The Technology Thread

[KevanG]

If only we could make people with morals.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Some Guy Created a Holodeck with an Oculus Rift and 3 Kinects

With no shortage of ingenuity, 3D video expert Oliver Kreylos managed to transplant his entire body into a virtual reality environment using three Microsoft Kinects and an Oculus Rift. It's a little fuzzy, but it's easy to recognize what he's really done. He's created a Holodeck—or something close to it.

It makes perfect sense. Video from the three first generation Kinects create a 3D rendering of Kreylos's body. That feed is then piped into a virtual world that he can see through his Oculus Rift headset. If he looks down, he can see his own body moving in real time. Kreylos says at one point in the video he made about the experience that he feels like he can actually reach out and touch the virtual objects—though of course, that's not the case. That's the last key feature for real holodeck technology, but in the meantime this is pretty good. It doesn't even require a clunky backpack!

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Now just imagine if you cranked up the resolution with the latest Kinect technology, or the latest Oculus Rift. You could build your own worlds and send a virtual version of yourself to live in them. It's the Home of the Future, right inside your goggles.

[YT]yUu1ZQDCGp8[/YT]

That is cool

 

[KevanG]

If you set that up with the walking thing they use with the Rift then you could even mimic walking around an area. Set that up with various AC units, fans and heat lamps and it would be a totally immersive experience. Neat.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Chipotle Cups to Publish New Writing From Saunders, Morrison, Gladwell

If you've ever thought to yourself, while eating a burrito, "Hey, I'd love to read a story by a famous author on my cup of Diet Coke," great news: Starting today, Chipotle's cups will feature original stories by Toni Morrison, George Saunders, Malcolm Gladwell, Michael Lewis, and Jonathan Safran Foer.

Foer told Vanity Fair he came up with the idea while eating a burrito after he'd forgotten to bring a book or his phone to read. "I really just wanted to die with frustration," Foer said, so he wrote Steve Ells, Chipotle's C.E.O., an email.

"I said, 'I bet a ****load of people go into your restaurants every day, and I bet some of them have very similar experiences, and even if they didn't have that negative experience, they could have a positive experience if they had access to some kind of interesting text,'" Foer recalled. "And unlike McDonald's, it's not like they're selling their surfaces to the highest bidder. They had nothing on their bags. So I said, 'Wouldn't it be cool to just put some interesting stuff on it? Get really high-quality writers of different kinds, creating texts of different kinds that you just give to your customers as a service.'"
Wouldn't Foer, who wrote an entire book about vegetarianism and ethical eating, have a problem with Chipotle, which serves huge amounts of meat each day? Nope.

"There were things that I had to at least think about, like the fact that they serve meat, and I don't eat meat," Foer said. "And the fact that they're a sizable corporation, and that I don't tend to get involved with sizable corporations any more than I have to, and the fact that I have no interest in marketing for anyone or endorsing anything. That having been said, I got to know quite a bit about the company, not in the process of doing this, but in the process of Eating Animals Chipotle was pointed to quite often, as a model of what scaling good practices might look like."

But the real reason for Foer's plan? To help the people who frequent Chipotle but somehow lack access to libraries, bookstores, or the internet.

"I mean, I wouldn't have done it if it was for another company like a McDonald's, but what interested me is 800,000 Americans of extremely diverse backgrounds having access to good writing. A lot of those people don't have access to libraries, or bookstores. Something felt very democratic and good about this."

Okay.

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/da...orrison-and-other-authors?mbid=social_twitter

Seems kind of pretentious but what do I know?

 

[Teelie]

I think it is pretentious. It's been going around a lot lately or maybe I'm just noticing it more.

 

[KevanG]

You're getting old Teelie.

 

[Teelie]

Maybe it is that. These kids and their high minded ideals on the sides of drinking cups.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

The magnet in GE's new MRI machine is 140,000 times stronger than the Earth's magnetic field. Called 7 Tesla, it's five times stronger than conventional MRIs and nearly as powerful as magnets found particle accelerators.

The souped-up MRI will be used to investigate diseases and disorders in unprecedented detail.

http://www.gereports.com/post/85638328370/these-magnets-are-140-000-times-stronger-than-earths

That is some powerful stuff right there

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Venture Capital Firm Appoints Machine Intelligence As Board Member

Hong Kong based venture capital firm Deep Knowledge Ventures (DKV) has appointed a machine learning program to its board. Called VITAL, it's an "equal member" that will uncover trends "not immediately obvious to humans" in order to make investment recommendations.

