Business

  • I Played With an iPad, and I Liked it

    100412 iPad Bookshelf The iPad is a revolutionary machine. I had a chance to spend time using one this weekend.

    Overall, the experience was impressive and compelling.

    The screen was beautiful. Looking at a website was
    better than expected. For example, reading the New
    York Times     online (using their iPad App) was, in many ways, a
    better experience than with the actual paper. Likewise, the e-book interface was stunning, easy
    to use, and also more compelling than paper.


    An Incredible "Consumption" Device.

    At first glance, the iPad seems like an incredible tool to
    consume media.

    • If you like to sit on your couch and read the paper or
      magazines, the iPad will clearly make that better.  Why?  Because you will have
      a much wider range of reading material available in one place, along
      with access to multimedia, streaming video and internet links.
    • If
      you play Sudoku or crosswords, again, the iPad will clearly
      make that better. You will have access to extra games, more varieties of
      games, and the ability to play against other people.
    • If you want to do research for something you're writing, it's the
      perfect platform to browse through websites, blogs, or to launch a news reader to scan RSS
      feeds      .
    • You can even use it to watch videos and browse through pictures.

    Here is a video review.

    So, will I buy one?  Not yet; and I do have some mixed feelings about this device.

    So What Was "Wrong" With It?

    To be sure, it is fast and powerful enough to do many of the things I do on a laptop.
    However, I don't think that it's a great "creation" device (at least for me). In other words, I don't believe that I would want to use it to do extensive
    writing, spreadsheet editing, or that type of "computer" work.

    Also, its big beautiful screen makes the device "too big" for me to imagine carrying around.

    One of the primary benefits of my iPhone is that I have it with me everywhere.  That means I use it at the grocery store, while I'm waiting for my car at the car-wash, and to look up something during a business meeting or lunch.  That wouldn't happen with the iPad. 

    Instead, I'd want one in my briefcase, another one in the living room, and another in the bedroom.

    Again, the iPad seems designed to be a "consumption" device for media.  As the price point comes down, I believe that consumers will buy several of them (much the way they have
    TVs in different rooms).

    100412 iPad iBroke Cartoon

    Even though it so impressive and compelling, I will probably wait for its next generation before buying. 

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  • I Played With an iPad, and I Liked it

    100412 iPad Bookshelf The iPad is a revolutionary machine. I had a chance to spend time using one this weekend.

    Overall, the experience was impressive and compelling.

    The screen was beautiful. Looking at a website was
    better than expected. For example, reading the New
    York Times     online (using their iPad App) was, in many ways, a
    better experience than with the actual paper. Likewise, the e-book interface was stunning, easy
    to use, and also more compelling than paper.


    An Incredible "Consumption" Device.

    At first glance, the iPad seems like an incredible tool to
    consume media.

    • If you like to sit on your couch and read the paper or
      magazines, the iPad will clearly make that better.  Why?  Because you will have
      a much wider range of reading material available in one place, along
      with access to multimedia, streaming video and internet links.
    • If
      you play Sudoku or crosswords, again, the iPad will clearly
      make that better. You will have access to extra games, more varieties of
      games, and the ability to play against other people.
    • If you want to do research for something you're writing, it's the
      perfect platform to browse through websites, blogs, or to launch a news reader to scan RSS
      feeds      .
    • You can even use it to watch videos and browse through pictures.

    Here is a video review.

    So, will I buy one?  Not yet; and I do have some mixed feelings about this device.

    So What Was "Wrong" With It?

    To be sure, it is fast and powerful enough to do many of the things I do on a laptop.
    However, I don't think that it's a great "creation" device (at least for me). In other words, I don't believe that I would want to use it to do extensive
    writing, spreadsheet editing, or that type of "computer" work.

    Also, its big beautiful screen makes the device "too big" for me to imagine carrying around.

    One of the primary benefits of my iPhone is that I have it with me everywhere.  That means I use it at the grocery store, while I'm waiting for my car at the car-wash, and to look up something during a business meeting or lunch.  That wouldn't happen with the iPad. 

    Instead, I'd want one in my briefcase, another one in the living room, and another in the bedroom.

    Again, the iPad seems designed to be a "consumption" device for media.  As the price point comes down, I believe that consumers will buy several of them (much the way they have
    TVs in different rooms).

    100412 iPad iBroke Cartoon

    Even though it so impressive and compelling, I will probably wait for its next generation before buying. 

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  • Reminiscences of a Retreat

    I just got back from a weekend retreat with a group of entrepreneurs.

    It consistently surprises me how valuable it is to take time to get away from your daily routines, in order to focus on the bigger picture.

    Part of the benefit is simply taking the time to do it.  Another part is listening to others, and hearing a fresh perspective.

