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MDD 410
Having expectations is a normal procedure for people taking any class in college. This is especially true for one called Emerging Technologies, or MDD-410 for short. Thinking about how this class will have to change its curriculum and teachings every few years just to stay relevant is just as fascinating as the technology it covers. This is especially true when you learn about things you did not imagine learning about in this class or ever.
For me, MDD-410 was going to be about the future of technology, as the name would suggest. Emerging Technologies sounds like a very broad subject, especially when you think about all the technologies that already exist. I figured we were going to narrow it down about what technologies we would discuss, and I guessed we would be talking about new electronics that will become popular in the next couple of decades, specifically virtual reality and robotics.
In my guess of what we would be studying, I was partially right. We heavily discussed virtual reality, augmented reality, and how these technologies would change our world. In specific discussions, we did branch off into discussions about robotics and 3D printing, as well as AI learning. I never really thought about augmented reality, virtual reality, or robotics outside of video games and movies. It was really surprising to see how my fellow students and I could visualize these inventions changing our lives in different ways. My favorite discussion was on what AI could and could not learn and do. Many students and the professor shared different viewpoints and opinions than each other as we all engaged in the topic in a meaningful way.
My key takeaway from this class is that everyone has different ideas on what should be done with any given idea. A person may have an idea, but they might not be doing the right thing with it. Another person could come along, see that idea, and change it a little bit to become a billion dollar invention. Perspective can change a bad idea to a good idea. I think this was illustrated strongly when it came to the discussions about augmented reality. I had my ideas and beliefs on what it could be used for, but then I was shown all these wonderful ideas that could really benefit from augmented reality.
This class was a real success for me. Not just because I did well, but I felt engaged in the class and I felt the material will benefit my classmates and me in the future. All the discussions felt like something I might need in the future, if not immediately. Not only were the expectations of the class met, but they were surpassed.
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Internet of Things
Name: Internet of Things
Trend to Come: The trend that is right around the corner, and already happening in places, the connection of everyday objects to the internet. First it was the home computer. Laptops, gaming consoles, smartphones, tablets, and TVs have followed. What is next? Refrigerator? Coffee maker? Bicycles? Lamps? Alarm clocks? Intel says 200 billion devices will be connected by 2020.
My Thoughts: I will absolutely be using this in the future. Then again, this might be a thing that everyone will be using because it might be hard to opt out of if everything you buy can connect to the internet. Then again, I’ll be doing it willingly. I can easily see how this would be beneficial in most cases. As this article points out, imagine having your alarm go off and then have that trigger your coffee maker to start for you.
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FAD or TREND
This post will be discussing the differences between technology FADS and technology TRENDS. It can be hard to tell the difference between one and the other, so let’s start with a description of each.
FAD - short-term shared enthusiasm for something
TREND - long-term change of direction of something
So the key difference in a FAD and a TREND based on these descriptions is short-term vs. long-term. There are no long-term fads and there are no short-term trends (except in stock trading). We just call them trends and fads, respectively. A fad will be here and gone while a trend has true staying power. Another difference is trends often are solutions to real problems or needs. Fads are often popular because they seem cool.
FAD EXAMPLE - If you Google “technology fad” (I just did) you’ll come up with several articles on the same subject: wearable technology.
[Newsweek] [TheDailyBeast] [Forbes] [PDMS] [BBC] [Knockturnal] [Livescience] [SimplyHealth] [AllFlexINC] [ExerciseRight] [MakeUseOf]
That is just two pages on Google...not searching “wearable technology fad”, but just “technology fad”.
So, as you can see, people seem to think it is a fad, or at least are entertaining the argument. I agree with most of the articles stating it is a fad. Where I disagree on them is that some say we will never use this technology. I just do not think we are ready for it. It is technology ahead of its time in usefulness. There is no need for a majority of people to use this product. Sure, niche professions will find it useful, but our world is not built to fully utilize the capabilities of technology. As it currently stands, it is simply a technology that is cooler than its usefulness. You can look to the much hyped Google Glass and Apple Watch for proof of the failure.
However, the future may be bright of these fields. My expectation is that we’ll look at 2014 to 2017 as a period of time where this technology was made but we had no use for it. At this point, we stopped innovating it and consumers stopped buying it. In a decade or so, I think the movement will start again and, perhaps then, the technology will be a trend unlike its predecessor.
TREND EXAMPLE - A sci-fi fan somewhere is screaming with joy and saying “finally”. For decades the cliche creators of science fiction went to in their stories or movies was that vehicles could drive themselves. Part way through the second decade of the 21st century, we are almost at that destination in the real world.
Self-driving cars are here and, while ‘here’ might not currently be a road near you, they are here to stay. Finally the technology is being developed for cars to be able to drive around on their own. The thing that makes this a trend, and not a fad, is not something I would describe as a need, but rather a problem solver. We don’t need cars to drive themselves. We do just fine without them right now. However, it does solve a number of problems that relate more to convenience than it does to needs. If cars can drive themselves, that allows the would-be driver to do other things. A two hour drive becomes a two hour nap, a book read, work done, or games played. It also frees up many public working jobs and allows for an updated version to a growing industry. Taxis and buses now drive themselves. Uber or Lyft drivers are now just cars that people own that can drive around, even when their owner is not in the car. Imagine sleeping and having your car work during that time. According to AAA, Americans spend 17,600 minutes driving each year. Imagine having that time to do whatever you want. More than 293 hours, more than 12 days, per year!
Sources used: [Newsweek] [TheDailyBeast] [Forbes] [PDMS] [BBC] [Knockturnal] [Livescience] [SimplyHealth] [AllFlexINC] [ExerciseRight] [MakeUseOf] [AAA]
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Resources for Keeping Up to Date on Technology
Technology is ever changing. It can be hard to keep up to date on the day to day changes in an ever evolving field. Even the most up to date people will sometimes need information on new technology. Here are five resources that will help you with find the latest news on emerging technology.
CNET - https://www.cnet.com/news/ - You can find anything from news articles to reviews to podcasts on this site full of technology experts. For instance, find something for the kids in this post about the New York Toy Fair.
BBC - http://www.bbc.com/news/technology - The British Broadcasting Corporation has a section dedicated specifically to technology news. For example, watch this video on how a taxi drone will be flying in Dubai later this year.
CNN - http://money.cnn.com/technology/ - A leading news company in the United States has great resources and coverage of everything technology, like the latest rocket launch by SpaceX.
TechCrunch - https://techcrunch.com/ - This company specializes in news that relates to technology in the business world, both from small companies to industry leaders. Check out their latest article on Amazon’s newest service, Chime.
PC Magazine - http://www.pcmag.com/news - PC Magazine offers expert analysis, how-to guides, and lists of top gadgets, not just for PC related stuff, but all technology. Here is an article on YouTube removing 30 second ads.
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