July's here - hot weather, hotter tech news from Lökwest!
Thanks for dropping in for the monthly curated goodness that is the Digital Life newsletter! Due to the July 4th holiday falling on a Wednesday, we're a little late on this issue. All the better for you, because all of your other July newsletters are read and in the trash by now, right? :)
Without delay, we've got some interesting stuff for you. Some news updates, including privacy news, technology and stroke victims, and Amazon Prime Day. Check out our section on streaming TV to get yourself primed for some binge watching on those hot summer days. Look at the biggest and smallest computers in the world, check in on some tech history, and more!
Lastly, we'd like to invite you to the Exploring Technology Talk in San Clemente on July 24th! (details below)
Have a super cool July!
In the news...
California Unanimously Passes Historic Privacy Bill — ow.ly
The law will give Californians more control over the data that companies collect on them than ever before. It puts California on par with recent General Data Privacy Regulations (GDPR) enacted in Europe. Hopefully other states will follow suit!
How racing simulators are helping stroke victims get back behind the wheel — ow.ly
What a great use for gaming! Researchers at Loyola Marymount University are adapting technology developed to train the world’s top pro racing drivers to assess cognitive abilities and help victims of stroke and traumatic brain injury to safely retrain themselves to drive.
Amazon Prime Day 2018: Deals, dates, and everything else you should know — ow.ly
Amazon Prime Day 2018 is kicking off July 16. Lots of the items on Prime Day are garage sale junk. Stay tuned to us for articles like this one that rounds up all the best Amazon Prime Day deals!
Your July streaming TV update
The 2018 Guide to Streaming TV - Lökwest — www.lokwest.com
Summer is here, and you need some new shows to watch! Never fear. We’ve got you covered with another Exploring Technology talk – The 2018 Guide to Streaming TV. You won’t want to miss this presentation.
What’s Coming to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime in July 2018 — ow.ly
What better way to beat the heat than by streaming “Madam Secretary,” “American Psycho,” or “Election”? July has patriotic titles and much more in store from the big streaming services.
AT&T launches a low-cost live TV streaming service, WatchTV — ow.ly
AT&T this morning announced the launch of a second TV streaming service, called WatchTV, days after its merger with Time Warner. Drop the expensive sports channels and you can now score TV starting at $15!
From the smallest to the most powerful
World's tiniest 'computer' makes a grain of rice seem massive — ow.ly
Just a few months ago we posted about the grain of rice computer that IBM was working on. In the spirit of technology - it's already been beaten. Scientists have built a computing device so small that even a grain of rice seems enormous in comparison.
The US Again Has the World’s Most Powerful Supercomputer — ow.ly
What takes up 2 tennis courts, drinks 4,000 gallons of water a minute, and has 37,000 processors? A new computer at Oak Ridge National Lab that ended China's fastest computer reign. It can perform 200 quadrillion calculations per second, (that’s 200 followed by 15 zeros) using a standard measure used to rate supercomputers, or 200 petaflops.
In tech history...1981
Ah, let's look at 1981, the start of the Reagan years. A few facts:
Average Cost of new house: $78,200
Median Price Of and Existing Home: $66,400
Average Income per year: $21,050
Average Monthly Rent: $315
Cost of a gallon of Gas: $1.25
Brand new System/23 Desktop Computer: $9000 (equivalent to about $25,000 today)
P.S. To add "word processing", you tacked on another $1000-$2000
Enter IBM on July 28th with their first Desktop Computer (all 95 pounds worth), the System/23 Datamaster, only two weeks before they introduce their IBM PC. Geared towards small business for use as a word processor and data processor, the computer was designed to be set up by end-users without the need of a computer specialist. While now a footnote in history, the importance of the Datamaster is that many of the team members that developed it were re-assigned to the secret IBM PC project.
Much of the knowledge they acquired working on the Datamaster went into developing the IBM PC as quickly as possible. For example, the choice of the Intel 8088 processor in the IBM PC was based on the team’s familiarity with the similar Intel 8085 processor used in the Datamaster.
Exploring technology July 24th!
Join me on Tuesday, July 24th, 1:30 PM in the conference room at F&M Bank in San Clemente. I’ll be giving a tech talk, in combination with the San Clemente Village.
This months topic - How smart are you on smart homes? I'll cover what's out there in smart home technology today, including security systems, cameras, smart speakers, thermostats and more!
We’re certain to have an interesting hour of technology discussion!
If you’re not a San Clemente Village member, please join as my guest! Simply RSVP to this e-mail to let me know you’re attending so we have an accurate count.
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