Kids Learn Coding From a Robot

There is a robot that is teaching kids how to code by using a special program made up of symbols and colors. The kids put the symbols and colors in different orders to give root directions, and the program has three levels of difficulty. Zivthan Dubrovsky, from Harvard Wyss Institute, claims that kids can make a text-based java script line follower on level one, and it is accomplished in minutes. Dubrovsky hopes that this robot will be introduced in the classroom, so learning coding will be as common as reading and writing. 

The 'Smartress'

The ‘smartress’ is a mattress that is designed to detect when people are getting busy. Its main use is to know if your significant other is cheating on you. The smartress has 24 ultrasonic sensors that identify the length of action, motion intensity, and speed of intimacy, and records it on an app. This allows you to keep track of your sex, and even to have proof of cheating significant others. This is selling for $14,000.

Playdate Smart Ball for Pets

The Playdate Smart Ball invention lets you play with your pets from anywhere in the world. It’s controlled by an app on your phone, and lets you move the ball around and see your dog or cat come after it. It has a wide-angled camera that allows you to see your pet play, and is 360 degree stabilized so you won’t get dizzy. The Playdate also contains a microphone and speaker so you can talk to your pet. It is designed to be very tough so that pets can’t chew through it. Through the use of the camera, you can also take pictures of your pets and save it to your phone as well. It will be available in December and will cost about $250.

I think that this is a great invention especially for people who travel and go on vacation a lot. It will allow people to go on their trips less worried about keeping their pets active and occupied. Owners only really need to worry about feeding them, which can be accomplished through friends or neighbors. This is a really smart idea and I think it’s going to be very popular.

Solar Powered Planes

Recently, there has been a plane that has been travelling without fuel, from Hawaii to California without any fuel. It’s been flying by using solar power only. The trip from Hawaii to Northern California took 62 hours, primarily because the plane has an average speed of 24 miles per hour. It is the first solar powered plane to travel across an ocean, as well as the first to travel day and night. This trip is a part of an around-the-world-tour that began in March 2015.

Although this is extremely eco-friendly and very beneficial to the environment, I don’t think it’s an efficient travel alternative. The amount of time it would take to travel to different countries would be insane and not reasonable. People are better off going on regular fuel powered planes for time efficiency. 

Bios Urn: Growing into a Tree After Death

Rather than being buried in a cemetery, you can alternatively grow into a tree after you die. Through the creation called the Bios Urn, your ashes are placed at the bottom of the container and the container gets planted in the ground. A tree grows from the top, and with the help of a smart flower pot, water intake a regulation is easily maintained. These Bio Urns are completely biodegradable and cost $550, as opposed to a funeral that costs anywhere from $7,000 to $10,000. This is a very different option than what is usually done to bodies, but it will appeal to more people as well. I easily know three people who would want to grow into trees after they die, so it’s a very creative and appealing idea. 

Netflix

It’s really weird to think that a couple years ago when Netflix first took off the service was ordering movies and waiting for them to be delivered to your house. Because everything is so instantaneous now, it’s hard to think back and remember how things were without the instantaneity of technology. I know that when I was younger my parents would rent movies from Blockbuster all the time, but now we all binge watch Netflix all the time. Whether it’s on our laptops or the tv, someone is always on Netflix watching a movie or trying to finish a season of their new favorite show. It’s not surprising that Netflix changed its system to just streaming movies, and places like Blockbuster went out of business. 

High-Speed Rail

Last semester I researched high-speed rail in Europe for my CIV 100 class, and found very interesting facts. High-speed rail is extremely efficient method of transport. You can travel to different counties easily in reduced amount of time as opposed to traveling on regular rail or by car. High speed rail is also better for the environment, since it’s all electrical. However, the power stations that fuel the trains may consume fossil fuels. In Japan, the power stations use nuclear energy as opposed to fossil fuels, but of course using nuclear energy isn’t easily accessible by other countries, and the controversy along with it complicates it even more. In addition, rail travel is less dependent on temperature than air travel, so more people would be able to travel further distances more often. Overall, high speed rail is a greener choice and more efficient than most forms of travel.