This is probably an attempt to attract media attention, but it could truly be the start of a larger trend; it's the world's first software program to be appointed as a board member. The move could also herald a new direction in the way venture capital is done.

The tool was developed by Aging Analytics UK who's licensing it out to DKV, a capital fund that focuses on companies developing therapies for age-related diseases and regenerative medicine. DKV will use VITAL (Validating Investment Tool for Advancing Life Sciences) to analyze financing trends in databases of life science companies in an effort to predict successful investments.

It works by poring over massive data sets and applying machine learning to predict which life science companies will make successful investments.

The company has already used VITAL to inform investment decisions in two start-up life science companies, Pathway Pharmaceuticals, Limited in Hong Kong and InSilico Medicine, Inc in Baltimore, USA. The long-term goal is to get the intelligence to the stage where it'll be capable of autonomously allocating an investment portfolio. Eventually, the software is expected to get an equal vote on investment decisions.

"The variables involved in the long-term success of a biotechnology company are many and complex," said DKV Senior Partner Dmitry Kaminskiy in a prepared statement. "We were attracted to a software tool that could in large part automate due diligence and use historical data-sets to uncover trends that are not immediately obvious to humans surveying top-line data. We plan to incorporate new information from prospective investments into the databases to compare the outcomes against our selected investments."

BetaBeat's Jordyn Taylor managed to speak to Kaminskiy:

Will VITAL actually be incorporated into the board of director meetings?

On the meetings investors will firstly discuss the analytical reviews made by VITAL. All the decisions on investing will be made strictly after VITAL provides it's data. We say that VITAL has been acknowledged as an equal member of the board of directors, because it's opinion (actually, the analysis) will be considered as probably the most important one. So basically yes, it will be incorporated into meetings.

Will it be a bunch of humans plus one computer sitting around a table?

No, don't take it literally.

And will people actually take its advice as seriously as the advice from other board members?

Humans are emotional and subjective. They can make mistakes, but unlike the machines they can make brilliant intuitive decisions. Machines like VITAL use only logic. The intuition of the human investors together with machine's logic with give a perfect collaborative team. The risk of the mistake will be minimized.
A fascinating and unsettling development, one that reminds me of how high-speed stock trading has revolutionized that sector.

http://betabeat.com/2014/05/v-c-firm-names-robot-to-board-of-directors/

How long before the machine starts making shady deals and having people offed so it can take over as CEO?

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

An Electronic Jerky Blaster Isn't Such a Good Idea

Do you like to blast your jerky? If you've ever thought about blasting your jerky with a handheld electric-powered jerky blaster, you might want to think again. Federal regulators are recalling electronic jerky blasters, because they could scorch your jerky and a whole lot more!

Here, let the Consumer Product and Safety Commission explain:

This recall involves Cabela's Electronic Jerky Blaster, which resembles a caulking gun. The product has a black handle, a gold-toned 15" tube that holds the meat with "Cabela's Power Jerky" written on it and interchangeable tip at the end. The hand-held, battery powered appliance is used for making jerky sticks or strips. It was sold as a set with interchangeable tips and cleaning brushes. The recalled item number IK-540848 can be found underneath the barcode on the cardboard packaging that comes with the product and on the front of the instruction manual.
Apparently, the hazard of the electronic jerky blaster is that its battery and adapter can overheat, even if you're using it appropriately. But let's be honest, who even follows instructions when blasting their jerky? You get really caught up in the moment sometimes.

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2014/Cabelas-Recalls-Electronic-Jerky-Blaster/

I had no clue I could've been blasting my own jerky all this time!

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Colbert Follows In Amazon's Crazy Patent Footsteps and Patents Patents

Last week, we reported on the bizarre patent that Amazon was granted for photographing products against a white background. You might jump to condemn the actions of Amazon and the US Patent Office, but Stephen Colbert is smarter than that. He's getting in on the action.

