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Table of Contents
4
From the Editors
6
Which Tech’s Best for Your Trek?
10
What Computers do People Use?
12
Computition
16
What Graphics Card Best Suits Your Needs?
18
The Evolution of the Keyboard
22
The Best Keyboard for You
24
An Unreal Reality
28
Comparing the Different VR Headsets
30 34
The Silicon Hills What Tech Job is Best for You? qwerty / 5
From the Editors Born and raised in Austin, Grant, Josh, George, Jett, and Gabriel are tech enthusiasts on a journey to educate the world and help people understand the ever growing technology market available today. These students at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy have spent tireless months working on this magazine and are veterans when it comes to tech, many of them having built their own computers. They hope you enjoy reading this magazine as much as they loved making it. Thank you.
Jett Will
Jett likes playing video games in his free time. He also has a dog.
Photo by Josh Crowley
Grant enjoys playing video games and camping. He camps every month wherever his troop goes.
Grant Gallun Photo by Gabriel Keller
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George loves programming and is a cyber security extraordinaire.
George Spruill Photo by Gabriel Keller
Josh Crowley
Josh loves browsing football scores while at school and in his free time.
Photo by Gabriel Keller Photo by Josh Crowley
Gabriel enjoys to program and play games in his free time. He also likes helping friends with school and creating Quizlets.
Gabriel Keller
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Which Tech’s Best for Your Trek? by Gabriel Keller
A Dell Chromebook 3189 on a school field. Chromebooks are a viable, affordable option for many students in school in order to complete their work wherever they are. Photo by Gabriel Keller.
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How people have chosen the right computer for them out of a sea of tech You stand in front of the aisle, packed to the brim with extravagant computers. All you need is an elementary laptop for school, yet you can’t even begin to decide which computer you’ll choose out of this vast market. What will you ever do? 2019 has been a weird year, filled with an endless abundance of interesting computers that each fill a specific niche. With the ever-growing technology market containing new laptops, desktops and other obscure types of computers, it has become increasingly difficult to choose which computer would be the best for you to buy, and how you might prefer one over the other for the type of work you’re doing. In this article, we’ll guide you through the most popular types of computers and explain the thousands of options that are available today, and
provide some recommendations for choosing your own. The first main category of computers are desktops, which are amazing tools for hardcore use, whether it’s gaming or professional video, graphical, or musical production. There are a wide range of desktops that serve a variety of purposes. When it comes to anything that requires especially intensive work— you’re going to want a desktop. One major brand of desktops is Apple’s line of Mac towers. Brett Hopkin, an electronic artist at Austin’s Dub Academy, A budget desktop computer by described the invaluable HP. They have been one of the role Mac computers play leading manufacturers in desktop in his work. computers like this one, which are useful for basic at-home “I… use the Dub Academy work. Photo courtesy of Discount [Mac] computer,” Hopkin Computer Depot. said. “They have 32 gigs of RAM... [and are] super fast.” He uses a Mac at work to produce music at Dub Academy. Hopkin also explained that Mac computers are very easy for professionals to use. “The Mac computers come very much plug and play,” Hopkin said. ”The interface is designed around creative people and the people that hold that mindset.” Another one of the major types of desktop computers are running Windows. One way
in which Windows desktops are useful is their prevalence in the gaming community. A trendy gaming news and informational website detailed some of the reasons for why Windows desktop computers are an exceptional choice over Mac computers— citing that typical Windows computers can be built to tailor the needs of the person using them, and can be adjusted to focus heavily on higher performance gaming. Macs are
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generally built with productivity in mind. Because of this focus, Apple typically ignores the features geared towards gamers such as dedicated graphics, excessive cooling exhaust and other aspects. This information was provided by GamingScan. com. Renae Hurst, a briefing consultant at a Dell EBC Center, provided some insight into Dell’s Alienware line of computers that focus on building machines geared towards gamers. “It’s a pretty competitive edge,” Hurst said. “We do a lot of investment into [the] product line.” Alienware’s computers have become a massive hit in the gaming community and have grown to be a very successful brand today. “[We’re] definitely doing a lot of research and development in that area because of how popular gaming is.” With the expansion of the esports community brings the rapid progress in computers built for gaming. Another important aspect of choosing a desktop computer is deciding what peripherals to use with it. Whether you have a Mac or Windows computer,
one would have to decide what monitors they would use, as well as what keyboard, mouse and means of hearing music and audio to use. Depending on the budget and intended use of your setup, it may be a good idea to have multiple monitors.
“There’s people…
“I use... two monitors for maximum productivity,” Hurst said when asked about her workflow at Dell. “It’s just easier to have two monitors for the different applications that you navigate through, and the applications themselves… enable us to do our jobs.”