Smart House

I remember watching the Disney channel movie, Smart House, when I was seven or eight years old. The movie was released in 1999 and the idea of smart homes seemed incredible. Now, there are smart homes, and component of smart homes seen more commonly than before. The idea isn’t as amazing as it seemed 16 years ago. People have coded locked for their front doors, even with fingerprints, high tech security systems throughout their houses, and Bluetooth control systems to monitor all the devices. It’s definitely something that isn’t jaw dropping to us because our generation has grown up with technology. But for older generations it’s something very different from what they’ve grown up with.

VR Cat Rescue

Watching the video of the HTC Vive really caught my attention. Several people tried out the Vive and were put in different environments, like the desserts, outer space, and a restaurant kitchen. They were petting animals, shooting things, and flipping burgers, all through this virtual reality. We were able to see what they were seeing through the use of the green screen. The VR scenario that I really want to try is saving a cat sitting on a ledge. This small clip was shown at the end of the video and it actually made my jaw drop. I 100% want to try that because I know it’s something I would never do in real life.

Solar Backpacks

Looking at the solar backpack in class a few weeks ago really interested me. First, I thought it was kind of dumb, I guess because I don’t really have much interest for a high tech backpack. For me a backpack is a backpack and nothing else. However, as I thought about it, I saw the convenience of it and all its characteristics that would really benefit someone who goes on a lot of trips and adventures. Having a built in charger for your phone, speakers for your music, and other quick accessories are really helpful for someone traveling. I personally would never buy a solar backpack because I don’t really see the use of it, but it’s a great innovation for people who are constantly traveling and on the go.

Online Shopping

Online shopping is probably my favorite thing. I find it extremely convenient that we have the ability to make purchases without having to leave your house, let alone your bed, to buy things you need and even things you don’t even need. I can spend hours looking on a website adding items to my shopping cart. It’s definitely a good feeling, at least for me, when I online shop because I have something else to look forward to. Receiving a package in the mail is like Christmas morning when you were a little kid. The only weird thing that I will never be able to comprehend is that I can spend however much money for the things I want but I cry on the inside when I have to pay the five dollar shipping. Sometimes I purposely buy more things so I don’t have to pay for shipping which doesn’t really make sense but that summarizes me as a shopaholic.

Power Outage

Today, for about a half hour, my town and a few towns nearby lost power. I was in the middle of doing online homework and lost wi-fi obviously. It was really annoying because I was just cut off from what I was doing. Without thinking, I immediately went to go relax and watch tv, forgetting that basically almost everything we do nowadays involves some sort of technology that requires power. It’s really weird to actually see how reliant we are technology and how most of us really don’t know what to do with ourselves without it. 

This short power outage also made me realize how difficult countries, such as Ecuador and Japan who recently had earthquakes, must have it. Some parts of Ecuador are completely destroyed; houses, roads, and towns. The parts that are still standing don’t have power, and I can’t imagine how that must be like. If we freak out without having power for 30 minutes, we have no idea what other people must be going through in other parts of the world.  

From Sign Language to Speech

https://www.facebook.com/RocketsAreCool/?fref=ts

I found this video on Facebook today also. These gloves are able to turn sign language in speech, similarly to how those high tech gloves were used to create music. Through the use of sensors and other characteristics, this invention was made possible and will be a great tool for our society.

IO Goes To Drive Thru

https://www.facebook.com/111546062230940/videos/1043882122330658/?pnref=story

I was scrolling through Facebook this morning watching videos that people share, and came across this one with an IO robot. I hysterically laughed throughout the entire thing. It’s funny to see people’s reactions to these robots, and it gives us a good idea of how scared and anxious most people would be if these robots were released in the public and seen every day everywhere. 

