It could be argued that the Internet and its vast store of knowledge has largely eliminated one of the key benefits of traditional conferences and trade shows. What the Internet still doesn’t provide is the one-on-one contact and the serendipitous discovery found on a crowded exhibit floor. And although it can provide distraction, the Internet doesn’t necessarily provide the break in routine that can inspire, re-energize and help one see things in a different way, like a conference can.
Living in an Age of Abundance
We are living in age of miracles was a takeaway from the presentation by Ramez Naam, Chair for Energy and Environment of
Singularity University at VERGE’s GreenBiz conference. The reduction in the cost of solar energy production is an example of an enabler of a world of abundance. Naam expresses amazement at the rapid drop in the costs of solar and how new records are regularly being broken and that, in the sunniest places on earth, the cost of production is half the cost of natural gas or coal-powered plants. His comments align with a recent Ark Invest post and today’s Wall Street Journal article suggesting that peak demand for oil is near (even before peak supply is reached).
Energy Storage – Enabling Everything from IoT to Advanced Mobility
Energy storage is a common challenge for a myriad of technologies ranging from wearables to electric cars to the so-called Internet of Things: there can never be enough and it can never be too inexpensive. One of the surprising take-aways from the IDTechEx Show is the projection by IDTechEx that the largest application for advanced and po
st-Li-ion batteries in 2020 looks to be electric buses; the energy storage advancements will have impacts on telecom as well. Franco Gonzalez, Senior Technology Analyst for IDTechEx, discusses the importance of and why storage will continue to advance in a post-session interview.
Collaboratively Enabling Mobility
“How do you create a society that enables mobility and not just car ownership…and that facilitates the flow of people and goods,” asks Matt Peak, Managing Partner, Peak Strategy Partners, LLC. Peak suggests that a collaborative process involving the community is essential to improving mobility; both physical and economic. One take-away from the conversation with Peak is that, with all the fundamental changes happening in different technologies, now is a good time to rethink processes across entire systems.
Takeaways from Editing 12+ Hours of Telecom Conference Videos #
The social part of a conference is invaluable, but, unfortunately, it sometimes means missing some of the formal content. Having edited many of the filmed sessions at last month’s Calix User Group, there are a few take-that I missed at the live event, including
- The demarcation point has moved from the side of the house through the gateway and into the edge of the consumer device; carrier class WiFi is becoming table stakes.
- We are near peak GPON and, as needed reductions in optic costs occur, NG-PON2 will take GPON’s place.
- NG-PON2 is more than speed, as it provides a way to improve operational efficiencies by allowing convergence of what would normally be disparate networks (business, residential, mobile, etc).
View Here (Calix YouTube channel)
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts:
- Should Road User Charging be Introduced w/ Driverless Vehicles? More sensible than a sales tax. Also the wear and tear of the vehicle should be big consideration.
- Learn how technology plays a role in health care and how it helped Melrose & Perham become
#SmartRuralCommunities. Seen it first-hand and what Arvig has done to ensure local health providers are connected. - #TBT Rural broadband providers are the thread that binds communities and connects them to the rest of the world.
The Korner – iFitness or Eye Fitness
Amidst the smorgasbord of gadgets and gadgets found in the many conferences and exhibits surrounding International CES 2016 , digital eye fatigue is one of the last topics one would expect to see at an exhibit booth. In the above interview, CooperVision’s Michele Andrews, OD, Director, North America Professional & Academic Affairs, discusses how the gadgets that give us the ability to see things through electronic eyes put a strain on our ability to see the real world. Too much screen time can negatively impact us in other subtle ways, such as headaches, difficulty focusing on tasks and sluggishness.
The media produced by CooperVision could be useful for broadband service providers as public service announcements to let their customers know about the importance of taking an occasional break for the health of their eyes.