Wired Magazine wins the prize this month, with not one but three fine gadgety articles in April’s issue.
The first article proposes a second Moore’s Law: Overall net efficiency of any electronic system will double every 24 months. It’s an admirable goal, but it seems that in modern product engineering, the refinement that leads to efficiency is one of the first things to get cut in the rush to market.
The second is a roundup of gadgetry that airlines claim to interfere with on-board avionics, with the corresponding ‘Reality’ for each device. The gist? Airlines have no idea if there is any interference or not (but they don’t make money when you use your own headphones).
Lastly, and most wickedly (since it involves shooting oleoresin capsicum-filled ‘pepperballs’ into the faces of rioting prisoners) is a detailing of different prison emergency scenarios. The methods and gizmos used by guards quelling include capture bags that wrap up the inmates like “a bag of meat,” bean-bag projectiles, see-through-wall imaging, tactical robots, and strategic use of fog. It almost makes me want to go to prison! Again!
