The Silicon Valley start-up scene is dynamic; meaning that more start-ups fail than achieve commercial success. Unlike its early roots, Silicon Valley companies that do succeed are typically angel or venture-backed and, as a result, the focus is often on “the exit”. Rare is the Silicon Valley company that manages to grow into an international presence without taking venture or other outside funding. It is this kind of entrepreneur that reminds me of how this Valley of the Heart’s Delight used to be in the days of pioneering legends like Hewlett, Packard and the Varian Brothers.
The Only People That Showed Up for the Race
It was a treat to renew my acquaintance with Mike Leber, the owner of Hurricane Electric, at last week’s Telecom Council’s TC3 Conference. The first time we met was two decades ago in a server room in one of the first commercial Internet Exchange points. Leber is the classic Silicon Valley entrepreneur who combined his knowledge of software and networks with a great work ethic and long-term vision, to create the world’s largest IPv6 network.
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Fiber to the Schools Districts & Libraries
Being ahead of the curve was the motivation for bringing gigabit fiber to 140+ schools and libraries in northwest Minnesota indicates Brian Crommett Sales and Service manager for 702 Communications. In the above interview, Crommett describes a consortium of independent telcos, Northwest Minnesota Special Access (NMSA), that have partnered to create a 2,500+ mile fiber network with 256 Gb capacity serving over 20k square miles and 250,000 students and citizens. It is the bottoms-up approach of NMSA, where the local provider is on the frontline, that prevents northwest Minnesota from having a so-called, digital divide.
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Virtual Reality Via a Smart Phone
High quality, hands-free virtual reality doesn’t have to be expensive, as proven by the Zeiss VR One virtual reality goggles. As explained in the above video, the Carl Zeiss optics help users simultaneously see real and virtual worlds. One simply slips his smart phone into a tray (iPhone 6, Galaxy S5 and S6) to turn it into a virtual reality headset. Or, print your own tray for the LG G3, Samsung Galaxy S4 or S6, or Nexus 5. At $129, this is a low-cost way for a consumer to view high-quality 360 degree videos, play games or fly drones and control robots by simply moving one’s head.
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Some Tweets and Short Thoughts:
- How cool is this – RTC (Ringgold Telephone) is hosting a gaming tournament for gamers in its area. Any other operators doing this sort of thing?
- @StevenJCrowley “While the US dithers on 5 GHz DSRC, Toyota to commercialize inter-vehicle communication system in Japan this year.” Interestingly, this V2V and V2I infrastructure operates at 760 MHz and effectively allows drivers to see beyond the car in front of them or hear sirens that otherwise wouldn’t be perceptible.
- .@Volvo says “We’ll accept liability for #driverless car accidents” (and lawyers everywhere cringe) http://ow.ly/TawWX @RoboticsTrends
The Korner – If a Pen is Mightier than a Sword, Then a Magnet…
Last month Apple made noise with its announcement of a “pencil” to draw on an iPad Pro; a sort of back to the future moment of sorts, given the iPad’s distant ancestor the Apple Newton MessagePad with its stylus. Similarly, ISKN recently took a step forward by creating a device that retrofits an old school pen or pencil and turns them into input devices for virtually any iPad.
In the above video, Lydie Roure, ISKN Marketing and Communications Manager, explains that a simple, but special magnet, called the Ring, attaches to a pen or pencil which communicates to a drawing surface that sits underneath standard paper or notebook (no special paper is required).
The drawing surface, called the Slate, identifies the location and identity of the pencil or pen (via the ring magnet), records what is drawn on the paper and transmits it to an iPad. If your iPad isn’t around? No problem, the Slate will record your masterpiece, until such a time that the two devices can synchronize.
Using the Imagink app, sketches can be exported into graphic formats (PNG, SVG) and even a video format (MP4) (so one can see the drawing process in action). This could be a great tool for educators, graphic designers and anyone who prefers the use of a real pen or pencil (with zero latency) for transferring thoughts into images and words.
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