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5 Ways to Check Facebook Campaigns

Facebook found and banned 32 pages linked to "inauthentic behavior." With fake news becoming more and more prevalent, how can we guard against it?

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5 Ways to Check Facebook Campaigns
On July 31st of this year, Facebook announced they’d found and banned thirty-two pages that coordinated, what they call, inauthentic behavior. These pages were linked to campaigns that were designed to influence the upcoming mid-term elections in November. Back in March, Facebook had their Cambridge Analytica Scandal in which the political consulting firm had illegally gained private information from about 87 million Facebook users. Cambridge Analytica then used that information to plan ad campaigns. To prevent something like that happening again, Facebook has begun working with the FBI and hired on more human fact checkers for ad campaigns and to weed out suspicious accounts. This is reassuring to hear. At the same time, it’s frustrating. I read about these things happening and I get paranoid. It doesn’t help that I already get jittery for pointless reasons.

Gas Scare

I live in San Antonio, TX, and back in the fall of 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast. Houston bore the brunt of it. San Antonio was spared a lot of the flooding and destruction. A week later, however, rumors spread that there was not enough gas to go around for the entire state of Texas, or at least San Antonio. A run on the pumps ensued. I saw lines of cars about a mile long to get to pumps because everyone thought gas was going to run out. All these rumors turned out to be false. There was a hitch in the supply chain, but San Antonio had enough reserves on hand to handle a normal amount of people getting gas for a weekend. When an above average amount of people ran to the pumps to top off their tanks, that’s when there was a problem. Thanks to some misinformation, I had to put up with long lines at the pumps. Campaigns like this, be they viral or engineered, make me paranoid. I never know when it’s going to happen. When it comes to seeing ads or news stories on my Facebook feed, I am skeptical that they’re fabricated, or heavily skewed, to give the wrong impression. Sometimes the stories turn out to be true, other times they’re false. Like San Antonio running out of gas. So how can I know? Thanks to websites like factcheck.org, politifact.org, Washington Post’s Factchecker, snopes.com, and Decisive by Chip and Dan Heath, there are ways to combat my paranoia. They’re also helpful for determining if the information contained within is true or not. It’s not a process or a 100% effective method for ascertaining the validity of an article. These are helpful steps to keep me from reacting and doing something stupid…like all the idiots who drained San Antonio of gas in late August of 2017.

Check with Other Sources

I remember hearing about the gas scare as I left my house on a Thursday. I didn’t think much of it. In fact, I believed it to be false information. When I saw other cars pulling into the nearest station, I began to wonder. After some needless traffic, I arrived home and did a search. Come to find out, more than three news stations were running stories about the misinformation when it came to gas availability. I was right. By then, however, the scare had taken hold and gas stations went dry.

Doubt Your Assumptions

Hearing about the gas scare I first doubted it. When I saw the cars lining up, I could help but worry. Since so many people believed the news that San Antonio was about to run dry, it must have some truth to it, right? I started to second-guess myself and was tempted to get in line for the nearest station and wait to fuel up. When other people are reacting a certain way, it’s easy to assume they know what they’re doing. In this case, my grandpa had some wise words to share. Most of what he said wasn’t always wise, but every now and then he hit the mark. If the subject was assumptions, it was one of those rare moments- “When you assume, you make an ass out of you and me.” Another nugget of wisdom applied to this situation- “Never underestimate the power of stupid people in a large crowd.”

Take a Step Back

By checking other sources and taking a moment not to get caught up in the crowd, we’re giving ourselves a chance to clearly assess the situation. By distancing ourselves we’re able to get a better idea of what’s going on and see if there’s a real reason to worry. This option isn’t always available. You may have an impending deadline or find yourself without the time to clearly assess your surroundings.

Assess the Source

On Facebook, in the news, or when you’re hearing gossip from a friend, always—always—assess the source. Usually, it’s from one person or outlet and others took it and ran with it. It may take some time to figure out who said what and where the “knowledge” came from. But do yourself a favor and stop yourself from jumping to the conclusion because one person said something.

