Infographic of the Day: Chronology Of Important Tech Inventions

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Graphic on Tech Revolution

Infograph from dvice.com

Although there have been controversial discussions on the usefulness of infographics the one published on dvice.com from Rackspace Hosting, via Daily Infographic is nicely summarizing how each generation enjoys a technology revolution.

What the graph does not mention though is that fact that the arrival of any new technology is greeted with skepticism, warnings, rejection and that it mostly takes a generation to be accepted.

When gas light was introduced everybody warned about the fatal consequences of a gas leak and an explosion. When the electric light came, people warned from the extreme brightness that will damage the eyes and the danger of electric shocks and advised to stay with gas light. Same story with the advent of fluorescent light and now with LED lights.

Radio waves were seen as similarly damaging. Although most people now accept radio waves from FM and TV stations there is still wide spread fear of high frequency radio waves as used for mobile telephony. Just recently I read an article on intelligent meters and the problems with their introduction since they use mobile data connections to call home to the utility.

‘Nuff said. Enjoy the infographic — click on the picture to retrieve it in a readable size.

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Clouds Shine Through the Fog: CloudBursting

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Cloud computing.

Image by Miran Rijavec via Flickr

This article was recently shared on LinkedIn: Future of cloud computing … more clouds. Seriously. | LinkedIn.

It describes Forrester‘s take on the concept of virtual virtual (virtual**2) machines where users can move apps and data easily and freely between cloud service providers (a.k.a. CloudBursting). It also discusses purchase models of such services from brokers.

The lack of standardization is still in the way of the rapid adoption of such models but too early standardization might just be in the way of progress, as Sixto Ortiz Jr. writes in his article “The Problem with Cloud-Computing Standardization” in the July 2011 issue of the IEEE publication Computer.

Is Cloud Computing just getting foggier? Are we already in the middle of the cloud? Can we see the clouds through the fog?

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Jonathan Livingston Seagull the Robot

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Bionic and Traditional Seagull

Bionic and biological Seagull (source: spectrum.ieee.org)

Festo‘s SmartBird robotic seagull is barely four months old, but already it’s flown (or we should probably assume, been flown) from Germany to Edinburgh for the 2011 TEDGlobal conference.

Festo has a fairly fascinating, frankly fantastical, and frequently full-on fabulous history with the robotic systems that they develop in partnership with universities and research groups as part of their Bionic Learning Network. In the past, we’ve seenflying penguins and jellyfish, as well as bio-inspired manipulators like this one.

Festo’s Markus Fischer, the SmartBird project leader, presented a short talk about SmartBird, along with a couple live demonstrations of the robot, complete with a few friendly dive-bombings. (Quotes from Robot Bird Causes Sensation — IEEE Spectrum).

Be careful — the next dropping on your shoulder might be battery acid or lubricating grease.

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Will SuperCooperation Beat Command-and-Control in the Network Age?

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Within the last couple of days I read two articles, a book review and a printed blog. Both were published at completely different places but reading them in a timely context made me see some interesting connection between the two.

Martin nowak

Martin Novak (Image via Wikipedia)

The book review was about  “SuperCooperators: Altruism, Evolution, and Why We Need Each Other to Succeed. By Martin Nowak and Roger Highfield” (the link is to the Amazon page of the book with a content summary and reviews). The book marks a breakaway from the traditional picture of the “survival of the fittest” in today’s biology which often is wrongly interpreted to be the survival of the strongest individual (rather than species). Instead it explains the important role of cooperation in evolution. Here a quote from the book’s preface:

Continue reading →

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Twenty Years of World Wide Web!

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Tim Berners Lee creator of the WWW

Tim Berners-Lee Creator of the WWW (Source: hennimaniac.he.funpic.de)

August 6 marks the 20th anniversary of the world-wide web. It was the day when Tim Berners Lee and Robert Cailliau (both researchers at CERN) published a description of the world-wide web project and the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) in the usenet group alt.hypertext and asked the readers to “try it.” I had the honor to meet both gentlemen when in 1995 I gave the first lecture on Java at CERN and I received the WWW needle (see logo below) as a token of appreciation from Robert Cailliau .

WWW's

Image via Wikipedia

It is almost unbelievable what happened in those 20 years. The protocol allowed small programs on all kind of computers (now called browsers) to access information on other computers which was presented using that protocol. One of the first browsers was Mosaic, developed in 1993 by Marc Andreesen and Eric Bina.

How little the web was integrated into our daily life can be told in a story, which I experienced in 1995: I predicted at the Basler Mediengruppe Conference in Interlaken (50 Swiss newspapers and magazines) that classified ads will migrate to the web and that advertisement posters will soon carry URL’s. The audience of about 100 journalists burst into a roaring laughter. The speaker after me then reassured the audience that this “internet thing” is a tech freak hype which will disappear as fast as we saw it coming. Never –he remarked–people will go to the internet to search for classified ads and he also told that never print media will carry these ugly URL’s. Anyway the total readership of the Web in Switzerland at that time, as he mentioned, was less than that of the “Thuner Tagblatt“, the local newspaper of the neighboring town. It is interesting to note though that in 1998 (if my memory is correct) the same gentleman officially launched the first Swiss website for online advertisement and online classified ads (today SwissClick AG).

