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In my last blog I would like to talk about technologies that I believe will not last for much longer. Technology is such a fast growing and innovative industry, that some of the devices and accessories that we used on a daily basis, and that were there to stay are already outdated. The sad part of this evolution is that the younger generations will have no idea or understanding of these technologies how big of a change they made and how influential they were for our everyday life.

The first technology that has changed drastically is how we store data. Starting from a storage technology that 2000’s kids won’t remember floppy disks. Floppy disks were a massive breakthrough in late ’70 as the first type of removable storage. Consequently, floppy disks were the standard in the 80’s and 90’s, even though they could only store 1.4 megabytes of data. The fame of floppy disks came to an end, early 2000, when the USB flash drive technologies was invented followed by external mobile drives. They were faster, smaller and could store more data, with the first flash drive storing a whopping 8 megabytes. Another benefit of USB flash drives was their durability (when a floppy disk was bend or even had a minor scratch it was unusable anymore). Flash drives are still used to this day but have undergone major upgrades. Nevertheless, usage of USB flash drives is very uncommon, with people being surprised when someone uses one. This is because we are rapidly switching to the next evolution of storage technologies, which is the cloud. With wireless access to the storage in real time, elimination of tangible object, USB flash drives will fade away the same as floppy disks did. Nevertheless, I believe that the cloud is not the final step in the evolution of storage technologies.  

How we navigate through the world has also changed in recent times. We started off by graphing and using paper maps; they were used for hundreds of years, but with the advancement of technology they became obsolete. In order to use them you had to figure out where you were, which most people nowadays would not be able to do, and detailed maps became outdated quickly with the expansion of roads systems etc. Therefore, in the late 90’s with the advancement of GPS tracking, navigation unites started to come out. This new type of device was a massive hit. The possibility of having a smallish device that could be moved from vehicle to vehicle, whilst also providing directions and tracking location was what the people needed. But unlike paper maps, standalone navigations had a short life. With the rapid evolution of smartphones, they were able to do the same thing but integrated into a device that we use every day.  This is why nowadays standalone navigation units starting to become just a part of the past.

The last thing I chose to talk about is how the way we watch movies/ series has changed. I want to focus mainly on the mainstream ways of this sector, so I am not going to bore you with the history. In the 1980’s the revolutionary VHS (Video Home System) started coming out, letting ordinary people record and watch films from the comfort of their own house. Even though it had its downsides, such as, the need to rewind to the beginning before watching something, poor video quality or being in only one language and having no other options. It still had a long-lived life until the 2000’s. Since, at that time DVDs came to the market; they were more compact, the user didn’t need to rewind them, and the quality was better. This enabled movie makers to create a more impressive experience for the user. A large contribution to the success of DVDs were stores that rented out movies to people. Nevertheless, like most things from the 2000’s DVDs had a short life. I would say that the end of DVDs being mainstream came with the bankruptcy of blockbuster in 2010. With the growth of Netflix, which firstly introduced online movie renting, which later on changed into a movie streaming platform we have entered the new era of how we watch movies. Nowadays, most if not all companies are switching to this type of platform, where you pay a monthly subscription and have access to a wide range of movies/ series.

Concluding, most technologies that at their launch were considered the future have slowly faded away into our memories. Most of the new generations will never experience or understand what we and our parents had to use and how much life differed. So, I want to end by saying this; Cherish what you have now, because nothing lasts forever. Things that you believe will stay forever, will fade away into your memories. The same as these technologies did.

Thank you for reading. 

Bibliography

Parents, M. (n.d.).

Minerals. (2022, Januray 25). The evolution of data storage. Retrieved from Medium : https://medium.com/viamineral/the-evolution-of-data-storage-5cd4c2c5ef05

Harlow, O. (n.d.). THE FATE OF THE VHS. Retrieved from LegacyBox: https://legacybox.com/blogs/analog/the-fate-of-the-vhs

Leite, J. P. (2018, April 9). A brief History of GPS In-Car Navigation. Retrieved from ndrive: https://ndrive.com/brief-history-gps-car-navigation/

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The wireless access is one of the fastest evolving technologies. The newest innovation is called WIFI 6E. it is a massive upgrade in every aspect when comparing it to its predecessor WIFI 6.

