• Here is more information about the problem we (Feynlabs) are trying to solve and why it matters
• I spoke at the CAS conference on Friday last week and it was indeed very inspiring to meet teachers other s in the industry who are committed to encouraging Computer Science in UK schools.
• Speaking at this event also gave me the chance to crystallise my own thinking about the exact problem we are trying to solve.
• The challenge is huge
• See the diagram below (source BAz Nijjar posted at CAS) which shows the depth of the new syllabus
• There are a number of areas which are unknown ex:  The navigation of a steep learning curve by students and teachers, the introduction of computational thinking (ex algorithms), the evaluation of progress etc etc
• PS although the diagram is based on the UK syllabus, I see other countries also following the same trend.

Why does this matter?

There is a significant shift from ICT to Computer Science. ICT involves using tools. Computer Science involves understanding how to build tools and their impact on other scientific domains

However, teaching Computer Science (and in our case for feynlabs, trying to accelerate the learning of Computer Science) involves combining the abstract concepts (algorithms, data structures etc) alongwith very concrete programming

An insightful article from a Stanford University researcher says ( Shuchi Grover – Learning to Code is not enough)

•  Science itself is changing in a subtle but fundamental way--from the use of computing to support scientific work, to integrating Computer Science (CS) concepts and tools into the very fabric of science.
•   The essence of computational thinking is in ‘thinking like a computer scientist’ when confronted with a problem. (logically, algorithmically, breaking down a problem)
•  Block-based programming tools such as Scratch, Alice, Kodu, and web avenues like Khan Academy, Code Academy, and CodeHS (among others), place programming within easy reach of children today. Even 9 and 10 year-olds who tinker in these environments create artefacts and animations literally within minutes of starting out.
• Computational thinking involves conceptualizing, not just coding and learning the syntax of a language, and it’s more about the ideas, not the artefacts. It is the thinking we employ to design solutions, not the end product or projects.
• While children comfortably learn the WHAT (blocks or syntax) of programming languages and environments, the HOW and WHY is much harder as they construct programming solutions.

The problem we are trying to solve

• In the kickstarter video, we speak of a three stage approach – Concept – Compute and Extrapolate.
• The objective is to study a wide range of concrete implementations (Programming Languages) and also to abstract what is common amongst them so that the learner can master any programming language.
• This is not a trivial task. It involves learning to code in specific environments (I love the Raspberry Pi because we can explore the entire stack) but then also extrapolating that knowledge to other languages . Ex R Language, Mathematica, C, Lua, Dog(yes its a real language!)
• Think of it as driving a car
• You can never drive a car conceptually i.e. you have to physically drive it ..
• However, if you ALSO combined the concepts with insights from a broader range of vehicles you could potentially ‘drive’ (cars, trains, planes, space ships!) – you could learn the concepts in a very unique way. In theory, it would allow you learn to drive any vehicle – even one not yet invented
• In a nutshell, that’s the problem we are trying to solve ..
• It involves understanding the Computer Science syllabus but also looking far beyond the syllabus – into a new way to teach Computer science.
• Its a way to learn Computer Science by combining the abstract and the concrete
• For most people, it is easier to start with the concrete and then move to the abstract. By working with a range of platforms(programming languages) we can cover a wider variety of concepts – including Computational thinking and problem solving
• Finally, the Raspberry Pi is an excellent platform for this goal since it allows us to explore the entire stack. But I also like Touch Develop.
• So, its a case of balancing the abstract with the concrete and also accelerating the learning of Computer Science itself.
• A challenge which we enjoy working with!!
• PS – met some very interesting people who attended my sessions – for example )  Piface creator Andrew Robinson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HHfeWTV0Kc)

Image – NASA funzone – learning to drive a space ship

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/participate/funzone/

Abstraction is a key concept in Computer Science .. Here is how I have tried to explain abstraction in our trials Any comments welcome I have tried to use analogies, keep it simple but also move into complex areas

How to teach abstraction

I have also been focusing my mobile efforts in around Big Data

when I gave the keynote at the OMA event  on Big Data in Dublin last week, I mentioned my forthcoming book – and the focus of futuretext

I will be also elaborating these ideas in my talk at the Ovum Smart to future cities event  in a Smart cities context

In a nutshell, the ideas behind Big data originate in the Web .. but have some unique characteristics in the Mobile domain

So, the idea of the Mobile Data Scientist – is a paradigm which draws on the existing work in the Web domain for Big Data/Data Scientist but also applies unique mobile lessons

If you want to be interviewed for this book or have some unique insights – please email me at ajit.jaokar at futuretext.com 

The summary this month has a theme – “and so it begins” ..

