tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/gadgets-8263/articlesGadgets – The Conversation2023-12-27T15:48:36Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2191382023-12-27T15:48:36Z2023-12-27T15:48:36ZWhere do all of James Bond’s gadgets come from? A geologist tells the raw truth<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563295/original/file-20230713-15-u5em9p.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C8%2C1880%2C804&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In Spectre (2015), Daniel Craig and Ben Whishaw respectively play the world's most famous secret agent and his gadget supplier.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzvxegcZzPU">Spectre</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Laser watches, fingerprint guns, explosives and, of course, over-equipped cars: the list of gadgets flaunted by James Bond is as bewildering as the mind of their inventor, Q. While some of these gadgets actually exist (laser, fingerprint recognition, back reactor), others, as we shall see, are more fanciful. </p>
<p>But they all have one thing in common: the raw materials needed to make them, and in particular the <a href="https://mineralinfo.fr/fr">mineral resources</a> that geologists are helping to extract from the earth’s crust. Below are some that jumped out of the screen for me. </p>
<h2>The fast, inconspicuous cars of the world’s most famous secret agent</h2>
<p>In 1964’s Goldfinger, James Bond (Sean Connery) has to give up his Bentley for an Aston Martin DB5 modified by Q (the unforgettable Desmond Llewelyn). This is the first of eight appearances of a car that will go on to become inseparable from 007.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="The Aston Martin DB5, James Bond's historic car" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537729/original/file-20230717-138681-wy16lv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537729/original/file-20230717-138681-wy16lv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537729/original/file-20230717-138681-wy16lv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537729/original/file-20230717-138681-wy16lv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537729/original/file-20230717-138681-wy16lv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537729/original/file-20230717-138681-wy16lv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537729/original/file-20230717-138681-wy16lv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Aston Martin DB5, which first appeared in Goldfinger in 1964. This car is made from aluminium extracted from bauxite ore.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">N. Charles</span>, <span class="license">Fourni par l'auteur</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The auto is a good example of how products have become more complex and incorporated a greater diversity of raw materials over time. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537731/original/file-20230717-248129-ixx1gi.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="zoom on a pink mineral with pinkish and whitish spots" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537731/original/file-20230717-248129-ixx1gi.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537731/original/file-20230717-248129-ixx1gi.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537731/original/file-20230717-248129-ixx1gi.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537731/original/file-20230717-248129-ixx1gi.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537731/original/file-20230717-248129-ixx1gi.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537731/original/file-20230717-248129-ixx1gi.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537731/original/file-20230717-248129-ixx1gi.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bauxite : the main ore of aluminium, the metal used in 007’s DB5, which takes its name from Baux-de-Provence, France.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">N. Charles</span>, <span class="license">Fourni par l'auteur</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The DB5 contains an array of minerals, starting with aluminium, a metal known to make cars lighter. The latter is derived from bauxite, an ore mined in Jamaica near Ocho Rios, which, incidentally, served as the setting for Crab Key Island, Dr No’s hideout, in 1962.</p>
<p>The body of the DB5 is made of aluminium and magnesium alloy plates resting on a tubular steel structure. The engine block is aluminium, as are the pistons and cylinder head. The connecting rods and crankshaft are made of steel doped with chromium and molybdenum for greater strength. The aluminium rims are mounted on chromed steel hubs, as are the spokes.</p>
<p>Of course, we mustn’t forget the <a href="https://mineralinfo.fr/sites/default/files/documents/2021-03/silice_industrielle_rp-66167-fr_2016revise2020.pdf">silica in the windows</a>, the <a href="http://infoterre.brgm.fr/rapports/RP-69037-FR.pdf">copper in the electrical wiring</a>, the lead in the battery or the carbonates and <a href="https://mineralinfo.fr/sites/default/files/documents/2021-03/kaolin_argiles_kaoliniques_rp-67334-fr_2018.pdf">kaolin in the paint</a>, and the petrol to make the whole thing run at top speed.</p>
<p>The automotive industry has come a long way since 1964, and one innovation follows another, each bringing its new share of unique materials. Several dozen are needed today for a standard vehicle - and what can we say about the latest racing cars driven by 007 since 2000, such as the BMW Z3 or the Aston Martin Valhalla? </p>
<p>This goes on with electric vehicles, whose batteries rely on <a href="https://theconversation.com/relocaliser-lextraction-des-ressources-minerales-en-europe-les-defis-du-lithium-138581">lithium</a>, cobalt, graphite, <a href="https://mineralinfo.fr/fr/ecomine/sulfate-de-nickel-un-ingredient-cle-des-batteries-li-ion">nickel</a> and <a href="https://mineralinfo.fr/fr/ecomine/marche-des-terres-rares-2022-filieres-dapprovisionnement-aimants-permanents">rare earths</a>. In 1971 <em>Diamonds Are Forever</em>, James Bond can be seen flying and driving around in no less than an electric lunar module. More recently, in <em>Dying Can Wait</em> (2021), the Aston Martin Valhalla is a plug-in hybrid, but James Bond has not yet gone all-electric.</p>
<h2>Golden guns that would melt in real life</h2>
<p>Another cult item is the Walther PPK, the German pistol used by 007 in many of the Bond films. It’s a weapon made from a stainless steel alloy. Although the steel is mainly iron, it also contains other elements depending on its use and the properties required: chromium, molybdenum, nickel, manganese, carbon, silicon, copper, sulphur, nitrogen, phosphorus, boron, titanium, niobium, tungsten, vanadium, and cerium.</p>
