Nick Kewney

The technology I fell in love with pre-2000 is very different in form and function to the products and services I use today, suggesting that our relationship with technology has no place for fidelity.

This post is a trip down memory lane, exploring how technology has enhanced (and at times dominated) my life between 1997 and 2012 in areas such as music, sports, socialising and day-to-day lifestyle.

THEN  In 1997, the technology landscape looked very different than it does today. The music industry hadn't embraced the threats or opportunities presented by consumer adoption of the Internet and piracy was becoming widespread. The web was also largely unpoliced and companies saw technological limitations such as bandwidth as barriers to larger-scale digital content theft, for example movies and software.

My geeky side wants to tell you that I had a 64k leased line installed in my parents' house when I was 17, a Linux server running on my Gateway 2000 Pentium 75MHz PC and had collected over 50,000 MP3 files over my Global Internet dialup connection before 2000.  My music player of choice at this time was Winamp with its myriad of plug-ins and utilities.

By 1998, I had also written a popular file sharing script for mIRC (an Internet Relay Chat client) and was channel operator for one of the Undernet's busier channels.  I also ran a Shoutcast radio station with friends called 'Rock Beat Radio' and operated a premium rate Nokia ringtone service.  I must admit, I got a real buzz out of the social and technical elements of IRC and met some great people using the platform. I was enamoured by the potential of the technology and the file sharing element was just a part of that.

Back then, I didn't really think about the implications of sharing music with others on the IRC networks and didn't really see any harm in it. Being older and wiser (I'll be 30 this year), I now get great pleasure from my Spotify subscription and iTunes Match account, which lets me give something back for the music I downloaded in my youth. I wouldn't consider downloading digital content from less than legitimate sites these days as it just doesn't benefit anybody.

I believe the shift in my thinking was due to the music industry's willingness to work with technology instead of against it. Convenience is key, and I'd much rather spend my time doing things I enjoy than trawling the Internet trying to download a movie interspersed with cinema-goer's heads or tracks recorded from the radio.

NOW  So what about now? I have spent a while trying to get the perfect music technology stack and feel I have now found an approach that really works for me.  It currently consists of my iPhone 4S, Bose Lifestyle, Bose QuietComfort 3, Sonos Play 5 and NetGear ReadyNAS from a hardware perspective and iTunes Match and Spotify from a software perspective. 

I also love last.fm (I'm here) for discovering new music and TuneIn Radio app for iPhone for my daily dose of SkyFM Smoothjazz!

THEN So I've already covered my secret love for IRC. It had the potential to open doors to so many opportunities. In my late teens, I started working with beta releases of emerging developer tools such as the Microsoft .NET Framework and began creating web projects. It was around about this time I met a Dutch entrapeneur over IRC who was intersted in working with me.  He came to visit me at my parents' house in Scotland and we worked on a few projects together, including one for Greenpeace and another for Euro 2000 merchandise.

I'm not sure he expected to be picked up from the airport in my gran's 1990 Ford Fiesta (by my Gran!) but that was all part of the fun. I also worked with several other interesting people and eventually started up my web hosting service and IRC mirror for Newnet, which the only Scottish server in operation at the time and ran off my 64k leased line.

NOW My current social networking stack is the obligatory Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare and Twitter. My favourite new app at the moment is Pinterest, allowing to share stacks of products, ideas or concepts with others and discover new things outwith your own social circle. I'm also loving Gifture and Instagram, both photograph sharing apps for iPhone.

Additionally, and randomly, I met my other half on Twitter so this technology has definitely had a positive impact on my real life.

THEN Infrastrucure improvements in the UK have paved the way for the majority of online tech covered in this post. I lived in Texas between 1999 and 2001 and, upon moving back to the UK, wished for just a fraction of the bandwidth I had over there.  I went from having 28.8k dialup from Global Internet back in 1996, to a 56k U.S. Robotics modem in 1998 and onto a 64k BT leased line (there is a story here, please don't ask) in 2001.  Only with the explosion of broadband did things really start to happen on the technology landscape.  The increased bandwidth and 'always-on' connection would change the face of the Internet forever.

From a mobile data perspective, we still have some way to go. It is widely thought that something needs to be done at network level to accommodate the growing number of smart phone users and their bandwidth rich applications. 4G upgrades are the answer, providing more bandwidth and higher speeds to mobile users. The UK is lagging behind a little at the moment, but Everything Everywhere (Orange/T-Mobile) are putting pressure on Ofcom to push this forward as quickly as possible.

