iPad This, iPad That

Whenever I see/hear some sort of advertisement for the Apple's new iPad, all I get out of it is "blah, blah, blah, we need more money in our greedy little pockets." I honestly don't think it was a necessary move on Apple's part to go ahead and make this device. Amazon has it's eBook reader, "Kindle," so therefore Apple being the company of "one-upness," had to outdo Amazon and pretty much make Kindle obsolete. Amazon is already folding under the pressure after the first day release of the iPad, which shows how much intimidation the company puts out. To me, the iPad is nothing more than an oversized iPhone. It has no other capabilities over an iPhone other than being an eBook reader. Want to read a book? Go to the library. The iPad is just another money-guzzling technique that the gullible people in the world are falling all over. Sorry Apple, I like my iPhone, but I don't need to be carrying another device that looks like it's been put through the movie "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid." Better luck next time.

What a Wicked Web We've Spun...

Technology never fails to amaze me. The amount of new ideas that are produced over the years are always on a constant state of upward mobility. The month of March 2010 is no exception either. Have you ever gotten the feeling that humans are slowly turning into robots with the amount of technology we use everyday? Well thanks to "Skinput," a touchscreen that is actually applied to the human skin, that's right, I said the human skin. Gone are the days of iPhones, and all touchscreen related items. This is the future of touch sensitive technology, able to go with us wherever we may roam! From what I could tell from the article, the device is a projector of sorts that attaches to your arm and relays a screen onto the forearm. Users are able to issue commands to it by simply touching the designated part of their arm. I wondered how the system would know which button or menu you are hitting and upon further reading my question was answered. Your skin, muscles and even bones all make different "sounds" when touched on a certain part of the body and somehow it is able to relay it back to the device. To some, this is impossible to grasp. To me, it is exciting and mind-blowing all in the same context. Bring on the next wave of technology; next up: flying cars!

With the Fall of One, Comes the Rise of Another

The evolution of expressing one's feelings over the internet is on a constant evolutionary plateau. Blogging, for some, was the first step in social networking. It allowed people to share their thoughts and feelings via online 'journal/diary' entries, viewable by the public or the publisher's friends and family. Livejournal was a popular blogging website when I was in high school, and almost every student you talked to had one or at least knew of it's existence. Of course, these blogging sites were soon one-upped by social networking behemoths, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and among others. These sites offered much more than the previous counterparts. With the arrival of these powerhouses, blogging has become less and less of an interest for teens. Will blogging websites continue to get action or will the new age of social networking completely take over? Only time will tell.

Keeping Their Heads in the Clouds.... or Stars.

When wireless internet first became available, it made browsing the web in various locations more and more appealing (and possible for that matter). Over the years technology has made the communication between wireless devices further and further away. Now, perhaps the most breathtaking distance between devices, the International Space Station, now dubbed the furthest internet node, is able to allow astronauts to communicate with friends and family back on earth. We are now able to hear first hand their experiences in space via Twitter. To me, this is quite impressive, as I still recall the days where wireless devices barely held a decent connection in my own home. Technology has come a long way since the days of the television and the first desktop computer. It's a thrill to know that there are many years to come for technology to pave the way with even more impressive devices and capabilities, and an even bigger thrill to know that I will be around to see it come to light!

Competition in Current Technology on the Rise!

Ever since Apple started shipping iPhones and the iPod Touch, consumers have been eating them faster than they can be put on the shelves. Throughout time there has always been one company after another trying to match or best the current technology out there. Case in point; Google's new phone, the Nexus One. Though numerous other companies have already tried to get the one-up on Apple, Google is going so far as to calling their new phone a "superphone," the first of it's kind. While it's no surprise that these large-scale companies are in it for the money, they also seem to enjoy the one upsmanship involved with capitalizing over the competition's success. It will be interesting to see in 20, 40, even 100 years from now what sort of inventions we will be toying around with and what companies are still around to keep the constant flow of competition alive.

Introduction to Yours Truly

I am known by many as Marc Gianatiempo, mainly because that's my name (funny how that works out, eh?). I am currently attending John Tyler Community College, majoring in the general studies degree so I can eventually transfer to VCU after I obtain my associate's. As of now I have a semester course load of 12 credits. My goal after enrolling into VCU is to major in their criminal justice program with a focus on forensic crime scene investigation. To help aid in my career endeavor, I am set to train in the Chesterfield Police Academy this December. As of right now I am unemployed mainly because I took off time to recover from spinal surgery that I had back in September of last year and to focus on school full-time. I have been somewhat of a "computer nerd" for almost as long as I can recall. Ever since the days of the Macintosh computer I have been toying and fiddling with programs, building and taking computers apart, learning each new OS that has come out over the years and trying to stay updated with the latest technology. Nowadays you will see me downloading music and movies, chatting with friends, browsing Facebook and numerous other activities. In my free time I play guitar and write and record my own music. I have been playing guitar for around 6 years now and have not strayed away from it since. There is rarely a time where my guitar is not surgically attached to my hip, unless of course I'm at school or work. Even then I might make an exception! That's just a little bit about me and if you ever want to know more, all you have to do is ask!