Data Platform Technologies are constantly evolving. To help you keep up to date Microsoft Canada introduces a DataPlatform webcast series. Learn about new generation of Microsoft Data Platform solutions: Power BI‚ Analytical PlatformSystem appliance, In-Memory technologies, Azure Cloud Data Services and SQL Server 2014. The first event is January 29th:
English landing page: www.aka.ms/wsen
French landing page: www.aka.ms/wsfr
I just returned from Las Vegas and the international CES with 170,000 delegates, 3600 exhibitors, 6000 press in over 2.2 million square feet—the largest technology showcase ever!
Appreneur Scholars
I judged the CES Appreneur Scholar awards founded by Elim Kay, funded by the Kay Family Foundation and produced by Robin Raskin owner of Living in Digital Times who account for more than 40 percent of the high-value content and events at CES. The winners were iCPooch and SmartTest Pro. The free iCPooch App is designed to let you connect to your pet and provides you with two-way video chat and the ability to deliver them a treat from anywhere in the world. SmartTest Pro Teacher and Student Edition introduces education to a new method of digital testing.
From winner Brooke Martin: "I am honored to be recognized for my contributions in developing iCPooch. To be acknowledged amongst such amazing and talented finalists is as rewarding as it is truly inspiring." Zach Burmeister went on to say: "The Appreneur Scholar Award is a great honor to me because it is a great sign of potential for SmartTest Pro!"
Elim added, “Kay Family Foundation is honored to partner with Living in Digital Times for a second year and recognize two brilliant young entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs like Brooke and Zach are engines to driving innovation relevant to the Information Age. I hope the Appreneur Scholar awards helps Brooke and Zach to further their journeys with their respective ventures.”
Hot trends and technology
Samsung President and CEO of Consumer Electronics Boo-Keun Yoon indicated “The Internet of Things is about people, not things,” and by 2020, all Samsung devices will be connected to the IoT. Dr. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of the Board, Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, stated “Mercedes aims to develop truly superhuman autonomous driving ability” evidenced in the company’s new concept car F 015 which can drive itself, has seats that can swivel to face each other, possesses a computerized brain to watch pedestrian traffic, the interior featuring gesture and eye tracking control with free floating driving instruments. There are legal hurdles ahead such as liability in the case of an unavoidable accidents but self-driving cars will help us to achieve “the dream of freedom and mobility.”
I captured added thoughts in this article for IT World -- According to Consumer Electronic Association (CEA) CEO Gary Shapiro, “Our forecast underscores that consumers’ love affair with technology shows no signs of slowing any time soon. Consumer technology is all about continued innovation. In the blink of an eye, consumer demand has taken off for emerging categories such as wearables, unmanned aerial vehicles and 4K Ultra HD – categories that were too small to track just three years ago. Expect to see these burgeoning categories, as well as innovations across the full spectrum of consumer technology, on display this week at the 2015 International CES.” Other emerging products include 3D printers, connected thermostats, unmanned systems (such as unmanned vehicles and home robots), IP cameras and smart wearables.
Technologies which caught my attention included:
- Toshiba’s talking ChihiraAico robot
- SCiO is the world’s first molecular sensor that fits in the palm of your hand! It is a no-touch optical sensor that provides a seamless user experience. With SCiO, you can begin exploring what physical objects are made of, for example, how much fat is in cheese or salad dressing, how much sugar is in a piece of fruit, checking the freshness or pureness of cooking oil, knowing when an avocado will ripen, understanding the well-being of plants, identifying what medicine one is about to consume and much more. The applications are endless. Each time you scan an item you help build the world’s first database of physical matter. That new database has tremendous implications on food, research, health care and our environment. The data that SCiO collects will be a great leap forward for human knowledge of the physical universe.
- MeccaNoid is a new robotics building system from Meccano. At $399, MeccaNoid is the first of its kind: a four-foot tall humanoid that comes with built-in voice recognition, conversations, and much much more. Most importantly, users can create their own custom robot movements by physically moving the robot while in record mode. These movements and audio are stored in memory and can be recalled at any time with simple voice commands.
- From the creators of the original Guitar Hero®* comes Singtrix®, the next-generation karaoke machine that makes bad singers sound good and good singers sound amazing! Sound like your favorite stars with hundreds of professional vocal effects, live backup harmonies created from your own voice & natural pitch-correction. It works with any music and any audio device.
- 360fly, a wearable camera designed to capture experiences how they happened, as they happened, in 360º. Offering an unrivaled 360×240-degree field of view, 360fly redefines video capture and the way we share life’s unforgettable moments.
- 8K TV, you have to see it to believe the detail
Top CES trends from serial entrepreneurs who are showcased on the CES Wall of Apps for the most innovative apps of the year
Elim Kay, Top Pioneering Innovator, Young Entrepreneur, International Board Director, Notable C-level Executive provided his thoughts on technologies at CES:
1. Wearable Devices: in my opinion, wearable devices present the next level tier of capturing categories of data on humans (e.g. state of the human bodies, external movements) which can be fused with currently captured data from mainstream sources (e.g. mobile devices). This aggregated data, coupled together with relevant learning engines, can provide richer depth and context which translates into increased precision in generating quantitative intelligence. The opportunities that result may produce huge upside to huge industries, not only healthcare but also retail, restaurants, hospitality, etc.
2. Augmented Reality: While augmented reality is still in very early form, the future of augmented reality seems promising given the existing infrastructure of continuous advancement of humans’ digital behavior (and increasing precision of human-profiling by machines) that, in my opinion, is leading digital societies to eventually brace augmented realities in its eventual form(s). And I believe such forms will produce significant impact virtually across all industries.
