Websites aren't a waste of time

The digital age is here and prevalent. I now do much of my homework on the computer and online. This is both a blessing and a curse. It's great to have so many tools at my fingertips in a screen that is thinner than my thumb width, however, it is also very easy to lose focus. The internet is one of the greatest procrastination innovations of all time. It seems to egg me to click on extraneous links, to read about outrageous things, to network with people, to look at pictures of cute animals, to listen to the newest song released by my favorite artist, and the list continues. I've now veered so far off course that I've wasted twenty minutes that could've been used to do research for my entrepreneurship class. But, was it really a waste? In that twenty minutes I heard a new song that my friends will be talking about the next day, read up to date news about what's going on in the world and watched a youtube video taught me how to tie off a bracelet. Perhaps what I learned in that twenty minutes wasn't about the market size of a retail business, but I was learning something. That's one of the many useful aspects of the internet.

In a world of ever increasing discoveries and understandings comes websites tailored to those discoveries. The two websites I'm going to be talking about in this blog deal with strengthening the mind. I suppose that's one of the most interesting things to me, because I am always striving to be better. These two websites can help you strengthen your mind and reduce the effects of diseases like Alzheimer's. One I came across because a friend told me about it. The other I decided to look up because I saw an ad on TV (I'm one of those suckers who fell for a television commercial).

sporcle.com is a website where there are hundreds of thousands of trivia games. There are 15 categories to choose from. There are quizzes on authors of books, naming 196 countries, recognizing cooperation symbols, and hundreds more. Some quizzes take a minute and others take more than ten. My friend and I have spent many hours on this website. You can feel good about being on it for a few minutes, because it's just like going to the gym for your brain. If the over 300,000 games to choose from isn't enough, you can create your own quizzes too.

I saw a commercial for lumosity.com which advertised that it could improve your performance in a way that just feels like playing games.

Immediately I was intrigued and checked out the website. Unfortunately, I don't have access to all the games because there is a monthly subscription cost. However, with the few games I have access to I can see how they are geared to improve my speed, memory, attention, flexibility, and problem solving.

My point with this blog wasn't to advertise these two websites, but to share a couple websites that I thought were interesting because they are aimed to challenge and exercise your brain. These are two websites that I can rationalize spending time on (I can't quite rationalize being on Facebook the same way). At least when I am using these websites to procrastinate I am also strengthening my brain.

The Future: The Thinking Starts Today

There are always inventions that seem unattainable for the time in which we live. This may be because the technology has not advanced enough or doesn't exist. Perhaps it is impossible (a time machine seems pretty far off in the future). There are also always innovations that are not successful until the next century. For example, Thomas Edison's light bulb wasn't really useful until 40 years later when electric utilities were stable and profitable.

So, what new innovations are people working on now? What innovations are going to change how you live your everyday life? 

Here's a description of 32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow that I found on The NY Times' website. It splits the innovations into six categories: Morning Routine, Commute, Work, Play, Health, and Home. I'm just going to pick a few of my favorites to discuss, but you should definitely read up on the rest.

Number 4: The Morning Multi-Tasker

"The problem with laptops and tablets, says Mark Rolston of the design firm Frog, is that they’re confined by a screen. He wants to turn the entire room into a monitor, where you can have the news on your kitchen table while you place a video call on your fridge. And when you’re done, you can swipe everything away, like Tony Stark in “Iron Man.” Clay Risen

I think the picture on the website will help to understand this innovation the best.

I haven't decided if this is something I really would like to see. It seems a bit extreme for the internet to be so integrated into out daily lives. Already I rely very heavily on my phone and laptop. I'm not sure how a room being turned into a monitor would affect my psyche.

Number 16: Your Body, Your Login

"A team of Dutch and Italian researchers has found that the way you move your phone to your ear while answering a call is as distinct as a fingerprint. You take it up at a speed and angle that’s almost impossible for others to replicate. Which makes it a more reliable password than anything you’d come up with yourself. (The most common iPhone password is “1234.”) Down the line, simple movements, like the way you shift in your chair, might also replace passwords on your computer. It could also be the master key to the seven million passwords you set up all over the Internet but keep forgetting." Chris Wilson

With this innovation projected to be only two years away our relationship with technology is only going to be strengthened. I definitely would be happy to not have to remember so many passwords. However, this also worries me because I don't want to be too dependent on all this technology. I also wonder how accurate this can be, as I don't see how it's possible for me to move my phone to my ear the exact same way every time or move in my chair the exact same way. I don't want to be locked out of my computer because I can't seem to move in it the right way.

Number 20: A World Without Hangovers

"Researchers at Imperial College London are closing in on a formula for a new kind of booze — synthetic alcohol, it’s called — that would forever eliminate the next morning’s headache (not to mention other problems associated with drinking). The team, led by David Nutt, a psychiatrist and former British drug czar, has identified six compounds similar to benzodiazepines — a broad class of psychoactive drugs — that won’t get you rip-roaring drunk but will definitely provide a buzz. According to Nutt, the alcohol substitute would be a flavorless additive that you could put in a nonalcoholic drink. And when you want to sober up, all you’d have to do is pop a pill." Clay Risen

I think the implications with this are pretty clear. I probably wouldn't want to waste my time or money with this synthetic alcohol, but that's because I already am not much of a drinker. It seems like it would be quite useful for others though. Popping a pill to sober up sounds like a simple solution. What do you think? Real alcohol or synthetic?