Many of the themes we have been following on the policy front now have clear implementations..

Before we begin, space a thought for this parent .. but on a more serious note, it shows how older style companies have to change rapidly (My Teenage Son Does Not Know How To Mail A Letter, And I Blame Technology)

Firstly, we have new business models for old media ..

• The Guardian has shown us the future of journalism, and it is — coffee shops!
• Why big media is buying YouTube stars — and who could be next

And we have new policies for new domains ..

• Are Driverless Cars Legal?
• Is Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Really Good For Workers?
• In Britain, Police Arrest Twitter And Facebook Users If They Make Anti-Muslim Statements
• Landlords beware: Airbnb is booming in big cities, but many users run legal risks
• Texas drone bill sparks a battle
• Cyborgs arrive! Scientists build 3D printed ear
• Will the Supreme Court kill the gene-patent business?
• 3D printing: coming to a high street near you
• ‘Drones are changing the face of conservation’

Media business models are crystallizing with new ideas

• YouTube launches its paid subscription channels with select partners
• Internet memes that most deserve their own movie 3d
• An Amsterdam museum throws open its doors with a vast digital catalog
• That’s a lot of videos: YouTube now responsible for 17% of home Internet traffic
• This Is Twitter’s New TV Ad Product
• Pinterest Is Surging As A Social Commerce Platform

Mobile payment wars are hotting up

•   PayPal kills the cash register — and offers completely free payment processing for 2013
• Square will challenge PayPal with its own peer-to-peer cash service
• PayPal Offers Stores a Trade-In Deal for Their Old Cash Registers
• UK retailers see cash decline as digital payments boom

As is the rise of the Internet of Things

•  Microsoft’s New Kinect Is Your Nurse, Trainer, And Shrink
• Thanks To Apple And Google, Wearable Technology Is On Track To Become A $50 Billion Market
• Thanks To Apple And Google, Wearable Technology Is On Track To Become A $50 Billion Market
• By 2017, We’ll Each Have 5 Internet Devices
• Hospitals use cameras, sensor tags to track hand washing

Disruption

Finally many disruptive trends ..

• Mary Meeker highlights 2013′s next internet trends: ‘Wearables, Drivables, Flyables and Scannables’ 3d
• Neelie Kroes unveils Net Neutrality plan for Europe, aims to end mobile roaming fees in 2014
• What The ‘End Of Ownership’ Will Look Like 14d
• Kickstarter led innovation – after being rejected by VCs and raising money from Kickstarter – Pebble now goes back to VCs  (Pebble raises $15M, launches SDK update for better smartwatch apps)
• 3D printing could help take humans into deep space, NASA says

Image source wikipedia flower symbol for may

Comments and feedback welcome

Here is the link for our Kickstarter campaign - Computer Science for your Child 

Mattie and Beverley – the two founders of Vote my link are doing a great job and I look forward to supporting their work

April has been a month of transformation for many in the tech industry. Many of the trends we have been tracking for the Digital world in 2030 seem to suddenly mature in a month.

Firstly, let’s see a list of 15 Ways Technology Is Reinventing Society 

http://www.businessinsider.com/15-ways-tech-is-reinventing-society-2013-4?op=1

This is a good list and includes:

• Self-driving cars are changing how we get around
• Google Glass will turn us all into cyborgs
• Wearable fitness trackers are making us all health nuts
• The Internet is fueling a sharing economy
• Robots are changing the workforce
• Smartphones keep us hyper connected with each other
• Social networks are changing how we interact with each other
• 3D printing is reinventing the way we manufacture goods, while also fueling creativity.
• Nano-filtration technology is helping hundreds of thousands of people produce and drink clean water.
• Gesture-controlled devices are awakening our senses and fueling collaboration.
• Touch screen devices and Wi-Fi in underground transportation systems will vastly improve how we get around.
• iPads and mobile phones are changing our retail experience.
• Smartphone apps are making us the ultimate consumer but also kind of lazy.
• Photo-sharing sites are changing our notion of privacy.
• And the drones are coming.

