Gearheads: The Sterling Communications Blog

Back to the Future

2009-11-04T11:00:00-08:00

In the tech business, we’re always in a rush to get ahead. It’s all about speed to market. Keep moving, keep changing, keep innovating. Everything can be improved and is just Version 1.0 for something. History gets short shrift. But I’m a historian by inclination, if not profession. I agree with Santayana that those who forget the lessons of the past are condemned to repeat them. So if you’re interested in learning a little more about “the backstory” of our business, read on:

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42, Repeat

A seminal event in technology was observed last week, with relatively little fanfare: the “founding” of the Internet. On October 29, 1969, the first transmission over the ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet, occurred when a researcher at the UCLA computer lab sent an electronic message from his room-sized computer to a computer at the Stanford Research Institute. The purpose: to log into the SRI computer from UCLA. National Public Radio is running “an occasional series” called “The Internet @ 40” which looks at the people behind the Internet, its effect on our lives today, and predictions for the future. You can listen to the episode describing the events of October 29 (“’Lo’ and Behold: A Communication Revolution”), read the transcript or download the podcast.

Ripped from the Headlines … of 1910

I’m currently reading “Thunderstruck” by Erik Larson, published in 2006, which adheres to the patented Larson formula of two parallel stories, in alternating chapters: that of infamous Madame Tussaud’s denizen, the wife-filleter Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen, with that of Guglielmo Marconi, the Nobel Prize-winning Trivial Pursuit answer to “who invented radio?” (Larson previously wrote the bestseller “Devil in the White City” which cleverly juxtaposed the story behind the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893 with a serial killer operating in Chicago during the same time period.)

I admit I picked up the book to learn more about Dr. Crippen, familiar to me from dozens of references in Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and other 20th century mystery novels. I’ve found, though, that Marconi’s story has more relevance to my life today — a young entrepreneur travels to a foreign country to patent his dream technology, seek funding, fight off competitors, and secure customers, all the while struggling against an atmosphere of bubbling radical terrorism and hostility to immigrants. Sound familiar? One of my favorite expressions is la plus ça change, la plus c’est la même chose.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T08:57:36-08:00

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween over the weekend. Last Thursday, we broke out the Halloween music, candy and some wine and carved pumpkins. We all had a terrific time and above are three of our lovely creations. No wonder Sterling was named one of the top ten places to work by PR News!

While we're still in the Halloween spirit, I thought I'd also add a couple pics of my kiddos in costume.

Oh gay Paris...

2009-10-31T20:43:34-07:00

Last month when I had to travel to the East coast for business, I figured since I was half way to Europe, I would try to find a cheap flight to Paris. I hadn't been back to my favorite city in about 7 or 8 years and I thought it was high time to connect with my family and friends again. Since I could essentially kill two birds with one stone on this trip, it was a no-brainer and I bought my ticket.

While on the East coast, I attended the Cleantech Forum in Boston working for my client, the Cleantech Group where I met with many interesting Cleantech companies. I had also helped organize a sustainable event for Think London to assist with their 'Routeto2012' road show to attract U.S. green technology companies that are interested in leveraging the sustainable efforts of the 2012 Olympic games in London. Essentially, I had clean tech, green technology and sustainability on my brain when I arrived in Paris.

My friend's who I visited in Paris lived in the center of Paris, right across from the Pompidou. If you've ever been to Paris, you tend to be on an eternal high, at least I am, influenced by the ostentatious architecture as far as your eye can see, eating great food and with weather in the high 70's at the end of September, it was hard to beat. So, when I found out that my friend's didn't have an easy way to recycle plastic, bottles, etc. in their apartment building, I was shocked beyond disbelief. I couldn't imagine that this was possible in this day and age, especially coming from a first world country, where we should be leading by example.

My friend told me that there was no system in place in their apartment and the closest recycling station was a 10 min walk away. Ten to 15 years ago, this would have been acceptable. Today it's not. However, when my friend explained to me the situation, I understood him better and realized that in order for us to protect mother earth, not only do we have to educate ourselves and change our habits, but the systems that are in place need to be easy and efficient so they become second nature to us. Thankfully for me, I have a recycling and compost station right next to my apartment. It's become second nature for me to recycle everything I possibly can.

Working Remotely as a Growing Trend and a Saving Grace

2009-10-26T09:47:06-07:00

With the strides that society is making in technology it is not surprising to also see an evolution in the work environment of men and women. A decade ago it was necessary for employees to commute to the office every day. Fortunately, technology has offered us an alternative. Workers now have the flexibility to work remotely from places such as their home.

Recently, I had a close brush with a black and white furry creature that made me very grateful for this flexibility. I have gotten into the habit of jogging along a creek trail in the morning before work. In addition to the hordes of feral cats living along the trail, I have also come across a raccoon, a possum, and a couple of skunks.

One very dark morning I didn’t see the skunk until I heard a growling noise to my right. Turning quickly I was dismayed to see the wrong end of the skunk with its tail raised. Needless to say, I put on a burst of speed and don’t need to repeat the thoughts going through my head. Luckily for me, the skunk decided to play nice and didn’t spray.

