Drexel University is now home to a new type of vending machine that dispenses MacBooks to students to help them get their assignments completed. The machine carries up to twelve 15″ MacBooks. These MacBooks can be used for 5 hours and any time spent over the limit will result in a late fee. The rental is free of charge and only requires that Drexel students scan their student ID. If this system proves to be successful we could see more these types of vending machines in the future.
I have been tinkering around with Windows 8 since the developer preview and I was pretty excited initially about it’s release, but now that it’s finally here, I am feeling like something is majorly wrong with this version of Windows.
One only needs to spend 60 seconds with Windows 8 to realize that it’s not Microsoft’s best work. I have been working with people just about everyday trying to help them easily transition to the new operating system and it’s proven to be quite a challenge. You know something is wrong with your shiny new OS when PC hardware manufacturers, like Gateway, need to place an icon somewhere on the screen to help you shut down your computer. In case you missed it, we have put together a brief how-to that shows you how to make such an icon for yourself.
Windows 8 dosen’t fully commit to one user-interface and that alone will drive you crazy. You will find yourself wanting to exist in one space or the other but ultimately you will need to switch between both. This issue leaves Windows 8 feeling disconnected from itself and it’s just downright frustrating. There a many aspects of the new tile UI that I enjoy but it’s just not built to be productive. Many of the applications that I use day-to-day require me to move to the legacy desktop and therefore I spend almost all of my time there.
There are hidden menus in each corner and once they are open, they frequently disappear unexpectedly. When the menus do stay open, I have trouble fumbling through a poorly designed search system to find files or applications that I need. Changing settings or just trying to obtain Windows updates through the new tile based UI is buggy and most of the time I end up, once again, heading back to the legacy desktop.
Your design should be intuitive and new users should feel welcome when they first see Windows 8. Even though you shouldn’t have too, there is almost no attempt to guide the user in the right direction besides a small animation toward the end of the Windows 8 installation that explains how to bring up the hidden menus that are at the edge of the screen.
Even app developers don’t seem confident in the new OS. The lack of a solid app base is killing Windows 8 more than anything, we need a reason to enjoy our new tile system with full screen applications. Many major software companies have avoided making Windows 8 apps that work with the new tile UI, and those who have adapted have buggy applications that don’t feel like their worth the hard drive space.
I believe Windows 8 is the worst release of Microsoft’s OS software to-date. I would consider myself to be advanced user with knowledge of many different operating systems and yet I find it difficult to perform routine tasks. This one screams out “I’m a DUD!”. What’s worse is that I am starting to feel like the guinea pig here and I am just waiting for Microsoft to ask me to shell out more money for a rushed copy of Windows 9 due to the failure of Windows 8’s poor design.
Honestly, Windows 8 is a mess and we can only hope that Microsoft will do the right thing and fix many of the issues that plague the new OS today, with the release of a service pack in the near future. I am trying to remain optimistic about Microsoft’s ability to create a next-gen OS that’s sleek, functional, easy-to-use, and that works seamlessly across all of my devices, but I’m loosing faith.
We have been taken over! Not by an alien race but a massive movement towards tablet based computing. Tablets are undoubtably becoming the king of the hill and it’s easy to see why. Need proof that tablets are game changers? Windows 8 is a shining example how big these little devices are. What makes them so popular and what will their role become in our lives as technology continues to evolve? 
I have talked to a lot of people, many come from varying backgrounds and from all different age groups and almost all of them own a tablet. The typical scene in today’s modern household consists of a tower style desktop PC collecting dust in the corner of a quiet room, perhaps with a pile of books on it or maybe even some old bills. Next, there’s the tried and true laptop, which is seeing a fair amount of usage despite it starting to show it’s age. Finally, we have the tablet. The tablet PC comes in many different sizes and shapes, some with a logo of fruit on it and others that run software with little green robots firmly in control. These are the devices that are most up-to date and used the most in today’s household.
By analyzing the scenario I just described one could infer that the tablet is on track to replace these other devices, but I would argue (at least for now) that tablets may be taking on a different role. The tablet PC may be better suited as a supplementary device to others, but it will do so while having the added benefit of being able to stand on it’s own. Nintendo’s Wii U is a great example of how tablet technology can merge with others to create a more immersive and rich experience. The Wii U GamePad follows along with the action on the big screen and it feels seamless and engaging. Although you could argue that the Wii U is more of a hybrid, it’s still a tablet at heart.
Nintendo is getting ready to launch it’s new streaming service TVii, which is offering up features that actually resemble a step forward in technology. You will be able to get additional information about what you’re watching on screen, like sports scores and statistics. You will be able to share what you’re watching with friends and family and choose programming right on your tablet device. What about having your interactive programming guide right on your tablet instead of covering up your T.V screen. The possibilities are numerous and we will soon be reaping the benefits.
This idea will translate easily to other devices and you can start to imagine companies like Apple releasing a television product that works perfectly with your iPad. A new version of Apple TV would be pretty slick, but why stop there? The tablet is the swiss army knife of the tech world and it’s only going to get better.