A large problem that people are having with WIFI is the fact that the number of channels is low, which means when connecting more devices to the network it becomes over crowded, leading to slower internet speed, latency and interference. Therefore, it isn’t optimal for firms and people with larger networks in their household. This is where WIFI 6E comes into play, because of the change of frequency there was an improvement in the number of channels that are available by almost 2x. 

How was this accomplished? This was accomplished by increasing the frequency that the router emits, from 5 GHz to 6GHz. Therefore, making room for extra channels, increasing the number of 20 MHz channels from 25 to 59, 40MHz from 12 to 29, 80 MHz from 6 to 14 and 160 MHz from 2 to 7. Since, there are more channels available the latency that people were experiencing has been reduced by 75%, and what comes with that? Faster WIFI. 

Another benefit of increasing the frequency is that the overall speed of the WIFI is faster, with a 25% increase of speed between WIFI 6 and WIFI 6E. Moreover, larger amount of data can be transferred, and the problem of buffering has been eliminated.

The routers that the new WIFI uses has also been changed. In the new generation routers, there is an extra channel which is only dedicated for transferring data from one router to the other, with no disruption from other device. Adding to that, because of this change “Self-Healing” technology has been added, which means that when one of the routers goes offline, data is instantly rerouted via other routers to keep you online. Through these changes you are able to have fast WIFI all around your house without the need for ethernet cables. Just connect one of the routers to ethernet, others just to power, let them connect to each other and let technology do its magic. Another addition to the routers is new technology and software’s, they can see what device needs the most internet, then they allocate more of the use to that device, in a way that other devices aren’t impacted. Moreover, when a device isn’t using the WIFI, the routers sees that and put its internet to “sleep”, freeing up space for others and saving battery life of the device that isn’t in use. Additionally, a Mesh system has been also implemented to the routers. This means whilst walking through the house your device changes to what router its connected to without any inconvenience, helping you maintain the fastest connection.

Having installed WIFI 6E in my house, I have seen a rapid speed increase of internet throughout all devices, but especially PC’s with over a 2x increase in the download speed. Furthermore, the power of the signal from the routers is much higher, I haven’t seen a decrease in signal anywhere in my house, even through walls and ceilings. But never forget this technology cost a premium, compared to its predecessors.

Feel free to comment what do you think about WIFI 6E, have you upgraded to it? Or have any questions for a user of this new technology. I look forward to seeing your comments.

Bibliography

LINK, T. (2022). WIFI 6E MESH. Retrieved from TP LINK: https://www.tp-link.com/pl/wifi6/wifi-6e-mesh/

Tablan, P. (2022, July 29). Wi-Fi 6/6E: 5 Advantages & 4 Challenges It Can’t Solve On Its Own. Retrieved from kelsercorp: https://www.kelsercorp.com/blog/top-benefits-wi-fi-6

SUPPORT, N. (2022, 06 12). What is the difference between WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E? Retrieved from NETGEAR: https://kb.netgear.com/000062799/What-is-the-difference-between-WiFi-6-and-WiFi-6E

Badman, L. (2021, April). Wi-Fi 6 vs. Wi-Fi 6E: Spectrum, not hype, is key difference. Retrieved from TECHTARGET: https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/tip/Wi-Fi-6-vs-Wi-Fi-6E-Spectrum-not-hype-is-key-difference

INTEL. (2022). Wi-Fi 6E: Like No Wi-Fi You’ve Experienced Before. Retrieved from INTEL: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/wireless/wi-fi-6e.html

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A recent trend in the automotive industry is downsizing the engine, which is decreasing the displacement and reducing the number of cylinders. To compensate for these changes, manufacturers add turbochargers, hybrid systems (batteries and electric motors) or increase the maximum RPM (revolutions per minute). This trend has been heavily implemented throughout recent years and can be seen in all car manufactures line ups. For example, Volvo has started only producing cars with 2-liter, 4-cylinder engines that are twin turbo charged and supercharged, Audi has taken away one of their most reliable engines which is the 4.2-liter V8 and replaced it with a smaller counterpart. Nevertheless, the most drastic and controversial change has been made by Mercedes-Benz. 