A Dell XPS laptop. Dell is a major player in the laptop productivity market, and these computers are great for every-day tasks like schoolwork. Photo courtesy of Dell.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, if you’re looking for a decent computer that is portable and usable on the go, you might be interested in buying a laptop. Macbook computers function well in this category and are useful for productivity, which is what many use laptops for. As seen in Hopkin’s work and what was described in the media website GamingScan, Macbooks are built to be compact and feature better CPUs for work in graphics, video editing, and music production. In terms of Windows laptops, these can fill lots of different purposes. Before you look through the wide range of these laptops available today, one will need to narrow their scope and
A standard mid-tier desktop computer. These are useful for productivity, light gaming, and can be adequate for most of your creative needs, such as video or photo editing. Photo provided by Jonathan Morrison on YouTube.
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think of specific use-cases for their device. Hurst illustrated the different approaches taken by others when deciding what kind of computer would best match someone’s needs.
that are just desk workers, [then] there’s others, for example, AT&T technical sales, people who are in the field, [who] need a more rugged system,” Hurst said. “There’s [also] executives that like lighter weight.“ The way how you will use your computer is a major factor in which someone would choose to be what they carry around on a daily basis. Jeff Hutchinson, CEO of Discount PC and former CEO of Discount Electronics, both companies based in Austin, Texas that specialize in selling used computers, says screen size is crucial when deciding what laptop to buy. “Screen size is probably where it starts,” Hutchinson said. “There’s a trade off, the bigger the screen size, the heavier the unit, the bigger the footprint.
The smaller the screen size, the lighter, the more compact, [and] the easier to carry around.“ According to Hutchinson, it would be wise to buy a laptop with a bigger screen for more rugged tasks and an increase of readability in your work, as long as you don’t mind the excess weight.
CEO of Discount PC, Jeff Hutchinson, in front of the company workshop that is responsible for reassembling, fixing, and packaging computers. Discount PC has become a major player in the used computer market for both consumers and enterprise clients by lowering prices and better meeting the needs of their customers. Photo by Gabriel Keller.
One of the last things to consider when buying a new laptop is where one would buy it from— and whether or not you can afford it. Budget is a major aspect to consider when choosing a laptop. One way someone can cut down on costs is to buy older hardware. Hutchinson said sometimes newer technology is not worth the hefty price tag. “There’s no reason to buy a [laptop with] generation 8 or a generation 9 [processors], because the generation 6 or generation 4 works just as good, and the speed difference is nominal,” Hutchinson said. “Sometimes Intel will come out with a new processor that’s wicked fast, but over the last several years, it just hasn’t been that big of a leap.” Another way to decrease the price of buying a laptop is to get one refurbished. Hutchinson believes refurbished laptops offer a spectacular deal for the consumer and the environment. “The main advantage is savings, big savings, about 70% off,” Hutchinson said. When making an example about a specific mid-tier Dell laptop, Hutchinson explained that he “sell[s] this product for about 300 bucks. [It] sold brand new for about anywhere from 1200-1400 dollars
brand new back in the day.” The used computer market has come a long way from today and has begun to make great strides in offering the same support, quality, and warranties when compared to other major brands. Hutchinson also explained that he is big on reusing and recycling parts to benefit the environment, just like many other refurbished sellers today. “We are a green business, and… what I mean by that is we are big time into reuse and landfill avoidance,” Hutchinson said. One of the most important reasons for buying refurbished hardware is to recycle it and keep more trash out of the landfill. Even if a laptop is not
able to be sold, he still has it stripped down bare of its parts. “When we have parts that are no good, we recycle them,” Hutchinson said. “I sell them to local electronic recyclers that handle that responsibly and send it to other recyclers that tear all this down.” Discount PC has grown tremendously over the past few years selling old hardware leased and sold by manufacturers. There’s no doubt that the computer market will continue to expand— growing into an even more complicated yet useful selection of technology to get your hands on. So, the next time you’re in the aisle shopping for a new computer, keep all these tips in mind when determining which computer you’ll choose.
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What Computers Do People Use? by Gabriel Keller
What’s better, a laptop or a desktop? How do they both fit different needs? We’ll take a look of data polled from freshmen to determine trends and what computer may be best for you.
54% of students use their laptops for productivity, with media consumption coming in second at 26%. If you prefer the customizability and modularity of Windows, then Dell seems like the best bet for you, or if you’re in the Apple ecosystem and prefer simplicity while having a powerful workspace for productivity, getting a Mac is still a viable option. Information provided by Rich Edmonds of Windows Central.