It was as I was jogging home that I began to ponder what I would have done if things had turned out differently. My first thought was to wonder if the tomato juice remedy actually works. The second was to consider what I would have done about my job, since it is unlikely my colleagues would have welcomed me in the office. Several years ago I probably would have been forced to take the day off. Now, that would not have been necessary with the increasing resources that technology offers us.

Workers today have the luxury of enjoying greater mobility than the previous generation. Tools such as laptops, wireless Internet, email, communal servers and call forwarding allow employees to work from home, and still have access to all of the same resources that they would at the office.

As more and more people take advantage of this flexibility, it raises a question of how the work environment will look in another 10 or 20 years with even greater advances in technology. Will the physical offices of certain sectors of the workforce still remain, or will the growing trend of working remotely have caused them to become obsolete?

Like the Lady with the Mystic Smile

2009-10-15T23:48:43-07:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m fascinated when old mysteries are solved with new technologies.

The most recent example is the announcement this week that what was believed to be a 19th century German painting by an unknown artist is in reality an unsigned Leonardo da Vinci from the late 15th century — the first major da Vinci work to be identified in a century. Since there are only a couple of dozen paintings accepted as da Vincis, this carries the force of an atom bomb in the art world. (See all of the da Vincis, including the disputed ones, here courtesy Wikipedia.)

So what has changed to attribute the painting to the master? Well, improved carbon-dating techniques, fingerprinting and a multispectral infrared digital scanner all played a part. Apparently Leonardo left hand- and fingerprints on more than one painting, and new technologies enabled forensic specialists to match them to one discovered on the painting in question. There are some questions concerning one of the art experts (aren’t there always?) but evidence does seem to substantiate it being a true da Vinci. CNN and the Associated Press both offer a good overview of the story, and all will be explained, in detail, in a forthcoming book by an Oxford University da Vinci expert.

And oh, yeah – the painting sold at auction two years ago for $19,000. It’s now valued at a cool $150 million. A Bella Principessa, indeed!

Net Neutrality and Civil Discourse

2009-09-21T17:39:00-07:00

Today, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski gave a speech at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. addressing one of the most contentious issues facing the technology industry today - so-called "Net Neutrality". Stacey at Gigaom and Maggie Reardon at C/NET have both written excellent analysis of this speech and the potential policy ramifications.

We're all familiar with the two sides of this issue. One side wants the Internet completely open, so that all traffic is treated equally, regardless of the network it traverses - and they want laws and policies that reflect that. The other side feels that regulation of the Internet is unnecessary and that without the ability to manage their networks, consumers will face significantly degraded performance, while a tech-savvy minority dominate most of the Internet's capacity (a la BitTorrent).

For consumers, as well as companies like Netflix, Google, Skype and others, this was an important win that should result in policies that allow unfettered access any lawful content, application or service of their choice over the Internet. For carriers and ISPs, the impact is unclear, since the "reasonable network management" policies alluded to in the chairman's speech are unclear.

What is clear is that the tone of discussion around these issues is more rapidly degrading. I'm reminded of the debate on healthcare policy and how distortions, ad hominem attacks and vitrolic tirades seem to dominate. Many of the same people that complain to me about the distortions in the healthcare debate (and rightly so) go frothy at the mouth when it's suggested that carriers may need to prioritize and manage the traffic crossing the networks they built - a pretty reasonable request considering the billions that have been sunk into creating this infrastructure.

Now, I'll be the first to agree that trusting profit-driven organizations to always do the right thing without any oversight got us here. I also believe that we should have access to any application we choose. But we cannot ignore simple facts such as P2P's dominance of Web traffic, the impact of data-intensive applications on wireless networks, and that there are definitely bandwidth hogs that steal bandwidth from many less savvy consumers (among myriad other issues). Likewise, I think we can all agree that there isn't a bottomless pit of money that enables ISPs to immediately upgrade infrastructure while staying solvent.

The Obama administration seems to have approached this issue in a similar vein to healthcare - by taking the needs and issues of both sides into account. As responsible consumers, I think we also need to be aware that there are valid issues in this debate that are going unrecognized. And perhaps, if we want to make a truly informed decision, that we try to see both sides of the issue.

The Biggest Day in Book Publishing?

2009-09-17T17:54:10-07:00

As I anticipated in a previous blog post, Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol" was a huge seller on its release day Tuesday, with over 1 million copies snapped up by consumers who value plot twists over character development. Ka-ching! No surprise there. As Motoko Rich notes in her New York Times article, what is really interesting is that the Amazon Kindle edition actually outsold the hardback when excluding the pre-release orders, far surpassing expectations in the publishing world. Have we crossed the Rubicon in e-book popularity? How likely are YOU to buy an e-book over a traditional print book? Does it make a difference to you if it's a novel vs. a biography you'll keep for reference, or a school text book? Or are you only interested in an e-book reader for news publications?

So Dark the Con of Man

2009-09-03T02:40:36-07:00

If you understand my headline, then you are among the readers of the 80 million copies of “The Da Vinci Code” sold since 2003. Dan Brown’s eagerly anticipated new novel, “The Lost Symbol,” his first since “Da Vinci”, is scheduled for publication on Tuesday, September 15. The initial print run is five million copies, which is huge. Booksellers are salivating at the thought of the first blockbuster in fiction since Harry Potter sent Voldemort into Limbo two years ago.

