From English Major to MBA

Mass Exodus from Google

2010-11-11T07:29:00.000-08:00

Very Interesting!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704804504575606871487743724.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Doximity

2010-10-29T18:27:00.001-07:00

http://orthoonc.com/2010/10/17/an-exclusive-interview-with-doximity-ceo-jeff-tangney/

Friday Funny: Loving Our Computers

2010-10-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

Motivational Monday: Seeing with New Eyes

2010-10-11T07:14:00.000-07:00

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust

The 2010 Noble prizes go to people making new things.

Read Here

Terremark CEO Brings Cloud Computing Down to Earth

2010-10-09T18:32:00.001-07:00

“The cloud computing trend is boosting tech stocks like Terremark Worldwide, which is widely outperforming the Nasdaq this year. Manuel Medina, CEO of Terremark, talks to the fast money crew.”

Google: The Real Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum

2010-10-08T07:04:00.000-07:00

Professor Clemmons posed an interesting question on my last post, Be a Good Digirati: Go Ask GYM,

Prof Susan said...

: What happens if GYM has the wrong answer? Any answer may not be the right answer.

... and I came to the conclusion that I hadn't even considered that!

Google has become so ubiquitous in our everyday lives that the possibility of it providing the wrong answer was INCONCEIVABLE!

In this day and age, where people have turned "Google" into a verb, have we forgotten to question the validity of what is printed on the page ... correction ... screen.

In the olden times (ten or fifteen years ago even), when authors considered print as their only option of disseminating their life's work across the world, there were fact checkers laboring over stacks of reference books, held down in the basements of publishing houses painstakingly assuring that the facts were incontrovertibly right before the letters went on the printed page.

But now, in the time of Google-ing, are there still fact checkers that even use books ... or do they all just use Google?

Who is to say it's even right!

There is no on policing the internet for malevolent facts out to give us bad information. What's to stop anyone, anyone at all, from creating a website and posting all sorts of information. Who checks the facts in Wikipedia for correctness and validity, where anyone can add or delete from it, and we govern ourselves?

I like to think of it as a chrono-synclastic infundibulum.

The way Vonnegut described it, in the The Sirens of Titan is:

"those places ... where all the different kinds of truths fit together."

Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

In the book, a character is telling a child a bed time story about two fathers that live on different sides of the universe and they both know the all the answers to all things but if you put them together, in a Chrono-Synclastic Infundibulum, and started a discussion they would never agree on a single thing and they would both always still be right.

I like to see it, in the end, as that there are many shades of truth.

But the reality is there are right answers and there are wrong answers ... and Google has been wrong before, as evidenced here. Very wise of Google to admits it's limitations.

I guess in the end, we should take Google's advice the same way we take all advice ... with a grain of salt.

It's that time again!

2010-10-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's that time again!

It's on!!!

Be a Good Digirati: Go Ask GYM

2010-10-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

What did you learn from this session that surprised you?

While watching Identity 2.0: Who Are We Now? I was struck by Dick Hardt's comment about the Digirati and asking GYM.

For those of you not in the know, GYM is a acronym for Google, Yahoo, MSN. The three gods of the internet question. They are who we ask when we have a doubt, a strange itch or wonder what makes the sky blue.

Things have changed.

Fifty ... Thirty ... Twenty.

Yes, Twenty years ago we didn't ask GYM. Twenty years ago we had no choice but to ask the people we trusted, people we admired. We turned to family: Mom and Dad. Our teachers. Our friends ... the inner circle. Our tribe.

When did GYM become everything to everyone?

How did we transition from asking our Tribe to turning to the Digirati?

Do the two have to be mutually exclusive?

Do we ask these questions of GYM because we are embarrassed to ask the questions of our tribe? Do we think we will lose credibility with them if we show them we are vulnerable and that we don't know every answer to every little thing? Do we fear they will think less of us?

Things have transitioned. Changed. Evolved.

I am the Digirati of my tribe. I am the one my friends come to asking about computer issues and possibilities and explanations. The one that helps when a computer crashes at 11 o'clock at night and they have a paper/presentation/project due the next morning. But if everyone is asking GYM, will I no longer be needed?

Things will transition again. Change again. Evolve again.

They always do.

Go ask GYM, they'll tell you too!

Motivational Monday: Fruits

2010-10-04T19:17:00.001-07:00

If you want to change the fruits, you will first have to change the roots. If you want to change the visible, you must first change the invisible! -T Harv Eker

Friday Funnies: Social Networking Vs. Reality

2010-10-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

ELIZA, The Computer Therapist

2010-09-30T06:05:00.000-07:00

No, not me.

An actual computer program ... named after a character in George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion (Sometimes better know for it's Movie version, My Fair Lady) in which Eliza Doolittle (no relation) is a working-class woman who is taught to speak 'properly' in the hopes of fooling some members of the upper class into believing that she is one of them.

