Smokescreen (37 page)
Authors: Meredith Fletcher and Vicki Hinze Doranna Durgin
1 MATRIX.
No doubt about it, this mind-bender featuring Keanu Reeves started moviegoers everywhere talking about what is and what could be. Filled with near-tech and Japanese-style action, MATRIX delivers a double-fistload of provocation and violence.
2 HACKERS.
If we all agree that the actual computer work and accompanying dramatization of the same was incredibly wrong, this is still a fun film and can be enjoyed. This movie also opened a lot of eyes to what young people might be doing with their computers instead of homework.
3 SNEAKERS.
Starring Robert Redford and Sydney Poitier (two leading men for the price of one!), this movie was a more cerebral approach to cyberchaos in today’s world. A lot of fun and a peek at the world that was coming.
4 THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN.
Posing as a full integration between man and machine, Steve Austin (played by hunky Lee Majors) starred as a secret agent (“I’m about to raise your security level.”) equipped with bionic limbs. THE BIONIC WOMAN was a spin-off series featuring Jaime Sommers (Lindsay Wagner). Both series are reportedly coming to DVD soon.
5 THE NET.
Sandra Bullock plays a computer-savvy virus hunter who ends up taking on a murderous cyberphreak after the program he created could cripple the United States. A great popcorn-and-ice-cream movie. In addition, a limited television series based on the film exists that further extrapolates Angela Bennett’s run for her life.
6 TRON.
Although aimed at the younger set, TRON nevertheless intrigues film watchers interested in the what-if of virtual reality.
7 BLADE RUNNER.
Harrison Ford stars as a burnt-out cop chasing Replicants, artificial beings that have learned to kill in order to preserve their lives. The peek at this dark future world as well as the very human lives trapped within it is great.
8 GHOST IN THE SHELL.
Probably the hottest-selling anime movie ever. Motoko Kusanagi is a cyborg chasing a computer hacker known as The Puppet Master. A definite influence on THE MATRIX and the whole cyberpunk movement.
9 T2.
Although some might disagree with the choice and the exclusion of the first Terminator film, T2 really stood apart not only in the tech department regarding the action and what-if scenarios (and the chilling depiction of the T-1000 by Robert Patrick!) but in the special effects, as well.
10 WAR GAMES.
This chiller starring Matthew Broderick kicked off the artificial intelligence examinations by the film industry. Although intensely dated these days, the movie nevertheless sets forth the idea of a sentient computer judging the world.
Yes, I know I probably left some of your favorites off the list. And I probably included some that you don’t agree with. I’d be happy to entertain discussion at [email protected]. If you haven’t seen all of these movies, you really should.
Anyone who grew up reading science fiction knows that we’re now living in a world that’s really far beyond anyone’s expectations based on the technology of twenty and thirty years ago. The sheer immensity of how much technology has invaded our everyday world is only matched by the unbelievable casual disregard for it.
Microwave ovens, television remote controls and video games (remember Pong? Or Space Invaders?) were all in their infancy. Computers weren’t thought of as a household necessity, and few people believed their kids would be doing their homework on them or be able to check their school grades by simply accessing a Web page. I’ve got a friend who has wired his computer system throughout his house. Using just his voice while sitting in his easy chair (as long as he’s able to speak into a microphone to the computer), he can turn the lights on and off, change temperatures throughout the house, retrieve his e-mail messages and bring up the alarms that safeguard his house.
Here is a short, compact list of the coolest technology currently available on the market. The discussion about each is brief, but there is plenty of information about all of these items on the Internet—and in the library for those of you who haven’t yet learned the intricacies of surfing the cyber world.
1. WiFi (Wireless Fidelity).
Without a doubt, this budding technology is going to change the face of the world. Setting up a network at home that will allow you access to your online connection from your desktop computer, notebook computer and pocket PC (not to mention the kids’ X-Box) is relatively simple. Everything you need comes in a kit and you can have it running within minutes and say goodbye to cables running throughout the house. Once the home network is set up, you can take your notebook computer out to the backyard pool and crunch numbers or write books while watching the kids frolic (or while watching that handsome hunk do half-gainers off the diving board!). WiFi allows a frequent computer user/Internet surfer to change surroundings easily, with no need for rerouting cables. Several bookstores and coffee shops offer WiFi hotspots with Internet access for free, and those numbers are growing every day. In 2004, Cincinnati, Ohio, was the first American city to go totally wireless.
2. Mobile Ad Hoc Network.
An offshoot of the WiFi networks, a mobile ad hoc network relies on the availability of other network users. If a car going down the highway is equipped to receive the Internet from that city’s hot points while on the go, the receiving car also acts as a sending station, theoretically pushing out as much information as it takes in. Therefore, like the individual pearls that make up a necklace, the Internet signal is pushed farther and farther by each computer accessing it. These networks will expand the potential of computer users.
3. BlueTooth.
This wireless application is quickly replacing the need even for the nifty and ever versatile USB cables. Only a few years ago, every peripheral that hooked up to the home computer seemed to come with its own connection. Then USB came onto the market and all the peripherals started speaking the same language and being able to share com ports. With BlueTooth installed on two devices, such as a pocket PC and a cell phone or a pocket PC and a desktop PC or a PC of any kind and a printer, those paired devices communicate efficiently and without cables. BlueTooth enables hands-free operation of cell phones in cars, with recognition of up
to five different cell phone numbers. The only drawback is that the paired devices have to be within 33 feet of each other. Simple encryption keeps others from intercepting your signals even out in public. If your devices (like the printer you use nearly every day) didn’t come equipped with BlueTooth, you can add a USB plug-in (capable of being used by all your BlueTooth devices instead of a cable—er, plug-in—for each). Do away with the cable spaghetti in your office!
