By Ryan Joseph

The teaching process has changed quite a lot over the past centuries. In the ancient Roman society, children were simply taught by their parents and the boys were brought up learning the trade of their father. In colonial America, children were generally either taught at home or in small, one room schoolhouses. Public education as we know it today has only been around for the last century or so. Even today, education is undergoing rapid changes. Homeschooling is on the rise, as are alternative education options like online learning and small charter schools. What will it look like in another 100 years?

Will education itself ever become obsolete or unnecessary? Continue reading →

By Andrew Min

One of the biggest arguments in the Linux world rages around proprietary software (software restricted by license and/or price). The majority of the Linux users out there are for pure FLOSS (Free Libre Open Source Software). That is, they only want FLOSS software on their machines. This movement really took off mostly because many of the original Linux and UNIX pioneers were firm FLOSS disciples. However, many users, especially the less philosophical and the more pragmatic, have gotten into the habit of simply wanting what works. Which is the right answer?

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By Elliot Vos

Mac fan(atic)s get slammed all the time for their nigh-unwavering devotion to Apple and Steve Jobs. Many of them even embrace (more or less jokingly) the accusations they receive of treating Steve Jobs as a deity. I could go into all of the reasons for this, but I am afraid that I would quickly start rationalizing and becoming defensive, as I have been accused of being a “Mac Fanboy” myself.

I chuckle, then, but usually try to restrain myself from pointing my finger back at the “fanboys” of other products or companies. They may be more or less obnoxious (usually depending on how little or much you agree with them), and they may not place a single person on a pedestal like people do with Apple’s CEO, but there are people out there who are as devoted to Microsoft, Google or some brand of Linux as many Mac fanboys are to Apple. You know you’ve seen them. You may have unsuccessfully tried to reason with them. Chances are quite likely that some of you are even becoming defensive right now, constructing “At least I don’t…” rationalizations in your mind to post in the comments. But before you get too up-in-arms, I am not here to blast anyone for irrational fanboy-ism.

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By James Mowery

While I doubt humans will be defending Zion or teaming up with Arnold Schwarzenegger, I hope that we will have the opportunity to see robots interacting with humans in a somewhat natural manner. It appears that this might become a reality for many of us. With the developments being made in quantum and DNA computing, you can bet that quite a few of us will live to see the day when robots are strolling along the streets. It is likely to be prevalent in Japan, but, then again, we already knew that.

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By Kyle Baxter

Last month, I discussed how I use speech recognition in OS X to make using my Mac a little easier to use and more enjoyable. I use speech recognition to do relatively simple tasks, such as opening new email, replying to emails, sending new messages, opening chats with people in my Address Book, creating new iCal events, switching between applications, moving up and down pages in Safari, moving back and forward in Safari, and even opening websites.

I am going to focus on using speech recognition in a few key applications that I think you will enjoy the most. I will explain how to use speech recognition in Address Book, Safari, and Coda.

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By Ryan Joseph

I have a computer in my kitchen. That fact alone is not unusual, as placing computers in the kitchen is growing in popularity. Some are recommending that computer placement be taken into account in new construction just like telephones. In 2004, Microsoft wrote an article discussing the benefits of a computer in the kitchen.

And such benefits are numerous. There are the obvious ones, like being able to look up recipes, quickly Google a substitute for an ingredient you realize you don’t have, and listening to music. But there are quite a few benefits that you may not have considered, like using it as a digital picture frame when you’re not using it, creating shopping lists right in the kitchen, and even doing your every day email and Internet surfing while waiting for the water to boil.

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By Andrew Min

I suppose it’s fitting that my first review here at dawningvalley.com is
about Glide OS, since the first article I wrote in my life was about the same product. Back then, it was just called Glide Digital, required a credit card, and was not really an online operating system but a site that hosted your files with a few online applications. Two years later, Glide has evolved into a WebOS in the style of YouOS and eyeOS. But is it ready for general use?

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By Elliot Vos

A bit over a month ago now, I read an article in my school’s weekly magazine which questioned how Apple, Inc. could be rapidly increasing its market share in computers in the college sector. The author cited how many Macs he saw on campus, and then pondered whether these students and faculty “really understand the implications of switching to a Mac.”

I read on to see what the author thought these “implications” were. I was slightly ashamed of my school’s publication when I discovered that the author had researched the situation rather shallowly. Instead of gathering opinions from Mac users about why they chose to purchase their machines, he simply stated a few of the prevalent gripes from Windows users that had not spent much time (if any) in front of a Mac –there is not much software available for Mac, you are not allowed to install OS X on a non-Apple computer, and a PC with an equivalent configuration is much cheaper. Benefits mentioned were limited to OS X’s UNIX foundation, fewer viruses, and the ability to run Windows if so desired.

I could write an entire article rebutting every point, but I won’t belabor a topic that has been discussed ad nauseam on the Internet already. There were a couple of other things which bothered me, though, which I will discuss.

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By Kyle Baxter

I am not sure even Apple knew what they had when they announced iPhone in 2007, but consumers and developers certainly did. Many people’s first responses were, Wow, this is great — it runs OS X, so we can run the excellent applications Apple built and develop our own.

My first reaction was similar. I marveled at Safari, Photos, and the iPod interface, but I was most excited about what other developers could do with iPhone’s multi-touch interface, screen and networking. Whether Apple knew it or not, what they announced was not just a phone, internet communications device and iPod, but an entirely new mobile platform — the future of computer devices.

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By James Mowery

The year is now 2018—with the press of a button, you are instantly propelled into your desktop environment which makes computers of today appear like old fashioned typewriters. With pin-point precision, your computer scours the web to locate and separate news items that you are interested in by interpreting your recent browsing habits, interests, purchases, emails, social communications, and even food consumptions. It is only moments later when you are dictating your latest entry on your blog that will be viewable by all of your friends and followers. Right after, an alert notifies you that your best friend has left a voice message on your cell phone, but through voice recognition, your computer is alerted to the fact that the meeting planned for tomorrow was cancelled. No worries, though, as your calendar instantly updated itself to reflect the changes at the very moment the message was received.

Does all of that sound too easy? Well, I am here to tell you that it is just a glimpse into the future which awaits us all. Producers, consumers, advertisers, governments, schools, and others alike will be anticipating these changes, but while no one can possibly be sure of the future, there are hints from our past and present which provide insight to the unknown. But to get there, we must begin with the past.

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