The job of CIO is becoming increasingly difficult as we move further into the 3rd Platform era – but pressure to keep costs down, maintain a consistent infrastructure, and to innovate has left many CIOs flat-footed, playing a catch-up game trying to integrate new innovations rather than driving them.
Continue readingAuthor Archives: Jim Brooker
Roller Coaster to use Virtual Reality to enhance ride
UK theme park Alton Towers will combine the thrill of a roller coaster with the visual excitement generated by virtual reality in a world-first new ride called Galactica, which will launch in the next few months. Riders will climb aboard and become Galactinauts, blasted into space through a 10ft portal at the start of the two-minute ride, then out into amazing galaxies and beyond.
Continue readingA New Device Can Translate Speech In Real Time
Say “hello,” “bonjour,” “konichiwa” and “salaam” to a wearable device called “ili” that translates your speech in real time. It looks like a USB flash drive, hangs around your neck and works without an Internet or cellular connection. You could be thousands of feet in the air or stuck in a subway, and ili will still work.
Continue readingNearly half of parents say they snoop through their teen’s phone
Untag that sweet bong-rip, Chad: American parents keep close tabs on their kids’ digital lives, a new survey finds. Nearly half say they go through their teen’s cell phone history, while a majority check web history and social media accounts. The survey, which was run by the Pew Research Center, collected responses from parents of teens ages 13 to 17. All told, 1,060 parents answered the survey.
Continue readingSuper-fast Internet is coming over your phone line
Today, you have a choice between cable broadband Internet, which is expensive, or DSL Internet over your phone line, which is slow.
Continue readingCan you download me now? NY payphones become Wi-Fi hot spots
Operator, won’t you help me place this call? A 9-foot-tall, narrow structure installed this past week on a Manhattan sidewalk is signaling a plan to turn payphones into what’s billed as the world’s biggest and fastest municipal Wi-Fi network.
Continue reading3D Printer Fills Gaps Onboard U.S.S. Harry Truman
Life at sea is full of improvising. Ships can only carry so much stuff, and can’t easily go to a warehouse for spare parts, so when something is broken or doesn’t quite work right, the crew has to find a solution with what they have on hand. With a 3-D printer on board, that improvisation becomes really easy, as the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman are finding out. One of two U.S. Navy ships deployed to the Middle East with 3-D printers, the utility of the device seems immediately apparent.
Continue readingNew Research Reveals Overwhelming Majority of Parents Believe Technology Has Positive Effect On Their Children’s Lives
Concerns remain over social media, levels of physical activity A new study from the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) reveals that the large majority of parents believe technology has a positive effect on their child’s future, career and life skills (78%) and creativity (64%). Far more parents are concerned about their child’s personal safety and privacy than kids’ technology use.
Continue readingThe Best Photo App for Absolutely Everyone
There are roughly 1.7 zillion photography apps out there. All of them offer a slew of options to improve your snapshots before you share them, but after testing a whole bunch, we’ve pinpointed one that’ll work great for most smartphone owners. It’s called Afterlight.
Continue readingU.S. Internet Connections Are Getting Faster
U.S. Internet connection speeds have tripled over 3-1/2 years to keep up with consumer demands for streaming video and downloading content but the United States still lags many other countries.
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