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Tech is at its best when it can be used as a tool to provide knowledge you wouldn’t otherwise have. Sometimes that knowledge is vitally important, other times the knowledge is interesting. Still other times the knowledge is simply whimsical.
These tech tools give you knowledge that is interesting and sometimes whimsical. Enjoy learning about how you can discover the past, present, and future. And perhaps the knowledge you gain from these tools could even be essential for you someday!
Past – Netflix
Netflix recently released a new tool that shows your video viewing history ever since you started subscribing to the service. You can see the first series you binge-watched, the first movie you viewed and the first TV series you got hooked on via Netflix.
You can also check out which Netflix original series you’ve watched and when you watched them.
This information can be handy if you want a quick way to reference how far you’ve watched in a series or whether you’ve watched a movie before.
To find your viewing history, head to the Netflix website and sign into your account. Choose your profile, if you have more than one profile on your account.
Click on the square smiling icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
A drop-down menu will appear. Choose “Account.” Scroll down to the bottom, then click on “Viewing activity.”
A list of everything you’ve ever watched on Netflix will appear. Scroll to the bottom to see the very first show you watched on Netflix.
=> For another blast from the past, check out How to Find Your First Tweet! (Are You Brave Enough to Look?)
According to Netflix, the most popular series people binge-watch on its service are:
1. Breaking Bad
2. Orange is the New Black
3. The Walking Dead
4. Stranger Things
5. Narcos
6. House of Cards
7. Prison Break
8. 13 Reasons Why
9. Grey’s Anatomy
10. American Horror Story
Over 90% of Netflix subscribers binge-watch. On average, a new member starts binge-watching shows within 12 days of joining Netflix.
=> Don’t miss Netflix Updates Make Finding and Watching Shows Better
For more about the past of Netflix, this time from an historical business perspective, check out Wondery’s fascinating podcast series, Business Wars. This series covers this history of Netflix and how it battled Blockbuster Video for dominance in the video arena.
Present and Future – Tesla Roadster
You may have heard that earlier this month, Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, successfully launched a Falcon Heavy rocket into space with very special cargo — a Tesla Roadster, complete with a mannequin driver named Starman.
The Roadster is in orbit now, taking an elliptical trip around the Earth, Sun, Mars and other planets. To entertain Starman, the Roadster plays the song Space Oddity repeatedly, at least until the car’s battery dies.
You may be wondering, “Where outside the world is the Roadster?” One enterprising electrical engineer named Ben Pearson is helping us answer that question.
Pearson designed a website to help us keep track of Starman and Roadster in space. whereisroadster.com shows you where Starman and Roadster are now and where they are projected to be in the future. Find out the current distance from Roadster to Earth, Mars, and the Sun. See how many miles/kilometers Roadster has traveled and how far the car is past its warranty.
Check out the chart with a slider on the website so you can see the progress of the Roadster on a future date.
Watch a 3D simulation of the Tesla sailing through space:
Pearson’s site is independent of Elon Musk, Tesla, and SpaceX, though the site received a shoutout from Musk via Twitter.
I’m sure it’s parked around here somewhere …https://t.co/cq4LEhu4qD
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 18, 2018
Present and Future – Tesla Model 3
The Tesla Model 3, its most affordable electric car, may be too successful. Two years ago next month, the company started taking orders for its $35,000 car and racked up over 500,000. reservations from people willing to pay a $1000 deposit to get a place in line.
In July 2017, the first Tesla Model 3 rolled off the production line, beginning to fulfill the wishes of the first of the 1/2 million folks on the waiting list.
=> Learn more at Tesla Delivers Its First Model 3 — A Game-Changing Electric Car.
But production of the car has been slower than expected and Tesla has consistently missed its delivery targets. Its initial goal of 5000 Model 3 deliveries a month has been halved. Tesla now hopes to produce 2500 Model 3s per month by the end of March.
Good news for those on the wait list who want an idea of when they might be able to get their hands on their long-awaited vehicle. Bloomberg has developed a tracker to estimate the rate of production for Tesla Model 3s.
The tracker uses Vehicle Identification Numbers to estimate how many Model 3s Tesla is delivering to owners. Bloomberg Model 3 Tracker gives the current rate of production, as well as charts showing the increasing pace of delivery. The site also shows a chart comparing actual production to target production rates.
As of this writing, this tracker estimates that just under 8000 Model 3 cars have been delivered at a current rate of about 1000 cars per week. If the tracker is accurate, that means that Tesla has exceeded its more recent goal of 2500 cars per month and is getting much closer to its initial goal of 5000 cars per month.
Future – 10,000 Year Clock
Jeff Bezos announced via Twitter yesterday that a 10,000 year clock being built now will take us far into the future. In fact, this clock should keep ticking far longer than any of us reading this article will live.
Installation has begun—500 ft tall, all mechanical, powered by day/night thermal cycles, synchronized at solar noon, a symbol for long-term thinking—the #10000YearClock is coming together thx to the genius of Danny Hillis, Zander Rose & the whole Clock team! Enjoy the video. pic.twitter.com/FYIyaUIbdJ
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) February 20, 2018
Construction has begun by the Long Now Foundation in Seattle, Washington and in California. The clock will be powered by the sun and built into the side of a mountain in Texas in the United States. The chimes have been programmed not to repeat a melody within its 10,000 year life span. (Not sure who will be able to verify this will actually happen…)
The clock will cost an estimated $42 million. The goal of the Long Now Foundation in building this clock is to make people question existence beyond their lifetime. “If a Clock can keep going for ten millennia, shouldn’t we make sure our civilization does as well?”
Your Thoughts
Do you enjoy tech tools that give you knowledge of the past, present and future? Which of these tools are most interesting to you? What tools would you like to have help you learn about the past, present or future?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
*Space photo (edited) courtesy of woodleywonderworks via Flickr and Creative Commons
Curious why Tesla didn’t land on the Moon for a road show? Anyway, did anyone landed on the Moon? The future looks like!
Hi Quiana, Great idea! A Tesla on the Moon would be very cool. Plus, the next astronaut to land there would have an awesome vehicle to drive.
I guess it is going too far at this age. I would be glad to see only self driving mode get better so people in need can rely on this to commute.
Safety of these high tech cars are still at risk however eventually it will be solved. I still remember the google self driving car adv that takes a visually impaired guy to destination just by talking to him. A noble cause worth more innovation.
Hi Dev, Yes, self-driving cars may open up a whole new world for people who otherwise couldn’t drive. They also may make the roads safer if they can be advanced enough to avoid accidents in nearly any circumstance.
We will be interested to see what comes next in the world of tech that changes our daily lives dramatically!