Why Flying Cars Are Still In The Horizon

As humans we know how to make a plane. We also know how to make a car. It seems that with all of the technological advancements in our world we would be able to combine these two and make a flying car. Well this concept has been at our horizon of development for many years now and is yet to pleasure many futurists. 

If you went back in time and asked somebody in the 1960's what vehicle transportation would look like today I would bet that they would be moderately disappointed. The 21st century unveiled many new technologies but none of them have been an effective flying car and I will tell you why. 

What comes to mind when you try to reason the concept of a flying vehicle? Besides that fact that it would be extremely cool, it would provide an efficient method of traveling to a given destination by using a direct route. However there is a long list of reasons why this hasn't happened yet and some of them I will touch in this post. 

First of all, the technology required to build this kind of machine that can just take off and land anywhere is going to make the product cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. With that only reaching a small percentage of the consumer market share, there is no drive to develop an infrastructure, which is my next point. Just like there being an infrastructure of roads, highways, and intersections for ground vehicles, there would need to be at least an enforced set of rules, procedures, routes, etc. Without any of that it would be total chaos. Just imagine the hectic rush hour of any major city in the nation. Now picture that without the many years of developed infrastructure and enforcement of laws, procedures, practices, etc. 

With that being said I do think that there is one way that would allow flying vehicles to appear in our lifetimes and that would be with self-flying machines. I hesitate to call them vehicles because it would act more like a machine than what we know now as a vehicle. This machine would ask for the destination and then be able to communicate with every other flying object near them to avoid crashes. The "driver" would not be in charge of controlling any part of the machine while in transit. While some of this technology is starting to emerge with newer cars today, it has a good distance to go to be sufficient in this scenario. 

I love the thought of flying cars but, in all honesty, we won't be seeing them as soon as we like. There are many things that need to happen before we see "cars" flying around but when that day arrives, it shall be great.

-Brady Feldman

Should We Trust a Self-Driving Car?

Over the past century there has been a trend of autonomy, attempting to make the world easier for the average citizen. From the automatic dishwasher, the cell phone contact list (Do you know your best friend’s number?), to the remote vacuum ( http://www.irobot.com/For-the-Home/Vacuum-Cleaning/Roomba.aspx ). It is all in an attempt to make our lives easier. These innovations have become common in our lifestyles, to the point where some users would be helpless without them.

What will be the next major automated innovation? How can we “make life easier” from here? For an innovation to be a major change in our daily lives, it must significantly affect our daily lives. With every innovation comes skepticism, it is part of the process. What’s the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? How many brilliant ideas were made with good intentions, but led to unforeseen consequences? This is the primary question I’ll ask today, can we truly trust the next major innovation in automated living? Can we trust a self-driving car?

The first question you might be asking is “What company has the confidence and aptitude to attempt such a feat?” The answer might surprise you. This project is led by the fascinating minds at Google.

In 2010 Google announced that they were creating a small division within their company for research and experimentation of a self-driving car ( http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-were-driving-at.html ). Their goal? “According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.2 million lives are lost every year in road traffic accidents. We believe our technology has the potential to cut that number, perhaps by as much as half…as well as help create the new “highway trains of tomorrow." We have good intentions from a reputable company, with the resources to support this project, but is the risk of a malfunction worth it?

Google released a promotional video in 2012 giving the public an example of how this technology can change the lives of the handicap (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdgQpa1pUUE). The video shows Steve Mahan, a legally blind man from California working with Google. Steve is in the driver’s seat, relaxing as his car drives him around town and even manages to navigate a taco restaurant’s drive-through! This is a great example of how this technology could change a life, but we should notice that this situation takes place in a controlled situation, minimal traffic, prefect weather, and a planned route.

What do we do about the unforeseen events that come with driving? Some of the known limitations of the self-driving car include, but are not limited to; safe driving during poor weather conditions such as ice, unexpected traffic stops such as an officer directing traffic, and the system’s inability to discern a major hazard from trash on the street.

It will be interesting to see how Google progresses with their self-driving car, it could be the next major innovation that shifts the world yet again.

Andrew Miller

Apple Releases iOS 8.1- New Features and Fixes

Today on October 20th, Apple released its next update for iPhones and iPads, iOS 8.1. This is a departure from the way Apple generally releases new software. In the past major .1 updates haven't come for at least 2 to 3 months after a X.0 release. Apple has already sent out two updates, 8.0.1 & 8.0.2 in the past months in an attempt to cure problems some users had come across, but those were temporary fixes and the 8.1 update should be a catch all fix. 

Apple has always been the leader of the pack when it comes to user experience and while it might not always be the first to release a service, they tend to do it right when they do. Apple Pay is expected to single handily bring NFC mobile payments to the mainstream. While Google has offered its Google Wallet service for years it was always hampered by a lack of usability due to so few locations that accepted tap & pay as a payment option. Before their service has even launched, Apple has gotten a large amount of major retailers including Nike, Macy’s, Starbucks and Walgreens onboard as well as over 450 banks.

Another break out feature that isn’t being talked about as much is the ability to send SMS messages from a both iPads and Mac computers. Apple is touting their continuity and handoff features which allow seamless connection between all of your devices. Android users have had the ability to send SMS messages using a desktop or tablet for a while now using services like Pushbullet or Mighty Text, but those services don’t always work the way they are intended and tend to feel a bit hacky in nature. Apple makes the transition easy enough anyone can do it and all they have to do is update to the latest versions. IMessage now truly is the king of all messaging platforms.

Here’s a quick rundown of the 8.1 change log-

·        Photos includes new features, improvements and fixes

o   Adds iCloud phot library as a beta service

o   Adds Camera Roll album in photos app and my photo stream album when iCloud phot library is not enabled

o   Provides alerts when running low on space before capturing Time Lapse

·        Messages includes new features, improvements and fixes

o   Adds the ability for iPhone users to send and receive SMS and MMS text messages from their iPad and Mac

o   Resolves and issue where search would sometimes not display results

o   Fixes issues with group messaging

·        Resolves issues with Wi-Fi Performance that could occur when connected to some base stations

·        Fixes an issue that could prevent connections to Bluetooth hands-free devices

·        Adds an option to select between 2G, 3G, or LTE networks for cellular data

·        Adds Airdrop Support for Passbook Passes

·        Enables Health kit apps to access data in the background

While this isn’t the longest list of changes, there are some notable ones like being able to change your data connection type that users have wanted for some time now. Many of the changes are fixes to problems caused by 8.0-8.0.2, which some would say is an example of Apple’s wavering services. But Apple has responded to and fixed those issues in less than a month time, which I think we can all agree is a pretty speedy turn around. 

-Scott Evans