LAPTOPS
VS
DESKTOPS
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55% of gamers own a desktop computer. These computers are the basis of what people play video games on, as well as do other intensive tasks such as video or photo editing. But, getting a computer can be a daunting task. Most people with a desktop have built it themself, and here are guides readily available online. If you do not want to build your own computer, there are several other options to chose from. Information provided by TechRadar. Remember that if you cannot afford a computer for gaming or do not want to build it yourself, getting pre-built laptops or desktops from brands such as Alienware can serve as a great alternative. Information provided by Rob Dwiar of GameRadar.
What high school students use their laptops for.
What manufacturers high school students bought their laptops from.
D LL OR
Image provided by Alienware
Price ranges of desktops owned by high school students.
The manufacturers of different desktops owned by many high school students.
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Computition How an underdog company now stands at the same level of a company worth billions more It’s been a relatively peaceful year in Silicon Valley for the computer part companies. Apple has released its yearly new phone and Samsung has released its counterpart to that phone. However, this year, the famous processor-producing company, Intel, has seen the first signs of stumbling in its dominance in years. The reason for the faltering of this pacesetter is the recent
comeback of AMD, the processor and graphics card producing company. A graph on Forbes shows AMD’s recovery of over 8% of the market share from Intel in one quarter. This remarkable recovery is the most market share ever gained in one quarter since the first quarter of 2006. This gain has apprised Intel of the fact that they aren’t trying hard enough and now their dominance over the processor industry will go to AMD if they aren’t careful. AMD
processors are superior to Intel in core count and thread count. One thing that almost all of the AMD processors have their Intel counterparts outmatched in is core count and thread count. The cores on a processor are the problem solving machines in a CPU. Threads are more similar to the separate tasks that one core is assigned. While the CPU is having downtime on one thread, it is working on the other. It is very common for a CPU to have 2 threads for every core. The reason why AMD outmatches Intel in core
Picture shows various computer parts that were recently released. Including the RX 5700 XT and the RTX 2070 Super. Photo by Grant Gallun
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count is because AMD has a 7nm process node and Intel has 14nm process node, which is twice as big. Because of the smaller node, AMD can fit more cores into a smaller amount of space, which allows for high core counts. During an interview Sasa Marinkovic, director of gaming marketing wrote, “As technology continues to evolve, AMD strives to be a leader driving innovation,” Marinkovic said. “As a company we have been working towards introducing the 7nm manufacturing process. The smaller die offers improvements to silicon densities, performance, and efficiency, allowing us to deliver great products and the latest technology for gamers.” Intel’s main advantage over AMD comes is that their processors have higher performance when it comes to their cores. Strictly speaking, the performance of one Intel core beats the performance of one AMD core. Intel performs better than AMD in tasks that require a low amount of cores to be used. However, AMD beats Intel when it comes to multicore tasks simply because there are more cores on the AMD CPUs.
By: Grant Gallun Intel has responded to this situation by cutting the prices of their previous processors to make their options look more competitive. This has been one of the first times in years that Intel has been forced out of its comfort zone, thanks to AMD. Intel can no longer price their products above the AMD products. In fact, they had to drop the price of their high end I9 CPUs to stay competitive. Many consumers consider AMD’s new lineup of CPUs (central processing units) to be the preferable choice when it comes to daily tasks. It’s unexpected that AMD’s processors are even on par with Intel’s. Intel earns billions more than AMD and Intel has a net worth of over $200 billion. When compared to Intel, AMD’s net worth of just around $30 billion pales in comparison. Intel normally has much better processors than AMD, but right now the processors are neck and neck when it comes to performance. One reason for this is
This photo shows the Ryzen 5 3600. This is one of AMD’s recent Ryzen 3rd generation processors. Photo courtesy of Christian Wiediger
This photo shows the Intel Core i7, both the Intel i7 and Ryzen 7 Compete. Photo courtesy of Intel
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because Intel has not had the need to improve by marginal amounts to stay ahead of the competition. So Intel had no drive to innovate and because of that low motivation, they improved at a slower rate. AMD worked extremely hard in order to compensate for the unequal funding between AMD and Intel and even caught up to Intel in terms of performance. That work seems to have paid off because, for once, the consumers have an option that is not an Intel CPU and is just as competitive with its pricing and performance as the Intel processors. One of the reasons Intel is ahead when it comes to revenue is because of their numerous, illegal, past business practices. In giving companies that make laptops and other computers, such as DELL and HP large sums of money so that they won’t do business with AMD, Intel altered the marketplace. These business practices went against Antitrust laws also called competition laws. AMD had better processors, so Intel was effectively paying the companies to use a worse product. This stopped a lot of business from flowing to AMD. Intel has stopped these practices for the most part, but the long term effects of the business practices are still noticeable today. Perhaps if Intel hadn’t used underhanded methods, it would be the one below AMD in net worth and not the other way around. When Asked about the recent competition Marinkovic responded with,
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“AMD is focused on providing consumers with amazing experiences and access to the very best technology at attractive price points,” Marinkovic said. “As you noted, competition is heating up in the market. We embrace competition, which drives innovation to the benefit of gamers. In that spirit, AMD parts are priced to give consumers the best value across the gaming landscape.”
