It’s common on the social media aiwaves these days to hear Apple pegged as declining due to a “lack of innovation.” Let’s assume that’s true. The question can then be asked, “If that’s the case, what difference does it make and to whom?”
The bottom line: in a post-smartphone era, the more we know where our data are and how they are used the better off we are. Network companies — or governments — that resist making such data more accessible will be disadvantaged in the marketplace. Users of networks that ignore the interests of their customers will likewise be disadvantaged.
Have We Already Entered a "Post-Smartphone" Era?
In the world I live in there are still a lot of people who are satisfied with having “just a phone.” Still, what passes for “just a phone” these days is more powerful than the combined computing power devoted to the Manhattan Project, the Air Force/NASA X-15 program, and the early Space Shuttle Orbiter’s primitive onboard computers.
What I Learned About "Budgeting At The Brink"
I expect that adjustments to IT projects at some agencies and programs are going to be pretty messy, painful, and ugly as indiscriminate budget cuts continue to ripple down to individual programs.
Perspectives on the NSA and PRISM: What Dyson Missed
In NSA: The Decision Problem George Dyson lays out a credible historical view on why he thinks what Snowden revealed about the NSA and PRISM was inevitable. While it’s certainly a pleasure to read a discussion of these issues that is so thoughtful, I think he misses one major theme that helps us understand our current predicament over what to do about Snowden.
Facing Reality and the Need to Recalibrate Sequester-Impacted IT Projects
In some ways this looks like a standard IT strategy alignment project where a small team helps gather and present data to enable a client to see a path forward whereby technology resources are defined and managed to improve support for accomplishment of a set of defined objectives. But…
On Reading the Digital Edition of the Washington Post on the iPad Mini
I learned recently that home subscribers to the Washington Post newspaper also receive the digital edition, so I added it to my wife’s iPad Mini. What follows is a description of my initial reactions as a reader.
Oh, Great, Another "Why Projects Fail" Article
CIO recently published another one of those “why projects fail” articles. This one is called 15 Ways to Screw Up an IT Project.
The Internet and the Realities of Managing Human Memories
Reading Oliver Sacks’ New York Review of Books article Speak, Memory got me thinking about how the Internet augments how humans relate to their memories, the world, and each other.
How I Speed Up Writing & Editing
Kelly Griffin’s “11 Tips For Editing Your Own Writing” is a great list. As she says, “… editing your own writing is downright painful.”
A Progress Report on Reading Electronic Books, Especially Kindle
I remember being a bit surprised at how easy it had been to “weed” the collection of harcover and paperback book we had built up over the years. Now I’m reading a book — a “real book” printed on paper — in amongst the books and various documents I’m also reading via my Kindle devices and software. Reading this physical book is a pleasure so I thought I would put some of my thoughts about the experience in writing.
Outline of a Sequestration & Project Management Research Program
I’ve been researching how the federal budget sequester is impacting federal projects and project managers. In “Mitigation of Sequestration Impacts on Project Management” I suggested that not all Federal programs are able to quickly assess and reconfigure ongoing projects in the face of sequestration-related uncertainties, so I’ve given some thought to …
Mitigation of Sequestration Impacts on Project Management
How you respond to the impacts of Federal sequestration on ongoing projects will be at least partly determined by how “mature” your project management practices are.
What I find inspiring about this short video by Apple is the message it conveys about one’ company’s focus on user experience.
More Thoughts on the Budget Sequester's Impact on Project Budgets
In A Project Manager’s Perspective on the Cost Impacts of the “Sequester” I suggested that an unintended consequence of the US government’s budget “Sequester” might be that some ongoing projects will end up costing more than originally planned because of the effect lengthening a project schedule can have on a project’s budget.
Should your child's vaccination history be a matter of public record?
This is a tough one. Should a child’s vaccination history be a matter of public record?
A Project Manager’s Perspective on the Cost Impacts of the “Sequester”
One of the realities of managing projects is that, the longer a project takes to complete, the more it usually costs.
In “How Google plans to rule the computing world through Chrome” Peter Toffel describes a scenario for how Google plans to “take over” desktop computing by running more and more services — some exclusive — through its popular Chrome browser.
Whom Do You Trust to Augment YOUR Reality?
There’s no doubt in my mind the cloud-based services can help us deal with the major events, but I think we will have to wait a lot longer for the butterfly wings.
Transparency Is Not An End In Itself
While data generated by a government program should be readily available and shareable among its target constituencies and members of the public, I also believe that resources devoted to improving the transparency of a government program should also promote the accomplishment of that program’s goals.