Alternative Battery Cases

With the recent release of the hideous Apple battery case, I’ve taken a look at alternative battery cases available for iPhone users, and would have to say they’re a lot of better options out there than just the Apple branded case.

Taking a quick glance of what “iPhone battery cases” gets me on Amazon, I see that most products by 3rd party companies range from $15-$50. The batteries in each case had roughly similar capacities, but what I found surprising was that it wasn’t price that dictated the capacity of the battery, It appeared like the one thing affecting the price of the case was its appearance. Higher quality, better looking cases were often in that $45-$50 range, where a generic black plastic case was closer to the bottom of the $15-$50 range. The all used a micro USB, like android phones and many other electronic devices do, besides Apple products, to charge the case.  The all additionally had a set of small LEDs that would light up and show the charge while charging the case, and a button that would use the LEDs to show the charge when not charging.

If you choose to pay for the Apple case, you be paying extra compared to any other battery case, because it is an Apple brand product. It's not the hump on the back of the case that really deters me, it's the price. With so many other cases out there with the same, or better capacity, for a lower price, it's clear to me which one I would get.

Apple's Battery Case

If you haven’t seen what’s all over social media and the news recently, Apple has just released their own battery case for the iPhone 6 and 6s. This is great and all, as Apple products generally don’t have the best battery life.

The function of the case is no problem. It easily allows you to put your iPhone in by bending the top of the case back, and simply sliding your phone in. The battery itself gives your phone about an extra charge to it, allowing you to go about double the time with both the phone and case charged.  Another thing that’s great for Apple uses about it, is that it uses Apple’s lightning connector. No longer do you need to manage micro USB cords, along with your Apple lightning cord if you want to get a battery case for your iPhone, you should already have the cables necessary to charge the case. Additionally with the release of the case, there has been a software update that adds support for the phone to show you the percentage of battery left on your battery case along with what is left on your phone.

The problem is though, that this case is hideous. Really, it is. It looks like someone took a cellphone battery, and put it inside a gel case. People say the case is well built, and feels nice to the touch, but that doesn’t get over the fact there there is a very noticeable hump on your phone.  I know some people’s response to this will be like, “Oh it’s just a hump, no big deal to me”.  That’s great if you don’t mind it, but it’s just really strange for a company like Apple who strives for the premium look for their products, and for a case that costs $100, I’d like it to be more pleasant to look at then it turned out to be like.

Apple’s battery case is the newest out of what Apple thought were “good ideas” that somehow took a turn for the worse.  The Apple Pencil is another product that took a turn for the worse. With 3D touch, Apple also released a stylus to complement and build on this new feature. This stylus worked on a battery that as you assumed required to be charged. Instead of having a lightning female end like people assumed it would have, it turned out to be the male side. To charge the pen, you would have to plug it into your iPad. Having something the size of a pencil sticking off of your iPad with only a thin piece of metal connecting to it was a wrecked pen waiting to happen.

Apple’s new wireless mouse also has a design flaw to it. The product looked fine at first, worked perfectly fine. Like all wireless mice, it would run off of some sort of battery. Most wireless mice run off of replaceable AA or AAA batteries.  Apple’s mouse didn’t though, it had it’s own built in rechargeable battery built in. To charge your mouse, you would have to plug in a lightning cord. This port to plug it in through was on the bottom of this mouse. This means to charge the mouse you would have to flip it upside down, preventing you from using it while it is charging. The port could've easily been in a better place, such as in the front like conventional mice have their cable running out of. This would of made it possible to use while it was charging.

Apple is really on a streak of creating great accessories with tragic flaws. If only the battery had been smoothed out or boxed in completely to make a smooth, more premium looking product, this case would of met no resistance by the internet.  We’ll see how well this case sells for an expensive price of $100.

Machine to Recycle Paper

Schools and offices worldwide both go through a ton of paper.  Though a lot of places have put in a firm recycling program for paper and other recycled materials, theses places might now see the direct benefit from it.  A new product from a company that is known from making printers, Epson have created a machine that easily fits in a school or work place.  Epson’s paper recycler is able to take in scrap paper and create new sheets of paper out of it. Feeding it scrap paper, and some water, Epson’s machine will generate 14 pieces of paper per minute.  This isn’t the greatest device, but it’s a way to “shred” paper, and get something back from it. I know that both locations go through so much paper, and a lot of it is either wasted, or thrown into the recycling bin right away.  If this product could be used widely, and possibly multiple machines per building, would rack up to a lot of paper saved and reused right in the building or company. It’s also interesting to see how this device will be improved in the future, allowing companies or school to recycle more paper to create more paper.

Pushbullet

Pushbullet is an app that I've found a while ago, and have fallen in love with since then. It's based on such a simple idea of pushing notification, but has expanded from that. Downloading the Pushbullet app, on your mobile device and computer, gives you the ability to push your mobile devices’ notifications to another device, such as a computer. I find this extremely handy as I spend a lot of my time at my house on or by my computer. Often I'll leave my phone on the table or in my room. Instead of running to check what the notification was, or simply missing it, my phone’s notification will appear on my computer screen in the lower right hand. If you want, you can get more specific on what notifications you want pushed to your computer by muting the apps that you don't want to see their notifications on your computer.

Another cool features is interacting with your notifications from your computer.  If I get an email for example, once the notification from my phone appears on my computer, I'll have the option to reply, delete, and dismiss this notification on my phone all from my computer. This also works with SMS messaging. If you get a text from someone, you'll of course get the notification and option to reply, but choosing to reply brings up a chat bubble of your conversation of texts with your contact, which you can choose to leave up on your screen as you do other tasks. This is great for me as I don't have to keep my phone out and on to keep talking to someone while I'm on the computer. Even cooler to me is the ability to reply to text messages on another mobile device such as a tablet.  Many times I'll take my tablet off to a room to read or watch a video. If someone decides to text me, I have the ability to view and reply to their text all from my tablet.

To me, Pushbullet is a collection of ideas and apps created or thought of by other people all together in one package, and then improved and expanded on. The idea of notification mirroring has been around for a while and was possible, but usually required root access, and then didn't always function the greatest. Pushbullet has expanded the idea by pushing the notifications to your computer not just to other devices. The fact that it just work is also great. Using it for about a year, I haven’t really noticed any problems or concerns with it.

