearance again in light of the release of Lumia’s newest smart phone.

I speak for myself when I say that I would love to see Microsoft put out a surface phone. I think that the style of the surface tablets has been a big success  over the years and with their newest Surface and the surface book I think if they released a surface phone that the chances of it doing well are in it’s favor.

I think one of the things it’s got going against it right now is the lack of apps in the app store. Not many developers have released applications that are compatible with the windows store.

Below are some photo’s of what the rumored phone would look like. As you can see it looks similar to the surface tablets in design and one can hope that the build quality would also match it’s tablet brethren.

Still, it’s nice to hear a Surface Phone remains a possibility for late 2016 materialization, right?

Source:Pocket now

Apple Continuity, iPhone 7 Information

For all you IOS and Mac users out there you may be already aware of Apple's new & cool feature called Continuity but for those of you who own a Windows phone or perhaps an android phone so you may not know what this wonderful thing is. 
        Apple Continuity is "When you use a Mac or an iOS device, you’re able to do incredible things. And when you use them together, you can do so much more. Make and receive phone calls without picking up your iPhone. Start an email, edit a document, or surf the web on one device and pick up where you left off on another. Even activate your iPhone hotspot without taking your iPhone from your pocket or bag. [1]"

iPhone 7 Information 

That's right folks, another iPhone is on the horizon. Let's look to see what this one is bringing to the table with the iPhone 7. 

        Even though most analysts didn’t really have high hopes for the iPhone 6s, sales so far seem to continue their record-breaking trend for Apple. The company has once again surpassed expectations, and it’s hard to predict if things will slow down at any point. This particular factor has lead analysts to already begin discussing the iPhone 7, and today they share more predictions. 

        The latest batch of predictions considers that Apple’s iPhone 7 design will be the device’s major selling point. It seems that Apple is considering doing away with the home button, as i've heard in some interesting reports. 

Whatever the case may be we’re still a full year away from the iPhone 7, so stay tuned for more rumors.

Sources

Apple

Pocketnow

[Self Driving Cars] Are they the future?

If you have ever watched NightRider or seen any spy like movie then you're probably familiar with the notion of a self driving vehicle. A self driving vehicle is an autonomous car, also known as a uncrewed vehicle, driverless car, self-driving car and robotic car, is an autonomous vehiclesapable of fulfilling the main transportation capabilities of a traditional car. As an autonomous vehicle, it is capable of sensing its environment and navigating without human input.

Many large technology based companies including Google, Tesla, Audi and a few more have been experimenting with manufacturing cars that can drive themselves, think for themselves and become aware of their surroundings to better adjust to their current situation...much like a human does...

The technology behind this is really fascinating. Autonomous vehicles sense their surroundings with such techniques as radar, liar, GPS, and computer vision. Advanced control systems interpret sensory information to identify appropriate navigation paths, as well as obstacles and relevant signage. By definition, autonomous vehicles are capable of updating their maps based on sensory input, allowing the vehicles to keep track of their position even when conditions change or when they enter uncharted environments.

Here is an image of Tesla's Self Driving Vehicles:
Thanks to their innovation they have been able to make the batteries last much longer and make the over all car much faster thanks to it's electric high power motor. 

The Text

Texting. This new thing all the young kids are doing these days. It may be the cool think to do but what's the history behind it? Where did the term Texting come from? To answer these questions I took some time and looked into the history of texting and what I found was rather interesting. Let's take a look. 

According to Wikipedia, Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending brief, electronic messages between two or more mobile phones, or fixed or portable devices over a phone network. The term originally referred to messages sent using the Short Message Service (SMS). It has grown to include messages containing image, video, and sound content (known as MMSmessages). The sender of a text message is known as a texter, while the service itself has different colloquialisms depending on the region.

