The Future is Now! Well, maybe next year.

The computer monitor on my counter wants me to touch it. No, I realize that it is not a touch-screen and that swiping my fingers across its lighted surface will yield no result and leave fingerprints where none belong. Yet, there are icons there that call out to me, a tempting array of “apps” that are new, and mysterious. Sure, I can click with my mouse cursor, but these programs scream out that they are meant to be touched. Like the fabled explorers of yore, I have discovered a new world. My computer is running Windows8™!

The natural reaction at this point is to ask, “But didn’t they just release Windows7™ recently?” In fact, Windows7™ was released to retail sales on October 22^nd, 2009, almost 2 years ago. With a projected release of Windows8™ to be in the Fall of 2012, that will have been three years since the previous OS release.

The next question that is nagging at your brain is, “Hey! If Windows8™ isn’t being released until a year from now, how the heck are you playing with it already?” Last week, Microsoft™ made Windows8™ available for download as a Developer’s Preview. This is a preliminary version that is made available for software developers to use as a tool to write programs for. I downloaded and installed it just for fun. (Translated: Geek cannot resist). Remember, this is a preview version and not fully functional so kids, don’t try this at home.

OK, so with all of the boring stuff out of the way, what makes this so exciting and why am I so compelled to touch my screen? I have had a vision of the future and the future is…Tablet. Microsoft™ has sent a very clear message with the design of Windows8™. The message is that they feel the direction that personal computing is taking is tablet oriented. The “Metro™” interface of the display is obviously meant for a touch-screen using swiping motions. My crystal ball is showing me a probable assortment of Windows8™ tablets in the near future. With so many applications and resources available online now, in “the Cloud”, maybe the thing that most of us need is a super-portable computer that we can use anywhere. With a Windows™ based tablet, you could access files and devices on your home network. You could easily print movie tickets. With a built-in camera and Video-Chat software, you have a video-phone. You could stream media files like movies and TV shows from your Media Center computer to anywhere in your home. (Remember “Cutting the Cable”?)

I’m probably getting ahead of myself, but if I am having these techno-fantasies, I can’t imagine that the people who build this stuff aren’t having even wilder ones. So if you want to see what the future looks like, just stop by anytime and play. And so what if it’s not a touch-screen. Give in to the temptation to touch. It won’t work yet, but I have plenty of cleaning spray.

Being Thankful

I know that it has been 2 weeks since Thanksgiving, but I thought it was time to talk about the things for which I am personally thankful, technologically speaking.

I am thankful for online music services. Who would have thought that at the touch of a button I could be listening to “Afternoon Delight” by Starland Vocal Band? I have slept many a restful night in the comfort that I would live the rest of my life and probably never hear that song again, but because of Spotify™ I can hear this and all of my favorite hits from the 70’s. Brings me right back to my unreasonably long hair and Qiana shirts. (Google THAT). By the way, Tuesday is always 70’s day at The Computer Cafe here in Winchester so stop by.

I am thankful for Google™.  Arguments are a thing of the past due to the ability to verify facts at a moment’s notice. It has been confirmed, right at the dinner table, that your eyes will not in fact “pop out” if you leave them open while sneezing. Helena is the capital of Montana and a penny dropped from the top of the Empire State building will not drill a hole 4 feet into the concrete.

I am thankful for my Smartphone, not for any coolness factor or its ability to find me the best Thai food within walking distance. I am thankful for being able to carry around an assortment of pictures of my kids that would never have fit into even the overstuffed wallet of George Costanza. My colleague stopped by yesterday and showed me a movie of his first child dancing for the first time. I need to rephrase this so you can fully absorb it. Go back in time and tell your 1985 self. He carries a MOVIE of his daughter in his pocket!

I am thankful for the online availability of TV shows and movies. Without the almost unlimited selection of entertainment sources I would not be able to spend my evenings camped out, buried deep in my sofa in a passive stimulus coma. If it were not for Hulu™ and Netflix™ I would have to engage in conversation with my family or even fix things around the house. I would not have been able to expose my children to the timeless treasure of “The Partridge Family”.

