The Future - Cloud Based Computing

I have been using Google Drive ever since I bought my Chromebook a few months ago. Since then Apple has expanded their cloud services, Microsoft has expanded their cloud services, and now Amazon has announced similar devices on their cloud system. I also think several of the other PC and phone manufacturers have introduced cloud services. I think they see how successful Google has been with their clod services and want a piece of the market. I think they also realize that the future is in the cloud. T is interesting to note that we have almost come full cycle in technology. When computers were the size of small office buildings people connected to the via terminals. With the growth of cloud computing we are coming back to the same concept. More and more devices will be designed to connect to the cloud rather than being stand alone systems. In other words, they are going to be more like terminals. Go figure!

What do you think?

Observations - US Postal Service

I ordered a new laptop from Amazon and I noticed that the US Postal Service is delivering it. Maybe the Post Office got smart and realized that the future is in delivering packages for the online retailers. UPS and FedEx have been making a profit delivering packages for decades, so why not focus on taking a piece of the market from them? The US Postal Service has several advantages over the other guys in the business. They have a built in home delivery system, they have a built in transportation system, and they can run at a lose for as long as they need to in order to take substantial market share. Hey maybe the Post Office finally got smart? No, they will find a way to mess it up. It is the US government at it's best.

What do you think?

Chromebook - It's over!

Unfortunately, my use of my Chromebook is coming to an end thanks to going back to school. The college I am attending is all Microsoft based and though I might be able to wing things on my Chromebook, I am running into problems. Many of the required classes are based on Microsoft Windows and Office. Much of the work is also expected to be done on Windows and Office. I think I ran into the reality that very well might keep Chromebook from becoming mainstream. Much of the world is invested in the Microsoft world. If you want to function in it, you need to work on a Windows machine with Windows applications. So I ordered a low end Windows machine (an Acer E3 111). It is going to arrive in a day or two and I know that I am going to be disappointed in what I will have to live with. I am going to have to function in a high cost, low performance environment with all the problems associated with Windows. Since I want to be able to pass my classes, then I don't have much of a choice.

Now My Chromebook is going to be put to good use. My wife is going to see how well it will work out in her 3rd grade class. If things go well, we are going to run a campaign on "Donors Choose" to try and get her 4-5 more for her classroom. I still think Chromebooks are great for education. They provide a way for students to access the internet and partake of all the great information that is available. They also help students become familiar with the basics of computing. Finally, they provide a way to enable students to use technology without all the cost and support needed for any other OS (especially Windows). As a result, this is probably the last post I write using my Chromebook.

What do you think?

Observation - The Digital Age And The Music/Movie Industry

Did the movie and music industry fight the use of vinyl records, CD's, or DVD's? The movie and music industries did not fight vinyl records or CD's or DVD's or any other physical delivery method of music or movies. They have fought only digital delivery of music and movies because it can be copied so easily. All the physical methods of delivering music or movies did not cost any jobs. In fact they either kept jobs or added jobs. Digital delivery of music and movies has cost jobs because there is no need to hire people to make the physical copies. It is all done digitally on computers and is not labor intensive. But, the cost of production has also fallen as a result. For the consumer, digital delivery has been a blessing. For the music and movie industry, it has been a curse because of job losses and illegal duplication. For creators of music and movies it is a blessing because there are many more ways to sell the music you make. For the music and movie industry it has been a curse because it has rendered the "labels" and "studios" unnecessary.

As a consumer and creator of music, I totally embrace the digital age. It has allowed me to build a great library of music that I can carry with me (on a digital playback device) wherever I go. I have also the ability to create music for any ensemble I want right on my desktop using a music scoring program with sampled sounds and digital recording software. I feel sorry for the music and movie industry, but personally, it is awesome what is happening.

What do you think?

Chromebook - My Experience

I have been using a Chromebook for nearly 8 months now. So far, my Acer C720 has worked perfectly and my Chromebook is still my "go to" device. I use it to do all of my writing, all of my email, all of my web surfing, and anything else that comes up. As far as the limitations in using a Chromebook, I have not encountered anything that I am not able to do. I can watch all the videos I want to, I can create all the content I want, and I can do everything I can think to do. Also, having to be online to use most of the functions on my Chromebook has actually forced me to use the cloud extensively. This has been the best $200 technology investment I have made.

What do you think?

Observations - Unintended Consequences

I find it very interesting that many times we do things with the best intentions, but we are not aware of some of the consequences that may follow. Take welfare for example. It is a very good thing to help out others in a time of need and it is a good thing for the government to provide. But, one of the unintended consequences of welfare is dependency. We now have generations of Americans who are unwilling and unable to provide for themselves because they are dependent on welfare. As a result, their lives are worse off than if nothing had been done. I think that many times we let our emotions guide our actions when maybe we should be a bit more rational. I also wonder how many of our problems today have only been made worse because we did not consider some of the unintended consequences caused by what we thought were good actions.

What do you think?

The Future - Global Drivers Of Change

I run across an article on what will be driving change over the next several years. They are:

* Longer life span. By 2025 70% of Americans will be over 60!
* Job Automation. More and more jobs will be replaced by automation and technology.
* The rise of data. The increasing use data will influence every aspect of the economy and life.
* New media. Text will decrease in usage and all other means of communication will increase.
* Increasing social organizations. Social will provide the means for large global organizations.
* Global connectivity. The whole world will be online in some form or Fashion.

What are the implications of these trends?

What do you think?

For more:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-important-work-skills-2020/

Chromebooks - Great For Education

Last year the Los Angeles Unified School District rolled out a 1 to 1 digital device program using iPads. It turns out that the roll out has not gone as well as expected. One of the unexpected outcomes has been student hacking and another cost. As a result, some schools are being given the option of using a different type digital device. One of the options is to use Chromebooks, which would cost significantly less than iPads. Hacking is also less of a problem since Chromebooks are web based rather than app based. There is also the problem with standardized testing. It turns out that it is either difficult or impossible to take any of the standardized tests on an iPad. In the end I think it would have been better for the district to have used Chromebooks. It would not have spent more than $1 billion on devices that have not worked out as expected.

What do you think?

For more:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/07/01/los-angeles-school-district-to-shift-away-from-apples-ipad-windows-chromebook

World News - Ukraine and Iraq

Things in Ukraine have become "hotter". Government troops have started to shell separatists positions in the east. Russia is threatening new "sanctions" over natural gas. Things are getting interesting once again. In Iraq things seem to have calmed down a bit. I think this is just because the militants are consolidating their positions and government troops are also getting ready for an offensive. They have taken delivery of new weapons and fighter jets. Plus there are more advisors coming from the U.S. to assist. It won't be long before things become interesting once again. The world just does not seem to be able to be at peace.

What do you think?

World News - Ukraine

Well, the civil war is back on in Ukraine. The government announced that it is ending the ceasefire it announce a while back. Fighting between the western backed government and Russian backed separatists is set to resume. I wonder how much things will escalate? Will this be the "trigger" that will bring Russian troops into Ukraine? How will this affect natural gas shipments into the rest of Europe. Things are getting interesting once again.

What do you think?