NCSA Mosaic Web Browser

Mosaic Browser Logo

Mosaic Browser Memorial Plaque

Mosaic Browser Memorial Plaque (Wikipedia)

Many articles have been written on the history of the web. It is incredible how much we take it for granted today. When did you last buy a time-table for the train? When did you last go to a travel agency to find out crossing times and availability of ferries? When did you last open a dictionary to search for a word? When did you last walk to a library to look up a reference? When did you last consult a phone book to look up a number? When did you buy your last multi-volume encyclopedia? When did you last buy a CD (well–let’s not go there . . .)?

I can’t believe it’s been mere 20 years. Since then a whole generation has grown to adulthood  and they ask “you had no web those days? But you did have electricity?”

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Visible Light Communication An Alternative to Wifi?

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Project Omega

An interesting alternative to WiFi in the home is the use of LED lamps where the network signal can be modulated on the light beam (Visible Light Communication, VLC) resulting in data transfers of  1GB/s.

Project Omega, the Home Gigabit Access Project is a project in the EU’s FP7 framework. The interdisciplinary project consortium consists of 20 European partners from industry and academia.

So the next time an Audi is blinking with his LED lights on the Autobahn behind you he might just want to send you a tweet.

It will be easy now to tell the kids that surfing time is over by just switching off the light at night . . .

Home: Omega.

Dropped ceiling equipped with LED lighting

Image via Wikipedia

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Cloud computing: Over 30% in energy savings — Cleantech News and Analysis

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Diagram showing three main types of cloud comp...

Image via Wikipedia

Yes–there are issues with security, availability, and privacy in the cloud, but these will have to be managed (cf. some of the links below). The energy aspect is usually not brought to the table in the current discussions on Cloud Computing.

But it is an important aspect (and added benefit) of cloud computing–the achievable savings in energy consumption. Our computing centers are using a significant amount of energy today. Anything that can be done to reduce energy consumption will benefit our planet and cut costs of operation. See the report quoted below.

Cloud computing could lead to billions in energy savings — Cleantech News and Analysis.

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Apple deals massive patent blow to HTC, Android in serious trouble | ZDNet

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Apple Logo 

A post by Robert Ciampa made me aware of this development. This time it seems that Tell is getting shot by the apple . . .

See the article on ZDNet: Apple deals massive patent blow to HTC, Android in serious trouble | ZDNet.

This will be interesting to follow. As a user of an HTC Sensation I am somewhat worried.

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Swiss ICT Award: Public Award is Open for Voting

Posted on July 17, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Update: On Oct. 18th the Swiss ICT Award ceremony took place. See the new blog entry.
Lucerne

As in earlier years I have the honor to serve as Jury member of the Swiss ICT Award. The Swiss ICT Award is an important and internationally recognised prize for first-class ICT services and products by Swiss companies. There are three categories for the award – “Champion”, “Newcomer” and “Public”. The ceremony will be presented on October 18, 2011 in the Kultur- und Kongresszentrum (KKL) in Lucerne, Switzerland by feature finalists, the jury, and representatives of the association and ICT industry in Switzerland.

Logo Swiss ICT AwardVoting for the Public Award is now open for readers of the “Swiss IT Magazine” on the voting page. By voting you can win a ride in the bob run through the ice channel in St.Moritz/Celerina.

Olympia Bob Run St. Moritz-Celerina

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Identity Adventures From the Digital/Analogue Frontline

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Digital SignatureA few days ago I received communication from my domain provider with a bill, which was signed electronically. The paragraph referring to this read:

“Als Anlage finden Sie eine neue Rechnung als .pdf-Datei mit digitaler Signatur (Rechnungsnummer: xxxxxxxxxxxxx).

Bei der Signatur handelt es sich um eine rechtsverbindliche Signatur nach dem Signaturgesetz (SigG). Somit erfüllt die Rechnung die gesetzlichen Vorschriften nach §14 Umsatzsteuergesetz.

Unter diesem Link können Sie die Signatur jederzeit prüfen: http://www.united-domains.de/digitale-signatur/“

[As attachment you will find a new invoice as .pdf file with a digital signature (invoice #).

The signature is legally binding after the signature law (SigG). With that the invoice fulfills the legal requirements according to §14 VAT law.

You can check the signature any time at the link given.]

I sent a reply letter in which I canceled one of the domains which I will not need anymore. I used their PDF form and signed it electronically with my SuisseID.

SuisseID

SuisseID Logo

Continue reading →

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The Two Faces of Hacking – IEEE Spectrum

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Hacker image

Image from SerpentsEmbrace.Wordpress.com

The Two Faces of Hacking – IEEE Spectrum.