Last night's hilarious segment featured Colbert's brilliant plan to patent the filing of patents, but not before making it crystal-clear, in that classic Colbert way, that Amazon's patent is as steaming pile of horse sh**t.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/15/colbert-amazon-patent_n_5331743.html

Vid of the segment at the link. I really am going to miss the Colbert Report when he moves to the Late Show

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

How to Yell at the FCC About How Much You Hate Its Net Neutrality Rules

In spectacularly bureaucratic fashion, the FCC just voted to start the formal consideration of its horrible net neutrality rules. That means the floor is now open for public comment, and the future of the internet is at stake. In fact, it's up to you. "But how do I comment?" you ask, "How do I politely but firmly express my rage as a member of the public?" Let us show you the way.

Step one: Visit FCC.gov/comments and find the proceeding with the title "Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet." It should be the one on top and should also have over 20,000 filings in the last 30 days.

Step Two: Click the proceeding number "14-28." You can also try to click this direct link, though it might not work every time. This will take you to the FCC's Electronic Comment Filing System. It looks a little janky, but hey, the government built it.

Step Three: Fill out the form. Write about your feelings. Express your concerns. Air your grievances. Provide your real name and address. Hope for the best.

Step Four: Click "Continue" and make sure you like what you wrote. If you don't you can modify your comment. If you do, click "Confirm."

We asked the FCC what actually happens to these comments, after you send them off into cyberspace. This is their response in full:

To be clear: the NPRM approved by the FCC today has tentative conclusions on which we're seeking comment, and many broad questions that we are seeking comment on. Once the comment period closes, we review the comments and apply them and the law to our proposals / questions, to come up with final rules. The Chairman has a goal for voting on final rules by the end of the year. Right now, it's just proposals.
The comment period is until September 10, but you might as well get started now while the news is fresh. And do let us know how it goes!

I already filed mine please file yours as well to try and prevent this travesty on a neutral net. Pass the info along to your friends and family!

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

A Round Ping Pong Table With a Spinning Net Makes College Even Harder

The average college student spends the majority of their time either playing foosball or ping pong. It's arguably one of the most vital skills you can leave higher education with, but it's important to keep improving yourself after graduation. And that's why this round ping pong table with a net that's free to spin is a must-have.

Not only does the Ping Meets Pong table facilitate more than just four players, it can also blur the lines between who's on whose team. Or, with a net that's free to rotate, it will provide even more of a workout as players struggle to stay on their respective sides.

It's not all play, though. The net can be easily removed and replaced with a spinning lazy susan, so the table can be used for dining or even work. And its multifunction capabilities might just help justify the its $3,300 price tag. If anything, it's a better investment than a constantly spinning pool table for your den.

http://fancy.com/things/621330035118181962/Ping-Meets-Pong-Table?utm=timeline_featured

That looks fun as all get out but I can't see myself dropping 3 grand for it

 

[KevanG]

How to Yell at the FCC About How Much You Hate Its Net Neutrality Rules



I already filed mine please file yours as well to try and prevent this travesty on a neutral net. Pass the info along to your friends and family!

I would but they don't like us Canadians having a say on these things.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Skylock Is the Bike Lock of the Future, and It's Awesome

Bike locks, while incredibly necessary, are way behind the times. Even the best of them will break under brute force, and then where are you? Bikeless and alone. The new Skylock, from ex-Boeing and Jawbone engineers, is about to leapfrog the competition and bring bike protection into the 21st century. It looks amazing.

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Skylock looks pretty much like your standard U-lock, but there's a lot of technology inside, and amazingly it's not just gimmicks. It looks like legitimately useful stuff.

Unlocking

Skylock has Bluetooth 4.0 in it. Just like keyless unlocking systems you've seen on cars, you can do the same thing for you bike. Via Skylock's smartphone app, you can press a button to unlock the lock. Or set it up to have proximity detection, so as soon as you get right up next to it, it unlocks. If your phone dies, you can still unlock it via a combination (pattern) lock on the lock itself.

Theft Alert System

In addition to being as strong as any U-lock on the market (or so it claims), Skylock has built-in accelerometers and Wi-Fi. It works like this: When you lock up your bike, you can connect the lock to a nearby Wi-Fi network. If someone starts messing with your bike, the accelerometers will detect it, and it will send a push notification to your phone via the app, so you can run out and thwart any evil-doers. You can adjust the sensitivity, too, so it's not disturbed by a single, accidental jostle.