NOW Prior to 2008, I would change my ISP on an annual basis, mainly due to frustrations with the service or unfair usage policies. Since switching to BE Broadband and configuring my Cisco 877W to work with their service (read this article for details), I have had experienced an extremely consistent level of service and feel satisfied that the company is commited to providing a quality service.  Their brand also sits well with technology lovers thanks to their IRC support and user group and the company offers land lines and line bonding too.

THEN Back in the 1990s, it was pretty much all about the Tab Clear (OK, not strictly speaking technology but it was amazing stuff) and Soda Stream.  Leather pouches were the 'must have' accessory for your Philips C12 mobile phone (on BT Cellnet) and Sony Aibo (RIP) robotic dogs were starting to appear on the market towards the second half of the decade.  The most memorable tech toy of the 90s for me was, without a doubt, Tamagotchi.

NOW My top home tech items in 2012 include the Neato Robotics XV-15 robotic vaccum, One Less Desk designer computer desk by Heckler Design and Jura Impressa Z7 bean to cup coffee machine.  The only case for my iPhone 4S is the Element Case Vapor Pro, which is a phenomental piece of engineering and worth every penny. 

Getting the TV out of the corner and onto the wall is another reflection on how far we've come in the last 15 years.  My brand of choice is definitely Samsung, namely this unit, a 55" D8000 Series 8 SMART 3D Full HD LED TV.  It's a beautiful TV with amazing picture quality and a super-thin profile and bezel.

THEN My first venture into the world of personal computing was with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. The minute I wrote my first program to draw coloured squares across the screen, I couldn’t stop. I also loved games like Frogger and the Dizzy series, created by CodeMasters. Towards my late teens, I'd custom build PCs for myself and for friends and family. I don't do this so much these days  as I'm focused on building software instead.  It's also difficult to build a laptop that looks as good as the Lenovo X220.

NOW As a developer, I often struggled to find a laptop to rival the power of a desktop machine. I think the Lenovo ThinkPad X220 packwith an an i7 processor and Crucial Sata-III SSD is the best 'all-rounder' I’ve tested so far, taking into account portability and performance. It is lightweight, has an amazing battery and generally packs the punch of my desktop machine in a miniature chassis. The UltraBase converts it into a dual-monitor development workstation. Although I don't currently own a tablet, my choice would be an Apple iPad, purely due to the app eco-system available through the App Store and reach/adoption rates.  When it comes to wearable technology, you may wish to sample the wonderful Vuzix VR glasses (if you haven't tried them, get a pair - they're amazing!)

THEN The Sony Walkman and bog standard earphones were the defaqto standard in the 1990s.  The CD walkman didn't work too well with runners though.

NOW These days, Nike+ is the best fitness app for runners and, if you run the iPhone version, can entertain you during your workouts and even give yourself a boost with a power-song if you need a little push. With a fantastic XML API (application programming interface), you can feed the data straight into your site or service - check my running log out here - I love stats.  I also love Sennheiser PMX 680i headphones for running and build quality.  Garmin also make a great line of GPS watches, but I retired my ForeRunner 305 in 2010 in favour of the Nike+ ecosystem.

So that was my round up of technology I have loved, and some I have lost, between the 1990s and today.  I hope this article proves that, as times and trends change, technology is no place for fidelity!

To wrap up, here's a photo of me in 1998 (16) followed by one taken this year (29).

Check back for my next instalment in 2025 when I'll be looking decidedly more haggard!

Written as an entry for Be Broadband - Tech I love competition

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I just read an article titled 'Don't Fall in Love With Your Technology' and it got me thinking.

As a developer, I pose the question 'Is there anything wrong with falling in love with particular technologies?'

Probably.

In order for your relationship with your selected technology stack to work, you have to nurture it, practice it, live it and work with it. Take it out of the office and use it at home on a rainy Sunday afternoon, push it to its limits, explore it fully, however also understand it's important to be able to accept when it's no longer appropriate to use a particular technology.

The problem with falling in love with your technology is that many people I've met seem to do it 'head over heels'.

Don't be faithful when it comes to technology. Take a new one out for a spin every so often. You never know what you're missing and if you don't, you may fall behind.  If you don't like it, don't use it! Most importantly, keep your mind open.

It's difficult enough staying up to date in this industry without becoming stagnant through loyalty to a particular technology or stack. I'd bet that the tech you're using today will one day become a 'remember the days I used to use....' thought.

