Cloud computing taking the world by storm

Tired of paying thousands of dollars to use a piece of software like Photoshop? Don’t worry, because in the near future you will be able to use almost any piece of software for only a few cents. Welcome to the world of cloud computing.

Put simply, cloud computing involves using a web-based service to host all the programmes a user needs to complete a task. Remote machines that are owned by another company run everything from e-mail to complex supercomputing programmes. It is these computers, servers and data storage systems that create the ‘cloud’. All the user needs is an Internet connection and the ability to run the cloud computing system’s interface software, which is often as simple as a web browser.

Wireless energy - feel it, it is here!

It’s ironic that wireless gadgets don’t live up to their name. Even the best wireless gizmo will run out of juice and die without regular plugging in and charging up. Not anymore. Wireless electricity has arrived and you can now watch TV and recharge your camera and iPod without any cables at all. Tripping over a rat’s nest of wires behind your computer is a thing of the past.

Gaming in the cloud

Forget about the Xbox, Playstation and Wii. In the near future these silly gadgets will only be found in museums. No, gaming will not have died out - it will be healthier than ever - but the way games are played will have changed radically. Instead of buying (or pirating) a complete game and installing it on your computer, all you will need to do is connect to the Internet and play whatever game you like through ‘the cloud’. No more downloads, discs or patches.

The new meaning of mind control

In the 1982 movie Firefox, Clint Eastwood was able to control the weapons of his fighter jet by using thought alone. Sure, this was science fiction at its best but the amazing part is that the US military was providing research funding for this sort of thing ten years before. Today people are controlling everything from robots to computers using brainwaves.