If you spend a lot of time working or playing on a computer, Pushbullet is a great app for you. You’ll be able to see all the notifications from all of your mobile devices, and manage them. You’ll be able to reply to texts right on your computer. Why don’t you try it out?

Surface Tablets

You've probably have heard of a Surface before. If you haven't before, a surface is a tablet made by Microsoft. This tablet is different to an iPad or an Android tablet because it runs windows. A big part of Microsoft’s advertising campaign with the surface is that it's a computer as portable as a tablet. As good as the surface may be, it's just simply not a computer.

Having windows as the operating system gives a surface the ability to do just about anything that a computer can. Every program that functions on your Windows desktop will work on your surface tablet. One big difference for me though is the screen size. Most computers these days I see have around a 20 inch monitor. A surface’s screen is only 12 inches.  The small screen makes it hard to tap on what you want. It's very hard to do a lot of work that's not just typing or reading.

Another feature that the surface lacks is USB ports. Like many “premium” laptop manufacturers who try to decrease the size thickness, and weight of their product, Microsoft has done just that. If you decide to get a surface, you'll have access to only a few ports. For me, one port would be dedicated to a mouse, as I dislike using a touch pad for long periods of time. That only leaves one port for other purposes.

Price is another factor that turns me away. The newest and greatest surface tablet, the Surface Pro 4, starts at $900. That instantly turns me away, as I could easily get a laptop that is just as capable as the surface. Additionally, that $900 doesn’t include a keyboard. Buying the Microsoft brand Surface Keyboard would cost an additional $130+. More than a thousand dollars for a tablet is just crazy in my mind.

Overall, if you have the money to spend on a $1000+ tablet, go ahead.  If I want a tablet, I’ll spend less money on a great Android tablet.  If I want a computer, I’ll go for a cheaper laptop that’s actually a computer.

Fallout 4 Companion Application

Just recently, on November 10th, a new game from Bethesda Game Studios, Fallout 4, was released. Along with the game, an app was released on the Apple App Store, and Google's Play Store called Fallout Pip-Boy. In the game, a Pip-Boy is a computer that is on the wrist of your character. You access your inventory, quests, map location, and other resources through the interface of the pip-boy. What's cool about the app is that it allows you to view this interface on another device, such as a phone and tablet, while playing the game. This works over your network that is hosted by your router. The router assigns every device on the network, like a computer or a phone, an address, which is commonly referred to as an IP address. Any device in the home network that makes a request for some data off on another server, will have to go through the router. When the reply of data comes back, the router is able to send that data to the correct device because of it's assigned IP address. The device and computer send requests and data through the router to each other and that's how you have a constant updated pip-boy on your phone. Able to view and interact with your inventory, able to view and follow your current location on the map, and everything else the pip-boy interface can do in game, in real time. 

When I first heard about the app, I had a suspicion that this was just a way to view your inventory, and you wouldn't be able to interact with it. After trying it, I was surprised at how fast the game reacts to you action on your phone or tablet. It only took a few minutes of finding the setting, and now I'm able to launch the game on my computer, launch the app, and start playing.

When Fallout 4 was announced, there was also an announcement for a Pip-boy addition to the game. This special package had a copy of the game, a replica Pip-boy, and a few other posters and booklets. What's special about this replica is that your are able to wear it on you wrist, just like your character in game, and you're able to place your phone into the pip-boy where it's screen would be, and it would just be like the pip-boy in game. This special addition of the game quickly sold out after it was announced, as the higher price didn't deter the many fans of the Fallout series to have their own functional pip-boy. This was the main reason for development of the pip-boy companion app.

Links:
Fallout Companion App:
Play Store
App Store

Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Addition

The Master Race?

The master race. I'm not talking about Hitler’s idea for a perfect world, but a group of people who believe that PC gaming is the best form of gaming. PC master race, or PCMR, is a community of people who believe in just that. Their claims are backed up by a long series of facts, but they are still criticized by many “console peasants” that claim that they, have the superior gaming experience. Besides this constant argument by headstrong people on both sides, I believe that the PCMR, is much more than an argument. This community is primarily based on their subreddit, but also hosts servers on many games.

What’s so attractive to me is the idea of a community. It is a group of people that I can join a server with, and know that I’ll be enjoying a game along with everyone else. There is a level of respect with each other, therefore little trolls or lures. Sure there are the people who claim to be part of PCMR, and do theses things, and others who are there to have a good argument. But behind that wall of annoyingness, is a community of people who just enjoy playing games on their computer, and are available to ask advice from people who have a further understanding of a game or computers.

Qualities to Look for When Buying a Phone

When that time comes around, when your old phone dies, screen is destroyed, or your contract is up, or you are simply wanting something new, you’re debating what your next phone will be. For some it might be easy, going for the newest and the greatest. Some might have a hard time looking through all the options. While others are concerned with their price range. In any case, you should all be aware of what you should look for in a phone. What makes the phone the best and the greatest? What qualities should I look for to narrow down the choices? What qualities should I look for while comparing price? All good questions when looking for a new device.

When looking at a phone, what makes a phone “great”? A great phone can be down to opinion, but I always like to compare specs to determine what is the best phone. Phonearena is a website that I like to use to compare specs. It allows you to few the specs of the device, that could be found around on the manufacturer's website, and compare them side by side to find that perfect phone. For example, if I would want to compare some of this year's flagship phones, I’d start searching for phones like the iPhone6s, Nexus6p, OnePlus2, and compare their specs.

Specs are not everything though. If you looked, most iPhones have no where near the power that Android phones have, yet most would argue that they are just as fast. On top of specs, I always like to see someone else’s opinion of the phone after they’ve used in in their daily lives for a while. Sometimes software and other features/bugs can have a big impact on the performance of the device. Fortunately, YouTube has many of such reviewers, one that I trust, MKBHD. When I find a device that I’m interested in, I’ll search YouTube and find a review of the phone, looking for the performance of the device, the battery life that they were getting out of the device, and their general opinion of the device.

