Greatest Tech Innovations of the 21st Century

I will attempt to identify the top 5 technological innovations of the 21st Century thus far. This is a great feat and I encourage you all to think for yourselves: agree or disagree with me. I will briefly describe the top 5 innovations and you can do the rest. All ladies should know about these as they have affected our lives one way or another.

No 5: I once was lost, but now am found

Global Positioning System (GPS) sheds light on your location, speed, direction, and time. Developed by the United States Department of Defense, GPS has finally found its way into the hands of the civilians and really become a popular item. GPS uses between 24 and 32 Medium Earth Orbit satellites that transmit microwave signals that assist GPS and tell the user that they have made the wrong turn yet again because most people still don’t know how to read the darn device. You don’t need to remember all that, just know that one of the top innovations of the 21st century is the GPS!

No 4: Lonely no more

Social Networking got ranked No4 on this list because it connects millions of people online through email, forums, videos, weblog, and communities. MySpace and Facebook are the most commonly used networks that help you stay connected with family, friends, schoolmates, colleagues and make new friends in your area or anywhere around the world. Companies even use them to create the online community for their employees, connecting managers and their workers 24/7.

No 3: Feed Me

Think of RSS as a text based radio station that anyone can put up. There are two parts, the radio station (RSS feeds) and the radio that tunes in (RSS reader). Most radio stations (RSS feeds) are websites and blogs. The radio (RSS reader) can be anything, a screen saver, a webpage, a special program in your computer or on your phone. This makes it easy for everyone to tune in and listen to just the radio stations (RSS feeds) that they like by subscribing to the right feed. Gives new meaning to the phrase “feed me.”

No 2: One of a kind

The iPhone or things related to the iPhone have appeared on this blog a few times and for good reason. The iPhone receives No2 on this list as it is the greatest phone of all time and Alexander Graham Bell would be very proud. (For those of you who do not know who Alexander Graham Bell, he invented the telephone in the late 1800’s) So you can actually thank him for the iPhone! There is nothing more that needs to be said, the iPhone speaks for itself!

No 1: Drum roll please

Lets give it up for High-definition television (HDTV). Even though this technology started development in the 1990s it has had the greatest impact on this century in recent years and that is why it sits at No1. HDTV is a digital television broadcasting system with higher resolution, this makes it big brother to SDTV (Standard-definition television). A higher resolution means a clearer and smoother picture, making the viewing experience much more enjoyable.

You may notice some of these technologies were developed years ago, however the 21st century is when they gained momentum and popularity. Now, we can’t live without them. Can you imagine your life without Facebook? Personally, I don’t know where I would be without GPS. And all of you with blogs have benefited from RSS in some way. We have also been spoiled by sleek technology like the iPhone and HDTV. Through all this, let us not forget our humble beginnings!

Personalized M&M's

This is for the chocoholic and egotist. But of course the cutest thing ever. Now you can personalize everybody’s all time favorite candy… the M&M’s. I’ve mostly seen this done for wedding favors (like I said egotist). But My M&M’s is also a great way to give a creative gift or celebrate a birthday.

You choose color, the message or picture on the M&M, as well as the packaging. May I remind you that this is a message or picture on the M&M itself… not the packaging. The best anyone else has done is personalized packaging like the Personalized Hershey Candy Bar Wrappers or My Dove Chocolate wrapper customization.

Now you can be creative with candy. Go crazy!

Phone Persona

WARNING: This article may contain spoilers.

With the new release of Sex and the City: The Movie, the story of the four female friends continues as their lives in New York City get more exciting (except for Samantha Jones who lives in L.A.). Most ladies watch the show to see the latest fashion trend because we all know that Sarah Jessica Parker is a fashion guru and this was reflected in 6 seasons of the television series and of course the movie. But has anyone given any consideration to the phones they used? I didn’t think so. I’m sure, those of you who watched the movie didn’t notice the cell phones the girls used. How about the laptop computer? You all have disappointed me greatly. I thought this blog would have taught you something by now! Well no worries, ladies. With the help of this article, we should be able to determine which Sex and the City lady you most resemble, which will help to find the best phone for you. Your cell phone should match your temperament and personality, after all, when you swing that phone out of your tiny handbag to answer a call you wanna WOW people.