Obviously, if there isn't a nearby network you can connect to you're out of luck (it works over Bluetooth, too, but you'd have to be within 30 feet of it), but this is still an awesome feature.

Crash Detection

While you're off and riding (with the lock onboard), Skylock's accelerometers will feel it if you have an accident, and its app will ask you if you're okay. If you don't respond within a certain number of seconds it will automatically call emergency responders and give them your position. Pretty amazing. To help ensure accuracy, Skylock cross-references the data from the accelerometers on the lock with the data from your phone's accelerometers. Really smart, though we still worry about false positives.

Bike Sharing

In addition to easily being able to lend your bike to your bestie or significant other (they just need to have the app), you can also chose to rent your bike out to the world at large. "With the Skylock app, users can arrange to lend out their bike to anyone in their trusted network or the Skylock community while keeping track of it via the app," says Skylock. "Within the Skylock bike community, bike owners can lend their bikes based on prices relative to demand and location." So, basically, you could start your own Citibike if you wanted, but with lighter, prettier bikes.

Battery, Portability, Availability

If you've read all this you've probably wondered, "Yeah, but what about when the battery dies?" Well, there's a handy solar panel on the outside of the lock which recharges the built-in battery. Skylock claims that one hour of sunlight provides enough power for a week. Worse case scenario, if you live in a land of eternal darkness, the lock has a micro USB port so you can charge it manually (and you can even jump-start it with your phone). Regardless of how you power it up, a fully-charged battery should last 30 days in total darkness. Very solid.

For all that, it weighs just under three pounds (2.95) and Skylock claims it's small enough to fit in your back pocket (skinny jeans need not apply). Of course it can be easily mounted to your bike's frame, too. Obviously, we've yet to confirm the lock's physical toughness or its reliability, but the feature set is killer, and if it can deliver on all its promises it would be a gigantic leap in bike lock technology.

Now the catches. First, its crowd-funding campaign is just launching today (seeking $50,000), which means you won't be able to get your hands on it for a while. According to the company it should start shipping by Christmas 2014. Second, it doesn't come cheap. The lock will eventually retail for $250, which is a significant chunk of change. If you buy it during its campaign, though, it comes down to $160, which is actually on-par with some other high-end locks that don't have anything approaching these features.

We have to admit, we're really excited about this thing. While it may not stand up to an angle-grinder better than any of the other locks out there, if it can alert you that it's being attacked, you've got a better chance of chasing the perp away (or calling the cops on him/her) and riding off into the sunset.

http://skylock.cc/

Bout time somebody tried to reinvent the wheel with these things

 

[KevanG]

That's actually pretty cool. Of course if you have a small accident and your phone breaks so you can't say you're fine then it calls the EMS anyway could be an issue.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

This Stealth Submarine Periscope Can Spy Virtually Through the Waves

On the modern high seas, raising your submarine's periscope at the wrong time is just as bad as raising a flag with a target on it. But thanks to a new optical suite developed by Israel's Technion Institute of Technology, tomorrow's subs will only ever have to break waves when in port.

The prototype technology, known as Stella Maris ("Stellar Marine Refractive Imaging Sensor" and an ancient navigational term for Polaris, the North Star) is essentially a "virtual periscope". It was unveiled at the IEEE International Conference on Computational Photography earlier this month in Santa Clara, CA by the Israeli team, led by Associate Professor Yoav Y. Schechner, of the Technion Department of Electrical Engineering.

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Whereas conventional periscopes simply shove a long optical tube up through the waves, the Stella Maris instead employs a pinhole array, glass diffuser, and mirror set to generate images for the system's digital camera. Light shines through the pinholes and strikes the diffuser, which generates an image for the camera. This image is distorted by both the motion of the surface waves as well as the radical difference in refractive indexes between the water and air. To correct that distortion, the pinhyole array also acts as a real-time surface level measure, gauging the height of waves as they pass over and feeding that information into an on-board computer which digitally corrects the image in real time. So instead of seeing the image on the left, you see the image on the right.

"Stella Maris is a novel approach to a virtual periscope as it passively measures water and waves by imaging the refracted sun." Schechner explained at the presentation, "When the water surface is wavy, sun-rays refract according to the waves and project onto the solar image plane. With the pinhole array, we obtain an array of tiny solar images on the diffuser."

