The Next Big Thing? (Part II)

In my last post, I wrote about the possibility that Apps or tablets might become the next major technological game changer, much like Apple's previous innovations changed the way many people interact with one another in this digital age. But what are some other contenders in this category? Are Apps or tablets really the "next big thing?" In this post, I offer up a pictorial display of a few interesting inventions that may deserve further investigation. The following four are a few findings taken from CNN.com's article, "The CNN 10: Inventions"

1.  The Atlas humanoid robot: Finally, a robot that can replace human laborers? Or is it?

2.  Google Glass: It's like a computer on your FACE! (Careful what you wish for...)

3. Oculus Rift: The dream becomes reality....virtually speaking.

4. Soccket : Those who say that life is just a game in the struggle for power might just have a point? Or shall we say "punt?" 

If you could choose to proliferate any one of these in the mass market, which would it be?

The Next Big Thing?

In our last class, I posed the question, "What do you think the next big invention will be, in terms of technological innovation?"

I was thinking back to the many culture-shifting products that Apple has come out with in the last decade (the iPod, iPhone, and iPad to name a few). While it is true that Apple has recently released the iWatch and a newer, bigger versions of the iPhone, none of these products seem standard-setting as many of their previous offerings have. 

Interestingly, Professor Yen answered my question with some insightful thoughts on the proliferation of Apps, the many phone/tablet-based programs that provide users many of the same services that used to be exclusively accessed via more expensive, desktop/laptop-centered programs. Beyond the minimal cost of these Apps, Professor Yen noted that the coding for the creation of such Apps is so simple and accessible that just about anyone can create one these days. He also proposed that we may soon enter an age when the tablet (such as the iPad or Microsoft Surface) replaces the desktop and laptop computer entirely. For one, they are more portable, and beyond the benefit of their size, the significantly cheaper price of apps on these tablets (as opposed to programs on desktops and laptops), make them potentially more marketable. Provided the tablets begin to allow more storage capability and access, Professor Yen believes that laptops and desktop computers may become virtually obsolete in the near future.

Time will tell! 

Coding and Creation

There's an old acronym that I remember hearing a previous computer teacher refer to when talking about web-editing software. The term that he used was "WYZWYG," which means "What you see is what you get." This term came about as the proliferation of image-based web editing programs allowed users to create webpage content based on what they saw in front of them rather than typing in code that would later translate into the final viewing format. But my recent foray into the world of basic HTML coding has reminded me that in reality, what you (or I) see in front of us is not always what we get, or at least not what's hiding behind the surface.

It is fascinating to think that all of the webpages I visit and use on a daily basis have some kind of code that makes up the fabric of the entity it presents to the public eye. I'm intrigued as I think about how a simple element such as the background color of a webpage requires a code to present that color.

This idea that behind-the-scenes coding is responsible for what is visible extends beyond the topic of computer technology. One can simply point to the molecular structure of our bodies, or the complexities of how the human brain operates according to its own code, constantly sending and receiving signals to keep us moving. We don't see the individual molecules in our bodies or the electric signals of our nervous system, but they nonetheless make up the codes that affect so much of our daily living. What put that code into place? What is holding it altogether?

It is my belief that all of life was coded by a Creator, a divine Webmaster, if you will. As the physical world is held up by various unseen codes, so too, I believe, the spiritual realm consists of another set of codes that interact with our physical world. As an actor and playwright, I often work through different questions and concepts imagining them in the form of a play. What comes to mind as I make connections between coding and every day life is a play in which God is sitting down at a computer, writing the codes for the world, much like we are writing HTML in this class.

Angel: Whacha doin'?
God: I'm writing the code for a new planet!
Angel: What's this bit of code right here?
God: Oh, that determines what color the sky will be. I've been thinking of green, but I might try blue. Maybe I'll put green somewhere else.
Angel: Perhaps green on the bottom, blue on top?
God: Interesting....

 This could go further, but you get the idea.

What you see is what you get...or is it?