Accept Your Own Biases

This one is difficult, especially for me. After years of thinking a certain way, we’re going to look for sources that confirm what we’ve always believed to be true. Sometimes we’re correct in our thinking, something we’re not. But if only look to those sources that confirm what we want to hear, chances are high that we’ll make the situation worse. For example; I loved rainbow sherbet. It was my favorite ice cream for a long time. That is until my wife pointed out that it’s not ice cream. After debating her, heatedly, for two hours, it turns out I was wrong. I still like rainbow sherbet, but I’ve had to find a new favorite ice cream flavor.

Be Ready for an Answer You Don’t Like

When it came to the gas scare, I was right when I doubted there was a shortage of gas in the San Antonio area. When it came to rainbow sherbet, I was wrong even though I heatedly defended my position that sherbet is a dairy-based desert, hence, it’s ice cream. Sherbet, as it turns out, is juice based. It’s not ice cream. I’m still married though, so that’s good news. When it comes to something we believe—politically, ethically, religiously—there are those times when we’re proven wrong. It may be because we’re overconfident or doubt the validity of a counter-argument. It’s not easy to accept there’s a truth out there other than our own. It’s not the end of the world though. Much like rainbow sherbet, there are other ice cream flavors out there that we can enjoy.

The Cause

As people work to influence a wider audience, it’s up to us to double-check the validity of their claims. As for Facebook, we need to be aware of the amount of information that comes across our newsfeed and the fact that it’s not always 100% true. When it came to the gas scare of 2017, it turned out to be a viral post on Facebook that was completely unfounded. This only illustrates the need to check out the truth of a story before we begin to believe it.   And as always, check out the best internet and cable packages so you’re at least saving some money. Feel free to double check our numbers as we’re always hunting for the bundle deals to fit any budget and we’d rather get it right than make a sale.

4 Great Things Coming to AMC Networks

AMC Networks is going to be getting bigger, and better. Here's four great things coming to AMC Networks, and they all involve murder.

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4 Great Things Coming to AMC Networks
AMC Networks, owner of the eponymous channel that’s home to “The Walking Dead”, “Better Call Saul”, and “Preacher”, is working on acquiring RLJ Entertainment. RLJ owns Acorn TV and Urban Movie Channel, which means AMC is going to be getting bigger. And offering more for their streaming customers! RLJ has a huge library they’ll bring to the table. This means even more shows and movies that AMC customers will get to see through the networks bevy of channels. The best part? RLJ Entertainment owns 64% of the Agatha Christie Limited, the media rights and literary management company set up by the great author herself. If this doesn’t excite you, here are four reasons why it should.

Agatha Christie

Long hailed as the murder mystery writer, Agatha Christie wrote sixty-six detective novels and fourteen short story collections. Born in 1890, Agatha took up writing poems and short stories. It wasn’t until a cousin recommended a murder mystery that Agatha attempted to enter the genre. If there hadn’t been that one suggestion, the murder-mystery genre may not be what it is today. Her writing style, use of tropes, red herrings, and characters have helped define what makes good murder mystery writing. She’s also credited with starting the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Her works, though dated, have been adapted and many authors are updating them to reflect more modern writing styles. At least one lucky author, Sophie Hannah, has been given authority to continue writing Hercule Poirot mysteries. Of her sixty-six works, three detectives stand out.

Tommy and Tuppence

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DcAxJ9aORA The lesser known of her famous detectives, Agatha enjoyed writing Tommy and Tuppence novels the most. These Partners in Crime were her first detectives, and the duo aged with her. Partners in Crime follow Tommy and Tuppence Beresford as they find themselves constantly getting involved with dastardly plots. The pair didn’t set out to solve crimes at first. Because there were no other jobs, they started up Young Adventurers Ltd. “Willing to do anything. Go anywhere…No reasonable offer refused.” Those reasonable offers came with a mystery to solve. While I haven’t read or watched any of the works, if its Agatha Christie, then I at least know it’s good source material. As for the adaptations of the works themselves, again, I’m in the dark here. Given there have been multiple interpretations of the characters, it’s safe to say the crime-solving pair are entertaining to watch. One novel was adapted into a silent movie in 1928 then a series of radio dramas on the BBC in 1953. The late Richard Attenborough provided the voice for Tommy too! In 1984, Partners in Crime was finally adapted for the small screen. James Warwick and Francesca Annis took on the titular roles and reprised the roles again in 1985. No new adaptations were made until 2005, this time in France. The names of the characters were changed, though the source material remained faithful to Christie’s original vision. In 2008, another French adaptation was made. David Walliams and Jessica Raine took on the roles in the 2015 mini-series, Partners In Crime. No news as to whether another adaptation is in the works.