There's no word yet on when or if this technology will reach the high seas, though a proof of concept prototype is currently undergoing field trials.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/virtual-periscope-keeps-submarines-submerged-and-stealthy/

If these are implemented they would make whoever has their subs equipped with them the most feared and likely deadly in the ocean

 

[KevanG]

Of course they have to look like those spy droids from Star Wars.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

A Blood Donation Poster That Helps Save Lives and Charges Your Phone

The simple act of donating blood could actually help save someone's life one day. And to help drive that point home, ad agencies Publicis Sao Paulo and Fundação Pró-Sangue in Brazil created a poster with a built-in charging cable that also helps save a dying smartphone.

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The blood-red charging cable cleverly looks like it's actually coming from the arm of someone who's donating blood. But in this case the life-giving material is electricity, and it's being used to save a phone, not another human being. But the advertisement still manages to drive the point home that if you're able to give blood, you certainly should.

http://creativecriminals.com/funda-o-pr-sangue/phone-recharger

I love it when companies make the effort to do really cool marketing campaigns

 

[KevanG]

I'd donate but as per my doctor in Jan. I have a sugar imbalance that needs to be corrected before it can happen. I go for a checkup in a few months time but all the symptoms are gone so I should be fine.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

You Can Text 911 In an Emergency Starting Today

You can't always call 911 when you need to, so starting today, you can send a text 911 in an emergency.

Announced by the FCC in 2012, the service goes live today for AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Using it is very straightforward. If you have an emergency, you simply text 911 with your emergency and your location, as you would if you were speaking to an operator. You have to state your physical address because, unlike with a voice call, call centers can't triangulate your location.

The service is live right now in select cities and states right now. You can see the full list of where it applies below. If it isn't available in your area, worry not—the FCC has laid out a timeline that requires text-to-911 to be rolled out everywhere by the end of 2014. You'll also have the ability to send photos with your text, although that capability isn't supported everywhere yet either. In any case, this is a very good thing, and one that will make getting help easier for a lot of people in an emergency.

http://www.fcc.gov/text-to-911

I think this is a great idea but they already have a problem with people "SWATTING" others and this is going to make that way easier since almost everyone knows tons of different services you can send anonymous text with

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

So Long, Open Web: Mozilla Accepts Closed Source DRM and We All Lose

It's official: the last holdout for the open web has fallen. Flanked on all sides by Google, Microsoft, Opera, and (it appears) Safari's support and promotion of the EME DRM-in-HTML standard, Mozilla is giving in to pressure from Hollywood, Netflix, et al, and will be implementing its own third-party version of DRM. It will be rolled out in Desktop Firefox later this year. Mozilla's CTO, Andreas Gal, says that Mozilla "has little choice." Mozilla's Chair, Mitchell Baker adds, "Mozilla cannot change the industry on DRM at this point."

At EFF, we disagree. We've had over a decade of watching this ratchet at work, and we know where it can lead. Technologists implement DRM with great reticence, because they can see it's not a meaningful solution to anything but rather a font of endless problems. It doesn't prevent infringement, which continues regardless. Instead, it reduces the security of our devices, reduces user trust, makes finding and reporting of bugs legally risky, eliminates fair use rights, undermines competition, promotes secrecy, and circumvents open standards.

It's clear from the tone of Gal and Baker's comments, and our own discussions with Mozilla, that you'll find no technologist there who is happy with this step. The fact that Mozilla, in opposition to its mission, had to prepare and design this feature in secret without being able to consult the developers and users who make up its community is an indication of how much of a contradiction DRM is in a pro-user open-source browser.

Unchecked, that contradiction is only going to grow. Mozilla's DRM code, imported from Adobeas a closed-source binary, will sit in a cordoned sandbox, simultaneously Mozilla's responsibility but beyond its control. Mozilla will be responsible for updates to the DRM blackbox, which means users will have to navigate browser updates that will either fix security bugs or strip features from their video watching. Mozillians have already been warned of the danger of talking too much about how DRM works (and doesn't work), lest they trigger the provisions in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that forbid "trafficking" in circumvention knowledge.

