Kinect, Robots, & Middle Class Extinction, Oh My!

This is "Kinect". It sees in 3D. It's going to take our jobs.

Actually, that's not entirely true. If you're reading this, you're either a pretty big geek, or very close friends with one - either way, that probably means your job is safe. It's the job of your taxi driver, your dry cleaner, your bar tender, your garbage collector, your librarian, and your maid that's going away. More on that in a second - back to Kinect.

Kinect is an accessory for the "xbox 360" gaming console. It allows you to interact with video games by simply moving (rather than using a controller). It has two cameras and four microphones that watch and listen as you move.

A simplified illustration of the parallax of an object against a distant background due to a perspective shift. When viewed from "Viewpoint A", the object appears to be in front of the blue square. When the viewpoint is changed to "Viewpoint B", the object appears to have moved in front of the red square.

It processes your movement like you process your surroundings - through stereopsis, parallax, and synthetic integration of binocular and monocular cues. In lay-terms, it has eyes and ears and sees in 3-D. Oh, and it costs ~$200 - a pittance for something so advanced.

Researchers and do-it-your-self-ers around the world have been "connecting" their Kinects to other electronics. Less than a week after its launch, people have managed to create everything from 3-D home video recorders, to computer input devices, to robots that move based on 3-D perception of reality, and more.

Google Cars Drive Themselves, In Traffic

Now, this may appear to be just a really neat, but not really revolutionary technology. Don't be fooled though; There are far deeper implications looming. Kinect may have just unleashed an explosion of new, significantly more practical robotics innovations. It's conceivable that because of Kinect, that in years, not decades, we may begin to see Robots performing significantly more complicated tasks for us. Things like making our meals, cleaning our entire house (not just mopping the floor), and driving our cars. All of this contributes to the continued march towards the complete elimination of unskilled jobs.

And that is how Kinect is "taking" our jobs.

By aiding in the race toward total life automation, Kinect, and society as a whole, are also racing toward a virtually insurmountable divide between the upper and lower class. If ever a case were to be made for the value of higher education, this is it, folks!

Self-Serve Appointment Scheduling - 10 Minutes To Google Calendar Bliss

You're a guitar teacher. Scheduling is agony. You would like nothing more than to have your students schedule their own lessons with you, only without you needing to be involved. Sounds like a pipe dream, doesn't it?

Oh contrare, mon frere! All you need is Google Calendar and about 10 minutes, and you'll be on your way to Google Calendar bliss! It's easy to set up, idiot-proof to use, and syncs instantly with your mobile device. For the purposes of this how-to, I'm going to assume you already have a gmail and google calendar account.

Step 1 - The Dragon's Layer:
The primary layer in google calendar is a special one. It's the layer used when other people try to "Find A Time" that works for you. So, either use the primary layer of your existing Google Calendar account, or create a completely new gmail/google calendar account, and configure your Android-based mobile device to sync with both. I mention Android specifically because of how perfectly it handles syncing with multiple accounts.

Step 2 - Free/Busy Being Famous:
Optional - if you want to put your availability on your website, go into calendar settings, and make that "layer" be publicly visible, only showing the free/busy info. Be careful how you use this, since anyone can see when you consider yourself busy vs free, possibly opening yourself up to burglary or social engineering plots. That said, no one would know what busy actually meant, which is why I feel safe using this.

Step 3 - Sonny And Share:
If you decide to try to get the word out and make that primary calendar public, here's where you'll find the embed tags that you can then post on your website, or link people directly to.

Step 4 - Self Discovery:
Any of your students can find out your availability for themselves!

Step 5 - In Your Own Time:
Now, if your student wants to schedule a time with you, they can see your availability, send you an invite using just about any calendaring system.

Step 6 - I Can't Find A Time To Tell You:
You could stop there, but for added functionality, you might want to take things one step further. Google Calendar has a "Find A Time" feature. To use this, add people to your primary calendar (again, it must be your primary!).

Step 7 - I Saw A Time That Opened Up My Mind:
Now, when they create an invite, they can use the "Find A Time" feature and be sure to never double-book you!

Step 8 - Accept Me:
Not until you accept an invite, will it appear in your public calendar. Once you do, everyone will know you're not available.



I hope you enjoy your new-found scheduling freedom!