Describe what you see as the most important idea from this article given your own future professional goals--what can/should you take with you? What is the most exciting web application you've seen in the past year? What is exciting about it?
Before reading "Web Squared: Web 2.0 Five Years On" I had some understanding about how the "evolution" of Web 2.0 has had dramatic impact on our entire society, even world. I totally agree with Tim O'Reilly's statement that the web is the new platform and that the internet is rapidly changing at a global level. Looking at O'Reilly's newest article about Web 2.0, there were a few ideas and concepts that caught my attention. Wikitude's travel guide application was amazing. I never really thought that such apps were possible. The fact that you can look through your smartphone at a building or structure and have this app find all possible information about it is astounding.
After college, I would like to find a job in the film industry, mainly animation or special effects. The "new" internet has allowed artists from all over the world to collaborate and show off their works for companies to view. While reading this article related to my profession include sensor technology, how newer smartphones have been equipped with all kinds of senors, senors that serve all types of purposes from GPS to a bar code scanner, or how Microsoft Photosynth is using computer power to synthesize 3D images, which reveals parts of the image not visible on a 2D photo.
With the rise of smartphones, the use of apps has become a vital part of our society. One of the coolest and quite interesting apps I have come across would have to be an app called Talk to Me. This app allows users traveling in a foreign country to be able to communicate with others speaking the native language. For example, one might need to know where the hospital is. So they would ask their phone the question, in English, and the app is able to translate it back into any language and can be played aloud for others to hear. While this app is mainly used on smartphones, it can be used as a web app as well. In recent news, Talk-to-Me is also being used at the United Nations to help ambassadors from all over the world communicate.
References:
O'Reilly, Tim, and John Battelle. "Web Squared: Web 2.0 Five Years On - by Tim O'Reilly and John Battelle." Web 2.0 Summit 2010 - Co-produced by UBM TechWeb & O'Reilly Conferences, November 15 - 17, 2010, San Francisco, CA. Web. 17 Jan. 2011. .
The Talk-To-Me app sounds really cool! I think that's an interesting concept, all of a sudden we have greatly minimized the language barrier. It is proven that the older we get, the harder it is to learn a new language. That's a really awesome way of how the web and technology are actually helping the world to become a more accessible place. Although, I think this also presents a downside to how the world is becoming evermore dependent on technology.
ReplyDeleteEverything I think I'm going to say, Dani already said! I haven't heard of the talk-to-me app, but it sounds pretty amazing. I am someone who is scared of traveling to places that don't speak English, because I don't know any other language. I don't want to be the ignorant American who can't communicate at all. With this kind of application, it should continue to make it possible to converse with people who speak other languages, even if we can't learn their language, and that's pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteWow, talk to me app is a must. I'm going to dwld that tonight haha. I never knew that they had an app like that already? That could revolutionize how we do international business right? If they made it so you can talk in one language and it would come out a different language on the other side of whoever you were talking to, that would be nuts.
ReplyDeleteThe Talk to Me application sounds super cool. I love to travel and would love to have an app like that. English, no problem. Spanish, I can get by. All other languages, I could use some help. An app like Talk to Me would be perfect. I googled Talk to Me and it has gotten some good reviews, too bad I don't have an Android..
ReplyDeleteI to want to work in the field of animation and really liked your second paragraph about that and new sensor technology. I also have to agree with the other posts and think that Talk-To-Me app sounds awesome! I know I have definitely had some times when that app could have proved to be very handy!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. You did a good job illustrating the key concepts of the reading and how they connect up w/ your own future goals. Very well done.
ReplyDeleteTalk to Me sounds amazing. I definitely could've used it this summer when I was in Italy. Everytime I tried to speak my few phrases I somehow ended up speaking more Spanish than Italian. It was a wreck.
I wonder if, in the spirit of Web Squared, our phones can locate where we are and then offer up particular languages and dialects to match the region. Also, I wonder how people might work to correct any errors it makes (in the spirit of collective intelligence). Just some thoughts... Thanks.
I'm intrigued by the talk to me app. I admit that my experience with smart phones is limited, so I'm a little surprised at what they are capable of, even today. I think that they will become a useful tool in the film industry, which i myself wish to go into eventually
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