<p>Much more precious, Francisco Scaramanga’s (Christopher Lee) pistol is made of solid gold and assembles everyday objects to go unnoticed during checks: lighter, cufflinks, fountain pen as well as a cigar case. Limited to one shot, the pistol fires bullets of 4.2 mm calibre, weighs 30 g and is made of 23-carat gold with traces of nickel. So much for fiction.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="gold pistol at the museum" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537734/original/file-20230717-129345-k99hdj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537734/original/file-20230717-129345-k99hdj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537734/original/file-20230717-129345-k99hdj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537734/original/file-20230717-129345-k99hdj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537734/original/file-20230717-129345-k99hdj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537734/original/file-20230717-129345-k99hdj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537734/original/file-20230717-129345-k99hdj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Francisco Scaramanga’s gold pistol, solid gold here being unrealistic for dedicated use… The bullet, also in gold, is engraved</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://flickr.com/photos/66857806@N02/14592496766">Gareth Milner, Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In reality, it’s hard to imagine a gun made entirely of gold, a very dense and, above all, very soft metal, which wouldn’t withstand the repeated power of a gunshot for very long. In jewellery, gold is often combined with silver, copper or zinc to make it wearable. On 4 December 2023, one kilogram of gold was trading at around €66,000, an all-time record (<a href="https://www.gold.org/">World Gold Council</a>). It’s hardly surprising, given that gold has been a precious, unalterable, shiny metal with a deep yellow colour since Antiquity, arousing covetousness and serving as a safe haven.</p>
<p>In <em>Love from Russia</em> (1963), James Bond receives 50 gold British sovereigns in a briefcase brimming with gadgets. Attracted to the gold coins, the enemy Grant opens the booby-trapped case while holding 007 at gunpoint. Tear gas escapes, saving Bond’s life.</p>
<h2>James Bond and his high-tech enemies</h2>
<p>The saga has also always been about surprising the general public with cutting-edge technology, which may be little known at the time of the film’s release.</p>
<p>What better example than the <a href="https://www.sfpnet.fr/le-laser-principe-de-fonctionnement">laser</a>, which, should we be reminded, stands short for <em>Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.</em> The saga likes to beam it as often as possible, alternatively adding it to pistols, watches, cars, and satellites.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="plastic laser gun" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537736/original/file-20230717-243941-ymm8xc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537736/original/file-20230717-243941-ymm8xc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537736/original/file-20230717-243941-ymm8xc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537736/original/file-20230717-243941-ymm8xc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=259&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537736/original/file-20230717-243941-ymm8xc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537736/original/file-20230717-243941-ymm8xc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537736/original/file-20230717-243941-ymm8xc.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=326&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Laser guns (plastic !) from the space base in Moonraker, 1979.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nicolas Charles</span>, <span class="license">Fourni par l'auteur</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In <em>Goldfinger</em> (1964), film director Guy Hamilton chooses to bypass Ian Fleming’s novel of the same name by threatening James Bond not with a chainsaw, but a laser.
The latter were also used in other Bond films: satellites in Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and Murder Another Day (2002); laser pistols in Moonraker (1979); laser watches in Never Again (1983) and Goldeneye (1995); laser-equipped cars in Killing Is No Game (1987), etc.</p>
<p>Lasers can be used to a variety of ends. For one, telemetry: from the Greek “tel” (“remote”) and “metros” (“to measure”), this practice consists in remotely measuring physical and electrical data. Other uses include cutting objects and projecting light.</p>
<p>Physicist Théodore Maiman introduced the first operational laser in the real world in May 1960 (<a href="https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201005/physicshistory.cfm">American Physical Society</a>), right before James Bond. </p>
<p>This first laser used a ruby, a mineral in the corundum (aluminium oxide) family, like sapphire. But this is a <a href="https://www.gemsociety.org/article/understanding-gem-synthetics-treatments-imitations-part-4-synthetic-gemstone-guide/">synthetic ruby</a> created from aluminium oxide (<a href="https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/13/aluminium">from bauxite</a>) mixed with a tiny amount of <a href="https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/24/chromium">chromium</a> (mainly produced from chromite). There are different types of laser, depending on the application:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Crystalline lasers: made of silica glass (from very pure quartz) or synthetic ruby or sapphire crystals (aluminium oxide doped with <a href="https://mineralinfo.fr/sites/default/files/documents/2020-12/fichecriticitetitane171017.pdf">titanium</a>, <a href="https://mineralinfo.fr/sites/default/files/documents/2020-12/fichecriticitechrome171003.pdf">chromium</a> or rare earths : neodymium, ytterbium, praseodymium, erbium or thulium) ;</p></li>
<li><p>Fibre lasers : composed of optical fibres based on silica (derived from ultra-pure quartz) and doped with <a href="http://infoterre.brgm.fr/rapports/RP-65330-FR.pdf">rare earths</a> (metals extracted mainly from minerals such as bastnaesite, monazite or xenotime) ;</p></li>
<li><p>Gas lasers: using helium (extracted from natural gas deposits) and neon (extracted from atmospheric air gases) or CO<sub>2</sub> ;</p></li>
<li><p>Organic dye lasers.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>The red light beam in <em>Goldfinger</em> was emitted from a laser (probably ruby) whose brightness was amplified by special effects.</p>