Now that we know what a text is let's look at it's history. In 1933 RCA Communications, New York introduced the first "telex" service. The first messages over RCA transatlantic circuits were sent between New York and London. Seven million words or 300,000 radiograms transmitted the first year.^{[citation needed]} Alphanumeric messages have long been sent by radio using via Radiotelegraphy. Digital information began being sent using radio as early as 1971 by the University of Hawaii using ALOHA net.^{[citation needed]}

The concept of the SMS (Short Messaging Service) was created by Friedhelm Hillebrand, while he was working for Deutsche Telekom. Sitting at a typewriter at home, Hillebrand typed out random sentences and counted every letter, number, punctuation, and space. Almost every time, the messages amounted to 160 characters, thus being the basis for the limit one could type via text. With Bernard Ghillebaert of France Télécom, he developed a proposal for the GSM group meeting in February 1985 in Oslo.The first technical solution was developed in a GSM subgroup under the leadership of Finn Trosby. It was further developed under the leadership of Kevin Holley and Ian Harris.

I think most of you out there reading this already know what text messaging is used for. Being able to send quick messages to anyone without having to pick up a phone and call them. 

The first text message was sent in 1992 from Neil Papworth, a former developer at Sema Group Telecoms. Mobile phones didn't have keyboards at the time, so Papworth had to type the message on a PC. Papworth's text "Merry Christmas" was successfully sent to Richard Jarvis at Vodafone. 

Like any new technology, initial growth for SMS was slow. The average American user sent 0.4 texts per month in 1995. Gradually, phones and networks adapted to better accommodate SMS. In 1999, texts could finally be exchanged between different networks, which increased its usefulness. By 2000, the average number of text messages sent in the U.S. increased to 35 a month per person. The first, most common method of commercial texting is referred to as "multi-tap." Each number on the phone is connected to three or four letters. For example, the "3" key displays "D," "E" and "F." Multi-tap is easy to understand, but not very efficient.

In the 1990s, Tegic co-founder Cliff Kushler invented T9, short for "Text on 9 keys." Instead of multi-tapping, predictive text technology displays words from a single keypress. As T9 becomes familiar with the words and phrases commonly used by the texter, they become correspondent in order of frequency. In 2011, Kushler invented Swype, a texting feature for touchscreens that enables users to drag their fingers to connect the dots between letters in a word.

So next time you send your significant other or your family/friends a text remember just new this is!

source citations:
         http://mashable.com/2012/09/21/text-messaging-history/#l5chprzRTaqZ
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Text_messaging
        http://theweek.com/articles/469869/text-message-turns-20-brief-history-sms

My switch to Mac

Overview

So a few days ago I made the switch to a Macbook Air from a Windows computer. So far with my switch I've realized that I should have made this change a long time ago. For what I do on a daily basis this laptop is about twice as better as any windows computer I've used to date. That being said I'm still getting used to the new charger port and the fact that I have to either buy a new monitor or purchase an adapter to connect external displays.

I should mention that I have an older Macbook Air, the 2011 model. It's 13.3 inches, it has an Intel Core i5 clocking in at 1.7GHz. 4Gb's of DDR3 RAM.  I recently updated it to Mac OS X El Captain (10.11)

The Good

• is much faster in both everyday and serious.
• better than most opponents of Windows.
• Time of work still remains with the extra speed.
• 4 GB of RAM now standard 13-inch models.
• Thunderbolt opens fast memory, docking capabilities.
• Back lit keyboard is back in the end.
• Lion a good fit for your hardware.
• Still very portable.
• Excellent keyboard and track pad.
• Quiet in most cases.
• Sharp, low-glare display.

The Bad

• No more than 4 GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD.
• user can not be updated.
• Not so fast, how expensive rivals.
• Battery life may be even longer.
• screen is not as vivid as the MacBook Pro or similar.

The redesigned MacBook Air in October 2010 sparked a small revolution in notebooks, ultra portables, after years(even Apple) is relegated to the margins, they were suddenly the future of computers. Intel went so far as to coin a new concept notebook, “ultrabook” to encourage manufacturers of PCs running Windows to Apple is doing. But with fierce competition emerging from Samsung, Sony, and even ASUS, Apple had to step up their games a lot faster and desktop-level external storage Thunderbolt. We will see in our review of the 2011 13-inch MacBook Air, is it enough to keep the lead -. And eventually replace traditional notebooks 

Source Citation: 
http://phone.gadegtspy.info/review-macbook-air-13-inch-2011-review/

Will Smart Homes be the new trend?

