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VagueIncentive

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  1. VagueIncentive
    Every computer has millions, if not billions, of transistors in it. These transistors have one use, to control the flow of electricity. They act as a switch, but without any physical moving parts. Their size is incredible, since they work to allow electricity through on the atomic level, rather than a larger scale. The physical makeup of a transistor allows it to prevent the flow of electricity in one state, but when a small positive voltage is applied to the side, it allows the electricity to flow freely through it. Because of how small we are capable of making these transistors, we are beginning to run into issues that don't make much sense, like electrons jumping through a closed transistor. This comes as a result of quantum physics, and its seemingly random nature. If this weren't the case, transistors would continue to decrease in size until they were mere atoms in length. Even now, we are capable of creating incredibly tiny circuits, so much so that a small processor about an inch and a half wide can house upwards of 7.5 billion of them. If we allowed them to get smaller, data would become corrupt, as a single change in a 1 or 0 in a binary code can have catastrophic results.
  2. VagueIncentive

    The Physics of UP

    By VagueIncentive,

    The kid's movie UP, while serving it's purpose as a kid's movie, isn't exactly known for being accurate in the physics department. In the movie, an entire house is lifted up by nothing more than balloons. This iconic scene is pretty, but is it probable? Discovery channel's Mythbusters decided to test it harnessing a small girl into a ton of balloons, and seeing how many it would take to lift her. They estimated about 2000 fully inflated helium balloons would be enough to lift the young girl, but with a sandbag dummy they found they would need upwards of 3500 balloons. After tying up all 3500 balloons to the harness, she was lifted into the air purely by the power of balloons. If it took 3500 balloons to lift a small girl, it would likely take millions of balloons to lift a house off of it's foundation and then into the air.
    http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/balloon-girl-minimyth/
  3. VagueIncentive

    The Xbox Kinect

    By VagueIncentive,

    A lot of people have used the Kinect for Xbox, and at the time of it's release in 2010 it was a new take on motion control technology. It allowed for control without a controller, by using 3 seperate cameras, 1 of which is a color camera, the other 2 are infared. They are seperated a small amount, just like our eyes to allow for the cameras to get a 3d model of what is in front of it, matched with the color camera to get an idea of the position of the person in front if the camera. This, along with the decent refresh rate of the cameras, makes it possible for the player to use their body to control whatever the game allows.
  4. VagueIncentive
    We spend many hours every day looking at some sort of display, whether it be attached to a computer, phone, TV, or maybe even a car. These displays work on a relatively simple concept of using liquid crystals that change the color of the light that is provided by the backlight, which is usually white. This tech has replaced the old CRT (cathode ray tube) technology that shot electrons at a screen over and over scanning across to form the image. The next innovation in display tech is hopefully something like what Iron Man has in his suit, a type of transparent display. The current tech used would work somewhat as a transparent display, but the colors would be affected by whatever light is behind them, as no light is being produced by the display, only altered. This is where OLED (organic light emitting diodes) come into play, as they are one of the newest type of display technology, and they create their own light. This means that the colors you see are being produced pixel by pixel, rather than a white light being altered pixel by pixel. This also allows for better contrast, as each individual pixel can turn off, making the display capable of having true black rather than a sort of blocked backlight. This tech also allows for flexible and more varieties of displays, which are already being used in some TV's today.
  5. VagueIncentive
    In the last decade, the uprise of mobile devices with touchscreens has been prominent, and there are 2 main types of touchscreens. The first, and cheaper style, is known as resistive, which uses 2 separated films that when come in contact they allow current to flow. This is what is used to determine the location of the touch, as wherever the current is flowing is where the user is currently touching. The issue with this system is that it requires physical movement of the plates, meaning it can be triggered by anything pushing it together, also if it's layers are no longer even they can touch if nothing is pushing on them, causing unwanted actions. The solution to these issues is the more complicated design, known as capacitive touch. This uses a system of 4 capacitors on each corner, and when the touch occurs, based on how the capacitance changes, the computer system can determine the position of the touch. This is exceptionally useful for avoiding accidental touches, and for creating a much more durable touch surface. Also, it enables much more precision and ease of use to the user, as they don't have to physically move anything, and so there is less to go wrong. The disadvantage of this is that water and anything else conductive greatly reduces the accuracy and usability of such a touch screen, as it messes with the currents. Thanks to this kind of technology, it is much easier for us to use our mobile devices with ease and precision.

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