jburgos18-blog

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China has now overtaken Japan as No. 2 in iOS app revenue. The incline in revenue that put them at this spot, was lead by iOS games alone. Although Google Play downloads are still 1.5 times that of iOS downloads in China, the iOS app market still leads in revenue. 

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Sprimo, an innovative air purifier, is claiming to be up to 100 times more effective than whole-room purifiers. Their technology includes a gauge that lets the individual operating the device know how clean the air is and what exactly is polluting it. The gauge gives a number between 0-100. If it’s at a 9 or 10, there’s something bad in the air you’re breathing. If it’s closer to 100, the air is clean. The interchangeable air filter allows you to send a sample of the air content within an environment, and send it directly to the company for an analysis that will reveal exactly what you’re breathing.

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Comparison: Tron vs Matrix

Two major Hollywood storylines, although seemingly distinct in most aspects, actually share many similarities in theme and overall concept. When dissecting both plots and digging deeper than the mere differences in characters and dialogue, you will begin to see similarities in the foundational structure of both ideas. What’s more intriguing, however, is seeing how the idea behind both films relate to the historical context in which the internet, and the platforms which make it capable of existing, came to be the way they are today. In this blog post, I will examine these storylines both individually and as a single concept as they relate to historical events.

Tron

In Tron, the main character, a gifted young ENCOM software engineer named Kevin Flynn, aspires to build his own software company. He creates his own series of cutting edge games, only to later have them stolen by another programmer in ENCOM named Dillinger. Dillinger passes Flynn’s work as his own in order to earn himself a huge promotion. A promotion that is certainly accompanied with a huge increase in salary, or, seen another way, as profit from the stolen work. Flynn’s decision to leave the large corporation which he was working under to develop his own gaming software, is comparable to that of Steve Jobs, who chose to leave Atari and later joined the Homebrew Computer Club, in order to work on his own personal creations. Although their personal work may seem miniscule compared to the grand scheme of the internet’s creation, their decision is a critical embodiment of the essence of an “interconnected network” that is accessible to everyone. Every creation made by individuals and organizations alike, contribute to what the Internet IS. Projects not merely driven by profit, but for the sake of creation. In the early years of ARPA, when it was working on improving communications between computers, they were trying to discover a solution to the challenges in communication between large computers, due to their variability in build from distinctive brands. As a response, ARPA created the Network Control Protocol, which was a small computer that created a standard protocol of sending and receiving files. As ARPA’s network continued to expand, there were other emerging networks in the space, but ARPA continued to lead. In 1983, the Transmissions Control Protocol was universally adopted, which interconnected these different networks, and established what we now call the “Internet”. None of these organizations sought a penny of profit, they simply created for the sake of creation and technological advancement. It was the unification of innovative minds, like that of Flynn and Steve Jobs, who, in essence, encouraged the concept of ‘open source’ and generative systems, rather than creation for profit, which in contrast encouraged conflict and restrictions in content. Another comparable aspect of the film, is Flynn’s embrace of the counterculture that is seen within the “programming community”. His approach to informality and a “do-it yourself” type of attitude is a common theme within the hacking community, and is in a way a revolt against the large (very formal) gaming corporations that undervalue their staff, seen as one the root causes of the game crash of 1983. Similar to how the people (or programs) living within the digital world in Tron were restricted by the “Master Control”, developers were restricted by the corporations that employed them, who underpaid their employees while taking their work and making big profits. This idea of a centralized control was an unpopular figure amongst programmers, and breaking free of this concept was critical in achieving the success the internet has achieved today. Consider how the breaking of the concept of a “central control” has overflowed into other areas as well. Such as the development of the personal computer, which allowed people to break away from the concept of a “main frame” and establish a sort of physical, and also psychological separation from a centralized figure, allowing freedom of use and limitless capabilities for growth and innovation.

Matrix

In the Matrix, we witness a similar concept to that of the “Master Control” in Tron. Neo is exposed to a sort of alternate, digital reality in which his digital self (just like in Tron) is a direct representation of himself, except with inhuman capabilities. Neo is tasked with destroying the existing system, and freeing everyone restricted by it (just like in Tron). The Matrix is a computer generated dream world where the AI that humans long ago created, now keeps them under control. Humans are kept sedated in pods, effectively living a virtual life. During training, Morpheous tells Neo that he can bend or break the rules of whatever world he’s in. This ability to break rules, in itself, is an outline of their mission to try and break the control of the AI humanity is enslaved by. This concept within the Matrix can relate to Tron, in which all of the “programs” within the digital world were restricted by the Master Control. In a sense, these concepts are a fictional, and personified, depiction of the restrictions that a “closed network” inadvertently asserts. Without the freedom of interconnectivity, innovation is in a way restricted. A closed network is a non-generative system, which acts not necessarily as a force of restriction, but rather a hindrance to the true capabilities of an “open network”. Neo and Tron are like the “Transmission Control Protocols” of their storyline. Just as this protocol allowed multiple networks to interact with one another, and formed an interconnected network where a “generative” system was possible, the 2 characters portrayed in these films destroyed the systems which kept their respective worlds restricted and confined.

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New device will be the first “flexible” smartphone ever created. It will run on Android software, and is only a prototype as of now. Researchers at the Queen’s Media Lab, where it was created, say that the phone is essentially shatterproof, and will represent a new era of ingenuity in consumer smartphones.

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#STAMFORDDMD15

#SHIMMERSLIST2016

Uber has now began experimenting with cash payments in many countries such as India, all of Southeast, parts of the middle east, Peru, and a few countries in Africa. Not sure if this model is easily adaptive in all demographics. Seems like it could create added difficulty for the drivers.

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(via Self-filling bottle turns air into water (VIDEO))

A new company has created a self-refilling website, that takes in moisture from humid air, and generates water at a rate of .5 liters per hour.

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I think this was a great move. The data they collect will be used to monitor driver safety precautions, and prompt them to make changes when their driving is presenting a danger to riders.