Miss Marple

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8ytnco5p-Y Miss Marple seems to sit quietly in the background, knitting away. This turns out to only be deception, as the elderly spinster is quietly observing, assessing, and analyzing everyone and everything around her. This is what makes her a remarkably effective sleuth. The list of actresses who’ve played Miss Marple is practically a “whos-who” of classic acting; Gracie Fields, Margaret Rutherford, Angela Lansbury, Helen Hayes, Joan Hickson, and June Whitfield. Most recently, Geraldine McEwan starred in the role in 2004 with Julia McKenzie assuming the role in 2009. I haven’t had the chance to catch these adaptations, though I did see a stage production of A Murder is Announced when I was in college. Being a Division III school, they didn’t do too bad.

Hercule Poirot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq4m3yAoW8E The most well-known of Agatha’s sleuths was Hercule Poirot (pronounced “pwa-ro,” it’s Belgian French). If it wasn’t because of his skills as a detective, then it was most definitely the mustache. The idea for Hercule Poirot is said to not been based on any one person. There is speculation, however, that a specific Belgian refugee who fled to England and settled in the countryside is the true catalyst for Agatha’s most notable detective. There’s another claim that he was based on two other fictional detectives of the time, Hercule Popeau, and Monsieur Poiret. And still, another that he was based on Sherlock Holmes. The mystery of who really inspired Agatha Christie to create the character will remain. When it comes to who did the best job of portraying the character, there is less speculation needed.

Who's the Best Poirot?

From Charles Laughton to Hugh Laurie, there have been too many Poirot’s to list here. In 2017 Kenneth Branagh stepped into the role for Murder on the Orient Express. Given the film’s high production budget and Branagh’s Shakespearean experience, the movie was amazing. Fun to watch, keeps you guessing (if you haven’t already read the book), and great performances by an all-star cast. Yet, for me, the standard of Hercule Poirot will always be set by David Suchet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r92jpQ8-UA True, Suchet’s mustache is more downplayed than Branagh’s. Branagh had the advantage of a big budget and having to only wear the titular facial hair for a relatively short time. Suchet, on the other hand, played the role for thirteen years. And yet, the mustache's even more endearing than Branagh’s. The ear-to-ear handlebars that Branagh sports are impressive, but only from a production standpoint. From a character standpoint, it’s just a defining feature. Suchet’s is where it’s at. Though subtler, his mustache adds the dramatic flair that is Poirot. To keep that kind of facial hair going for that long takes a rare level of commitment. To get into the mindset of such a literary behemoth, Suchet took character notes. By the end of his run, he had over 90 traits written down that made Poirot Poirot. Branagh only had to stay in character for a few months. And that closes that case.

Find Agatha Christie

It’s unclear if AMC Networks will just air reruns of the great Christie works or if they’re going to create original content from them. Given the recent resurgence in her work, I would hope they’d opt to remake some of her work. They could even go the Holmes route and update her characters. If that were to happen, then Vincent Cassel would be my first pick to step into the role of a new Poirot. Of course, Dame Judi Dench would be great as Miss Marple. For Tommy and Tuppence, I’d name James Marsters and Lucy Davis. Hollywood may go a different direction, and they often do. It's not the first time I've been ignored by Hollywood. And it won’t be the last. The good news is that getting access to current Agatha Christie works is simple. First, look for the best internet and cable packages. This way you’ll save money and headache when it comes to watching all the shows and movies based on Agatha Christie’s books. Second, get to a library or a bookstore and go find Agatha’s actual work. Every library is bound to have at least one. Third, if reading a book isn’t your thing, then get the Overdrive app or any number of audiobook apps. There’s a few that offer free titles as well. This way you’ll get to read Murder on the Orient Express, and others, before watching the movie. This will enhance your viewing experience. Once you’ve read an Agatha Christie, then watch a movie or a show, then it’ll be no mystery why her work has lasted so long.