think, they go hand in hand,” Pickett said. AMD in the GPU market has always been known for having very cost effective options and has always lagged behind Nvidia because they don’t have any options for graphics cards that are anywhere near as
AMD is really the only company that competes in both the GPU(Graphics Processing Unit) industry and the CPU industry. However, it is known that AMD doesn’t normally perform very well compared to their competitors who only specialize in one industry. AMD has two main competitors: Nvidia and Intel. When asked about what was more important than the CPU or the GPU, Alan Pickett, a Technology Teacher at Hutto High and former professional animator and graphic designer, responded, “Well, I think they are both equally as important, but I think that, I mean you need a really good graphics card, but really a good graphics card isn’t going to work on a crappy computer, so they’re both, I
powerful as Nvidia’s cards. Recently, ray tracing(an advanced method of lighting in gaming) technology has become something important that both AMD and Intel are focused on. When asked about ray tracing, Marinkovic answered with,
“Ray tracing is an important technology for AMD, and it’s something we are working on from both a hardware and software standpoint. We view ray tracing as part of a broader gaming
ecosystem, and not just a technology to be developed for the sake of having it. That said, we want to bring it to gamers as something developed with partners and broad support in all product ranges from low to high end.”
Overall AMD is the underdog of the computer parts industry and a lot of people hope for AMD to succeed in challenging both of the industrial giants. Because when competition between companies occurs, the winner in the end is the consumer.
Image above shows the RX 5700 XT, one of AMD’s recent RX 5000 series GPU’s. Photo provided by AMD.
Background shows AMD Ryzen Processor. Photo Provided by AMD.
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Which Graphics Card Almost all of the graphics intensive tasks require a discrete Graphics card. Find out what Graphics card best suits your needs by starting at the center and following the blue lines that the black text boxes point to. When you find out which one best suits your needs you can compare the performances of those cards on the chart to the right. Keep in mind, on other graphs, statistics might vary based on the program used. No
The cheapest option for 1080p gaming at the moment is the RX 550 which is an exetrmely affordable card priced at $100.
Do you care about the games being playable at the maximum graphics setting (ex: ultra or low)
The RX 570 is the best choice here with a price that’s slightly cheaper than the 580 and performance gets around 60 FPS in most games on high settings.
Yes
As Long As It’s Playable
Not Planning On Gaming The RX 5700 is a cost friendly option and runs 60 FPS in most modern games at 1440p. The RX 5700 is priced at $350.
At what performance level do you plan to game at?
Get any CPU with integrated graphics, because getting integrated graphics is cheaper than buying a discrete graphics card
START HERE! No Planning on High Performance Tasks
1440p Resolution Are you looking for high FPS gaming or not?
Yes
Both the RX 5700 XT and the RTX 2060 Super perform equally well in this category. The RX 5700 XT often outperforms very slightly, however runs using a higher amount of electricity. Both of these items are priced at $400.
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What is the resolution and framerate you’re aiming for on that resolution. (Keep in mind that the higher the performance the higher the price.)
4k Resolution
High FPS 1080p
For high FPS 1080p gaming the RX 580 best suits your needs with it’s great price to performance with some RX 580s going as low as $130!
The best choice for playable 4k gaming would be the RTX 2070 super because it is the lowest cost option for 4k gaming at around 60fps.
Best Suits You? Graphics Card Comparison
120
100
80 Benchmark Score
60
40
20
0
GTX 2070S
RX 5700
RX 580
RTX 2070S
RX 570
RX 5700 XT
RX 550
Names Of Graphics Cards Information provided by: Userbenchmark, PCMag, and Toms Hardware
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EVOLUTION OF THE KEYBOARD
How keyboards changed the game
A Macbook sits halfway closed in the dark. Their keyboards are known for the thin form factor and white backlight. Photo courtesy of Thom Weerd. 20 \ qwerty
By George Spruill
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, people started to slowly transition from typewriters to computer keyboards. These were a major advancement because you got the words directly onto a computer. No need for whiteout or shifting a carriage back to start on the next line. Everything was in the digital age. The first keyboards were large, bulky, hard to use and slow. After a couple of years, computers became commercialized to the public. Along with computers, keyboards also became more user-friendly with the Model M from IBM being the catalyst of the industry. Around 2005, a revolutionary keyboard was released, the Das Keyboard. Das Keyboard CEO, Daniel Guermer, is the brains behind this product.
