As an aspiring Journalist, I write a bi-weekly column for my High School's Newspaper; my column being The Nerd Corner. I usually write about videogames, generally because they interest me as well as many others at my school. However, my editor recently requested I write about something other than gaming.
I chose to write an article about the advancing trends of technology. Sort of a broad topic, I know, but I thought I might be able to educated a few, all the while earning "Street Cred" with the teachers and clever-clogs of the school.
I was hoping a few from the Escapist Community could read the article and give me some input. I was hoping to not bore the students to death if they chose to read it, so please be honest if you find it unbearably boring.
Any criticisms are welcome, as I myself am not even sure what I think about the article.
Thank you all in advance.
I chose to write an article about the advancing trends of technology. Sort of a broad topic, I know, but I thought I might be able to educated a few, all the while earning "Street Cred" with the teachers and clever-clogs of the school.
I was hoping a few from the Escapist Community could read the article and give me some input. I was hoping to not bore the students to death if they chose to read it, so please be honest if you find it unbearably boring.
Any criticisms are welcome, as I myself am not even sure what I think about the article.
I'm constantly reminded by my editor that the name of my column is The Nerd Corner and not The Videogame Corner. So, I've decided to write an editorial of sorts about the advancing trends of technology. Pay close attention; you might learn something.
Seemingly a million years ago (2004), the Razr was considered the must have cell phone by just about everyone who mattered. It was incredibly popular and sold around 50 million units in two years. However, there is some confusion regarding exactly what made it so popular. The Razr wasn't exactly a good phone; it had terrible reception, call quality was only good during a full moon, the camera wasn't that great (even compared to other phones), and the User Interface was a bloody mess. The only thing that the Razr had going for it was its size. It was the thinnest and most aesthetically pleasing phone on the market at the time, and because of that, it sold like some particularly tasty hot cakes.
This brings me to the entire point of my article, tech trends. The trend then was making devices as small and convenient as humanly possible. The Ipod Nano was released in early 2005, it being the smaller and thinner version of the Ipod. TVs were becoming thinner and thinner, with Liquid Crystal Display replacing the old Cathode Ray Tube method of TV design. This time period was a breeding ground for innovation when it came to taking pre-existing technology and cramming it into smaller and sexier packages.
Almost like foretelling a prophecy, Nintendo introduces touch screen technology to the world in 2004, with its Nintendo DS (dual-screen). However, the touch screen was too primitive and didn't really seem to catch on. No other companies adopted this technology, regardless of the huge sales figures Nintendo enjoyed from the DS. It wasn't until 2007, with the release of the much touted Iphone, that touch screen became the new tech trend. Shortly after Apple's ?Jesus Phone? hit the market, a storm of other touch operated devices were released. Phones, MP3 Players, Computers, and Game Systems have all tried to take a piece of the delicious profit pie that Nintendo and Apple discovered.
However, three years after that blood-crazed, consumer fueled, hail storm; touch screen devices have become almost common. And a pattern in time dictates that once a trend has lived out its purpose and become as common as anything else, a new trend must replace it. Right now, the two lovely candidates battling for nerd supremacy are: Motion Sensitivity and 3D.
Yes, 3D has been around for years, decades even, but the film industry has seen a sudden influx of 3D feature films. With December's James Cameron's Complete Waste of Money (I mean, Avatar) being available in 3D around the globe, this is only the beginning of big name directors putting their films in 3D. And why not? 3D's potential hasn't even been fully reached yet, and people will always shell out extra cash for entertainment they can't experience at home. Also, 2009 saw a few 3D videogame releases, like Resident Evil: 5 and James Cameron's Complete Waste of Money: The Game. Though they do require top of the line HD TV's in order to work properly, it is exciting to think about what sort of 3D games a good company like Infinity Ward would release. I have very high hopes for the future of 3D and what it could bring to the entertainment industry. I'm still crossing my fingers for Star Wars: 3D.
I have a much less optimistic approach toward motion sensitive technology. In its current form, it is the biggest waste of time and good ideas that you can possibly imagine. The Nintendo Wii is primarily the cause of this terrible trend and it couldn't be more proud. The Wii is selling somewhere around a bazillion units every second, and all because of the motion sensitivity. The worst part is, the motion controls don't even work properly. Nintendo released the console too early and it can only be properly described as nothing more than a virtual Gym for people afraid of leaving the house, especially considering that it's largest selling products are Wii Sports and Wii Fit. Worst of all, Sony and Microsoft have both announced plans for their own motion sensitive gaming devices/consoles, which would make this exactly like a nightmare I had awhile back. But motion sensitivity doesn't have an entirely bleak future. As we speak, a team of very lovely people over at MIT are developing the proper motion sensitive computer, which really reminds me of the computer Tony Stark used in Iron Man.
