The Future of Technology Ted Demopoulos ICE® Technology Conference 2007
ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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We are a lot further along than we think
ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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We’ll Look At: •Where we are today •Two major issues today -- and very much into the future •Where we are going
ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Technology Pervades Society (more deeply than we think) • My “special” friend Ralphie, email junkie • My 102 year old father (or so he claims) just got online • People check their email when they get up at night to go to the bathroom • When my plane landed in Edmonton, what did “everyone” immediately do? ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Technology Pervades our World
ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Spaceship Demopoulos – Sonar – GPS/Maps/Gives you directions out loud – DVD Player – Microprocessor in keys – anti-theft – Rearview camera – etc.
The Six Million Dollar Van? ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Let’s Take a Step Back: Technology – the basic idea: •Technological advances allow the production of more output from existing resources -more efficient ways of producing existing output -production of new (or substantially improved) items • We gain both from more output/cheaper prices and from improved items and innovations
ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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“Killer Applications” of Technology • Email • Online Shopping and Retailing • Information Access • Cell Phones Many more, e.g. medical and industrial examples quickly come to mind ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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“Less than Killer Applications” of Technology -Non disruptive applications of technology
-Small incremental improvements to our lives • DVD players, ball point pens, antilock brakes, central heat, air conditioning, etc. Their net sum is extremely significant ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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We think Technology is pretty neat . . . ape-descended life forms are so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea... -Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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This Leads To Problem #1 • “Technology for Technology’s Sake” - unnecessary complexity – Examples: • Complexity in MS Word • The need to reboot anything • Microprocessors in car keys
ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Unnecessary Unreliability • Unnecessary complexity leads to unnecessary unreliability • Complexity increases attack surface • Simply more that can go wrong! • Often no backup plans
ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Ted’s Backup Plan for This Trip
Do most people or organizations have workable backup plans for when technology fails? ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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My Not Particularly Smart House
Sometimes has a mind of it’s own Calls the police Calls the fire department What could a “Smart House” do? ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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SIMPLE is Good “Make everything as simple as possible” -Albert Einstein
ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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The Full Quote “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler” -Albert Einstein
ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Reliability? • Technology has been evolving so rapidly, the emphasis has been on functionality, not reliability
• This will (need) to change! • If Microsoft had focused more on reliability, would Windows own the desktop?
ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Problem #2 Too Much Information • The “Information Overload” Age
• Endless interruptions: cellphones, IM, pagers, email • More productive or less so?
ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Privacy • Distant past – villages – little privacy. Reasonable in context • Recent past – cities/industrial age. Reasonable privacy • Today – who has your data? Is it yours? Is it correct? • I fear Big Brothers – e.g. Google, Microsoft, Verizon, Marketing Agencies, everyone who stores personal data ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Beware Big Brother MSN Virtual Earth?
Does your insurance company know about the trampoline Ted? Why is Bob’s car there alone? ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Ted’s Hobbies
• You got building permits for those antennas Ted? ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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As told to a new client • I see Joe Schmoe just spent a week with your organization. He’s very positive on the experience. . . . . . He’s sitting in the Phoenix airport waiting to go home and his flight is delayed . . . .
• From the Technorati.com search engine, a multi page posting on a blog ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Where We Are Going 1) Integration of technology into our world 2) Reliability – will be assumed – in the future 3) Ease of use – enormous work on the Human-Computer interface 4) Technology only where it makes sense 5) Health Care/Life Extension/Alleged Immortality (at least for the very rich!) ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Two Final Thoughts The Small Non-Disruptive “Less Than Killer Applications” of Technology add up to a lot (Imagine a small audio recorder that records, and indexes, your whole life – so you don’t forget anything) ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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There Is One Future
The Future of Technology is The Future
ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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Thank You
Ted Demopoulos,
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ICE® Technology Conference Ted Demopoulos,
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