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“Within 30 days, my typing speed doubled,” Guermer said. “Many friends and colleagues who tested the keyboard were mesmerized and wanted one and Das Keyboard was born.” The Das Keyboard was based off of IBM’s Model M and it tries to renew that great age of mechanical keyboards. The Das Keyboard was a major hit and boosted the mechanical keyboard industry back up to the big stage. This was great timing because as PC gaming was becoming mainstream, high-end peripherals were a must. The clicky key switches allow for fast presses and high durability. Many tech companies capitalized off of this by either expanding their product range to include mechanical keyboards,
or just entirely switching to the production of mechanical keyboards. An example of this would have to be Corsair. Corsair used to only make computer components and hardware but as the “mechanical keyboard revolution” happened, the company had to adapt. They quickly become a huge competitor and make some of the best high-end peripherals to this day. Someone might think that mechanical keyboards are a niche market, but they are expanding rapidly. Everyone has their own preference and mechanical key switches give you that option. You can have a key switch that is very loud or very quiet. Very resistant or barely any resistance, it’s all up to you.
This is explained very well by PCMag writer John Burek. “It depends on what you do, like some people really hammer the keys hard, you know, they have like a heavy typing style for those folks like they may want a black,” states John Burek. Keyboards always come down to preference, so don’t let anyone persuade you on what to buy, go to a store like Best Buy and test them out yourself. See which one you like and then make the purchase. This is a really important step in the purchasing process because just like a car, you want to test it before you buy it. Burek also gives his opinion on purchasing a keyboard. “Honestly, it really just comes down to trying it. There’s no absolutes with this stuff. Because it really comes down to what you like,” exclaimed John Burek. After 2016 or so the keyboard market became oversaturated again. Except this time the cause is gaming keyboards. Gamers are a peculiar bunch as most of them are adolescents. Large flashing colors appeal to them so many companies put RGB flashing lights under the key switches and include the word “Gaming” in the title.
This is a mechanical key switch. These provide an audible “click” sound when pressed. Photo courtesy of HiClipArt 22 \ qwerty
Some companies adapt to the shift in consumer interest by catering their products to RGB. The Das Keyboard 5Q is a great example as explained by Daniel Guermer.
“We have so many interuptions while working,” stated GuermSome from email, chat, many browser open tabs, etc... and we forget to keep an eye on the important things like the status of a project, the state of a software build and so on. Therefore I thought that displaying information in color directly on the keyboard keys would help. For example when Trump tweets, my T key blinks blue. When the WallStreet Dow Jones index goes up, my D key turns green and more importantly when our business software crashes, my M key blinks red! Competition grows and
keyboards have to stand out to get purchases. A great example of this is Logitech. They have been making keyboards for awhile, but recently they created a new line of keyboards called LogitechG. These are specifically “designed” for gaming and include their own line of mechanical switches, the RomerG switches.
specific audience that are looking for a keyboard that will last for awhile and work reliably.
“The way the switch works on the keys, it’s just faster and more durable and better for gaming and a lot of activity,” says Logitech employee Jennifer Smith.
“So when somebody who knows nothing about keyboards comes to the site, they’re like okay, I think I want one that maybe sounds more like a laptop,” Smith states. “For layout they can choose between a full size keyboard or a smaller compact one. There are sections for usb, bluetooth, or wired. There are lots of sections for everybody.
This shows that the RomerG switches are meant for a
Logitech’s site tries to make the process of purchasing a keyboard as easy as possible for the consumer. Smith elaborates on this during an interview.
A lot of other companies have decided to create their own key switches because they are much cheaper than they flagship key switches, Cherry MX. They can also alter certain components and put their own spin on the switch for a different feel or sound.
The top image is a Corsair K95 platinum. This is a highend mechanical keyboard. Image courtesy of Corsair. The bottom image is a Das Keyboard 5Q. This keyboard has a large volume knob in the top right corner. Image courtesy of Das Keyboard.
Overall, keyboards have a history filled with different styles coming in and out of fashion. There were eras of large hefty keyboards, slim light keyboards, flashing mechanical keyboards and even typewriters. As we move into the digital age, the demand for keyboards increases and the quality has to get better. With companies creating their own unique styles of keyboards, who knows what will be the next major step in the history of keyboards.
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The Best
Keyboard For You By: George Spruill
If you are thinking of buying a new keyboard, or just learning about them, this infographic is for you!
Logitech’s MX Keys
Photo Courtesy of Logitech
The MX Keys is for the efficient worker. It is a wireless keyboard with a sleek design. If you love productivity, this keyboard is for you. Information provided by Logitech.
