Just because we can’t see something, doesn’t mean it isn’t real. Technology is widespread, over a third of the globe uses the internet, and most of those users have smartphones and laptops. These devices run off of wifi, wavelengths and frequencies in the air that connect devices to the internet or to each other. The article is interesting because it states that a company is going to use the wavelengths already present amongst us as fuel to power and charge internet devices. This is a very futuristic idea but it is one that professionals expect to see in 2-3 years. Most devices if not all charge on a battery, if you don’t have a battery, your device needs to be plugged into a power source, limiting mobility, but not with this idea. Transferring  power wirelessly reportedly uses 1/1000 of a normal power supply, not only ,making wireless powering, more efficient, but also lowering energy uses to help preserve the environment. I am excited to see how this new technology plays out and how the technology market will change because of this new innovative gadget.

        In addition to being a better energy saver, wifi connected devices are expected to have longer range than the average bluetooth and cellular powered gadgets. This would be very good news for consumers since there losing signal and weak signal is a big complaint amongst cell phone users including myself. One may think that this is all too good to be true but to add to the excitement, the chips that developers would use to connect via wifi are extremely cheap to make, some estimate less than a dollar per device. What are the drawbacks? The article states no major cons, but I believe that this may affect consumer health. For the same reason why many people revert to not keeping their cell phones in their pockets because of frequency harm to many users’ thighs, Strengthening a wavelength signal and having it present everywhere we go could cause safety issues.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/600773/10-breakthrough-technologies-2016-power-from-the-air/

          A DNA app store will be able to tell users more about their health issues, history, and cures for their health problems. Medical technology has advanced so much so that we can do and fix just about anything with the help of technology. The extent to where a machine knows our DNA is crossing the line however. Information is always stored, regardless of if an icon pops up on your phone or computer notifying you that you deleted certain files, it’s not forever deleted. Many times, your information is stored on servers across the world in order to benefit advertisers and large corporations. If we purchase an Easy Bulb, the system that allows us to control our lights or temperature from home, it’s a very useful tool. But this also gives advertisers information about us, mostly they will know when we leave the house. And this is part of the Internet of things, which we learned is very insecure. So what if a hacker was able to hack into that system, they would know when a the user is not at home, and can proceed to rob that house. The same concept applies to this DNA technology, if this gets into the wrong hands, it would not be good for the users, who’s to say it’s already not in the wrong hands in the first place though?

          Our information is just floating around the internet, almost free for everyone to take and use, all as a result of human beings being lazy, as described by Nicholas Carr in his book: “The shadows, technology can be of use and assistance, but it should not take over our lives, however that seems to be where the road of technology is heading. It may benefit us now, but not in the long run.” Having DNA on the internet also may make the physical user themselves, part of the internet of things. There are already apps out there like Google maps that can basically track your location and let you know how to get to your intended destination, but this app might physically be able to put you on the map like the rest of technology, to the point where each person has an assigned IP address like any other device. Advertisers and the government would know exactly where you would be at any given time. This is Hollywood coming to life.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/600769/10-breakthrough-technologies-2016-dna-app-store/

The internet of things, there are pros and cons when it comes to this particular issue, more devices connected to the internet, easier interface and usability, with multiple devices connected to the internet like our toaster, house lights, and fridge, it can serve as a very productive form of assistance for busy people. Super cool! But what is the other side to having everything in your home and around you connected to the internet? Information, and security.

This is always a concern whether users think about it or not. The more devices you have connected to the internet the more information you are displaying about yourself not just to the advertising companies, but also to hackers, which poses as a threat to your security. For example, you have now connected a fridge to the internet, now you can look inside your fridge when you’re not at home and adjust the temperature. Great. But now the corporation who made that fridge knows what time you leave the house, what kind of food you like, and can even deduce how much you eat out depending on the usage.

The internet of things is not 100% safe and only viewable to the corporations, as nothing really is on the internet, so for example say that a hacker was able to breach your system. Now they know when you leave the house, hence they could use this great power of technology for malicious intent. So the internet of things has its upside, but I believe its downside weighs much more.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeb-harrison/the-internet-of-things_b_11553446.html

Google’s self driving car is a buzz all over the internet. A car that can drive itself, something we only see in movies and hollywood and comic books. This may be exciting now but it is important to understand the effects of the self driving car in the long run.

The way I see Google’s self driving car is that it is only a tool for human beings who are too lazy to do anything. This new gadget will serve no other purpose that would benefit anyone except for entertainment, and if it is any good, I believe that the cons outweigh the pro. Taxi drivers would go out of business, even if taxi’s still existed by the time Google’s self driving car consumed the market, human beings wouldn’t be needed to control the vehicle, so it would be putting a lot of people out of their jobs. In addition UBER drivers would lose their jobs, truck drivers would eventually lose their jobs, and those people who park your car would eventually be without a job.

