On 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first human beings to walk on the Moon. Here are 10 things you might not have known about Apollo 11, humanity's "one priceless moment".
Saturday, August 25, 2012
"We Come In Peace For All Mankind"
Neil Armstrong received a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Purdue University. I went to Purdue, and I met him when he visited as a VIP alumnus. Sadly, we just lost a true American Hero.
On 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first human beings to walk on the Moon. Here are 10 things you might not have known about Apollo 11, humanity's "one priceless moment".
1. All three crew members - Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins - were born in the same year: 1930. All three were pilots (Collins and Aldrin in the USAF, Armstrong in the Navy). But there the similarities ended. Collins and Aldrin were from military "blue blood" families, Armstrong from small town Ohio. Collins dubbed the crew "the amiable strangers".
2. It was never a foregone conclusion that Apollo 11 would make the first lunar landing. Each Apollo mission had to fulfill various objectives. But if, for instance, Apollo 10 had failed in its mission, testing the lander (called the LM) in lunar orbit, then the task would have passed to Apollo 11. That would have given the first lunar landing attempt to Apollo 12 and made Pete Conrad the first man on the Moon.
3. Neil Armstrong might never have been the one to take that historic "one small step". It might have been his lunar module pilot, Buzz Aldrin. During the Gemini missions, the mission commander stayed in the capsule while the pilot carried out the spacewalks. Initially NASA - and Aldrin - thought the same would happen on Apollo. But Nasa managers were worried about the image of the first man on the Moon, a man who would become the next Christopher Columbus or Orville Wright. Aldrin had not won many friends at NASA because of his forthright style - "he was a burr in the saddle", said one senior manager. But Armstrong - the strong, quiet, courageous all-American hero - was a natural choice. NASA changed the rules and told Armstrong he would be first out of the lunar module. (Aldrin was furious and later drew up plans for a lunar lander with two doors that would allow the astronauts to get out at the same time.)
4. Armstrong was almost killed in the weeks leading up to the mission. The commander practised for the lunar landing in a contraption called the lunar landing training vehicle (LLTV), dubbed the Flying Bedstead. Using jets, it mimicked the Moon's gravity to give the Commander a realistic experience of what a lunar landing would be like. Armstrong practised on it tirelessly. But in May 1968, the machine went berserk. He tried in vain to bring it under control but failed. At just 100ft, he hit the eject button a second or so before the LLTV crashed to the ground and was destroyed in a fireball.
5. Each crew member was allowed to take personal items on board. Some of these could be sold later in lieu of the life insurance policies which, unsurprisingly, were hard to come by for Apollo astronauts. Armstrong took with him some pieces of wood from the Wright Flyer, which had made the first powered flight in 1903. There were also commemorative medals for the crew of Apollo 1, who had died in a fire on board their Command Module during a routine ground test, and the dead Soviet cosmonauts, Vladimir Komarov and Yuri Gagarin. (In fact, Valentin Bondarenko was the first man to die in the space race, but it wasn't until 1980 that the world learned of his grisly death in a fire in an oxygen-filled pressure chamber during an endurance experiment.)
6. The Apollo 11 mission could have ended in failure because of a series of relatively harmless computer alarms that went off as the lunar module was descending to the surface. It was saved thanks to a rehearsal weeks before the mission. Mission controllers were put through their paces in a series of practice runs, simulating a lunar landing. On the final day, one of the controllers called an abort because of a simulated computer program alarm. It had been the wrong call. But it meant that when there were similar alarms during the actual Apollo 11 landing, the same controller knew he could ignore them and allow the landing to continue.
7. When the lunar module Eagle was still 20 feet above the surface, Armstrong and Aldrin were told they had only 30 seconds of fuel left. If they still hadn't landed by then, Mission Control would have ordered Armstrong to abort the landing. But would he have? Back on Earth, Armstrong revealed: "If I'd run out of fuel, why, I would have put down right there. I could fall from a fairly good height, perhaps maybe 40 feet or more in the low lunar gravity, the gear would absorb that much of a fall. So I was perhaps probably less concerned about it than a lot of people watching on Earth." (As it turned out, after the mission NASA calculated that Eagle could have flown for at least another minute.)
8. When Armstrong made his famous announcement that the landing had been "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind", he had actually meant to say "one small step for a man" but it had come out wrong. Considering it is one of the most famous quotations in human history, Armstrong has always been typically sanguine about it. "I thought about it after landing," said Armstrong afterwards, "and because we had a lot of other things to do, it was not something that I really concentrated on but just something that was kind of passing around subliminally or in the background. But it, you know, was a pretty simple statement, talking about stepping off something. Why, it wasn't a very complex thing. It was what it was."