Before talking about that controversy lets talk about why Manufactures are doing this. The main reasoning behind this change is to lower emissions produced by vehicles, whist also improving the efficiency. Another aspect of this change is that the weight of the engines is reduced, which means the engine doesn’t need use as much energy to operate (Wikipedia, 2021). Furthermore, fuel consumption is lower when compared to larger one. But from my research, I noticed that this isn’t true, since a smaller engine needs to work harder to achieve the same outcome as a larger one. For example, a person that has owned a BMW 530i G30 which has a 2-liter, 4-cylinder petrol engine, he replaced it with a BMW 550i G30 which is the same car, but the engine is a 4.4-liter V8. After couple months of ownership, he said that he has seen a 2 liter decrease in the average consumption per 100 kilometers with the same style of driving. 

Other downsides to smaller engines is the reliability of them. Lower displacement engines must use more of their powerband (which also means working at higher RPM’s), because of this more stress is being put on the engine which creates a greater risk of damages. When in comparison larger displacement engines can relax and sit a lower RPM’s (McDonnell, n.d.). Moreover, smaller engines ware much more quickly, with every revolution every engine part gets a little bit of ware. Additionally, it has been spotted thru recent years is that these engines consume larger amounts of oil (I have also noticed this in one of my cars), since the engine needs more lubrication to keep up with the stress its undergoing. Furthermore, many manufactures are starting to have problems with oil leaks all around their engines. Nevertheless, most of these engines are new to the market and only time will tell how reliable they are truly. 

The most controversial act of downsizing was done by Mercedes-Benz this year, with the unveiling of the new C63 (W206). The C63 is one of the most loved models in the Mercedes lineup by car enthusiast.  In the past it was a smaller size sport coupé, sedan or wagon with good handling, styling but most importantly the heart of the car was a V8. Either a 6.2 liter in the W204 or a 4 liter in the W205. All these generations were loved by the community.  The engine was one of the most important aspects that made the C63 stand out from its competition, but with the unveiling of the new model hearts of the car community were shattered. The powertrain will be a 2-liter, 4-cylinder hybrid generating 680 horsepower (the combustion engine will produce 470 horsepower) (Kwaten, 2022), it will be all wheel drive when all its predecessor were rear wheel drive. More problems arouse the more Mercedes talked about the car, the full power (using the combustion engine and the electric motor) will be only accessible only up to 140 km/h, which in all fairness in not enough and not what people that buy these types of cars are looking for. Another issue, the car community was fast to notice is the weight. It will weigh 2.1 tons because of the batteries. This is the weight category of an S class, significantly larger car (the S class is only 30 kilograms heavier). Therefore, the cars handling will be worse than the previous models and after 140 km/h it will be a 2.1-ton A 45 🙂 

Additionally a rumor that is being spread around the car community is that the new E63 will also come with a 2-liter engine.

Feel free to comment what you think about this trend in the industry and what Mercedes-Benz has done with the C63. I look forward to seeing your view on this topic.

 

Bibliography

Kwaten, A. (2022, September 21). 2024 Mercedes-AMG C63 S: Using F1 Lessons, AMG Builds A Hellacious Hybrid. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/wheels/news/2024-mercedes-amg-c63-s-using-f1-lessons-amg-builds-a-hellacious-hybrid/

Wikipedia. (2021, September 23). Engine Downsizing. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_downsizing

McDonnell, A. W. (n.d.). Are small displacement engines more reliable than bigger displacement engines?Retrieved from Quora: https://www.quora.com/Are-small-displacement-engines-more-reliable-than-bigger-displacement-engines

Doell, Z. (2022, Feburary 10). 2022 Mercedes S class. Retrieved from Cars US news: https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/mercedes-benz/s-class 

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Self-driving cars is a big topic in the technological world for decades. Having the ability to sit back, relax and even sleep during your daily commute or road-trip. It sounds like an amazing idea to some and might be nightmare to others. 

Whilst this topic increases interest to many, and we are closer than ever making this our reality. In this blog I would like to talk about the history of self-driving cars, and the pros and cons.

Starting off let’s look how this technology came to life and the changes that have happened throughout recent years. 

