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Just wanted to start a topic about new/improved products that are trying to take us in a new direction. What do we think of them, will they become mainstream hits or will it be novelties that will die out sooner or later? Let me start with two of them that recently amazed me…
QR codes on graves that will direct to a Memory Page. WTF?
Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, digital monetary system, whatever. Quite the buzz these days.A rather good article about Bitcoin: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2014/01/21/ … n-matters/
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Not entirely sure how Bitcoin (Or the QR codes) works, but I read that now you can buy a house with bitcoins.
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And a nice car to park there (it only needs to be shipped from the US to Africa)…
http://www.coindesk.com/lamborghini-mclaren-bitcoin/
That QR code thingy works with a smartphone with an app that reads such code with the camera on the phone. It then should automatically open a website on your phone (in this case a memorial page). Never tried a QR code though, who knows it leads to a XXX site. Not waiting for that when I visit a cemetery.
However, I found the combination of modern techniques with the ancient concept of a grave rather interesting.
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a DeLorean!
I guess QR codes are like barcodes – I did have an app that scanned barcodes and would tell you if the brand/product was ethical, had GMOs, etc – very useful (but only on US products) – so this sort of technology is useful for those who like info at their fingertips, accessible immediately online, so they can know before they buy etc…in the ‘old’ days we used newspapers, libraries and searching encyclopedia’s, which is much more limited in what info can be found.
One thing I read about recently that doesn’t sound like a great idea – smartdust – although too big to be ‘dust’ for now, they are working on making them smaller. I don’t like the idea of having a piece of dust on me (or ingesting it!) that is monitoring everything…
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/05/03/ … index.html -
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Not completely new since we know about holograms and other virtual figures playing ‘live’ music for a while already, however it still surprises me how things sometimes move forward in this world: the japanese manga cartoon version of a virtual artist backed by a live band. I wonder when these cartoons will start playing instruments too.
Lip sync needs some work, though.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX_LOZECYjA[/youtube]
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Yikes, there are some youtube vids of these virtual concerts showing the crowd going crazy- they use a ‘vocaloid’ for the singers vocals. My ears can’t take it
Just saw this re: the QR codes https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid … =1&theater
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Just saw this re: the QR codes https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid … =1&theater
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Page won’t open? Probably because I don’t have a Facebook account… What is it? -
Just saw this re: the QR codes https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid … =1&theater
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Page won’t open? Probably because I don’t have a Facebook account… What is it?[/quote:1cpcgtmc]A cartoon of 2 people in a museum – the paintings are just QR codes and they are holding their ipads up to see the actual paintings on their ipad screens. hehe – that would save museums a lot of transporting art around!
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Coming back to the bitcoin subject… I can start spending them around the corner!
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that is awesome! – I like the idea of a currency away from the centralised banks. I know some places have ‘time-banking’ where you donate your time, eg. babysitting/lawn mowing/hair cutting services, and get a credit to use for someone else to do your lawn/hair or babysit for you. And other places have alternative currency used within a community.
Now the important question: when can you buy SP vinyl using Bitcoin?
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I like the idea of a currency away from the centralised banks.[/quote:2y6i19p9]
Yeah, that’s part of the big idea behind those cryptocurrencies. Be your own bank, and use your money as you like. It’s ultracheap and superfast, almost like cash transactions to anyone somewhere on the globe. It’s still in its infancy though, the bad actors like Mt. Gox (Japanese exchange, went bankrupt last month), still needs to be kicked out of the basket, and a solid worldwide infrastucture should be build instead.However, on a sidenote, I noticed the number of users of bitcoin is growing rapidly (some online bitcoin wallet/trading place in the US is registering 5 new members per minute they state), and merchants are rolling in by the thousands per week these days, after TigerDirect and Overstock decided to accept bitcoin as a payment option in January. And there are almost 100 exchanges worldwide for buying bitcoins. Venture capitalists in Asia, US and elsewhere are investing like crazy in the bitcoin community. So yeah, maybe soon we can pay for Smashing Pumpkins items with these crypto things. Maybe on Amazon this year, or next year?
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I can see ebay accepting bitcoins- not sure about Amazon.
A South African bank (Standard Bank) recently did a test pilot of bitcoin – with 8 internal staff trialing it – but they decided they wouldn’t be launching it. Hmm…not really surprised!
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