9. There were many firsts about the Apollo 11 mission, but two of the most notable were the responsibility of Buzz Aldrin. He became the first human being to celebrate Holy Communion away from the Earth, and the first to urinate on another world.
10. Just in case the mission had ended in disaster, President Richard Nixon had prepared a suitable valedictory speech. It spoke of how "fate has ordained that the men who went to the Moon to explore in peace will stay on the Moon to rest in peace". It would have meant Mike Collins, the command module pilot, would have had to make the loneliest journey home; but from that time onwards "every human being who looks up at the Moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind".
On 20 July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first human beings to walk on the Moon. Here are 10 things you might not have known about Apollo 11, humanity's "one priceless moment".
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Help! Text the Police!
I had to call the police this week. Actually, I had to call them twice. The first time, I called them directly - as in NOT by dialing 911. I called and said “this is NOT an emergency. At least not yet”.
I’ll give the short version here: a bunch of guys working at our home did a big “Bozo No-No” on our property, which prompted me to call the police. I told the police that I am about to explain to this contractor and his crew their multiple errors in judgment, and that there is a chance that HE might be calling 911 in a few minutes. I thought it would be a good idea if I called the police first, to get my side of the story on the record. I might not be able to speak intelligently during my conniption.
Now, I don’t know the last time you had to call the police for anything, but in my town, in my neighborhood in Northern New Jersey:
I have been selling cellular phones and service since 1983. I probably sent one of the first “texts” to and from phones as a paying customer, when it was around $0.50 per message. I found it amazing that the police in our town use texting - and - they actually prefer texting for non-emergency communications.
I don’t have the need to call the police often, and I cannot remember the last time I needed to do so. But I had no idea that texting is now the preferred method of communication between the citizens and the local police. It turns out that the texts are a permanent record, and that the texts go to multiple people, including the 911 dispatch center, just in case it is indeed an emergency. The texting also automatically tracks the communication, so that via GPS tracking, the phone sending the text is tracked to within a few feet of the caller’s location.
Texting has become the preferred method of communication for the police. You can always dial 911, if it is a true emergency. But calling 911 in our town goes to the county Sheriff’s office. The Morris County Sheriff takes all 911 calls, for multiple towns in Northern New Jersey. If you want your local constable, you should send them a text.
What’s next? Twitter? Facebook? Texting is cool, but it might take some time for me to get used to texting the police. I have never in my life had to call the fire department, but I guess they will be next.
By the way if you want my contact information, text TOM to 70101 and you will get my mobile business card on your cell phone. Seriously, try it. Paper business cards are so 90's
I’ll give the short version here: a bunch of guys working at our home did a big “Bozo No-No” on our property, which prompted me to call the police. I told the police that I am about to explain to this contractor and his crew their multiple errors in judgment, and that there is a chance that HE might be calling 911 in a few minutes. I thought it would be a good idea if I called the police first, to get my side of the story on the record. I might not be able to speak intelligently during my conniption.
Now, I don’t know the last time you had to call the police for anything, but in my town, in my neighborhood in Northern New Jersey:- The police have a website.
- All police officers in our town carry cell phones.
- All police use texting to and from their phones - to landline phones.
I have been selling cellular phones and service since 1983. I probably sent one of the first “texts” to and from phones as a paying customer, when it was around $0.50 per message. I found it amazing that the police in our town use texting - and - they actually prefer texting for non-emergency communications.
Texting In Class During Exam - Hire that Man!
I don’t have the need to call the police often, and I cannot remember the last time I needed to do so. But I had no idea that texting is now the preferred method of communication between the citizens and the local police. It turns out that the texts are a permanent record, and that the texts go to multiple people, including the 911 dispatch center, just in case it is indeed an emergency. The texting also automatically tracks the communication, so that via GPS tracking, the phone sending the text is tracked to within a few feet of the caller’s location.
Texting has become the preferred method of communication for the police. You can always dial 911, if it is a true emergency. But calling 911 in our town goes to the county Sheriff’s office. The Morris County Sheriff takes all 911 calls, for multiple towns in Northern New Jersey. If you want your local constable, you should send them a text.
What’s next? Twitter? Facebook? Texting is cool, but it might take some time for me to get used to texting the police. I have never in my life had to call the fire department, but I guess they will be next.
OMG! House is on fire. RU coming? Not LMAO!