In the 1990, people at Carnegie Mellon University started working on vehicles that through the use of computers and positioning devices could aid the driver. By using these systems, the cars could avoid obstacles, maneuver in rough terrain, autonomously keep the vehicle in lane (with warnings for the driver when the car was departing the lane) and warn the driver if they were going to fast into a turn (Todd Jochem, 1995). In 1995 their vehicle successfully completed a coast-to-coast drive through the United States of America, with little aid from a driver (Self-Drivng Cars, 2022).

Later, in 2013, Top Gear has shown the Oshkosh TerraMax, a fully autonomous military truck from the USA. This vehicle used 64 lasers that scanned the terrain ahead, which was later interpreted by the computers in green and red squares. The green squares indicated terrain the truck could manage to go over, whilst the red ones were terrain that the vehicle should avoid (Oshkosh TerraMax, n.d.). 

On this basis the TerraMax could choose its own path, but the general route that the truck would take was input by a human before it took off. 

Nowadays, Waymo, a sub-brand of google, the leader in self-driving cars, provides a driverless taxi service in Phoenix, Arizona. They have achieved this with the use of 360 cameras, radars, lidars and AI. With the use of their sensors, they create a 3D model / picture of the car’s surroundings, which is later analyzed by AI and the best and safest route is then chosen (Waymo, 2022). Another major “player” in this industry is Tesla, which is trying to implement self-driving into their cars. At this point tesla has only released betas for chosen people to test.

Future, Sci-fi movies have shown us that this is one of the possibilities how our future will look like, having no drivers in the cars, just sitting back and enjoying the ride. Moreover, the image that is portraited to us makes us believe that his is the perfect solution and will help us as humanity be more organized. 

Let imagine a scenario where all the vehicles are self-driving. First thing that would happen is a significant decrease in the amount of traffic jams, something that everybody wants to see. I believe this will happen because all vehicles could be synchronized, improving the flow of traffic. Another major benefit would be a drastic decline in the amount of car accidents (this doesn’t mean that they won’t happen). Moreover, a less important matter that would change, is that road rage incidents would mostly disappear. Since people won’t be able to blame the other person for something they didn’t like. 

One important challenge with this idea is a large amount of people enjoy driving. They will never give up something that they enjoy doing just to have a machine to autonomously commute from point A to B. As this is a blog, I can share my opinion: I stand with people that think like this, making it impossible to have a society that only uses self-driving cars. 

This introduced another problem. Human behavior isn’t predictable for machines / AI and vice-versa. We as humans make lots of unpredictable and rapid movements based on emotions and what we believe will happen in certain situations.  That is much different than a machine that needs to calculate everything that is going to happen before it happens. If it can’t calculate what a person around them will do, it is going to cause an accident. Looking from the human perspective, accidents will happen on the same account as the machine. We won’t be able to predict what the machine will do in certain situations. What creates another issue with this technology: who will be held accountable for an accident? The most logical way, I think, it will be determined is by looking at the self-driving vehicles cameras and then deciding if the human driving caused the accident. Another risk I see is the usability of these cars in any conditions. Their entire existence is based on sensors than scan their surroundings. But what if they are blocked due to snow, ice or dust built up on the cars. 

In situations like these, how will the self-driving cars be able to “see” what going on? 

Concluding, this technology has gone a long way since it started being developed. It is amazing to see how far we have come with technology throughout recent years. No doubt one day self-driving cars are going to become a reality. Nevertheless, I believe there are many hurdles that people developing this technology need to overcome, also the legal side needs to be looked over as well.

Feel free to comment, I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say about this topic.

Bibliography

Todd Jochem, D. P. (1995, September 25). Todd Jochem, Dean Pomerleau, Bala Kumar, and Jeremy Armstrong. Retrieved from Carnegie Mellon University education : https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tjochem/nhaa/navlab5_details.html

Self-Drivng Cars. (2022, November 15). Retrieved from Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-driving_car

Oshkosh TerraMax. (n.d.). Retrieved from TopGear Fandom: https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/Oshkosh_TerraMax

Waymo. (2022). How our cars drive. Retrieved from Google/ Waymo: https://support.google.com/waymo/answer/9190838?hl=en