<p>However, the destructive nature of the laser is pure fiction. During filming, an operator used an acetylene torch under the pre-cut table even though Sean Connery was lying on it !</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537735/original/file-20230717-210016-ygo2ez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/537735/original/file-20230717-210016-ygo2ez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537735/original/file-20230717-210016-ygo2ez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537735/original/file-20230717-210016-ygo2ez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537735/original/file-20230717-210016-ygo2ez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537735/original/file-20230717-210016-ygo2ez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/537735/original/file-20230717-210016-ygo2ez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Shark’s teeth (</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/111748974@N02/26039238632/">Shaun Versey, Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Finally, since we all know the bad guys like to bare their teeth, let’s mention the surgical steel jaw of the impressive Shark (Richard Kiel) in <em>The Spy Who Loved Me</em> (1977) and <em>Moonraker</em> (1979). It’s a stainless and corrosion-resistant steel that limits the risk of allergic reactions when it comes into contact with the skin. Its composition includes iron, nickel, chromium, manganese and molybdenum.</p>
<p>James Bond is like many other citizens, he consumes mineral raw materials on a daily basis. At a time of energy, ecological and digital transition, mineral resources are essential elements in the decarbonisation of our activities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219138/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicolas Charles ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.</span></em></p>At Q’s of course! But he doesn’t pull them out of his sleeve. In Spectre (2015), Daniel Craig and Ben Whishaw play the famous spy and his gadget supplier.Nicolas Charles, Géologue, PhD, BRGMLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1763812022-02-06T08:33:35Z2022-02-06T08:33:35ZTechnology for education has huge potential: partnerships can widen access<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/444330/original/file-20220203-15-8zk0zi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> </figcaption></figure><p>The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted normal contact learning in education systems worldwide. Technology became an essential tool for learning and it has great potential beyond the pandemic. For one thing, it enables more interactivity than some old styles of teaching.</p>
<p>But there are a number of barriers to using technology more widely in education. Users need data, a device and a learning management system. They need training in the skills to learn and teach online, and support for troubleshooting. Internet access may be seen as a human right, but Africa’s digital divide means that in reality not everyone can equally exercise that right. Some people are more connected than others.</p>
<p>Radio and television are also useful technologies in widening access to education but they mostly require electricity, which isn’t universally available either. </p>
<p>In today’s episode of Pasha, vice-chancellor and principal Tawana Kupe shares what the University of Pretoria in South Africa did to make online learning possible for all its students. He calls for public-private partnerships to develop internet infrastructure so that everybody can have access. And he makes the case for an internet-empowered education system at all levels.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Photo</strong>
“Hands of a little girl child working or typing on a laptop’s keyboard.” by Kehinde Olufemi Akinbo, found on <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hands-african-little-girl-child-working-1989001157">Shutterstock</a> </p>
<p><strong>Music</strong>
“Happy African Village” by John Bartmann, found on <a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/happy-african-village">FreeMusicArchive.org</a> licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0 1</a>.</p>
<p>“African Moon” by John Bartmann, found on <a href="http://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/happy-african-village">FreeMusicArchive.org</a> licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/">CC0 1</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176381/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Learning online provides opportunities but making sure all students can access this is key.Ozayr Patel, Digital EditorLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1275032019-12-22T20:21:15Z2019-12-22T20:21:15ZRobots, AI and drones: when did toys turn into rocket science?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307353/original/file-20191217-164437-v0vz9j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=121%2C319%2C7227%2C4583&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Toys are becoming increasingly advanced, but this can be more of a hindrance than a perk.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://pixabay.com/photos/despaired-businessman-business-2261021/">Pixabay</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>I’m a geek. And as a geek, I love my tech toys. But over time I’ve noticed toys are becoming harder to understand. </p>
<p>Some modern toys resemble advanced devices. There are flying toys, walking toys, and roving toys. A number of these require “configuring” or “connecting”. </p>
<p>The line between toy, gadget and professional device is blurrier than ever, as manufacturers churn out products including <a href="https://www.t3.com/features/best-kids-drones">drones for kids</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Spy-Nanny-Camera-Wi-fi/dp/B07P7BCYZT">plush toys with hidden nanny cams</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/looking-for-a-high-tech-gift-for-a-young-child-think-playgrounds-not-playpens-108325">Looking for a high-tech gift for a young child? Think playgrounds, not playpens</a>
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<p>With such a variety of sophisticated, and sometimes over-engineered products, it’s clear manufacturers have upped their game. </p>
<p>But why is this happening?</p>
<h2>The price of tech</h2>
<p>Toys these days seem to be designed with two major components in mind. It’s all about the smarts and rapid manufacture.</p>
<p>In modern toys, we see a considerable level of programmed intelligence. This can be used to control the toy’s actions, or have it respond to input to provide real time feedback and interaction – making it appear “smarter”.</p>
<p>This is all made possible by the falling price of technology. </p>
<p>Once upon a time, placing a microcontroller (a single chip microprocessor) inside a toy was simply uneconomical. </p>
<p>These days, they’ll <a href="https://au.rs-online.com/web/c/semiconductors/processors-microcontrollers/microcontrollers/">only set you back a few dollars</a> and allow significant computing power.</p>
<p>Microcontrollers are often WiFi and Bluetooth enabled, too. This allows “connected” toys to access a wide range of internet services, or be controlled by a smartphone.</p>
<p>Another boon for toy manufacturers has been the rise of prototype technologies, including 3D modelling, 3D printing, and low cost CNC (computer numerical control) milling. </p>