By the way if you want my contact information, text TOM to 70101 and you will get my mobile business card on your cell phone. Seriously, try it. Paper business cards are so 90's
Sunday, August 12, 2012
A Day at the Beach
“Like a Day at the Beach” is a great saying. An oasis of calm and relaxation, a vacation you can take any time and on any budget. For as long as I can remember, going to the beach in the summertime was “the” thing to do. When I grew up, it was free to park, free to spread a blanket and free to stake your claim in that perfect spot on the beach. Not too near the water, not too close to the lifeguard stand, and certainly not too close to the family with a brood of kids under five years old. Alas, a day at the beach is now far from free, but it is still a bargain.
We just returned from a wonderful family vacation. Drake’s Island (in Wells Beach, Maine) was a hidden treasure that we found on the Internet. 300 miles from home, it was just far enough to make the drive-time acceptable.
We checked out Kennebunkport and Kennebunk, the home of President Bush. We explored Ogunquit with its world famous beaches, artist community, fishing villages and fabulous shopping. Lobster, clams and lobster - every day of the trip.
The entire point of going to Maine was to get away from work, to get away from stress, and to get away from technology. Unplug and relax! Leave the laptops at home!
Technology made the vacation better.
Our GPS in our phones and car allowed us to see much more of the Maine coastline. Our smartphones allowed us to find just the right places that were doggie friendly. I was able to put up an auto-responder away message on my email, and yet using my www.awayfind.com/tcapone service, know that if someone really (really) needed to find me for something urgent, they could. Technology allowed me to get away from technology, and leave my laptop at home. When you tell someone that they can contact you during your vacation - they will. There are less emergencies in life (and in business) than we imagine. So, I felt perfectly fine leaving my laptop at home for this well deserved and needed vacation.
I did not leave my laptop at home.
There were five of us (including Bella) in Maine; there were four laptops and four smartphones. Wi-Fi was everywhere, and that allowed us to do more, see more and have more fun. On the drive home, my oldest son plugged in and worked on his online courses from Quinnipiac University. There is something amazing about taking college courses online from the backseat of a Lincoln Navigator, while doing 65 MPH on Rt. 95 Southbound from Maine towards New York City.
When you master technology, then the technology becomes your friend. When the technology masters you, technology becomes the enemy.
Our last day on the beach, the weather was “iffy”. In fact, severe weather was predicted. I was able to check out the http://www.ogunquitplayhouse.org/ from the beach, and purchase tickets, just in case the day at the beach turned nasty. But, via keeping in constant contact with www.weather.com we knew that the clouds were going to pass us by, and that we could stay on the beach. Close, but no storms to worry about in our area.
Smartphones allowed our family to have a better vacation. My www.AwayFind.com service told the business world that I cared, but please don’t bug me unless it was a really big deal. GPS technology saved us time, money, and found us dog friendly rest stops. If it were not for our smartphones, we would have gone to the beach with Bella too soon - no dogs on the beach until after 5pm.
I don’t know if I would ever want to completely unplug from the world, whether on vacation or at anytime. Technology can make anything better, or it can make anything worse. It is really up to us how it all works out.
I guess it is like they say in sports: "play the ball, don't let the ball play you".
We just returned from a wonderful family vacation. Drake’s Island (in Wells Beach, Maine) was a hidden treasure that we found on the Internet. 300 miles from home, it was just far enough to make the drive-time acceptable.
We checked out Kennebunkport and Kennebunk, the home of President Bush. We explored Ogunquit with its world famous beaches, artist community, fishing villages and fabulous shopping. Lobster, clams and lobster - every day of the trip.
The entire point of going to Maine was to get away from work, to get away from stress, and to get away from technology. Unplug and relax! Leave the laptops at home!
Technology made the vacation better.
Our GPS in our phones and car allowed us to see much more of the Maine coastline. Our smartphones allowed us to find just the right places that were doggie friendly. I was able to put up an auto-responder away message on my email, and yet using my www.awayfind.com/tcapone service, know that if someone really (really) needed to find me for something urgent, they could. Technology allowed me to get away from technology, and leave my laptop at home. When you tell someone that they can contact you during your vacation - they will. There are less emergencies in life (and in business) than we imagine. So, I felt perfectly fine leaving my laptop at home for this well deserved and needed vacation.
I did not leave my laptop at home.
There were five of us (including Bella) in Maine; there were four laptops and four smartphones. Wi-Fi was everywhere, and that allowed us to do more, see more and have more fun. On the drive home, my oldest son plugged in and worked on his online courses from Quinnipiac University. There is something amazing about taking college courses online from the backseat of a Lincoln Navigator, while doing 65 MPH on Rt. 95 Southbound from Maine towards New York City.
