A few months ago when our television died, my wife and I purchased a High Definition set. Usually not ones to buy the latest techy gadgets (horrors!), we splurged a bit and got one, then upgraded to HD cable. I would never have thought that television could produce such increadibly clear pictures; amazing! It's like what the world would look like if you had better than 20/20 vision (is that possible?). I never really noticed how crappy the image on a CRT is until I saw the alternative. Who'da thunk?
HD is definitely an incredible application of technology to everyday life. It's just a shame that the programs on telelvision don't match the quality of the image. I'm afraid the television is still mostly a video monitor for our DVD and VHS (too many tapes to ditch it) players; we don't watch much network TV. Newton Minnow is still right, it's a vast wasteland.
The Digital Me
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Tag, I'm it!
I was tagged about three weeks ago, so it's time that I respond.
Here's how it works: Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, and then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged, and asking them to read your blog to find out how it works!
On to the facts about me:
1) I have two dogs, both mutts, whom I absolutely love.
2) From first-hand experience, I know how cold it is 70 miles above the Arctic Circle!
3) I logged over 1300 flight hours as an Air Force aircrew member (C-5).
4) Opera is a passion (Does my blog's name give that away?).
5) I love my beer (craft brews, of course)!
6) I once went out for a beer in Santiago, Chile with a member of President George H. W. Bush's communications staff.
7) I have set foot on four of the seven continents.
8) I thoroughly enjoy cooking and wish I had more time to develop my skills.
I am tagging these blogs: Wine Knot, Tangled Web, scuba-do, Queen of Wii, Red Wine Voulet, Not Easy Being Green, Historyportal, and Birdwatcher
Here's how it works: Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, and then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged, and asking them to read your blog to find out how it works!
On to the facts about me:
1) I have two dogs, both mutts, whom I absolutely love.
2) From first-hand experience, I know how cold it is 70 miles above the Arctic Circle!
3) I logged over 1300 flight hours as an Air Force aircrew member (C-5).
4) Opera is a passion (Does my blog's name give that away?).
5) I love my beer (craft brews, of course)!
6) I once went out for a beer in Santiago, Chile with a member of President George H. W. Bush's communications staff.
7) I have set foot on four of the seven continents.
8) I thoroughly enjoy cooking and wish I had more time to develop my skills.
I am tagging these blogs: Wine Knot, Tangled Web, scuba-do, Queen of Wii, Red Wine Voulet, Not Easy Being Green, Historyportal, and Birdwatcher
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Week 3, Thing 6
In browsing through Flikr mashups, I came across Yahoo Travel's Trip Planner. I must admit that many of the mashups seemed to be nothing more than toys (which may be the point!), but Trip Planner is very practical.
Essentially, you can use it to plan your trip (hence the name!), but in a much more seamless and elegant way. Not only can you gather together information on your planned destinations (i.e. lodging, restaurants, museums, landmarks, etc...), but you can link everything to an an interactive map. In making plans, that map can also be used to locate nearby hotels or attractions, thereby becoming not only a tool to tie everything together, but one that is an integral part of the pre-planning exploration which is half the fun of travelling.
Once your trip is fully planned, you can print out driving directions to take with you. In addition, during the trip, you can record your experience in the journal feature, and afterwards post your photos to create an album/travelogue.
This is definitely an example of well-applied technology with a purpose; I think I may actually use it the next time I travel.
Essentially, you can use it to plan your trip (hence the name!), but in a much more seamless and elegant way. Not only can you gather together information on your planned destinations (i.e. lodging, restaurants, museums, landmarks, etc...), but you can link everything to an an interactive map. In making plans, that map can also be used to locate nearby hotels or attractions, thereby becoming not only a tool to tie everything together, but one that is an integral part of the pre-planning exploration which is half the fun of travelling.
Once your trip is fully planned, you can print out driving directions to take with you. In addition, during the trip, you can record your experience in the journal feature, and afterwards post your photos to create an album/travelogue.
This is definitely an example of well-applied technology with a purpose; I think I may actually use it the next time I travel.
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