DigitalBuzz - Digital Life

The MP3 and MP4 generation was generated mostly due to advances in data compression. Let us first take a step back and focus on digital music. There are two types of data in the world: Analog and Digital data. Analog data is real time data, and it is essentially how we perceive the world. As you listen to any music, you are listening to an analog signal. Everything we see and hear is analog. So what is the significance of digital? Digital is a way of storing and transferring this data. Think of a twelve inch ruler. With this ruler, you can measure any distance between between 0 and 12 inches. Depending on how good you are at reading the ruler, you can probably measure to a resolution of 1/16 of an inch. Even though there is measurable distance between these 1/16 inch marks, the distance is rather insignificant to you. At this point, you can record the distance two ways:

1) You can mark the ruler with a pencil and store it in its true “analog” value

2) You can round the value to the nearest 1/16th and record it. This could be referred to as a “digital” value.

Digital is a collection of zeros and ones that represent a number. Because there are two values, the system is base 2. Our normal system is a base 10 system. For example:

The number 1456 is really:

6x(1) + 5x(10) + 4x(100) + 1x(1000) = 1456

Where the number in parentheses are 10^x power.

Let’s try a base 2 number of 100110:

0x(1) + 1x(2) + 1x(4) + 0x(8) + 0x(16) + 1x(32) = 38 (decimal)

Where the number in parentheses are 2^x power.

In this base-2 example, the number is referred to as “6-bits”. A typical “byte” is normally “8-bits”. So instead of storing the number 38, computers would store the number 100110.

So why would you want to do that? There are 6 digitals in base-2 versus two digitals in base-10. The answer is simple! Ones and zeros are much easier to store (It is like a light switch, either ON or OFF). Further, in a base-2 system, there are only 2 possible solutions. In a base-10 solution, there are 10 solutions per digit. The more solutions you have, the more chance to make errors.

Now let’s revisit the the analog signal. In this type of data, there are an infinite number of solutions. Mind you, the error won’t be great, but you ARE guaranteed some error every time. Every time you recall a analog signal, the results will be varied to some degree.

Think about your cell phone. About 5 years ago, all cell phones were analog. When you entered areas of poor reception, you received static, distortion and noise. Now, most cells phones are digital. As long as a portion of the ones and zeros are transmitted, you will receive a perfect signal every time. (If you transmit the number 1.2 or 1.5 or 0.8, it will always be read a one! i.e., the signal is immune to noise!) If you cannot even read these simple ones and zeros, you drop off completely. The clarity of the signal is perfect and repeatable, as long as the data is present.

Music works in the same manner. Old-school records and cassette tapes are analog signals. These media will product static and noise and will degrade over time. CDs are digital signals. As long as the compact is readable, the CD player will provide you with the exact sound as it was recorded. The CD itself might degrade over time, but the data will always be stored in its original form.

Since the inception of digitally stored music, the quality of music has remained high and to the same standard as it is today. Compact discs still offer the highest form of music available. The problem with compact discs is that the amount of bits required to store a song is high. That leads us to the modern use of data compression and MP3. (And another article for another day!)

Matthew is a 31 year old online entrepreneur and engineer currently living in San Diego, CA.

Visit http://www.MP4nMore.com for iPod and portable media reviews and resources!
Visit http://www.TheWebReviewer.com for money making articles, resources and reviews on today’s hottest online money making ventures.

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With all the time and money spent on designing products that are “user friendly,” why is it that tried and true features that have worked perfectly well for decades are being replaced with ones that don’t? Wing windows in cars (sorry if you’re too young to know what I’m talking about) were great. You could angle those little triangles to direct the flow of air where you wished. Better yet, you knew that if your pooch stuck her nose out that little space, there was absolutely no danger of her falling out. I’m told that the electric window (yes, children - we used to have to crank them open and closed) caused the demise of the wing window - but I don’t believe it. Surely they don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

Lest you think I’m an old fuddy duddy, let me assure you I’m not. I love the latest gadgets - if they serve a purpose. And I’m so into computers that I even own (and occasionally wear) a heather gray tee shirt that says “” in powder blue. And speaking of computers - here is another example of replacing what works with what doesn’t. All my old laptop computers all had a wonderful thumb wheel switch to control the audio intensity (or as they erroneously say, the “volume”). What a concept - an analog device to control an analog feature! In no time my thumb learned just how far to turn the switch to achieve the perfect loudness level, and it only took one little motion. In contrast, to adjust sound intensity in my current laptop computer I have to press either an increase loudness button or a decrease loudness button. And pressing these once usually does not do the job, so I press one over and over and over - oops - too loud; now press the other button once — oops - too soft. Well, you get the picture.

This obsession with digital is being taken to absurd extremes. It’s now invaded household appliances. We have a new dishwasher. Unlike the old one, it has no dials - just buttons you can press either on or off. All you can do with this machine is turn it on, pause it, make it resume, or stop it. It’s supposed to save on energy, yet its shortest cycle (rinse only) is 90 minutes - and there is nothing you can do to shorten it! Who needs to rinse dishes for 90 minutes? How can this possibly save energy? I am told that all new dishwashers are like this, and that washing machines and driers are close behind.

As they say, it’s time to get real. People are real. Besides, we were here first. Hey all you designers - please give us some people-friendly technology before things get even worse.

This article was written by Debby Gilden, Ph.D., freelance PowerPoint

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Digital cameras are getting smaller and smaller every year. People seem to have a fascination for very compact gadgets. Remember how bulky mobile phones used to be? I remember lugging around a bag phone the size of a woman’s purse and much heavier.

Now they have models that are as small as a chapstick.

Since digital cameras are one of the most popular portable devices on the market, a lot of people are looking for the smallest digital camera they can find. If you find yourself scouring the internet and your local electronics stores with that goal, just keep in mind that one way to reduce the size of a digital camera is to include fewer features. Don’t sacrifice important features just for a smaller size.

After all, what good is a small digital camera if it only has enough memory to store a few shots, or if it is a low-resolution camera that produces grainy photos?

You need to find the right balance. Find the right trade-off between small size and the important features. Let’s compare some of the smallest models to illustrate what I mean.

- The Blink by StyleCam is, technically speaking, the smallest digital camera available today, but it only has a resolution of 0.3 megapixel. It’s not built for serious photography. It also doesn’t have any zoom function to speak of, but at a price of less than $40, it could be considered a good value digital camera.

- Sony’s CyberShot DSC-U20 can also compete for the title of the smallest digital camera, but it’s loaded with features to boot! It comes with a 2.0 megapixel resolution and expandable memory storage using Sony’s memory stick technology.

- Casio’s Exilim EX-M2 is probably the best investment when it comes to compact digital cameras. It also comes with a 2.0 megapixel resolution, but it can also play mp3 files and record voice conversations. The only thing going against the Casio Exilim EX-M2 is a price tag of almost $400.

Just because we’re looking at the smallest digital cameras doesn’t mean that they will also be the cheapest models. It can be expensive to shrink the best features into a tinier package. It also doesn’t mean that we should settle for fewer features. Our investment can go a long, long way as long as we exercise a little caution and do a fair amount of research before making our choice of digital camera.

About The Author
Brandon Layne is a “serious amateur”, using both digital and film cameras primarily for action shots and outdoor photography. He offers current digital photography news and digital camera reviews on his web site at http://digitalfotoinfo.com.

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