Geosocial Universe 2011
- Mobile: 5.3 billion mobile devices are used worldwide — that’s 77 percent of the world’s population
- Smartphones: 21.8 percent of all mobile devices are smartphones. Despite what one might think, Apple does not top the list in sales—Nokia does
- Skype: Mobile usage continues to increase thanks to Skype’s wise investment in apps and its mobile platform
- Facebook: Now tops 629 million registered users with almost 250 million people accessing the site via mobile
- Qzone: China’s version of Facebook, Qzone, is experiencing supernova-like growth with 480 million registered users
- Twitter: Broke the 200 million registered user mark with nearly 40 percent of people tweeting via mobile
- Email: Hotmail still dominates email, but Gmail is gaining fast
- Yelp: Yelp is topping 50 million unique visitors per month. Its move to team up with OpenTable earlier this year will only increase its relevancy
- Foursquare and Gowalla: These geosocial specialists are still growing, but growth seems to be slowing down a bit
Future of computers: blue skies and the occasional cloud
Let’s set the scene. Its 1958, a cold stormy night in a large warehouse belonging to Texas Instruments, USA. The light flickers as Jack Kilby bends low over two transistors on his laden work bench. With a final spark from his soldering iron, the first integrated circuit (IC) is born. Kilby’s discovery is the basis for all computers today, so you see that stormy evening in 1958 was quite important really, not just for Kilby but for us all!
The twentieth century saw incredible advancements in man’s innovative and life changing inventions. The Industrial revolution brought massive increase in production and the use of various new materials, this sparked and enabled Kilby’s discovery.
It was the dedication of all those men and women with a deep excitement toward routing information through complicated arrangements of wires that we find ourselves where we are. These brave and brainy geeks perpetuated the technological evolution of computers to what we use today as an integral part of our daily lives.
What happens when we reach the limits of our technology? It is coming and it will happen… the silicon chip can only go so far. Beyond that, computers processing abilities will be compromised – what will be the answer then……fibre optics, kryptonite…..warp drives?
The world we live within today is increasingly become more and more reliant on technologies. Many of these are becoming exterior of our physicality. What I mean to say is, what we now have in the same room as us our ‘towers’ and/or processing stacks will be no more. Computers will become a tool, an access point that allows you to ‘plug in’ to what used to be your tower which will now be floating somewhere out there in the cloud….Google….Microsoft…..
Technology is moving toward the ethereal. It cannot be touched, it cannot be seen, but it does the same and more than what we have at present…… where will it all end up..…..?
[source: OnlineComputerScienceDegree.com]
Office health: Bum deal
Do you have a job or hobby that requires you to sit for many hours of the day or night for that matter? If so, this is for you!!
The facts
As a species we spend more time sitting on our behinds than we do sleeping! The average time for ones bum to frequent a chair is 9.3 hours per day, this may be at the office or at home on the couch, whereas the average time spent in bed sleeping for most is 7.5 hours – pretty crazy huh!
Back in the day when we were out farming potatoes, chasing sheep around the hills and tackling stormy seas for a wee fish or two our biological fitness, in comparison to today, was far greater!
Scary stats
Since the arrival and integration of technologies in our daily lives we seem to make more use of our bums than ever before!! It really has become a bit of a problem. Below are some eye opening stats for you to mull over:
- 1 in 3 Americans are obese
- Between 1980 and 2000 exercise rates stayed the same, sitting increased 8% and get this, obesity DOUBLED!!!!!!
- Those who sit for more than 3 ½ hours per day watching TV are 64% more likely to die from heart disease.
- All you folks out there that have jobs that require you to sit for long periods have twice the rate of cardiovascular disease as compared to those with standing jobs.
- As soon as you plonk your bum down calorie burning drops by 1 per minute
The solution
The human body is not designed to sit for extended periods of time so here are some links to exercises for you to do in the office that whilst may have some eyes looking at you will potentially lessen your apparently ensuing threat of cardiovascular disease.
Why not get the whole office involved, afternoon stretches – I can imagine it now, offices all over the world in unison doing synchronised office gymnastics :)
With some simple activities we can all live with healthy bodies, minds and keep our office jobs! Good luck my fellow geeks!
Ever heard of ‘stand up desks’? Todd Wasserman swears by them, find out more here.
Move aside Facebook and Google: Microsoft is eyeing up Skype
www.skype.com
Today the rumours floating around are that Microsoft are close to clinching the acquisition of Skype! With a price tag in the ballpark of $7 – $8.5 billion it would be the biggest acquisition the Redmond company has ever undertaken.
Facebook was reportedly offering between $3 and $4 billion to get their hands on this VoIP giant! However, it would seem Microsoft have snuck in to steal the deal. They appear to be the most likely ones to walk away ‘one VoIP service richer’. In order to do so they have bid a whopping great figure, too whopping perhaps?
We are all watching perched on the edge of our chairs. What do you think about Microsoft’s potential purchase?