Friday 10 December 2004

Internet Zero

The "next big thing". Pushing the Internet down to small devices.

To quote MIT:

"Internet 0 is an experiment at networking at the ultra-lightweight scale. Instead of relying on the architectural notions of Internet 1 with its routing, its servers, and its layered network stacks -- we are toying with very small, cheap, and simple ways to bring Internet Protocols all the way to the physical interface.

This research is characterized by 7 core lessons

* IP to leaf nodes
* Bit sizes larger than network sizes
* Shared analog modulation
* Peers don't require servers
* Physical programming interfaces
* Compiled specifications of layering
* Open standards"

“Overview/Internet-Zero:”

-- Giving everyday objects the ability to connect to a data network would have a range of benefits: making it easier for homeowners to configure their lights and switches, reducing the cost of complexity of building construction, assisting with home health care. Many alternative standards currently compete to do just that - a situation reminiscent of the early days of the Internet, when computers and networks came in multiple incompatibly types.

-- To eliminate this technological Tower of Babel, the data protocol that is at the heart of the Internet can be adopted to represent information in whatever form it takes: pulsed eclectically, flashed optically, clicked acoustically, broadcast electromagnetically or printed mechanically.

-- Using this Internet-0 encoding, the original idea of linking computer networks into a seamless whole – the Inter” in “Internet” can be extended to networks of all types of devices, a concept know as interdevice internetworking."

- Frank Coluccio

See:

http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/001286.html
http://cba.mit.edu/projects/I0/"
http://cba.mit.edu/events/04.09.I0/
http://www.siliconinvestor.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=20568731

The October 2004 issue of Scientific American Magazine is the thing to check out.


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Brian Wilson - Smile *****

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Yes, he's still god.

Smile - Buy from Amazon


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Malcolm Gladwell - The Tipping Point **

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All about how memes spread (although he doesn't use the word). Instead its about mavens, connectors and salemen.

As ever with US management books its too long - even though its quite short. The early stuff around mavens in good, bu twhen he starts going on at length about Blues Clues and Sesame Street I think it only has a tenuous link back to the tipping point concept.


The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can... - buy from Amazon


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Jane Gazzo's Dream Ticket

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Working at home gives me a great chance to enjoy music while I work. Having got bored with listening to my own collection I now use the BBC web site to listen to the previous evening's Jane Gazzo's Dream Ticket - it's like Sunday evenings in the late 80s listening to Annie Nightingale all over again - indie heave.


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Wednesday 8 December 2004

eSkills and Gartners Tech View

gartner trends map.jpg

e-skills UK - IT Insights report prepared by Garnet has an interesting diagram showing the main tech trends of the coming decade. I think I'd pretty much agree, in particular:

- new channels is all about how we leverage the selling power of the web in new ways - see my column on Google Cash below
- remote and collaborative working plays to my long time interest in wireless, and using tools like blogs and wikis and user orientated CMS
- infoglut moderation is about using RSS and XML, and then intelligent agents such as Halo
- social impact, igeneration and IT as the new utility includes things like the connected home, and even old favourites like telecottaging and ASP


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Tuesday 7 December 2004

Be a Christmas eTailer - Post Column - 07 Dec 04

Buying Christmas presents was never a favourite pastime. This year, however, I thought I might also try my hand at being a Christmas retailer. Now I wasn't about to start renting space in the Bullring. No, this was going to be an experiment in completely virtual e-tailing.


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