Vampire Electronics

CNN reported on vampire electronics, which are devices that consume electricity even when in an "off" state. The state is really more of a standby state, in which some functionality still draws power such as clocks, timers, etc. With 5% of electricity going to "standby power" it's time to think about what really needs it. How many clocks do we need? DVD players, microwaves, ovens, and cable boxes act as clocks. Some of these devices could be unplugged or better yet have an actual "off" state that does not consume power. Or maybe we should invest in the electric companies and let rising electricity prices put away a nice nest egg for retirement!

Where have all the women gone?

I've often wondered why there seem to be so few women that graduate from the Computer Science program in our university. Of course, there are so few that even start in the program, but even fewer that finish. While I'm sure many men don't finish as well, the numbers are not as obvious.

One temptation is to use some variation of the "girls play with dolls, boys play with trucks" argument. I think this really does have some universal application but I'm hesitant to say how far-reaching. Just because there are stereotypes or general inclinations doesn't mean we should follow them. I've met enough girls who are great with logic, math, computers and have what it takes to "do all things computer science." Working in my last job, I was so happy that there were such great women on our teams who brought amazing perspectives and balance that would have otherwise been severely lacking.

The way I see it, many women may shy away from being in an environment that I often don't enjoy myself. We should spend more time on the concepts and on the logic. Some candidates on which to spend less time? Talking about favorite Linux distros. Bashing/praising Microsoft/Apple/Linux. Casually mentioning that vi is NP-complete.

I think the reason that the major is so unbalanced is that the number of male nerds in one room has reached critical mass, which causes a chain reaction making the room unsuitable for normal human life. In a situation where women are already swimming upstream, we're filling the stream with quirkiness and geekiness and social awkwardness that really isn't necessary. Let's take it back to basics and change the classroom back into a place that fosters normal human interaction and learning.

Online gaming addicting?

There's no doubt that playing games online with other people is more "addicting" than playing by yourself. This doesn't apply just to video games. Any entertaining activity that can be changed to involve other people adds a new level of excitement and keeps people coming back for more. In the case of games, it adds to the replay value - the game becomes as dynamic as people are dynamic. Gone are the days of static, repeatable content. (Those who have actually played MMORPGs may disagree with that last statement!)

No surprise then, that a recent study found MMORPG players spent more time playing in a given week than other control groups with less-enthralling games. The part that worries me is the trade-off described - the players were happier with the gaming experience though less healthy. We need to control the amount of time we dedicate to any one activity, regardless of whether or not we are addicted. Without moderation and balance, we suffer the inevitable consequences of reduced physical, spiritual, and social health.

Security vs. Functionality

Imagine a world found only in science fiction novels or movies. In this world, almost any piece of information is readily available through the ubiquitous computer. What distinguishes our world from this world? Obviously, new developments in information technology, data retrieval methods, and human-computer interaction will make this more of a reality. But what about privacy and security?

In many cases, I believe the technology exists now but we are holding ourselves back. We are cautious to make information more available because we worry about the security and privacy of that data. In our world where acronyms such as PII (Personally Identifiable Information) and SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) have become buzzwords, technology professionals know that just because data can be made available, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. Our fear of hackers, phishers, and social engineering keeps us from benefiting from technological advances.

Ultimately, this is a good thing. Networks and the Internet are based on trust. If we can't trust that our information will be protected in an environment, we won't invest the resources to set up that environment. Take, for example, the idea of storing our medical records in a centrally available location. I think everyone would agree that it would be great to have that information readily accessible by any doctor to whom you grant access. However, we'd also agree that our medical records should not be accessible by anyone else. That causes some problems in the design and implementation of a good idea.

This is why I think we've seen less technological innovation in the data realm than we otherwise would have. The fear of hackers, viruses, and insecure data destroys trust - the very trust necessary to establish new environments to store and share data in new ways. The technology is there, and the innovation is abundant, but the trust takes time and resources to foster. We'd have a lot more personal information available if we could trust it would be used properly.

Storing and integrating personal information into the stream of public information available on the Internet is an interesting problem we face today regarding trust. As more people are equipping themselves with personal digital assistants of all types, innovation will lead to PDAs that are truly "assistants" in every sense of the word. They will be able to assist in making decisions because all information necessary will be available to them. Not sure what to have for breakfast? A check of your past meals plus your dietetic analysis could make a suggestion. Worried about where your daughter is? GPS coordinates translated and relayed to you could put your mind at ease. To these examples, our minds scream, "What about security and privacy!?" Those are valid trust issues that we need to solve. Or else, we forfeit amazing, innovative advances in technology.

There is good news. We do move forward. It's rare for a bank today to not have an online presence, thereby making its information available. Social networking sites continue to spread using their viral appeal. Let's hope that this trust continues to grow (without ignoring security) and innovation will not be stifled by fear.

MyFamilySpace

We live in a world where technology enhances what we do. Conversely, if technology doesn't enhance a particular area, it becomes antiquated. Fortunately, technology has significantly enhanced genealogical research.

Social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook have made it easy to stay in touch with those we care about... if they're alive. The easier it is to stay in touch with a group of people, the harder it is with all others. Thankfully, sites such as FamilySearch have made it easy to "stay in touch" with those who have passed on. Good thing too. Otherwise, we'd see a lot less family history research these days.

So it's easy to stay in touch with our Facebook friends, and our kindred dead... who's left? Time to get grandma an email account... before she becomes antiquated.

Facebook API

This year Facebook opened up their APIs to the world and challenged everyone to build custom applications. In this way, users could add what they felt was missing functionality. This leads to some really cool possibilities in rapid application development (RAD), many of which we see in mashup-creating sites such as Microsoft Popfly.

However, the problem I have with this system is best shown in a graphical format (to the right). It seems every time I login to Facebook, I have to decline requests to add applications.

Facebook has introduced a technological "advancement" and now it's up to us to deal with it, like it or not. I really do like the idea but I hope that Facebook will innovate a better management solution than this.