When you master technology, then the technology becomes your friend. When the technology masters you, technology becomes the enemy.
Our last day on the beach, the weather was “iffy”. In fact, severe weather was predicted. I was able to check out the http://www.ogunquitplayhouse.org/ from the beach, and purchase tickets, just in case the day at the beach turned nasty. But, via keeping in constant contact with www.weather.com we knew that the clouds were going to pass us by, and that we could stay on the beach. Close, but no storms to worry about in our area.
Smartphones allowed our family to have a better vacation. My www.AwayFind.com service told the business world that I cared, but please don’t bug me unless it was a really big deal. GPS technology saved us time, money, and found us dog friendly rest stops. If it were not for our smartphones, we would have gone to the beach with Bella too soon - no dogs on the beach until after 5pm.
I don’t know if I would ever want to completely unplug from the world, whether on vacation or at anytime. Technology can make anything better, or it can make anything worse. It is really up to us how it all works out.
I guess it is like they say in sports: "play the ball, don't let the ball play you".
Sunday, July 29, 2012
The Sarcasm Olympics
The modern Olympics are different than they were just a century ago because of technology. In 1900, when American Francis Jarvis was declared the winner of the 100 meters, he was said to be "the winner by one foot from Walter Tewksbury, who beat Australian Stan Rowley by inches". It was not until the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles that officials began using stop-watch and camera technologies to record results. After a delay of several hours, if stopwatch technology could not determine a winner, judges were provided newsreel footage to determine a winner.
Example: the javelin event had to be modified and the shape and materials of the javelin were changed, as athletes throwing over 100 meters were putting spectators lives at risk. I get the point, do you?
From hydrodynamic swimsuits to electronic real-time coverage of the games, technology has radically changed the Olympics for athletes, judges and spectators. More now than ever, technology is playing a significant role in today's world of sports, and technology will most certainly play a part in rewriting some of the record books.
Timing is now down to fractions of seconds. It used to be the first one to cross the finish line and everyone ran at once. Now they run heats allowing everyone to have a clear track to run on.
Uniforms, shoes and goggles are all scientifically designed to provide the least resistance and best grip. Games are designed and held to maximize media exposure to allow competition to be watched around the world.
And the best athletes in the world can be gathered together in a matter of days, instead of weeks of travel. You can train at home until the last minute, and then arrive just in time to compete.
London 2012 is the first 3D Olympics, with wall to wall coverage available variously in HD and ultra-HD, on tablets and on mobile phones and on radio and television around the world. Footage will be produced by the Olympic Broadcasting Service, with the BBC holding the UK rights and NBC the American. The output could scarcely be more different from that for the 1948 London Games, which were the first to be broadcast: then just 64 hours was produced, and it was available to just the 500,000 people with access to a TV who lived within a 50-mile radius of London.
Beijing 2008 produced 1,500 hours of TV coverage. London will produce a total of 2,500 hours and the BBC offers 24 lives streams of HD video. In London, they have public availability of so-called Super Hi-Vision, or ultra-HD. It is 16 times the definition of HD and offers 22 channel sound. Available on special HD 3D screens in London, Glasgow and Bradford, it’s as close to being at an event as television can achieve.
The highlights could be the Games’ greatest impact on consumers. Developed by Adobe and being used by both NBC and the BBC, this technology allows users to go back to which moment they want to see. If you’re waiting for someone’s next dive and you want to see his last one, you can go back to just the right point. So rather than rewinding, clips will be tagged at specific points so users can skip back or watch packages that the broadcasters can prepare in real time.
This will change the way people watch sports (NFL, NBA, etc.) on devices forever. The Adobe video, which uses several pieces of software all under the banner ‘Project Primetime’, will be available on all platforms, including mobile phones, TVs, tablets and computers.
At the Olympics
Across the 500-acre site, 30 new mobile phone masts have been assembled, with 14 inside the buildings. BT claims its WiFi installation is the single largest in the UK, comprising some 1,000 hotspots that will be free for users. It remains to be seen if the networks will cope with the 300,000 users that could all be trying to log on. BT says it expects to be able to handle peak traffic of 1.7 gigabits per second, which is equivalent to 13,200 web page downloads each minute. Users will be able to browse the web, catch up with the action and – hopefully – actually phone people too. The scale of the even will make things difficult, but the lessons learned in London could prove a boon subsequently to all future major events, where mobile signals are often problematic.