Many of you have read my article on Windows 10 and the use  Smart Homes and therefore will have a better understanding of the context of this article. With the technology growing at a rapid rate, the use of technology in the normal home is at an all time high.
        The fact of the mater is that kids are growing up with using more tech in their homes and getting more used to it. Using tablets and other pieces of smart technology does in fact increase a child's cognitive skills in the long term. With the world being more and more focused on where to implement technology and make things we do in our everyday lives easier we see that impact that it has on the younger generation's.

If we are going of the "Official" definition of what home automation is then let's look and see what Wikipedia has to say about it shall we, "Home automation is the residential extension of building automation. It is automation of the home, housework or household activity. Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), appliances, security locks of gates and doors and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security. Home automation for the elderly and disabled can provide increased quality of life for persons who might otherwise require caregivers or institutional care."
          One of the advantages of home automation, and might i mention the reason it's gaining popularity is because of it's affordability and simplicity. The concept of "Internet of Things" has tied in closely with the popularization of home automation. 

I asked around on Facebook to see what other thought of the idea of smart homes or home automation in general and old lady brought up a good point what if you lose power? Would you be able to get in or even out of your home at this point? My response was I'd imagine that the house would use solar to story energy in battery's and also divide power to say a generator that charged itself with a car's battery gets charged, the more light energy passed through the more the alternator like device would turn thus charging a larger battery cell or a generator for like you said in case you lose power. But the downfall to that is what about if you don't get sun all that much you could resort to alternative sources of auxiliary power such as wind or hydro power.

The Rant

I still can't believe that even with the advances in new technology we still have to resort to using oil and gas for cars and for heating our homes, I would have thought that we would have been past that by 2015 or at least be using solar more often. I see homes with massive generators that cost as much as an array of solar panels and they don't give off pollution, i'm not an environmental nut but it bothers me when i see something like that. When asked about things like that people just say that it' more of a personal preference and that more reliable in the sense that with solar you have to have the battery cells full and make sure they get sun to keep then charged. It' the same with a generator, you have to keep it full of gas or else it won't start! I think there should be a compromise. A generator that's powered by a solar array. That way it's not using so much gas and it's taking advantage of that free sunlight we all have access to! 

My dream is to design and build a home that's completely "Smart"  when asked about how i'd create the balance so i don't become lazy i just say i'd make the simple tasks such as making coffee or opening the shades manual or automatic so you have the choice between having active mornings or just wanting to stay in bed. 

Conclusion

At the end of the day the question still remains the same, will smart homes take the world by storm in the next few years and completely change how we life? or will they just be a trend that only a small population of people have? I hope to find out more about smart homes in the future and thus make another article of them. Do you think they  will become a new trend? leave your thoughts below!

Cortana for Windows 10 & Smart Houses

I have been using Cortana for a few days now and let's just say that coming from Google Now, It's a rather big step up. I'm able to see the news that I have personally selected when I ask her for news.  I know that most people will discard the small factors when thinking about a personal assistant but I have 3 things that one must have to be considered one.

1. must be able to pull up info on anything. whether it be by the internet or using a custom method 
2. be able to start, launch apps and or webpages when the command is said 
3. must be able to be activated using a phrase or a keyword! NO CLICKING AN ICON!

I don't think these are to much to ask for now is it? I don't think i'm alone when I ask for these 3 simple things. The fact that Cortana covers all these bases (with the exception of having both a keyword and an icon) I wish they made something with the same functionality as Cortana but made it open to all platforms, (Windows, Mac, Android, Iphone, Windows phone)

I think that the use of a personal assistants will really take off when smart houses come into play. The ability to just take notes on what you need for shopping, control your home with your voice will be a big sell to the people that love the idea and have the ambition to do so. 