Interesting Article in the IEEE Spectrum with a matrix plot of recent attacks with scales from low to high impact and from simple to innovative. On the article page you can even click on the individual points in the matrix to learn more about each incident.

Hack Matrix

IEEE Hack Matrix

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Apps: Are We on the Wrong Tack?

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

The iOS home screen.

Image via Wikipedia

Everybody loves them. The little apps that you can download to your pad or smartphone that make life so much easier.

But why should I download an app that allows me to read Der Spiegel or 20minutes? What happened to the web?

I for my part use the device web browser bookmark features to get quick access to the news pages. I see no advantage of these news apps over direct use of a browser.

But what with all the other apps, the little tools that are so useful to us?

Here are some of the issues I see with downloaded apps: Continue reading →

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A 508 Year Old Painting Brought To Life

Posted on July 13, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Art and Technology combined can lead to beautiful results. Here an installation by Mat Collishaw where he animates the 1503 painting of Albrecht Dürer, “Das große Rasenstück” (Great Piece of Turf) in a LCD/PC installation called “Whispering Weeds” and brings the painting to life by having the stalks move in the wind.

I think this is a beautiful example of bringing art and technology together. I always liked Dürer’s painting and own a reproduction of it. The “video” taken with a smartphone (HTC Desire HD) at the Art|42|Basel (2011) in the exhibition Art Unlimited  plays as an endless loop and leaves a very serene impression. The sound is not part of the video and was added by me.

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Puzzle: Warped Turboprop Propeller Blades

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

I recently took these two picture from the window of a Dash-10 Turboprop. Camera: HTC Desire HD. I can assure that the blades looked normal to the naked eye. Any explanation on the observed warping of the propeller blades in the pictures?

Puzzle solved:

Oscar Gemperle sent me the solution as explained in another blog:
http://blog.alexbeutel.com/135/image-aliasing-of-plane-propellers-in-photos-and-video/

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Should I Work for Free?

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Should I Work for Free?. This graph helps in making such a decision with a touch of humor.

Having been paid by a big corporation I was able for many years to do a lot of voluntary work in pre-sales, with partners, working in committees, associations and on boards. But times changed — not only for me.

It has become more and more difficult to find people to work voluntarily. In Switzerland we have a lot of organizations depending on what we call here the Milizsystem. But the problem seen by some that you get the people willing to cooperate that have the time and not those who could most contribute. Do you see similar tendencies in your environment? What is your take on this?

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Cloud Computing: From Designer Clothes To Prêt-à-Porter

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Cloud computing icon

Image via Wikipedia

Today I read the June issue of the “Informatik Spektrum” (Organ of the German Informatics Society). It has a contribution by Prof. Gunter Dueck titled “Cloudwirbel” (cloud vortex). Gunter Dueck regularly publishes a column in this periodical under the header “DUECK-ß-INSIDE, many with a good sense of humor. Here a few of his thoughts on the future of cloud computing:

  • Cloud Computing is growing extremely fast but the press is repeating the argument that it is only a hype and that it is not secure
  • The textile industry adapted to the fact that washing machines will wash with 30˚, 60˚, 90˚C (in Fahrenheit this reads cold, warm, hot) and produces fabrics accordingly
  • Industry around the car provided an opportunity for companies like Carglass, Pit-Stop etc. They pick the easy tasks from car maintenance (batteries, tires, exhaust, brake shoes, windows), offer these for a very competitive price and leave the complex stuff to the other garages
  • We are observing similar trends in the medical field where semi-automatized labs perform immunizations, blood tests, dental checkups at low-cost
  • IT has this kind of revolution still ahead of itself. IT professionals will fight this development since it will cost some of their jobs
  • Industrialization will come to IT. Services will come with price tags. CFO’s will look at public clouds and ask why the own IT is so much more expensive
  • Pay-per-use will allow to rent an application for one-time usage at a fraction of cost
  • The cultural shock: IT will turn into a self-service store or mall offering apps with price tags
He finishes the article by quoting himself at a recent podium discussion: “Make up your mind and invest the extraordinary amount of EUR 10.- to order a full computer in a cloud and try it out. Make contact with this ‘extraterrestrial,’ feel how secure or insecure it feels once your data are up there. Feels similar to e-Banking? Stop with the Angst! Be prepared.”
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I finally made up my mind . . .

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Hellmuth Broda

Hellmuth Broda

Hellmuth

. . . to start my own blog. Whenever I read articles on the web or in trade magazines I think I should really tell George, Lisa, or Peter about this. Or that it would be worthwhile for several of my friends or colleagues to hear about this. But then as the day goes on I have to follow-up on other things and often don’t get around to write this email.

Additionally, there is an interesting rule in cyberspace: Whenever you write an email with some enclosure to several people, email is the wrong medium. Following this I decided today (after reading several interesting articles–it is a Sunday) to start my blog and make my findings (and rantings) known to my friends and followers.

This blog will usually be on interesting stuff I found on the boundary between business and technology; what I see as novel developments and what could be beneficial for most of us.

Are you writing a blog yourself? Any advice on things to do, to avoid?

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