Is Facebook Losing Altitude?

Facebook is having more tough times. Last week their stock dropped 19%, resulting in a net loss of $119 Billion. Is this the end for Facebook?

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Is Facebook Losing Altitude?
Facebook is having more tough times. Last week their stock dropped 19%, resulting in a net loss of $119 Billion. That’s “billion” with a “b.” The once meteoric Facebook is having trouble with growth. That’s not surprising as they’re still recovering from the Cambridge Analytica Scandal from back in March. This forced the social media giant to implement new policies when it comes to protecting their users’ privacy. This new direction for Facebook is proving problematic. Here’s why.

Kite on a String

When Facebook launched, the concept of social media was still relatively new. They were a kite on a windy day with maybe one or two other kites in the air at the time. So Mark Zuckerberg sends up his new kite and the winds are strong. Before long, other people want to play with it as well. Zuckerberg, wanting to expand on the idea, allows them to attach a string to the kite. These new users then tell their friends about it and they want to attach a string. What once was a kite that only Harvard students could attach their strings too, is now a massive one that’s got strings all over the world. A good analogy for Facebook. Like a real kite with over 2.23 billion strings, manning such a thing becomes unwieldy. It also doesn’t help that the once clear sky is now full of other kites, with other strings. When kites, and organizations, become that big, the people in charge stop seeing the minute details. They hire other people to take care of those things for them. They turn their focus to the bigger picture. It’s no longer about a small kite with only a few million strings. When it’s that small, a handful of people can manage the day-to-day tasks of keeping the kite in the air and keeping the users happy. It’s now about keeping something so big aloft, keeping the users happy, not letting other kites swoop in and cut strings, and making sure international governments are okay with that thing in their airspace.

The Cambridge Analytica String

Back in 2014, Cambridge Analytica, a political consulting firm in Great Britain, began to check each string holder. Or, to keep with the metaphor, they read the string- every strand. Some strands are meant to be public. This is, after all, social media. Some strands were not meant to be read by outside parties. Minor details like people’s personal information. Cambridge Analytica read the strands and used that information in their consulting. This is unethical. Worse than that, the British government argued that Facebook should have done more to keep something like this from happening. Facebook has since been fined. In reaction to the fine, they’ve rolled out new algorithms, procedures, policies, and methods of protecting people’s data. To keep the kite in the air, in an ethical way, Facebook is working harder to keep people from reading all the strands in the strings that attach to the kite. It’s a new direction. Directing something with 2.23 billion users, be a kite or an organization, is going to take some hard work.

The Stock String

With the Cambridge Analytica Scandal three months old, Facebook released a report on the status of their kite-flying. It did not sit well with investors. Investors were worried about the decline in new users, and that new apps and policies had hurt revenue growth. Facebook’s loss of $119 billion in one day may the biggest single-day loss in history. Something that big may seem like writing on the wall for Facebook. The beginning of the end. It may not be.

The Future String

To recover from the Cambridge Analytica Scandal, Facebook implemented a slew of new efforts to better protect users’ privacy. For a while, it seemed as if every day there was a new notification on the newsfeed that “Facebook cares about your privacy.” That was why. It’s calmed down now, but it’s not completely over. These new measures by Facebook are a part of a larger shift in the company’s direction. Now Facebook is working to keep their users’ information more guarded and use it less for advertising and third-party companies. This direction means that ad revenues will go down, as already indicated in Facebook’s most recent earnings report. Couple that with the fallout from the Cambridge Analytica Scandal, and it’s natural that such a hit would happen. Maybe not as bad as $119 billion. For Facebook to stick to their goals of greater protection is admirable, if a little late in the game. Investors and analysts aren’t too worried either. While it was a one-hundred-nineteen Billion dollar drop, Facebook is getting adjusted to new internal policies. Advertisers and third-parties are still catching up as well. With this new direction, Facebook is working to drive up engagement with their users’, a better idea than just inundating the newsfeed with ads. And when your newsfeed becomes less cluttered by these pointless ads, it’s a welcome sight.