The whole idea of a smart house is to make all the technology and easy of access of today's modern style and put it into a home that would make your life easier. Some people would make the argument that by doing so it makes you more less active and to that I say don't let yourself get inactive, Go for a walk, go to the gym. You don't have to let the house do everything for you. I think that these homes should also have an option to set some things into manual mode so that with things like for example turning on the light by the bed can be done either by you or by the H.A.S (Home Automation System) 

You can already automate your home with a few compotes. 

      You can use HUE lights everywhere in your home and connect them to a central hub and control them using your smartphone or other smart device. 

       The Amazon Echo and the Belkin WeMo. These two (and many others) communicate with each other to bring the feeling up a notch. 

       You have your Nest and Net Cam. The Nest is a wireless thermostat that can be controlled again phone a smart device & the Net Cam is a wireless camera for your home. 

      You can find all the Items and many many more in the Home Automation section on Amazon. 

I will be posting another article on Smart Homes over the next few days so keep an eye out!

Intel Realsence 3D Technology with Windows Hello!

You may have heard the buzz about Windows 10's new feature named Windows Hello. In order to take advantage of this new feature you will need to have a special type of camera, this camera is called Intel realsence 3D. This takes advantage of 3D motion tracking to track your face in order to unlock your device. It can also be used for 3D scanning and interaction like Tony Stark has.

The revolutionary Intel RealSense 3D Camera uses depth-sensing technology so your PC sees more like you do. Use the added dimension to scan 3D objects, control your PC with gestures, or create a more lifelike video chat environment. Reinvented video chat lets you customize your background, and share content with friends as if you're in the same room together.

This 3D camera has some pretty interesting specifications to go with it's stylish build.

• Full VGA Depth Resolution
•  1080p RGB Camera
• 0.2-1.2 meter range (Specific algorithms may have different range and accuracy)
• USB 3.0 interface

At Microsoft's Launch of RealSense

At CES, Intel announced the RealSense technology to bring immersive, human interaction to devices. First products in the family include Intel RealSense 3D camera, the world's first and smallest integrated 3D depth and 2D camera module, and next-generation nuance Dragon Assistant designed for Intel RealSense technology. Both these will be shipping in various OEM devices from second half of 2014. 

An Intel RealSense camera contains the following four components. A conventional camera, an infrared laser projector, an infrared camera, and a microphone array. The infrared projector projects a grid onto the scene (in infrared light which is invisible to human eye) and the infrared camera records it to compute depth information. The microphone array allows localizing sound sources in space and performing background noise cancellation.

What Tech Companies to Invest in?

Here is a list of 11 small tech companies that are the best to invest in right now. 

11. Cinatron (CIMT) ..... Rating. Buy, B

10. ClearOne (CLRO) .... Rating.Buy, B

9. Edgewater Technology (EDGW) ..... Rating. Buy, B

8. Elecys (ESYS) ..... Rating. Buy, B

7. GlobalSCAPE (GSB) .... Rating. Buy, B

6. Moocon (MOCO) ....Rating. Buy, B

5. Peerless Systems (PRLS) .... Rating. Buy, B

4. Relm Wireless (RWC) ..... Rating. Buy, B

3. Wireless Telecom Group (WTT) .... Rating. Buy, B

2. Wayside Technology (WSTG) ..... Rating. Buy, B+

1. Mind C.T.I (MNDO) .... Rating. Buy, A 

Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Mouse

     

  

                         I recently purchased the Logitech MX Anywhere 2 wireless travel mouse for my new laptop because I was in need of a small but good mouse to use when editing videos on the go and for just normal everyday use (don't like track-pads much). This mouse ran me $80 at my local staples and retails for $80 on Amazon, although you can find used ones for around 75 right now. I've spent about 2 weeks with this mouse and from my experiences I have to say that this mouse is worth the money. 

