Every now and then, I have these little ‘technology epiphanies’. I can’t think of a better phrase but if you’ve ever marvelled at the ability to send email, talk over the internet, find an obscure fact in seconds, or order miscellaneous goods from far-off places, no doubt you’ll know what I mean. The internet lets you do some absolutely amazing things.
In the Economist this week, they suggest that the follow-up to this revolution in information technology and network communications will be found in wireless devices. With cheap small wireless chips, devices can communicate between themselves enabling a range of new products and services (e.g. how about a mousetrap that notifies you when it’s caught a mouse – or, alternatively, that the mouse ate all the cheese).
Apart from the Oyster card in London, I haven’t really seen much of this technology myself but the appeal of wireless technology, even in a fairly simple application, is clear. Today for example, I’m writing this post on a bus, stuck in traffic heading out of London. Static wifi has obviously been around for a few years but there’s something about having access while you’re on the move that is just amazing. This isn’t very exciting to those who spend a lot of time on trains in the UK but it’s the first time I’ve had a chance to try it out and I’m smitten!
The other technology I was impressed by today is on the energy front. This BBC story and video describes a giant solar concentrating generator in Spain. Using thousands of mirrors to focus sunlight, it heats water and drives a steam turbine. I think these types of plants have existed for years in the US but the scale and sophistication of this new facility – and the plans to build more larger facilities – make this particularly impressive.
