[Closed] When was the last time technology truly amazed you?

My phone tells me how long it will take me to get home based on traffic conditions - but also tells me how long it takes to get to the local pub....
That is awesome

Thats nowt , my phone tells me what time the bus is at the bus stop!
time for another half. 🙂

Out on the bike on Saturday and realized I'd forgotten to take the chicken out the freezer for dinner. Was all layered up with thick gloves and couldn't be bothered taking them off, so just shouted 'ok google' at my phone and asked it to tell the missus to take it out. Not quite amazing, but made me giggle about living in the future - I'm impressed with how google handles voice recognition even with my Scots accent and tendency to mumble, usually manages to understand what I'm saying 1st go!

iPhone, it just works. 😀

I signed it off and was told that 500 units would be printed, cut, and folded, ready to go in-store by the end of the day.

Obviously no work on - they'll be bust in 2 months! 😀

I'm still amazed I can buy 250 full colour matt laminated business cards for £12.50. We used to charge £3-£400 for something like that back in the day!

This morning.

Imagine having a conversation 20 years ago, and you said that you could get your phone to find just about any song you care to mention, and play it instantly and wirelessly through your stereo.

realtime google image translation

works pretty well, good enough to read menus in a foreign country anyway

Bought a wireless charging pad for my Samsung phone a while back, been using it a few weeks now but it's still basically voodoo as far as I'm concerned,

Especially as it works with the case on so there's no direct contact whatsoever between the phone and the pad.

Contactless payment always does it for me.

I'm like "Wooo! Magic!" every time.

I get pitying looks from the 12 year olds that staff the checkouts at Waitrose.

Oculus Rift Virtual Reality - a truly jaw dropping experience especially considering these are 1st gen devices.

I think it probably when someone plonked an iPhone 3GS in my hand. Up until then I had even steadfastly refused to carry a mobile phone. But here was something which did things I wanted it to - and the interface, that truly impressed me. Things have slowed down since.

When I was picking my son up from school at 3 a.m after he returned from a school trip to Old Trafford and the Man city v Feyenoord game.

I woke up at 2 a.m. checked my ipad to track his phone, saw that he was still an hour away on the M6, snoozed for twenty minutes, checked again and got dressed. I was able to track him all the way home and knew to the second when his bus would turn the corner into the school.

Obviously no work on - they'll be bust in 2 months!

I'm impressed with how google handles voice recognition

+1

iPhone, it just works

Spent 10 minutes shouting at Siri teying to call my missus after it failed to connect to my cars bluetooth. OK Google much better.

In response to the OP, yesterday when i discovered we can record manufacturing data of highway network material, track its placement and then display in an ongoing map model likely deteriorarion and future targetted precention based on the standard it came out the factory, the pressure it was layed and rolled with the weight of equipement including driver and weather / traffic variability.

This morning.

@MachinePix?

Some of their stuff is mesmerising. 🙂

I signed it off and was told that 500 units would be printed, cut, and folded, ready to go in-store by the end of the day.

I'm surprised a printer has the capacity to turn around a job that quickly.

Anyway my new car parks and unparks itself.

1987. My father bought a one year-old Buick Somerset with a digital dashboard.

Yes, it's true. A digital dashboard.

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After that, I stopped caring.

Percyp - saw a tweet yesterday, bloke had his phone stolen in Manchester last week.

It's now showing as being in the middle of a forest in Senegal.

Technology that let's you track your stolen stuff around the world is the future.

Yesterday: I read a review of a documentary film in an old school paper magazine at lunchtime. I thought, I'll watch that.

That evening, I streamed the film over wi-fi (which still does my head in!) to my iPad and casted it to my TV. (Saves a walk down to Blockbusters to find they've never heard of it!)

Real time translation devices. Given the inherent difficulty involved it's staggering. I wonder if in ten years there will be any point in learning a foreign language if our technology will translate for us?

Oh, and I have a 32Gb IPhone that is slightly larger than a cassette and can hold a heck of a lot more songs than a C90 with far better sound quality and will skip instantly between tracks. I know that mp3 players have been around for almost two decades, but that still impresses me.

And big rockets. The world needs more big rockets (albeit the ones which push stuff into space, not the ones which make big explosions).

Obviously no work on - they'll be bust in 2 months!

yeah that is a bit odd unless your client is paying a massive premium to jump the queue! You don't just have machines capable of that kind of output sitting around waiting for the odd job to come in!

It was a big commercial printers and the print run was booked well in advance. But, as usual, people were still changing specs, sizes and artwork at the 11th hour. It goes with the territory. I was assured they'd turn it round that quick, but had met that assurance with a cynical "yeah, right...."

I'm now put in the uncomfortable position of having to believe what a printer tells me 😉

I don't think the novelty of Shazam will ever wear off. Hearing a tune on the telly, Shazam it the instantly play it full wack out of Sonos via Spotify. Awesome.

I love augmented reality on phones, turning the camera to scan some foreign language text and seeing it translated, on the screen, in real time (real time for all practicable purposes). Or pointing my phone at hills and mountains in my surroundings and having their names tagged on the screen image.

And then some modern medical advancements are barely comprehensible.

[I]stolen in Manchester last week.

It's now showing as being in the middle of a forest in Senegal.
[/]

Manchester to Senegal in a week!! How long it still takes so long to get stuff delivered to your home then?

Manchester to Senegal in a week!! How long it still takes so long to get stuff delivered to your home then?

Self driving Volvo in Gothenburg 2 years ago. Utterly nuts.

Still get that feeling of wonder when I take a plane TBH

Drones. I've seen loads of footage from them, and played with a ton of cheapy crap ones but it still blows me away every time I take mine 100m up in the air and I can see what's below it on my phone as if it's on a tripod.

airpods.

and the new forum.

I think being surrounded by technology in work has made me pretty unamazable.

The last time I was truly amazed was the finger print reader on my phone a couple of years ago because:

1) We'd tried fingerprint readers in my old job and they were crap, so my expectations were low

2) I actually need a password on my phone to stop the kids nicking it and running off with it.

So when it work flawlessly I was 'amazed and delighted' of course human nature now means when I can't get in because I'm wearing gloves or my hands are a tiny bit damp, I get annoyed.

Talking about augmented reality, this app is pretty amazing...

[url= https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-guide-ar/id576588894?mt=8 ]Sky Guide[/url]

Wave your phone around after darkt and it identifies all the stars, planets and constellations. Great for standing out in the back garden at night with the kids. The stuff you can do on phones now is bonkers

The Google Translate stuff is pretty mind bending.

I have to review patents as part of my job & a recent one was a pdf written in Japanese.

I downloaded the Japanese language pack onto my phone, pointed the camera at the computer monitor & within seconds, it gave me an English output that was entirely believable as being what that patent was about.

I do agree that we are massively blasé about modern technology and the things that it enables us to do.

I like looking at manufacturing videos on Youtube - just to see the wonder of how things are made; a simple thing like a spring being made in massive quantities again and again and again - it's really quite mesmerising.
And that spring will go in a machine somewhere that no one will think about; it will just sit there doing it's springy job time after time, until it breaks or the thing holding it in place breaks.
Someone somewhere will have designed the spring, someone else will have designed the machine that makes the spring, someone else will have designed the machines that makes the parts for the machine that makes the spring etc......

the bit that should amaze me is that I can work seamlessly between 4 or 5 devices, google now actually starts to organise my life better and

Not having to go to the video shop anymore to find out the film you wanted to see is out on loan.

I just made a call with my iPhone, damn that thing just works. 😀

When I went to see this guy

Watching a band turn up and play a gig is just a bit crap in comparison.

the bit that should amaze me is that I can work seamlessly between 4 or 5 devices, google now actually starts to organise my life better and

...finishes your sentences for you?

Sky Q app ..amazing being able to record stuff on to the box from my phone ..or for that matter watch it on my phone when I'm miles away from home..

I just made a call with my iPhone, damn that thing just works.

Good to know that someone's does. 😐

Manchester to Senegal in a week!! How long it still takes so long to get stuff delivered to your home then?

Presumably, it wasn't stolen by MyHermes.

then can post the rest of what I was saying to STW 😉

though in reality it doesn't proof read it for me when I get distracted while posting...
(that is what the Spambots are for)

Thinking back the flights with WiFi, watched Netflix on one, skyped my folks from the air.

I still feel like Buck Rogers when I use my phone to pay for things.

This morning, when I read the latest output of the poetry robot.

Purchasing a new coat in Cotswold Outdoors i enquired about the 'price match promise' she said i have seven days to find it cheaper elsewhere, bring proof into store and they will refund the difference. i went on my phone there and then and found the same item £43 cheaper - bosh! refunded! was absolutely astounded, and mightily impressed - i wanted to shake her hand!! 🙂

Accessibility

Part 1: I'm always amazed at the quality of Open Source technology.
I remember when it used to be a mess. Now it's better than proprietary in many cases. Mainly due to better collaboration tools.

Case in point. I'm building a CNC router (computer-controlled wood cutting).
I can choose from 3 different amazing open source tools that will control the machine perfectly. All free, well documented, well supported and industry tested.
2 of them can run on <£10 Arduino boards.

Part 2: YouTube. If I want to know anything at all, I can find a helpful person on YouTube to talk me through it. Build a CNC - no problem. Build a boat - no problem. Jet bike - no problem.

We have a gas chromatography machine with attached "twister" technology; simply put it exploits the ability of certain polymers to grab certain aroma molecules out of a product. The molecules are then washed off the polymer and collected in a chamber then sent to the GC column for chromatography and then subject to mass spectroscopy to confirm the identification. Amazing stuff happening in a ropey area of Manchester; it always impresses the hell out of me. I love showing visitors around our place; when they reach our £4m robotic factory their eyes go all goggly.

Presumably, it wasn't stolen by MyHermes.

No but it was delivered by them, supposed to be to edinburgh though 🙂

Saw a 3D printer producing toys at a craft fair recently. I know they've been around a while, but it was the first time I've seen one in the flesh. The potential is incredible.

Also, being taken for a spin in my mate's Tesla Model S. I know it's essentially just a car, but the way it operates just feels revolutionary compared with standard cars.

This week I had the opposite of the thread though. I played with a friend's iPhone X and was a bit underwhelmed. Given that it costs so much more than the competition I couldn't see what it did that was better and justified the difference in price.

[i]feel like Buck Rogers when I use my phone to pay for things. [/i]

I remember the TV series majored on him buying stuff using novel technology.

Teacher in the year above me just had all her class with VR headsets on. She was wearing a special t-shirt and when they looked at different bits of her, it showed the internal organs working.

Not amazed, but was quite impressed with the London underground recognising your bank card - not seen that before on mass transit.
Generally use the hire bikes when down for a meeting, so don't think I've been on the tube for a couple of years. Was with a couple of others earlier this week and used it for the first time.

[img] [/img]

[i]She was wearing a special t-shirt and when they looked at different bits of her, it showed the internal organs working.[/i]

#strangest

When I discovered teamviewer the other week.

I can basically control the 4 computers I have access to from anywhere now, ie can control any of the computers from any computer or even from my phone.

Couple of weeks ago.

Sat on the couch wondering what to have for dinner. Browsed some recipes on my phone and found one I fancied and had the ingredients for. Tapped a little icon to say "send this recipe to my google home", then walked into the kitchen and announced "ok google, lets start cooking" It then read the recipe back to me step by step.

Awesome.

I work in that London, currently I can see[url= https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scalpel ] The Scalpel[/url] going up outside my window.

I am constantly amazed at the technology that goes into building such strange shapes.

Every time I enjoy a hot cup of tea around 2.30pm that I made around 6am.

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Well I take an interest in tech, so I know what things are potentially possible - then I become impressed when after many years of development they finally are widely available and work well.

Had the satnav on my phone in the car yesterday going to Ikea then Hobbycraft, it was about 5pm. Then I realised I might be doing it the wrong way round:

"Ok Google, what time does Ikea close?"
"Ikea Cardiff closes at 9pm"
"Ok Google, what time does Hobbycraft close?"
"Hobbycraft Cardiff closes at 6pm"
"Ok Google, take me to Hobbycraft Cardiff"
"Okay, navigating to Hobbycraft Cardiff"

All whilst driving along and not even taking my eyes off the road. Then I asked her to shuffle my music on Amazon music, and it did.

Although, asking her to play UK Radio X on TuneIn is ridiculous. She says 'Ok, asking to play music' and then plays a Lebanese station. Every time.

The Original Sony Walkman TPS-L2 from 1979.

I never got to own one because I could not afford it, instead I was given one cheapo Aiwa version several years later. I seldom used it so gave it away later on ... 🙂

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Site engineering equipment. Been around for an age but the handsets are running Windows 10, lightening quick, tell where am I in a heartbeat, setting holding down bolts out, level etc etc all to within 1mm with just 1 man required. Me taking that on board and learning how to use one in a week saved on a site engineer at 2.5k a week, which has all just contributed to my christmas bonus.

Earlier this week was the last time. not exactly amazed, but utterly impressed it works.

Via college, my 17 year old daughter with ASD now has an app called 'Brain in Hand'. We'd heard about it through her previous school so were quite excited to actually gat funds to get it for her.

Essentially it's a 'how do you feel today' app, with some scenarios in there, like 'my bus is late' and potential solutions. all of which are backed by a traffic light system. This is great as it means she can self manage, not have to text us ever time or rely in college services and gives her a better sense of independence (the important bit).

It also asks you to check in how you're feeling (green, amber or red) every hour or so.

What we didn't realise is that the traffic light system is backed up by on call councilling service. So, when things were a bit stressful earlier in the week, she was feeling amber. after three ambers she immediately gets a text, asking if everything is ok. She texts back thinking it's an automated reply and gets a human response and a few tips on ow to manage and guide her to feeling better.

Yesterday was a rubbish day, she pressed red and got a text asking if they could call her and she could speak. she couldn't, but they talked her through how she was feeling via text and get her to a place where she could manage to get on the bus home, and checked in with her that she'd made it.

There are two things that are just damn awesome about this, the first is the service itself, the second is that my daughter has adoped it very naturally.

very very cool.

Just got some directional HDMI cables, very impressive.

Another vote for drones (or more correctly, quad-rotor). I know about GPS, but to see is float stationary in a 10m/s wind is pretty impressive.
(I know it was a 10m/s wind because that's how fast it started to move when I turned the GPS bit off, displayed in real time on a tablet 100m away.)

Although, asking her to play UK Radio X on TuneIn is ridiculous. She says 'Ok, asking to play music' and then plays a Lebanese station. Every time.

You have to ask Alexa for "Radio X UK". Might be the same for google...

Not sure about being amazed I was certainly shocked when Google sent me a monthly timeline with everywhere I'd been the previous month, the route I'd taken, mode of transport, times and dates and then linked in photographs I had taken.

Not impressed by technology at all, my usual response seems to be, is that all it is? Progress and development is way too slow and ponderous! I have a 10 year old laptop that isn’t completely out performed by new ones, imagine comparing that to one from 1994 with a 2004 model!?

My Echo Dot after I bought a Bluetooth receiver to plug into my old sound system. Now I just tell Alexa to reconnect and what to play, no need to pick up my phone. She also turns the light on too.

The new oscilloscope at work decodes serial data for me - no more manually decoding messages 1 bit at a time 🙂

Google maps travel planning is pretty cool too - tell it where/when you want to go, and it'll not only give you directions by car, but can now link up public transport routes and provides links to the service providers for booking tickets

last time I was amazed - probably playing street fighter on the SNES

saved on a site engineer at 2.5k a week, which has all just contributed to my christmas bonus.

2.5k a week???? Time I dusted my level book off! 😯

I saw a bloke stood outside a reversing car on Tuesday, he was staring at his phone. Didn't seem that monumental until the car locked and the bloke walked off... He'd been reverse parking his Tesla using a phone app. I had to do some thinking before i got my head around that, and it still amazes me now

Lovewookie, that app sounds amazing! I worked in Autism services for a long time and would've loved to have had something like that to support people!

Pretty much everyday I am shocked by how good software is at making things easier.
I still am amazed that I can take RAW files on my camera, tweak them on my iPad and send them to the office via an EE mobile hotspot.

It kinda amazes me every time I build a 3D model. Rendering is pretty impressive too.

Quadcopters. Can fly half a mile away, with a live stream from the camera to my phone. Then press a button for return to home, and it flies back again, and lands on the exact spot where it started from.

MicroSD cards. Smaller than my fingernail, and can store about 50000 songs or photos etc. My first digital camera only had a 2MB memory card...

Not impressed by technology at all, my usual response seems to be, is that all it is? Progress and development is way too slow and ponderous! I have a 10 year old laptop that isn’t completely out performed by new ones, imagine comparing that to one from 1994 with a 2004 model!?

Why would you expect massive developments in laptops? I rarely use mine nowadays, entirely as a result of other developments in phones / tablets etc. With development of cloud technology the laptop is increasingly just a screen and keyboard

Yup Chromebook FTW.

Lovewookie, that app sounds amazing! I worked in Autism services for a long time and would've loved to have had something like that to support people

It really is. If I'd have had that when I was younger I'd have probably developed better coping mechanisms than I do now!

It's such a relief to myself and Mrs Wookie having something that works and allows us to relax a bit (just a bit mind..)

I do get a little worried by tech sometimes, i changed my surname when i was 20 back to my mum's maiden name as i hadn't seen my dad for years and was not close to his side of the family at all, so it seemed right thing to do. I am now 42, so that was 22 years ago.

Was on Facebook recently and it came up with one of those adverts for a Sweatshirt with "Greenhill Clan" or similar on it, this was my surname 22 years ago before the internet actually worked and Facebook was a dream, still don't know how it knew that as i haven't used that name on any form or document for all that time