        Not only is it durable but it can last 2 months on battery (with normal use). This mouse features like device switching meaning that you can have up to 3 different devices connected to it and live switch from one to the other with one press of a button. It has a laser that is capable of tracking on any surface. The charge port is micro USB so you won't have to worry about finding a charger if you have an android phone or Chromebook. The Anywhere 2 has a total of 8 buttons, your 2 normal left-right buttons, your scroll-wheel that movers left and right, the forward and backwards buttons located on the left side of the mouse (where your thumb goes), then your middle mouse button which is not a part of your scroll-wheel due to the fact that it has a thing called free-scrolling, you activate that by pressing down on the scroll-wheel as if to use the middle mouse button on any other mouse. 

        You can find this mouse and it's older brother the MX Master on Amazon today! 

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 - "Next is Now"

Photo from TechRadar

Well Samsung has added another smartphone to the Note lineup. This one makes 5, that's right this is the Note 5 ladies and gentleman! 

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5, announced just last week, is the latest sign that the South Korean manufacturer is phasing out its plastic-clad phones in exchange for ones with metal and glass builds.

Its premium design is its biggest perk if you're upgrading from the Note 4 or a previous Note phone, and want something that looks and feels as good as the Galaxy S6 in a bigger size. With a 5.7-inch quad HD display, better specs and the return of the S-Pen, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has everything you want, except a microSD card slot and replaceable battery. That's a deal breaker for many long-time (and vocal) Note users I've already heard from, but others will see the value in upgrading to the more stylish and powerful phablet later this month. 

Launch

So when does it actually launch? That all depends on where you live, sadly. Its official release date is August 21 in the US, this Friday, and it's not coming to the UK. Not this year, at least.

Price

 You'll pay top dollar for the Galaxy Note 5, as Samsung phablet regulars have come to expect. AT&T is charging $250 for the 32GB version if you buy the phone with a two-year agreement, and $349.99 for 64GB on the same terms.

That's $50 less expensive than the Note 4 launch price, but it ends up being $740 for 32GB and $840 for 64GB off-contract. Somebody REALLY wants you to make a commitment, and their name is AT&T. Put a ringtone on it.

Don't expect the same for the UK, where it would likely cost the usual £600, or Australia (AU$940). Samsung doesn't currently have a UK release date for the Galaxy Note 5, instead touting that the Samsung Galaxy Edge 6+ as coming to Europe "soon." 

Design

The Note 5 design is made of an iPhone 6 Plus challenging metal frame with a glass back, and it stands in stark contrast to the plastic-painted frames of yesteryear that simply looked metal.

At 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6mm, its dimensions slightly more compact than last year's, and it weights a few grams less than the Galaxy Note 4, 171g vs 176g.

That said, it's still hefty compared to the Galaxy S6, but at least the camera doesn't protrude as on Samsung's smaller flagship phone.

Just don't expect Samsung to have added in the sorely missing microSD card slot or removable battery. Like the on S6, it's missing in the new phablet, too.

Display

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 keeps the same 5.7-inch display size and Super AMOLED technology back it for good reason: it's among the best looking screens out there. With a quad HD 2560 x 1440 resolution and pixel-packed 518 pixels per inch, it's hard not to like what's behind this Gorilla Glass 4 display.

On paper, it's not quite as pixel-dense as the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, which tout a 577ppi. But that's just because that same resolution is stretched out overtop of larger screen. It hardly makes a difference.

Specs

Samsung ditched Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor with the Galaxy S6, and it hasn't looked back, employing the same Exynos 7420 Octa-core as its smaller flagship phone. It combines the power of a 2.1 GHz quad-core (Cortex-A57) + 1.5 GHz quad-core (Cortex-A53) chip, and in previous S6 tests has topped our benchmarks among all reviewed phones.

What's amazing is that the S6 has 3GB of RAM. The Note 5 ups the amount of memory to 4GB. The ceiling is even higher for running multiple tasks at once on this performance-driven phone.

