TiVo on the PC

On Monday, Nero and TiVo announced Nero LiquidTV/TiVo PC.  This news means that TiVo will now function from a computer without a set-top box.  The TiVo interface on the computer will look the same as the one on the TV.

The awesome thing about this news is that now users will be able to transport recorded TV shows onto their iPod or PlayStation.  Users can also burn fully functioning DVDs that can be transferred between computers or other devices and taken on car rides, plane trips...you name it!

Though TiVo users who have their DVR connected to their desktop can already transport their shows from the set-top box to DVR, this news is still great because the Nero LiquidTV/TiVo PC simplifies this process.

It will be available in mid-October and eventually offered internationally, opening up TiVo to a whole new international market.

This news is great because as a college student, I don't have much down time to just sit and watch TV in my room. Being able to watch my shows on my iPod or on my laptop would be awesome because then I would be able to watch my favorite shows wherever I can catch a free moment.

Fun Tech Fact: On Sept. 29, 1920 - Radio Goes Commercial

Pribot: The Car of the Future?

On a few occasions, Dr. Shamp has mentioned in my new media classes how cool you are if you drive a Prius. How cool could you be if you didn't drive a Prius?

Pretty cool apparently. Last week, the Pribot, a robotic Toytota Prius, took to the streets of San Francisco without a driver.  Anthony Levandowski, a 28-year old engineer from S.F., developed the Pribot. The Pribot drives itself using a combination of GPS, inertial guidance, and infrared sensors to navigate the roads. 

Levandowski said he created the Pribot as a hobby and because, "the technology for being able to improve your convenience and safety while on the freeway is just around the corner. I want to be the one to provide that."

I think this new robotic car is a good idea because this new robotic car technology seems like technology that could keep people from getting into serious accidents. I think it's amazing that someone has invented a car that can operate without a driver. Next step: flying cars?

P.S.  The initial run of the Pribot was a success. The Pribot had a police escort to make sure it behaved appropriately and only had one small paint scuff at the end of the journey.

Big Brother iPhone

Back in high school, I remember reading 1984 by George Orwell and thinking how terrible the world would be if Big Brother could track your every movement. Today, I read an article online at Wired.com 

that made these thoughts seem like a reality.

According to the article,"If you've got an iPhone, pretty much everything you have done on your handset has been temporarily stored as a screenshot that hackers or forensics experts could eventually recover." I don't have an iPhone so I don't know exactly how this works but the article explains that when an iPhone user hits the Home button, the window of the application the user has open shrinks and disappears. Jonathan Zdziarski, an iPhone hacker and data-forensics expert, said the iPhone creates the shrinking effect by taking a screenshot.

The phone supposedly deletes the image after the user closes the application but often this deletion does not permanently remove files. Forensics experts have been able to use this security flaw to gather evidence against criminals. They can also recover photos or emails that were deleted months ago.

Zdziarski said the iPhone only takes screenshots when user press the Home button. He also explained that somebody must have physical access to the iPhone in order to exploit this security flaw.

I know that I personally have nothing to worry about since I do not involve myself with illegal activities, but I do think that the iPhone's ability to take screenshots and keep them where forensics experts or hackers can find them is a scary thought. Though it is good this flaw has been able to be used to catch criminals, I still don't like the idea of someone being able to track my every move.

It makes me wonder what other devices are watching me.

The Mars Rover is Tweeting

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander was sent to space in early May and has since then been tweeting details about its mission back to the folks still here on Earth. NASA's intent with its use of Twitter.com was to attract a new audience of kids to twenty-somethings. NASA used Twitter for the first time with this mission and has had a very positive response. At the time of this blog post, MarsPhoenix had 33,797 followers!

I think using Twitter to post updates about the mission is a great idea because people who may not ever take the time to read about the Mars rover can read its Twitter page in about 20 seconds or less. I also think its great that people can ask questions about the mission and MarsPhoenix will answer.

I also love how the updates from MarsPhoenix are in first person. A NASA Media Relations person says, "People are talking about how the lander has its own personality now because we talk about everything in first person. People think it is like this plucky, optimistic and determined creature." 

As I read the Twitter updates from MarsPhoenix about finding "humidity in the air but no water molecules on the ground" and about how the rover has "plans to last many weeks before the ice and darkness wins" and it cannot operate on solar power anymore, I imagine a Wall-E like character.

I love that science and a popular social networking site, Twitter.com, can be used together to educate people about space in a fun, new way!!

Read MarsPhoenix's Twitter Page!