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Top 5 Gadgets that time forgot!

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With our lives so dependant on technology sometimes it’s fun to consider where it all began

Have you got any of our top 5 gadgets laying about your house collecting dust, or maybe still being used? Either way there is no denying the impact these bits and bobs had on our day to day – yesterday! Presented by Top Shelf International

#5 CASSETTE TAPES 

We all remember the humble cassette tape.

These compact cassettes were a stand out for their time. A revolutionary way to listen to your music on the go either in your pocket or in the car. 

Before these came along, reel-to-reel audio tech was generally reserved for professionals who worked in radio stations. 

Who doesn’t remember rewinding these tapes manually using a pencil.  

#4 THE FLOPPY DISC

Floppy Disks continue to play a part in many pieces of software as the save icon! 

These colourful little squares accompanied computer users for decades as the main portable storage method. Playing host too many of the original computer games and other utility programs.

IBM brought us the first floppy discs which became available in 1971 to the market. These read-only 8-inch disks stored 80 kB of data which ain’t much by today’s standards with tiny cards holding terabytes of files. 

Floppy discs also became the mcguffin device for a host of popular cartoons of the 90s. Apparently holding nuclear launch codes or government secrets. 

#3 CRT TELEVISIONS

If you ever dropped one of these on your toe you would certainly know about it. 

Cathode ray tube televisions were the standard for decades and these bulky boxes of glass and technology have come a long way since. Interestingly enough there is a large community of collectors and enthusiasts who celebrate the quality these screens produce. 

Almost all computer monitors and televisions were CRT units, until LCD and plasma screens started being used. The cathode ray tube was originally used as an oscilloscope which is a machine used to show waves and later showed us …shows!

#2 NOKIA’S 3310 MOBILE PHONE

The Nokia 3310 celebrates its 21st birthday this year.  And remains almost impossible to destroy. 

This little communication powerhouse was released in 1 September 2000 and managed to sell 126 million units.

Many were lucky enough to enjoy the convenience of a mobile with this model being their first. The instant messaging of the 3310 allowed for messages much larger than the size of a standard SMS to be sent.

The joy of looking up how to produce your own ringtones was also a lot of fun with the video game SNAKE getting us through many public transport trips. 

#1 THE APPLE IPOD 

A familiar sight for fans of Apple with the first Generation Ipod.

This gadget truly changed the way we download, share and listen to music. 

The iPod 1G is the only iPod ever to have a physically-movable scroll wheel rather than the touch models we later got – which were later removed all together.

With 5GB of usable space users could enjoy up to 1000 CD-quality songs. 

Many brands were quick to produce their own MP3 players and music devices that would replace the beloved music CD, even Microsoft later competed with their Zune breed of music player.

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Jamaal Bowman: TikTok gives free speech for 150 million people

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The Congressman says there is too much hysteria around the social media platform

U.S. Congressman Jamaal Bowman says there’s too much hysteria when it comes to social media platform, TikTok.

The Congressman argues the app has given a voice to millions of people, as well as empowering diverse communities.

“Our first Amendment right allows people to speak freely and communicate freely,” Bowman said outside the steps of Capitol Hill. “TikTok as a platform has created a community for free speech, for over 150 million people.”

TikTok is currently set to be banned on government-owned devices, due to concerns over the data it collects.

There are reported links between the app owner, ByteDance, and the Chinese Communist Party.

But Bowman argues all social media platforms have been ‘dishonest’ with the data of their users.

“Let’s not be dishonest with ourselves,” he continued. “Let’s not be racist and xenophobe towards China when it comes to TikTok.

“American companies have done tremendous harm towards American people.”

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What does the A.I. future look like?

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The pandemic has accelerated the need for integrated technology

Pretty soon, you’ll be able to ask a virtual assistant to transcribe meeting notes, summarise long email threads and even turn a Word document into a PowerPoint presentation in seconds.

Technology and the software development that comes along with it have revolutionised our world and daily life.

On top of all of this, the challenges of the global pandemic and its aftermath have accelerated the need for integrated technology solutions at a pace never seen before.

Over the past few weeks alone, a rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape has seemed to jump forward at a rate not seen before.

So what does an AI future look like?

Alex Iceman from Genium joined us to discuss.

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Building the framework for Apple’s App Store

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Where do you begin to create one of the most used phone programs in the world?

Imagine your boss comes to you with this great idea. A screen that’s a phone, that will change our entire lives.

The way we consume media, the way we connect. To do so, we have these tiny little things called Apps. Millions of them.

But you’re tasked with creating the framework that becomes the App store.

We speak to one of the former Apple employees who helped to build the App store – Phillip Shoemaker.

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