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TECHNOLOGY TRENDS SPOT Technology The new cutting-edge breakthrough in consumer technology appears to be Microsoft’s SPOT initiative. SPOT, an acronym for Smart Personal Object Technology, creates truly personal computing. It uses wireless technology delivered via the FM radio spectrum and miniaturization made possible through nanotechnology to enable an individual to program a watch, refrigerator magnet, lapel pin, pen, or other object to receive and deliver information at any given time. This information could be weather reports, traffic conditions, stock prices, restaurant ads, sports scores – whatever the user needs. The object will capture that information on an ongoing basis and keep it available. Microsoft and Citizen Watch will release a product in October that will have such capabilities. Sources: "Microsoft on the ‘SPOT’ at COMDEX," by Michael Singer, ASPnews.com, Nov. 20, 2002; "Apple Unveils New Technologies for Schools," eSchool News Online, Jan. 17, 2003 Windows as Computer Screens At the recent International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, Andersen Corporation demonstrated a prototype bay window that doubles as a home entertainment center. The device serves as a television screen, computer monitor, or stereo system in addition to acting as a normal window in your home. A low-voltage electric current runs through the window. When the user flips a switch to turn the current off, the glass becomes opaque, allowing it to be used as a projection screen for watching television or DVDs. The casement windows that flank it become the speakers. The implications of using this new wireless technology are dramatic. Think of the interior design layout problems solved, especially for smaller rooms. And you can enjoy your backyard and your television from the same position on your couch. Source: "Motion-picture Windows: Soon on a Wall Near You?" by Daniela Deane, Washingntonpost.com Jan. 21, 2003 Artificial Retina Can Restore Vision U.S. scientists are working to develop an electronic eye that they believe could help millions of visually-impaired or vision-damaged people to see. A surgically implanted microchip acts as an artificial retina. It stimulates undamaged cells around the real retina, which in turn stimulates cells in the brain, helping people to see. Researchers at the University of California have tested the implant successfully in dogs. The scientists who are spearheading the project believe they could introduce human eye implants within three years. Source: "Eye Microchip Could Save Sight," BBC News World Edition, Dec. 7, 2002 Sniffing Out Bioterrorism To combat the ongoing threat of bioterrorism, the government has developed environmental monitors that can detect smallpox, anthrax, and other deadly airborne diseases. The Environmental Protection Agency is retrofitting many of the 3,000 existing pollution/air quality monitors throughout the country for this purpose. If something suspicious is detected, samples will be sent to a number of the 120 labs that are part of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Laboratory Response Network, with analysis of results available in 12-24 hours. We are likely to see a proliferation of issues related to bioterrorism as technology continues to unfold at a rapid pace. Source: Wired News, "Sniffing Out Bioterrorism Threat," Jan. 22, 2003 Smart Bandage A new "smart" bandage can selectively pinpoint and absorb enzymes that are interfering with the healing of wounds. Scientists have created this breakthrough by modifying the cellulose in the cotton used in the bandage. This enzyme-absorbing bandage will be especially helpful for bedsores, diabetic foot sores, and other wounds that resist traditional treatment. More than one million Americans suffer from these non-healing wounds annually. Clinical trials are underway, and manufacture could begin next year. Source: "What to Do about Nasty Boo-Boos," by Louise Knapp, Wired News, Jan. 23, 2003 Lights-out Manufacturing "Lights-out manufacturing" is a cost-saving practice whereby assembly lines become completely automated and operate without any onsite human involvement. By linking the manufacturing equipment to the Internet, a supervisor can check on operations at any time from a distance and even perform "repairs." Some companies devote a portion of a plant to unattended manufacturing while others have built separate factories dedicated to the new technology. Source: "Machines-only Factories Cut Costs," by Timothy Aeppel, The Wall Street Journal Online, Nov. 19, 2002 ECONOMIC TRENDS Baby Boomers and the Bear Market Education must keep a close watch on economic trends in this country in light of the additional revenues needed to bring all students to high levels of achievement. One such trend is that investment is related to age. A recent study, "Demography and the Long-Run Predictability of the Stock Market," noted that young adults, ages 20-39, are generally consumers and spenders, not investors. Middle-aged people, 40 to 59, tend to invest in stocks. Retirees typically sell more stocks than they buy and seek out safer, guaranteed income investments. The major influence on investments in the next two decades will be aging baby boomers, the approximately 79 million people born from 1945 to 1965. This generation has about 27 million more people than the cohort that preceded it and, even more alarming, 10 million more people than the one that follows it. The study found that the large difference in the size of these generational groups has already led to wide swings in the stock market. As the first baby boomers approached middle age in 1985 and began investing heavily, their buying more than offset the selling of the older generation then entering retirement. The result was a multiyear bull market. The model predicts a long decline as baby boomers sell substantially more stock than others will be buying. The model also suggests that the bear market trend won’t turn positive until 2018. Source: "16-Year Slump? If So, Blame It on the Boomers," by Mark Hulbert, NYTimes.com, Dec. 1, 2002 Now available on our Website: www.LeaderEd.com An updated brochure for the Model Schools Conference with new information
on a keynote address by Tom Vander Ark, Executive Director/Education
at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
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