Do you think that the Note 5 will do well in sales? I think that this phone has been hyped up enough to were it's gained enough interest from people therefore they will be more likely to consider it when their contract is up. 

Time Travel, Is it real?

Ever wonder what it would be like to go back in time? What about being able to go into the future to see what you will be like years from now? I know this are a few of the questions that i ask myself late at night. We are the generation of change and science. Each and everyone of us has thought about time travel at one point or another. thought about the things we would change if we could go back in time. I recently read an article published by the ABC news website, The article states that Time Travel is in fact possible and will most likely happen soon. To read the article click here.

Have you ever seen the Back to the Future movies? Where Doc and Marty take the DeLorean DC-12 into the space time continuum. That is like all other time travel, they go back in time to stop something from happening but end up making things worse so they go in the future.

There are two different types of time travel, those are Forward Time Travel and Backwards Time Travel.
        Forwards Time Travel: here is no widespread agreement as to which written work should be recognized as the earliest example of a time travel story, since a number of early works feature elements ambiguously suggestive of time travel. Ancient folk tales and myths sometimes involved something akin to traveling forward in time; for example, in Hindu mythology, the Mahabharata mentions the story of the King Raivata Kakudmi, who travels to heaven to meet the creator Brahma and is shocked to learn that many ages have passed when he returns to Earth. A more recent story involving travel to the future is Louis-Sébastien Mercier's ("The Year 2440: A Dream If Ever There Were One"), a utopian novel in which the main character is transported to the year 2440. An extremely popular work (it went through 25 editions after its first appearance in 1771), it describes the adventures of an unnamed man who, after engaging in a heated discussion with a philosopher friend about the injustices of Paris, falls asleep and finds himself in a Paris of the future. Robert Darnton writes that "despite its self-proclaimed character of fantasy...L'An 2440 demanded to be read as a serious guidebook to the future. 

        Backwards Time Travel: Backward time travel seems to be a more modern idea, but its origin is also somewhat ambiguous. One early story with hints of backward time travel is Memoirs of the Twentieth Century (1733) by Samuel Madden, which is mainly a series of letters from British ambassadors in various countries to the British Lord High Treasurer, along with a few replies from the British Foreign Office, all purportedly written in 1997 and 1998 and describing the conditions of that era. However, the framing story is that these letters were actual documents given to the narrator by his guardian angel one night in 1728; for this reason, Paul Alkon suggests in his book Origins of Futuristic Fiction that "the first time-traveler in English literature is a guardian angel who returns with state documents from 1998 to the year 1728", although the book does not explicitly show how the angel obtained these documents. Alkon later qualifies this by writing, "It would be stretching our generosity to praise Madden for being the first to show a traveler arriving from the future", but also says that Madden "deserves recognition as the first to toy with the rich idea of time-travel in the form of an artifact sent backward from the future to be discovered in the present.

       As we advance more in technology the possibility of us being able to travel through time becomes more and more real. Pretty soon we will be able to send out packages through wormholes and never have to wait for them through the mail. Time travel, wormholes, they all have amazing possibility's and uses but the hard part is getting them to work for us not against us. One day we will be able to warp through time and space and I hope that I am alive to witness at least the start of time travel. 

The world in the next Century

Have you ever wondered what the world is going to be like in the next century? I know that I have. With the technology rapidly growing in this century it wouldn't surprise me if in the next few centuries we end up like the science fiction show Star-Trek with all the high tech gadgets and equipment it has to offer. The 24th century is the time era that show takes place in. Just think about it, living in a world were computers are much smarter and more advanced then we ever thought imaginable. Sooner or later we will be living among robots and smarter personal assistants that will help us improve our lives in a larger way.

One major company that has made a huge splash in the tech world is Microsoft, they have made a device called the HoloLens that recreates holographic-interactive applications that allow you to interlock the real world in the virtual world. The Microsoft HoloLens is the first fully unlettered, see-through holographic computer. It enables high-definition holograms to come to life in your world, seamlessly integrating with your physical places, spaces, and things. They call this experience mixed reality. Holograms mixed with your real world will unlock all-new ways to create, communicate, work, and play.
        