Number 21: The Mind-Reading Shopping Cart

"In February, Chaotic Moon Labs began testing a robotic shopping cart that acts a bit like a mind-reading butler. To start it up, you can text message the cart’s built-in tablet computer. Now it knows who you are and what you need for dinner. The cart uses Microsoft’s Kinect motion-sensor technology to track and follow you through the store, pointing you — in a synthy voice reminiscent of a G.P.S. navigator — toward products on your list. The system will also warn you if you’ve added something that violates your dietary restrictions. Still only a prototype, the cart isn’t nearly as nimble as its human-powered cousin, but it does have one main advantage. Items you add to the cart can be automatically scanned, and you can finalize your purchase from the device, skipping the checkout line entirely." Farhad Manjoo

This shopping cart will change the way in which we do grocery shopping. It is right in line with our fast paced society. Imagine a grocery store without people and just shopping carts...Perhaps that's a bit extreme. Still, the advantages of this shopping cart are pretty evident. 

Number 29: Reduce, Reuse, Masticate

It’s depressing to think how much food packaging there is in your kitchen right now — all those juice cartons, water bottles and ice-cream containers. But what if you could eat them? “We’ve got to package in the same way nature does,” says a Harvard bioengineer named David Edwards. And so he has devised a way to convert foods into shell-like containers and films that he calls Wikicells. Yogurt will be encased in a strawberry pouch, for instance. You could wash and eat the packaging, like the skin of an apple, or you could toss it, like the peel of an orange, since it’s biodegradable. The newly wrapped ice cream and yogurt will be available later this month at the lab store in Paris, with juice and tea coming within the next year or two.Nathaniel Penn

This is one of my favorites because of how simple the idea is. You would no longer have to deal with throwing out containers and packaging. Right now I sort through packaging to see what parts I can recycle. With this innovation that would be unnecessary. Just eat the package or throw it out (compost perhaps?).

I hope that this post made you reflect a bit on future. Many of these things are not all that far away (with in the next 5 years). It is incredible to see what humans can do with constant thought, to see what innovations come out of it, and to see how they are going to shape our future.

Free To Explore

So Professor Worthington has now set us free to choose a topic of our choosing. There are definitely pros and cons to this. I liked being a given a topic to write about, because I didn't have to take time to decide on a topic of innovation. However, now that I have to find a topic to write about I am realizing how many great innovative products there are. Innovation is every where you look. Then again, innovation has a very imprecise definition. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, innovation is "a new method, idea, product, etc."  On my quest for a topic, I couldn't narrow it down to just one thing. Therefore, I am going to write briefly about several innovations that I came across while web-surfing.

In a matter of minutes after searching for "innovative products" thousands of websites came up. Of course I only selected a few of links displayed on the first page. Here is a couple that came up:

2012 Good Housekeeping VIP (Very Innovative Products) Awards
My favorite of the ten products listed was the Nest Learning Thermostat. Basically this is a thermostat that programs itself by tracking your use of electricity and adjusts the heat and AC accordingly. You can modify temps and timing with your smartphone, tablet, or Web browser. It even retrieves weather reports via Wi-Fi for the most efficiency. At only $250 think about the savings in energy and the convenience. (You won't have to get up in the middle of the night to turn up the thermostat.)

10 Innovative Products Working without Electricity
While not all of these products seemed all that useful, there were some really cool ones! I particularly found the PocketShower intriguing. With this product you can take a shower in the middle of nowhere. This product can be filled with up to ten liters of water for a seven minute shower, and then the PocketShower can be folded up in a package smaller than your fist.

As if these two sites hadn't provided me with enough ideas, I continued to venture on in the search for more innovative products. The next topic that came to my mind was innovations in food products and anything related to food because I absolutely love cooking. (If I had a bit more talent, perhaps I would be a culinary chef.) Here's two that came up regarding food:

New Food Products 2013: Top 10 Most Innovative Products For 2013 Named By Grocery Innovations Canada
Because I haven't actually tried any of these products I don't really understand the innovation of the products listed. I did find it interesting that they included Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix. I have had cakes made from cake mixes in the past; this one must be extra special as it is on this list. I think this is a good excuse to bake a cake and eat it too. After all, the products on this list were evaluated based on three criteria: most unique, most buzzworthy and best consumer response. There most be something innovative about this cake mix, just like there is something innovative about Buitoni Pizza.

The 8 Biggest Kitchen Innovations of the Last Decade
I'm a sucker for anything related to the kitchen. These kitchen innovations are truly awesome. I think I want them all. How could you not like the idea of fresh local produce and meat be delivered to your doorstep within 24 hours of ordering online? Although, FreshDirect is only for those who live in New York City. Technology is constantly being integrated in our daily lives. Epicurious is a free app for the iPhone that could help you on your next grocery trip. You can easily browse over 25,000 recipes, save ones you like, and compile a shopping trip of all the ingredients you need.

So that was my adventure on the internet tonight. The internet in itself is an innovation (I'll save that one for another day). It is great having so much information at my fingertips in a matter of seconds. Tonight I read about almost forty innovative products thanks to the information available. I just couldn't choose one to write about, so I chose to share a few with you. Take a few moments to think about all the products you use in your daily life. Think about why they are innovative and what thought had to go in creating them. Innovation is all around us.