It’s a good list and reflective of much of the disruption we also see in this month ..

Social media maturity, expansion and im-maturity

Social media both matured and im-matured ..

Firstly, There are some fundamental changes in the nature of social interaction.

• In the UK, the proportion of time spent on social media slips http://soa.li/itiikhU at the expense of online entertainment services and also new social media services are emerging – With over 200M monthly users, WhatsApp CEO boasts, “We’re bigger than Twitter”” http://feedly.com/k/11apQie
• With claims of losing users to services like WhatsApp- “Facebook says battle for teen attention ‘not a zero-sum game’” http://feedly.com/k/10Wy9EV.
• But social media continues to make a difference to services and disrupt physical services – such as NYC taxi apps – which reflect the increasing battle between new (online players) vs. traditional players like Taxi companies(“Put your taxi apps away, New Yorkers: NYC’s smartphone hailing program blocked again” http://feedly.com/k/10tXgY9 )
• The Boston bombings showed Social media at its best and its worst. The site Reddit became both a source of news for journalists but also became a place for online witch hunts – “Reddit apologizes for ‘online witch hunts,’ asks community to be ‘sensitive of its own power’” http://feedly.com/k/ZixLyg . Sites such as  Twitter, Reddit and 4Chan took on a role of online ‘just in time reporting’ which in some cases exposed innocent people to danger. The BBC reports that the internet detectives got it very wrong for the Boston bombings http://bbc.in/17LE5At  and the news sources like Police scanners (long used by journalists for breaking news – were now available to the people) and “Hyper-connected, real-time news is a good thing — but so is accuracy” http://feedly.com/k/XVOmIF  with news events becoming ‘participatory’. However, no matter how we see it, it’s clear that a seminal change has taken place in reporting with participatory news events here to stay – for better or for worse.

Content players – curation + aggregation to creation

There are some major changes for the content industry as well.

Since advertising drives content – we have reached a milestone with “Digital Advertising Has Now Blown Past All Other Media But TV http://feedly.com/k/13hhwjC .

Digital advertising now dwarfs newspapers and magazines and is bigger than any other media in the U.S. with the exception of broadcast TV, which hit $40 billion.

The breakdown is interesting also because it shows a rate of growth for many sub segments -

The industry totaled $37 billion for the year, in the U.S. alone.

•       Mobile grew 111% to $3.4 billion and accounted for 9% of total internet ad revenue in 2012.

•       Digital video brought in $2.3 billion, up 29%

•       Search was $16.9 billion, up 14.5%

•       Display-related advertising revenues totaled $12 billion, up almost 9%

Retail advertisers spent the most, accounting for 20% of total revenue in 2012. Financial services came in second, contributing 13%.

• Twitter opens up self-serve advertising platform to all businesses http://feedly.com/k/18avZSj

There are two major changes in the Content industry

Firstly, the nature of TV/video is changing. This is significant considering the huge $40 billion chunk of advertising revenue with  “YouTube users now watch 6 billion hours of videos a month” http://feedly.com/k/YnPR2u. America Now Routinely Watches 10 Billion Online Video Ads Every Month http://feedly.com/k/12RBGly .  Services like Hulu show strong growth with over one billion streamed videos in Q1 http://feedly.com/k/12XwHzT

Secondly, content players are going from content curation to content creation.

