It is interesting how much we take modern technology for granted these days. We read stories of people who believe their in-car GPS units over common sense and have ended up on dead- end streets, in rivers, lakes and the sides of house _ in one case up a tree. The younger generation believe Google and Wikipedia over Grandpa, who was actually there. People create fantasy words in which they spend hours, but real-life meetings are sometimes avoided.
But technology can't solve everything yet.
I'm writing this a few days after retinal detachment surgery, and while technology was used in the procedure, the healing is up to nature. Perhaps there is a future where healing couches seen in sci-fi movies are available, but not just yet.
This, however, means watching 3D movies is out, at least for my foreseeable future.
If you grabbed the 3D version of the latest Doctor Who special and are getting a headache watching it, you can blame the BBC for a mistake in the "side-by-side" format, which splits an image to present it three-dimensionally to viewers wearing the proper glasses. In the case of the special, the left side contains the BBC's logo while the right doesn't. This, in turn, can lead to eye strain and headaches.
Everywhere I look these days, it is all about the Xbox One versus the PS4. Newspapers and bloggers are comparing the two, and writing about problems surfacing from rushed deliveries in time for Christmas shoppers, who are having a difficult time tracking the systems down. In the end, it will come down to which system gets games out the fastest and at a decent price.
Some Xbox One buyers are getting a game for free, not because of a special offer, but because their disc drives are broken. PS4-lovers should wait to gloat, though, because their device has its own problems. The Xbox One's issue concerns the optical disc drives making a crunching or clicking sound when it reads game discs. Others have complained about HDMI connection problems and a new "Green Screen of Death". Despite these issues, Microsoft has reported good sales _ but not as good as the PS4.
If you are not happy about either choice, there is a third option _ the new box from iBuyPower, a Steam OS-based device. The unit is essentially a high-end PC in a console-like box that runs Linux. The specs are close to the the Xbox One and the PS4, and uses WiFi for connectivity and Bluetooth for Valve's Steam Controller. It generates full HD, but won't be available until 2014. There is a good base of ready-to-go games from Steam out there, so this console may catch on as well.
Still on consoles, Microsoft has decided that swearing will be out on the Xbox Live gaming service. Private chats will still be OK, but use too many curse words and you may find yourself in the "sin bin" for 24 hours. This has the Twitterverse and the blogosphere overflowing with comments. The real question is where you draw the line. One player was bounced for contracting the name Richard, a perfectly common occurrence that attracted the wrath of the Microsoft Cussing Engine (my term). It is then somewhat ironic that the Microsoft games trailers contain swear words, such as those in Dead Rising 3 and Battlefield 3. On the latter, anyone who has ever had any experience in the military will know that profanity is a regular component of everyday speech, and to remove it from a heat-of-the-battle situation reduces the realism level considerably.
Over in PS4 land, user reviews are starting to come in. The PS4 appears to be an evolution rather than a revolution over the PS3, much like upgrading your PC with the latest graphics card. Unless you count the new Share button, there are no new features such as a better networking system, for example, though that may come later. The current video quality using Share is poor at the moment, so Sony will need to improve this. The ability to play earlier games on the Gaikai cloud is also not in place and is currently in "vapourware" status. There is no 3D Blu-ray support, which is surprising, but a lack of MP3 or DLNA support is just strange. Then again, Sony has a poor history with MP3. All in all, the feeling is that the PS4 is an unfinished product with lots of promise, but not a lot available out of the box.
A local Thai man was found dead recently clutching his iPhone 4S while it was plugged into the wall. The charger was of third party, i.e. not an Apple product. Apple takes great pains to stop any competition in any part of their product set, including using special circuits to stop others from producing, say, a charger. There have been a number of deaths to date caused by non-Apple devices being used with Apple products. Be careful about what you use to charge your devices and avoid using them when they are connected to a charger.
James Hein is an IT professional of over 30 years' standing. You can contact him at jclhein@gmail.com