<p>These technologies allow the advanced modelling of toys, which can help design them to be “tougher”. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/not-childs-play-the-serious-innovation-behind-toy-making-128211">Not child’s play: The serious innovation behind toy making</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>They also allow manufacturers to move beyond simple (outer) case designs and towards advanced multi-material devices, where the case of the toy forms an active part of the toy’s function. </p>
<p>Examples of this include hand grips (found on console controls and toys including Nerf Blasters), advanced surface textures, and internal structures which support shock absorption to protect internal components, such as wheel suspensions in toy cars.</p>
<h2>Bot helpers and robot dogs</h2>
<p>Many recent advancements in toys are there to appease our admiration of automatons, or self operating machines. </p>
<p>The idea that an inanimate object is transcending its static world, or is “thinking”, is one of the magical elements that prompts us to attach emotions to toys. </p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307362/original/file-20191217-164454-10m1ehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307362/original/file-20191217-164454-10m1ehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307362/original/file-20191217-164454-10m1ehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307362/original/file-20191217-164454-10m1ehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307362/original/file-20191217-164454-10m1ehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307362/original/file-20191217-164454-10m1ehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307362/original/file-20191217-164454-10m1ehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307362/original/file-20191217-164454-10m1ehc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Anki’s Cozmo (the Vector’s predecessor) is an example of a cloud-connected robotic toy.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/robot-makes-origami-1317221207">shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And manufacturers know this, with some toys designed specifically to drive emotional attachment. My favourite example of this is roaming robots, such as the artificially intelligent <a href="https://www.anki.com/en-us/vector.html">Anki Vector</a>. </p>
<p>With sensors and internet connectivity, the Vector drives around and interacts with its environment, as well as you. It’s even <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Vector-Robot-Anki-Hangs-Helps/dp/B07G3ZNK4Y">integrated with Amazon Alexa</a>.</p>
<p>Another sophisticated toy is Sony’s Aibo. This robot pet shows how advanced robotics, microelectronics, actuators (which allow movement), sensors, and programming can be used to create a unique toy experience with emotional investment.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307359/original/file-20191217-164449-1voo3rp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307359/original/file-20191217-164449-1voo3rp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/307359/original/file-20191217-164449-1voo3rp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307359/original/file-20191217-164449-1voo3rp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307359/original/file-20191217-164449-1voo3rp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307359/original/file-20191217-164449-1voo3rp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307359/original/file-20191217-164449-1voo3rp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/307359/original/file-20191217-164449-1voo3rp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sony’s Aibo robot dog is cute, and robotic – it’s a geek’s dream pet.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/ho-chi-minh-city-vietnam-apr-1095006827">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Screens not included</h2>
<p>Toy manufacturers are also leveraging the rise of smartphones and portable computing. </p>
<p>Quadcopters (or drones) and other similar devices often don’t need to include their own display in the remote control, as video can be beamed to an attached device.</p>
<p>Some toys even use smartphones as the only control interface (used to control the toy), usually via an app, saving manufacturers from having to provide what is arguably the most expensive part of the toy.</p>
<p>This means a smartphone becomes an inherent requirement, without which the toy can’t be used. </p>
<p>It would be incredibly disappointing to buy a cool, new toy - only to realise you don’t own the very expensive device required to use it.</p>
<h2>My toys aren’t spying on me, surely?</h2>
<p>While spying may be the last thing you consider when buying a toy, there have been several reports of talking dolls <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/12/20/506208146/this-doll-may-be-recording-what-children-say-privacy-groups-charge">recording in-home conversations</a>. </p>
<p>There are similar concerns with smart-home assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri, which store <a href="https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/31/ro-khanna/your-amazon-alexa-spying-you/">your voice recordings in the cloud</a>.</p>
<p>These concerns might also be warranted with toys such as the Vector, and Aibo. </p>
<p>In fact, anything that has a microphone, camera or wireless connectivity can be considered a privacy concern.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/just-like-hal-your-voice-assistant-isnt-working-for-you-even-if-it-feels-like-it-is-111177">Just like HAL, your voice assistant isn't working for you even if it feels like it is</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Toys of the future</h2>
<p>We’ve established toys are becoming more sophisticated, but does that mean they’re getting better?</p>
<p><a href="https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/gartner-top-10-strategic-technology-trends-for-2020/">Various</a> <a href="https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/technology/technology-trends-2019">reports</a> indicate in 2020, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will continue to be pervasive in our lives. </p>
<p>This means buying toys could become an even trickier task than it currently is. There are some factors shoppers can consider. </p>
<p>On the top of my list of concerns is the type and number of batteries a toy requires, and how to charge them. </p>
<p>If a device has <a href="https://theconversation.com/nearly-all-your-devices-run-on-lithium-batteries-heres-a-nobel-prizewinner-on-his-part-in-their-invention-and-their-future-126197">in-built lithium batteries</a>, can they be easily replaced? And if the toy is designed for outdoors, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-batteries-have-started-catching-fire-so-often-68602">can it cope with the heat?</a> Most lithium-ion batteries degrade quickly in hot environments.</p>
<p>And does the device require an additional screen or smartphone? </p>
