All posts by Jim Wilson

See Jim's Profile at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimwilsonlsi
Advanced Appliance Architecture, Cloud of Things, Cloud Servers, Internet of Things, Silicon Architecture, Strategic Technology Directions, Technical Contributions, Technology Trends 2015

IoE/IoT KEY Enablers will be Ubiquitous Connectivity & Predictive Maintainence

I’ve been digesting and expanding on an interesting white paper authored by the Microsoft Azure Incubation team titled: Building the Internet of Things – Early learnings from architecting solutions focused on predictive maintenance. I agree with the premise tha ubiquity in connection technology will be the key enabler and that predictive maintenance will probably be required to instantiate a true global ubiquitous connection state.  Recently MS is changing their terminology from Internet of Things to Internet of Everything (IoE).  Here I use them interchangeably A key technical enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT) is ubiquitous connectivity. A week or so ago I blogged about a new technology called Active Steering(TM) which should be the winner in patented connectivity hardware/Software/Firmware for antenna products.

Focussed Adaptive Radiation
Focussed Adaptive Radiation by Ethertronics

Just imagine that the antenna on your device was constantly sampling the wireless signals around your location and finding the strongest source and directing the focus of the antenna to that source.  That is what an Active Steering antenna does on your phone, tablet or PC.   By using this technique the system is also performing predictive maintenance on the connectivity configuration for your specific device and location. Let’s first look at the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. Even though the Internet model uses a simplified abstraction, the models in the previous figure and the associated well-known logical protocols are comparable. Connectivity Model Application-layer protocols are not concerned with the lower-level layers in the stack other than being aware of the key attributes of those layers, such as IP addresses and ports. The right side of the figure shows the logical protocol breakdown transposed over the OSI model and the TCP/IP model.

Interaction patterns

Special-purpose devices differ not only in the depth of their relationship with back-end services, but in the interaction patterns of these services when compared to information-centric devices because of their role as peripherals. They are not the origin of command-and-control gestures; instead, they typically contribute information to decisions, and receive commands as a result of decisions. The decision-maker does not interface with them locally, and the device acts as an immediate proxy; the decision-maker is remotely connected and might be a machine. We usually classify interaction patterns for special-purpose devices into the four categories indicated in the following figure.

Device Coomunications Patterns
Device communications Patterns

CoPathwaysnnectivity Types

All of these models need uninterrupted connectivity to enable the ultimate user experience that Windows 10 could offer with the addition of Active Steering Technologies at the Platform level.

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Historic Science, Significant Scientist, Strategic Technology Directions, Technical Contributions

You should know this man!

Did you know that Crest Toothpaste, Folgers Coffee, Bounce Fabric Softener and Safeguard Soap were all created by an African-American Man? When knowledgable people speak about him most of the audiences have never heard of him and were amazed by his story.

Via Science Affected so many lives.
Via Science Affected so many lives.

Dr. Herbert Smitherman was a pioneering executive and professional chemist at Proctor & Gamble who led the way for other African-Americans at the prestigious company in the 1960s. He was the first black person with a doctorate hired at Proctor & Gamble.

With a Ph.D in physical organic chemistry, Dr. Smitherman developed a number of incredibly popular patents, including Crest toothpaste, Safeguard soap, Bounce fabric softeners, Biz, Folgers Coffee and Crush soda, to name a few. Not only are they still on the shelves, but many of them are on display at the Cincinnati Museum Center in the featured exhibit, “America I AM: The African-American Imprint.”

Nicknamed the “Jackie Robinson of Proctor & Gamble,” Dr. Smitherman spent 29 years there before turning in his lab coat to work as a professor at Wilberforce University. But after serving at the historically black college, Smitherman turned his attention to starting a high school called the Western Hills Design Technology School to help black students perform better in math and science.

A child of the south, Dr. Smitherman’s family lived in Birmingham, Alabama, where his father served as a reverend. A young Smitherman would see his father’s church burn down twice during their push for voting registration and voting rights.

He died on Oct. 9, 2010.