Lets start with Samantha Jones. Aside from Samantha’s questionable predatory nature for the men, we see she has a number of admirable qualities. She is energetic and dynamic. Her lifestyle is bold and fast-paced as she is an independent businesswoman with a career in public relations. In the show we see she is using the iPhone. The iPhone is the latest in technology with fast 3G wireless technology, GPS mapping, accelerometer (responds to motion), multi-touch control, and smart sensors (light and proximity sensors). So we see that the iPhone is the best phone to represent Samantha Jones and ultimately any lady that lives in the fast lane and survives on latest technology to meet her needs.


I’d like to focus now on Miranda Hobbes. This lady is career minded. She is a lawyer and serious by nature. She is earnest, sincere, yet led by her emotions (cynical of men and relationships). But ultimately, what drives Miranda is her work. Working late into the nights, she remains steadfast to her duties of work. In the show, we see her using a BlackBerry, what better way to scream professional than by using a BlackBerry? The BlackBerry is the perfect phone for getting the job done. With its line of smartphones, staying connected to your work has become easier with better email solutions, instant messaging, GPS, video recording and more. However, the phone she used was too masculine. So I think, Miranda and all the ladies that make career and work a top priority, should opt for a BlackBerry Pearl 8100 Series. A good match indeed!

But what of Charlotte York? The lady whose gentle temperament and kind heart is agreeable to everyone, what phone could possibly suit her? Well we know from the series and even the movie, that Charlotte loves being outdoors. We see two very important passions in Charlotte. First is her love for her family (husband Harry and adopted Chinese girl named Lily) and the second is for jogging. Even after she gets pregnant in the movie, she worries for a short time that jogging might hurt the baby, but after talking to Carrie she realizes that she cannot stop being a runner just because she is afraid. It is also interesting to note that only one time in the show we see Charlotte with a phone, not only is it not recognizable but I am unsure if it is her phone. Therefore, the phone chosen to represent Charlotte and all ladies with passions for hobbies and family is the Sony Ericsson W760 Walkman slider. It was launched just this year and has some unique features such as a Tracker (sports application for tracking time and distance covered), Music recognition (record a few seconds of music and TrackID returns the song name, artist and album in seconds), and SensMe (create playlists based on mood). This is the perfect combination of a phone and portable music device for those long jogs through the park.

Saving the best for last, we now turn our attention to the leading lady, none other than Carrie Bradshaw. Carrie may have unique fashion sense and a great personality, but when it comes to cell phones, she is completely hopeless (however, I give her credit for the use of an Apple PowerBook throughout the series and movie). In the movie we seen Carrie using a pink Motorola flip phone with tons of pink jewels stuck on, this will not do. At her wedding when she hears Mr. Big did not arrive, she asks for a phone. When Samantha hands her the iPhone, Carrie takes one look and says “I don’t know how to work this.” We can tell Carrie is a simple lady that needs a phone merely to keep in touch and nothing more. The frills that most phones have today are not suitable for someone like Carrie. My favorite scene in the movie is when Carrie, in an attempt to avoid Mr. Big’s calls, throws her phone into the water. That phone was hideous and not suitable for the more fashionable gal in New York. Later in the show, her assistant (played by Jeniffer Hudson) brings her a new phone: another flip phone but this time by LG. The problem is that flip phones are no longer the hottest trend, rather, the latest craze are slider phones. To fix this problem we turn to the Samsung Soul (dual-screen slider): slim, sleek, and very fashionable. It is techy (touch sensitive display, features Bang & Olufsen enhanced audio) but simple nonetheless (5 megapixel camera has image stabilization and face detection). Carrie with Soul is a match made in heaven.

Now, which one are you?

DIY: Find a cure for Malaria

I came across a D.I.Y (Do It Yourself) article in the Discovery Channel Magazine (Issue 3 2008) that caught my attention. As you can see from the title it refers to finding a cure for Malaria. Did you know that the number one killer in Africa is Malaria? It kills over 5 million victims a year. The article reads:

“The Swiss Tropical Institute (STI) is asking you to help. It has developed a computer program to study the cause, distribution and controls for malaria that simulates possible treatments and transmission patters. But it needs massive computing power, which STI doesn’t have.

So the STI researchers have chopped the program up into little chunks that can be processed simultaneously by thousands of home PCs around the world. And that includes your computer.
All you need to do is to log on to the AFRICA@home website (http://africa-at-home.web.cern.ch) to sign up. They will give you software to download, and then send you data to run on your PC to help the scientists to understand, hopefully treat and maybe one day eradicate malaria.

If you want to get really geeky, you can tell your friends you are working on, ‘engineering simulations of large human populations with a diverse set of biological and social parameters, using stochastic simulations of the epidemiology of plasmodium falciparum.’ That should impress.”

