Microsoft — You’ve Got My Attention September 22nd, 2010

I was duly impressed this evening. Brett Brewer, the GM of Microsoft Live Labs put on a kick-ass demonstration of Microsoft’s latest web browsing technologies. The event was hosted by MITX, and was held at Fidelity’s Center for Applied Technology (who knew Fidelity even had a center for applied technology?) It was a beautiful venue with environmentally-friendly decor mixed with high-tech gadgets.

Microsoft is bucking the system with Live Labs. Their approach is almost like a web-browsing bill of rights. Brett repeatedly voiced his dissatisfaction with how data is provided online, and how poor online image quality is. The reason for his impatience is because Microsoft has found a way to solve this with three products ready for prime time now; Pivot, Seadragon, and Photosynth.

Pivot lets a user view large quantities of data in a useful and easy to understand way. Pivot can dynamically display data according to any number of criteria, and it does so in real-time, without having to wait for loading bars, or placeholder image blocks. Check out this introductory video.

Seadragon, (or Zoom.It as it is now called) eliminates the need for low-res, crappy quality images on the web. Every image online can be super high-resolution. Sound like a dream come true? It does this by loading only the data needed at each magnification level. See it work on their website. Goodbye 100px thumbnails!

Photosynth digitally stitches separate photos together to create a seamless scene where you can rotate, advance into, or zoom out of. The complex software identifies the hard corners in the photos and them lines them up. It even warps areas that are wrapping around corners. And it displays online in real-time as if it were a pre-made zoom or pan.

See all three of these technologies presented in this demo:

While Microsoft’s Silverlight plugin enables and enhances these tools, some of them can also be incorporated without a plug-in via their API and AJAX. And it does it all in real-time over the Internet. Microsoft is helping us rethink the way we use the Internet and data online in a positive and proactive way. Big brother, now I’m watching you.

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Think you know Facebook and Twitter? Think deeper. March 25th, 2010

Think DeeperI guess I’m a technologist because I love technology and have a bottomless appetite for it.

The glamour of new products no longer dazzles me. The underlying technology behind a new platform is definitely more interesting than the platform itself. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll see the reason behind the underlying technology. Now that’s where the excitement is.

Take Twitter for example. On the surface, it is a social communication vehicle. Kind of like an evolution of text messages that you can share with the world. But why would you want to share your text messages with the world? Where’s the value in that? Dig a little deeper.

The technology behind Twitter is really a two-way communications channel (although I think most people use only as a one-way broadcasting channel.) But the really amazing thing about Twitter is what else it can do for you, especially when you combine it with other technologies. There is an incredibly powerful network running wild right now and it is just waiting to be harnessed. How?

1) Use it as a listening tool. Real-time conversations are happening about your brand, or asking questions you can answer. Beat your competition to the punch and engage with your audience immediately.

2) Like it or not, recognize that Twitter has HUGE adoption. That means access to a huge audience — if you have something relevant to say.

3) Imagine if you could combine short quick messages with say — a home appliance. You could know exactly when your ice maker is overflowing in your fridge, when your clothes are dry, or when the oven is preheated. Combine Twitter with a moisture sensor in your plants and you’ll be reminded to water them. How about car maintenance needs, library book reminders, or even a daily tweet of the lowest gas price within 3 miles of your home?

My point is, if you think past the conventional uses, unexpected and innovative solutions will emerge. I still love the fact that the Typewriter was developed to allow the blind to write. Who knew it would be required in every business office for decades to come?

We’re seeing innovation on all platforms with the rapid adoption of location-awareness, text-to-speech, and cross-application sharing of information. Where will the technology take us next?

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What We Didn’t Learn About the Economy December 19th, 2008

Last week at Foley’s Emerging Technologies Conference, I heard experts talk about the state of the economy and how it’s impacting businesses. What I heard was “nothing new.” Well, that’s not entirely true. We heard that the economy was so unrealistically positive the last few years, that many people lost their common sense and perspective. The risky ideas that floated along on cushy funding (from a variety of sources) are falling through their clouds now. And no one wants to invest in a business now unless it has a solid plan with a solid team. Really? Why does this make sense only now and not before?

Unfortunately, many businesses and people will be affected by the failures of others — collateral damage caused by overly-optimistic and profit-blinded business leaders. We all need to buckle down and ride out the storm now.

What’s encouraging to me is that successful businesses with realistic business plans and positive cash flows will most likely continue to do well. And innovative new business ideas really need to be well thought out before moving forward with them. Good products, good service, and good ethics will prevail.

I believe it’s easier to learn from our mistakes than it is to learn from our successes. And we’re all going to get a whole lot wiser.

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