Inspiration and influence are symbiotic in that those who inspire also influence individuals and, occasionally, society. Apple is the master for creating inspiring products and this week’s announcement of the iPhone X and its brethren products appear to live up to their predecessors’ reputation for making complex technologies human-friendly and useful. Still, as exciting as the glitter of such a development is, the real important influence comes from the individuals who inspire us through the decades.
The Beginning of the Journey Down a Wireless Road #CES2017
One of the many features of the new smart phones from that fruitful Cupertino-based company this week was the addition of wireless charging, eliminating the need for power connectors and cords. For technology geeks, the underlying resonant magnetic induction technology, that is the magic behind wireless charging isn’t new, as it has been part of some everyday appliances like electric toothbrushes for years. That the technology is rapidly evolving and poised for even bigger application and applications, such as vehicles, may be the big news. Some of the images that appear in my interview with John Boodhansingh, Sr. Director Product Management for Qualcomm, indicate that the ultimate destination for wireless charging may be in roads that transmit energy to electric vehicles.
Keep on Trucking With Automation #AVS17
With the headlines screaming the potential loss of millions of jobs, one of the more timely panels at Automated Vehicle Symposium 2017 (AVS17) was on the impact of autonomy on the trucking industry. Richard Bishop of Bishop Consulting, led a panel at AVS17 that brought together a broad swath of the trucking ecosystem, including one of the larger carriers (US Express), its trade organization (American Trucking Association), a traditional truck manufacturer (Volvo Group), technology players (Uber and Peloton Technology) and regulator (FMCSA). Bishop and his panel provided a good counterpoint to the superficial view that automation means the imminent demise of the truck driving profession.
Turning A Farm’s Waste Into Power
All Power Labs promises to turn agricultural and forestry waste from a pure cost to something of value. Their Power Pallet, shown above, has been installed in hundreds of locations worldwide, converts waste into electricity, heat and biochar. Biochar which represents sequestered carbon also makes a great soil amendment, according to Tom Price, Director of Strategic Initiatives for All Power Labs. Price explains how the heating of chunky agriculture and forestry waste in a low oxygen environment creates hydrogen vapor that powers a gas engine which spins a generator creating up to 20 kWh of electricity.
Feeding Indianapolis at #TIS17
The Christians in Communications (CIC) organized event at Gleaners Food Bank in Indianapolis was an appropriate bookend to the 2017 Independent Show 2017, TIS17. Mirroring the Hunt.Fish.Feed event that was held at the beginning of the conference, this service project also reflects the type of community support that NCTC and ACA members routinely provide in the communities they serve.
More than Pong – Atari’s Impact on Silicon Valley Culture
Atari and its meteoric rise as a household name in the 70s might seem like ancient history, but for many young people of that era, Pong was the definition of video game. More than that seminal game, the work led by Nolan Bushnell gave birth to consumer electronics in Silicon Valley. As seen in the above video, without Atari Steve Jobs might not have been able to procure the parts that Steve Wozniak needed to make their first Apple Homebrew computers.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts:
- Thought-provoking Telecompetitor article about what happens if a State opts out of FirstNet plans from AT&T. Maybe there still is a chance for a device-centric – really a human-centric – approach to creating a resilient first-responder network. The article and my comment can be found here.
- Speaking of resilient, Jeff Leslie reports that the ITS Fiber network and associated data center in the Mount Everest of South Florida made it through Irma unscathed. Prayers for the recovery efforts for those in Texas and Florida who weren’t quite so fortunate.
- Does this mean “wallflowers” are most the most qualified test drivers for this type of experiment? Ford using drivers disguised as a seat to test pedestrian-autonomous vehicle interactions.
- Another parallel and commonality of Autonomous Vehicles & the early days of VOD – pizza on demand.
- Thanks @Wordfence for the great investigative reporting. Seems like @FBI should pursue The Man Behind Plugin Spam.
The Korner – A Classic Silicon Valley Story – The Tomco Odyssey Begins
The reason I am even writing this sentence is because of the subject of the video interview that follows. This interview is the first of a multi-part interview that will take months to publish, as it follows Tom Olson from his journey as a kid in upstate New York in the 1940s, the simple but powerful stand he took against 1950s racism, facing down Russian warships off the coast of Turkey during the Cold War and his founding of several companies which had a quiet and sometimes significant impact on the telecommunications’ field.
Starting in a garage in 1970, in a classic Silicon Valley way, and with a $25,000 loan to purchase stock in a company that shared his name, Tom Olson explains why he moved from the relative security of Military/Aerospace supplier, Aertech to found a start-up in a market he didn’t know anything about, without customers or even a product. He talks about the importance of his early investors, who clearly believed in him and his abilities.
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