Living in the digital world - from a personal point of view

The traditional way to put information into a cellular was to use the numeric keypad. I never got friend of this method to write text messages (and I really understand why it took so long until the States started text messaging…). So then came some devices with small keyboards with real letters on. Parallel to that there were first touch sensitive screens that were to use with a small pen called Stylus.

This was also the method to be mostly used on my Nokia N800. It was ok but in some situations you were not able to use the Stylus and want just use your fingers, e.g. when I used the N800 as GPS and I was driving. But also trying to write when sitting in a train didn’t always succeed.

This last issue about occasional having problems using a pen is also the reason why I started to realize that there could be advantages in using an electronic device compared to a pen and some paper.

And so now what do I have to say more: it’s not only the iPod Touch and the iPhone but many many more devices that now just use fingers on a screen as input method.

A very popular group of devices that would not exist without this input method are the GPS/navigation systems.
As I mentioned earlier I once used the Nokia N800 to do this job for me, but then I switched to the iPod Touch and then the iPhone, both versions without GPS. So I had to get a separate GPS system which I really preferred (because some things are better when they’re not all integrated into one device). For this I compared many GPS systems and finally decided to get a TomTom GO 720 (I mostly like the way the maps are drawn and the easy touch screen menus).

China's Great Solar Led Wall (iTechNews)

Of course, they also have evolved. LED displays get bigger, brighter, clearer, and have any form possible. Just try a Google picture search on the term and you gonna be astonished. Even 3D displays can be found, e.g. like in this article about a Litefast 360-degree LED display on techdigest.tv.

LED technology is integrated everywhere in our daily life, today nearly every old (bulb) lamp has been replaced by LED, e.g. the torch light, the lights of your car or your bike, many small ambient lights, etc.

Just look around! See that shiny digital world on lights!
You can read about some more new inventions about LED also on this blog: iTech News Net which also reports about China’s Great Solar-powered LED Wall.

Hey, and isn’t christmas coming next? So why not put some lights on your house? Let’s say 42000 LED Christmas Lights. Or like the Wizards in Winter…

First, I have to say I’m very sorry for the long time making no entries.
I don’t know why, but I always have ideas what to post while I’m on the way, and I even do some notes then, but afterwards I don’t feel motivated to really put it down into this blog.

Ok, so now there are some things that wanted to be mentioned for a couple of months.

Epamedia in Donauzentrum

Did you notice that it’s even getting more and more? I’m talking about the LCD screens in our public environment. Initially this was the first motivation to start this blog. Because there are many things changing in our everyday life which we just adopt and soon accept to be normal. We even really don’t notice how this world is changing more and more into something some time ago we only knewed from science fiction movies.

Coming back to the issue of the LCD screens: They’re now everywhere. They got cheaper and cheaper and so not only all information screens like you can find at the central station or the airport have changed into LCD screens, but also the advertising industry now use it nearly everywhere. There are screens showing menus at fast food restaurants, small screens at the pharmacy or at the waiting queues at the supermarket, and at many many more places. They really decorate our environment.
Especially on the streets and in the big shopping malls it’s really fascinating.

During my time in vienna I was often at the shopping mall Donauzentrum which also has a lot of LCD screens. It’s a project of the company Epamedia where you can see a lot more examples like these.

Don’t get me wrong. I do have nothing against this development, the opposite is the case, I really enjoy it! And I just ask myself, how long will it take until it’s like in the movie Minority Report which I know is based on real studies.