I am thankful for Geocaching. I can’t tell you what that is because it is a secret. There are millions of “caches” hidden all over the world. You walk past them every day and don’t even know it. I shouldn’t have even told you this much because it is secret. The fun part is you use technology in the form of a GPS device to find the hidden spots and then use clues to find the Cache itself. When you find it, you can usually sign a log sheet and sometimes even trade little prizes left behind by other players. It’s a great way to spend time outdoors and exercising while using Tech. The best part is that it is all secret, except the parts I gave away…which is actually most of it…but don’t tell anyone. Remember, secret. Especially the website (www.geocaching.com) which I never should have told you.

I am ever so thankful for Facebook™. Without Facebook, I would never know who was going to the dentist or had dented their car in the mall parking lot. I would never get to see 38 pictures of someone’s Chihuahua puppy, which all kind of looked the same. I would never have been offered a Pig by someone playing a game while they were obviously at work.

I also never would have had to opportunity to reconnect with a friend from over 30 years ago with whom I have found to have so much more in common than I would have thought, and to have been able to meet up for drinks at The Black Horse Tavern at almost the spur of the moment. I would never have known about many of the ordinary triumphs and tribulations of my geographically distant family members. I never would have known about friends’ accomplishments as musicians, politicians, adoptive parents, actors, photographers, teachers and even world renowned Bloggers. ;-)

I joke about reading about people’s dentist visits, but those are the kind of things that you talk about with your friends. The online world is our backyard fence over which we have the late afternoon talk with Wilson. It lets us stay in touch about all of the things that matter, the large and the small, the momentous and the mundane. So, this holiday season get yourself online and reconnect with someone from your past that you always liked but never got close with. Trust me it is worth the effort. And really, it’s as easy as pushing a button. Seriously, dude, that easy.

Happy Holidays.

QR Codes? Well, scan me now!

A man stopped while walking along the sidewalk. He took out his smart phone and pointed it at a weird looking jumble of black and white blocks on a sticker he saw on a lamp post. He waited a second, looking at the screen on his phone, and smiled. I guess he noticed me staring at him because he turned, held up his phone and said to me, “I just won a free pizza!”

A woman parked her car at the curb. There was no parking meter there, but she knew that there was a fee for parking. She noticed a small sign with a similar looking jumbled block of black and white. Out came her Smartphone and she pointed it at the sign. Again, noticing me staring at her, she held up her phone and said, “Here is a map to show where the Pay Station machine is.”

Before you start accusing me of being a Smartphone stalker, these two stories are examples of QR Codes. They are popping up all over the place, on posters, advertisements and yes, even on telephone poles. They can be set up to do all sorts of cool things.

Originally designed to track parts in automobile factories, the QR(Quick Response) code is a two dimensional matrix of dark blocks on a light background, in a square shape. A QR scanner can decode these symbols into any of a number of responses. If you have a Smartphone you can install any of a number of free apps to scan QR codes. Scanning a QR Code can prompt your phone to display a message, open a website, receive a VCard (like a digital business card) or even generate an email or text message.

Companies are using QR Codes to enhance their advertising and promotional materials. Some ads will have QR Codes with special offers or even link directly to the web site to order the product they are promoting. QR Codes can also be just for fun, because you can generate and print them yourself. There are many websites and programs, also mostly free, which let you create your own custom QR Codes for almost any use you could imagine.

Just imagine a QR Code Scavenger Hunt! You could start by scanning one code which would tell you somewhere you have to go. When you get to the location, there might be some fun activity you have to do, or a trivia question to answer. Once you complete your task, you get a new code to scan, which leads you to your next location and task. Eventually you return to the original location to claim triumph, having used 21^st Century technology to have great, outdoor fun and maybe even get some exercise too.