From the category archives:

New Tech

What is your passion?

by Erik on January 17, 2010

in Business Logic, IBM, Information, Interesting, New Tech, ROI, Sustainability, passion

Lately, I’ve been thinking about “passion,” what drives people and what leads them to be successful. Everyone says that you must do something that you care deeply about, otherwise there’s no chance in being happy. Does that translate to success? I think there’s more to that equation, and it typically involves hard work, perseverance, and attention to results. The last of which I find to be the most important piece.

Lightbulb.

This past weekend I was in DC for work and leisure, and I had the pleasure of meeting a director of a local DC organization whom I found to be incredibly driven and passionate about public health and policy. When he spoke of his passion, it was evident that this man will do wonders to change the world. He has a vision, purpose, and a dozen letters that come after his name. But, regardless of that, his vision drives him to get down and dirty and work hard at achieving his goals.

It’s awe inspiring when I have the privilege to talk to people about their passions. I know that when individuals follow their hearts, and when I hear that they back that up with pure unadulterated hard work and dedication to driving results AND holding themselves accountable to their mission, that they ultimately achieve their goals.

Technology.

What I also gained from this conversation was that I tend to think of things in terms of problem solving. When a system is broken, whether the way patient care is managed, how that information is stored, how that leads to policy issues, late and inaccurate data reporting, and healthcare overload.

Thinking about how technology can be used is innate within me. The way patient care is accomplished, and how a broken system can be restored has to happen with technology. Patients are really clients and clients are managed with CRM software–but how well do hospitals understand CRM? Which interactions do they log? How do they follow up and track progress?

I was excited that my training and background can someday enable me to help out in an area that my new friend was so passionate about.  I will someday be working on engagements that will allow me to influence these very real, and serious issues affecting the private and public sector, and that is exhilarating to me.

My major lesson learned was that having a vision, having a purpose, and being results oriented will allow one person to change the world.

My passion.

Deep down, I know what I am passionate about. I know what I am interested in, but I don’t think I’ve ever fully written down, in list form, what drives me. What is it that I want to accomplish? And how do I plan to get there? What in my professional life makes me happy, and how can I use this passion to accomplish great things for the companies I want to consult with?

  1. I am driven by technology. More specifically, I am driven by “Green Tech” because that is the future of business.
  2. I am driven by innovation, through process or machine.
  3. I am driven by sustainability. Investing now, will save time and money for cities, states, nations, and global enterprises.
  4. I am driven by ingenuity and problem solving. I thrive in fast paced environments that are dynamic and challenging.
  5. I am driven by delivering on results, and setting and exceeding ambitious goals.
  6. And I am ultimately passionate about people. Diverse people with incredible ideas and stories. People that want to change the world.

And this means?

I believe that technology is an important strategic level goal that most companies need to invest in. I believe that even at a local DC health organization, technology plays a major role in quality of care, and these tenants are scalable from fortune 100 to start ups. Technology allows the management of information, and we are in an age where information is key to where we want to go next as a civilization. The future of this industry is in the proper implementation of systems that will support and drive enterprises to the next level.

Green tech and sustainability are key to the future of business. It makes sense to have tech policies in place that can ensure high rates of return, and cost reductions. An eWeek article recently stated “This may be a bit surprising to some corporate executives: IBM figures that for every dollar saved in energy drawn from the wall, a company saves $6 to $8 in operational costs as a result.”

How do you save energy? You implement technology that can modernize the lighting systems. You recover heat from huge data centers to help heat and cool entire complexes. You look to innovation to change business processes and ensure adequate focus is on future change. You solve complex problems, and tackle exceptional issues with smart people, and you hold yourself and your team accountable to delivering results.

The company today will not last in a marketplace of tomorrow. And the thought of being involved in solving those problems within the private sector, well, that drives me also.

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Weekly Round Up

by Erik on July 3, 2009

in Alternative Energy, Asia, Business Logic, Economy, Green Tech, IBM, Jobs, Markets, New Tech, Obama, Recession, Technology, Unemployment, Weekly Roundup

For Modest Earners, Relief Repaying Student Loans – Repaying a student loan could soon be a little less painful. Starting this week, anyone with a federal student loan can apply for a program, run by the Department of Education, that caps monthly payments based on income, and forgives remaining balances after 25 years. Those choosing to work in public service could have their loans forgiven after just 10 years.

New Grads May Have Leg Up On Older Job Seekers – Recent college graduates are finding out that an economic downturn is not the best time to be searching for work. But they do have a leg up on older job hunters: It’s a lot easier for a 22-year-old — unburdened by mortgage and kids — to go to where the work is.

IBM Reinvents the 401(k) – Staffers were nervous when Big Blue replaced its pension plan with a souped-up 401(k). Now, the plan could be the new gold standard.

U.S. Job Losses Rise and Unemployment Reaches 9.5% – The American economy lost 467,000 more jobs in June, and the unemployment rate edged up to 9.5 percent in a sobering indication that the longest recession since the 1930s had yet to release its hold. “The numbers are indicative of a continued, very severe recession,” said Stuart G. Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services in Pittsburgh. “There’s nothing in here to show that the economy and the market are pulling out of the grip of recession.”