Military lasers: Track Cycling
British Cycling’s ruthless pursuit of success has often been compared to a carefully prepared military operation. The biggest home medal hopes have been using equipment developed by BAE, the weapons manufacturer. The technology centered on how riders are timed as they complete circuits of their training. Traditionally, timing systems have relied upon ‘break beam’ lasers which record a rider’s time whenever they break a beam. The new system was originally designed for use on battlefields to reduce friendly fire, allows a laser beamed from a trackside device. Each individual rider is tracked via a personal code placed on a reflective tag on their leg. A rider’s split times can now be measured to the millisecond. In cycling, some have lost world championships by thousandths of a second so being able to measure time accurately is fundamentally important.
Waterproof nano-coating: Sailing, Mountain Biking
Great Britain has a golden record in Olympic sailing, having topped the medals table at the last three Games, but with rivals such as Australia and the United States pushing hard to cut the gap in London, the hosts have had to turn to increasingly sophisticated forms of technology to preserve their advantage. The latest development sees an invisible ‘nano-coating’ - ordinarily employed to protect soldiers from chemical weapons - applied to a sailor’s equipment and clothing before they go on the water. It forms a layer which allows air to penetrate - keeping the sailors cool - but repels water, meaning droplets simply run off rather than being absorbed into the material and adding extra weight that could slow down the boat. The same technology is being used by mountain bikers and could have even more significant results. Tests have shown that taking on an extra kilogram of mud and water can slow times by up to 15 seconds.
I love watching the Olympics. The Olympics remind us that anyone, regardless of their financial situation can represent their country and bring home a Gold Medal. It is all about pure athletic ability, hard work and simple dedication to your sport. Just like in the world of business, success in the Olympics has nothing to do with superior technology. Anyone can be successful at the Olympics (or be successful in business) regardless of where you live, regardless of your economic status, and with no connection to your mastery of modern technology. I find that so refreshing.
There are 204 countries that are competing in the Olympics - 2012 London.
Afghanistan
Albania
Andorra
Antigua and Barbuda
Angola
Algeria
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Burundi
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bahrain
Botswana
Belarus
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Cambodia
Canada
Cayman Islands
Central Africa
Chad
Chile
China Republic
Chinese Taipei
Colombia
Comoros
Cape Verde
Congo
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Cote-d´lvoire
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Arab Rep. of Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
Gabon
The Gambia
Germany
Ghana
Great Britain
Guinea-Bissau
Georgia
Greece
Grenada
Guam
Guatemala
Guinea
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Italy
Israel
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Japan
Jordon
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Kenya
Korea People Republic
Korea Democratic People Republic
Kuwait
Laos
Latvia
Saint Lucia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Libya
Lichtenstein
Luxembourg
Rep. of Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Rep. of Moldova
Marshall Islands
Maldives
Malta
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Monaco
Montenegro
Mongolia
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Niger
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Palestine
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Rhodesia
Romania
Rwanda
Saint Lucia
St. Vincent & Gr.
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Samoa
American Samoa
Western Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Senegal
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Sri Lanka
Slovakia
Swaziland
Serbia
Singapore
Spain
Sudan
Surinam
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Tanzania
Tonga
Thailand
Togo
Trinidad & Tobago
Tajikistan
Timor-Leste
Turkmenistan
Tunisia
Turkey
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
U.S.S.R.
U.S.A.
US Virgin Islands
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Technology of all types has changed the nature of the Olympic Games. This includes the equipment and apparel used by athletes, and the devices available to judges to determine winners.
Example: the javelin event had to be modified and the shape and materials of the javelin were changed, as athletes throwing over 100 meters were putting spectators lives at risk. I get the point, do you?
From hydrodynamic swimsuits to electronic real-time coverage of the games, technology has radically changed the Olympics for athletes, judges and spectators. More now than ever, technology is playing a significant role in today's world of sports, and technology will most certainly play a part in rewriting some of the record books.
Timing is now down to fractions of seconds. It used to be the first one to cross the finish line and everyone ran at once. Now they run heats allowing everyone to have a clear track to run on.
Uniforms, shoes and goggles are all scientifically designed to provide the least resistance and best grip. Games are designed and held to maximize media exposure to allow competition to be watched around the world.
London 2012 is the first 3D Olympics, with wall to wall coverage available variously in HD and ultra-HD, on tablets and on mobile phones and on radio and television around the world. Footage will be produced by the Olympic Broadcasting Service, with the BBC holding the UK rights and NBC the American. The output could scarcely be more different from that for the 1948 London Games, which were the first to be broadcast: then just 64 hours was produced, and it was available to just the 500,000 people with access to a TV who lived within a 50-mile radius of London.