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Corsair’s K70
Photo Courtesy of Corsair
If you love playing video games, the K70 is for you. It has programmable RGB and macros. You can choose from different mechanical switches. Information by Corsair.
Das Keyboard’s 5Q
Photo Courtesy of Das Keyboard
This keyboard has a great mix of gaming and productivity. The 5Q is known as the first cloud-connected keyboard, you can check if your computer is over heating, or if trump has sent a tweet. Information by Das Keyboard. qwerty / 25
An Unreal Reality Technology straight out of science-fiction is here, and it’s changing everything By Jett Will
Virtual reality (VR) is a relatively new technology that allows the user to see and interact with virtual worlds similarly to how they would if these virtual worlds were real. Imagining getting placed into a video game paints a decent picture of what VR is like. Although it’s not entirely realistic, 26 \ qwerty
VR provides several kinds of experiences, and most of them just aren’t possible to experience outside of it. Graeme Borland is a developer for Owlchemy Labs, a company that has
,,
It may not be real, but it makes you feel like it is.
,,
The elevator button dings as the doors slowly slide open, revealing the wide, open skyline of the city in front of you. You remind yourself not to look down as you walk across the wooden plank that has been precariously balanced on the edge of the elevator. However, before you can make it across, you glance down at the streets below, a terrified feeling filling you. It’s almost too much, but you make your way back inside the elevator and move on to the next floor.
released several popular VR video games over the last few years. He said that room-scale VR, VR that can be experienced not just by standing still, but by moving and interacting in a space up to 5 square meters in size, was a big step in making
the technology useful for broader uses. “Room-scale really set the stage for the kinds of games we work on,” Borland said. “The ability to physically walk around in a virtual space grounds the whole experience. It may not be real, but it makes you feel like it is.” In the past, the experience of VR has been described as nauseating or simply unfun due to the fact that the user remains still while the world moves around them, but with developments in motiontracking and the ability to create even smaller devices, it’s possible to interact with the virtual space without needing to have special inputs that move your character from one place to another. You can simply walk to where you need to go.
“I think the next logical step will be finding a way to move around believably.” Borland said. In larger games there is still the need to have a way to move the player to one place without having them move in the real world, and there are currently efforts to design technologies that will make this problem disappear. “Currently, VR is a bit niche when it comes to the kinds of games that are playable, but that could all change with new developments.” Borland said. Cameron Slayter is an award-winning developer at Virtuix, a company that is currently focusing on devices like the Omni, a 360 degree treadmill for use in VR. He thinks that giving players the ability to move freely at full speed in VR adds to the immersion of being in a virtual world. “Full 360 degree motion makes gameplay a lot more natural,” Slayter said.
“When you’re immersed in the middle of a firefight with other people and you have to click a button to run somewhere, it really takes you out of the experience.” Devices like the Omni may seem like items from sciencefiction, but they’re already widely available. With the rapid pace of development, there are several competing ideas over what VR will be used for in the future. Although the most popular use currently is for entertainment, it’s been applied for other things. “Gaming is a big focus right now, but who knows what could change in even a few
A “base station” (pictured above) is a crucial part of the VR experience, tracking motion of all kinds from a VR headset and connected controllers. Image by Jett Will. years?” Slayter said. Application isn’t the only thing that’s changed when it comes to VR. The cost of owning a functioning VR system has decreased significantly over the past few years. The Oculus Rift, one of the first VR systems to become vastly popular online, cost almost $800 at launch, and that’s not even considering qwerty / 27
The HTC Vive (pictured above) is one of the most popular VR headsets on the market today. The headset passed the 100,000 sales mark in 2016 according to HTC. Image by Jett Will. the cost of a computer that can run the programs you can use it with. Today, the Oculus Quest, an all-in-one VR system, costs only about $400 brand-new. It’s still something to think about before purchasing, but when it comes to modern tech, a price like that is fairly standard. “Prices are a big barrier to entry for most innovative tech, so to see something like VR
explode among hobbyists is mind-blowing.” Slayter said. The decline in price mostly has to do with developments in VR hardware. The biggest changes are on the inside of the system, but you can see a lot of what’s changed just by looking at the outside of VR systems over the years. They have progressively grown smaller and thinner, with more powerful screens and electronics being designed and manufactured in smaller sizes. “The changing design of the devices has been beneficial in what we’re trying to do, and that can’t be understated.” Slayter said. Ben Jackson is a hardware developer at Valve, a company that has produced several popular video games, runs the largest online video game marketplace and has recently
The Valve offices (pictured left) are a hub for design and development at Valve. The corporation is responsible for the development of one of the largest VR heasests, the Valve Index. Image by GameSpot. 28 \ qwerty
