A look at the future?

HighBillIf you, like me, open the power bill with some trepidation and wonder how it can be so expensive, then you may also have wondered what is in the wind [no pun intended] to make future power usage a bit easier on the pocket.

It is notoriously difficult to foretell what in the future may be invented or existing ideas brought to fruition. For example no one foresaw the internet, the smartphones or for that matter the fall of the Berlin Wall or today’s use of fracking let alone the effects these events had.

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Kuini: Still going strong at SeniorNet

March 2014 marked the closure of the Waikanae/Otaki SeniorNet Inc and the beginning of another chapter in my life. Waikanae/Otaki merged into SeniorNet Kapiti and membership was automatically transferred to Kapiti.

Matenga Train Leaves Waikanae StationIn the weeks leading up to the closure, I was asked on several occasions if I was considering staying with Kapiti SeniorNet. My standard reply was….”I don’t know how to get there – I don’t drive!” To be quite frank, I convinced myself that commuting from Waikanae to Raumati Beach via public transport was definitely not on my agenda. I got tired just thinking about it.

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Messaging in the good old days

Texting on a qwerty keypad phone

Ever wondered how we come to be using the wonderful system of communication available to us today? I mean we charge Twitter and Facebook with being central to much of the quick messaging that has led to the kind of gatherings that overturned Governments and lately has had a role in the protest marches around the world, so how did they get along without these fancy systems in the olden days?

If you are in the SeniorNet age group you  have always used telephones, from the cranked type to modern smartphones, and you are fully au fait with emails and facsimile machines. You may also have been using telex machines and sending cables through the telegraph network

.But you may not know

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Get microwaved while you sleep

I was reminded the other day of the endless discussion about the danger of using mobile phones, with one side declaring that their use would lead to tumours on the brain, and the other [mostly Telcos] that they were harmless, and don’t worry.

English: Cell phone tower near the village of ...

Since the first cell phones the power used in transmission has been greatly reduced lowering the risk, but the nagging thought is still there that were you to use a cell phone as extensively as some do would it still be quite safe long term?

Now something that has caused a great deal of international interest from well-known researchers from England, Sweden, the Netherlands and others is a simple biology experiment of such genius that it has stirred acknowledged biologists and radiation experts. Continue reading

Moonrise over Mt. Victoria

Moon over Mt VicThis is a little unusual and has little to do with technology Per Se, however, if you are in to photography and are attending one of our photographic learning classes then this is something to be inspired by.

Imagine a calm summer’s evening in Wellington with the Moon about to rise on the horizon then see this short video and be amazed at how it can look when you stop to appreciate the spectacle.

For those of you for whom the top of  Mt. Victoria is familiar sight the photographer gives the details of where and with what this fabulous video was shot. Enjoy.

http://vimeo.com/58385453