The Future of Computers and Entertainment

[admin]

As much as I love to bash Steve Jobs (and I really, really do), you got to give the man his props. The iPhone had barely hit the market before people were coming up with new and interesting uses for it. This year at CES, we saw an iPhone being used as a remote for a receiver. Scientists at CERN are even now discussing potential of their "Grid" - a new internet that has the potential to be 10,000 times faster than what we know today. Not only that, but they are thinking that someday everyone will store all their information online. Now, security issues aside, let's think about the ramifications of that...

Discuss "The Future of Computers and Entertainment" here. Read the article.

 

[stratman]

What was the name of the company that was hacked into and a massive amount of credit info was compromised? I had a procedure performed last year in an outpatient clinic, somehow I start to receive literature from biomeds related to my procedure, I went to Jackson Memorial's hearing center to check out my hearing (I have tinnitus) and lo and behold I get "info" on tinnitus from bio-meds, privacy is so thinly veiled. I wouldn't trust anyone with personal info stored away in server(s) all over the net, I'm also of the strong persuasion that possession is 99% of the law, if I have it it's mine, as it applies to physical media, if I want to rip and burn my AJA CD three times for different things (car, house and backup), it's not the record company's business and why should I pay extra? Nope, leave control on the side of the consumer or its he that will get consumed.

 

[cwall99]

Interesting notion...

First, while it's just a PDA and can't make calls, I have a Sony Clie that I got for Christmas in 2002 that I can use as a remote control. It just uses the IR port that you use to communicate with other devices. Nothing really groundbreaking there.

I suppose I'm showing my Luddite tendencies, though, in thinking that having all my personal data available on the web is NOT a good thing. My PC at home, while hooked to to the web via a broadband connection, can be turned off, and while it's turned off, I can be pretty confident that no one's hacking into it.

The previous note talked about the sale of personal data to advertisers, and that's just one way your personal data can be used (my gosh, I'm really starting to sound like a nut-case conspiracy theorist), but, it really does get down to presuming you have a degree of anonymity when you're out and about. I can walk into a store and buy something, and, if I pay cash, no one knows who I am (I tend to either tell cashiers that, no, they can't have my zip code or phone number when they ask, or, just to be troublesome, I make up zip codes and phone numbers - try giving them a 6-digit number and insisting that you've lived there for 20 years and have never had a problem with that zip code anywhere else).

But I digress. I want to own my media. I want to have physical possession of it. I like to read the liner notes, admire the artwork, swat flies with it. But I also like the fact that if the cable connection goes down, I can still watch a movie or listen to music.

 

[cwall99]

Oh, and one other thing...

I dunno about you, but I get a serious kick out of opening up my media cabinet and seeing 400+ CDs and 100+ DVDs in there. While it's not quite as cool as browsing through a library, it's close. All those discs, arranged alphabetically by artist (in chronological by release date), give me a serious thrill (and an illustration of my obsessive-compulsive tendencies).

 

[jinjuku]

On the topic of physical media: Studios would love for a physical form factor to go way of the dodo and keep DRM alive and kicking. That way they will get to stick you for every variable use of the content you bought. Be it to display on TV, hand held phone, PMP etc...

Getting back on topic, I just wish they would put an Ethernet port on everything. Receiver, DVD, TV, etc... Then with something like the iPhone click on an icon the represents the device and the appropriate interface comes up. All over 802.11g.

AMX and Crestron already do this, but the $$ is high.

 

[Midcow2]

It will never fly .... no one can decide who would run it

This has been discussed on the Cyber technical circles for years and years , it was previously referred to as "Internet 2". It will never fly ..not one wants to pay for it and let the other guy have a free ride and no one can agree on an allocation scheme and who would manage and it it became profitable how the profit would be divided.

Just like putting a 1 cent stamp cost on Internet email. Correct spam and you fix the Internet. If you have a limited set of senders and receivers then you lose all marketing opportunities and lose the ubiquitous of the Intenet and no one wnat to give up the ubiquitous of the intenet.