    100409 Retreat Rock Band Activity

    Having fun helps too. 

    Guitar Hero

    I've watched my kids play Guitar Hero and Rock Band on their gaming systems; however, it was quite a different experience watching a bunch of middle-aged children play it at the retreat.

    I was particularly embarrassed that I knew so few of the songs.  And when I tried participating … I reminded myself more of my father, than of a rock-star. 

    Yet, for what it's worth, it turned out to be a great group activity to loosen-folks-up at the retreat.

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  • Reminiscences of a Retreat

    I just got back from a weekend retreat with a group of entrepreneurs.

    It consistently surprises me how valuable it is to take time to get away from your daily routines, in order to focus on the bigger picture.

    Part of the benefit is simply taking the time to do it.  Another part is listening to others, and hearing a fresh perspective.

    100409 Retreat Rock Band Activity

    Having fun helps too. 

    Guitar Hero

    I've watched my kids play Guitar Hero and Rock Band on their gaming systems; however, it was quite a different experience watching a bunch of middle-aged children play it at the retreat.

    I was particularly embarrassed that I knew so few of the songs.  And when I tried participating … I reminded myself more of my father, than of a rock-star. 

    Yet, for what it's worth, it turned out to be a great group activity to loosen-folks-up at the retreat.

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    Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

  • Will “Things” Use the Internet Better than People Do?

    The terms "Internet
    of Things    " and "System of Systems" are concepts that help to explain a great deal about what
    is happening, now, where the digital world meets the physical and
    intellectual.

    In the video below, from IBM, you get a glimpse of it …

    Imagine if your alarm clock talked to your calendar and knows you
    need to catch the
    ferry in 1-1/2 hours to get to work, so it wakes you up. But, a half hour before it wakes you, it turned on the heater in your bathroom; and other sensors started your morning coffee and de-iced
    the windshield in your car.

    Here are some excerpts from the film:

    “Over the past century, but accelerating over the past
    couple of decades, we have seen the emergence of a kind of global data
    field. The planet itself – natural systems, human systems, and physical
    objects – have always generated an enormous amount of data, but we
    didn’t used to be able to hear it, to see it, or to capture it. Now we can
    because all of this stuff is now instrumented. And it’s all
    interconnected, so now we can actually have access to it. So, in
    effect, the planet has grown a central nervous system.

    Look at that complex set of relationships among all of these complex
    systems    . If we can actually begin to see the patterns in the data, then
    we have a much better chance of getting our arms around this. That’s
    where societies become more efficient, that’s where more innovation is
    sparked.

    When we talk about a smarter planet, you can say that it has two
    dimensions. One is to be more efficient, less destructive, and to
    connect different aspects of life which do affect each other in more
    conscious, deliberate and intelligent ways. But the other is also
    to generate fundamentally new insights, new activity, and new forms of
    social relations. So you could look at the planet as an information,
    creation and transmission system    , and the universe was hearing its
    information but we weren’t. But increasingly now we can, early days,
    baby steps days, but we can actually begin to hear the planet talking to
    us.”

    This framework applies to many other things (for example, trading and markets).  Expect to hear more about this type of insight and automation.

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    Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

  • Will “Things” Use the Internet Better than People Do?

    The terms "Internet
    of Things    " and "System of Systems" are concepts that help to explain a great deal about what
    is happening, now, where the digital world meets the physical and
    intellectual.

    In the video below, from IBM, you get a glimpse of it …

    Imagine if your alarm clock talked to your calendar and knows you
    need to catch the
    ferry in 1-1/2 hours to get to work, so it wakes you up. But, a half hour before it wakes you, it turned on the heater in your bathroom; and other sensors started your morning coffee and de-iced
    the windshield in your car.

    Here are some excerpts from the film:

    “Over the past century, but accelerating over the past
    couple of decades, we have seen the emergence of a kind of global data
    field. The planet itself – natural systems, human systems, and physical
    objects – have always generated an enormous amount of data, but we
    didn’t used to be able to hear it, to see it, or to capture it. Now we can
    because all of this stuff is now instrumented. And it’s all
    interconnected, so now we can actually have access to it. So, in
    effect, the planet has grown a central nervous system.

    Look at that complex set of relationships among all of these complex
    systems    . If we can actually begin to see the patterns in the data, then
    we have a much better chance of getting our arms around this. That’s
    where societies become more efficient, that’s where more innovation is
    sparked.

