#49 – The Great Stench Debacle via Future Chat – This week, we discuss the future of electric cars … http://t.co/X9qS8DDHmW
— Future Chat (@FutureChats) February 16, 2015
Tag: Technology
Future Chat #49 – The Great Stench Debacle
Future Chat #48 – The First Poop Segue
Future Chat #48 – The First Poop Segue http://t.co/QG3zPfwcQ6 #futurechat #science #tech #poop #podcast
— Future Chat (@FutureChats) February 10, 2015
Future Chat #47 – That Unfortunate Looking Car
#47 – That Unfortunate Looking Car http://t.co/D76U3OJqnK #futurechat #science #tech #mercedes
— Future Chat (@FutureChats) February 3, 2015
Future Chat #46 – What About Duck Hunt?
#46 – What About Duck Hunt via Future Chat – This week, we get up to speed on the week in … http://t.co/agGoFczorL
— Future Chat (@FutureChats) January 25, 2015
Future Chat #45 – Rogers Whispered Sweet Nothings
This week on +Future Chat, we disprove more pseudoscience, riff a little on Rogers in the wake of my Future Rant last week, and discuss how we approach proving your identity online.
#45 – Rogers Whispered Sweet Nothings Subscribe via RSS, on iTunes, or on Stitcher Radio to check it out.
The iPhone and Battery Life
Discussion about iPhone and iPad battery life has been swirling about the tech world of late. Specifically, the idea that many Apple products are made in service to an “ideal” battery life has come up in many of the circles I follow. Jason Snell wrote a very nice piece showing how Apple “solves” for battery life in their products based on thinness and size, but I’d like to take that a little bit further.I read all kinds of tech news throughout my week, and most weekends talk about technology and the science behind it on +Future Chat. I also listen to hours of podcasts on subjects such as these. I hear grumblings about the iPhone and how its battery doesn’t last all day.There are MANY people who say that they wish they had a phone battery that lasted more than a day, or that they are heavy users and find that their batteries get them to the afternoon, but generally not much longer.The fact is, humans are creatures of habit. We have gotten used to plugging our phones in every single day. If you had an iPhone with twice the battery, and only needed to charge it every other day, I can guarantee that more people would have their phones run out of battery than that happens to now. The only people this wouldn’t happen to are people who would just continue to charge their phones every night regardless of its battery level at the end of the day (much like most laptop users, although that MacBook battery life on Yosemite is craaaazy).Basically, the use case for a battery that lasts two days is a person who uses a larger amount of battery than average, and so they use a typical “two day” amount of power in just one day. We call these people “power users”, and Apple themselves typically haven’t served them directly by giving their phones or laptops larger batteries. What Apple does do, though, is pick and choose what they think are the best solutions for those power users, and stock them in Apple stores. Examples I’ve used (as I like to think of myself as something of a power user) include the Mophie Juice Packs and the Mophie Powerstations. These are basically cases and power bricks that let you extend the use of your phone beyond a normal day of use, and they are wonderful!I love the way my phone looks without a case, but when my battery gets low, I love being able to either stick it into a case or plug it in on the go, and I immediately don’t have to worry about my battery dying. For the extra $80-100, it’s a no-brainer to carry a case or battery pack around with you, along with Lightning and micro-USB cables (I have a wireless headphone fetish, some would say).Now, recently Apple released the iPhone 6 Plus. As Jason mentions in his post, this phone breaks the Apple mould, giving users a significant jump in battery, something closer to a tablet in usage than a phone. In effect, this release tells me that Apple hears that some power users have made enough noise that Apple is giving them an option to have a larger battery, as thus use their phones more.If you’re worried about battery life in your iPhone, or other mobile device because it doesn’t last days or weeks, you might be waiting a long time. Battery improvements come incrementally, and something tells me even if we do get the 10x battery power increase many stories promise for the eventual future, all we’ll get is a device with a 10x smaller battery. And that’s just fine with me!
Future Chat #44 – Not Sorry for Party Rocking
This week on +Future Chat, we discuss the coolest futuristic stuff we saw during CES, and what new science programming we’re most looking forward to this year.
#44 – Not Sorry for Party Rocking Subscribe via RSS, on iTunes, or on Stitcher Radio to check it out.
Future Chat #43 – An Epidemic of Bear Flu
This week on +Future Chat, we discuss how close 2015 brought us to Back to the Future, whether cancer is caused by bad luck or genetics, and if we can trust a new Microsoft web browser.
Future Chat #43 – An Epidemic of Bear Flu Subscribe via RSS, on iTunes, or on Stitcher Radio to check it out.
East Meets West #2 – The Blob of Parties
This week on East Meets West, we discuss the relative merits of various blender technologies, and learn a little bit about the history of provincial government in Alberta.
The Problem with Blackmail – Thought of the Day
This Sony hack and media frenzy around the un-release of The Interview this Christmas Day has got me thinking.
The hackers have now sent Sony a new message thanking them for cancelling the release of their movie “The Interview” and saying that they will keep all of Sony’s stolen intellectual property to themselves unless the movie is “leaked, released or distributed”.
There are countless occasions when stolen property is held “ransom” unless certain demands are met, and in the movies the thieves always take precautions to ensure that they aren’t caught (like no police involvement). However, in instances like this, all Sony (and theatre chains) are doing is kowtowing to ANY future demand these hackers might have.
With this stolen intellectual property, not only will Sony lose money on this film’s release, but it will not be able to make any project that these hackers don’t agree should be released. Because in cases of blackmail like this, when somebody knows a secret about you, they OWN you.
If Sony really has secret information, they had better think long and hard about whether it is worth losing control over any future endeavours for any executives or employees involved. I always say, it’s better to come out ahead of your secrets and be up front, that way the thieves lose all leverage in any situation.
Obviously, this isn’t a simple issue, but when it comes to getting blackmailed, the sanest way out is typically doing the best you can to bring criminals to justice, and airing any dirty laundry you might have. If it turns out this is really the doing of the North Korean government, they have made much worse threats than the ones they made this week, and we have never taken them seriously.
If you’re going to take a stand, at least stand with the rational among us, or you will forever be beholden to those with your worst interests at heart.