released their own VR system, the Valve Index. He said that the shifts in size and price have led to VR’s current rise in popularity. “The newfound comfort of lighter headsets and controllers have made extended use possible,” Jackson said. “With the cost of manufacturing going down, VR has become more affordable than ever, which has created an explosion of new users.” When it comes to software, there have been a mindboggling amount of changes in recent years, and with VR being mostly used for entertainment, a large amount of developments have risen to design VR video gaming experiences. “Gaming is a huge industry, and VR looks like it could shift the focus of many game developers,” Jackson said. In just a few decades we’ve gone from VR systems that track the motion of your head as if it were a computer mouse to being
YouTuber NearlyEnoughDice enjoys himself in VR Minecraft. Games such as Minecraft have gained more traction lately due to popular VR modes. Image by NearlyEnoughDice. able to use your whole body to interact with the virtual world. From a software design perspective, this is a huge feat, as properly balancing what the average computer can process while maintaining a stable framerate has been on the minds of developers since VR first started gaining traction. The kinds of programs that can run on VR systems have shifted from regular programs that are projected directly to your eyes from
inside a headset to programs that have been designed from the ground-up to be exclusively used with VR. Only now is it possible for video games like Job Simulator or programs like Google Earth VR to be fully realized, and it’s all thanks to developers that have designed code and hardware that can be used in real-time to provide the experience one would expect when first hearing about VR. Only in an unreal reality can the feeling of VR be truly expressed.
Popular VR game, Job Simulator’s title page is displayed in full 3D. The game’s revolutionary design changed what VR meant for many people with it’s design based around several levels. Image by Jett Will.
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Comparing the Different VR Headsets By Jett Will
There are many different kinds of VR headsets, all with different features, games, and prices. Your choice depends on what you need.
The HTC Vive is a popular VR device used mostly for gaming. The system comes with 2 base-stations, two controllers and the headset. It requires a powerful computer to run most programs, so costs can run anywhere between $499 and upwards of $1499 depending on what you want to use the device for. One upside of using powerful hardware is that a majority of VR programs can be used with the Vive. 30 \ qwerty
The Oculus Quest is an all-in-one gaming VR system that can run several of the most popular VR programs. By being all-in-one, it’s very portable and requires minimal setup with no base-stations. It’s a bit cheaper than other devices. Unfortunately, this comes at the cost of performance and power, meaning some programs may be sluggish or missing entirely.
Popular programs for the… Vive: Quest: Index: Gear VR:
The Valve Index is one of the most powerful gaming VR systems, and it currently supports most programs that the Vive does. The “knuckles” on the controller allow for realistic hand motion in VR, and the strap on the headset is sturdy and comes with built-in headphones. It also has the highest maximum resolution of currently available VR devices. However, with the power of this headset, prices are a lot higher.
The Samsung Gear VR is a budget VR system that uses a Samsung phone as a screen instead of having one built in. The small controller is useful for the small VR programs that have been developed for the device, but lacks many features other VR controllers do. The Gear VR is best suited for 360 video and small games that have been developed for the platform. qwerty / 31
The Silicon Hills What life is like for the tech startups of Austin By Josh Crowley Let’s say you and your friends have an idea and want to start a business. You would first go around campaigning and trying to get the public and investors interested in your product. Next you’ll have to officially decide on your team and a location to work out of. This is called a startup, and Austin is full of them. When people usually hear the word Austin, Texas they think of good food and live music, but Austin is also home to a lot of technology startups and has gained the nickname The Silicon Hills. Every second three startups are launched, which is 180 startups per minute. You might be thinking, “If everyone is doing a startup then it must be super easy and very profitable.” WRONG! Starting a startup is not easy. Based on the statistics a startup only has a success rate of 90 percent meaning that only 10 percent of startups make it, and just because a company has made it five years doesn’t mean that they’re successful because the company could still easily fail. Also most people who are involved with a startup don’t get paid for the first 6 months of work! So why would
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anyone want to start a startup? Eric Olson, the CEO of a tech startup, Babson Diagnostics, has been with this company since late 2017 but Eric has been in the startup game itself since 2015. Babson Diagnostics is a local tech startup here in Austin that works on trying to reduce the amount of time it takes for you to get you blood tested. Olson, the idea man behind the job, saw the need for quicker and faster results in the blood work industry. “The time you spend with your doctor is precious and shouldn’t be wasted on blood work, so my team and I at Babson Diagnostics are working on finding a way to be able to get your blood work time at the pharmacist for cheaper and quicker results.”