This works on a Mac too! After downloading the software, you simply run it when your computer has idle time. I’ve already downloaded and run the application. There is nothing to it. Enjoy!

Creative Casings

Today, it would seem everyone has a laptop to show off. But I say, the casing is just as important. Whether you are out to meet friends or on the way to a meeting, you laptop should not only be comfortable and safe, but stylish and sleek in its casing.



If you take a look at the keynote by Steve Jobs when he launched the MacBook Air, you will see him pulling the thin laptop from a manila envelope, very much what you would see floating around the office. With its size and sleek design it is hard to find the right casing for something that small. Manila Mac & Panic, decided to solve this problem by designing the ultimate Manila Envelope Laptop Sleeve for the MacBook Air called AirMail. The sleeve is made from manila-colored vinyl. With a soft fleece lining, your laptop will be cozy and free from scratches.

Now a day, we have so much to carry to and from work or college but the bags are not designed to hold everything we need. Tenba, manufacturer of photo equipment and laptops, has recognized this and developed a line of bags that is multi-functional. The Tenba Messenger Shoulder bag has an integrated laptop sleeve easily accessible by zipper without having to open the main flap. The roomy main compartment can be converted into one that holds your photo equipment (D/SLR body, 3 lenses, flash) or simply used for magazines and files. Comfortably pack clothes and supplies for your day trip inside too. It comes in 2 sizes either to fit a 17” laptop or slightly smaller to fit a 15” laptop and several other urban-sleek colors. But if you need a slightly larger bag Tenba offers the Photo/Laptop Messenger bag which has a capacity to hold up to 5-6 lenses.

Wii Love Sharing!

The Nintendo Wii is one of the hottest gaming devices out there right now. When it first launched, the Wii sold out quickly while demand for the tiny unit surged on. In desperation, people tried to get their hands on this magical piece. A temporary solution to solving this shortage crisis is to share. That’s right, share your Wii with friends and family easily with the Wii Messenger Bag!

The Wii is a great way to spend time with your family on a lazy Sunday afternoon or with friends on a crazy Friday night. Either way, the Wii can now be safely transported here and there in the comfortable sleek bag with pockets specially designed for the console, sensor bar, power pack, controllers, and of course the games.

Learn to share with the Wii Messenger Bag or use it to show off, either way, spread the love around!

Games Wii Play

There are at present over 600 games for the Wii. With that amount of games, I’m sure there are some the ladies will love. Below are just 4 that I find intriguing.

Wii Sports was developed by our friends at Nintendo for those of us who like to play sports but have no time to play the real thing. The game consists of 5 sports which include, Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf, and Boxing. Boxing is the only game that uses the nunchuck. I don’t have a favorite, because I enjoy each one. Of course it is more fun playing with another person as opposed to playing against the computer. When playing, make sure you stand far away from your friends. Whacking people with your wii remote is NOT good for relationship building… or your wii remote.

Fitness or Fun? I think the Wii Fit manages a little bit of both. The Wii Fit has a number of activities that you go through (like a game) to break a sweat and when you have successfully completed that activity, you unlock the next round. The Wii Fit works with a wireless peripheral known as the balance board. It’s sensitivity picks up the smallest shifts in weight making the game challenging and fun. Overall the Wii Fit is intuitive and breaks the humdrum routine of going to the gym.

Im sure many of you are already familiar with the tv series ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ The tv series was so popular it is now available for the Wii, mobile phones, and the PC. Dacing with the Stars: Get your Dance On! Includes, mambo, jive, samba, cha-cha-cha, tango, waltz, quickstep, foxtrot, paso doble, and rumba. This should be interesting when you play it with a friend. This game uses the wii remote and nunchuck controls to get the best dance moves. Players can change outfits or partners as and when you feel like it.

This next game, ladies know like the back of their hand. That’s right, The Sims is still keeping up with the times. The game is now available for the wii in the castaway or pet version. The Sims 2: Castaway, is pretty much self-explanatory. You can create up to 6 characters on a ship the later gets wrecked in a storm. The Sims find themselves stranded on an island… the rest is history. The Sims 2: Pets allows the sim to care for animals: dogs, cats, fish, birds, and a rodent similar to a guinea pig. You can choose from a number of breeds and choose colors, coats, etc. The sim must interact with the pet to make it happier and thus increase its life span. It gets better, the pets can breed and produce litter! Well enough spoilers for now, get into some of these games and enjoy the time with friends too!