I know that not everyone is able to spend whatever is needed to get the newest, best, flagship phone every year. Some people might barely have the money to get a phone, yet want some sort of smartphone that just works. Of course you’ll have to make compromises, but instead of buying some cheap phone, I’d recommend looking back to a few years old flagship phones. Often you might be buying some used phone, and if you’re cool with the potential risk, then there’s a cheap solution for you, but if you’re concerned, a lot of manufacturers are producing a cheaper version of their flagship phones. Apple with their C model phones, Motorola with their Moto G series phones, and until recently, the nexus line phones. All have been cheaper phones, yet still a functional and fairly nice phone.

Having a Tablet and a Phone

When I first was thinking of getting a tablet, I wondered for a second what I’d really do with it. At first glance, a tablet to many people is just a phone with a big screen that lacks the ability to call people. I’d agree that roughly that is what a tablet is, but from my experiences, I still use my tablet a lot even alongside my phone. It hasn’t become a replacement to my phone, and it hasn’t been completely ignored.

One of the things I most commonly use my tablet for is videos. I greatly enjoy watching Youtube videos, streams, and movies in my freetime. I’m able to do this on my computer and phone, but I’m not always in the mood for sitting at my computer desk, and on my phone, I’m watching the videos on a really tiny screen. With a tablet, all theses dilemmas are solved. I’m able to lay in my bed and watch a video on a decent size screen with ease. Also, if you’re tablet, like mine, has front facing speakers, then your experience will be even better.

Another thing I use my tablet for is another battery. Like I’ve said earlier, many people believe that tablets are just a bigger phone, as they’re able to do the exact same things. This is true, and I take advantage of this. Instead of using my phone to browser twitter in a long stretch of free time during school, I’ll take out my tablet instead and use it. It allows me not to exclusively use my phone throughout the day, saving me some battery life that I can use later if I’m unable to charge my phone in between activities.

The third thing I enjoy using my tablet for is reading. Often, when I read books, I enjoy using a digital copy over a physical paper copy because of all the features available along with the digital reader. Sure the program is available on my phone, but it’s so hard to read on the tiny screen. Using my tablet, I’m able to read all the books I need to, for school and for my own enjoyment, with ease.

Games are another thing that I enjoy having a tablet for. All the games that I have on my tablet are available on my phone, but I’ve chosen not to download them on there. Only playing games on my tablet greatly saves my phone’s battery, and the memory on my phone.

One final convenience of my tablet is typing. Often during school, I’ll come across a time where I’d rather not write out a paper, and would rather type it. I’m able to pull out my tablet and type it right there in class. There are even bluetooth keyboards available for tablets to make typing even easier if you would want to.

Overall, buying a tablet is worth the investment. Even though you might have a phone, there are many circumstances that it is beneficial having a tablet.

Technological Singularity.

Technology has progressed a lot in the past 10 to 20 years. You may not notice but technology has been developing at an almost exponential rate. Before computers used to take up a whole entire rooms but now the computer fit easily and comfortably in your pocket. We have more powerful computers today in our pockets then what the spacecraft that landed on the moon had. Some people may wonder where technology is now leaving to, and frankly we just don't know for sure. But if I had to guess I would say we're moving from an age of computing to the age of robots and AI.

Some may not know it right now but we already use robots in everyday life. Robots are used in assembling products such as cars, and are used to speed up the production of other manufactured products. These are all controlled by programs that have been programmed to tell the robot what task it should do. The only way but it could hurt you if you stopped in the way of what it's doing. Even then their safety measures designed to shut down the robot in case of that happening. What you also might not know about robots are currently being used in militaries around the world. The most commonly used robots in battlefields are a big gun strapped to a set of treads. They are controlled by operator with a set of controls on them away from the battlefield. They often have a camera so the operator can be even farther away. There was even robots using in WWII. Germans experimented with putting high explosives on a little robot and then driving it remotely.  

Computers are getting very fast, faster than you might think. Though a normal computer might not have the best computing power, there are supercomputers being used to run massive simulations such as world weather. One of the best constructed computing devices that we know, for size and ability, is our own brains. We’ve been studying our brains, and trying to design computers based on that. Research isn’t too far, but some people have made some breakthroughs, though nowhere near the same, but have made brain like chips with massive amounts of computing power compared to anything else we have.

We already have some basic AI’s, and it might be in your pocket right now. On your phone, you might have a “personal assistant” called Siri or Google Now. These programs are able to detect when you talk, and the understand what you’ve said, do the said task, and say a response.  Relative to movie level AI, this is rudimentary. But we’ve created something that’s able to understand our speaking.

So we have a few things right now. Basic motor functions of a robot, super computers that are on the way, and software that is able to communicate and understand us. Now just think on what would happen if we hit that supercomputer level processing. We’re not to far off from self thinking programs, and with a brain like or possibly even better computing power, we’re in a dangerous situation potentially.

Apple and Android

It's a big thing, bigger than some people might know. With a world full of smartphones, companies have set a standard in the software in their phones. Companies like Motorola, Asus, Samsung, and LG to name a few, put in a software that is based on Android. They add their own changes, tweaks, and visual appearance to the software before they ship it out on their products. Though now visually different, this software is still called Android. To get a truly original experience of vanilla Android, you use to have to get a Nexus phone, a series of phones endorsed by Google, but now companies are producing phones by themselves with vanilla Android software.

Apple set their own standard by making their own software. iOS is their software they used for all their products. It's a refined software that has a large appeal to many. It's has a fairly simple UI that is standard throughout almost every version of iOS and any device that runs it. Therefore, if you're using an iPad and an iPhone, the way you will navigate to a website or app will be the same, counting out the screen size difference. Apple products themselves are typically well built. Every phone so far has been relatively the same appearance wise. If you look deeper into the phone into the specs you'll find some specs that some tech savvy people might find queer, but in practice these specs are just fine, and most products run fast.