Babson diagnostics has had loads of support from investors and other people wanting to be a part of the company. One reason for all the success that Olson’s company is happening is due to its location. When I say location I mean where they’re located in the world, Austin. Olson said that him and his team spent a long time looking at places all over the U.S and Austin checked off all of the boxes. Olson said that him and his team were originally looking at places like New York
(MIT), he went to work for larger tech companies like Google and IBM. Within those companies he rose to leadership positions and became in charge of his team within those companies and eventually he decided to start his first and company. “I don’t think people who don’t have the experience of being in the industry or with enough knowledge of the industry should start their own company even if they have a good idea they would just be faced
Eric Olson (middle), the CEO of Babson diagnostics is posing with his team for a quick photo while at the Austin Chamber of Commerce. Babson Diagnostics is one of the 24 companies being honored by the Austin Chamber of Commerce for their innovation and business success. Photo Courtesy of Austin Chamber of Commerce. and Silicon Valley but when they decide to take a look at Austin they saw the supportive atmosphere, and the workforce that Austin had and decide to make the move.
with failure.” The tech industry is hard and so it’s really important that you have all the information and facts before starting your own company.
Olson prior to starting his first startup had a lot of prior experience. After graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Another Austin tech company with a completely different approach to business and how they run their company is CEO of
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Rogue American Apparel, Wes Whitlock. Whitlock is a Veteran and served 4 tours in Afghanistan, protected the U.S embassy in Italy and used to be one of Hillary Clinton’s bodyguards. So what does he do? E-commerce! Whitlock runs his own online clothing store here in Austin called Rouge American Apparel. Originally coming to Austin to guard Michel dell’s daughter he soon realized the many benefits and took advantage of that. He started designing clothing while overseas.
Here’s a picture of the Babson Diagnostics logo. It shows a loading circle representing how quickly you can get your blood results back within a couple minutes. Photo courtesy of Babson.
“I started selling clothing because in the military you have very limited
came to Austin I Here’s a picture of the Rogue American Apparel logo. In the middle of the logo is the spartan symbol representing brotherhood and honor which is the main thing Whitlock tries to get across with his clothing. Photo courtesy of Wes Whitlock
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choice of what you could wear, you’re given a uniform from the time you get there to the time you leave, so it was always a passion of mine, to be wearing something unique when I wasn’t wearing the uniform. I started designing shirts while I was overseas just of things that I saw that inspired me or had some type of meaning behind them. I started designing shirts and selling them to guys on base and people off base. It was kind of just a niche, and people really liked it and would reach out to me when I was coming out with a new design, when’s the next shirt going to drop? stuff of that nature, and when
continued making the designs and then I would put them online, or email, pictures out to my friends that we’re still in military bases all over the world.” Once he laid the foundation of his business he was easily able to find the necessary workforce build his business
“Every man dies, but not every man lives.” for many years before starting his own business Whitlock pursued his passion and took advantage of social media while other company’s at the time were lagging behind. The two companies are both technology companies in Austin who each have a completely different approach on how
Wes Whitlock, serving for the U.S. Navy Seals, helps out a small boy on one of his tours to Afghanistan. Whitlock lives by principles of servitude and gratitude and encourages others to live honorably through his clothing brand Rogue American Apparel. Photo Courtesy of Wes Whitlock.
Here’s a picture of one of the first designs by Wes Whitlock and it is still one of his most popular designs. The shirt represents how you should always be a leader, not a follower and always do your best no matter what. Photo courtesy of Rogue American Apparel.
upon. Another reason why his company stands out against the rest is how Whitlock expresses himself through his clothing and other accessories. A lot of his work has quotes or some artistic design on it that represents some part of his life or something that he strives to live by. For instance he on one of his designs it says,” Every man dies, but not every man lives.” He’s trying to show how you should always be the leader of the pack and not a sheep who follows the shepard BE the shepard that leads the sheep. Unlike Olson who worked in the industry
they run their companies but they both love Austin, the community, the atmosphere, the people and everything else The Silicon Hills provide.
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What Tech Is What Tech Job is BestJob For You? Best For You?
By Josh Crowley
START HERE
Y
Do you Like Numbers?
Have you coded in Java and Y are you good at it? Have you ever Have you coded in python and programmed before? are you good at it? N Y
Do you Like Computers?
Y
Y
Do you like computers?
N
Are you familiar with comp. settings? Y N
N You are not compatible with this quiz
Y
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Have you ever programmed before?
N
Y Are you good at Do you like math? Can you count to numbers? ten? N Y N
N
Do you like buying things online? Impossible everyone likes N buying things online
Have you ever wondered what tech job is best for you? Within a few short seconds you can figure out where you fall in the tech industry and where you will perform the best!
Computer Science
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Cyber Security
Data Analyst E-commerce qwerty / 37
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EZINE FALL 2019