<p>It’s also worth being wary of what personal details are required to sign-up for a service associated with a toy - and if the toy can still function if its manufacturer should cease to exist, or the company should go bust.</p>
<p>And, as always, if you’re considering an advanced, “connected” toy, make sure to prioritise your security and privacy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127503/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Maxwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>At Christmas shopping, you may have noticed toys are becoming very complex. They fly, hop, jump and follow you around – some even need to be ‘connected’. But why are we seeing such technical advances?Andrew Maxwell, Senior Lecturer, University of Southern QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/499052015-10-29T10:18:13Z2015-10-29T10:18:13ZSpectre review: James Bond makes his mark in an age of cybersecurity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99960/original/image-20151028-21095-1d6j9f5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bond ambition.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sony</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Daniel Craig’s entry into the Bond world was more than a change of face: he also brought in an abrupt about turn in style, from the fantastical to the gritty. The fourth Craig Bond, <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-bond-film-promises-to-raise-the-spectre-of-ian-fleming-35069">Spectre</a>, takes us further down this road: unambiguously into a world that we all recognise. The film’s focus on cybersecurity, and more specifically the potential for the abuse of state surveillance technology, is a timely theme: Spectre has even been described as “<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/21/spectre-review-james-bond-is-back-stylish-camp-and-sexily-pro-snowden">sexily pro-Snowden</a>”.</p>
<p>As an ideological stance for Bond, that most establishment of action heroes, you might argue that this merits a raised eyebrow in the best Roger Moore tradition. But a look through the 53-year history of the Bond films reveals this to be the culmination two contrasting obsessions of the series – the liberating potential of gadgetry, and the oppressive potential of bureaucracy. Spectre is an intriguing new step in how the Bond films have worked to negotiate the changing cultural perceptions of each in the 21st century.</p>
<h2>Guns and gadgets</h2>
<p>In the days of Sean Connery, the fantastical gadgets deployed by Bond were a key part of the films’ engagement with 1960s modernity, what Harold Wilson described as the “white heat” of the technological revolution. Here the appeal of the gadget, whether a laser watch, an attaché case concealing knives and tear gas, or an Aston Martin with ejector seat, was to extend the human agency of the protagonist, projecting the potential for action and escapism into ever more extravagant realms. Yet with the service quartermaster (or “Q”) depicted in the terms of the eccentric, avuncular British boffin, such technology always seemed somehow more personal than institutional.</p>
<p>Over subsequent decades, the gadget went from strength to strength, and by the 1990s it was able to merge seamlessly into new cultural excitement surrounding digital technology. But the infamous invisible car of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0246460/">Die Another Day</a> (2002) proved a step too far into the fantastical for many tastes. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99963/original/image-20151028-21112-1dalkic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99963/original/image-20151028-21112-1dalkic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99963/original/image-20151028-21112-1dalkic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99963/original/image-20151028-21112-1dalkic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99963/original/image-20151028-21112-1dalkic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99963/original/image-20151028-21112-1dalkic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99963/original/image-20151028-21112-1dalkic.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ben Whishaw as the modern Q.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sony</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The subsequent Craig films reacted strongly against this by dialling back to an portrayal of Bond as a blunt instrument. Gadgetry occupies an ambivalent position in this phase of the series. It is certainly not absent (see for example M’s elaborate holographic touchscreen in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0830515/">Quantum of Solace</a> (2008)) but not as unabashedly celebrated either. This is particularly evident in the absence of Q in the first two films.</p>
<p>It was perhaps inevitable that when Q was reintroduced in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1074638/">Skyfall</a> (2012) it was as a geeky 30-something with a laptop and hyper-competent hacking skills. In his first meeting with Bond, the new Q comments: “I’ll hazard I can do more damage on my laptop sitting in my pyjamas before my first cup of Earl Grey than you can do in a year in the field.” Suddenly there was a new anxiety that a gadget may not work to extend Bond’s agency but instead supplant it (although Q concedes Bond’s continuing usefulness lies in how “every now and then a trigger has to be pulled”). </p>
<p>This scene encapsulates the broader technological narrative across the film. The villain Raoul Silva is a cyberterrorist with similarly impressive hacking skills, yet any notion that Q might actually be a more suitable protagonist against such a threat is ultimately rejected. Instead, Silva is defeated in a more traditional battle sequence in which Bond figuratively “pulls the trigger”.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99964/original/image-20151028-21122-1pqr1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99964/original/image-20151028-21122-1pqr1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99964/original/image-20151028-21122-1pqr1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99964/original/image-20151028-21122-1pqr1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=422&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99964/original/image-20151028-21122-1pqr1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99964/original/image-20151028-21122-1pqr1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99964/original/image-20151028-21122-1pqr1ju.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=531&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The lone ranger.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Spectre</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>SPECTRE</h2>
<p>The most recent Bond film develops this interest by reviving and re-imagining SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion), the crime syndicate central to most of the 1960s Bond films. There SPECTRE was the epitome of criminal bureaucracy, an alienating corporate culture best known for feeding its failed employees to the sharks. In the context of 60s modernity, therefore, the organisation stood as the counterpoint to the liberating gadget.</p>
