Tuesday, June 05, 2007
It won’t be long before paper-like ads do the talking
Did you hear about the new breakthrough in flat panel display screens? Sony has released video of a new 2.5-inch display that is 0.3 millimeters thick. It is razor-thin and bends like paper while displaying full-color video.
The possibilities are endless. The day of the foldable electronic newspaper is coming closer. I’ve mentioned in previous columns that it won’t be long before readers will be able to receive their newspaper via download to a computer tablet that for all appearances is an electronic piece of paper. The device I was discussing was simply a monochromatic gadget that would display text and have the appearance of a newspaper page.
This effort by Sony opens the door to full-color displays that could completely replicate a full-color newspaper or magazine. It is just a small set to include a WiFi download ability to access your favorite news source. But why stop there, you could also unfold your device and view your favorite movie or show at your whim.
But others have suggested some more insidious uses of such technology. This is how this type of device could be used in advertising. The box of cereal in the grocery store would not only feature the mug of your favorite sports hero, it would try to attract your attention by displaying a video of his game-winning swing. The can of soup would simmer for you. The floor wax would display the easy steps to a sparkling finish.
Take it a step farther — a short step at that and have the products all program their video pitches to your own profile. How? Through RFID chips that will be in your national identity card.The products will pick up your profile as you pass. From the product’s database they will determine when you last purchased their product or if you use a competing brand. The display would then tailor its pitch to your needs.
You think campaign candidate calls are bad now. Wait until you pass by a candidate’s electronic poster and have it speak directly to you. Isn’t technology wonderful.
Seem farfetched? So did the idea of sitting outside a coffee shop and surfing the Internet on your WiFi enabled laptop computer just a few years ago.
On a note closer to home, I’ve kept the laptop poll up longer and more votes have rolled in, but the ratio has stayed about the same. Approximately two-thirds of the voters favor the continuation of the Talbot school laptop program. About one-third feel it should be discontinued.
One day, a laptop or whatever it will evolve into, will be considered as basic a tool for the student as paper and pencil is today. Whether Talbot is insightful or is too far ahead of its time, will be for the county to decide. Computer literacy is important now and will be crucial in the future to survive in the workplace. Just how we achieve that literacy is something we will all have to wrestle with.
As always you can reach me at rpolk@ches pub.com.
The possibilities are endless. The day of the foldable electronic newspaper is coming closer. I’ve mentioned in previous columns that it won’t be long before readers will be able to receive their newspaper via download to a computer tablet that for all appearances is an electronic piece of paper. The device I was discussing was simply a monochromatic gadget that would display text and have the appearance of a newspaper page.
This effort by Sony opens the door to full-color displays that could completely replicate a full-color newspaper or magazine. It is just a small set to include a WiFi download ability to access your favorite news source. But why stop there, you could also unfold your device and view your favorite movie or show at your whim.
But others have suggested some more insidious uses of such technology. This is how this type of device could be used in advertising. The box of cereal in the grocery store would not only feature the mug of your favorite sports hero, it would try to attract your attention by displaying a video of his game-winning swing. The can of soup would simmer for you. The floor wax would display the easy steps to a sparkling finish.
Take it a step farther — a short step at that and have the products all program their video pitches to your own profile. How? Through RFID chips that will be in your national identity card.The products will pick up your profile as you pass. From the product’s database they will determine when you last purchased their product or if you use a competing brand. The display would then tailor its pitch to your needs.
You think campaign candidate calls are bad now. Wait until you pass by a candidate’s electronic poster and have it speak directly to you. Isn’t technology wonderful.
Seem farfetched? So did the idea of sitting outside a coffee shop and surfing the Internet on your WiFi enabled laptop computer just a few years ago.
On a note closer to home, I’ve kept the laptop poll up longer and more votes have rolled in, but the ratio has stayed about the same. Approximately two-thirds of the voters favor the continuation of the Talbot school laptop program. About one-third feel it should be discontinued.
One day, a laptop or whatever it will evolve into, will be considered as basic a tool for the student as paper and pencil is today. Whether Talbot is insightful or is too far ahead of its time, will be for the county to decide. Computer literacy is important now and will be crucial in the future to survive in the workplace. Just how we achieve that literacy is something we will all have to wrestle with.
As always you can reach me at rpolk@ches pub.com.
What a difference a couple of years makes
Last Tuesday I had the privilege of photographing the 1A Baseball Semifinal game between Colonel Richardson High School and Harford Technical High School. The game was at 4 p.m. at McCurdy Field in Frederick.
There were many familiar faces in the stands and on the field at the game. Years ago, I had covered many of the boys as they participated in the Northeast Regional tournament in Bristol, Conn.