Beijing 2008 produced 1,500 hours of TV coverage. London will produce a total of 2,500 hours and the BBC offers 24 lives streams of HD video. In London, they have public availability of so-called Super Hi-Vision, or ultra-HD. It is 16 times the definition of HD and offers 22 channel sound. Available on special HD 3D screens in London, Glasgow and Bradford, it’s as close to being at an event as television can achieve.
The highlights could be the Games’ greatest impact on consumers. Developed by Adobe and being used by both NBC and the BBC, this technology allows users to go back to which moment they want to see. If you’re waiting for someone’s next dive and you want to see his last one, you can go back to just the right point. So rather than rewinding, clips will be tagged at specific points so users can skip back or watch packages that the broadcasters can prepare in real time.
This will change the way people watch sports (NFL, NBA, etc.) on devices forever. The Adobe video, which uses several pieces of software all under the banner ‘Project Primetime’, will be available on all platforms, including mobile phones, TVs, tablets and computers.
At the Olympics
Across the 500-acre site, 30 new mobile phone masts have been assembled, with 14 inside the buildings. BT claims its WiFi installation is the single largest in the UK, comprising some 1,000 hotspots that will be free for users. It remains to be seen if the networks will cope with the 300,000 users that could all be trying to log on. BT says it expects to be able to handle peak traffic of 1.7 gigabits per second, which is equivalent to 13,200 web page downloads each minute. Users will be able to browse the web, catch up with the action and – hopefully – actually phone people too. The scale of the even will make things difficult, but the lessons learned in London could prove a boon subsequently to all future major events, where mobile signals are often problematic.
BMW USATF Velocity measurement System.
Military lasers: Track Cycling
British Cycling’s ruthless pursuit of success has often been compared to a carefully prepared military operation. The biggest home medal hopes have been using equipment developed by BAE, the weapons manufacturer. The technology centered on how riders are timed as they complete circuits of their training. Traditionally, timing systems have relied upon ‘break beam’ lasers which record a rider’s time whenever they break a beam. The new system was originally designed for use on battlefields to reduce friendly fire, allows a laser beamed from a trackside device. Each individual rider is tracked via a personal code placed on a reflective tag on their leg. A rider’s split times can now be measured to the millisecond. In cycling, some have lost world championships by thousandths of a second so being able to measure time accurately is fundamentally important.
Great Britain has a golden record in Olympic sailing, having topped the medals table at the last three Games, but with rivals such as Australia and the United States pushing hard to cut the gap in London, the hosts have had to turn to increasingly sophisticated forms of technology to preserve their advantage. The latest development sees an invisible ‘nano-coating’ - ordinarily employed to protect soldiers from chemical weapons - applied to a sailor’s equipment and clothing before they go on the water. It forms a layer which allows air to penetrate - keeping the sailors cool - but repels water, meaning droplets simply run off rather than being absorbed into the material and adding extra weight that could slow down the boat. The same technology is being used by mountain bikers and could have even more significant results. Tests have shown that taking on an extra kilogram of mud and water can slow times by up to 15 seconds.
Better Technology, Better Speed, it is just that simple.
I love watching the Olympics. The Olympics remind us that anyone, regardless of their financial situation can represent their country and bring home a Gold Medal. It is all about pure athletic ability, hard work and simple dedication to your sport. Just like in the world of business, success in the Olympics has nothing to do with superior technology. Anyone can be successful at the Olympics (or be successful in business) regardless of where you live, regardless of your economic status, and with no connection to your mastery of modern technology. I find that so refreshing.
I think I just won the Gold Medal for sarcasm.
There are 204 countries that are competing in the Olympics - 2012 London.
Afghanistan
Albania
Andorra
Antigua and Barbuda
Angola
Algeria
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Burundi
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bahrain
Botswana
Belarus
Brazil
British Virgin Islands
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
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Sunday, July 22, 2012
Bane or Batman?
Movies reveal something about our culture, and the new Batman movie, “Dark Knight Rises,” is no exception.
The pure evil shown in the movie was acted out in Denver. The details are still unfolding about what exactly happened in Aurora. But one thing we know for sure is that Colorado police bravely answered the call for help. Moviegoers were in distress. As men and women in blue rushed to the scene, they had no idea if they would confront one gunman, or an army. The police had no idea if the building was rigged with bombs or boobytraps. No matter what the danger, the police and the first-responders had their jobs to do. They did their duty. They were real-life superheroes.
Evil vs. duty is a key theme of “Dark Knight Rises." We must acknowledge that mayhemic killers and terrorists exist, and so we will always need courageous men and women to protect us.