Many people like to bring up the argument on the internet whether Android or Apple is better. It's usually heavily debated and then the debaters go away frustrated and influenced no one to change their mind. Truth be told, it's just an opinion, as what qualities do you judge that makes one better over another product. If you want to judge by quality off the device, a few years ago an Apple advocate would of won that argument, but now it is now so simple. Apple has always made a good quality devices at their time. Android devices were behind, as many manufacturers were producing many products over a short span of time, there were only a few devices some would say we're amazing quality. But now the focus of manufacturers has turned to that quality of a high value “flagship” phone. If you want to look at features of the software, you're heading into a heavily debated subject. Some would say Android clearly has more features, and I wouldn't say they're wrong. The whole premises of Android is that it's open sourced. Google developed Android and puts it out there available for manufacturers use on certain terms. Following the terms Google has set in place, manufacturers can alter and add what they want. This on top of Google’s future looking development means there's a lot of features built in there. If you look at Apple, they might not have every feature that an Android device might have,  but they have what's need, some cool features, but it's all refined, and works really well.

If you go with Apple, you get what you pay for, high quality, guaranteed to work for 1 to 2 years, and simple product. It works, has the basic features of the year, and reliable. If you go with an Android device, you'll get a large selection to choose from, wide price range, but you still have the ability to get a high quality product, with a large range of possibilities and customization. Either way, if you choose to invest in an Android or Apple device you’ll be happy with your experience.

Chinese Smart Street Lamps

Recently the Chinese government has unveiled a new project, a smart street lamp. So far, only Shanghai has these smart lampposts along some of their streets. The lamps offer services with the design of being green. One big feature is an electric car car charging port. Electric cars can be a great replacement to conventional cars with in city driving. Though the only charging place in your city might be your house. These smart posts might be a start to change this, and promote the use of electric cars.

Another feature of these smart polls is a free WiFi hotspot. This is a great idea to help people stay connected wherever they go, especially with the increasing number of smartphone users in Chinese, but I don't know how practical it is. There's going to be a lot of traffic around these posts. Plenty of cars and even more pedestrians walking past at all times. Having a router that can handle all that traffic would have to be powerful, and expensive.

These posts are not the cheapest. If this product would be put into place in full effect, that would mean replacing many light posts in the city. That all adds up really fast.

203

Links:

Photos of Street Lamps

Chrome OS and Android Possible Merge

Recently Alphabet (Google) has announced that they're taking Chrome os, the operating system used in Chromebooks, and are merging it with Android. All of the information out on this merge is still very early on, and many things can change or even be cancelled, but still the idea of Android on or incorporated into a new chromebook would be fantastic.

Like I've explained in Why I’m Still Interested in Chromebooks, Chrome OS though lacking in compatibility in general programs, it's able to make up for in the applications developed by users to replace those programs. Though no where near having the complete functionality of another operating system, the merge with Android would make a big jump to closing that gap.  With the ability to access the Play Store and download apps from would ever increase what you could do on a chromebook.

Though we don't know exactly what this merge entails for the new version of chrome OS, what it seems like to me is that they're trying  to make the chromebook more appealing, and able to compete with other laptops.  Before many people haven't heard of a chromebook, and if they had, they probably were not interested in using one. Stating a different operating system would of drawn away most of the potential customers before they might look further into it. If they could advertise an Android laptop, right away many more people would be interested and further look into the capabilities of the laptop.  This would be a way to combat against the massive outreach of Windows and Mac over the market. So many people have an Android phone, and it would give a connection to the Android laptop.

Overall though we don't have many details over what the merge would mean exactly, hopefully it will come with access to the Play Store, furthering the usability of the laptop. Also this merge could be for a marketing scheme to grow the popularity and knowledge of the chromebook.

329

YouTube Red, The Good, and the Bad

If you haven't heard already, YouTube Red is a subscription service that allows you some extra services within YouTube.  For $10 a month you get access to offline video downloading, background play, and an ad free experience. These features are nice, and long awaited.  Offline downloading and background play are the real prize out of YouTube Red though.

Many people do not have unlimited data on their phones or other devices, and watching videos starts to eat up data fast. Therefor, instead of watching a video on mobile data, you can simply download the video over wifi, and watch it later. I often use a service that downloads videos of YouTube so that I can watch them on a road trip. This application is not the best, and is hard to navigate in. A built-in YouTube downloader is really just what I could of ask for from Google.

Background play is a feature that many people have been asking for a long time, and now is available for videos. Some entertainers post podcast like videos on YouTube, of them talking about a subject, or taking to someone else. Before, to listen to this on a mobile platform, you would have to leave YouTube running on your phone or other device, and couldn't do anything else.  With a YouTube Red subscription, you'll be able to listen to a YouTube video and browse a website, read a book, play a game, and many other things while the audio of the video plays in the background.

An ad free experience itself isn't worth the monthly subscription to me, luckily the other features are. For anyone, it is possible to watch YouTube videos ad free with an ad-blocker, but some people might feel better paying instead of watching ads.  An ad-blocker would mean that content creators wouldn't get any revenue from you watching their videos.

YouTube Red in my eyes is a way for YouTube to generate more money. The problem is though this money that would of gone to content creators from ad views, is now partially going to YouTube instead. It's been discreetly noted in YouTube's Partner terms earlier this year that content creators would get only 55% of the revenue.  Many content creators are expressing concerns that they will no-longer make as much money during the month of November, when Google is offering a free trial of YouTube Red for a month. We just don't know how Google entails on paying content creators.

Overall, we just don't know all the facts on YouTube Red. It seems like a good service for a few features, and it's up to you if it's worth $10 for. I'm sure that they're looking at adding more features in the future to make this seem more appealing. We don't know how well content creators will be payed with this change, but most content creators haven't put all their eggs in a basket. Many youtubers have online stores where you can buy merch to support them, twitch channels that you can subscribe and donate to, and other services. We'll figure out more as YouTube Red comes out in November.

522

Why I'm Still Interested in Chromebooks

College is approaching, and along with almost any degree out there, a computer is almost necessary to get through everything.  The problem is, many good performing computers can cost a lot, and most of the time you'll want a laptop because of it's portability, which will cost a lot more.  Finding that one laptop might be had with the large selection of brands, series, models, versions, and whatnot. Another alternative that many people might not know is the Chromebook.