But ELIZA, the Computer Therapist is actually an early attempt at making computers that think.

Check her out, HERE

You type stuff in and it responds. Some of the answers make you forget your talking to a computer. It's pretty neat!

She hasn't passed the Turing Test (which tests a computers ability to demonstrate intelligence ... Saw it Numb3rs) but she's still an interesting thought experiment to play with.

The Future According to Ray Kurzweil [Research]

2010-09-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

Artificial intelligence and robotics

Robots capable of manual labour tasks--
- 2015–2020 – every South Korean household will have a robot and many European, The Ministry of Information and Communication (South Korea), 2007^[2]
- 2018 – robots will routinely carry out surgery, South Korea government 2007^[2]
- 2022 – intelligent robots that sense their environment, make decisions, and learn are used in 30% of households and organizations – TechCast^[3]
- 2030 – robots capable of performing at human level at most manual jobs Marshall Brain^[4]
- 2034 – robots (home automation systems) performing most household tasks, Helen Greiner, Chairman of iRobot, 2004^[5]
Military robots
- 2015 – one third of US fighting strength will be composed of robots – US Department of Defense, 2006^[6]
- 2035 – first completely autonomous robot soldiers in operation – US Department of Defense, 2006^[6]

Developments related to robotics from the Japan NISTEP ^[7] 2030 report :
- 2013-2014 – agricultural robots (AgRobots^[8], ^[9]).
- 2013–2017 – robots that care for the elderly
- 2017 – medical robots performing low-invasive surgery
- 2017–2019 – household robots with full use.
- 2019–2021 – Nanorobots
- 2021–2022 – Transhumanism

Artificial intelligence
- 2019 – $1,000 computer will match the processing power of the human brain – Ray Kurzweil^[10]
- 2020 – Artificial Intelligence reaches human levels – Arthur C. Clarke^[11]
- 2045 – The Singularity (creation of the first ultraintelligent machine) occurs – Ray Kurzweil^[12]
- 2050 – computer costing a few hundred pounds will have the capacity of the human mind – Hans Moravec^[13]
- 2055 – $1,000 computer will match the processing power of all human brains on Earth – Ray Kurzweil^[10]

Biology and medicine

Visual prosthetics
- 2011 – digital devices with implantable parts (Joseph Reger, Fujitsu-Siemens Technology Director, 2007,^[14])
Use of animal organs for transplantation (xenotransplantation)
- 2010 – practical use of such animal donors in surgery (same source)
Regenerative medicine
- Widespread use for most tissues and organs – 2020 (Federal Initiative for Regenerative Medicine)^[15]
- 2014–2024 – (International Association of Biomedical Gerontology, 2004) – comprehensive functional rejuvenation of middle-aged mice^[16]
Cloning of dinosaurs
- 2023 – Arthur C. Clarke^[11]
Reverse engineering of human brain
- 2025 – Ray Kurzweil, 2005^[17]

Communications

All communications are IP-based
- 2014 – Paul Mockapetris, inventor of the DNS system, 2004^[18]

Computing

10 petaFLOPS supercomputer (the amount required to simulate the human brain according to Kurzweil)
- 2010 – NEC, Tokyo Institute of Technology^[19]
- 2012 – Riken^[20]
1 zettaFLOPS supercomputer
- 2032 – University of Notre Dame^[21]
User interface
- 2013 – voice control replace keyboard/mouse interface for 30% of routine tasks – TechCast^[3]

Culture and leisure

Entertainment channels
- 2010 – 30% by value of U.S. music, movies, games, and other entertainment is sold online – TechCast^[3]
Virtual reality
- 2025 – full immersion virtual reality using direct input to the brain becomes available – Arthur C. Clarke^[11]
- 2030 – virtual reality allows any type of interaction with anyone, regardless of physical proximity – Ray Kurzweil^[10]
Sport
- 2050 – a team of fully autonomous humanoid robots can win against the human world soccer champion team – RoboCup, 1997^[22]

Demographics

World population exceeds 7 billion
- 2013 – U.S. Census Bureau^[23]
- 2013 – United Nations^[24]
World population exceeds 8 billion
- 2026 – U.S. Census Bureau^[23]
- 2028 – United Nations^[24]
World population exceeds 9 billion
- 2043 – U.S. Census Bureau^[23]
- 2054 – United Nations^[24]
World population exceeds 10 billion
- 2183 – United Nations^[24]
Other demographic milestones
- 2020 – world average life expectancy of new-born child exceeds 70 years – World Resources Institute^[25]
- 2030 – number of people aged 65 or older exceeds 1 billion – Ray Hammond^[26]
- 2030 – new-born child in developed country has life expectancy of 130 years – Ray Hammond^[26]
- 2045 – world average life expectancy of new-born child exceeds 75 years – World Resources Institute^[25]