Pull the String

With Facebook taking this new direction, the future is full of interesting opportunities.

A Shift in Social Media

Social media, for all its positive attributes, is somewhat annoying. Instead of interacting with human beings, we’re interacting with virtual representations of people. This is helpful for staying in touch with people who live far away, or for celebrities and politicians. It’s not helpful for the people who are in the same room. Facebook could be on the cutting edge of the next trend in social media. Less time staring at a screen and more time doing the things that get posted on newsfeeds. How Facebook will manage to do that is anybody’s guess. Given the amount of brain power they employ, it’s well within their reach.

More Ethical Business Practices

Facebook got caught for doing something bad and is now trying to rectify the situation. It’s a long road, but Facebook can stand as an example of what to do before a company runs into an ethical dilemma. And how to pay attention to third-party users and what they end up using the data for. With the world becoming more and more digital, data seems to be the currency. Not in the sense of blockchain and cryptocurrency. In the sense that people’s lives are getting reduced to ones and zeros. When everything about a person can simply be downloaded, the issue becomes “who can we trust.” Facebook is working to prove that they can be trusted with that information. If they can pull it off, then they’ll be back on the rise as more and more people will entrust them with their personal data.

Tie the String

Before you can connect to social media, you must be able to connect to the internet. By checking out the best Spectrum internet packages you can feel safe knowing you’re getting a secure connection with our providers. Because what good is it if you get the best speeds but are not confident your information is secure? When it comes to that, you’re probably better off going outside and flying a kite.

Google Gets a Grammar Check

For those without a Microsoft 365 account, Google Docs does a passable-to-decent job of creating a document. It doesn't have a grammar check feature...yet.

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Google Gets a Grammar Check
For those without a Microsoft 365 account, Google Docs does a passable-to-decent job of creating a document. It comes free with all Gmail accounts as part of G-Suite, so it’s nice to know it’s there when a document program is needed in a pinch. It has a big flaw though. No grammar check feature.

Grammar Misses

There are those times when one is writing a document, that the words are flowing as fast as thoughts. The fingers blur over the keys. And words appear on the screen. Then comes the editing. Reading along, sentence by sentence, discovering thoughts made tangible in a flurry of activity- but what’s this? Is there supposed to be an apostrophe for “its” or not? Small mistakes like this, grammatically, happen all the time. Thanks to grammar check features, they’re quickly solved and reduce the amount of time it takes to edit a document. As a writer, I speak to the helpfulness of these things as I have to write constantly every day for work and for pleasure. Grammar check features, though helpful, are not 100% secure though. Which is why having a second set of eyes is always a good idea. For writers like me, however, this sometimes a luxury. For Google to start implementing this feature into Docs means there will be another option available to match Microsoft Word. There’s no news of Docs becoming a fee-based service. That means another word processing application that can check grammar and spelling will likely attract a lot of attention.

Microsoft Word

Everyone knows Word. It’s often listed under “required skills” on a job application. Should you find yourself working in the publishing industry, you’ll discover Microsoft Word is the program you’ll end up working with the most. Queries coming in a format other than Word are quickly tossed out. Word, as of this writing, has the most sophisticated grammar check feature available to the public. If you’re using the most recent version of Word, you’ll notice the double-blue lines underneath words or phrases that are spelled correctly. If they were misspelled, they’d have that red, squiggly line underneath. No, the double-blue line is for grammar. Left click anywhere on that double-blue line and a pop-up window will appear with suggestions that are grammatically correct. Microsoft has worked on this grammar check feature for years. A big reason for its level of sophistication is because Microsoft launched Word back in the eighties. Ever since then, they’ve been working to improve the program. I may not have been the best student in English (I was worse in math), but after years of writing, I can say with confidence, that my grammar is much better because of my experience. It’s the same with Microsoft Word.