The Chromebook is a laptop that is marketed by Google. There are a large selection of different models, but a clear difference among each of them. Google offers a high end version of their product, and many low end versions of the Chromebook. Low end models cost from $100 to $300, and their top model, the Chromebook Pixel for $1000.  You do get a lot more when you pay more, but that doesn't mean the low end versions are terrible. It's actually the price that attracts me the most to the product.

The Chromebook isn't your typical computer, as it doesn't run Windows or apple. Instead Google has developed their own operating system, as the name suggests, based on chrome. You won't be able to install just anything on your new Chromebook, instead you'll be limited to what is available in the Chrome store. The chrome store has a wide variety to offer, including a remote desktop application. You'll be able to take control of any other computer that you've set up control with through chrome. In my situation, this would work well. I would be able to take control of my desktop from almost everywhere on campus.  Also with a new app called ARC Welder, you're able to run any android application, provided you have the APK for it.

Overall, I would say that a Chromebook is more of a toy then a tool in my eyes, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be used as a tool by some people. Schools have been getting Chromebooks instead of other laptops or tablets. It can be a cheaper solution to a surface or other conventional laptops. Also Google Drive is a very useful tool allowing you for no added cost to type documents, excel like charts, and create presentations and store them all online. All which are compatible on the Chromebook.  If anything, consider a chromebook when shopping for a new laptop.

401

Links

Running Android Apps On a Chromebook

Best Chromebooks

Learning a New Language

Throughout highschool, I've been taking Chinese as a second language. Anyone else who is learning, or has learned another language can share the pain in what it takes to re-teach your brain to work in another language. It takes time and a lot of practice to get down this week’s vocabulary, or this sentence structure before a test. I'm unable to pick up my Textbook and effectively study with the little time I have. Luckily I've found some useful tools that I use to help me learn another language.

Though often looked at as an evil resource by teachers, Google Translate is a useful tool to aid your learning. Whenever I come across a word or phrase I don’t know or recognize, I’ll pull up Google Translate and figure it out. Some teachers express some hostility towards Google Translate, and the have an adequate reason to do so.  But that doesn’t mean that it’s still not a resource, but it shouldn’t just be used to do your assignment for you, but to aid you.

Quizlet is a website that allows teacher to create a classroom and have online flashcards for students to study from. I’ve found it very helpful while learning Chinese.  Instead of making flashcards while many foreign language teachers make their students do, students can spend more time studying words and terms. Quizlet also offers other study techniques instead of just digital flashcards, that try to reinforce what you know, and single off exactly what you’re not confident on. They created an app that allows you to take quizlet with you on the go. There are also some fun little games that you can play with your terms and definitions.  

There are many other good english to other languages apps for you devices. For example I use Pleco, which is an amazing english to chinese translator.  It is specifically designed to provide some of the best english to chinese translations out there.  I’m able to open the app and draw in the character I don’t know. It offers me sentences that includes the character, and words formed with that character. It’s a great app for anyone learning chinese that I highly recommend.

It’s not just foreign languages that technology can help teach. There are some great apps made by SoloLearn that offer a chance to learn a programing language. They offer Java, Html, SQL, Python, CSS, and PHP.  Each app offers a similar experience, but with different content. I’ve been trying out their HTML version to see how it is. It teaches you different tags, and then tests you on it after each session.  It has you answer questions by physically typing it in, drag and drop, and multiple choice.

The great thing about all these resources, is their all free. This is great content out there to aid your learning, and many for tools that I haven’t even listed. Though some teachers are hesitant in talking about these kinds of tools, students should understand that these technological tools are not meant to complete your homework for you, but to aid in your learning.

Kardashev Scale

The Kardashev scale is a way to measure a civilization’s level of technological advancement.  It classifies civilizations based on the amount of useable energy a civilization has access to.  Although we use this scale, it is only theoretical.  It was first proposed by Astronomer Nikolai Kardashev in 1964.  The base theory has three categories of civilizations; Type 1, 2, and 3, but other people have proposed more types of civilizations.  Overall, a type 1 civilization has access to all energy on their planet,  type 2 has access to all energy in their solar system, and type 3 civilizations have access to all the energy in their galaxy.

A type one civilization would have access to, and use, all available power on their “earth” (estimated to be about 4 x 1012 watts for the human race.).  These power sources could include fusion of hydrogen (Technically not renewable), and other renewable resources.  Complete communication world-wide (Internet) would be available. Construction on gigantic projects, Megascale engineering, would be going on.  The civilization would start to colonize other planets/moons in their solar system.  On their home planet, the would have control of the weather.

Type two civilizations would have access to, and use, all available power in their solar system (calculated to be around 4 x 1029 watts for the human race).  One way to harness all the energy would to construct a Dyson Sphere around the sun.  Type two civilizations would be conducting interstellar travel, and interstellar communication.  They would be colonising other solar systems, and terraforming planets/moons.

The human race is on track to become a type one civilization.  Currently according to the Kardashev scale, we are a type .73 civilization, according to our technological advancements and energy consumption.   It is estimated that we will reach type 1 “status” in roughly 100 to 200 years.  World wide communication is a close future. With the Internet, we're able to communicate and share ideas/work with just about anyone. As countries develop, and Internet access is available everywhere , communication with anyone will be possible.  Space colonization is closer than you might think. There is currently a program called Mars One, that plans to send a colonizing ship to mars in 2024. Although, there are a few concerns.  As Michio Kaku said, “Terrorism in some sense is a reaction against the creation of a type one civilization.“  As we have the capabilities of destroying ourself, we will either end up destroying ourself, or advancing as a type one civilization.

Marijuana and Tech Use

Colorado and Washington have legalized the use of marijuana, and many states are looking to follow. Having laws that makes the distribution and use of marijuana helps prevent many problems.  Marijuana should not be legalized due to its negative effects, kids’ safety risks, and federal legalization problems.
Marijuana should not be legalized due to its harmful effects on the user. Marijuana isn’t harmless like most people try to think.  According to research, Marijuana smoke contains larger amounts of cancer-producing hydrocarbons than tobacco. Not only that but, Acute intoxication impairs learning, memory, and intellectual performance. Kids are also at risk to become addicted to this clearly harmful substance.

