Voice commands on a phone are useless

I don't think I have ever seen anybody use the voice commands of a phone. I was surprised a few years back when I saw the Siri commercial for the new idiot phone. Although systems like Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking are useful for the visually challenged or physical challenges, interview transcription and other applications, the majority of us are comfortable using a key based entry system to have a written record of our thoughts to launch an action. Nintendo's Wii and Kinect style interfaces were gimmicks, but did gain traction nonetheless.

I cannot stand watching instructional videos when I know it will take me a tenth of the time to read the instructions. On that thought, wouldn't it be wonderful if all the instructional videos on youtube had searchable transcripts?

What would it be like if we heard our own voice repeated to ourselves in order confirm our commands?

As time goes by, it makes more sense to me that we should learn to have better command of our voices and a pencil to draw. For a fact, I know that most entries on this blog, are not worth reading, and would have been best as fleeting thoughts.

iWatch, smartwhatch, whatever you want to call it, will be a joke

In the 1950s and 60s, we all believed the space was upon us. Everything would change drastically. The same went on about the internet 15 years ago. However, seeing the world as it is, few things have really changed : we still need heat to cook food, water for plumbing, food to eat.

As much as smartphones have changed the way we use computers, that is dragging it around with us where ever we go, the smartwatch fad won't come to fruition. A standard hand watch has a lot more class than a digital one, and in most cases, does everything we need : check the time.

While some people became rich with smartphones, tablets etc. the fad will pass.

Why are you better off buying CDs than getting the songs off iTunes

Using a computer is great, however that mostly has to do with the fact that we are connected to the internet. Often enough, my connection is too slow for voice chat, let alone update some of my software.
While I do appreciate the low distribution costs of some digital software, when it comes to music or audio books, there is very little incentive to buy online : the price is almost the same and  who knows what will happen to the online retailer in a few years... Unless you make copies of everything and put them hard drives, you may not be able to recover the purchased material.

The Tar Sands are Killing More Than Just Wildlife

The tar sands are not bad as such. Greed, corruption and incompetence of the Conservative Party which is ruling the Canadian Government is at fault. While natural resources are important to all of us for everything from electricity, to clay to metals to event to fuel for transportation, we cannot allow a single industry to control our lives. Under its current leadership, Canada is becoming a rogue state. Failing to ratify global agreements, insulting the UN by withdrawing from conventions and muzzling scientific research, there are no signs that the arrogance is going to stop.

Industry could develop and research improved extraction technology, but costs get in the way. The Keystone XL pipeline, or other pipelines which are several thousands of kilometres long do not make sense from an ecological perspective.