<p>But now the syndicate has evolved into something new – embroiled in a plot to create an anti-democratic surveillance state. “George Orwell’s worst nightmare,” as M puts it, or in Bondian terms a world where the gadgets have essentially taken over. In the age of surveillance, even the new intelligence chief C regards double-0 agents like Bond as antiquated.</p>
<p>Yet Bond’s role is inevitably privileged by the demands of cinema, which favours the visual excitement of action sequences over the abstraction of the digital. So it’s unsurprising that the surveillance with which Spectre is seemingly most concerned is that of CCTV rather than the other, less visually arresting forms of data monitoring that were more central to the Snowden revelations.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99962/original/image-20151028-21086-1ip2pq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/99962/original/image-20151028-21086-1ip2pq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99962/original/image-20151028-21086-1ip2pq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99962/original/image-20151028-21086-1ip2pq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99962/original/image-20151028-21086-1ip2pq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99962/original/image-20151028-21086-1ip2pq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/99962/original/image-20151028-21086-1ip2pq8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The boardroom.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sony</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Spectre also features a rework of the iconic conference scene of the organisation’s elite from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059800/">Thunderball</a> (1965). But in contrast to the modernist sets of the earlier film, this takes place in an ornate, gloomy candlelit room with a more masonic feel. Curiously juxtaposed with the technological focus of the film, this perhaps engages with a contemporary paranoia that the same power elites have been in control for some considerable time and have monopolised technological advances, bending them to antiquated values.</p>
<p>In the face of rapid technological shifts, the “blunter” Bond films of recent years have been perpetually forced to justify the character’s continuing relevance. They often locate this in a nostalgia for a seemingly vanishing era when agents could roam the world fixing problems as relatively free individuals. </p>
<p>But this focus on the individual has its limits. Perhaps Spectre’s least satisfying feature is how it ultimately elects to focus less on the titular organisation and more on the personal relationship between Bond and the syndicate’s leader Franz Oberhauser.</p>
<p>The result here is a somewhat flat final act which fails to sustain the balance of excitement from earlier in the film. A closer adherence to anonymous, bureaucratised SPECTRE of the 1960s would, I think, have ultimately been a much stronger vehicle for the themes of the dehumanising surveillance state. Nonetheless, this is only a relatively minor weakness in a film which continues the engaging project off reworking old Bond conventions in line with contemporary headline anxieties.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/49905/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Joseph Oldham has previously received doctoral research funding from the AHRC.</span></em></p>In a world where the gadgets have taken over, Bond feels somewhat antiquated but he is inevitably privileged by the demands of cinema.Joseph Oldham, Associate Fellow in Film, University of WarwickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/322132014-09-30T03:07:57Z2014-09-30T03:07:57ZWindows 9, iOS8 – the balance between bugs and upgrades<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60364/original/cyv5z2mk-1412040343.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Upgrade rage - what to do when things go wrong?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nalbertini/6364521809">Flickr/Nicola Albertini</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In the tech world there is a dynamic tension between needing to get products to market before the competition and the need to take enough time to make those products completely defect-free and user friendly. </p>
<p>It is a tricky balancing act. Cut too many corners and release a product too soon, and you risk a withering backlash. Release a product too late and your competitors become established on the high ground and you are left playing catch-up. </p>
<p>Finding the sweet-spot in the middle, now <em>that</em> is the trick. One only has to look at the recent past to see a <a href="http://www.techradar.com/au/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/the-embarrassing-climbdown-tech-firms-would-rather-you-forgot-1190571">litany of gadgets</a> that went wrong when they should have gone right, leaving the company in damage control. </p>
<h2>Something new … but does it work?</h2>
<p>In the ultra-competitive <a href="http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/smartphones-market.asp">billion dollar smartphone market</a> the stakes are high and getting higher, while the price of failure can be brutal. </p>
<p>To the <a href="https://theconversation.com/samsung-makes-fun-of-apples-misfortunes-whilst-its-own-problems-pass-unnoticed-32212">delight</a> of its competitors, the successful debut of the iPhone 6 soon turned into a PR nightmare for Apple.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60250/original/gn6cpxw6-1411963139.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60250/original/gn6cpxw6-1411963139.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60250/original/gn6cpxw6-1411963139.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60250/original/gn6cpxw6-1411963139.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60250/original/gn6cpxw6-1411963139.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60250/original/gn6cpxw6-1411963139.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60250/original/gn6cpxw6-1411963139.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60250/original/gn6cpxw6-1411963139.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What to expect from the next Windows.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tecnomovida/11925281394">Flickr/Tecnomovida Caracas</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Bugs in its new <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/24/6839235/apple-ios-8-0-1-released">iOS8</a> and the now infamous <a href="http://www.cnet.com/news/even-blackberry-is-making-fun-of-the-bendable-iphone-6/">bendable iPhone 6+</a> have caused <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/25/apple-stock-price-bendgate-ios-8_n_5882154.html">Apple stock</a> to lose well over US$20 billion in the days following the incidents. The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com.au/apple-icloud-problems-before-nude-celebrity-photo-hack-2014-9">iCloud hacking scandal</a> some weeks earlier has not helped.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Microsoft is <a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/09/26/microsoft-windows-idINKCN0HL1KJ20140926">this week</a> giving the world a taste of Windows 9, due for release sometime in 2015. CEO <a href="http://www.infoworld.com/article/2608434/microsoft-windows/satya-nadella-at-six-months--grading-microsoft-s-new-ceo.html">Satya Nadella</a> must surely be hoping for a warmer reception for this version Windows than the much criticised <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-to-expect-from-the-next-generation-of-windows-28763">Windows 8</a>. </p>