We see this in many areas

Flipboard – “Flipboard is a giant iceberg lurking in the path of the media” http://feedly.com/k/10InN6k

Yahoo through its many acquisitions and properties (mainly in mobile) – summly, Astrid (“Yahoo acquires to-do app Astrid, to continue service ‘as is’ for 90 days” http://feedly.com/k/10tWOcz ) , weather -  Yahoo’s Weather App Is A Big Hit! http://feedly.com/k/18awQ5l

Netflix – with shows like “house of cards” – Netflix is becoming a content creator – like HBO (Sopranos) but on the Internet(vs. Cable). Netflix Says Its “House of Cards” Strategy Worked, and Wall Street Agrees http://feedly.com/k/11iERQf . The future of TV, according to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings http://feedly.com/k/10AnsYc   says “TV is fundamentally changing from a linear delivery model to a world in which apps compete with each other, and Netflix is spending billions to be part of that future and Netflix is seen as one of the driving forces behind a transition from linear television to a world of internet-delivered on-demand content.”

There are also changes to the existing TV monopolies. Two Tiny Startups Are Exploding The $60 Billion Broadcast TV Industry http://feedly.com/k/12Arg8m  - Aereo, which offers a cut-rate TV subscription for consumers by capturing broadcast signals over thousands of antennas at one time.

And  Dish Network’s ad-eliminating video recording device called the Hopper. Both the Hopper and Aereo take advantage of changes in how TV viewers get their shows (time shifting, streaming, multiple devices etc).

Meanwhile if TV is becoming into apps – apps are migrating to TV – Is TV the future of apps? Draw Something app to be reinvented as Channel 4 quiz show http://feedly.com/k/10Q0rwO

And in another key trend – “A Prominent Silicon Valley Investor Is Talking About The End Of Ownership” http://feedly.com/k/170BiC2   including ownership of content ex Zipcar,  NetJets, Seamless(takeout delivery service) and  Spotify

Meanwhile, there is another interesting test case for legislation around the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act ) safe harbor provisions for audio recordings created before 1972 (

Recording industry threatens YouTube and other music services after copyright law snafu http://feedly.com/k/15TrZ94  )

Mobile industry – seminal shift

The mobile industry also sees major seminal shifts

Firstly, the worst PC sales drop in history http://cnnmon.ie/17rwczX  leads directly to a mobile revolution.    Shipments of PCs fell 14% worldwide last quarter, according to IDC. It was the worst yearly decline since IDC began tracking the data in 1994.

There are many factors for this trend especially Tablets - Mobile device price drop sees tablets outsell PCs http://www.telecoms.com/133811/mobile-device-price-drop-sees-tablets-outsell-pcs/  -

“While there will be some individuals who retain both a personal PC and a tablet, especially those who use either or both for work and play, most will be satisfied with the experience they get from a tablet as their main computing device,” said Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner.

“As consumers shift their time away from their PC to tablets and smartphones, they will no longer see their PC as a device that they need to replace on a regular basis.”

Tablets Are Dominating Mobile Commerce http://feedly.com/k/16erfM0 – Tablets will drive 65% of mobile commerce sales in 2013, even though smartphones still make up the majority of connected devices in the U.S., according to eMarketer.  Tablets overtake smartphones on BBC iPlayer   http://soa.li/sQTO2WO

Meanwhile, Global Mobile Apps Market will Reach $20 Billion in 2013 http://wp.me/p15SGl-2MM

Global Mobile Apps Market will Reach $20 Billion in 2013. The rise of apps and smart phones go together.  For first time, smartphone sales top other mobile phones in first quarter http://feedly.com/k/11u1cKS . This leads people to create apps which are becoming commercially successful  “Writer Teaches Himself To Code In His Free Time And Now Has One Of The Hottest Productivity Apps” http://feedly.com/k/13p1x38

Apps are transforming industries – ex tourism – The Mobile Tourist: How Smartphones Are Shaking Up The Travel Market http://feedly.com/k/13y2QN9  and advertising – Online Ads Can Now Follow You Home http://feedly.com/k/18awZG3 (Online Ads Can Now Follow You Home. Firms Are Helping Brands Like Expedia Serve Ads to Users Across PCs and Mobile Devices)

Meanwhile, the world of Operators sees some major changes.