Grammarly

I work primarily in Word. The rough draft of this article was written in Word, in fact. To post my work, however, I go through applications that don’t have Word’s years of experience to check my grammar. As a hedge against possible embarrassment, I’ve signed up for the free version of Grammarly. At first, my pride prevented me from doing this. I had Microsoft Word, after all, why go with a young upstart? That pride, however, went away quickly when I realized there was no grammar check feature installed on the software used for our website. I hastily signed up for the free version of Grammarly. Unlike Word, Grammarly uses an AI to check my work. Grammarly, in their own words, uses a sophisticated artificial intelligence system to analyze each sentence. Now, on every email, social media comment, or online form that I fill out, a spinning green circle waits for me to finish so it can check if I’ve been grammatically correct. Not politically correct, spiritually correct, but grammatically correct. When done, it’ll turn red with a number on it, stating how many offenses to grammar that I’ve committed. I have yet to write something grammatically correct the first time through. I guess I’m still human then. Grammarly is helpful that way. It does not, however, work with Google Docs.

Google Docs

Google Docs does have a spell-check feature. This is basic and easy to install. It’s simply a dictionary app hooked up the word processing program to check my spelling against its database of words. Soon, Google will roll out their grammar check feature. In the beginning, it will only be available to business customers. If your company uses Google heavily, then contact the G-Suite administrator to have it unlocked on your profile…that is, when it rolls out. This grammar check feature doesn’t have the years of experience that Word has. Instead, it’s based on Google Translate. As it’s been described, Google will be using the same technology they use for their Google Translate app. This technology translates multiple languages, using machine translation. What Google has done here is plug in “perfect grammar” into the “translate to” field. Your writing will fill in the “translate from” field. It’s a clever use of the technology. How well it does in catching every grammatical mistake remains to be seen. But, as some great writer said: “Nothing ventured is nothing gained.” Maybe it was Chaucer?

On Writing

To me, Google Docs getting a grammar check feature is big news. To others, it’s a passing piece of news. Those are the types of people who don’t check their Dictionary App every day to learn the “Word of the Day.” Today it’s blinkered, by the way. Having a program check your grammar as you write is a tool that does more for you than you realize. Before something like this existed, a real person had to sit and double check your writing. And they usually had a well-worn copy of a style guide sitting next to them as they did this. Automation has taken this away and AI appears to be taking it over. Though this is good news, don’t mistake AI as the savior of writing. While Artificial Intelligence can do things for you, it can not- try as it might- speak for you. That’s something you do for yourself. And writing is a way to do that. With a grammar check feature, whether it be in Word, Google Docs, or Grammarly, you can hedge against sounding idiotic. But, to sound genuine, that’s something that can only be done by you and no one else. One last note, whether you write online, or write in Word and then copy-paste it into an online platform, make sure your internet is fast and reliable. Check out the best Spectrum internet bundles to see what’s available in your area and how much you can save. Then get to writing!

Get Ready for the Holodeck

Looking Glass Factory may have put themselves into the history of the holodeck. This idea has already been around for awhile...thanks to sci-fi.

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Get Ready for the Holodeck
Looking Glass Factory may have put themselves into the history of the holodeck. The technology startup has introduced hologram displays available for purchase through a Kickstarter campaign. These displays project virtual images through a lenticular lens, from 45 distinct views to give the illusion of three dimensions. You can pick up the display and turn it to see different parts of the image on display. We’re now one step closer to a fully integrated and immersive holographic experience. This idea has been floating around our collective consciousness...thanks to science-fiction.

To Boldly Go…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZwtVz7z0wM Star Trek made popular the concept of the interactive holographic display. Though not really utilized until The Next Generation spin-off, The USS Enterprise-D had an entire level of the vessel committed to this unique entertainment experience.

