Technology Futures

Boxlight has released a new, battery-powered LCD projector that uses LEDs instead of hot, expensive incandescent bulbs. A cluster of 10 bright white LEDs projects an image of 150 lumens, compared to 800-1000 for an entry level old style projector. The unit is not suitable for large groups or rooms, but its quiet operation (no fan needed) and small size (1 lb.) could make it a popular choice as a home or office projector, or impromptu small group business meetings. How many times have you been in a work situation where two or three people are clustered around a monitor, trying to look over someone's shoulder at too small print on the screen? This little device would be perfect for projecting a 40" image onto an office wall for small group meetings and collaboration. As these new designs are refined, light output should increase and prices will drop. And as a bonus, these things are very green, using a fraction of the electricity that other projectors do.

LED lighting options are proliferating rapidly, and we are going to see more and more applications for them in the home and office. The initial cost will be offset by the extraordinary long life of the bulbs and the energy savings.

In an interesting essay covered in a Wired article, Steve Jobs of Apple has called for an end to DRM (Digital Rights Management) for music. Apple has found that, on average, only 3% of music on a typical iPod uses the Apple FairPlay DRM; the rest is music that has no DRM at all. Typically, this means most people are simply ripping music from CDs and putting it on their iPod.

Apple has been heavily criticized for kowtowing to the record companies, but Jobs makes it clear Apple has always done so reluctantly, and would happily abandon DRM on the iPod and for the iTunes software. DRM's main accomplishment has been to annoy music lovers, who chafe under the restrictions that limit what devices can play a song, how many times it can be shared, and how it can be shared. Apple's proposal to end DRM puts the target squarely on the record companies, who continue to whine about piracy while suing grandmothers without computers and fourteen year old girls. As I have said in the past, it is mystifying to me that a business would go to such great lengths to alienate its customers, and would state in public that it thinks its customers are all crooks.

DXG has a new combo movie/still camera (DXG-506V) with a 5 megapixel image sensor. It also plays MP3s and can take voice memos. The company says it will sell for $149. If the picture quality is good, that's a real bargain. Note that the company's Web site is not well designed. Click on the center area on the bottom (the DXG-505V) to get to a menu. I have yet to find a multi-function device that does everything well, but this product is probably a good hint at the future of cameras. Older, tape-based video cameras are on their way out, and the newer writable DVD video cameras also seem clunky. My Canon A85 takes very nice video, even if it is low resolution, and being able to squirt the video clips right into the computer for storage is much easier than labeling, storing, and sorting media of any kind, whether it is DV tapes or DVD discs. The problem with removable storage is that the extra effort of transferring the movies to the computer is a disincentive, especially tapes. I have found that taking more, short, 30 second to 1 minute video clips with the Canon beats 30 minutes of "just let the camera run" old style video, where you have lots of dead space--the longstanding "home movie" problem that dates back to 8 mm film-based movie cameras.

With traffic choking the major metropolitan areas of the country, I think that some smaller cities like Roanoke, Virginia and Scranton, Pennsylvania are poised for growth, if they can adequately address a range of quality of life issues. These smaller cities may have a rush hour, but it usually measured in minutes, not hours, and because they are located outside major urban corridors, it is possible to have a nice house in the woods a few miles from town and still drive to work in fifteen or twenty minutes.

But no one is going to move to those places only because of a shorter commute. There has to be enough activity to attract both entrepreneurs and young people. Entrepreneurs want to talk to savvy and well-informed economic developers, they want inexpensive, downtown office space for their start ups, they want good places to eat, and they want great coffee shops. Young twenty-something workers want good shopping, lots of social activities, and some night life.

Northeastern Pennsylvania, home to Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and dozens of smaller communities, is poised for growth. The Wall Street West initiative will bring massive bandwidth into the region to attract larger financial firms, and Scranton's investments in sports arenas and recreational activities (how about skiing ten minutes from downtown?) will help attract and retain workers.

Roanoke, Virginia, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains, has convenient access to some of the best hiking, biking, and whitewater sports on the east coast, with a dizzying array of recreational options. The City's leadership has embarked on a wide variety of initiatives to attract younger workers, including a newly revamped Web site. This week, the City is also announcing a new initiative called MyRetailRoanoke.com, which is designed to help retailers easily learn about the Roanoke area market.

Lively and attractive small cities are also important to nearby rural towns. Not everyone wants to live "in town," and a vibrant small city an hour or two from a rural community enhances the value of that small town as well. Regional collaboration on marketing, recreational activities, and economic development can pay big benefits.