3. Drones: The future of embraced utility of drones is wide as drones allow humans to extend their physical reaches at lower economical means. This concept of physical extension cuts across all industries. As drones begin to gain in maturity and eventually couple with advancing machines, a question is whether a balance can be achieved in which humans maintain being in control of extending physical reach while not becoming marginalized?
David Cheng, Top–Ranking Pioneering Chairman, Software Developer, and World Innovation Technology Leader and Entrepreneur also shared Elim’s thoughts and along with a couple of additional points:
1. More consumer friendly wearable Devices in how its effects on the healthcare industry. The advancement in the last 12 months in the area is quite impressive. The healthcare industry have gotten pressure to move more toward keeping a population healthcare versus treating them only when they’re sick. The very specific movement toward making the devices more consumer friendly by making it more affordable and fashionable should help drive the adoption of these devices. And with strong adoption, it can actually play a major role is shifting the healthcare industry toward wellness management and more consumer driven.
2. 3D scanning and printing. I believe this literally opens up a new dimension. Not only does this allow us to be more creative in what we design and create but it will probably open up new markets and opportunities. Real Estate developers can now easily build 3D models of their designs and inventors can actually “print” their inventions versus seeing it only on the screen (with simulations). It will be exciting to see when these devices becomes more affordable along with new advancements.
3. Self-driving cars. I believe this CES really is driving home the idea that a fully autonomous vehicle is here today! Which means production vehicles is not too far behind. Now imagine if they network all of these cars and be able to figure out (automatically) how to get everyone from point A to point B with full collaboration from every car! The stuff we’ve seen in sci-fi movies is actually here.
David and Elim’s most recent venture is as co-founders of Zaka a social-based relationship management and referral mobile application and platform where you discover places through the people you trust! Zaka was spotlighted on the CES Wall of Apps as one of the year’s most innovative apps.
Register* TODAY for the next free ACM Learning Webinar, "Stranger than Fiction: Case Studies in Software Engineering Judgment," presented on Wednesday, January 28, 2014 1pm ET (12pm CT/11 am MT/10 am PT/6 pm GMT) by Steve McConnell, CEO and Chief Software Engineer at Construx Software.
The talk will be followed by a live question and answer session moderated by Will Tracz, Lockheed Martin Fellow Emeritus; Chair, ACM SIGSOFT.
(If you'd like to attend but can't make it to the virtual event, you still need to register to receive a recording of the webinar when it becomes available.)
Note: You can stream this and all ACM Learning Webinars on your mobile device, including smartphones and tablets.
High-profile software project disasters have been commonplace for decades. Failed projects are followed by hand-wringing and cries of, "Where did we go wrong?" The people involved in the failed projects seem unable to determine the root causes of failure. Post mortem analyses typically settle on conspicuously incorrect answers, such as "We didn't test enough," "We should have been more agile," or "We should have motivated our staff better." The topic of judgment is ignored in the software engineering literature, yet development of sound professional judgment is key to correct and useful diagnoses of past failures and essential to creating future successes. In this talk, award-winning author Steve McConnell uses the "Four Core Influences" framework from his upcoming book, Software Engineering Essentials, to dissect published reports of software project outcomes. He demonstrates how to use sound software engineering judgment to vastly improve understanding of software project dynamics, which in turn leads to correct diagnosis of failure, more effective corrective actions for projects already underway, and a significantly improved chance of success on every project.
Duration: 60 minutes (including audience Q&A)
Presenter: Steve McConnell, CEO and Chief Software Engineer at Construx Software
Steve McConnell is CEO and Chief Software Engineer at Construx Software where he consults to a broad range of industries and oversees Construx's consulting and training offerings. Steve is the best-selling author of the industry classic Code Complete as well as Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art, Rapid Development, and other titles. Steve has served as Editor in Chief of IEEE Software magazine and Chair of the IEEE Computer Society's Professional Activities Board. Readers of Software Development magazine voted Steve one of the three most influential people in the software industry, along with Bill Gates and Linus Torvalds. Steve can be reached at stevemcc@construx.com.
Moderator: Will Tracz, Lockheed Martin Fellow Emeritus; Chair, ACM SIGSOFT
When he retired in 2012, Will Tracz was a principal software engineer/application architect for the Global Combat Support System - Air Force program. He is currently the chair of the ACM Special Interest Group on Software Engineering (SIGSOFT) and a member of the ACM Professional Development Committee. He was the editor of the ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes (1994-2012), 2002 chairman of the International Conference on Software Engineering, and 2012 chairman of the ACM Foundations of Software Engineering.
Click here to register* for this free webinar and be sure to share this with friends and colleagues who may be interested in this topic. And check out our past events, all available on demand.
*By registering, you agree to receive a one-time email from ACM on behalf of presenter Steve McConnell.
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I’m in Las Vegas at the international CES (Jan 6 to 9) in several roles:
- at the invitation of the US Embassy as an industry board chairman
- as a judge for the Kay Family Foundation Appreneur Scholar Awards
- as a chairman and managing partner working in investments and start-ups
- as a board chairman looking for buying opportunities
- as a writer/blogger for IDG - IT World Canada (pre-show events running from Jan 4)
My predictions for CES and for the enterprise are reported here for IT World:
http://www.itworldcanada.com/author/sibaraki
The judging is reported here:
http://appreneurscholars.com/2015-judges/
International CES is the largest technology show with 6000 press, 160,000 delegates, 3500 exhibitors, 2 million square feet spanning multiple hotels and the convention center. There are pre-events which I will be attending today and I will provide updates for areas that I find particularly cool!
