- Gun Part on Thingiverse — we’re used to thinking of the legal problems caused by cheap and decentralized copies of digital works. Now the problems we had with pipe bombs (designs are free on the net, the parts are cheap) are just as applicable to every type of restricted object (in this case, a gun). The difference between regulating speech (design of an object) and regulating possession of objects is blurring and it’ll be interesting to see where this goes. (via Jesse Robbins)
- Mobile Data (Luke Wrobewski) — Mobile data traffic is now outpacing fixed broadband traffic. Last year, it grew 4.2 times as fast. The entire list of interesting numbers repays reading.
- ERPnext — open source (Python/Javascript) ERP system. Yet another example of open source climbing up the business stack.
- Technology Time Out (Slideshare) — my presentation to employees embarking on a hackathon, about future trends, the role of software developers, and the need to work on meaningful stuff.
ENTRIES TAGGED "technology"
Four short links: 21 September 2011
Unregulated Printing, Mobile Data, Open Source ERP, and Future Technology
Why don't they get it?
Tech predictions focusing only on technology miss a key component: people.
If you comment on new technology, you should get to know as many of the quirks and biases of human behavior as you can. That's because you're modeling people first and technology second.
Why the eG8 mattered to the future of the Internet and society
Four interviews explore why the eG8 mattered and what's at stake for the Internet.
If the Internet has become the public arena for our time, as the official G8 statement emphasized, then experts say we must defend the openness and freedoms that have supported its development.
Four short links: 19 April 2011
Elegant Boxes, Dashboard in PHP, Management Theory Disparaged, and Obsolete Technology
- Lines (Mark Jason Dominus) — If you wanted to hear more about phylogeny, Java programming, or tree algorithms, you are about to be disappointed. The subject of my article today is those fat black lines. Anatomy of a clever piece of everyday programming. There is no part of this program of which I am proud. Rather, I am proud of the thing as a whole. It did the job I needed, and it did it by 5 PM. Larry Wall once said that “a Perl script is correct if it’s halfway readable and gets the job done before your boss fires you.” Thank you, Larry.
- PHP Clone of Panic Status Board (GitHub) — The Panic status board shows state of downloads, servers, countdown, etc. It’s a dashboard for the company. This PHP implementation lets you build your own. (via Hacker News)
- The Management Myth (The Atlantic) — a philosophy PhD gets an MBA, works as management consultant, then calls bullshit on the whole thing. Taylorism, like much of management theory to come, is at its core a collection of quasi-religious dicta on the virtue of being good at what you do, ensconced in a protective bubble of parables (otherwise known as case studies). (via BoingBoing)
- Obsolete Technology — or, as I like to think of it, post-Zombie-apocalypse technology. Bone up on your kilns if you want your earthen cookware once our undead overlords are running (or, at least, lurching) the country. (via Bruce Sterling)
Democratic technology and unintended consequences
As the Egyptian protests show, technologies that democratize communications can also centralize control.
As the Egyptian government throttles information flow and citizens fight to maintain access to communications, we are seeing the contours of a struggle that will shape political and policy changes.
My top 5 predictions for CIOs in 2011
Don't expect an easy ride in 2011. The challenges for CIOs will be more complex and disruptive.
As we look to 2011, the enlightened CIO must go after the most valuable projects and be a trusted adviser to those who commit dollars to organizational goals.
Taking stock of my 2010 tech predictions
4 "corrects," 4 "maybes," and 2 "nos": Jonathan Reichental re-examines his 2010 predictions.
In January 2010, I published a list of my technology predictions for the year ahead. While I hit a few right on, I certainly over-estimated the rate of change.
IT transformations must begin with hearts and minds
Radical IT change starts not with technology, but with collaboration.
IT transformation must be managed in a deliberate manner. Heavy lifting is essential, but it should not be the first thing that gets done. Radical change must start with the CIO and his or her managers engaging in collaborative discussions across the business.
CIO: Chief Inspiration Officer?
Creating a tech vision is one of the most effective things a CIO can do.
Inspiring staff through a tech strategy is one of the lowest costs, yet most effective activities a CIO can do. A vision that produces positive results reminds everyone why we do this work.
Makers versus Sponges
School tech should start with a simple question: Will students absorb others' ideas or make their own?
Today's technology lets us choose if we want to absorb other people's ideas or build our our own. Shouldn't that be starting point when we argue about the role of technology in schools?
Radar 
Radar on 
Radar on 
Radar on 
Radar on 