http://www.tinaja.com/whtnu13.shtml#d01.02.13
January 2 , 2013 deeplink respond
Seems to be the time of year for WAG predictions.
Here's my current assortment...
A hardware hacking resurgence, obviously led
by the Raspberry Pi and Arduino computers.
Utility scale pv solar panel pricing approaching the
25 cents per peak panel watt demanded for net energy
generation. Ironically combined with many more
continuing solar pv bankruptcies.
Word finally getting out that corn ethanol is nothing
but an outrageous and costly vote buying scam and
is otherwise laughingly and shockingly useless.
Significant further improvements in LED lighting
efficiency and dramatically dropping costs. New
forms of lighting based on LED's working better
over an area rather than being point sourced.
Santa Claus Machines increasing in variety and
dropping in price but retaining outrageous material
costs and unresolved hot-over-cold strength issues.
Near total demise of virtually all print trade journals,
with many mid or smaller newspapers following suit.
Unique temporary opportunities in timed online auctions
as the supply and demand stays out of balance. Stunning
buys over unsold and undersold lots to those who
follow carefully enough.
The first real and nearby Goldilocks exoplanet
discovery, shortly followed by dozens and then
hundreds of others.
Significant improvements in HVAC efficiency, brought
about by variable speeds and a better understanding
of boundary layers and various MEMS techniques.
Possibly including an increasing shift from air to cold
water distribution.
The peer review ludicrosity finally getting resolved
through the Wesrch and similar models. Any and
all technical papers over three years old should
newlyend up freely downloadable.
Something finally done about the spam outrage,
likely based on email no longer arriving postage due.
A flat charge of two cents per email payable to the
recipient should do it.
Wristwatches have been utterly pointless for years.
Somebody may eventually notice. The caver's wrist
sundial is a far more intelligent choice. And clearly
makes a stronger statement than a Rolex.
Emerging "You ain't seen nothin yet" consequences of
global warming and climatic variability..
Things that no longer make any sense whatsoever are
the US Post Office, "Big 3" network Television, over-
the-air tv transmission, public libraries ( unless totally
and immediately reporposed ), or any tax funded
Public Broadcasting.
A continuing dramatic turnaround in Drug legalization
as governments and municipalities will no longer be able
to ignore the US #4 cash crop as a major income source.
But the crop value should drop precipitiously after the
federal subsidies and price supports are phased out.
eBook readers falling by the wayside, and replaced
by full feature, full color, full .PDF tablets and such.
The "terabyte era" largely being skipped as we go
directly to the "petabyte era". In which there is no
sane reason that all movies or all books or all technical
papers should not be available on a single thumb drive.
--------------------------------------------
Did you miss the politics where Intel was telling OEM's not
to make low priced notebook computers with powerful
processors and larger screens? Apparently Intel even
restricted supplies to OEM's that didn't follow their dictates.
Intel does not want low priced powerful notebooks with
big screens to complete with the more lucrative
power desktop computer business.
Ironically this seems to be counter to the trend toward
tablet computers that have a bit of processor pep.
Intel is pressuring OEM's to NOT build the
kinds of computers that consumers actually want!
I'm amazed that Don didn't predict the boom in
hand gesture input devices rather than touch screens.
3 or four companies are racing to market in the next few months.
http://www.extremetech.com/computin...kinect-but-cheaper-and-much-higher-resolution
A youtube video by Microsoft also shows a prototype
wrist camera made from off the shelf parts which watches
the hand and reports gestures of each digit.
They demo'd applications where gestures worked
behind your back to turn volume up or down for example.
People could wave hands in air like orchestra conductors
OR they can do gestures on a table surface (less wrist stress?)
OR palm up gestures or some mixture to minimize carpal tunnel.
All of them look more useful than touch screens.
I'd expect this to evolve into TV sets that read
hand gestures instead of remote controls, too.
