This is the Modem World: The dark side of Google Glass

Posted on 06/03/2013 by Joshua Fruhlinger

Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.

I want to be excited about Google Glass -- I really do. I saw Robocop as a kid and dreamed that, one day, I too could walk around with a HUD that would feed me information on call, receive messages and record the world around me.

But now that years have passed and I've witnessed humanity worship the smartphone, make prevalent voice-controlled navigation and perfect self-mounted, POV digital video cameras, I'm not so sure that Google Glass is going to be good for us as a society. There is a dark side to what appears to be a wonderful coming together of complementary technology, and I'm here to poop this party.

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This is the Modem World: The dark side of Google Glass

Posted on 06/03/2013 by Joshua Fruhlinger

Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.

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This is the Modem World: Things we’ll be returning

Posted on 27/12/2012 by Joshua Fruhlinger

Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.

We're the family techies. The nerds. The ones who answer all your questions at family holiday gatherings about setting up new tablets and killing viruses. And it's sweet of you to buy us gadgets, but the chances of you getting us something that we don't already have and something that we actually want are, honestly, slim. So we take the gifts, say "How did you know?" and quietly return them for things we actually want. Don't take it personally. It's just that we kinda know what we're doing when it comes to ones and zeros.

Therefore, I present to you the things we will be returning this week. And if you're the friend or loved one of a propeller head, perhaps this will help you next year.

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Filed under: Misc

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This is the Modem World: Hotels owe us free WiFi (and cotton swabs)

Posted on 27/12/2012 by Joshua Fruhlinger

Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.

When I departed for my three-week honeymoon, I informed all my colleagues that I would be off the grid: unavailable, unreachable, without access, etc. In truth, I was in airplane mode scanning for WiFi networks several times a day, checking in on East Coast friends dealing with Hurricane Sandy.

Side note: I was doing so from poolside chairs while the new wife was asleep and not about to be annoyed by my digital addictions, so that made it OK, and stuff.

Hotel WiFi has been around a long, long time. In fact, I reported on the top five hotel chains that served up free WiFi more than eight years ago.

Continue reading This is the Modem World: Hotels owe us free WiFi (and cotton swabs)

Filed under: Misc, Internet

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This is the Modem World: You Use THAT?

Posted on 20/12/2012 by Joshua Fruhlinger

Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.

That's what she said to me.

"You use THAT?!" she repeated, pointing at my humble iPhone 4.

"Is that even a 4S?" she stepped back as she glanced for backup.

"Aren't you some techie?" her friend joined in. I felt like I had been caught with my pants down. I had to prove my tech worthiness to these girls. I had a reputation to protect.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

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This is the Modem World: Fear and loathing in the local bike shop

Posted on 28/11/2012 by Joshua Fruhlinger

Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.

By now, Cyber Monday is probably as big as Black Friday in terms of sales and retail excitement. According to IBM's Smarter Commerce arm, Cyber Monday online sales jumped 30 percent this year. A few years ago, Cyber Monday seemed to start as a joke, e-tailers heaving a "me too" at everyone returning to work, hoping to pick up a couple extra sales from those who didn't score on Black Friday.

This was, of course, when brick-and-mortar shops still outsold their online brethren. Blockbuster Video still occupied mini-malls; Barnes & Noble sold CDs and didn't know a thing about tablets. There was a quiet respect for brick-and-mortar stores in the quaint nature of Cyber Monday: 20 percent off underwear and free shipping, but that was about it.

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Filed under: Misc

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This is the Modem World: We’re all a bunch of cranky old men

Posted on 22/11/2012 by Joshua Fruhlinger

Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.

I've been studying online communities since 1994, believe it or not. My master's thesis was called "Escape to Cyberia: Subcultures as Agents of Change." Go ahead, make fun of me for the title. It's cool.

But back then, no one -- or at least, very few people -- studied online communities as fodder for social science. I set out to prove that people could actually form social bonds and even social structures -- in this case subcultures -- online. I then went on to show that what happens online can affect what happens in the "real world." Several professors at the University of Chicago thought I was insane -- "Real world vs. online? What is this, 'Tron?!'" -- but I aligned myself with a forward-thinker named David Laitin who, too, was ready to accept our future robot overlords.

At the time, Usenet wasn't the dark, gritty back alley of the internet that it is now. Newsgroups were full of discussion, moderation and netiquette. They were, if you will, "where it was at." I was a daily contributor and reader of alt.mountain-bike, where at least 100 new messages about trails, bike maintenance and burritos kept my attention. It was, you might say, just like Reddit. Sorta.

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This is the Modem World: Hotels owe us free WiFi (and cotton swabs)

Posted on 14/11/2012 by Joshua Fruhlinger

Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.

DNP This is the Modem World Hotels owe us free WiFi and cotton swabs

Side note: I was doing so from poolside chairs while the new wife was asleep and not about to be annoyed by my digital addictions, so that made it OK, and stuff.

Continue reading This is the Modem World: Hotels owe us free WiFi (and cotton swabs)

Filed under: Misc

This is the Modem World: Hotels owe us free WiFi (and cotton swabs) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Distro Issue 62 arrives with Apple’s iPod duo, a superslim PS3 and Wacom’s multi-touch display

Posted on 19/10/2012 by Billy Steele

At its event in San Francisco a few weeks back, Apple had more up its sleeve than just an aluminum-clad smartphone. In the latest issue of our weekly, we put both the new iPod nano and iPod touch through their paces to find out how they fare against their elder siblings. If a duo of PMP reviews doesn't snag your attention, we also throw down the review gauntlet on Wacom's Cintiq 24HD touch and this year's slimmed-down PlayStation 3. Eyes-On peeks at an ultrathin ultrabook, Weekly Stat examines emoticon use and Time Machines tallies up some more gadget history. The week's end is mere hours away and the usual download links that follow can help you settle in for a bit of leisurely gadget reading.

Distro Issue 62 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

Filed under: Announcements, HD, Mobile

Distro Issue 62 arrives with Apple's iPod duo, a superslim PS3 and Wacom's multi-touch display originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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