The Holodeck

Data gave the hard science explanation. And now for plain-English: light is projected to create three-dimensional environments that are fully interactive. Different environments could be loaded in seconds and based entirely on the whim of the person using it. The writers even went as far as to say that holograms could be solid. A solid hologram opened the door for the element of danger as blades and bullets would be lethal. Having solid holograms may have been less about science and more about practicality, as the budget for the show couldn’t produce the necessary effects to truly give the illusion of a holographic environment. With the science explained, the writers for The Next Generation, Deep Space 9, Voyager, and Enterprise, all used holographic technology liberally in their stories. Again, it had practical uses to explain away why the crew kept showing up in places that looked a lot like southern California. “This is a hologram!” Someone would explain, and the show would continue. The writers also used holograms to hand-wave away deceptions. If the villain, or the good guys, needed to create a convincing forgery to trick someone, they’d lure their mark into the holodeck. This technique is in use so much it now has its own trope. Deep Space 9, is set somewhere other than a Federation vessel, had the holosuites. The same concept, just a different name. Voyager went as far as to create a character, The Doctor, using it. An intriguing idea until the discovery that the charact couldn't leave the ship. To solve this problem, the writers gave The Doctor a piece of future technology that allowed him to walk anywhere. But the writers for Voyager ran the character into the ground as it seemed they didn’t know how to develop flesh and blood characters. That’s enough on that topic…for now.

Practical Uses

While we work in the three-dimensional world, a lot of our planning is done on a two-dimensional surface. This can cause problems for artists, engineers, and designers who create three-dimensional objects. The Looking Glass is a tool they can use to avoid such issues. Up until now, three-dimensional displays were expensive and cumbersome. This has forced three-dimensional designers to wear bulky goggles. Not the worst part of the job, but I can imagine it can get old very fast. With a Looking Glass display, they can see and modify their designs in real time without having to take off and put back on a set of goggles. The Looking Glass requires a computer to run. Check out their site to see what equipment you need to utilize it. Unfortunately, for writers, like me, such a device wouldn’t be very helpful.

Creating New Environments

The Looking Glass also works with various haptic devices. Motion controllers, like Nintendo’s Joy-Con, the Leap Motion controller and others, can connect to The Looking Glass to allow users to interact directly with the designs. This type of virtual reality interaction, seen in the book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, as well as the movie, are just a step on the journey towards a fully interactive environment. With Ready Player One, interacting with the Oasis requires the use of goggles, haptic gloves, and omnidirectional treadmills (a much better explanation is in the book). Given the book is set twenty minutes into the future, this isn’t too much of a stretch. I shudder to think of the cost and labor required to install all that equipment in my house. I think I’ll just wait until a fully-immersive environment is rolled out and ready to go. But not The Matrix. While interesting and certainly a possibility, I’m not keen on jamming a needle into my brain to travel to a digital environment.

Through The Looking Glass

With The Looking Glass Factory launching this new product, the holodeck is closer to becoming a reality. How soon that reality comes to fruition is still an unknown. Creating a three-dimensional image on a lenticular lens is one thing. Creating a fully-immersive three-dimensional environment that could possibly kill you– is something entirely different. Despite the gap between today’s technology and Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future, we’re slowly closing that gap. All it takes is for someone to say “I think this would be a cool idea.” After that, someone inevitably says “yeah, let’s make it a reality.” Until Edgar Rice Burrows and Jules Verne wrote about adventures in space, no one had really thought about leaving the boundaries of the earth. Then more and more people started writing about it and theorizing how it would work. Soon John F. Kennedy is standing in front of the nation and calling for a program to send a man to the moon and back before the end of the decade. It’s often the dreamers who dream that lay the groundwork for what’s to come. It’s said Roddenberry’s fascination with science-fiction began when someone handed him a copy of Astounding Stories. Had that not happened, there would be no Star Trek, no holodeck, and no Looking Glass Factory trying to make holographic displays. Find out for yourself by visiting The Looking Glass Factory and Start Trek: Memory Alpha. Before you do, save yourself some headache with the internet bill by finding the best Spectrum internet bundles. You get to cut down on bills and streamline your services. After that, you can boldly go…wherever your imagination takes you.