Technology Trends - Essay Example

1Technology Page Thesis: Technology is the driving force behind the world we live in. Like our every day whims, technology changes, alters, and evolves very quickly. Technology is finicky. What was brand new yesterday is out of date tomorrow. Everything we do, from what we eat to how we get to work in the morning to the paper we read and the means that we read it, is predicated by some form of technology. While it is important to be aware of the constant evolution of technology, we must also be wary of the difficulties of keeping up. Technology is the fastest changing medium in today's world, evolving and changing the earth in constant and unpredictable ways. Consider information technology and how in just over 100 years the United States went from using the pony express, a means of sending information that required an average of ten days to physically carry mail from Missouri to California, to the instant messaging of today (American West, 2005)). Now one can send an e-mail or use a cell phone and be automatically connected coast to coast and continent to continent. As technology improves, people are put out of work and machines become antiques. One might consider this the new world's survival of the fittest. Today, current technology becomes obsolete technology as easily as the telegraph ridded the pony of its cross country route. The internet now gives access to online magazines and newspapers. Blogs allow people to express themselves poetically or ramble aimlessly. It is even possible to view independent films or the comical antics of some teenage kids, a person can find a job answering surveys or writing for a major newspaper. With the internet the possibilities are truly endless. Page 2 Computers have experienced an astounding variety of changes in the past 30 years. Back in the pioneer days of the 1970s, computers were sold as kits and assembled by the buyer. This was usually a long and painstaking process and unless one was unusually versed in the ability to build computers one often failed (Sysop, 2005). In just 30 years computers have changed so much that the boxy and slow originals are hardly considered relatives to today's sleek and slim counterparts. In fact, enough has changed in the past 30 years to result in the construction of obsolete computer museums, including the San Diego Computer Museum, and other obsolete technology websites, including sites like www.moustrak.com that offer strange and unique ways to make new uses out of useless products, such as old monitors turned fish bowls. In this moment to moment, fast-paced environment it is easy to understand why information technology professionals are having difficulties keeping up with the changes. It is estimated that by the year 2009 approximately 878 million people around the world will be using some form of mobile communication (Hamblen, 2005). It is easy to see that the demand for technology is great, and IT professionals want to be the best in order to attract a solid chunk of that 878 million. As information technology professionals attempt to lead their companies in the production of software and the sales of items such as laptops, servers, and cell phones, they are encountering a slew of problems. Probably offering the most frustration, many are finding that their items are being pirated at an alarming rate. As if working in the information technology world isn't demanding enough, these professionals now have to face the possibility that their products might be stolen and resold under a false logo (Pratt, 2005). Apparently, as a product, such as a cell phone, attempts to find its new home overseas, it is not uncommon for it to be Page 3 stolen along the way, reworked, decorated with a new logo, and sold for a fraction of what it would normally have cost. An option that is very enticing for those people that are unconcerned with the possibility of buying stolen goods. According to Mary T. Pratt, the use of pirated information technology products is rampant because there is little or no enforcement of intellectual property laws, especially overseas where US companies are actively expanding. Unless these laws begin to be enforced, chances are very good that stolen products will continue to be sold and used widely. Pirated products are not the only things that IT professionals are concerned about. In order to stay ahead in the information technology industry, information technology professionals must be constantly aware of the ever changing technological landscape. Because technological changes can literally occur over night, IT pros must be diligent. Attending conferences and workshops where one can learn about new technologies from specialized providers is highly recommended. It is also important for IT professionals to keep up to date with recently published literature, whether on-line or otherwise, as well as keeping in touch with their companies own tech people and the plethora of knowledge they too can offer (Bell, 2005). Just as IT professionals continue to look for new forms of technology, researchers are working constantly in order to be the first to provide and supply new technology. One can take a look at the recent evolution of cell phones and easily recognize the changes and improvement in technology. Cell phones were originally the size of land line telephones, while today they are sleek and small enough to fit into the palm of a hand. One can also play games, take pictures, Page 4 surf the internet, and text message, among a myriad of other options from one complex little unit. A growing trend among