iTrek

Like about three hundred thousand other people this past Saturday, I took possession of a new Apple iPad. It's a cool gadget -- very much like a big iPhone, but without the phone part. I have only spent a couple of hours playing with it, but already I can see lots of uses for it.

Every time I turn it on, I kinda feel like I'm transported into the world of "Star Trek", specifically the "Star Trek" of "Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine". I am referring -- as fans of those series will no doubt know -- to the ubiquitous "PADDS" the characters would use for a variety of purpose ranging from displaying space station crime statistics to novel writing.

And when I'm within range of a wireless network, and have the entire Internet at my fingertips through the iPad's Safari browser, it almost feels like having the U.S.S. Enterprise's library computer at my beck and call.

Obviously, the iPad doesn't have all the capabilities of the fictional "PADDS", but, like modern cellphones, the iPad is just one more example of how our technology is gradually catching up to some of the gizmos introduced in "Star Trek". I must say it puts a smile on my face.



The above photo is of my iPad displaying one of a bunch of "Star Trek" graphics I found with a quick Google search. I hope someone writes an iPad app which will allow it to simulate an "LCARRS" display like this... could be a lot of fun! -- PL