In a wakeup call for Operators! Chat apps surpass SMS for the first time, study finds http://feedly.com/k/12c3KMX

But Operators are counting on video

“Verizon: Video accounts for 50% of mobile network traffic, and it’s only growing” http://feedly.com/k/11VLXwJ . This is significant because it is ONLY data traffic on the air waves (as opposed to WiFi for example). LTE is a major driver for video and also specific techniques for LTE such as LTE-broadcast . This is also reflected on an emphasis on Small cells – How Small Cells are Transforming Mobile Networks http://wp.me/p15SGl-1dw

Meanwhile, carriers are also changing price plans. Verizon dives deep into the budget end of mobile with a new $35 plan http://feedly.com/k/ZPTzM7   and O2 UK moves away from handset subsidies with decoupled Refresh tariffs http://feedly.com/k/17v4JgN

Carriers in Most of the World to See Flat Revenue While Emerging Markets Take Off http://feedly.com/k/10ZDW5U  . The rise of smart phones is making a difference in emerging markets with health care apps  http://feedly.com/k/12KXvTM  and mobile phones are making a big difference – for example by  redrawing bus routes (Mobile phone data redraws bus routes in Africa http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22357748) and mobile banking in Bangladesh http://dthin.gs/15e5YkV

On the devices front, phones that have cameras which don’t need to be focused are in focus ..

Nokia Investing In Camera Tech That Could Change Phones Forever http://feedly.com/k/11UYCOp

These cameras are based on plenoptics (a fixed, square array of tiny lenses in front of a digital sensor) and flexible displays are coming soon – Frog Predicts: Flexible Displays Will Soon Changethe World http://feedly.com/k/18aalNR

Finally, of all the places – Mobile Phones Are Booming In North Korea http://feedly.com/k/12RBTFi  thanks to a growing underground economy.

The Internet of Things becomes mainstream

This month a few announcements also herald a major uptake for Internet of Things

“Belkin’s internet of things dreams extend to energy and water management” http://feedly.com/k/ZVaxx7   and we are now speaking of the rise of the Industrial Internet -

http://radar.oreilly.com/2013/03/industrial-internet-report.html

SAP believes that the Internet Of Things Will Transform Everything – http://feedly.com/k/11UUazh  and IBM launches an appliance for the ‘Internet of things’ http://feedly.com/k/100CFLe  and then there is Google Glass which could potentially revolutionize many areas such as healthcare “Marc Andreessen Describes How Google Glass Will Revolutionize Health Care” http://feedly.com/k/Yi1h7M  and Jawbone Agrees To Acquire BodyMedia For $100M, Opens UP Platform For Developers http://feedly.com/k/18aaErS

AT&T launches its internet of things effort and it’s pretty big http://feedly.com/k/ZQTyZD  and Google purchases Behavio, a startup that aggregates smartphone data to make predictions http://feedly.com/k/YQOiIw

Identity

Identity will play an increasing role as two announcements indicate – Airbnb Now Wants to Check Your Government ID http://feedly.com/k/18awwU6   and the AP Twitter hack prompts fresh look at cyber security needs http://feedly.com/k/11u1rFE

Estonia is run like a corporation, but its president believes government must play a crucial role in areas of digital policy such as secure ID – Estonia – A lesson in public e-policy http://feedly.com/k/17cr6ou

Internet governance

Like SOPA, CISPA also did not go too far in the legislative space – CISPA Changes Show Power of Internet Advocacy http://feedly.com/k/12RBqmA

Meanwhile, a very insightful article discusses the contradictions in Internet Governance.

“An Internet ‘free from Government Control:’ A worthy principle” http://feedly.com/k/17zVhZJ

The U.S. has been deeply enmeshed in this contradiction ever since the World Summit on the Information Society in 2003-5, when it fended off criticisms of the U.S.-controlled ICANN while claiming to oppose ‘government control.’ In the meantime various US government agencies have (largely unconscious of or independently of the Internet freedom rhetoric) cast global shadows of hierarchy over various aspects of the Internet, seeking extraterritorial domain name takedowns, ACTA, restricted online gambling, cyber-weapons, and so on.

Disruption

The ongoing interplay between social media and politics continues with a Pew report – All politics isn’t social just yet, but it’s getting there http://feedly.com/k/14eFoZo   . A new report from the Pew Research Center breaks down civic participation and social media.

