Cloud Computing - Part II

You may recall - but probably don't - a piece I composed on the near legendary Cloud computing concept. I would still argue that it's not anything new but rather an evolution of ideas we all saw years ago - the "Application Service Provider" concept, for example. However, I believed then and still do that this is the model of the future - there are things to be worked out but the future will be built upon this type  of model with our local PC's - and other devices - being a means of consuming and generating online content.

I believe this has particular benefits for our Government IT systems, as it does for any large corporation in practically every industry. This article on SiliconRepublic.com concurs with that thought. John Ward, Accenture's senior manager their Irish cloud computing practice, touches on some of the key issues and concerns that are likely to be raised. The point is, this model could eliminate duplication of data, simplify the security aspect and provide a standard platform that people can leverage in the future when building applications. It could also be used to detect and eliminate fraud.

Of course, there is a cost to getting there but the cost of not getting there is potentially bigger and it will continue to grow! Is there a national IT strategy that brings together the data from the different depts, offers a cohesive user interface and a consistent user experience  for the general public?

Something tells me no!

Get the Job!!!

There's been a lot of publicity recently regarding the actions of one Mr. Alec  Brownstein. This very clever guy took out some ad's on Google so that when the creative directors that Mr. Brownstein had identified as those for whom he wanted to work googled themselves, his ad would appear. The picture below sum's it up nicely and there is a nice video explaining the whole "Google Experiment" here.

Obviously, it's very clever and while Brownstein probably isn't the first, it is certinaly the most highlighted incident of this nature. It raises a question in my mind - do we maximise, or at least use, our online presence for potential employment? How could we do it better? This is clearly one answer for the later question.
Perhaps, this will see a small shift in how the recruiting industry operates with a new Facebook app or Linked-In equivalent offering targeted google ad's? The rise of social networking sites has probably led to the demise of people managing their own domain, like "Alecbrownstein.com" - I say probably because I don't have any facts to back that statement up but it seems reasonable to assume there are more Facebook, MySpace and Bebo users than there are owners of their own, personal domains.
However, merely having a presence on one of the aforementioned social network sites may not be enough. Like in "real" life, most people like to keep their social and work lives somewhat seperate.  There are countless tales told of a Facebook entry or a shared picture which has cost the friend of a friend a job. This leads, of course, to the privacy and Facebook discussion but it also raises another point - Do we need a number of online persona's? While we choose to use Facebook, will we HAVE to use another for professional matters? If so, what is the relationship between those, if any? Is there, or should there be, some glue holding all of these together and, perhaps more importantly, how can we ensure the right people see the right content?

Technology in Life!

Given that technology figures so significantly in our lives now, I think it is strange how technology doesn't figure more in the world of politics. For example, it was interesting that during the recent election in the UK, there was a call from certain party leaders for the UK to "get back to making tangible things with our hands" - surely, in the Technology Age that we find ourselves in, the call should be for a nation to build more IP rather than cars!

Ireland has always positioned itself at the forefront of technology and, as such, has a supporting national strategy. It's available for public consumption, here. It was published in '09.

"The development of the ‘smart’ or innovation-based

economy is the key challenge facing Ireland, even within

the largely uncharted territory of the current financial

crisis. This publication outlines the progress made by

Ireland in developing the ‘smart’ economy through

strategic investment in R&D and how the implementation

of this strategy will serve as a key driver for future growth,

prosperity and employment."

The opening gambit reads well so I think I'll read it and post thoughts here. Maybe this will show me that Ireland is ready for and using technology to make the lives of everyday citizens better and not being led by people who think the future is in building things.... Like they seem to in the UK!!

Convergence in Practice!

I seem to spend a great deal of time wondering what the next big thing will be. If e-mail is the killer app of the information age thus far, what will the next one be. Is it social networking? Facebook, perhaps? I don't think so - I think there is potentially something else, notwithstanding the major impact of such social networking sites. However, the rise and fall of Facebook's fore-runners like MySpace and the soon to be forgotten Bebo, make me think that while the fate of Facebook is not clear, it is not going to rise to the throne of that killer application.

One potential area that I believe will grow is that of personal health management. There is already a notable rise in the number of online personal trainers available, as well as a substantial rise in the number of online pharma's offering medication - both of the approved and perhaps, not-so-approved variety. The point is the business of personal health management is a growing one and one which could potentially herald the next killer application.

An example of this is the recently developed, HeartPhone. I found an interesting article on the product on Silicon Republic. Developed at the National Digital Research Centre in collaboration with medical professionals from around Dublin, this is a product that "measures, monitors and manages the weight of congestive heart failure (CHF) patients in their own homes." The convergence of personal device technology with Bluetooth, the monitoring and management software with the service provided by the remote cardiac experts will provide patients with a level of re-assurance and confidence not previously available.

While this solution use bathroom scales to get the required patient data on a daily basis, it is easy to imagine an integration with a mobile phone becoming possible and subsequently, that device relaying critical readings to remote experts. The use of a mobile phone to relay this information is practically inevitable and re-enforces the growing importance of the phone as the device which connects people with the digital world. This ability to monitor a patient in real time could greatly increase the ability of medical professionals to provide healthcare services to people. The potential for this is huge and as real-time monitoring - such as that demonstrated by HeartPhone - becomes more mainstream, the medical profession, will be able to take advantage of it to provide innovative, life-enhancing applications.