Internet of Things

Unsubscribing to <...we...>, while there is still choice...

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. There are already too many ways for hackers to cause mischief. I feel we're already past the point where we should have stopped trading security for convenience. JMHO.

You might as well play out the hand you've been dealt to see what happens...it might be a good thing...and if it's not, you won't be alone,,,,and there's strength in numbers....

I wonder if that CGI was made with a Macintosh?

It's too late. We're all going to die. It's just the rate that's different.

For another laugh, see our article, "Some Things You Didn't Know You Needed - From the IoT." Every day I wonder if there really is a market for this crap. And I'm usually wrong - there is. I have to give Zuckerberg credit. He saw that the market for people who want to waste time was hugely underserved.

jhammond

The mind boggles at the minds of the people who invented these things. Just because a thing can be done does not imply that it should be done.

I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that my dogs would try very hard to kill any drone that tried to walk them -- or at least they'd bark their heads off if the sound was off-putting.

Here's one of my favorite titles. (because it's my invention)

The attorney gave it the title, "Interdigitized disk waveform baffle system for directing fluid stream against substrate sheet"

He didn't like "wavy baffle". Too simple.

The prototypes actually worked quite well, then the company was sold and I moved on.

Interesting patent, Lyn. It's nice when the invention is actually prototyped, works, and has a shot at commercialization. Not every case I have works out that way. (He said, understatedly.)

jhammond

Interestingly, my design staff at the time said it'd never work. I smiled and said "humor me". They did.

I'd be surprised if they aren't on machines built by the company that bought us out. I had just finished getting the production tooling and running the first few parts, when we sold out.

Before this career, I spent almost 20 years in liquid thin film coating R&D for organic photoconductors. We had some high level modelers predicting what would and wouldn't work, but overall the problems were pretty complex and unpredictable. Hence stupid things were worth trying. On the IP side, patentability of successful methods and apparatus often was based on "unexpected results." Unexpected, at least, by the theoreticians.

j

It's a brave new world my friend.

I was thinking more like a corporate version of Orwell's "1984" and big brother than Huxley's "Brave New World". But both dystopias have there own ring of truth today.

There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him.' Robert Heinlein

A Certain government mandated health care plan sounds familiar,where you were made to pay a penalty for not taking something you did not want so that others could get it cheaper.

That has now been deleted.

In the future,I see your refrigerator,breadbox,freezer,cupboard,bar compiling a list of things you need to replenish,placing the order,having it delivered to you at a safe portico and your account debited automatically.

Work from home will be the norm,and the outside world will become the domain of wildlife,exiles and criminals,and it will be dangerous to leave your home.

"Work" will simply be a means of keeping busy,doing totally useless things that you are payed for.Perhaps playing a game to achieve a certain score.

AI will do most of the jobs,and the people will be supported by taxes on the output of the automated machines.

Sounds far-fetched?"No one has ever lost money by overestimating the stupidity of the general public." (PT Barnum,I think)

I have seen examples of this already,without AI:

I was filling up my car one day,and I saw a couples of state workers digging a hole.Their truck had a trailer behind it loaded with signs.

One worker was digging the holes,and the other was going behind him and filling them up.

Curious,I asked what they were doing.

One of them said:"This is usually a three man crew.I dig the holes,Bill puts in the sign,and Fred fills the holes up.Bill is out sick today,so we have to carry on without him.

Here is what happens when a lawyer changes his major to engineering:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yefVpB5GEio