Planet Mars, Can Current Technology Get Us There? (video)

Mars Travel: Can Current Technology Get Us There? -

Bas Lansdorp, co-founder and CEO of Mars One, and Helen Greiner, CEO of CyPhy Works and co-founder of iRobot, discuss the efforts to put a human colony on Mars with Pimm Fox on "Taking Stock." (Source: Bloomberg--Oct 10)

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Technology, Work, Habits - over time (video)

THE EVOLUTION OF THE DESK -

How from the eighties till now our working instruments and habits are changed, visually, technologically and substantially. 

Produced byBest Reviews: original source: http://bestreviews.com#reviews

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Peter Thiel says HP, Yahoo, aren't Technology Companies Anymore (video)

Peter Thiel: Yahoo Isn't a Technology Company Anymore -

Palantir Co-Founder Peter Thiel discusses Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard. He speaks with Bloomberg's Emily Chang on “Studio 1.0.” (Source: Bloomberg--Sept 17)

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WTF! Once a Plane Flies Offshore Over Water, Nobody Knows Where It Is!

Quite an air safety infrastructure, and technology, we have in 2014! Once a plane takes off over water, apparently, no one knows where it is, or where it goes. Some (Malaysia military*) say MH370 [Malaysia Airlines flight 370] crashed in the Malacca Straits. Others say no, it crashed hundreds of miles away from there into the Gulf of Thailand. With all due respect, does all of this sound like some US government program or what? [cf. Obamacare a/k/a healthcare.gov -- $500 million spent for a failed website] Clueless, inept, incompetent? Take your pick.

The FAA, and the rest of the aeronautical government-industrial complex, is stuck in a 1950s-1960s time warp. Outdated technology, and unwilling to update to 21st century technology like GPS, satellite tracking, etc. This would all be laughable but for the human tragedy involved. Everybody is in charge/nobody is in charge of our outdated aeronautical global standards and infrastructure. Yet we have billions to trillions of dollars to waste spying on our own innocent citizens, invading Iraq, etc. Talk about misplaced priorities. Washington doesn't need more tax money. It needs to reallocate and start spending taxpayer funds like a wise steward. Stewardship--something they know nothing about inside the beltway.

Happy flying!

*source: Mystery Malaysia flight may have been hundreds of miles off course - CNN.com

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Productivity, Technology, Economic Growth

13q4 Technology

“the recent low productivity readings and the weak labor market are primarily symptoms of an economy slowly recovering from the greatest recession and financial crisis since the Great Depression. In this view, technological innovation has not plateaued or become permanently depressed, nor are we on the precipice of massive labor-displacing technological revolution. Economic growth in the long run will be driven by produc-tivity increases, and thus by technology. The debate between techno-pessimists and techno-optimists is not going away” (source supra)
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Flying the idiotic US Government Skies

Review & Outlook: Flying the Government Skies - WSJ.com: "The FAA still uses ground radar and voice-based communications that were the best technology the 1950s had to offer. Many planes are now equipped with advanced avionics that enable more direct and precise flight paths, but they aren't allowed to fly these faster, safer routes because the FAA can't track their navigation methods."

The idiots in charge of the FAA in Washington should be thrown out! They are less than inept and incompetent. 1950s technology is the best the FAA can do in 2013???

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Santa Clara County economy best performing

Santa Clara County economy ranked best performing - SiliconValley.com: ""The economy is impressive in the South Bay," said Jeffrey Michael, director of the Stockton-based Business Forecasting Center at University of the Pacific. "You not only have strong job growth, but you also have income growth in the South Bay." Silicon Valley may not produce as much tech equipment as it once did, but much of the world's output is envisioned and designed there, the report determined. The latest technology wave is powered by social media, mobile devices, clean tech, and "big-data analytics," the report stated. "Silicon Valley is still a powerhouse in Internet search, communications, networking, semiconductor and computer design, medical technology, telecom . . . ." Top 10 metro regions for 2012 in the Milken Institute report:

1. San Jose
2. Austin, Texas
3. Raleigh, N.C.
4. Houston
5. Washington, D.C.
6. Salt Lake City
7. Provo, Utah
8. Cambridge, Mass.
9. Charleston, S.C.
10. Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas

The further down the list that Washington DC drops, the better the economy is performing.

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Obama's speech on Election Night: One Sentence of Hope for Tech

A simple sentence--but perhaps provides hope for technology, innovation, and internet freedom unfettered by government instrusion, obstruction, and limitation--

Obama's speech on Election Night: The full text - San Jose Mercury News: "A country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow."

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Is France a "Luddite" nation?

This is a classic example of old media and government (in this case the French government) joining together to thwart innovation and new technology (in this case Google) merely because it "upsets" the "established order."  Watch Jeff Jarvis enlighten the French and turn the question around: "Are old media and government too powerful?"

Is Google too powerful? - FRANCE 24: "Is Google too powerful?--On the old continent taking on old media, Eric Schmidt meets the French president in a bid to thwart plans to tax links to media websites. François Picard’s panel argues over whether the IT giant is stealing money or making it for an ailing French press." 

Jeff JARVIS. Author of "What Would Google Do?" - from New York;
Philippe MOREAU-CHEVROLET. Columnist, Nouvel Observateur;
Olivia PHELIP. Editor-in-Chief, JOL Press;
Waddick DOYLE. Professor, AUP School of Communications.

