PC ProSchools – TechTalk

I was flipping through the two thousand some channels on Saturday morning when I happened across some cartoons.  In a moment of nostalgia, I grabbed a bowl of cereal and hunkered down in front of the TV.  Within fifteen minutes I realized that most cartoons now are just wild colors and sound with just enough bodily function jokes thrown in to almost not be offensive.  Alright, so I grew up with Robotech, Transor-Z, G.I.Joe, He-man, Voltron, Justice League of America and a number of others that actually made an attempt to teach you something.  I see now that all the cartoons, movies and TV that we watched as children affected how we viewed science and technology.

I remember watching shows with cars that could fly or turn into a boat, or robots that could perform tasks as intricate as any human.  There were lasers, gene therapy, microwave weapons, cybernetics, artificial intelligence and all were used as plot devices or story lines.  Now, in order to be used, they had to be explained.  I think I learned more about theoretical physics, chemistry and biology from cartoons than teachers until I hit middle school.  Years later, most of what I had seen and read as a kid had come about in one form or another because fans of the genre wanted it to be reality.  I also realized that I was never as flabbergasted by advances in technology as my parents were, because I always thought, “we didn’t have that already?”

Yes, I know there are quite a few things that may never come to pass, but I am scared that we are losing the spring board for the next generation’s imagination.  I don’t want the next great scientific advancement to be a squirrel living at the bottom of the sea.  Though that could be pretty neat, and a pre-emptive to an underwater self-sustained bio-sphere.  I just hope that some one will take up the torch, even if it is the parents, to unleash the potential for improbable advances in science and technology.  Well, I’d love to see teleportation in my lifetime.

Star Trek communicators became our cell phones and police are using Tasers (Phazers on stun) to immobilize a suspect from a safe distance. Now it looks like the Terminator and Star Wars are teaming up to bring us the next bit of future technology today.

While I was browsing the Internet looking for new things in technology I ran across a company called Boston Dynamics.   They build advanced robots with remarkable mobility, agility, dexterity and speed. Using an on board computer to monitor sensors about the physical orientation of the robot and its surroundings, the computer controls it much the same as our brain controls our reflexes as we move. This keeps it upright and moving forward even when it is pushed or slips.

DARPA, the US Army, Navy and Marine Corps to Sony Corporation have used Boston Dynamics to advise them and help them create some of the most advanced robots out there.

One of the newest creations is a biped named PETMAN.  It walks like a human, coming down on the heel of the foot and pushing off with the toes, it even wears shoes. See the video;

Currently PETMAN is destined to be a tester for biological and chemical weapons suits for the army.  Can you see this going the way of Terminator or an AT ST Walker from Star Wars. Maybe PETMAN will be policing your neighborhood in the not so distant future

Do a search on the internet for Boston Dynamics and you will see a lot of their other robots, truly amazing.

And until next time; Hasta la vista, baby.

Some would argue that tequila and technology don’t mix.  Surprisingly there is a fair amount of technology used to create this debilitating delicacy.  While it’s probably the farthest thing from your mind as you tilt back that shot glass with a bit of salt and lime on the side, you just might be wondering what type of technology is used in the production of tequila.  To make this a story that is short, the answer is…LOTS!

While the concept of distilling spirits is a very simple one, the art behind making an exceptionally drinkable spirit is laden with technology.  From using elaborate sensors in the fields to measure temperature and humidity and PH levels of soils, to the use of Computer Aided Design (CAD) technology to test new still designs; the use of technology permeates every aspect of distillation.  A bit of searching through Google yielded more scientific babble including charts, diagrams, and mathematical formulas related to distilling spirits than I expected.

What surprised me most about the technology of distilling is the one area that technology hasn’t invaded and taken over…The tasting of the final spirit.  I am not 100% sure and I found no supporting documentation to confirm the fact, but I suspect that those people in charge of tasting the final product have conducted an elaborate campaign of anti-technology propaganda designed to safeguard their jobs.   They are responsible for making sure the product lives up to its name and reputation.  No machine can do that!  Not with any reliability!  Well, I can’t blame them. That’s exactly what I would say if I had their job.

The reality is that there are many technologies that could be modified to do the job.  Check out this site and think of the possibilities: Taste Testers beware!