Storytelling is uniquely human and is an attribute that distinguishes humans from the rest of the animal kingdom and, at least for now, machines. A well-written paragraph that connects with one’s emotions and experience will make a more impactful impression than pages of specifications. Not to say that specifications aren’t necessary, but a good story paints a vision that provides a guide for the details of a given project. And, in the Korner section of this newsletter, we have an interview with one of the best storytellers around.
Hello to a New Way of Flight
Could electric flight kill the already tenuous business model of the California High-Speed Rail? That is one of the long-term implications for the revolution that George Bye, founder of Bye Aerospace, is kicking off with his e-Flyer series of electric airplanes. With a projected operating cost of 1/5 that of equivalent, conventional airplanes, the long-term implication of the electrification of aviation is that it may help bridge the physical divide between urban and rural areas.
Connecting and Moving Forward
Matt Polka, President & CEO of ACA Connects, provides highlights of some of the issues discussed on a panel he moderated at Calix’s 2019 ConneXions. Featuring ACA’s legal counsel, Tom Cohen, and NTCA’s VP of Industry Affairs and Business Development, this panel looked at the issues broadband operators face in Washington D.C. Polka focuses on a couple of these issues in our ViodiTV interview.
AB 5: A Consultant/Business Owner’s Perspective
“This is what your clients will soon be thinking and doing under AB 5. It will change your consulting practice,” writes Walt Maclay, a successful business owner/consultant, in an email to this author. Maclay was following up on the presentation he gave to fellow consultants at a recent CNSV event on the unintended repercussions of AB 5 on highly skilled technology consultants. AB 5 is the recently signed law intended to protect so-called gig workers (e.g. Uber drivers).
Augmented Reality & HUD in an Automobile World
The most practical application for augmented reality may be mobile; the old-fashion definition of mobile as being part of an automobile. In the above video, Maxime Sutra and Thibaut Aglioni of French company, Eyelights, demonstrate an add-on device that turns a smartphone and a windshield into a Heads Up Display so that a driver doesn’t have to take her eyes off the road to view directions, speed, and or see the name of a song.
Some Tweets and Short Thoughts:
- Sign up for the Viodi YouTube channel if you want to catch all the interviews that don’t quite make it to the newsletter.
- An example of such an interview is this one with a gas sensor company, AerNos, which hopes to someday have trillions of its sensors deployed, for applications ranging from air-quality to health (e.g. non-invasive diabetes monitoring). https://youtu.be/00rx4ktJHIA
- CNET Founder @HalseyMinor “With all the talk of #5G proliferation in 2020, here’s Hanno Basse at #MWC2019 with his take, describing @liveplanetVR as the Airbnb of 5G https://youtu.be/sA4ci3JFBU0 @viodi #IoT #VR #decentralized”
- Enjoyable behind the scenes story from Eric Freesmeier on the journey that was forever changed by the 2008 financial crash and the fiber-to-the-home phoenix that arose from the ashes.
The Korner – The Shiny Penny – The Rest of the Story
The admonition to talk, read, and sing to one’s kids seems beyond trite and, even somewhat annoying when heard in the syrupy public service commercials on late-night TV. Still, a recent visit with Bob Gold was a reminder of the importance of the bonds created by interacting this way and how it aids both in the development of the child and lays the foundation for a strong family unit.
As background, Bob Gold is widely heralded in the telecommunications and tech industries as a PR-maestro, most recently honored with the 2019 Communications Professional of the Year at the 55th Annual Prism Awards. As he says, he is a storyteller at heart. So, it makes sense that creating and telling stories to his kids was a thread in the Gold family fabric. He went above and beyond by putting his children’s story in published form, memorializing it for future generations as well as making it available for other families to enjoy.
For the rest of the story and to watch Bob tell it in his words,