Transform your world with holograms.

        For the first time, holograms will become practical tools of daily life. Interact with them to learn, or create something new. When you share your ideas, show and tell from multiple perspectives. Your digital content and creations will be more relevant when they come to life in the world around you.

Next-generation technology enabled by Windows 10.

        Windows 10 is the first platform to support holographic computing with APIs that enable gaze, gesture, voice, and environmental understanding on an unlettered device. Microsoft HoloLens, together with Windows 10, will bring high‑definition holograms to life in your world.

Wish to learn more about the Microsoft Hololens Click Here.

        Microsoft isn't the only major tech related company making huge advances. Others include, Tesla Motors, Google, Samsung, and Illumina. They all have there own respective categories in which they advance but the real question is which one will pull through and be named the King of Tech?

The Safety Truck, By Samsung

Samsung has made the first Safety Truck. This is a Semi Truck with wireless cameras mounted on the front that broadcast in real time what is happening in the front and sends it to the 4 monitors that are mounted at the rear of the truck. This allows drives behind it to see what is coming in front of it so drivers can pass them safer. If you wish to read more on this story Click Here.

The Evolution of Technology

       The world is expanding at a rapid rate and with expansion comes exploration and with exploration comes curiosity. When the first Personal Computer was introduced in 1975 and came as kits that you had to put together yourself, it was monumental. Technology is an ever growing enterprise with many different businesses attached. Some would say that technology is somewhat a mega-corp because of it’s extensive “employees” working to make it a better industry.

       The process of technological evolution culminates with the ability to achieve all the material values technologically possible and desirable by mental effort. Technology evolution is more important to humanities near future than biological evolution. As Tim Wu says in his article in The New Yorker “The devices we use change the way we live much faster than any contest among genes.” Assuming that we really are evolving as we wear or inhabit more technological prosthesis, like even smarter phones, helpful glasses, and brainy cars. “Here’s the big question: will that type of evolution take us in desirable directions, as we usually assume biological evolution does?” (newyorker.com) Biological evolution is driven by survival of the fittest while technological evolution is driven by self evolution. People often get the two types of evolution mixed up when they talk about them. When people talk about the evolution of technology, they are talking more about how it has changed over a small amount of time.  

       Babies born in the western half of the world are said to have a life expectancy of 100 years which means they will be alive in 2110. “It’s hard to tell detail about what life will be like at that time period,” (bigthink.com). We can guess based on current trends that humans will continue to populate the planet, sharing it with animals designed synthetically in a lab and also machines.  To make changes to technology the world must first be open and willing to accept change. With supply and demand, people are buying more types of technology for their car or their homes. Harold Evans and Gail Buckland say in their book “Made in America” (382,613), Technology is more than just what type of cell phone or computer you have. It’s about the process and skills that were used in order to that were made to make the product slimmer and lighter. It’s about the design that goes into the product to make it a faster device. We take what we have no for granted, we look around at the technology we have know and we don’t consider that what we have now we didn't have a few years ago. The cell phones and computers and smart TV’s are new to this generation but the generation after us are not going to know the struggle that the other generations have had to deal with.  When we talk about the different kinds of technology no don’t ever think about how many different types really exist. Let’s discuss some of the types.

      The transcontinental railroad wasn't exactly a piece of technology but it helped to spark the change  in it. For example, the first telegraph lines were places alongside the railroad tracks to help send messages to and from different places. The steam engine, personal computers they all help move the rate of change along. Technology doesn't always mean computers or cellphones as stated above. It can also mean something as simple as the bra or banking. The light bulb wasn’t really a technology related invention but yet still a major part in the breakthrough leading to the technology revolution that was taking place in the 1880’s. The radio was a massive contributor to the technology age. It lead Americans to spend their time hearing about the different things going on in the world and that lead to more vehicles having a radio which made road trips more interesting in turn.