4. GPS.
Everyone seems to take this technology for granted because it has definitely become so pervasive in society. GPS just rolls trippingly off the tongue. Even most users don’t know how the technology works. (A GPS-equipped device passively contacts at least four of the 24 U.S. Air Force satellites kept in 12-hour orbits around the planet. But you knew that, right?) Many phones come equipped with GPS locaters installed for 911 calls so emergency teams or law enforcement personnel can quickly find them. Less climatic but no less stressful, many cars now come equipped with GPS and an onboard route mapper so the driver always knows where he or she is. If your vehicle doesn’t have GPS and a mapping system built in, one can be quickly added for a modest price. Even
pocket PCs (like the IPAQ, discussed next) can be equipped with a GPS sleeve that allows communication with those space-based satellites that constantly know where you are. And the technology can be used for more frivolous purposes than simply having to ask the next convenience-store clerk how to get where you’re going. One of my friends maps a golf course with a pocket PC program, then uses GPS to check the distance on his golf swing!
5. Pocket PCs.
First of all, a PDA (personal digital assistant) is not a pocket PC. A lot of confusion exists on the similarity and function of each. A PDA basically keeps up with contacts, appointments, some math utilities, etc. A pocket PC on the other hand (like IPAQ’s awesome device and Dell’s new Axim) runs Windows-based products like Word, Outlook, Excel, Microsoft Money, MSN Messenger, Streets and Trips, etc. If a program exists on your desktop that you like, chances are that one exists for the pocket PC or is coming soon. In addition to handling your checking and travel arrangements, pocket PCs also take care of your e-mail and online needs when linked by BlueTooth to your cell phone. Recently, though, IPAQ has started manufacturing their pocket PCs with phones built into them, eliminating the need of carrying a
phone while upgrading to a nearly full-on computer experience. Worried about managing your pocket PC on the go while juggling the same files you’re working on away from home? Afraid that you’ll mix them up? With the docking functionality (by USB cable, BlueTooth or infrared) the pocket PC communicates with the desktop or notebook PC and updates the latest information between both, including your expense account and changes to your projects as well as e-mail updates.
6. MP3.
Despite getting a somewhat black eye over the music downloads that go on, MP3 format audio is—for the moment—the best tech going for those products. MP3 works by encoding digital audio data into a compressed format called a bitstream. The second part of the tech decodes it on your device (such as your computer, iPod or DVD/MP3 player in your home or car). I love to listen to audiobooks as well as music, but keeping up with all of those CDs gets problematic, and I’ve been known to lose or destroy a few. Now audiobooks are being manufactured on DVD in MP3 format. All on one disk. You could upload them to your iPod so you can take it with you wherever you go. Personally, I just dump audiobooks onto my IPAQ Pocket PC and play them through my
car stereo. That way my originals stay in perfect condition. MP3 allows you to put 12 times as much audio on a hard drive, portable drive, CD or DVD. I don’t know about you, but I can always use extra closet space!
7. TiVo.
Absolutely an incredible product for those of us who are constantly on the go. I like television. It soothes and relaxes and entertains. But being busy sometimes means not being home to catch every episode of a favorite show (like
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias, 24, Lost, Desperate Housewives, CSI, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, House, Veronica Mars
—pick your own delish dish!). TiVo, with its season pass, records your favorite shows automatically when you’re not there.
8. Bittorrent.
Another cyber utility that is getting a black eye, Bittorrent allows video compression of files. Unfortunately, a number of movies appear on the Internet before being released on U.S. screens (because of the 12-hour time difference between China and other countries and the U.S.). Pirates with handheld recorders download the first-release movies then upload them to the Internet. However, I love Bittorrent for the simple fact that sometimes local television preempts one of my favorite shows (can’t be
lieve they do that) or a show is moved around and the season passes on the TiVo get into conflict (don’t you hate when that happens) and I can go onto the Internet and download whatever episode I want to see. Occasionally, an episode gets chopped up by local events (news, weather, a Presidential speech) and I want to see it without those things getting in the way. A quick trip to my favorite Bittorrent site on the Internet takes care of that!
9. eBooks.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s something
so
magical about holding a book in your hands and kicking back in a chaise lounge at the beach (with guys playing volleyball nearby). But when I’m on the go, I like the portability of the eBook. A simple download puts a book on your notebook PC or pocket PC (it really is a versatile tool and entertainment center all rolled up into one!) so you can read it on the plane, in a hotel room, in a doctor’s office or at the beach.
10. MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game).
Okay, this last one is purely a guilty pleasure. Getting on the Internet and immersing myself in another world with people I meet online is just sheer fun. I get to be somebody else, anybody I want to be. MMORPGs had their beginnings
in MUDs (Multi-User Dungeon) but have far outstripped anything that has gone before. In addition to playing really cool games in real time, I get to meet interesting people and form friendships that stay neatly within the game. Also, the games run 24 hours a day, so when I’m restless, I can pop in and see what’s going on, exchange strategy or news with one of my buds and potentially save the world while I’m at it! It’s a win-win situation. One of the grandest MMORPGs is Everquest, but my favorite for the past few months is Cryptic Studios’ City of Heroes. I get to be a superhero, have cool powers and I look really great in spandex!
There you have it. A list of technology and gadgets that I think are the coolest around. Take a look and see what you think. If you want to compare notes, I can be reached at [email protected], if I’m not busy catching up on television or battling some archvillain!