Legalizing marijuana poses a threat to our children's’ safety.  If states are legalizing marijuana, kids are going to have an easier time accessing this drug. According to Sabet, When availability goes up, the kids’ access to it is going to go up too. It doesn’t matter if there would be laws restricting the age you can legally buy it, more and more kids will have access to this harmful substance. Looking at Colorado where it has been legalized, we clearly see this problem. Studies already have found increased emergency room admissions for teens in Colorado who reported using someone else’s “medical” marijuana.  Our children's’ safety isn’t the only problem though, marijuana being illegal at federal level causes many problems.

Marijuana remains a problem even after state legalization due to it being illegal at federal level. Even though it is safe to sell, and use marijuana in Colorado and Washington, it doesn’t mean you’re not going to be arrested.  Like Professor Rob Mikos said, State legalization plans might backfire on pot sellers because marijuana remains illegal at the federal level. If nothing is done to this, many conflicts will occur between state and federal law, like tax benefits. The fact that they can’t take certain tax deductions because they’re in an illegal business. 

Overall, marijuana poses a huge health risk if we legalize this substance.  The harm will be worse than what little benefits there would be if it was legal.  Marijuana should not be legalized due to its negative effects, kids’ safety risks, and federal legalization problems.

How has Smartphones Affected This Generation.

In an age where 66% of adult Americans have a cellphone, smartphones are becoming a big thing. It has changed how we navigate, communicate, and relax. Being constantly connected to the internet, people are able to communicate with the internet and other people from almost everywhere. Smartphones have really only been a thing for about 8 years, yet they've instantly changed our lives more than we realize. 

When I have to go somewhere new, the first thing I'll do is pull out my phone, type in the address, and have it navigate me to my unfamiliar location. I have no need to carry a paper map in my car, or go out and buy a separate product like a GPS, because I have the capabilities of both already in my pocket. Not only have we replaced conventional maps and GPS's, we have made a lot of improvements. Now we have the ability to see if there is any obstetrical on our route, and go around them. If you're navigating within Google Maps for example, you'll be alerted if there is construction or heavy traffic on your path to you location, and asked if you'd like to take a faster route.

Like I've talked previously on in The Internet is More Important Than You May Think, smartphones are extremely powerful tools that allow us with seemingly instant connection with anyone else almost everywhere. We're use to having this power of no matter where we are, you can start texting your friend and carry out a conversation. Teens are often told to "put down your phone, and talk to the people around you". Though they might be disconnected from the conversation around them, they're connected with other people and activity communication. It's not just being anti-social, but possibly just being a little too social because they're able to talk to someone at any time without being right next to them. 

Smartphones have become a replacement to other forms of entertainment. Instead of calling someone, you're able to join a group chat, and text to a group of people all at the same time. You can have a video chat and look at the friend you're chatting with, or show your friend something. You can play co-op games together, or compete against each other. You're able to watch a video, netflix, or TV anywhere you want. Connection to the internet offers you endless amounts of entertainment with all the apps and content you have access to.

When you pull out your phone out of your pocket, take a second to appreciate how much you rely on your phone for daily things such as navigation, being connected, and entertainment.

Self Driving Cars

If you haven't heard yet, self driving cars are a real thing. One big name, Google, has been pioneering this idea. They have been testing self driving cars for a while now, and are fairly close to a final product. This car will be able to drive to a location and navigate through traffic. The premise behind the car is lasers. It works by a laser sending out a beam and with the time it took to come back, it generates an image. The on board computer has been taught to identify things such as the curb, road lines, signs and pedestrians and react to them accordingly. Google has tested this car in many situations and even out on road. It has been predicted that a fleet of self driving cars will hit the streets soon and take over the roads. The premise of the roads being filled with SDCs would be a benefit, they would be able to communicate with each other and create a network of information about the road conditions and hazards. The only problem to this fleet, is selling the idea to the consumers. If you ask someone, they might not want to take a ride in a SDC, afraid for their lives. They might not feel safe driving alongside a SDC. Unknowingly though, you might already have driven along with a SDC. In 4 states, Nevada, California, Florida, and Michigan, the state governments have passed laws allowing SDCs to operate on the open road. Google has taken the opportunity, after a long while of private testing, to test the car on the road. Surprisingly this car is very refined and has only been in minor accidents, and every time, it has not been the self driving car’s fault. Another concern some people might share is the cost. Right now, Google has spent a lot of money in their cars. Though the amount of money put into developing it, it is only expected to add $7000 to $10000 to new car prices. This is a lot for some people who can barely afford to buy a car at current prices, but the technology is expected to drop even more in years following its release. Also, car companies are looking at taking the technology, and putting it into cars for cheaper prices. Overall, self driving cars will become a thing no matter if you like it or not. Farther into the future cars will become cheaper and more continent to build and ride.

Kardashev Scale

The Kardashev scale is a way to measure a civilization’s level of technological advancement.  It classifies civilizations based on the amount of useable energy a civilization has access to.  Although we use this scale, it is only theoretical.  It was first proposed by Astronomer Nikolai Kardashev in 1964.  The base theory has three categories of civilizations; Type 1, 2, and 3, but other people have proposed more types of civilizations.  Overall, a type 1 civilization has access to all energy on their planet,  type 2 has access to all energy in their solar system, and type 3 civilizations have access to all the energy in their galaxy.
A type one civilization would have access to, and use, all available power on their “earth” (estimated to be about 4 x 1012 watts for the human race.).  These power sources could include fusion of hydrogen (Technically not renewable), and other renewable resources.  Complete communication world-wide (Internet) would be available. Construction on gigantic projects, Megascale engineering, would be going on.  The civilization would start to colonize other planets/moons in their solar system.  On their home planet, the would have control of the weather.

Type two civilizations would have access to, and use, all available power in their solar system (calculated to be around 4 x 1029 watts for the human race).  One way to harness all the energy would to construct a Dyson Sphere around the sun.  Type two civilizations would be conducting interstellar travel, and interstellar communication.  They would be colonising other solar systems, and terraforming planets/moons.