Step back and recall the context of the original Batman comic which debuted back in 1939. In that year, a decade had passed since the 1929 stock market crash, and yet Wall Street and the rich were still blamed for the hard times. Yet there was a fascination with the rich and their ways. After all, most people dreamed of being rich.
Enter Bruce Wayne, the Batman hero. Wayne was wealthy but he had suffered deeply; his parents were murdered by a criminal in front of his eyes. Fearful of being hurt yet again, he shunned romantic commitments, preferring the lonely solitude of his mansion. Wayne had paid his dues, and then some.
As Batman, Wayne was using his wealth to thwarting crime. He was, therefore, a “good” millionaire. Moreover, in his new life as a secret superhero, Wayne/Batman had to remain secretive about his identity. And who were Batman’s allies? Commissioner Gordon and his true-blue team. Indeed, the Gotham Police Department was righteous, although usually overmatched by evil. In other words, Gotham City might be corrupt and full of colorful criminals, but the cops were okay.
In the 60s, presidential candidate Richard Nixon won middle-class voters by calling for “law and order”-- a Batman-ish theme. In the 90s, Bill Clinton won most middle-class votes by promising to defend the interests of Americans “who work hard and play by the rules.” Another Batman-ish thought.
As a female character in the new movie tells Wayne, “You have to invest if you want to return balance to the world.” Translation: if you have wealth, you have to give something back. http://www.gatesfoundation.org
Batman is helped by the Gotham cops, many of whom lay down their lives in the fight against Bane and his evil forces. Filmed mostly in Manhattan, the movie brings up memories of 9/11; we see haunting images of men in blue, finding their way through the mist and darkness, bravely confronting evil. www.DHS.gov
By the end of the film, balance is restored, and we are reminded that the enduring virtue--and safety--of America comes from its working people, even if they have to be led by a brave billionaire and his amazing toolbox of gadgets and gizmos - his technology.
The new Batman film will remind us of many things about the world we live in:
Technology is a tool. It can be used to do harm, or it can save the world. Bane, or Batman, we all have to choose how we will accomplish our goals, but technology will play a bigger and bigger role as time goes by. Technology can save the world, or it can destroy it. But technology is just a tool. The American people like to see those living in privilege, like Bruce Wayne in the movie, using their mastery of technology for good and not evil.
As the evil in Aurora, Colorado remind us, we need brave men and women who will always be ready to step forward to protect us. Society needs to honor those who put more than money at risk in the course of their jobs. www.marines.com Those who put their lives on the line deserve a higher status in our society - much higher than they have now. We need to honor our heroes, for without them, we are without hope.
There will always be evil people in the world, trying to get their hands on technology to do us harm. But thankfully, there will always be superheroes with their own technology as well. www.nypd.com
The pure evil shown in the movie was acted out in Denver. The details are still unfolding about what exactly happened in Aurora. But one thing we know for sure is that Colorado police bravely answered the call for help. Moviegoers were in distress. As men and women in blue rushed to the scene, they had no idea if they would confront one gunman, or an army. The police had no idea if the building was rigged with bombs or boobytraps. No matter what the danger, the police and the first-responders had their jobs to do. They did their duty. They were real-life superheroes.
Evil vs. duty is a key theme of “Dark Knight Rises." We must acknowledge that mayhemic killers and terrorists exist, and so we will always need courageous men and women to protect us.
Step back and recall the context of the original Batman comic which debuted back in 1939. In that year, a decade had passed since the 1929 stock market crash, and yet Wall Street and the rich were still blamed for the hard times. Yet there was a fascination with the rich and their ways. After all, most people dreamed of being rich. Enter Bruce Wayne, the Batman hero. Wayne was wealthy but he had suffered deeply; his parents were murdered by a criminal in front of his eyes. Fearful of being hurt yet again, he shunned romantic commitments, preferring the lonely solitude of his mansion. Wayne had paid his dues, and then some.
As Batman, Wayne was using his wealth to thwarting crime. He was, therefore, a “good” millionaire. Moreover, in his new life as a secret superhero, Wayne/Batman had to remain secretive about his identity. And who were Batman’s allies? Commissioner Gordon and his true-blue team. Indeed, the Gotham Police Department was righteous, although usually overmatched by evil. In other words, Gotham City might be corrupt and full of colorful criminals, but the cops were okay.
In the 60s, presidential candidate Richard Nixon won middle-class voters by calling for “law and order”-- a Batman-ish theme. In the 90s, Bill Clinton won most middle-class votes by promising to defend the interests of Americans “who work hard and play by the rules.” Another Batman-ish thought.