        The emergence of technology, made possible by the development of the rational faculty, paved the way for the first stage: the tool. A tool provides a mechanical advantage in accomplishing a physical task. The arrow, plow, or hammer that augments physical labor to more efficiently achieve this objective. Later animal-powered tools such as the plow and the horse, increased the productivity of food production tenfold over the technology of the hunter-gatherers. Tools allow one to do things impossible to accomplish with one's body alone, such as seeing minute visual detail with a microscope, manipulating heavy objects with a pulley and cart, or carrying volumes of water in a bucket.

      Another piece of technology that many people don’t consider to be technology is the search engine know as Google, it was the first modern web search engine to become mainstream in America, with 1.17 billion people with a Google account. The lack of any real advanced metallurgy among the Aztecs and Mayas has long been a mystery to students of pre-columbian civilizations. The question “where did it all start?” is always an irresistible if slippery one. In matters of technology the more important and visible invention, the greater the fascination in finding it’s origin or earliest uses. You all see movies about how technology is going to take over the human race and all that but in all reality even though yes it is getting smarter is will never be able to fully replace the human aspect of Earth. Technology all around us from the micro-organisms living in the forest to the ones under the sea. You hear how people think the world isn’t ready for the new advances that technology has to offer, we have only scratched the surface for as what we can do and create with the help of technology. “They Made America”  (Harold Evans, Gail Buckland, David Lefer, 74, 149, 382, 613)

       Technology’s evolution overall has been bad. It has further hindered our capabilities to think and act for ourselves. People rely too much on technology to live their life. The world has become dependent on devices that connect to the internet and deliver notifications to you regardless of your location. American’s have taken a dependency to physical items because they think that it brings them more happiness rather than being with friends and family. Technology has disconnected us with who we once were.

Now with all that’s been said, technology evolution is at most a marvelous thing to see take place. The evolution of technology is expanding at a rapid rate and we are lucky enough to see the change take place in our time period. Without the advances in technology we wouldn't have half of the things that we take for granted each and every day. The cell phone for example is one that we can’t live without but yet we never really take the time to look at the trouble and time that was put into the design and production of these marvelous inventions. As Jean Arp puts it nicely in this quote, “Soon silence will have passed into legend. Man has turned his back on silence. Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation, meditation.”

Thank you for reading! Please leave your comments down below!

HP Chromebook 11 FULL Review

This is the second part to my review of the Chromebook 11 from HP. To recap what the HP Chromebook 11 is let's check out the spec list again shall we.

• Screen Size; 11.6 inches
• Screen Resolution; 1366 x 768
• Max Screen Resolution; 1366 x 768
• Processor; 1.7 GHz Exynos 5000 Series
• RAM; 2 GB DDR3L SDRAM
• Hard Drive; 16 GB
• Wireless Type; 802.11bgn
• Number of USB 2.0 Ports; 2
• Average Battery (in hours); 6.25 hours
• Brand Name; HP
• Processor Brand: Samsung 
• Operating System: Chrome OS
• Weight: 2.7 pounds

If you want to check it out yourself click this link. HP Chromebook 11 (Snow White) 

I received my unit Friday night and have been using it for a number of different things such as watching HD shows on Netflix and streaming music on Pandora and Google Play Music. After all the stress testing I've put it through the device has stood up pretty well. Battery life has been great and the Operating System is  a bit of a change from Windows 7 but after a bit of usage it becomes easier to use. 

If you are a student or looking for a computer for productivity then I highly recommend getting a Chromebook. The 11.6 inch size is the perfect size to carry around and use and It's light enough to where carrying it for a long amount of time doesn't get tiring. I asked around to different people and found out what they thought about the idea of a Chromebook, the results where as follows.

When asked if they would rather use a windows computer for their basic web surfing needs or switch to a Chromebook at a cheaper in not equal price and most of the people responded with staying with their current computer because they don't want to take the time to learn a whole new operating system. 

While the other half of the people said that they would switch to Chrome OS just to try it.