young adults is the complete disposal of the land line telephone, preferring the use of cell phones for their personalized convenience. It will be interesting to see where the land line telephone is in a few years. While IT researchers and professionals may seem to have it rough, the common consumer may have the hardest time keeping up with the craze. Home computers, cell phones, washing machines, televisions, coffee makers, cameras. They are all consistently being improved. Years ago it was rumored that as soon as a computer was purchased it was already out of date. Today we know this is true. According to Titus Hoskins, laptop technology is advancing at an alarming rate, a pace he calls "Ferrari fast" (Hoskins, 2005). Both laptops and desktops continue to get smaller and sleeker, like the rest of the technological world, and options continue to grow and become more personalized. Consumers must be diligent in their research concerning the options available for the money they are willing to spend for personal technology. Computers are likely to cause the most frustration because they are leading the technological race in changes and improvements. The truth is that unless one is particularly bent on being the most up-to-the-moment high-tech master, chances are that the laptop featured in the most recent newspaper flyer will be a fine fit and provide the necessary service. In fact, unless one is exceptionally savvy, one will probably end up with many unnecessary extras and pricey unneeded options. This is another reason that a consumer must be careful when considering the hows and whys of a product. Unless one has a disposable income it is important to only pay as much as is necessary for ones needs. Page 5 There are two main types of technology, analog and digital. Analog technology has been around for years and includes most home telephones, stereos, and other machines that produce replications of the human voice that are cluttering up apartments today. According to Howard Massey (2005), the sound that we hear is simply the back and forth movement of the air. Analog instruments mimic this movement with electrical fluctuations. Massey (2005) says that "these electrical fluctuations are converted to movements of air when they are passed through an amplifier and on to a loudspeaker." Analog is cheap and easy to produce, but when compared to digital less satisfying, because analog signals can only carry a certain amount of information (Wotel, 2004). In other words, analog can only mimic so much and be able to turn it into a sound. While analog is still very common today, digital technology is promising to take us into the future. Digital synthesizers take an entirely different approach. Instead of mimicking a sound, digital media takes the sound and turns it into a binary code, a code made up of ones and zeros, and transports these numbers through the air, up to satellites, back to earth or wherever it might be going, and then puts the numbers back together to produce the original sound (Wotel, 2004). The reason digital television has a clearer picture is because much more information can be transmitted with a digital signal, and unlike all of the noise an analog signals transfers, digital media sounds and looks clearer because it only transmits the important information that has been broken down specifically into code, leaving much of the unwanted background noise behind (Wotel, 2004). Page 6 It is an understatement to say that technology is complicated. It is also tricky and expensive or pirated and cheap or too much and not enough. At the going rate human kind will soon enter the realm of science fiction; instead of merely teleporting sounds and images we will soon be teleporting people and leaving sci-fi in the fiction section with the rest of the books, another casualty of technology. Remember that it is important to keep abreast of current technological changes and perhaps more important to befriend a person that can translate all of the foreign mumbo jumbo so that choosing a new product will help improve ones life rather than hinder it. Works Cited Bell, Steven (2005). . "To Keep Up, Go Beyond." Keeping Up with New Information Technologies. Retrieved November 9, 2005, from: http://www.wmrc.uiuc.edu/main_sections/info_services/library_reference_information_technology.cfm. Hamblen, Matt (2005, November 8). IDC: As mobile workforce grows, IT support could lag [Stry 0,10801,106062,00]. Retrieved November 9, 2005, from: http://www.computerworld.com/mobiletopics/mobile/story/0,10801,106062,00.html. Hoskins, Titus (2005, November 8). Your Next Computer Should be a Laptop. Retrieved November 10, 2005, from: http://www.thetechzone.com/m=show&id=429. Massey, Howard. Analog Vs. Digital. The International Association of Electronic Keyboard Manufacturers. Retrieved November 10, 2005 from: http://www.iaekm.org/archive/p11.html. AmericanWest.Com (2005). Pony Express Information. Retrieved November 9, 2005 from: http://www.americanwest.com/trails/pages/ponyexp1.htm. Pratt, Mary K. (2005, November 7). China Syndrome: Today's hottest global markets are steeped in counterfeit IT products [Stry 0,10801,105956,00]. Retrieved November 9, 2005 from: http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/legalissues/story/0,10801,105956,00.html. Sysop (2005). Obsolete Technology Website. Retrieved November 10, 2005 from: www.oldcomputers.net. Wotel, Paul (1996-2004). Analog. Digital. What's the Difference HelloDirect.com. Retrieved November 9, 2005 from: http://telecom.hellodirect.com/docs/Tutorials/AnalogVsDigital.1.051501.asp. Read More