I believe that technology is making human beings lazier and only decreases the majority’s’ standard of living in order to increase the standard of living of a few. So Google’s self driving car will cause the economy to crumble, or at least part of it, at the expense of the middle class workers.

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/052014/how-googles-selfdriving-car-will-change-everything.asp

The internet of things, there are pros and cons when it comes to this particular issue, more devices connected to the internet, easier interface and usability, with multiple devices connected to the internet like our toaster, house lights, and fridge, it can serve as a very productive form of assistance for busy people. Super cool! But what is the other side to having everything in your home and around you connected to the internet? Information, and security.

This is always a concern whether users think about it or not. The more devices you have connected to the internet the more information you are displaying about yourself not just to the advertising companies, but also to hackers, which poses as a threat to your security. For example, you have now connected a fridge to the internet, now you can look inside your fridge when you’re not at home and adjust the temperature. Great. But now the corporation who made that fridge knows what time you leave the house, what kind of food you like, and can even deduce how much you eat out depending on the usage.

The internet of things is not 100% safe and only view able to the corporations, as nothing really is on the internet, so for example say that a hacker was able to breach your system. Now they know when you leave the house, hence they could use this great power of technology for malicious intent. So the internet of things has its upside, but I believe its downside weighs much more.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeb-harrison/the-internet-of-things_b_11553446.html

Google’s self driving car is a buzz all over the internet. A car that can drive itself, something we only see in movies and Hollywood and comic books. This may be exciting now but it is important to understand the effects of the self driving car in the long run.

The way I see Google’s self driving car is that it is only a tool for human beings who are too lazy to do anything. This new gadget will serve no other purpose that would benefit anyone except for entertainment, and if it is any good, I believe that the cons outweigh the pro. Taxi drivers would go out of business, even if taxi’s still existed by the time Google’s self driving car consumed the market, human beings wouldn’t be needed to control the vehicle, so it would be putting a lot of people out of their jobs. In addition UBER drivers would lose their jobs, truck drivers would eventually lose their jobs, and those people who park your car would eventually be without a job.

I believe that technology is making human beings lazier and only decreases the majority’s’ standard of living in order to increase the standard of living of a few. So Google’s self driving car will cause the economy to crumble, or at least part of it, at the expense of the middle class workers.

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/052014/how-googles-selfdriving-car-will-change-everything.asp

A Dutch artist recently created a device that puts technology at the forefront of combating pollution, and even climate change. Daan Roosegaarde invented what the world now knows as the “smog vacuum.” This device is a 7-meter tall tower which contains and air purifier which essential sucks in the smog from the air. You’re probably wondering where the art part comes in, right? This smog vacuum then takes it one step further by compressing the smog particles into the gems. This strikes me as a perfect examples of disruptive innovation. Roosegaarde, an artist and an individual concerned with air pollution has placed himself on a world stage that is now garnering attention to the severity of air pollution in China, as well as attention for himself as an artist.

Many artists have often brought attention to problems that society is facing, and through his disruptive innovation, he has gained global attention, He has also garnered a great deal of attention to the issue of our human impacts on the environment, as well as climate change, and environmental degradation. In my opinion, this causes us to stop and think about whether or not we are currently doing enough to combat the situation in the environment we have created. It sort of made me thing, well if an artist can create gems from smog, then are we really doing all we can to help the environment, and could this potentially encourage more cities and countries to actively combat pollution? Well this was already occuring before Roosegaarde. A plethora of individuals and companies have created devices that combat our carbon footprints in a variety of ways. Some are more simple, yet still effective, like the “smart” showerhead that alerts you when you’ve used far too much water, or the “power tile” which generates electricity when people walk on it, and even a wristband that tracks you carbon footprint as you go through the day.

All of these technologies are innovations that represent the amazing elements of the IOT. It seems that the Internet of Things often get a bad reputation for its creepy nature, however technology can bring about incredibly eco-friendly change. It’t time we started recognizing these efforts and promoting them, so that we can continue to be tech savvy, whilst saving the environment, one gadget at a time!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/smog-free-tower-beijing-air-pollution_us_57ed6e0ae4b0c2407cdcbaae

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/craig-and-marc-kielburger/eco-friendly-home_b_9100294.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/this-shower-head-can-stop-you-wasting-so-much-water-a6819591.html

Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde holds smog particles collected by the Smog Free Tower, the world’s largest smog vacuum cleaner as the artist presents his The Smog Free Project at D-751 art zone in Beijing September 29, 2016. The Smog Free Project consist of 7-meter tall the Smog Free Tower, the large air purifier that creates an area of clean air around it and the Smog Free Jewellery that are made of compressed smog particles. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj