Digit Magazine January 2016

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by  Digit

The Static Page
Technology is truly personal
A
s many of you know, we’ve been on it perhaps means technology truly is personal.
a massive hiring drive for the past Gives a new meaning to the term “personal
couple of months. In almost every technology”, doesn’t it? Incidentally it also
issue we slipped in a blank page, which was happens to be the space your favourite maga-
a clever call (we think) for applications from zine mainly dabbles in.
our readers. A lot of you wrote in saying you And it makes sense too, considering how
have what it takes to fill that blank page. The emotional we get about technology. The PC
applications kept flowing in by the dozens and Master Race, Android vs. iOS, Playstation vs.
we had to reject quite a few. Sorry guys. Xbox – these are just small examples of how
We eventually found the chosen ones who caught up we get with our technology.
will bring balance to the ‘force’ (sorry, couldn’t The more I thought about it, the closer I
resist), but this column isn’t about how dif- got to the truth: Technology is not personal. It
ficult it is to get into Digit (quite difficult in never is.
case you were wondering), it’s more about a Tech is just tech. It is we who make it
particular insight I had while interviewing the personal. Siddharth Parwatay
many candidates who applied. Like with the place you call home – history Managing Editor
One of the most common questions we ask played its part and decided that this is to be [email protected]
here at Digit is “what does technology mean your motherland – your ancestors paid the
to you?” or in other words “what is technology price (sometimes) with blood and wars and
to you?”. A seemingly innocuous question, it famine. Now you live here and call it your own “One of the most
invariably foxes almost everyone. and it is personal to you – to you, your country common questions
Once they recover from their deer-in-the- means something in a unique way (else it’s just we ask here at
headlights moment, the interviewees go on a piece of land, right?). Digit is what
to define their understanding of technology. Even with tech, it’s how you use it that makes does technology
We’ve got a whole multitude of answers so far it personal – you tend to own it after you use it. mean to you?”
including absurd gems like “for me technology HTML is just code – the way you once used it to
is God!” (we really thought it was Google). create your blog (years ago) suddenly makes it
For most, technology is smartphones. It’s personal to you. A phone is just a phone, then
unbelievable the number of hours people you buy it, you buy into its ecosystem and sud-
spend on XDA forums, rooting / jailbreaking denly it’s your phone. At a broader level, think
their phones, customising the look and feel, about how rockets propel satellites, but could
and generally tinkering around with a device (and sadly do) propel warheads too.
that was primarily meant to be just a means Like most things, technology is just a
of communication. tool. Once you adopt it to serve your needs it
The older generation of geeks – a dying becomes personal to you.
breed now – think PCs are synonymous with To conclude I leave you with the same ques-
technology (I might be one of them, but I’m too tion, not as a test (which was the purpose of the
busy playing Borderlands 2 to care). Some DIY question when we put it to our applicants), but
enthusiasts we’ve spoken to who live and breathe as a way to get some interesting opinions:
electronics, microcontrollers, and circuits, What is technology to you?
believe robotics and engineering is technology.
My friends at CERN and JNCASR (sorry
I just have to brag) think technology is an
entirely different ballgame. Understandable
right? I have friends working in industries that
are so far removed from anything tech such as
artists, linguists, gym trainers – for them, tech-
nology is something as simple as social media.
Let me know at:
The revelation though is that if technology
facebook.com/staticsid | @staticsid |
can mean so many things to so many people – [email protected]
Digit | January 2016 | www.digit.in1
Big Bytes
My tech resolutions
B
efore I started writing this month’s warming with renewed vigour. After experi-
column, I was reminded of my column encing a sweltering summer from February
from exactly a year ago. Back then I through November of last year, I’m going to
cribbed about how technology overload can try and make a difference to minimize my
throw your life off balance, if you aren’t careful, energy impact going forward this year. Saving
and my (then future) endeavour to curtail the planet is crucial to our existence and once
technology’s irritating influence through 2015. again technology will come to our rescue, if
To that effect, I’m happy to report that I have only we decide to be a little more open-minded
successfully exorcised some of my technology and concerned about our impact on the world.
demons. This year has been a satisfying effort in After seeing a solar power bank that works,
my quest to drag myself out of a tech-triggered innovative (power-saving) lighting solution, and
quagmire. Apart from keeping my phone turned realizing the potential of DIY hacks to automate
off on weekends, it’s always been on silent and conserve power around the house, I am
mode (with notifications for everything except confident of endorsing an eco-sensitive tech-
emails switched off) and this has helped me not powered lifestyle in 2016. Fingers crossed.
Jayesh Shinde feel constantly connected to my phone – defi- Can technology be good for your health?
Technical Editor – nitely no phantom phone calls anymore, woot! Of course! As much as I rant about distancing
Test Centre I have also greatly reduced my social media yourself from technology’s ill effects, I have
[email protected]
minutes, freeing up precious hours spent on come to realize that embracing helpful tech-
other productive ventures (more reading time, nology gadgets can lead to a positive lifestyle.
“There’s a very for instance). While tuning into music off my I’ve been using several fitness bands over the
fine line between phone, I make sure I put it on airplane mode if I past two-three months, and I’ve seen how it’s
essential (tech) don’t want to be distracted. Little things. acutely made me aware of my physical activity
and addiction and Enriching experience this endeavour has levels, or lack thereof. This year, I am going to
we should all learn been, I must say. While doing all this, I also ensure I sleep better and move more thanks to
to recognise it." realized something important. It’s not as much fitness trackers for positive self-reinforcement.
to do with multitasking but immersion. I can At the end of a hectic day, it’s good to see that
multitask when required but I was trying you’ve walked so many steps, or when you wake
to be less distracted by technology. Just like up in the morning, it’s insightful to analyze
when you’re gaming you don’t want your PC’s your sleep cycle. Anything that helps you stay
antivirus to keep popping up and when you’re motivated, help you achieve your fitness goals
watching a movie you yell at commercial is worthy of embracing into your life. I’m also
breaks, similarly I was conditioning myself to going to take a deeper dive into mobile gaming
not be distracted by digital, social, and online this coming year – probably invest in a phone
triggers. I want to be able to look aimlessly controller, too. Not that I’m tired of gaming on
out of the train window or spend some quality my PS4, I don’t want to miss out on the best of
time with my friends and family away from the mobile gaming this year. Hey, blowing off steam
Internet and my smartphone. through technology is important, too!
You, too, should give this a try, if you Enabling you to do everything better is
haven’t already. Technology is an integral essentially what technology strives to do. And
part of our life, no doubt, it would be foolish when you practice self-restraint, it enriches
to suggest anything but. However, don’t let its your life even more. Or at least that’s what I’ve
triggers negatively disrupt the balance you’re experienced. Embrace technology wherever
trying to strike. There’s a very fine line between necessary and leave it be where it isn’t. At least
essential (tech) and addiction and we should all that’s my mantra for 2016. What’s yours?
learn to recognise it.
Onwards to my list of resolutions for 2016.
I’m not trying to shoot for the moon, instead
focusing on making one or two tiny changes in
my life – with the help of technology, of course.
Needless to say, the climate change debate
Let me know your thoughts on this
has been of personal interest to me – last month
column at: facebook.com/jayesh.shinde
| @jshinde | [email protected] India and the World vowed to fight global
2 Digit | January 2016 | www.digit.in
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Contents
JANUARY 2016
VOLUME 16 \ ISSUE 01
QUICK
NAVIGATOR
001 ENTER
017 DGT
Desire
Greed
Temptation
030 DIGITAL LIFE
Geek Life
Pet Tech
034 TOOLBOX
Best Android lockscreen

Q&A
Tips and Tricks
Workshop
064 SCI TECH
Space Age
067 WORLD VIEW
071 DEVWORX
092 STREET SMART
54 Disrupt the future
Top phone accessories
Agent 001
Here’s looking forward to 10 disruptions we think will
Price Watch
Killer Rigs define the future world we will find ourselves living in.
Top 3
101 TECH@WORK
Industry Connect The race to space
104 ESC How is today’s space race shaping the present and the 64
Funny tech resolutions
Unwind future of space exploration?
Community
TRIED
&
TESTED 86 88 89
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4 Digit | January 2016 | www.digit.in
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Exporting Your Work Drivers (32/64-bit)
26 Droolmaal > Sonorous VIII
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Searching in the Project
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Change your mind
A
s you have already seen from the Microsoft actually may have been suffering
cover, we’re starting 2016 by looking from such inertia for a lot longer. I remember
forward, but not with a what to expect Bill Gates launching a Tablet PC way before
this year story, but a what to expect this decade Apple even dreamt of the iPad. The main reason
(or more) story. why Microsoft’s tablets bombed? Intellectual
Based on what we know of our readers, inertia. That was the time they did the reverse
although spread across the age groups of 8 to of the Windows 7 and 8 fiasco. They took an OS
80, the majority of you are what most would developed for a mouse and keyboard, and tried
consider to be “youth” (under 25). For all prac- to force it on to a tablet. In hindsight, when you
tical purposes you are the future of this nation, compare Windows XP Tablet edition to iOS, we
and perhaps the world. know why the former failed…
Since we’re starting the new year with telling Now, however, I think everyone is making
you what technologies and ideas will disrupt the same mistake again, by trying to use a touch
our future, I suppose it makes sense for me to interface for everything. With the Internet of Robert Sovereign-Smith
go the other way and tell warn you of one very Things being so widely hyped, everyone wants Executive Editor
real threat to true innovation. A dangerous but to build connected devices with touch inter- [email protected]
usually unnoticed trait in all of us, which makes faces. Even stupid things like printers have
us hang on to the past, clinging to it for dear life, tiny touch screens, when they’re not needed.
looking for something familiar in this sea of Perhaps you can understand why the manu- “You know when
newness. I don’t know what to call it, so let’s just facturers are adding them… you have to admit something is familiar,
go with intellectual inertia. that you think a printer with a touch screen just and you’ve gotten
So what do I mean when I say inertia? You looks a lot cooler than one with buttons. That’s
used to it? You feel
know when something is familiar, and you’ve mental inertia at work, not just on the manufac-
like it’s the best thing
gotten used to it? You feel like it’s the best thing turer’s side, it’s inside us as well.
ever, to have that familiarity. When change does Some car entertainment systems are going ever, to have that
come along, it has to drag you forwards kicking all touch screen. It’s ridiculous. How is it we familiarity. When
and screaming sometimes, because you just love realise that poking at a touch screen phone to change does come
the old way of doing things. type a message is very dangerous when driving,
along, it has to drag
Let me try and illustrate this further with as it distracts you from the road, and then have a
you forwards kicking
examples. touchscreen interface for a car that rivals a smart-
Gmail may seem to be the way email phone’s complexity. Of course drivers shouldn’t and screaming”
always was to many of us. The conversation be fiddling with settings when driving… but then
view, the labels… it’s all so… so… perfect! Some again we also know that driver’s shouldn’t be
would beg to disagree. There are many people texting when driving, and yet they do both…
who still prefer the old Microsoft Outlook What we really need is to get over this
way of showing and working with email. inertia, break the molds, and give every new
There are many who still refuse to give it up. interface a try. I think the days of touch are
Obviously as a person who prefers Gmail, I numbered (you can read more about that in the
tend to look at them as suffering from inertia. cover story), but we’re not going to let it die out
There are many who will say, “Email? Who as easily as we should, because of inertia from
uses that anymore?” and accuse me of intel- both manufacturers as well as users.
lectual inertia. As more and more of you become makers,
Newer isn’t always better, however. Take start influencing technology, founding startups,
Windows 8 as the next example. Perhaps on developing tech for big companies, or even just
the tablets that it was designed for, the inter- being a consumer like I am, I hope this little
face was good. However for someone using the column will leave enough of an impression on
good old mouse and keyboard, being forced you to overcome the inertia, be more accepting
to use a tablet interface felt like Microsoft had of change, and move forward more freely.
gone bananas! I’m still on Windows 7, because
I tried upgrading to Windows 10, and it started
crashing randomly. Thankfully I was able
Liked or hated this column?
to downgrade easily. However, Windows 8 I
Let me know at: facebook.com/
avoided like the plague on the desktop. raaabo | @raaabo | [email protected]
6 Digit | January 2016 | www.digit.in

January 2016 • Volume 16 • Issue 01
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In the event of a dispute, the Editor’s decision shall be final.
8 Digit | January 2016 | www.digit.in