As a female character in the new movie tells Wayne, “You have to invest if you want to return balance to the world.” Translation: if you have wealth, you have to give something back. http://www.gatesfoundation.org
Batman is helped by the Gotham cops, many of whom lay down their lives in the fight against Bane and his evil forces. Filmed mostly in Manhattan, the movie brings up memories of 9/11; we see haunting images of men in blue, finding their way through the mist and darkness, bravely confronting evil. www.DHS.gov
By the end of the film, balance is restored, and we are reminded that the enduring virtue--and safety--of America comes from its working people, even if they have to be led by a brave billionaire and his amazing toolbox of gadgets and gizmos - his technology.
The new Batman film will remind us of many things about the world we live in:
Technology is a tool. It can be used to do harm, or it can save the world. Bane, or Batman, we all have to choose how we will accomplish our goals, but technology will play a bigger and bigger role as time goes by. Technology can save the world, or it can destroy it. But technology is just a tool. The American people like to see those living in privilege, like Bruce Wayne in the movie, using their mastery of technology for good and not evil.
As the evil in Aurora, Colorado remind us, we need brave men and women who will always be ready to step forward to protect us. Society needs to honor those who put more than money at risk in the course of their jobs. www.marines.com Those who put their lives on the line deserve a higher status in our society - much higher than they have now. We need to honor our heroes, for without them, we are without hope.
There will always be evil people in the world, trying to get their hands on technology to do us harm. But thankfully, there will always be superheroes with their own technology as well. www.nypd.com
Sunday, July 15, 2012
A Blessing for Everything
There is a line in the 1971 movie The Fiddler on the Roof where Motel the tailor asks the Rabbi, “Rabbi, is there a blessing for a sewing machine?” The Rabbi answered, “There is a blessing for everything.”
This one piece of technology has consistently changed the world for over 160 years. We think of the great inventions of our time, and things like the automobile and the computer come to mind. But the sewing machine is really the forgotten champion. From the clothes on your back, to the couch that you are sitting on, to the drapes and curtains in your home, few things in our world were not touched by this one invention.
And yet, it gets such little respect.
Go to http://www.mysingerstories.com and check out the past 160 years of an invention that is still with us today. It really is amazing.
Go to http://www.mysingerstories.com and check out the past 160 years of an invention that is still with us today. It really is amazing.
The thing that stuck in my mind from the movie was the fact that as it was happening, while it was happening, Motel the tailor (and his entire family) knew that their lives were being changed forever. They felt their lives being transformed in an instant, via technology. They knew that this sewing machine, this new technology was going to create opportunities that could never have been imagined without access to such a tool. And so, they asked for a blessing - a blessing for a piece of technology - their new sewing machine.
I was born in 1960. I saw our family go from Black and White TV to Color. I watched in amazement as we had an automatic garage door installed, one of the first in the neighborhood. In the 1960’s, anything “remote controlled” or radio controlled was a big deal.
Watching Apollo 11 land on the moon, while it was happening - live - was so amazing that we really do not give it proper credit. I watched people switch from typewriters to the Wang 1200, a "word processor". I watched the birth of the personal computer, the car phone, and America Online. “You’ve Got Mail” was a big deal just a few years ago. Today, we have too much email. I watched having email waiting for you go from being a pleasure to a pain in the ass. I remember running home to see if I had any new mail in my AOL account. Today, I pay for email tools to keep people from sending me spam.
Watching Apollo 11 land on the moon, while it was happening - live - was so amazing that we really do not give it proper credit. I watched people switch from typewriters to the Wang 1200, a "word processor". I watched the birth of the personal computer, the car phone, and America Online. “You’ve Got Mail” was a big deal just a few years ago. Today, we have too much email. I watched having email waiting for you go from being a pleasure to a pain in the ass. I remember running home to see if I had any new mail in my AOL account. Today, I pay for email tools to keep people from sending me spam.
Fast forward to today. We have talking cars, HDTV and robots. We have digital watches that have more computing power than what existed on the Apollo 11. We can make our own movies, fly our own planes, and we can create electricity from wind and solar panels. Launching a rocket into space is now so commonplace that it does not even make the news.
And then it happened. We stopped asking for blessings for these amazing life changing things.
Today we take technology for granted, as if we are all simply entitled. We just expect cell phones to work all the time and everywhere, and television to be in HD, and movies to be on demand. We expect classrooms to be online and computers to be faster and faster and faster. And we expect it all to be free - or at least free like Google and Facebook are “free”.
And that ladies and gentlemen, is a big problem.
“Rabbi, is there a blessing for my iPad, my Facebook page and my Twitter account?” The Rabbi answered, “There is a blessing for everything.”
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