Read more here: http://blackhistorymonth.blackamericaweb.com/index.php…

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Cloud of Things, Cloud Security, Cloud Servers, Internet of Things, Strategic Technology Directions, Technoiogy Trends 2014-2018, Technology Trends 2015

Windows10 Hands on Revelations

As a member of the Windows Insider Program I have had a while now to install, investigate and update the Windows 10 Technical Preview.  I took a 12 year old HP Windows 7 PC and upgraded it to Windows 10. All of my hardware & programs worked flawlessly. The new browser (code named “Project Spartan” ) is really a big step forward in performance and functionality. Key features are built-in natively to the browser and their major purpose is to make web-services content easier to read, share and comment on.

At last - A True Ubiquitous Platform
At last – A True Ubiquitous Platform

Other more important revelations have to do with the stated goals of Microsoft regarding their key technology – Windows.  According to the new CEO Satya Nadella, “Windows 10 marks the beginning of the more personal computing era in the mobile-first, cloud-first world. Our ambition is for the 1.5 billion people who are using Windows today to fall in love with Windows 10 and for billions more to decide to make Windows home.”  If you look at the new offerings superimposed on the backdrop of existing “must have” applications, Microsoft seems determined to make itself through Windows the big dog in the internet services arena. According to Terry Myerson, “We think of Windows as a Service – in fact, one could reasonably think of Windows in the next couple of years as one of the largest Internet services on the planet.”

He continued to state that, “Windows 10 is the first step to an era of more personal computing. This vision framed our work on Windows 10, where we are moving Windows from its heritage of enabling a single device – the PC – to a world that is more mobile, natural and grounded in trust. We believe your experiences should be mobile – not just your devices. Technology should be out of the way and your apps, services and content should move with you across devices, seamlessly and easily. In our connected and transparent world, we know that people care deeply about privacy – and so do we. That’s why everything we do puts you in control – because you are our customer, not our product. We also believe that interacting with technology should be as natural as interacting with people – using voice, pen, gestures and even gaze for the right interaction, in the right way, at the right time. These concepts led our development and you saw them come to life today. “

Look at their video on demand announcement here.

This will create many new opportunities for HW & SW engineers to make the continuum user experiences a reality and increase monetization of proving add-ons to the Windows 10 new functionalities.

 

 

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Beyond High Definition Video, Cloud of Things, Internet of Things, Silicon Architecture, Strategic Technology Directions, Technoiogy Trends 2014-2018, Technology Trends 2015

Wi-Fi Signal Active Steering Impresive new Technology

Here in San Diego we have a number of new and innovative technology companies.  One of which I’m proud to be connected to by Rick Johnson (their CFO) who was the CFO of Tarari and a fellow Intel Alumni. The company is Ethertronics and makes chip-sets that implement various types of antenna functionality for the mobile market.  Their latest introduction at this year’s CES is ACTIVE STEERING

itac3

The industry is preparing for a 1000x increase in data traffic while carriers are running out of capacity on their networks. The solution to this daunting challenge isn’t as simple as just buying more spectrum or adding more infrastructure in the form of cellular towers, small cells and Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) equipment. The wireless devices themselves are key to increasing capacity through spectral efficiency. Active Steering technology is crucial to improve device efficiency and performance.

Ethertronics’ Active Steering technology provides

  • Significantly faster throughput –  higher data rates
  • Minimizes unwanted interference
  • Seamless handoffs between towers
  • Better connected experience for users
  • Increased spectral efficiency – more capacity to carriers’ networks
Wi-Fi Active Steering
Wi-Fi Active Steering

 

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Cloud of Things, Cloud Security, Cloud Servers, Internet of Things, Strategic Technology Directions, Technoiogy Trends 2014-2018, Uncategorized

Cloud Security more of a sticky issue

Image

As various enterprises move to the Cloud (Private, Public, or Hybrid) Security is becoming critical and can be a barrier or an enabler.  This link shows the TOP 5 Cloud Security issues and is well worth reading. cyber_security

 

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Advanced Appliance Architecture, Cloud of Things, Cloud Servers, Internet of Things, Silicon Architecture, Small Appliance, Strategic Technology Directions, Technoiogy Trends 2014-2018, Uncategorized, Wine Industry, Wine Technology

New Technology Coming to Marry the Internet of Things with small appliance world!

