Terminator Vision

Released in 1991, the movie "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" used many special effects that were considered very advanced at the time. One of them was the Terminator's vision system. If Google has its way, we will soon be able to walk around with “Terminator” style glasses that will overlay information on location and search preferences. Researchers are working on heads-up displays integrated into ordinary glasses tied directly to Google’s cloud-based services so that users won’t need a smartphone or other device to access the Internet.

Richard DeVaul who previously worked for Apple was hired by Google in June. DeVaul’s PhD dissertation “The Memory Glasses,” was on personal heads up displays. According to his LinkedIn profile, DeVaul now works as a “rapid evaluator” at Google. Between 2004 and 2010, DeVaul was founder and president of AWare Technologies. And between 1997 and 2003, DeVaul worked as a research assistant at MIT’s Media Lab.

The following video of scenes from "Terminator 2" illustrate how the glasses might work:

Tablets to Replace PC's?

According to an article in Baseline, a recent survey from Staples Advantage, shows that a clear majority of tablet users believe that tablets will end up replacing their more traditional machines. Sales of the slim computers are expected to soar from 55 million this year to more than 208 million in 2014. “Tablets make it easy for employees to keep information with them and utilize business apps, no matter where they go,” says Ed Ludwigson, vice president and general manager for Staples Technology Solutions. “For employers, the benefit is having a more productive workforce that’s always connected to what’s happening at the office.”

I don't think so. Although I love my iPad for meetings and other "on the go" activities, I just don't see tablets replacing my powerful desktop, with full keyboard and large HDTV screen for real work (or play) anytime soon.

For more about the survey, click here.

7 Rules for Managing Internet Discussions

The free and open discussion that the Internet provides is awesome. Sadly there are those who abuse the privilege of being able to participate in an on-line discussion. Internet bullying, hate speech, and incorrect information are all encouraged by unlimited anonymous posting. If you run a discussion forum don’t forget that you privately own it and control it—and to those that read it, it represents your company or organization. You have a right and a responsibility to moderate it. And keep it appropriate for your readers, customers, or fans. Here are seven guidelines to help you manage:

1. Eliminate anonymous posting. Everyone must identify who they are somehow. Require users to register with a valid email address. If someone is sharing “expert” advice—require them to provide references.

2. Never allow un-moderated comments. Remember the days of “letters to the editor”? Used to be that someone had to prepare a thoughtful response, respectfully submit it, and also sign their name to it.

3. If necessary, turn OFF the comment feature and require readers to submit comments through email. This way you have the most control. Make it clear that you have the right to edit comments from users.

4. When something offensive does get posted—delete it immediately. Issue a warning or ban the user right away. Don’t ever let this go. Remember you have a responsibility to your readers and to those who took the time to respond thoughtfully.

5. Off-topic posts that somehow slip through should be deleted immediately. They don’t add anything and can sometimes take the discussion in a direction you may not want.

6. Clear any “spam” messages right away. These make it look like you don’t care about keeping things in order.

7. Any personal attacks on other users, inappropriate language, racial slurs, or something that demeans another user should never see the light of day. Internet bullying and hate speech are real problems. If an offensive post does get through, get rid of it and ban the offending user. No questions asked.

The Google Effect

As reported online this week in Science, psychologists are exploring how the Internet may be changing the way people handle information. The researchers say the results confirm a growing belief that people are using the Internet as a personal memory bank: the so-called “Google Effect.” The article, entitled “Google Effects on Memory: Cognitive Consequences of Having Information at Our Fingertips” was published July 14. The abstract of the article follows:

“The advent of the Internet, with sophisticated algorithmic search engines, has made accessing information as easy as lifting a finger. No longer do we have to make costly efforts to find the things we want. We can "Google" the old classmate, find articles online or look up the actor who was on the tip of our tongue. The results of four studies suggest that when faced with difficult questions, people are primed to think about computers and that when people expect to have future access to information, they have lower rates of recall of the information itself and enhanced recall instead for where to access it. The Internet has become a primary form of external or transactive memory, where information is stored collectively outside ourselves.”

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U2 Summer Tour Relies on Dell Workstations

The 2011 "U2 360" stage is seven stories high and weighs 54 tons. It can cover most of a major league baseball field and keeps most of the electronics directly above the stage. To ensure that each show comes off without a hitch, show producer Live Nation Entertainment which used to build all its own custom IT, has deployed off-the-shelf Dell Precision R5400 rack-mounted workstations and UltraSharp U2711 monitors for concert video control and management. Recently eWEEK had the opportunity to check out the results of a U2 show first hand; the one in this slide show was staged June 17 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.

France Bans Mention of Facebook and Twitter

Starting May 27th, radio and television stations in France will no longer be allowed to use the names of the social networking sites in their broadcasts. The reason is a 1992 law that bans promotion of business enterprises on network television programs. Any mention of “follow us on Twitter” or “visit our Facebook page,” in the eyes of the French government, represents advertising and promotion of those sites. Reporters are still allowed to mention the sites by name if the news story itself concerns one of the businesses, but referring to Facebook or Twitter in a promotional capacity will not be allowed.

There's still no word on how the law will be enforced or what the penalties will be. Follow me on f***b*** for more information…

(Source: Time NewsFeed)

Business Intelligence Through Social Networking

Businesses today know that information can be a genuine strategic advantage. The question then becomes how does one get information that has real value? Traditional methods, like those used in many IT departments are increasingly irrelevant in a fast paced, uncertain world. Many are “historically” based; others are often constructed around complex models that require careful and often lengthy interpretation. While you are still trying to “figure out” the data, your competition is moving ahead.

In this article from Bottom Line, Samuel Greengaard makes a case for Social Networking as a form of Business Intelligence. Social networking as defined here extends beyond LinkedIn and Twitter. For example, conventional search engines, such as Google, are remarkably good at gathering information from an existing data pool. But there's another data pool that's essentially untouched: the collective knowledge and problem solving skills of a group.

Many younger workers naturally gravitate to informal methods to solve problems in a more collaborative and iterative way. Unfortunately, most of these methods lie outside conventional corporate thinking. Business leaders should recognize that it's to their advantage to promote social networking and data collection tools and let evolution take its course.