Baker may think that Mozilla cannot change the industry on its own (despite it having done so many years ago). Sadly, it changes the industry by accepting DRM. It is these repeated compromises to the needs of DRM advocates by tech company after tech company that are changing the nature of personal computing, transforming it into a sector that is dominated by established interests and produces locked-down devices, monitored and managed by everyone but their users.

Past experience has shown that standing up to DRM and calling it out does have an effect. As we have said to the W3C, and Cory Doctorow spells out to Mozilla in this Guardian article, we can do much more to fight the negative consequences of DRM than simply attempt to mitigate the damage of its adoption.

We need to work to end the reinforcement of DRM and criminalization of fair use in the DMCA and similar legislation being spread throughout the world. We need to speak out about the failings of DRM, even if we fear that DRM proponents will just make it worse (in the name of "improvement") or take civil or criminal actions under the DMCA. We need to challenge the baseless assertion that users don't mind DRM as long as they can watch House of Cards and demand actual evidence to justify the damage it causes. And, given the amount of compromise we have already suffered, we need to spell out the principles that we won't compromise on.

Mozilla and the W3C are both organizations with missions intended to defend and promote the open web. Both have now committed to a system of content control that is seen as a violation of those principles by many Internet users. We, and they, can change that story. We need to redirect the ingenuity being wasted on attempts to limit the damage of introducing DRM into the heart of the Web toward a positive campaign against further incursions.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/05/mozilla-and-drm

It's hard to be the only one going against the tide sometimes though, even if that tide is garbage

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Comcast Reckons All Its Users Will Be Data Capped in 5 Years Time

A Comcast executive has said that the company expects to implement usage-based billing—that's data caps to you and me—for all of its customers within the next five years.

The news came out of a call with investors yesterday. In fact, Comcast already applies data caps in some areas—including parts of Alabama, Georgia, Central Kentucky, Maine and South Carolina—where customers generally get 300GB of data per month before extra charges of $10 per 50GB kick in.

Apparently 98 percent of users never exceed that 300GB limit, but during the call yesterday Comcast said that it would potentially up the limit to 500GB a month in the next five years. That would see even fewer users exceeding the data cap—unless, of course, 4K streaming really takes off.

http://arstechnica.com/business/201...-for-all-customers-in-5-years-could-be-500gb/

Every year with new technology our data consumption goes up and something tells me they aren't going to be willing to keep upping the data cap every few years

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

These Mirrors Could Give Satellites Their Own Dust-Busting Space Lasers

Anyone who's watched Gravity knows debris is always worse in space. Even dust, which can meddle with satellite sensors and cause all kinds of trouble—until now. Thanks to science, lasers are coming to the rescue.

The engineering folks at Fraunhofer have developed a unique thermic-piezoelectric deformable mirror that won't break while focusing high-powered lasers. When focusing a laser, the mirror heats up because it's made of copper and ceramic. But as it starts to deform, pressure sensors detect the deformation and adjust the temperature to meet the demands of the laser beam. Then, it flexes to focus the laser-beam without shattering the mirror. In short, it makes dust-busting space-lasers practical.

The scientists don't think it'll be long before our satellites are all fitted with these laser-focusing dust-blasters to keep satellite sensors clean. It's just a matter of how long it'll be before we launch a stadium-sized one into orbit to finally make Star Wars a reality.

http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/r...c-2014-deformable-mirror-corrects-errors.html

Super laser window cleaners!

 

[Teelie]

Comcast Reckons All Its Users Will Be Data Capped in 5 Years Time



http://arstechnica.com/business/201...-for-all-customers-in-5-years-could-be-500gb/

Every year with new technology our data consumption goes up and something tells me they aren't going to be willing to keep upping the data cap every few years

Data caps are a misnomer anyways. There is no such thing as limited bandwidth usage in the way they present it. You can't run out of it like this.

The problem is how much is used at once by their customers and how they are not willing to spend any of the money they were funded or extort from customers to expand their system. In a very simplistic way, they want to keep us trickling in our bandwidth like through a dam instead of opening the flood gates to let it all come through.

This is all so they can make people pay more money when they inevitably use "too much" bandwidth and have to pay extra for it. The ISP's want to limit your use of the internet while still charging absurd amounts for it. Also so you can use their streaming services and pay them for the things Netflix and Amazon would for less.

Just look at any country with a reasonable, modern internet set up and you'll see how much ******** this is.