Among the many other problems with the latest James Bond film Quantum of Solace, I was particularly struck with its seemingly careless stance on technology.
The latest Bond flick does get those bloody stares right. But what happened to the cutting-edge gadgets?
(Credit: Sony Pictures)While I know they're just movies, the Bond franchise films--like Ian Fleming's novels--have always been geopolitical snapshots of the time in which they were made.
According to this movie, the British are pinning their hopes on skillful driving and fisticuffs to get the job done, while those dabbling in high-tech solutions to solve world problems are off-the-mark.
As in Casino Royale, there is no Q. Apparently, in this Bond's world, MI6 does not arm its agents with insight and tools from teams of high-tech experts. The few gadgets used are pitifully unimaginative. (CNET News readers wrote in better gadget ideas.)
In Quantum of Solace, Bond has a cell phone he can use to call MI6 and give the name of a potential villain he's met. MI6 can look up the name and send a photo of the guy to Bond's cell phone to confirm it's the same guy. Guess what? I, too, can call a friend, have them look up a name, background, and photo; and have the info sent to my cell phone. So can millions of teenagers.
... Read moreMarc Newson, the Australian industrial designer known for his passion for melding art and technology, was awarded the London Design Medal on Wednesday at the London Design Festival.
Though you may not recognize the name Marc Newson, chances are you recognize Newson's work.
Newson designed the space plane for EADS Astrium in 2007.
Marc Newson (right) inside the interior of the EADS Astrium space plane he designed.
(Credit: EADS Astrium/Marc Newson/Eyedea Presse Gamma/Marie-Sophie Leturcq)The famous "Lockheed Lounge" chair that fetched record-breaking auction sums for a living designer was designed by Newson in 1985.
Newson's "Lockheed Lounge" chair.
(Credit: Marc Newson/Pod)
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