Produced by Anelise Borges, François Picard, Shamira Muhammad, Mary Colombel.

Part 1--http://www.france24.com/en/20121029-debate-Is-Google-too-powerful 

Part 2--http://www.france24.com/en/20121029-debate-Is-Google-too-powerful-part2

Oh, you might need to know the meaning of "luddites"--In modern usage, "Luddite" is a term describing those opposed to industrialisation, automation, computerisation or new technologies in general. (source: wikipedia)

Apparently, France is becoming a "Luddite" nation.

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Ford Motor Company: The Future is Now

I normally don't write about autos or the auto industry, but as a follower of technology, I couldn't pass up this post:

Ford C-MAX Energi is Green Car Vision Award Winner | GreenCar.com: "Green Car Journal has named Ford’s C-MAX Energi its 2012 Green Car Vision Award™ winner at the Washington Auto Show. The highly-efficient plug-in model, which is expected to come to market in late 2012, is built on the same global C-car platform as the Ford Focus and other Ford models to come. This distinguishes Ford as the first back-to-back winner of the Green Car Vision Award. The Ford Focus Electric won the honors last year. The C-MAX Energi rose to the top in a field of five exceptional visionary vehicles that also included the BMW i3, Cadillac ELR, Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell, and Tesla Model S. All are electric drive, but energized in different ways through hydrogen fuel cell, battery electric, extended range electric, and plug-in hybrid power."

The 2013 C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi | View C-MAX Features | Ford.com: "Think of the technology in the C-MAX Hybrid and the C-MAX Energi as your smart best friend. Available SYNC® with MyFord Touch® is uniquely outfitted for the hybrid or plug-in hybrid experience when you combine it with SmartGauge® with EcoGuide. With this combination, efficiency may be displayed using a leafy vine visual on the SmartGauge cluster screen. The more vines, the more efficient your driving. SYNC with MyFord Touch keeps you engaged with the world–and still lets you keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road."

C-MAX Energi Technology
The all-new C-MAX Energi was designed to deliver maximum efficiency by combining a high-voltage battery and electric motor with a gasoline engine. The gasoline engine does not run all the time, so you could go farther between refueling stops. Plug-in capability lets you charge the battery using either a standard 120-volt or a 240-volt outlet upgraded with available electric vehicle supply equipment. SmartGauge® with EcoGuide provides images representing driving efficiency. Standard SYNC® with MyFord Touch® with unique electric-vehicle screens. EV button allows the driver to easily switch between all-electric and gas power. More info here.

Ford Motor Company: The Future is Now.

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Google's privacy policy and Washington's interference

Google's new privacy policy: Washington's misguided interrogation | ZDNet:

" . . . . Imagine the nerve of Google, wanting to expose their users to advertising for stuff they might actually care about. How dare Google try to offer enhanced and customized services for their users? Shame on Google for doing all of this as a way to bring in more revenue and deliver a better rate of return for its shareholders. And certainly Washington can’t be at all happy with Google for doing what it hasn’t been able to do - consolidate a complex set of rules, policies, terms and conditions from a cumbersome and inefficient set of documents into something that’s manageable, easy to follow and definitely more efficient. Perhaps lawmakers might want to tap Google for some advice when it comes time to revamp the tax code. . . . The (privacy) policies themselves didn’t really change - and Google has been beyond clear about that. Google isn’t suddenly collecting a new set of data or now starting to hand out a user’s personal information to spammers. Sharing of information across Google properties has already been happening - and frankly, it’s made my user experience that much better. . . ."

 As Eric Schmidt said in Barcelona--regulators should (if they must regulate at all), regulate only "outcomes" not "technology," because technology will change tomorrow. The unintended consequence of regulation is loss of innovation. 

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Predictions 2012: Technology

Predictions regarding technology for 2012 (in no particular order):

1.  RIM (BlackBerry): continuing decline in market share as new (BlackBerry 10) models have now been delayed to late 2012--in the meantime Apple and Android will continue to iterate, dominate, and leave RIM in the dust. Meanwhile Microsoft/Nokia launch their own offensive with new Windows Phone models.  If I were in Waterloo, I would be shopping what's left of RIM to potential bidders--Amazon?

2.  Facebook has reached a plateau in U.S. growth, will launch their IPO (finally) and will face the challenges of being a mature company in a constantly changing landscape.  Google+ and Twitter will continue to grow and provide alternatives for those unwilling to succumb to social media  according to Zuckerberg.

3. Yahoo--too bad for its stockholders that Microsoft's offer wasn't accepted in 2008 ($44.6 billion/ $31 a share)--now it's too late--another company destroyed by corporate egos (are you listening RIM?).  Maybe Yahoo (which has a pretty nice email platform) can find a buyer (Amazon? Facebook?) who can take what's left after shedding its asian "assets."

4.  Microsoft--can it reinvent itself?  So far, Microsoft, at best, has had mixed results in its attempts to keep up with  Google and Apple.  Microsoft should own home the TV market with the Xbox--watch Apple and Google take it away in 2012.

5. Amazon, Apple, Google--these are the ones to watch in 2012 as they continue to iterate and launch new products--e.g., watch all three go head-to-head in tablets in 2012.

6.  Finally, keep an eye on a new disruptor--Republic Wireless--the business concept makes a lot of sense and will give AT&T, Verizon et al a lot of potential low-end competition. 

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