Electric Bandages?

Bandage plus voltage. 

First Projector-Phones

Samsung's The Show: Built-in projector, 3.2-inch OLED screen, digital TV tuner, five-megapixel camera. There are also suspicions that the phone will allow users to to tune in and record digital TV broadcasts, and make video calls. Will premier in Korea.








Logic Bolt: Packaged with a built-in projector, PowerPoint, Excel and Word. Future versions promise to have the entire Windows Mobile Software pack and full video-conferencing capabilities. Expected to be available at T-Mobile for $100 with a two-year contract.

Watch out BlackBerry.

Mildew on Clothes? Twitter can help!

Ryan Rose, The TiVo senior programmer from San Jose, hacked his 25-year-old washing machine to send a message to Twitter whenever his laudry is done.

After some attention from various blogs and news articles, Rose's washing machine has 407 followers on Twitter -- meaning 407 people hear about it every time he does laundry.

After reading the article on this machine, a few things flashed across my mind:

1) Don't judge an appliance by its appearance

2) I want my washer and oven to do the same

3) Alan Kay's quote: "The easiest way to predict the future is to invent it."


Walk-through of hack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkMXpKmRXvU
Wash Status: http://twitter.com/pimpy3wash

Source information courtesy of LATimes.com
Image courtesy of eddy1210 on YouTube

Technology and the Economic Stimulus Plan

The economic stimulus plan presented by House Democrats this month calls for $37 billion of high-tech spending in the following areas: computerizing medical records, creating smarted technical grids and spending high-speed Internet access in rural and undeserved areas.

Obama's transition team asserted that the investment in those three areas could produce more than 900,000 jobs in the first year alone. These jobs, according to John Irons from the Economic Policy Institute, would range from the implementation to the adoption of these technologies locally, spanning a spectrum of skills and income levels, in addition to not being outsourced offshore.

Advocates say that the appeal goes beyond the stimulus, building a platform for productivity gains and long-term growth. The high-tech investments can be the equivalent of federal financing for highways in the 1950s, they say, which fostered the growth of businesses such as automakers and retail chains.

Critics argue that while these projects are worthy of the long term, they should not be part of the recovery plan. The problem is that not every investment in the technology field fits the standard of the initiatives that are to be included in the plan. The standard, according to Blair Levin, former technology advisor to Obama's transition team, is that the initiative be “timely, targeted and temporary,” while also creating jobs.

Stanford economist, Robert E. Hall says that the government should not pour money into those areas, as competent suppliers would be in short supply and get increased incomes, benefiting mostly individuals companies, rather than the economy as a whole.

Substantial investment in technology is clearly necessary to keep the USA competitive. But do you think it belongs in the recovery plan?

Source information courtesy of NYT.com

Image courtesy of MashGet on Flickr

Sweet Indulgence

Optoma has developed an enticing new toy that I would have loved to have back in my traveling days as a consultant. Pk-101 is a 4 oz, 0.6 by 2 inches projector that can be hooked up to any media device.

The other day, when I was struggling to get the projector to work in one of our conference rooms, I just longed for the day when a standard laptop would have its own projector. But PK-101 has given me new aspirations. What I really want is to run presentations from a web app in my mobile device. Now, THAT's mobility.

Image courtesy of CNN.com.

Training with a Budget of $0.

Times are tough. Budgets are trim. Specially when it comes to training.

So I decided to increase my skillset inhouse. Having been a Product Owner on different SCRUM teams for about a year, I've come to truly trust the process. And now, it's time for more of it.

My idea is to be coached by a colleague on becoming a SCRUM Master (SM) while coaching a colleague on becoming a Product Owner (PO). Meanwhile, I've also joined a work initiative that allows me to be a SM in a project in which we will develop a tool internal to our department (low risk).

The skills of a PO and a SM are distinct, but of course, complementary. So regardless of what path I take in the upcoming year, I am certain that I will be a greater contributor to my teams for better understanding the SM role.

If anyone out there is also interested in learning more about being a SM, below is some information I found very helpful.

Courtesy of Pete Behrens

SM Key Responsibilities:

1. Facilitating effective meetings (not necessarily running them, but ensuring that they are focused on the right things, and that team members are engaged)
2. Coaching (in action, by doing)
3. Agile Leadership (getting team to self organize)
4. Organizational Development (removing impediments, exerting influence, navigating through bureaucracy)

SM Traits:

• Understanding of SCRUM rich enough to be able to educate others about it
• Making project/activities 'about the team'
• Facilitating- Engaging team members in decision making

Suggested Reading:

• Artful Making by Robert Austin and Lee Devin
  
• Managing for Excellence by David L. Bradford and Allan R. Cohen
  

Image courtesy of weddingssc1 on Flickr.