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March 2013 Issue

There's a good article in the March 2013 New Zealand PC World magazine about "Tomorrow's Technology".

I'm a subscriber to the print magazine.  Although I follow this online as well, I do love the glossy feel of the pages and the smell of the magazine when I take it out of the plastic wrap.  No doubt at some stage the article will appear on the PC World website but having just looked it doesn't seem to be up yet.

Samsumg Galaxy camera

I won't spoil the contents by telling you too much but here's a list of some of the highlights from the article:

• TVs capable of following your hand signals
• Big CCD sensors coming to small cameras (more light captured by the sensor means higher quality pictures)
• Tablets and laptops merging more into a hybrid device
• Android-powered digital cameras like the Samsung (pictured)
• Much faster routers (for better streaming to multiple devices)
• Hybrid hard drives that combine solid state and mechanical drive technologies.

These all seem to be simply the next evolutionary stage of now ubiquitous high tech toys.    Nothing startlingly new here but some useful tweaks to improve the user experience.

Galaxy S4

Check out PC World's first look at the new Samsung Galaxy S4.  Maybe there's not quite the same level of anticipation with Galaxy as there is with iPhone but it's getting up there.

NZ PC World looks at the new Galaxy S4 smartphone

Profiling BBC Future

Tech, science and health side by side at BBC Future

The British Broadcasting Corporation has long been a leader in producing quality journalism and the modern BBC, despite cutbacks and a changing technology landscape, is still at the forefront of media.

Few news sites come close to the depth found at the BBC and if it's not already one of your regular drop-in points, I suggest it's worth a look.

I note that bbc.com has grouped Technology, Science and Health together under an umbrella called BBC Future.  For me as a student of 'Future Trends' this is strong indicator that mighty news providers like the BBC recognise that the increasing synergy between science and technology represent a broad view of the future.

The inclusion of health under this Future banner is evidence that the incredible advances in better health come largely from the application of science and technology.

Smithsonian photo finalist Colleen Pinski, as posted on BBC Future 

BBC Future is well worth a daily visit.

Keeping up with the Joneses

If you are a fan of tech news, there are so many great sites out there in the webosphere.

I particularly love to read snippets of news on my Android phone. Some have dedicated apps and make the whole phone experience so much more enjoyable.

Engadget is probably my favourite source of all things tech, primarily because it's so broad in its coverage.  Check it out at home or download the app if you  have a smartphone.  At least on my Android, it's well formatted and really accessible.

Techradar is another good general source of news, part of the Future Publishing stable out of the United Kingdom.

cnet is a long time player and remains an excellent and extensive source of technology news.

For a localised look at what's happening in New Zealand, Geekzone is excellent.  If you have a specific tech question, the guys on the Geekzone forum are a friendly bunch and have the knowledge of what's possible in our tiny slice of paradise down here in the South Pacific.

Ignore the name, New Zealand PC World is so much more than PCs these days.  A good site with a great cross section of all material that's published in the print edition, plus it's often up on the site before it appears in the magazine.  I'm a long time subscriber and I love it.  

Check back soon for more recommendations on good tech sources !

Troll-y folly

Fairytale Troll

There's been quite a bit of local interest recently around what to do with trolls.  Was there ever a better term coined for what these people are - nasty, petty, miserable creatures, just like the ones from the fairy tales.

It's great to see that they are now widely recognised as bullies and we know what we need to do with bullies - shame them and close them down.

DomPost cover 9/3/2013

I've seen a few local articles just this week - the feature article of the 'Your Weekend' magazine in the Dominion Post and these articles on the Stuff website.

Local troll (Stuff article)

Here be trolls (Stuff article)

People are at least talking about this problem and showing us how to recognise these miscreants.  Awareness that we have a problem is the the first step to putting it right.