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Education Upgrade

Colleges shake their reputation as late adoptersBy Lorna Collier

This article looked at the findings of the Horizon Report, which identified Digent as a novel way to support collaboration. Now, I cannot find any sign of this article, but it was partially reprinted with quotes from me here:

http://mainiactheresa.blogspot.com/2008/05/51508-good-karma.html

Good news, nonetheless!

Update August 20: The full encarta article is available from the Author’s website: http://www.lornacollier.com/horizononmsn.pdf

What I learned quickly at this meeting is that the FIND community are a VERY impressive group of researchers who are actively designing what might/could/should be the next Internet. They represent an incredible assembly of ivy league schools, research companies, think tanks and more. Needless to say it was exciting to be there! Unfortunately, my ignorance was pretty vast going in. I collaborated with some real Internet pioneers (e.g. Bob Kahn and David Clark to name two) without even knowing it! Furthermore, the technical nature of a lot of the subject matter was stretching my 1980’s era computer science knowledge and memory to say the least.

The good news is that the FIND group is engaging a wider set of collaborators, and I am honored to be one of the few business/economics types there. In fact, my input helped to add to the design of the “information”-centric design philosophy which has become part of the record for the larger group.

What this amounts to, dear readers, is a whale of an opportunity. We have a seat at the table and a voice in the conversation, now all we have to do is use it! What do you think the Future Internet should do? How should it enable society or business? Let me know, and just maybe we will see your ideas in the Future.

The Industry Standard was one of those things that I really enjoyed reading back in the day (OK 5 years ago)

Well, the RIT Entrepreneurship Conference was a big success. Really big, I would say, for our region and our school. Among the many things I heard during the day was about physical things interacting with the Internet. There is a long history of this kind of thinking and ideas. Some highlights:

1999 Kevin Kelly’s New Rules for the New Economy advises “Embrace the Swarm” so that we might all consider how networking EVERYTHING creates a new paradigm

2005 Tim O’Reilly coins the term Web 2.0 to include several ideas. One that gets little mention is Software Above the Level of a Single Device. I usually refer to this when talking about hybrid Mobile/Desktop access, but really it includes ideas of how physical devices get linked into the web. Example is iPod.

2005 (November) Guitar Hero is released for playstation with guitar as interface

2006 (December) Nintendo Wii is released with innovative physical interface

2007 Nintendo Wii is labeled as the market leader of console games by the Financial Times

late 2007/early 2008 WiiFit is released to bring together fitness and gaming

2008 (March I hope) Shenoy and Perotti present at the Internet of Things conference in Zurich

The fact that it is the second one has a huge impact: First, we can learn. This time, the experiences from 2000 are in our minds and the thinking from then is valuable and relevant. To my DE class, you know I intermix material from 1.0 and now because I feel they are mutually supportive.

Second, the winners from 1.0 are here with their knowledge (see first), their money, and most important their reputation. They are here with me at Etech chatting with anyone who will talk with them about all of the activity now. Ideas fly. Jeff Hawkins can launch Numenta without a business mdel yet because of 1.0. Jeff Bezos can build web services, and a new advertising model because of 1.0.

About the new ones, they are funny, edgy, mac toting, unapologetic and most of all optimistic (see next blog post). They intermingle typing/coding at the laptop and listening to truly mind-blowing stuff without care.

Two ideas from Kevin Kelly (who is mysteriously not mentioned here frequently)…

We are the Web includes a quote about this begin an historic time, the only time when the network intelligence is first wired up. ”

“There is only one time in the history of each planet when its inhabitants first wire up its innumerable parts to make one large Machine. Later that Machine may run faster, but there is only one time when it is born.

You and I are alive at this moment.”

This implies that this revolution is truly unique.

BUT, New rules for the new Economy also contains the idea of All Harmony, No Flux:

“To achieve sustainable innovation you need to seek persistent disequilibrium. To seek persistent disequilibrium means that one must chase after disruption without succumbing to it, or retreating from it.

A company, institution, or individual must remain perched in an almost-falling state. In this precarious position it is inclined to fall, but continually catches itself and never quite topples. Nor does it anchor itself so that it cannot tip. It sort of skips along within reach of disaster, but uses the power of falling to propel itself forward with grace. A lot of people compare it to surfing; you ride a wave, which is constantly tumbling, and perched on top of this continually disintegrating hill of water, you harness its turbulence into forward motion.”

Are these two things reconcilable? Yes, we are in for flux, but this is the time that the flux begins in earnest.