A Day With 400 Tweets Starts With Simplicity – A Comcast Social Media Associate has plenty of advice to give on using Twitter and other social networking sites, as do other always-on pros and amateurs. Their tips will help you minimize your time and effort while maximizing your social bliss.

Q&A: Rising Unemployment Clouds Outlook – The increase in the unemployment rate to a 26-year high of 9.5 percent doesn’t bode well for a smooth transition to economic recovery. Economists expect unemployment to continue to rise into 2010, and possibly longer. Here, a look at what some leading economists say lies ahead as the fall season approaches, when retailers typically expect a boost from back-to-school shopping.

Green Power Takes Root in the Chinese Desert – As the United States takes its first steps toward mandating that power companies generate more electricity from renewable sources, China already has a similar requirement and is investing billions to remake itself into a green energy superpower.

Economist: Stimulus Appears To Be Working – More jobs were lost last month than expected, but the Obama administration’s economic stimulus package promises to create 600,000 jobs by the end of the summer. Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Economy.com, says that without the stimulus, the numbers would be worse.

Obama Disappointed By Jobs Numbers – President Obama said Thursday he is “deeply concerned” about unemployment. The remarks to The Associated Press came after the Labor Department said U.S. businesses shed 467,000 jobs in June and that the unemployment rate increased to 9.5 percent.

Madoff Likely Won’t Be Serving Time In ‘Club Fed’ – Anyone who thinks convicted swindler Bernard Madoff will serve easy time in a “Club Fed” minimum-security prison should think again. He is unlikely to land in a cushy cellblock, and he will need to watch his back, consultants and former inmates say.

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Restaurants finding Twitter a cheap, effective marketing tool

by Erik on June 29, 2009

in Interesting, New Tech, Social Media

I was having a discussion the other day with one of my employees about the benefit of twitter and how it can be utilized in a business setting as a value-adding marketing tool. He was not so convinced. He could only see twitter as a way to tell people what you were doing at any given moment. “I’m sitting on my couch” or “I’m going to the bathroom!” were his tweet examples to show the inanity. He was all about what you could do with Facebook – in his eyes – a much richer experience.

I think the twitter and micro-blogging phenomenon is a lot more telling about social media in general than most would give credit for, and if you can find a way to use this tool to your advantage, you’re instantly ahead of the pack. At least for now.

What can you do with 140 characters or less, the length of each tweet? A lot, restaurants are discovering - everything from posting daily specials to luring followers with offers of free appetizers to offering a glimpse of kitchen life. It’s all good for business.

“It’s instant and free marketing,’’ said Chris Barr, a manager at L’Espalier, which joined Twitter this month.

Restaurants are starting to sign on by the dozens, inspired, perhaps, by the success of Kogi, a Korean barbecue taco truck in Los Angeles that gained national notoriety by tweeting its whereabouts. In February, Newsweek called it “America’s first viral restaurant.’’

[via The Boston Globe]

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Weekly Roundup

by Erik on June 20, 2009

in Economy, New Tech, Recession, Technology, Unemployment, Weekly Roundup

Opening Day: The iPhone 3G S – Hollywood has its red-carpet premieres. The NFL has the opening kickoff celebration. For technology fans, Apple’s rollout of its latest devices are as good as it gets.

Tech Recruiting Clashes With Immigration Rules – Half of the engineers working in Silicon Valley were born overseas.

Tech Payoff for Companies Remains Elusive, Study Finds – A new economic index paints a disheartening picture for technophiles — at least the ones inside corporate America.

More Families Pull The Plug On Their Home Phone – Government research shows more and more households are getting rid of their land lines. For the first time, cell-phone-only homes outnumber those with just land lines.

Obama’s Plan Falls Flat With Many Economists – Economists across the political spectrum say they’re disappointed with the president’s mixed-bag proposal to overhaul financial regulation. Some say it will stifle innovation; others, that it could create new accountability concerns.

Jobless Rolls Drop; Leading Indicators Rise – Two new reports Thursday pointed to signs that the economy may be regaining its footing. The total number of people on the unemployment insurance rolls dropped for the first time since early January, and the index of leading economic indicators rose for the second month in a row.

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IBM puts its engine behind the cloud

18 June 2009 Cloud Computing

IBM has plenty of experience promoting new and innovative computer technology, and now it is taking on cloud computing.
“I.B.M. knows how to do all of those things,” Frank Gens, chief analyst for IDC, a technology research firm, told the New York Times. ”Its strategy is all about making cloud computing safe for enterprise customers.” The newspaper reported that […]

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IBM To Invest $100 Million In Cell Phone Research

17 June 2009 IBM

IBM, long synonymous with the personal computer, hopes to become equally influential in the world of mobile computing.
The company plans to announce Wednesday a $100 million investment pool to develop new services for mobile phones. The company provided few specifics about its research goals but said it broadly hopes to improve mobile payment methods, security, […]

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The Bar Code Is Taking a Leap Forward

9 June 2009 Barcodes

LOOK closely at recent supermarket coupons, and you may see some markings on them near the traditional bar code: sets of neat black bars stacked in two rows. The new symbols, called GS1 DataBars, can store more data than traditional bar codes, promising new ways for stores to monitor inventory and for customers to save […]

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