Continous not Ubiquitous: A review of technology
This is my last and final blog entry, tears (not really). I feel at this time I should reflect on my experience blogging, reading tons of books on technology, and learning new things. This entry is not a story, or a summary, but what I considered a good way to incorporate both in a comprehensive final blog (okay, now I am cry).
I realize I just posted an entry regarding whether or not ubiquitous computing will ever be feasible, or at least seen in my lifetime. To give myself hope, I thought I would look at how things have changed technology wise in the last few years. I am really surprise when I consider all the things I can do today that would have been difficult or impossible just a few years ago. Today, I can search Google via the internet on my cell phone, download podcasts to my iPod (which on a side note keeps shutting off after about 10 songs, I have yet to reset it, but if I do and it keeps up, this will be my 14th visit to the Apple store for tech support, and 2nd replacement iPod. But it is so worth it, I love my iPod). I can call my friends in Paris and Shanghi on a local 440 number and talk clearly to them while they use an internet phone on the laptops, and I can store gigabytes of their photos and emails.
These latest technologies are different in that they are both electronic and very much social, enabling and essentially built for new kinds of interactions among people. Blogging, text messaging, photo sharing, and Web surfing from a smart phone are just the earliest examples (read my essay for more ).
I wouldn’t go so far as to say these technologies are “ubiquitous” but I will say they are “continuous”. They do fail, websites go down, cell phones don’t get signals (thus not ubiquitous) but they are always there, constantly experiencing our lives socially, emotionally, physically.
Armed with nothing more than a smart phone, a person can get the answer to almost any question; locate nearby friends, and services (physically); publish a blog entry about a recent break up (emotional); or self-publish blog entries, exchange text messages with a friend to decide on where and when to meet for coffee (social). (P.S. If my mom and dad are reading this, this smartphone example is only further proof updating my cellular phone to a smartphone is necessary for survival in this quickly changing work.)
Comments
Posted by: Britt
Posted on: December 2, 2005 01:57 PM
Yeah. along those same lines, this course really got me thinking about what technology is and how i really do use it on a day to day basis. Ubiquitous technology... good times!
Posted by: Katie Riley
Posted on: December 2, 2005 07:04 PM
i like what you said about items being continuous and maybe not ubiquitous,, makes a lot of sense.. ive thought about things like that too now after having this class..
Posted by: Devon Worrell
Posted on: December 4, 2005 09:00 PM
I too had the final blogging tears *winks*...but in all seriousness, while at times I may have found the reading a bit dull or repetative, this happens to be the only good SAGES class I have ever taken...and I actually feel like I know something about technology now.