IT's The Future!

Doug Engelbart saw it before most, and still sees beyond the horizon. Check out his talk about the concept of IQ Augmmentation here, then talk about it.

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Some of us remember Phineas J. Whoopie's Three Dimensional BlackBoard from the cartoons, the "3-D BB" with which the almost-omniscient Mister Whoopie illustrated his all too brief explanations of everything from mining to medicine. The 3-D BB is beyond current technology, of course, at least as presented in the cartoons, but 3-D TV appears to be upon us.

Sharp has introduced a display, currently available primarily for computer use but potentially usable with recorded and eventually broadcast television, in which alternating lenses present stereoscopic views to the left and right eye of the viewer. The display appears to have some limitations, most obviously that viewers cannot tilt their heads -- no lounging on the couch with this one -- but also presents some interesting possibilities for such things as travelogues and sports. The most obvious advantage is that viewers don't need to wear any sort of special glasses to see the 3D image.

Have you seen the Sharp or any other "no headgear required" 3-D display (or built this one)? If so, or if not, what are your thoughts on this technology?

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Research performed by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke appears to show that passing a miniscule current (2mA) through the foreheads of test subjects improved their ability to recall learned information by an average of 20%.

Although the concept brings to mind the Krell Brain Booster from the movie "Forbidden Planet," it seems unlikely that a "mere" twenty percent boost could threaten Earth with creatures from the Id. Without a doubt, though, such enhancement could perhaps help "C" students perform like "B" or "A" students, might turn so-so speakers into motivational powerhouses, and just might keep a few of us from having to return to the store for the eggs we forgot on the first trip, or perhaps protect us from getting lost on a trip.

It's interesting to wonder what might happen if the NINDS research, or something like it, leads to an actual product. It appears the cost could be almost negligible -- probably more for "safety" enhancements (and the manufacturer's liability insurance) than for the actual device -- so it's quite possible these things could be available in vending machines. But, as with steroids in the sports world, how would a "brain boosted" generation fit into the academic and business world they'd inherit?

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The first check I got from my first summer job when I was a teenager was used to purchase a portable transistor radio. The job -- picking fruit -- left me pretty much isolated all day, and having the radio in my pocket killed the boredom and kept me in touch with my favorite music. Back then there were a few regional stations and even some which, once the sun went down, covered half the country, but almost all broadcasting at the time was local, cutting to network only for national and world news.

Fast-forward to 2005; regular radio has been homogenized, reduced to a few networks and a few genres, with most stations so similar in sound and format that even regular listeners sometimes need to hear the station identification to know which one they're hearing. There can be little doubt the death of "real" radio is a significant factor behind the tremendous growth of the market for iPods and other portable devices, and the success of the iPod Shuffle, which gives the user almost no control over the way recorded selections are played, negates the claim that portable MP3 players are merely a way to carry the living room stereo into the street -- people want something more than cookie-cutter programming.

Companies like Sirius and XM have tried to fill this demand with satellite radio services, but the cost of doing so has simply added a few more big corporate types to the still-small list of those who decide what you'll hear.

For those who have discovered internet radio, the situation is entirely different. Live365, Shoutcast and others offer both tremendous variety and pinpoint focus with stations for everything from fringe politics and old-time radio to indie music the networks won't play for months, if ever. But internet radio only works where you've got a computer and an internet connection . . . until now.

Several companies have brought devices to market which combine internet radio and portability; Linksys has achieved moderate success with its tabletop portable which connects via WiFi (802.11b/g) networks, and Massachusetts development company Ressen is poised to introduce a pocket-sized WiFi portable it calls the Radeo, which appears to have the potential to finally replace that old pocket transistor radio, at least wherever WiFi access is available. For me, that would be a good start.

Do you listen to internet radio? Would you listen more if you could carry it with you in the backyard, to the coffee shop, etc.? If you've tried any of the "internet appliance"-style internet radios, I'd like to hear your comments!

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In 1988, Apple's John Scully commissioned a project called the knowledge navigator, an ambitious concept which foreshadowed everything from the internet and online searching to VOIP telephony. A fascinating video of Scully's concept can be viewed here.

In the end, Scully was far ahead of his time, and the Knowledge Navigator did not progress from concept to reality.

At least not yet.

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