    When we talk about a smarter planet, you can say that it has two
    dimensions. One is to be more efficient, less destructive, and to
    connect different aspects of life which do affect each other in more
    conscious, deliberate and intelligent ways. But the other is also
    to generate fundamentally new insights, new activity, and new forms of
    social relations. So you could look at the planet as an information,
    creation and transmission system    , and the universe was hearing its
    information but we weren’t. But increasingly now we can, early days,
    baby steps days, but we can actually begin to hear the planet talking to
    us.”

    This framework applies to many other things (for example, trading and markets).  Expect to hear more about this type of insight and automation.

    Related articles by Zemanta
    Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

  • Finding Wisdom in Mountains of Data

    In this video, Gary Flake demos Pivot, a new way to browse and arrange massive amounts of images and data online. Built on breakthrough Seadragon technology, it enables spectacular zooms in and out of web databases, and the discovery of patterns and links invisible in standard web browsing.

    The big idea that this video demonstrates so well is that the whole of the data in which we consume is greater that the sum of the parts. And, instead of inducing information overload, new tools enable us to use information so that patterns pop and we can see trends that would otherwise be invisible.

    If we can do that, then, instead of being trapped in data, we might
    actually extract information. And, instead of dealing just with
    information, we can tease out knowledge. And if we get the knowledge,
    then maybe even there's wisdom to be found.

    Click here to view the transcript.

    This tool, and others like it, will have massive impact on businesses
    and the scale of projects they undertake.

    Related articles by Zemanta
    Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

  • Finding Wisdom in Mountains of Data

    In this video, Gary Flake demos Pivot, a new way to browse and arrange massive amounts of images and data online. Built on breakthrough Seadragon technology, it enables spectacular zooms in and out of web databases, and the discovery of patterns and links invisible in standard web browsing.

    The big idea that this video demonstrates so well is that the whole of the data in which we consume is greater that the sum of the parts. And, instead of inducing information overload, new tools enable us to use information so that patterns pop and we can see trends that would otherwise be invisible.

    If we can do that, then, instead of being trapped in data, we might
    actually extract information. And, instead of dealing just with
    information, we can tease out knowledge. And if we get the knowledge,
    then maybe even there's wisdom to be found.

    Click here to view the transcript.

    This tool, and others like it, will have massive impact on businesses
    and the scale of projects they undertake.

    Related articles by Zemanta
    Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

  • Why Cloud Computing Irks Larry Ellison, But Benefits You.

    The network is becoming the computer.

    Here is a short video that puts "Cloud Computing" in perspective.  In it, Ellison jokes that someone decided to change the word "Internet" to
    "Cloud" because it was a lot easier than innovation.


    Microsoft is spending a lot of time and money to make sure it does better gaining an early lead and monetizing this type of "Internet" service.  Their cloud computing platform is called Azure.

    Amazon also has a cloud offering worth a look. 

    Why Should You Care?

    Basically, you can “rent” a current version Windows Server for as little as 12 cents per hour, and only pay for the hours you need it each month. That’s $12 bucks to use 100 servers for an hour. You also pay for data transfer and storage, but that is negligible. The nice thing is that you can fire up an army of servers to run a batch process … then stop paying when they complete their work.

    You can get access even cheaper under a program where you bid on unused capacity within the cloud at any given time (Spot pricing). 

    I still have reservations about using cloud computing for many daily business applications. However, for “crunch on demand” processes … this model makes much more sense that investing in piles of hardware that all too soon becomes obsolete.

    Most of the data from this post comes from Tim McDonald, the president of Infassure, a technology consulting and out-sourcing company in the Dallas area.  They've been a big help to us on this, and many other matters.

  • Why Cloud Computing Irks Larry Ellison, But Benefits You.

    The network is becoming the computer.

    Here is a short video that puts "Cloud Computing" in perspective.  In it, Ellison jokes that someone decided to change the word "Internet" to
    "Cloud" because it was a lot easier than innovation.


    Microsoft is spending a lot of time and money to make sure it does better gaining an early lead and monetizing this type of "Internet" service.  Their cloud computing platform is called Azure.

    Amazon also has a cloud offering worth a look. 

    Why Should You Care?

    Basically, you can “rent” a current version Windows Server for as little as 12 cents per hour, and only pay for the hours you need it each month. That’s $12 bucks to use 100 servers for an hour. You also pay for data transfer and storage, but that is negligible. The nice thing is that you can fire up an army of servers to run a batch process … then stop paying when they complete their work.

    You can get access even cheaper under a program where you bid on unused capacity within the cloud at any given time (Spot pricing). 

    I still have reservations about using cloud computing for many daily business applications. However, for “crunch on demand” processes … this model makes much more sense that investing in piles of hardware that all too soon becomes obsolete.

    Most of the data from this post comes from Tim McDonald, the president of Infassure, a technology consulting and out-sourcing company in the Dallas area.  They've been a big help to us on this, and many other matters.