Madame Butterfly

In the beginning of April I went to see a musical SBU put on called Madame Butterfly. My friend Natalie was in the show so my friends and I went to go support her. The play was very interesting and well put together. The story is about a Japanese girl, Madame Butterfly, who gets an arranged marriage with an American navy. The man marries her without having solidified feelings for her and regardless of his lack of commitment to her. Madame Butterfly gets pregnant with her husband, and her husband returns to America to go fight a war. However, he never writes letters back to Madame Butterfly, so Madame Butterfly doesn’t hear back from her husband for 5 years. Her husband eventually returns, but this time, with a new American wife, demanding his son. I really enjoyed the plot because there was so much going on and it kept me wanting more. The students who acted and sang are extremely talented. I definitely would see another play, and I recommend others to as well.

Graphing Calculators

I never had a graphing calculator until this semester of college. I always used scientific calculators throughout high school and throughout the first semester of college. I never really had interest in using a graphing calculator until I realized it would be extremely helpful for my stats class this semester. Basically everything we do in stats involves our graphing calculators, however the problems are able to be completed without a graphing calculator as well. But using a graphing calculator is extremely useful because it literally gives u all the equations and you just plug numbers in. All you need to memorize is the order of the numbers you need to enter in each equation. You obtain answers in 5 seconds, as opposed to 5 minutes by doing it by hand. This is really beneficial for us when we take exams, because we have 75 question exams. I can’t really imagine doing math without a graphing calculator now, and I don’t really want to imagine my stats class without the luxury of a graphing calculator. 

Disney Channel 100th Movie Marathon

Disney channel is releasing their 100th movie and to lead up to it, Disney Channel is showing a marathon of all its movies starting Friday, May 27^th. I love Disney movies so I’m really excited for this marathon. It’s going to be really interesting to watch really old movies and seeing the difference in the quality of camera, picture, sound, and styles in each movie. Even watching old episodes of TV shows, you can tell the quality of picture was not nearly as good as it is now. This marathon will really open people’s eyes to see the progression of technology and media throughout the years.

The Uncanny: Car Accidents

The uncanny is definitely in inexplicable feeling and situation. A few months ago I was in a car accident and I really can’t remember anything right before or after the accident happened. It happened so quickly yet it felt like time stopped and everything was happening so slowly. It really is true when people say it’s an indescribable experience… there’s no way to explain it without actually experiencing it. 

Artificial Intelligence: Ex Machina

Ex Machina really creeped me out. The whole aspect of artificial intelligence is bizarre to me. It really is incredible how fast moving technology is and how realistic these robots look. Caleb Smith, the protagonist, really underestimates the capabilities and consciousness of Ava, the robot. Caleb participates in the Turing test in order to determine the capabilities of Ava. The scary thing is that Caleb starts to develop feelings for Ava, which is insane because logically she isn’t real; she is a machine. The fact that robots can pass Turing tests makes me very uncomfortable.

Snapchat Addiction

Recently as I was looking through snapchat stories, I watched celebrity Ashley Benson’s story. She is an actress on the tv show Pretty Little Liars and is very well known for her movies as well. Her snapchat stories are usually very long – she constantly posts pictures to her stories to share with the entire world (literally) and I always feel like I’m living her life right beside her. Last week she went to a restaurant in California with one of her friends. This wasn’t a traditional restaurant though, it was completely opposite. There were no hosts/hostesses, or waiters/waitresses. Instead, people seated themselves and ordered from small tablet devices on each table. There was no human to human interaction at all in that restaurant, and in Ashley’s snapchat story she was complaining that there was no human service, and no one was coming to check her table or attend to her needs. It’s kind of ironic because she was complaining how there was no interaction and that she and her friend were forced to use the tablets, meanwhile she is snapchatting all of it every minute, therefore further emphasizing that depletion of human to human interaction.