The human race is on track to become a type one civilization.  Currently according to the Kardashev scale, we are a type .73 civilization, according to our technological advancements and energy consumption.   It is estimated that we will reach type 1 “status” in roughly 100 to 200 years.  World wide communication is a close future. With the Internet, we're able to communicate and share ideas/work with just about anyone. As countries develop, and Internet access is available everywhere , communication with anyone will be possible.  Space colonization is closer than you might think. There is currently a program called Mars One, that plans to send a colonizing ship to mars in 2024. Although, there are a few concerns.  As Michio Kaku said, “Terrorism in some sense is a reaction against the creation of a type one civilization.“  As we have the capabilities of destroying ourself, we will either end up destroying ourself, or advancing as a type one civilization.

Possible Concerns with Police Body Cameras.

Recently, there been many accounts of police brutality. Many case have been true, and others have been false claims. In both cases, the events have exploded on social media and the news. Innocent cops who were just doing their jobs are forced out because of a false claim made against them, and the officer has little clear proof that shows his innocence. Many officers now are scared to act, fearing they'll be the next big event. An easy solution to this problem is simply to provide clear evidence of what the officer was doing.

Police forces have starting issuing body cameras to officers in the field. These are small cameras that are able to be worn on their vests or uniform. They're able to record so many hours and then the video is uploaded to a server. The problem though is videos are naturally a large file.  Though the quality of the video isn't the best, and that saves space, but you're still recording many hours of footage per day, per the number of officers. That adds up to a lot of footage. These videos have to go somewhere, and they have to be kept for a while, because what good does holding footage for a days do.  

These servers that the video is uploaded to isn't free. Often companies offer some storage along with the purchase of cameras, but more times than other that storage isn't enough to hold a big police forces' footage for more than a few months.

Also I haven't even said anything about the cost of these cameras. Ignoring storage space, a single body camera costs about $200. In my city, we have a police force of about 100 officers. Cities like New York City has a police force of roughly 35,000 officers. These costs add up quickly for any size of departments.

Though body cameras are a great solution to the recent concerns,they're simply too expensive. It's not just the camera cost, but also the recurring fee of the servers that hold all the footage. This costs are a pain to both small and big police forces.

Taking Care of Your Battery.

Today you could consider that almost everyone has a cellphone. We live in the age of information, and for about 8 years, smart phones have become a big deal. Companies now offer a new version of their phone once or twice a year, and they usually make a big profit off each new product.  People are keen on upgrading their phone often, even though it can become costly, because their phone becomes slow, or their phone now has a very short battery life.  Though a phone becoming slow is usually a hardware issue that is out of your hands to control, there are many means for you to increase the battery life of your phone.

Most modern smart phones use a type of battery called Lithium Ion. A common smart phone will have a single cell Lithium Ion battery, and right off the shelf, will seem amazing. It's one of the lightest usable rechargeable batteries that we have created, and we continue to increase the capacity of these batteries.  They're very energy dense, which means they can hold a lot of power for their weight. Also they lose very little charge over time.  One of the biggest problems with lithium ion batteries is that they have a very short life. In research, most lithium ion batteries have a life of 2-5 years. Lithium Ion batteries at their current state, simply lose capacity over time. Though, it's not just simply time that causes lithium ion batteries to lose capacity, there are other factors in play. Depending on how much you discharge a battery can play a part in its life.  And the temperature of the battery can increase or decrease the decay of capacity. 

What does that all mean to you though? Well, depending on how you use your device, you can prolong the decay of capacity. If you use your phone intensively for a long period of time, you'll often notice that your phone is warm to the touch. This is not good for the battery.  The battery will decay at double the rate at room temp when it is around 95 degrees Fahrenheit.  So prevent your phone from getting too warm when you're using it. One other thing you can do is prevent you cell phone from completely dying, and charge your phone as often as you can.  Lithium Ion batteries in your phone has a capacity of completely discharging and recharging about 300-500 times. 

So when using your phone or tablet, keep in mind how you use your device. Are you keeping it cool, preventing it from getting to hot? Making sure that your battery doesn't go too low? If you are then you're sure to increase your life of your battery's capacity.

Links

• http://www.ingenuityworking.com/knowledge/w/knowledgebase/lithium-ion-battery-aging-factors.aspx
• http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/is_lithium_ion_the_ideal_battery
• http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries

The Cut From Television to the Internet.

TV has been a popular thing for a lot of our lives. It’s been a main source of entertainment for many. Now these days though, the internet is becoming a replacement to this generation old source of entertainment.  

The Internet has became a popular form of entertainment. Since YouTube became more than just a collection of random videos, people have been tuning in as their main source of entertainment. People continued jump on the train to produce content in hopes to become famous. Today we have a large number of entertainers creating free content in a large range of interests.

Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus are other popular sources of online entertainment. They provide streamable TV shows and movies when you pay for their services, roughly $8 per month.

The reason these options have become so popular is because of their portability. You can watch a YouTube video anywhere, and it’s free. All you need is access to the internet. You can be sitting in front of your TV, or in your bed, in a car, or outside. Streaming services like Netflix offer a way to watch TV or movies anywhere, and at your own convenience.  You don’t have to get to a TV at the time the next episode is released, or hope for a rerun, you can simply watch whole seasons at a time of a TV show.

People have also come accustomed to watching people play their favorite games. On YouTube or Twitch, instead of playing the games themselves, people are able to watch someone, and interact with them playing the game. It’s much more than simply watching a show. You’re able to interact not only with the entertainer, but with a whole community of people watching the entertainer.

One of the main reasons why people have cut their cable or satellite bill is because there is now a cheaper option, though might not be a perfect replica, but offer entertainment on a new level.  Satellite companies have taken a step in offering the ability to record TV episodes, and watch when you want. They’ve developed apps that allow you to watch select channels anywhere on the go. You’re also able to rent and watch movies. But what they have not been able to do is recreate a community that is able to interact with the content creator and each other.

What is the Ideal Ad?

In a previous post, "Why do People use Adblockers?", I discussed adblockers and why they're so popular. I also touched on the idea that many entertainers on YouTube and the streaming service, Twitch, live off the revenue the make from ads.  Some entertainers have expressed that the amount of people watching with adblockers has really increased, and has hindered their profits.  Communities of these entertainers often debate over the fact whether or not to use adblocker or not.