My firm has been engaged by one of the world’s largest small appliance manufacturing PRC-based companies to architect and implement a cloud/mobile/appliance IoT offering. This new small wine appliance will be launched in Q4 of 2014.

In fact this is an exciting project where WilQuest is Partnering with Microsoft, interKnowlogy, Tridea Partners and others to create a “Cloud of Things” CoT infrastructre where a global software/hardware engineering team is developing products on Azure,Windows 8,  Android, iPhone, iPad, Intel and ARM platforms to create a seamless web srevices orchestration of devices and applications that each perform a segment of a task that the end user request via gesture/mouse/keyboard action.

 

 

 

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Silicon Architecture, Strategic Technology Directions, Technology Trends 2013

Internet of Things ( IoT) Chatter…..

I’ve been interacting with other Intel Alumni regarding the Internet of Things and various prognostications about the work going on between Intel & Microsoft.  Some believe there’s no room for Intel in this domain space to the I posted on an Intel Alumni social media site:

“Don’t count this partnership out quite yet….  The new management teams at both of these companies are well positioned to drive innovation and deliver a cost effect offerings in the IoT space. MSFT’s purchase of Nokia along with the Surface device push means that a lot of folk at MSFT are now focused on delivering HW/SW bundled solutions. If any collaboration can find a way to do it the Intel army along with a reinvigorated Bill Gates having a hands-on role at MSFT (from an architecture and creativity function) could cause an inflection point for the IoT product domain.”

Also, look at this video from our friends in Redmond:

Microsoft's IoT Push
Microsoft’s IoT Push discussed at the 2013 Intelligent Systems Leadership Summit
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Cloud Servers, Silicon Architecture, Strategic Technology Directions, Technology Trends 2013

Are Cloud Technologies Replacing on-premise Servers?

It seems that that is the case.  In fact the old-style justifications for on site servers and attendant OpEx costs don’t seem to make sense any more.  Read this interesting article  Is the data center in the Cloud or is the Cloud in the data center?

Maybe your next Server won't be collocated with you!
Maybe your next Server won’t be collocated with you!

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Silicon Architecture, Strategic Technology Directions, Technology Trends 2013

Convergence of Cloud Computing & Big Data????

There’s a lot of buzz stating that Cloud Computing and Big Data are synonymous. See a Forbes article here stating that ”

“Big data is the new cloud computing.”

This sentiment was recently expressed in an interview with Motley Fool analyst Tim Beyers, who analyzed the zeitgeist coming out of the South-by-Southwest (SXSW) conference and observed that cloud computing and big data were now one in the same phenomena, converging on enterprises of all shapes and sizes.”

For those who don’t know what big data is, this Intel Video gives you a “Big Data 101” primer.

The Cloud definitely provides a cost effect and timely way to go after big data problems and then using the elasticity of the cloud’s IaaS foundation, dump the costly resources when you’ve finished or allow them to grow only when needed. But they are not one and the same. Big Data is just the current “Bell of the ball” for enterprise usage of the Cloud.  See below Gartner’s Hype Cycle for emerging technologies 2012. This shows we are either in or approaching the “Trough of Disillusionment” regarding Reduce Map and the offerings of DBSaaS.  I’m eager to apply some innovative ideas I have regarding the trip out of this trough on some upcoming projects.

Big Data Hype Cycle 2012
Big Data Hype Cycle 2012
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Silicon Architecture, Strategic Technology Directions

Big Changes at Intel & Microsoft Signal a Major Industry Shift

2014's HereWith the resignation/retirement of long term Intel leaders and Microsoft’s announcement of a new CEO, the direction of the industry’s shift to non-X86 architecture Future Work
products is forcing both of these giants to rethink their corporate leadership philosophies.
Satya Nadella becomes only the third CEO of Microsoft while CEO Brian Krzanich of Intel follows a similarly small group of predecessors.  A good example is that Verizon and Intel in late January announced an agreement for Verizon to purchase from Intel the assets of Intel Media, a business division dedicated to the development of Cloud TV products and services.

The Future Work is an attempt to show how enterprises need to adapt to the changes in order to stay relevant in 2014 and beyond. Check out these links and judge for  yourself if Intel and Microsoft are headed in the right directions.

 

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