<p>Leaked information suggests a <a href="http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/new-product/windows/3496959/windows-9-release-date-price-features-beta-technical-preview-leaked/">good showing</a> from Windows 9 – and it will need to be good as Microsoft has a lot riding on it. </p>
<h2>Finding the sweet-spot</h2>
<p>Hi-tech companies roll the dice every time they release a new product. If they have come up with a timely idea, brought it to the market in good shape, and for the right price, then all may go well. Maybe, hopefully. </p>
<p>But why does it sometimes <em>not</em> go well? There are a lot of variables, but there is one that is so influential that it is worth mentioning in an article aimed at a general audience.</p>
<p>Software developers everywhere will be familiar with the concept of “<a href="http://www.techopedia.com/definition/27913/technical-debt">Technical Debt</a>” even if they don’t know it by that name. Outside of the industry, few people will have heard of it. </p>
<p>Tight production deadlines on software projects often means that for the sake of getting the job done on time, short-cuts are taken. Putting development work off now that will need to be done later is what we mean by going into technical debt.</p>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60253/original/b9w39sbx-1411965748.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60253/original/b9w39sbx-1411965748.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60253/original/b9w39sbx-1411965748.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60253/original/b9w39sbx-1411965748.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60253/original/b9w39sbx-1411965748.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60253/original/b9w39sbx-1411965748.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=646&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60253/original/b9w39sbx-1411965748.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=646&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60253/original/b9w39sbx-1411965748.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=646&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The impact of technical debt.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_mayer/8701850930">Flickr/Michael Layer</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>It might solve a short-term problem but it creates a more serious one in the long-term. Unless the technical debt is repaid by filling in the gaps, the rising complexity of the system makes further changes increasingly difficult. </p>
<p>As time goes by, and the unpaid interest becomes compounded, the debt grows larger and deadlines are inevitably missed. There is now more accrued technical debt than there is time to complete the work necessary to repay it. This is the crunch facing many software project managers.</p>
<p>This is not to suggest that software developers should never go into technical debt, only that before going <em>into</em> debt, there needs to be a practical plan for <a href="http://www.infoq.com/articles/managing-technical-debt">how the debt is to be managed</a>.</p>
<h2>Software engineering is the answer</h2>
<p>Reducing technical debt and raising the quality of software can be achieved if developers think and act more like engineers. That means using a model to approach the whole process in a more disciplined way. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60271/original/rmmbgzpk-1411970359.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60271/original/rmmbgzpk-1411970359.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60271/original/rmmbgzpk-1411970359.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60271/original/rmmbgzpk-1411970359.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60271/original/rmmbgzpk-1411970359.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60271/original/rmmbgzpk-1411970359.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60271/original/rmmbgzpk-1411970359.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60271/original/rmmbgzpk-1411970359.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">No body likes it when things go wrong – the blue screen of death.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/zarrsadus/4957022991">Flickr/Zachary Long</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<p>This is bound to raise the ire of some, but the fact is, anyone can call themselves a programmer. While there are many good ones around, there are also those who will cut corners and take the quick and dirty path. </p>
<p>Real software engineers on the other hand, like engineers from any discipline, approach their work by applying reliable, proven methods. If the method is rigorously applied, then a quality outcome will be the result. </p>
<p>When there is a bridge to be built, the civil engineer applies a tried and true method to design a bridge that will not fall down. The same is true of any other kind of engineer as they go about their work. We need software to be done this way too.</p>
<p>With so many aspects of our lives being controlled by software, it is time that IT developers came into line with every other profession whose work has real bearing on people’s lives. </p>
<p>If the car you drive or aeroplane you fly in was as unreliable as much of the software that we use every day, there would be a public outcry and rightly so. </p>
<p>It costs money, takes time and disciplined effort to produce good quality software; there’s no magic formula. Programmers everywhere could learn a lot from software engineering practice. In the end, everyone wins. </p>
