While swapping cars with one of my peers, I had to come back running and ask her to provide her keys for the second vehicle, which I did not bring with me. I started thinking about why we need keys for a car, and then some other similar parts/devices in order to start, turn on, or make something function.
With so much technology available nowadays, why do we still need to carry around metallic keys for cars? Or doors?
When visiting a hospital or business, why do we still need to sign on a sheet of paper at the reception to state our name and the reason for our visit? Most of the plastic cards we carry around already contain our main information, wouldn’t it be simpler to just swipe our ID or even a credit card to let them know who we are?
How about disks? CDs, DVDs, Blue-rays, etc. Wouldn’t it be easier and cheaper for the big entertainment and software manufacturers to invest all that money spent on creation and distribution of such devices into networking technologies, so that we get the electronic files quickly and easily without the need to have to insert a piece of plastic into mechanical trays or slots?
How about newspapers and magazines? The Kindle is out, Sony Reader too, PDAs have better resolutions now... and we still receive newspapers and all kind of resource-intensive publications in our doorsteps and mailboxes. How come nobody in the newspaper industry distributes one of such readers just once? That would allow the unit to update daily or weekly using any kind of wireless technology, so that we do not have to recycle and waste so much every single day.
Have they ever read about what the words “vision” and “innovation” mean?
I could rant on and on with so many examples; I can’t believe we are almost into the completion of the first decade after the turn of the century and we are still carrying so much baggage from the previous one.
Well... you get the idea. I wish the next time you read about the latest innovations on these subjects you do it on a Kindle-like unit.
As the latest Mac ads state: Cheers! To innovation
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Being more mobile now
At kid's soccer practice. An entire hour to kill. The acquaintances I used to talk to have left. The other parents seem intent to either focus on watching their kids play or read magazines, write on existing documents and/or simply use that 20th century organic material they call Paper in one way or another.
I thought about bringing my netbook to reply to a few mail messages or simply craft a document or two while I wait and glance every so often to my child.
However, and despite the fact that the netbook is light and very portable, more and more I feel inclined to use a totally different device that does not require me to sit or find a flat or stable surface or position in order to type. I'm finding my PDA easier and easier each time.
From my first Palm Pilot Pro all through the changes to this BB, I've found that it's just a matter of getting used to any of such devices in order to become really productive. The new Palm Pre is out already and it has a keyboard! Long gone are those Styluses that helped us easily transition from that wood derivative I referred before to these amazing devices.
A month or so ago I posted a piece about how easy I found it to be to type and upload a Blog article created and uploaded entirely on my BB. I'm pretty sure that eventually will become the norm rather than the extreme.
True mobility. And simpler every time.
I thought about bringing my netbook to reply to a few mail messages or simply craft a document or two while I wait and glance every so often to my child.
However, and despite the fact that the netbook is light and very portable, more and more I feel inclined to use a totally different device that does not require me to sit or find a flat or stable surface or position in order to type. I'm finding my PDA easier and easier each time.
From my first Palm Pilot Pro all through the changes to this BB, I've found that it's just a matter of getting used to any of such devices in order to become really productive. The new Palm Pre is out already and it has a keyboard! Long gone are those Styluses that helped us easily transition from that wood derivative I referred before to these amazing devices.
A month or so ago I posted a piece about how easy I found it to be to type and upload a Blog article created and uploaded entirely on my BB. I'm pretty sure that eventually will become the norm rather than the extreme.
True mobility. And simpler every time.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Technical training
I attended a 2-day event last week. The purpose of such was to “train” people on new or latest technologies and show what's coming down the pipe.
The topics were varied and the organization allowed attendees to choose from a variety of tracks throughout the day. I was in three different tracks; some of the topics were very technical and fast, non-understandable for the regular Joe, while others were simpler and better explained in the allotted time.
On my calculations, the number of attendees was around 800. During the presentations, on breaks between speakers, and at lunch time I spoke to some fellow technicians, engineers, consultants, contractors, business owners and such.
In the entire 2 days and despite my best efforts to pull information about it nobody touched on the business side of the -mmhh- business. The focus was on software, and the boxes that can use that software, and the interconnections between such boxes and so on...
But no Business Case. No comparison tables. No white papers on case studies –beta or not-. No ROI graphs.
Now don't get me wrong, on average it was good and most of the speakers knew their stuff and delivered very good sessions. However, there was nothing but tech talk all thru the event. There was mentioning obviously on companies already using this and that; and real demonstrations on existing systems working and so on.
However, I felt there was this need to know the appropriate application of all these new toys to real world cases; in brief I think I was expecting more than what they can really deliver. Or perhaps I wanted them to do my work: analyze technologies and crunch numbers to come up with such documents.
I might had simply made a mistake on the training and signed up for something I did not need or want.
Oh! Well... I will wait for such thing to come to my town.
Hope you do enjoy your events.
The topics were varied and the organization allowed attendees to choose from a variety of tracks throughout the day. I was in three different tracks; some of the topics were very technical and fast, non-understandable for the regular Joe, while others were simpler and better explained in the allotted time.
On my calculations, the number of attendees was around 800. During the presentations, on breaks between speakers, and at lunch time I spoke to some fellow technicians, engineers, consultants, contractors, business owners and such.
In the entire 2 days and despite my best efforts to pull information about it nobody touched on the business side of the -mmhh- business. The focus was on software, and the boxes that can use that software, and the interconnections between such boxes and so on...
But no Business Case. No comparison tables. No white papers on case studies –beta or not-. No ROI graphs.
Now don't get me wrong, on average it was good and most of the speakers knew their stuff and delivered very good sessions. However, there was nothing but tech talk all thru the event. There was mentioning obviously on companies already using this and that; and real demonstrations on existing systems working and so on.
However, I felt there was this need to know the appropriate application of all these new toys to real world cases; in brief I think I was expecting more than what they can really deliver. Or perhaps I wanted them to do my work: analyze technologies and crunch numbers to come up with such documents.
I might had simply made a mistake on the training and signed up for something I did not need or want.
Oh! Well... I will wait for such thing to come to my town.
Hope you do enjoy your events.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
September already
WOW! This has surely been the fastest year ever! I'm pretty sure our hours have been 59 or 58 minutes each …or so it feels.
We IT inclined people know that in economic slowdowns, after government and heath care, IT is the most resilient field there is nowadays. Even so, I know many peers and companies that constantly whine about our industry status quo.
Not me. I am so fortunate to work in good company, and working with great suppliers while servicing clients that I really like and who seem to like us too. We have been very busy each day. Not a single opportunity for slacking.
So, what is the fuzz about? With September, school starts, vacations end, fall is almost here, and then holidays abound. With all that coming down the pipe, there is no time for complaints.
Did I mention a few changes in the IT horizon will take place too? (Ubuntu 9.10, Windows 7)
So, sorry for the briefness. Work calls.
Enjoy being busy. If you are not, believe me it is your fault.
We IT inclined people know that in economic slowdowns, after government and heath care, IT is the most resilient field there is nowadays. Even so, I know many peers and companies that constantly whine about our industry status quo.
Not me. I am so fortunate to work in good company, and working with great suppliers while servicing clients that I really like and who seem to like us too. We have been very busy each day. Not a single opportunity for slacking.
So, what is the fuzz about? With September, school starts, vacations end, fall is almost here, and then holidays abound. With all that coming down the pipe, there is no time for complaints.
Did I mention a few changes in the IT horizon will take place too? (Ubuntu 9.10, Windows 7)
So, sorry for the briefness. Work calls.
Enjoy being busy. If you are not, believe me it is your fault.
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