Eighty million books must have wiped out a few forests. For that reason alone, it will be interesting to monitor the number of copies sold in electronic book form. The e-book version of “The Lost Symbol” goes on sale the same day as the hardback, an unusual event, in spite of rumored concerns that e-books could impact the sales of more expensive hardbacks. (Security of the publication embargo is also an issue.)

There has been a ton of publicity on e-book readers in the last few months. While various forms of the device have been around for a few years, they’ve really broken through the public consciousness in 2009. (In fact, my colleague Nicole Vanderhoof blogged on the topic in January.) That said, I have yet to see one, or if I have, I didn’t realize what it was. And maybe that’s why I’m not rushing out to buy one.

I can certainly see the advantage to e-book readers, especially when traveling— choosing the appropriate books, and an adequate number, to take with me on a trip requires careful consideration. My idea of Hell is to be caught without a book on public transportation or in a waiting room. I always, always carry reading material. An Amazon Kindle or Sony Reader would seem to be the perfect electronic device for me, yet I’m waiting to buy one, for several reasons:

Cost. Oh sure, if you amortize the price over years, blah, blah, blah. That doesn’t change the shock of the lump sum of several hundred dollars.
Eye fatigue. I find reading text on a lighted screen very tiring to my eyes. I already stare at a screen ten-plus hours a day.
Psychological barrier. I think of on-screen text as reading for work, and a physical book as reading for pleasure.
Bookstores. Love'em and want to keep as many of them around as possible.
Aesthetics. I love the feel of a book in my hands, the smell, the look of the binding and the jacket artwork. That is key. One of the reasons I read “The Da Vinci Code” was because the Mona Lisa on all those books in the hands of fellow airport strandees caught my eye. I saw the book jacket everywhere, and eventually, caught the fever. Books will have a much harder time “going viral” if people are reading soft copies on bland devices, as artwork is terribly important in the purchasing decision.

There is also the environmental impact of books and e-books to weigh. It sickens me to see the piles of trashy, transitory books that fill the shelves of discount bookstores and the paperback exchange near my mom’s house. I shouldn’t look down my considerable nose at other people’s reading taste, but what a waste of trees! I can’t understand how some books get the publication green light. So it’s interesting to read new research from our client, The Cleantech Group, which indicates that each e-book displaces 22.5 physical books. The carbon emitted in the lifecycle of a Kindle is fully offset after the first year of use. The Cleantech Group predicts that e-readers purchased over the next four years could prevent 9.9 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide in that time period.

September 15 — the tipping point in the adoption of e-books and e-book readers? O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint!

Education is the key to your environment

2009-08-31T22:26:24-07:00

As the Cleantech Forum® XXIII, September 8-10 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition event organized by the Cleantech Group (our client) is fast approaching, I often wonder how will the presenting companies and the new emphasis on capital efficiency, and engaging governments help drive the second cleantech investment boom? More importantly, how will they impact us, consumers, and our environment?

It is with these thoughts, that I ran across this great article from Philippe Cousteau, Jr. about 5 green things consumers can do to protect our planet and oceans. After reading this article, it became clear to me that although technology plays a major role in helping us reduce our carbon emissions and protect our planet, educating consumers on smarter ways to conserve and protect energy sources are equally important, if not more important. As Cousteau so eloquently put it, "Consumer issues are one of the most important places we intersect with choices that make a difference—not just for the environment, but for our health, for our kids, and for our families." With that thought I leave you to reflect on: What 5 things are you going to do personally to protect mother earth?

Even a recession can bring happiness if you take action…

2009-08-31T21:45:24-07:00

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been spending more time at home and not going out as much to eat or socialize. With more time on my hands, I read more, something I enjoy very much, and ran across this great article that Guy Kawasaki tweeted about on 10 instant tips to be happier now. All of the 10 suggestions were very insightful, in particular the last one, which was all about taking time in your life to reflect and taking action on things you've always wanted to do.

For a few months now, I’d been thinking about renovating my apartment, but didn’t do anything about it as I couldn’t justify spending money in these uncertain times. However, the more time I spent at home, the more I felt like I needed to make a change. For some reason I was stuck and the timing just wasn’t right. After reading this article, I felt like there was no better time then NOW to start my flat renovations. It gave me the nudge that I so needed. And, coupled with that Liam Rose, one of my colleagues, who has an eye for design and style offered to help me, I had no reason to procrastinate any longer.

Liam assured me that we could overhaul my apartment cost effectively. Too my big surprise, he was right. He introduced me to TJ Maxx , which is a great store for bargain hunters. After only a few hours of shopping, moving furniture and redecorating, we had renovated my flat and it looked brand new. There was a new surge of energy to my space and to me as well. It just goes to show that a little can go a long way. As I sit in my newly decorated flat, I often ask myself, why did I wait so long to start my happiness project? I guess, sometimes you just need the right people and circumstances in your life to take action.