Many large corporations that are U.S based find that sending the jobs over seas is a no brainer and Apple is no different. It’s not that these corporations are evil and hate the U.S, it’s that globalization is an integral part of doing business in today’s world, but does it leave enough behind for the U.S?
A great question was asked of Tim Cook (Apple’s CEO) in an interview with Bloomberg last week. The question was, “What are the obligations of an American company to be patriotic, and what do you think that means in a globalized era?”. Cook replied with, ” I do feel we have a responsibility to create jobs. I don’t think we have a responsibility to create a certain kind of job, but I think we do have a responsibility to create jobs.”
Further in the discussion Cook mentioned that businesses are often being evaluated by the number of employees that a company has in order to deduce what kind of job growth they have contributed to over the year, he went on to mention that this is an outdated technique and that Apple, for example, has created jobs in many other ways. One of the ways that Apple has indirectly created jobs is by offering entrepreneurs a way to be successful through software development and utilizing the App Store.
Apple is going a step further in U.S job creation by taking a more direct approach as Cook mentions bringing some Mac production back to the states. There could be as many as 200 new jobs in the U.S with Apple’s effort to bring some work back home. This of course would be great news for a tough U.S economy. Many of these jobs will be manufacturing jobs that offer pay from 30k up to 65k a year.
I feel that any U.S company should offer some direct employment opportunities right here in the U.S. Although it’s not a requirement, it’s expected and why not reward the country that allows you to become successful in the first place? I understand the importance of a global economy but how much risk is there in bringing even a handful of jobs back home, perhaps in areas of the country that need them the most. It’s more of an investment in the stability of the U.S economy that you grow in, albeit small. We should look at a company the way Cook mentions in the interview and try to see all aspects of job growth provided by a company and not just it’s employees.
As a software developer myself, (currently by hobby) I can’t help but to stand back and look at how many tools today’s software companies and even individuals have at their disposal. Thanks to companies like Apple and Microsoft there are tons of resources available to get you off the ground and then there’s this great platform to showcase your product in front of millions and millions of people. The logistics of software production and distribution even 10 years ago was a huge stone wall to many and now it’s possible to sell millions of copies of the game digitally and practically overnight. This creates jobs and yes Apple is partly responsible for that happening.
Hopefully, other corporations will continue to bring jobs back to the U.S and not just manufacturing jobs either. We need high skilled jobs as well, but that requires that we have high skilled workers and our obligation is to improve our educational system to allow for better opportunities to learn the skills required for these jobs. Most employers don’t want to spend the time and money to train new employees, they expect you to have the experience when you walk in the door. Unfortunately, this creates a catch 22 situation. You need the experience to get the job but no one will hire you without the experience. We need to address this issue in the U.S and employers should work a bit closer with educators to make this problem disappear.
In the meantime, having any direct job creation here in the U.S is a good thing because we have all kinds of skilled people here at home that could benefit greatly from any opportunity given to us by these large corporations. We will have to wait and see how things work out for Apple in this new U.S job push.
There’s no doubt that we are becoming more and more dependent on technology, the age of convenience is upon us. Many of us may have gone years without setting foot in a bank and how often do you write paper checks? Instead of getting our news from a newspaper we head to our favorite website instead. Cloud storage is on the rise and soon much of our data will be stored on remote servers, if it isn’t already. Everyday we become increasingly vulnerable to cyber attacks as we have more and more to loose.
Warfare today still employs man power to get things done but the modern battlefield is also a war of machines. Robotic technology is being used not only for surveillance but also as a weapon. If hackers are somehow able to get into these systems, it could spell disaster on an epic scale. Imagine if a hacker were able to take down GPS systems and major data centers, then think about how that would impact the intelligence community and eventually the troops on the ground.
Now, imagine a scenario where both the military and businesses of a particular country are suddenly, without warning under attack. The economy could crash as banks and businesses are systematically shut down. What’s scary about all of this is that hackers are already threatening to bring this type of digital-warfare into reality. Small groups of hackers, usually brought together under one particular cause, are often decentralized and therefore extremely difficult or near impossible to track down. A digital assault could come from anywhere in the world and when one individual gets shut down another can take his or her place. Our digital world can essentially be held hostage until demands are met, there needs to be serious thought in how to avoid such a tragedy.
What becomes obvious here is that governments will need to create and maintain their own team of hackers and they will need to be spread through out the world as well. The future of countries could come down to a battle of wits in a digital battleground. It almost writes itself as a graphic novel, a team of super hackers defending the world against digital tragedy. What’s also apparent is that in some scenarios, we don’t really know how vulnerable we are until an attack has already occurred. We need to take a proactive effort to prepare ourselves for such a worst-case scenario.
Denial of service attacks (DDoS) have already been underway and have seriously impacted large banks like PNC Bank, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase. For these banks, online access becomes impossible and seriously impacts customers. It’s also important to note that these DDoS attacks aren’t just coming from any angry kid in his mothers basement, they are coming from groups, often called hacktivists, that have major resources and are capable of doing serious damage.
My answer to the question in the title of this article is yes, war will undoubtably be fought online and the future of digital-warfare is already underway. We need to do a lot better in order to properly protect ourselves, the time to prepare is now.