<p>Microsoft is pinning its hopes that Windows 9 will find ready acceptance by an increasingly sceptical and difficult to please market. For their sake, let’s hope they got it right this time.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/32213/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>From 2000 to 2008 I was affiliated with the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie-Mellon University in the US as a Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) Instructor. During that time I did training on behalf of the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation for the purpose of raising the software development process maturity of its suppliers in the and Defence Contracting industry. During that period, I also earned CMMI consultancy income from non-Defence-related organisations seeking to improve their software development processes. I am not currently engaged in this business and have no plans to be in the immediate future.</span></em></p>In the tech world there is a dynamic tension between needing to get products to market before the competition and the need to take enough time to make those products completely defect-free and user friendly…David Tuffley, Lecturer in Applied Ethics and Socio-Technical Studies, Griffith UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/211242013-12-31T21:37:34Z2013-12-31T21:37:34ZInspecting gadgets: a tech wish list for 2014<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37385/original/k5khxvzq-1386721005.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Oculus Rift headset, expected to be released in 2014, allows users to immerse themselves in 3D virtual reality gaming. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Flickr: Sergey Galyonkin</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 2014, we will see more intelligent, less expensive versions of autonomous vacuum cleaners, pool cleaners, lawnmowers and gutter cleaners. </p>
<p>We will hear more about gadgets that track eyes, customers’ motions, and their sound. </p>
<p>But will we see a reliable iRobot that doesn’t do silly things for YouTube? Undoubtedly, there will be more clips of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52r9P0rwpS0">cats on Roombas</a> in the year ahead.</p>
<p>Hopefully we will see more <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2013/08/autonomous-drones">iDrones</a> with their amusing 3D movements in the air. I for one, would like to see gladiator drone robots fighting with each other – what could be more fun than that? </p>
<p>In 2014, motor vehicle drivers will see the emergence of more windscreen projection <a href="http://www.superimaging.com/hud.html">technologies</a>. As an occasional driver, I find it impossible to stick to the right speed limit by simultaneously looking through the windscreen and monitoring dashboard displays. Hopefully windscreen projectors will spill over to more mid-range priced cars.</p>
<p>The CASIO watch calculators were very popular in 1980s but within a decade they had almost vanished. Now they have made a resurgence as a retro fashion accessory. Could smart iWatches take off in 2014? Unfortunately, we no longer have Steve Jobs to make them appealing, beautiful and practical. </p>
<p>There are still many practical problems with iWatches. They can be limited to specific tasks and ideally, should interact by voice rather than by keypads. Considering the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/siri-problems">troubles</a> Apple had with SIRI, it might be a while before voice functionality will be seen again. </p>
<p>Samsung <a href="http://www.t3.com/reviews/samsung-galaxy-gear-review">watch designs</a> are not very smart.</p>
<p>In August, CASIO was <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/28/technology/in-advent-of-the-smartwatch-a-name-thats-been-there-before.html?_r=0">reported</a> as being ready to face the watch competition from giants like Apple and Samsung. CASIO’s chief executive Kazuo Kashio said</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Suddenly, everyone’s discovered the wrist. We’ve known for a long time it’s prime real estate. We’re prepared.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Virtual reality headsets, such as <a href="http://www.oculusvr.com/">Oculus Rift</a> should emerge in the market in 2014. The Oculus team has been working on such headsets for a while. In these systems, movements are controlled via the Xbox gamepad. The 7-inch high resolution display and built-in motion detection are highlights. It will hopefully mean that the users can be both optically and mechanically immersed in a virtual world. </p>
<p>I have a newborn son and cannot wait until his second birthday in order to use him as an excuse to buy electronic toys. I still love Lego. More advanced versions of <a href="http://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/?domainredir=mindstorms.lego.com">LEGO Mindstorms Kits</a> that create your own robot will be in the market.</p>
<p>The 3rd generation Mindstorms Kit has user friendly iOS and Android apps and many more sensors for environmental interactions. Lego promises the ability to personally customise the programming, with many other imaginative possibilities.</p>
<p><a href="http://imusicbodyrhythm.com/">iMusic Body Rhythm</a> may make a buzz with its newly designed gadget by Uwe Diegel, who is both a pianist and product designer. With this product, you can finally feel the rhythm of your music. It is a massage vest that responses to music beats by connecting the vest to your iDevice. It is a wired, weird sensation and could become very popular. </p>
<p>What about poor teachers and students in 2014? Their lives, as well as many others, have often been haunted by constant PowerPoint presentations and the large projectors that are needed to screen them. I have a few academic friends who constantly carry projectors and are now either muscly or permanent clients of chiropractors. </p>
<p>Soon we will be able to carry our own high quality mini projectors with efficient Wi-Fi and <a href="http://www.dlna.org/">Digital Living Network Alliance</a> functionality, like the ones by Philips and Acer. </p>
<p>They are still a bit heavy though. Pico projectors are much lighter but the output light intensity is not good enough. </p>
<p>What ever happened to lab on-a-chip devices that could be connected to your computer or smart phones? In 2014, I would like to see that some basic medical analysis can be done using a droplet of my blood by my iPhone rather than experiencing the excruciating needle pains at a doctor’s office.</p>
<p>Why did James Bond in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhm5up5NQwk">Casino Royale</a> have access to this in 2006, but we still don’t have them in the market? What is wrong with these bio companies?</p>
<p>To finish, I would appeal to Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin to let us use our electronic gadgets in 2014 during take-off and landing. How is it that Europeans are allowed to do this now and we cannot in Australia? Perhaps flight attendants enjoy telling us to turn them off too much. </p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/21124/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh receives funding from Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), CSIRO and ARC.</span></em></p>In 2014, we will see more intelligent, less expensive versions of autonomous vacuum cleaners, pool cleaners, lawnmowers and gutter cleaners. We will hear more about gadgets that track eyes, customers…Kourosh Kalantar-Zadeh, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.