That tournament was several hundred miles away and lasted for a week. The playoff game in Frederick was only one afternoon in length. But because of the 100-mile plus distance and lateness of the hour of completion, it offered many of the same challenges of coverage from Connecticut.
The difference in the hassle levels between the two events is an example of how far technology and our use of it has progressed in the handful of years between the two.
When my wife Chris and I went up to Bristol to cover our Little League state champs in the regional tournament, we didn’t have WiFi or high speed Internet connections. The motels didn’t provide Internet service of any kind. The first year we went up, we were still using film cameras for that matter and had to get the film processed. But that is a story for another time.
We had to take our computer with us, complete with its dial-up modem into our motel room. Stories would be written and photographs entered into the system. First with prints it was with a flatbed scanner we brought. Later we were digital, so a card reader simplified the process.
Then, through a national Internet provider access, the stories and images would be emailed to the paper. Dial-up made it slow.
Last Tuesday, I wanted to get my photographs back to the office as soon as possible. I knew I would be facing rush-hour traffic on the Washington beltway once the 4 p.m. game was over. My parents live in the Virginia suburbs of D.C. and have a nice high-speed connection. I took the liberty of inviting myself over that evening.
So once the game was completed, I jumped in my car and drove to Northern Virginia instead of all the way back to the Eastern Shore. I did get caught in some (some is an understatement) traffic on the beltway, but I was able to set up my computer, download the images, decide which I wanted to use and set them up hours before I would have if I had driven all the way back to the office. I then transferred the material to a thumb (flash) drive and connected it to my Dad’s computer with its high-speed connection. The material was in Easton office within minutes. I’ll have to suggest he get a WiHi setup in the house to simplify future transfers.
Meanwhile, I was treated to a homestyle dinner rather than a sweaty traffic jam during rush-hour. I later arrived at the office to make sure the material got there properly.
The whole process was much easier than our efforts in Bristol. I know there are technologies available to make the process even easier. I don’t have a wireless broadband connection for my laptop yet. That will come later. The ballpark didn’t have a local WiFi setup like you now find at professional parks and at major colleges. That will come soon, too.
Now if we could just do something about the traffic….
As always, you can reach me at rpolk@chespub.com.
There were many familiar faces in the stands and on the field at the game. Years ago, I had covered many of the boys as they participated in the Northeast Regional tournament in Bristol, Conn.
That tournament was several hundred miles away and lasted for a week. The playoff game in Frederick was only one afternoon in length. But because of the 100-mile plus distance and lateness of the hour of completion, it offered many of the same challenges of coverage from Connecticut.
The difference in the hassle levels between the two events is an example of how far technology and our use of it has progressed in the handful of years between the two.
When my wife Chris and I went up to Bristol to cover our Little League state champs in the regional tournament, we didn’t have WiFi or high speed Internet connections. The motels didn’t provide Internet service of any kind. The first year we went up, we were still using film cameras for that matter and had to get the film processed. But that is a story for another time.
We had to take our computer with us, complete with its dial-up modem into our motel room. Stories would be written and photographs entered into the system. First with prints it was with a flatbed scanner we brought. Later we were digital, so a card reader simplified the process.
Then, through a national Internet provider access, the stories and images would be emailed to the paper. Dial-up made it slow.
Last Tuesday, I wanted to get my photographs back to the office as soon as possible. I knew I would be facing rush-hour traffic on the Washington beltway once the 4 p.m. game was over. My parents live in the Virginia suburbs of D.C. and have a nice high-speed connection. I took the liberty of inviting myself over that evening.
So once the game was completed, I jumped in my car and drove to Northern Virginia instead of all the way back to the Eastern Shore. I did get caught in some (some is an understatement) traffic on the beltway, but I was able to set up my computer, download the images, decide which I wanted to use and set them up hours before I would have if I had driven all the way back to the office. I then transferred the material to a thumb (flash) drive and connected it to my Dad’s computer with its high-speed connection. The material was in Easton office within minutes. I’ll have to suggest he get a WiHi setup in the house to simplify future transfers.
Meanwhile, I was treated to a homestyle dinner rather than a sweaty traffic jam during rush-hour. I later arrived at the office to make sure the material got there properly.
The whole process was much easier than our efforts in Bristol. I know there are technologies available to make the process even easier. I don’t have a wireless broadband connection for my laptop yet. That will come later. The ballpark didn’t have a local WiFi setup like you now find at professional parks and at major colleges. That will come soon, too.
Now if we could just do something about the traffic….
As always, you can reach me at rpolk@chespub.com.