To me, I feel like to support the entertainer who is providing people with free entertainment, that I would do what I could to support them, such as watching an ad.  The only problem is, depending on the length of the video, an ad might interrupt you in the middle of a video, or you'll be forced to watch an extremely long ad before you are able to start watching the video. I find this very disruptive, and it annoys me very much. Though I want to support the creator, I'd rather not watch an ad that isn't even relevant to me.

In my mind, a perfect ad is one that isn't disruptive, isn't moving content around, isn't popping up on my screen, it's just there. It shouldn't take up the whole screen, but just beside the main content of the page. On video streaming services like YouTube, I'd prefer an optional short, 10-20 second ad before or after the video instead of a minute long ad before or in the middle of the video. 

In my opinion, Twitch has a decent system for ads. Before you're able to watch a stream, you're prompted with a minute long ad, and once it has finished you're allowed to continue along to the stream. The streamers are also able to play an ad during the stream. This is perfect for times when the streamer needs to leave the computer for a bit to take a break or has just finished a match in some sort of game.  They're usually played during a time when the viewer isn't missing anything, so there is little reason not to watch the ad to support the streamer. On the website the only still ad on the website is to the side out of the way of the main content.

Why do People use Adblockers?

In an age where the internet could be debated as the main source of information, a lot of people are constantly checking the news, or getting updated on their friends through social media. All these services we're using, are not free to run.  For smaller sites, the fee for running the server and the payment are often softened with the use of an ad or two.  Sites that experience heavy traffic usually have plenty of funding from other sources, but still want to make a profit will put many ads into their website. Youtubers who live off of youtube do so because of ad revenue generated by their thousands of views watching an ad before watching the video. Twitch streamers often play an ad before views are allowed to watch the stream, and during breaks of the stream. Ads are basically everywhere on the internet these days. They're often designed to catch your attention by means of bright colors, animations, sound, or even a video. They're often placed on top of the content of the website, prompting you to wait till you can close the ad. Other times, you might be redirected to an ad you must watch or look at for so long before you can continue to the page you were originally wanting to go to. Ads placed within a website often push around content on the page, making a website look horrible because of their incredibly large size compared to the content on the page.

Many people find these kinds of ads intrusive and annoying, and that's a reason why they use adblockers. They'd rather not put up with these poorly designed ads because it wrecks their experience of the website. AdBlock and AdBlockPlus are two of the most popular Chrome web browser ad blocking extensions. The reason they are so attractive to people is because they are simply free. Why would someone put up with annoying ads when they can just click a button to never see ads again?

What is a Chromecast, and Why You Should Be Interested

A chromecast, what are you talking about? Is it a cast of the metal chrome, or does it have some relation to the browser chrome?  The second guess is more correct. The chromecast is a device made by Google that allows someone to stream content to their TV wireless.  It was release July 24, 2013, and has been a fairly successful device since. 

To use a Chromecast, all you have to do is plug the stick into an HDMI port, and connect it to power.  Once turned on, you have to simply download their chromecast app, available on iOS and Android, follow the instructions to connect the chromecast to wifi, and then you're all set up. To stream content all you have to do is go to an app that is compatible and you will have a little chromecast icon that you can click to stream content to your screen. Some of the most useful streaming capable apps include Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, Play Movies, Spotify, Play Music, and Twitch.  

The chromecast is a great device to have around the house. You can have just one in the house, or multiple for multiple TVs, and stream your favorite video easily on any. It's very simple to setup and use. And the best part, is that it's only $35. If you look at other streaming devices, they pretty much all do the same job, but some devices has more compatibility in streaming services than others. Besides that, the chromecast is by far the cheapest option, with the most compatibility. 

Some bigger streaming devices include the Roku 3, Amazon fire TV, Nexus Player, and the Apple TV. All these devices are roughly $100 and are all about the size of a book. They are all devices you plug into your TV and use a remote to control. These bigger brothers are a whole different story.

The chromecast is a portable stick streaming device, and there are two main competitors; The Amazon Fire TV Stick and the Roku streaming stick. They're are all roughly $40, but have a range of different features. The chromecast is a link from your phone or tablet to your TV, and is completely controlled by your device. They other two come with remotes that control the stick's interface. Some people find these interfaces annoying and sometimes unresponsive. With the chromecast, all you have to do is open up any app that is supported, and click stream. 

Overall, there are a ton of streaming devices out on the market, and the chromecast is often overlooked. Though some of the more expensive streaming devices might offer more supported content, the chromecast is amazing for what it does, and only $35.

Links:

Chromecast Android App
Chromecast iOS App

Supported Apps

Electronics and Education

Electronics and education, not a mix that is typical some students might say. Most of the time, the closest experience of both is when their teacher tells students to put their cell phones away.  Many schools have invested in updated computer labs, but this isn't enough. School Districts should continue to invest in mobile labs and computers, but teachers should also include the use of computers in their plans.

There are many online websites and tools that are available to teachers for little to no cost. Kahoot is a website that allows teachers to design a quiz, and give it to the students in class. Students can connect to the quiz with a phone, tablet, or computer to answer the quiz that is displayed on the teachers Smartboard or projector.

• Kahoot's Website

Quizlet is a website that allows teacher to create a classroom and have online flashcards for students to study from. I’ve found it very helpful while learning another language.  Instead of making flashcards while many foreign language teachers make their students do, students can spend more time studying words and terms. Quizlet also offers other study techniques instead of just digital flashcards, that try to reinforce what you know, and single off exactly what you’re not confident on. They created an app that allows you to take quizlet with you on the go. There are also some fun little games that you can play with your terms and definitions.

• Quizlet's Website

These are just two websites out of many that are available for free.  There are so many other websites, and there are even videos from Khan Academy and many YouTube creators that teach or help students study a subject. There are just so many resources that can be used in class to supplement learning that teachers and students don’t use to their advantage.  Teachers should implement time into their lessons to show and use these tools. Students should also take advantage of the growing number of computers that school districts are offering.

• Khan Academy
• Crash Course