Energy

Peak oil – global oil production peaks
- 2010 – Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas^[27]
- 2011 – Colin Campbell, Oil Depletion Analysis Centre^[28]
- 2013 – French government report^[29]
Other energy milestones
- 2020 – U.S. carbon emission market exceeds $1 trillion – New Carbon Finance^[30]
- 2023 – alternatives to carbon-based fuels provide 30% of all energy used worldwide – TechCast^[3]

Environment

Arctic shrinkage – arctic ice-free in summer
- 2013 – Professor Wieslaw Maslowski, U. S. Naval Postgraduate School^[31]
- 2040 – National Center for Atmospheric Research^[32]
Arctic shrinkage – arctic ice-free all year
- 2020 – Ted Scambos, National Snow and Ice Center^[33]
Other environmental milestones
- 2098 – coral cover on Great Barrier Reef drops below 10% – Dr Eric Wolanski, James Cook University^[34]

Nanotechnology

Nanomachines in commercial use
- 2019 – nanotechnology is used in 30% of commercial products – TechCast^[3]
- 2020 – nanomachines in soldier armor controlled by on-board computer can change the properties of fabric from flexible to bullet-proof, treat wounds and filter out chemical and biological weapons, nanomuscle fibers can provide an exoskeleton. US Army, estimates from The Vision 2020 Future Warrior project, 2004
Universal replicator is developed
- 2040 – Arthur C. Clarke^[11]

Politics and economics

World economic growth
- 2015 - Brazil becomes the world's fifth largest economy, surpassing France, UK and Italy - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ^[35]
- 2016 – China's GDP exceeds that of Japan – National Intelligence Council^[36]
- 2025 – one billion dollar-millionaires worldwide – James Canton, The Extreme Future^[37]
- 2032 – India's GDP exceeds that of Japan – National Intelligence Council^[36]
- 2041 – China's GDP exceeds that of US – Goldman Sachs,^[38] Price Waterhouse Coopers^[39]

Transportation

Hybrid vehicles
- 2013 – hybrid powered cars make up 30% of the new car market – TechCast^[3]
Self-driving cars
- 2030 – all cars travelling on major roads under control of satellite and roadside control systems – Ray Hammond^[26]

Space

Asteroid mining
- 2024 – Peter Diamandis, founder of Ansari X Prize, 2004^[40]
Human landing on Mars
- 2020 – MIT's Aeronautics and Astronautics department, 2005^[41]^[42]
- 2021 – Arthur C. Clarke^[11]
- 2025 – a permanent Mars colony, 4Frontiers, 2005^[43]
- 2030 – TechCast^[3]
Near light speed travel
- 2095 – Arthur C. Clarke^[11]
Return to the Moon
- 2015 – Russian plans – Energia Corporation (2006)^[44]
- 2020 – NASA plans first return to the Moon and moon colony no later than 2020 (2006)^[45]
- 2024 – Chinese plans (2006)^[46]
Space elevator
- 2020 – Bradley C. Edwards (head of Institute for Scientific Research), 2004^[47]
Space tourism and private spaceflight
- 2011 – space flights become available to the public – Arthur C. Clarke^[11]
- 2013 – "space cruiser” takes a group of tourists outside of the Earth’s atmosphere – TechCast^[3]
- 2024 – "many thousands of people being able to afford" visiting orbital hotels, Burt Rutan, 2004^[48]
Unmanned mission returns samples from Mars
- 2020 – NASA^[49]

Facebook is Not Your Blog [Article]

2010-09-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

Facebook is Not Your Blog

http://www.blogworld.com/2010/08/31/facebook-is-not-your-blog/

Thoughts on the value of a Facebook profile over that of a well created blog.

Caveat: I do not have a Facebook Profile. I once did but I deleted it considering that it is an inane pass time but I do recognize that it does have a certain amount of business value.

The Magic of the Internet

2010-09-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

Milton Friedman once said "The most important ways in which I think the Internet will affect the big issue is that it will make it more difficult for government to collect taxes".

Or at least that is attributed to Milton Friedman on various sources on the World Wide Web.

But that's the tricky part about the internet.

It's never easy to tell if someone said something or someone else is just saying that they said something or if it is being paraphrased or taken out of context or even a flat out lie.

It makes it tricky to know who and what to trust.

But the reality is the internet is boundless. It can open doors and remove limits. You can chat with old friends around the world or solidify business relationships down the street. Creativity seems to be it's only limit. Whatever the mind can conceive the mind can achieve and create and conjure almost like magic.

What would the Shaman's of Old think if they were presented with a source of information as influential as the internet?

I'm certain they would consider it a powerful source of magic!

But then the question would be would it be a source of Good Magic or Bad?

What are your thoughts?