Considering that 3D and Motion Sensitivity are hot right now, I can only hope that the near future will hold Augmented Reality or even Virtual Reality. That sort of thing is still awhile down the road, but everything we do to improve technology now could be another stepping stone to get us there. Forget Star Wars the 3D movie, I'm waiting for Star Wars the Virtual Reality videogame.
Seemingly a million years ago (2004), the Razr was considered the must have cell phone by just about everyone who mattered. It was incredibly popular and sold around 50 million units in two years. However, there is some confusion regarding exactly what made it so popular. The Razr wasn't exactly a good phone; it had terrible reception, call quality was only good during a full moon, the camera wasn't that great (even compared to other phones), and the User Interface was a bloody mess. The only thing that the Razr had going for it was its size. It was the thinnest and most aesthetically pleasing phone on the market at the time, and because of that, it sold like some particularly tasty hot cakes.
This brings me to the entire point of my article, tech trends. The trend then was making devices as small and convenient as humanly possible. The Ipod Nano was released in early 2005, it being the smaller and thinner version of the Ipod. TVs were becoming thinner and thinner, with Liquid Crystal Display replacing the old Cathode Ray Tube method of TV design. This time period was a breeding ground for innovation when it came to taking pre-existing technology and cramming it into smaller and sexier packages.
Almost like foretelling a prophecy, Nintendo introduces touch screen technology to the world in 2004, with its Nintendo DS (dual-screen). However, the touch screen was too primitive and didn't really seem to catch on. No other companies adopted this technology, regardless of the huge sales figures Nintendo enjoyed from the DS. It wasn't until 2007, with the release of the much touted Iphone, that touch screen became the new tech trend. Shortly after Apple's ?Jesus Phone? hit the market, a storm of other touch operated devices were released. Phones, MP3 Players, Computers, and Game Systems have all tried to take a piece of the delicious profit pie that Nintendo and Apple discovered.
However, three years after that blood-crazed, consumer fueled, hail storm; touch screen devices have become almost common. And a pattern in time dictates that once a trend has lived out its purpose and become as common as anything else, a new trend must replace it. Right now, the two lovely candidates battling for nerd supremacy are: Motion Sensitivity and 3D.
Yes, 3D has been around for years, decades even, but the film industry has seen a sudden influx of 3D feature films. With December's James Cameron's Complete Waste of Money (I mean, Avatar) being available in 3D around the globe, this is only the beginning of big name directors putting their films in 3D. And why not? 3D's potential hasn't even been fully reached yet, and people will always shell out extra cash for entertainment they can't experience at home. Also, 2009 saw a few 3D videogame releases, like Resident Evil: 5 and James Cameron's Complete Waste of Money: The Game. Though they do require top of the line HD TV's in order to work properly, it is exciting to think about what sort of 3D games a good company like Infinity Ward would release. I have very high hopes for the future of 3D and what it could bring to the entertainment industry. I'm still crossing my fingers for Star Wars: 3D.
I have a much less optimistic approach toward motion sensitive technology. In its current form, it is the biggest waste of time and good ideas that you can possibly imagine. The Nintendo Wii is primarily the cause of this terrible trend and it couldn't be more proud. The Wii is selling somewhere around a bazillion units every second, and all because of the motion sensitivity. The worst part is, the motion controls don't even work properly. Nintendo released the console too early and it can only be properly described as nothing more than a virtual Gym for people afraid of leaving the house, especially considering that it's largest selling products are Wii Sports and Wii Fit. Worst of all, Sony and Microsoft have both announced plans for their own motion sensitive gaming devices/consoles, which would make this exactly like a nightmare I had awhile back. But motion sensitivity doesn't have an entirely bleak future. As we speak, a team of very lovely people over at MIT are developing the proper motion sensitive computer, which really reminds me of the computer Tony Stark used in Iron Man.
Considering that 3D and Motion Sensitivity are hot right now, I can only hope that the near future will hold Augmented Reality or even Virtual Reality. That sort of thing is still awhile down the road, but everything we do to improve technology now could be another stepping stone to get us there. Forget Star Wars the 3D movie, I'm waiting for Star Wars the Virtual Reality videogame.
Thank you all in advance.