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After much anticipation and countless rumours, the third generation of Apple's iPad tablet has just been announced at a special event in San Francisco.

The Apple website currently shows the headline "Resolutionary", which is exactly what this tablet appears to be. Despite sporting a retina display, improved processing power via an A5X chip and a 5MP camera capable of 1080p HD video recording, many were disappointed following the news that the device did not include the haptic touch feedback and Siri integration as rumoured on the wire.

When it's realeased on March 16th, the new iPad will be available in the usual three sizes; 16GB for £399, 32GB for £479 and 64GB for £559. The iPad 2 will remain on sale for £329 (16GB) or £429 (32GB) in the UK.

New Features

• New processor and graphics capabilities via Apple A5X chip
• New retina display at 2048 x 1536 pixels
• New 5 megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording and face detection
• Dictation in the core OS and third party apps - not Siri
• It's a few mm thicker than the iPad 2

I've scoured the tech blogs to find out what the initial thoughts are of the Apple's new flagship tablet:

Tech Radar

Apple's head honcho Tim Cook revealed the new iPad at an event in San Francisco today. Once again, it's evoluton rather than revolution - but it still includes some stunning improvements.

Engadget

There's no doubt that this here tablet feels every bit like a $500 product, oozing quality from edge to edge and being as delightful as ever to use. Is it the second coming of the tablet? Of course not, but if we've learned anything from the iPhone 4S, it doesn't need to be. Apple just put an insane amount of real estate in the hands of crafty developers, and frankly, we can't wait to see what they cook up.

Slashgear

It’s Resolutionary” Apple says of the new iPad, and we have to agree. We’ve just grabbed some hands-on time with the new Retina Display iOS 5.1 tablet, and the difference from the iPad 2 – which, remember, stays on sale alongside it – is vast. The pixels in the 2048 x 1536 display are, at regular arm’s length, completely indistinguishable: it’s only when you get up close that you can make them out.

The Verge

Physically, the device feels nearly the same in hand as the previous model. Though it does have a slight bump in thickness, the difference is nearly unnoticeable. Since the design hasn't dramatically changed, there's not much to note in the casing department, and though there are improved cameras present, the general seating and size of the sensors seems unchanged.

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I usually use a combination of JSMin and the Telerik script manager to minify my JavaScript and CSS, however the ASP.NET MVC 4 beta has built in minification, which reduces the number of requests and general payload size, resulting in faster and better performing applications.

This feature allows you can create custom bundles where you specify the resource name and order of your stylesheets and JavaScript files.

Introducing ASP.NET MVC 4 BundleTables

Upon creating a new project in ASP.NET MVC 4, you'll notice that your default _Layout.cshtml file will reference System.Web.Optimization and BundleTable.Bundles in its head.

According to Microsoft, these references are for the beta and will be accessed via a helper in the RTM release, expected sometime next quarter.

<link href="@System.Web.Optimization.BundleTable.Bundles.ResolveBundleUrl("~/Content/css")" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<link href="@System.Web.Optimization.BundleTable.Bundles.ResolveBundleUrl("~/Content/themes/base/css")" rel="stylesheet"    type="text/css" />
<script src="@System.Web.Optimization.BundleTable.Bundles.ResolveBundleUrl("~/Scripts/js")"></script>

If you look at the actual source code in the browser, you will see these get rendered as:

<link href="/Content/css?v=x" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<link href="/Content/themes/base/css?v=y" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
<script src="/Scripts/js?v=z"></script>

The CSS and JavaScript files in this project are minified and compressed and the querystring parameter, v, is a hash of the current files being served. This will change when you alter your .js and .css files.

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For those not in the know, QR codes are the black and white squares you see plastered over marketing materials.

If you have a compatible smart phone, just locate an app for your mobile OS, open it, scan the code, wait a while and you'll be taken to a website. Hang on... was that really worth it?

QR codes gets quite a lot of bad press, however negativity around the technology itself is definitely undeserved. The codes are simply modern-day barcodes, nothing more.  The bad press should lie with the growing number of awful implementations of QR codes.

I wouldn't stick a barcode on my marketing material to advertise a promotion or product, so why would I use a QR code?  From a consumer point of view, I think the barrier to entry is still too high due to the fact that QR recognition isn't native on the on many popular devices and by the time you open the app, the moment has gone.

A few years ago, QR codes were a marketeer's dream.  Phones had keyboards and people hated predictive text. Now we have smartphones designed for web browsing, is scanning a QR code any easier than typing a URL in or searching?

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