Comments on: Get into Tech? http://cimota.com/blog/2008/08/21/get-into-tech/ Matt Johnston's Blog About Tech, Innovation, Startups, Opportunity ... and Sailing Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:54:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: John http://cimota.com/blog/2008/08/21/get-into-tech/comment-page-1/#comment-24628 John Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:29:37 +0000 http://cimota.com/blog/?p=1251#comment-24628 And it's not even me. And it’s not even me.

]]> By: John http://cimota.com/blog/2008/08/21/get-into-tech/comment-page-1/#comment-24627 John Fri, 22 Aug 2008 22:29:22 +0000 http://cimota.com/blog/?p=1251#comment-24627 I have just the name for you. I have just the name for you.

]]> By: mj http://cimota.com/blog/2008/08/21/get-into-tech/comment-page-1/#comment-24623 mj Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:13:51 +0000 http://cimota.com/blog/?p=1251#comment-24623 Well, when I think of 'robot', I don't think of anything humanshape. I think of automatic machines. I was more fascinated by microbes, DNA... Well, when I think of ‘robot’, I don’t think of anything humanshape. I think of automatic machines.

I was more fascinated by microbes, DNA…

]]> By: Simon McCartney http://cimota.com/blog/2008/08/21/get-into-tech/comment-page-1/#comment-24621 Simon McCartney Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:38:21 +0000 http://cimota.com/blog/?p=1251#comment-24621 Robots?! No - never really got into the whole humanoids thing, I think it's more about seeing a physical things react or respond to a command. (is it strange that I found the old school top loading VHS players eject/load mechanism fascinating?) Robots?! No – never really got into the whole humanoids thing, I think it’s more about seeing a physical things react or respond to a command.

(is it strange that I found the old school top loading VHS players eject/load mechanism fascinating?)

]]> By: mj http://cimota.com/blog/2008/08/21/get-into-tech/comment-page-1/#comment-24606 mj Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:26:49 +0000 http://cimota.com/blog/?p=1251#comment-24606 He STILL IS annoying :) Just annoying AND irrelevant now. Who would I have to bribe to get someone from the XBOX team to come up and demo something at these demos we're hosting? Especially the exploding and singing.... He STILL IS annoying :) Just annoying AND irrelevant now.

Who would I have to bribe to get someone from the XBOX team to come up and demo something at these demos we’re hosting? Especially the exploding and singing….

]]> By: John http://cimota.com/blog/2008/08/21/get-into-tech/comment-page-1/#comment-24605 John Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:16:32 +0000 http://cimota.com/blog/?p=1251#comment-24605 I work with teams that make things explode, fly, sing, and dance. I've got a pretty cool job. That's technology that kids would like. I'd learn C# to write my own XNA games if I was 11.. Scoble. Hmm. I couldn't read his internal emails. They were just "As I told Steve Ballmer.. " and "When I met (sometone else relatively well known in the industry)..". If he didn't namedrop at least twice in an email, I bought myself a coffee. Complete twonk. If he really did bring Blogging to MS, they I am grateful to him. But god, he was annoying. I work with teams that make things explode, fly, sing, and dance. I’ve got a pretty cool job. That’s technology that kids would like. I’d learn C# to write my own XNA games if I was 11..

Scoble. Hmm. I couldn’t read his internal emails. They were just “As I told Steve Ballmer.. ” and “When I met (sometone else relatively well known in the industry)..”. If he didn’t namedrop at least twice in an email, I bought myself a coffee. Complete twonk.

If he really did bring Blogging to MS, they I am grateful to him. But god, he was annoying.

]]> By: Eamon http://cimota.com/blog/2008/08/21/get-into-tech/comment-page-1/#comment-24600 Eamon Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:35:56 +0000 http://cimota.com/blog/?p=1251#comment-24600 Sounds like you've got a cool new job! As for the Paintball sentry - very nice. I have to say that the 'trampoline drop' segment is hilarious! Sounds like you’ve got a cool new job!

As for the Paintball sentry – very nice. I have to say that the ‘trampoline drop’ segment is hilarious!

]]> By: mj http://cimota.com/blog/2008/08/21/get-into-tech/comment-page-1/#comment-24594 mj Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:38:56 +0000 http://cimota.com/blog/?p=1251#comment-24594 @John - as I tweeted, it's much easier to be nice about MS when they have a human face. They lost Scoble, they got you. See? @Simon - You just like robots? There's some cool tech demos doing the tour with Momentum including a sci-fi 'body scanner' which will give a 3D image of your body after a few moments to scan. The problem I see is that non-techies do not appreciate the difficulty of these things. It's a bit depressing when I labour for several hours over some simple code, get it running and I'm ten times more impressed than anyone I show it to. Because they see my red-headed stepchild of an application and make a direct comparison to, say, Word or Photoshop. @John – as I tweeted, it’s much easier to be nice about MS when they have a human face. They lost Scoble, they got you. See?

@Simon – You just like robots?

There’s some cool tech demos doing the tour with Momentum including a sci-fi ‘body scanner’ which will give a 3D image of your body after a few moments to scan.

The problem I see is that non-techies do not appreciate the difficulty of these things. It’s a bit depressing when I labour for several hours over some simple code, get it running and I’m ten times more impressed than anyone I show it to. Because they see my red-headed stepchild of an application and make a direct comparison to, say, Word or Photoshop.

]]> By: Simon McCartney http://cimota.com/blog/2008/08/21/get-into-tech/comment-page-1/#comment-24574 Simon McCartney Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:57:59 +0000 http://cimota.com/blog/?p=1251#comment-24574 A large portion of my life in the ICT world involves nothing more than shunting bits around the world and controlling the flow of those bits. An abstract idea that isn't always east to grasp for somebody still trying to pick out a career. The parts of technology that have always amazed me the most is when you see something physically react to something you have done on a computer. When I was at school we always built simple systems for demonstration on school open days, things like a smarty atm built out of lego (push in the right card and you get sweets), a mini robot that played the towers of Hanoi. All thoroughly impressive in the late 80s. This stuff still works for me, robotic tape libraries, home automation, all impressive & engaging. But I wonder if this has all just become passe now, expected and not out of the ordinary? In striving to make technology appear simple & more appealing to a wide audience, are we hiding the intriguing problems that fascinate those of us who enjoy doing tech for a living? A large portion of my life in the ICT world involves nothing more than shunting bits around the world and controlling the flow of those bits. An abstract idea that isn’t always east to grasp for somebody still trying to pick out a career.

The parts of technology that have always amazed me the most is when you see something physically react to something you have done on a computer. When I was at school we always built simple systems for demonstration on school open days, things like a smarty atm built out of lego (push in the right card and you get sweets), a mini robot that played the towers of Hanoi. All thoroughly impressive in the late 80s.

This stuff still works for me, robotic tape libraries, home automation, all impressive & engaging.

But I wonder if this has all just become passe now, expected and not out of the ordinary?

In striving to make technology appear simple & more appealing to a wide audience, are we hiding the intriguing problems that fascinate those of us who enjoy doing tech for a living?

]]> By: John http://cimota.com/blog/2008/08/21/get-into-tech/comment-page-1/#comment-24573 John Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:42:51 +0000 http://cimota.com/blog/?p=1251#comment-24573 If you can stop being condescending to Microsoft employees, I'd be happy to do this. If you can stop being condescending to Microsoft employees, I’d be happy to do this.

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