Open systems

Open systems underpin many of the trends we see and yet Open systems are not a straight forward approach. We saw that with the Twitter vs. PeopleBrowsr settlement http://feedly.com/k/1806qTH  for the Twitter firehose (data stream). Twitter has been scaling back access to its data for a while, and most developers found they had little recourse other than to accept the social network’s decisions. In that sense, PeopleBrowsr is one of the few companies that has successfully fought back.

As Mapping Costs Rise, Waze’s Volunteer Army Will Give It an Edge (Video) – crowdsourced content can give a commercial edge  http://feedly.com/k/Znf6Qz    and Twitter is in the news again for a contradiction with developers “Dear Developers: Play by the Platform Rules, or Expect a Smackdown” http://dthin.gs/10MVnrD

Finally, when it comes to Siri vs. Google now – Google now could have an edge because it has the advantage of tapping into Google’s massive trove of data to bring you the answers you’re looking for http://feedly.com/k/16eqHFH

Miscellaneous

“Patent troll Lodsys sues 10 mobile game makers, despite Apple’s intervention” http://ars.to/YFnoDv

Advertisers and developers ask FTC to delay new children’s protection laws http://feedly.com/k/ZnfzC2

“Florida poised to become first state with anti-drone law” http://feedly.com/k/Z930Mf

Gene wars: the last-ditch battle over who owns the rights to our DNA http://gu.com/p/3f9pg/tw

“Ouya review: can an indie console take on Sony and Microsoft?” http://feedly.com/k/13UpuDL

Porter and Kagame .. Why President Kagame Runs Rwanda Like a Business http://feedly.com/k/17eHzeG

The $5.1 Billion Future Of Crowdfunding Is More Than Kickstarter http://feedly.com/k/14Buq0C

Image – Google/Google Glass

Updated

first posted on Jun 11, 2012 @ 21:12 – updated 30 April 2013

Prof Walter Hoogland was one of the earliest people to spot the potential of feynlabs – and in less than a year feynlabs has come a long way. I saw the original document at CERN on facebook today and hence the update to this post

As part of my work, I have the pleasure of meeting many smart, clued-on people.

It’s a perk of the job – and also a great learning experience.

However, sometimes you meet someone – and don’t know who they really are until you Google their name

I met Dr Walter Hoogland in his current capacity as a leading research advisor for some major research initiatives in Amsterdam when I chaired the Apps for Smart cities event

In conversation, Walter mentioned that he was once the Director or Research at CERN

CERN of course is where Tim Berners Lee created the World Wide Web

When the Web was first created, Robert Cailliau, who was one of the first converts to the philosophy of the Web – worked with CERN’s management to give the WWW technology away without royalties and as Tim Berners Lee says – ‘This was hugely important for the future of the WWW’.

In a 2010 talk, Robert Cailliau said: During his talk Robert asked Walter Hoogland, former CEO at CERN, to stand up and then he explained that HE signed the document that transferred all rights for the World Wide Web to the world and away from CERN. The audience launched into a loud applause. Thanks to him we now have a free and world wide Web.

It turns out that this was the same Dr Walter Hoogland I met in Amsterdam for a coffee ..

That’s amazing ..

Think of it:. Had CERN, with Dr Walter Hoogland, as director of research NOT released the IPR for Web royalty free .. We would never have had the World Wide Web as we know it today ..

Having found this story, I mentioned it to many in Amsterdam and Europe ..

No one had heard of it ..

Hence the blog .. And I am sure you will agree that it is a very commendable achievement

Incidentally, I met Walter because he was interested in my latest project Concepts of programming languages for kids and we are indeed very fortunate to have Walter guide us for this idea

In a world obsessed with IPR and litigation, it is indeed fortunate that the Web (and humanity) encountered such a forward thinking person as Dr Walter Hoogland in it’s nascent stage of evolution

The above photo of Walter was taken by me for this blog in a subsequent meeting

Many thanks to Ger Baron for the introduction

Digital World in 2030 – workshop on Technology trends – European parliament April 23 2013 These are my detailed notes from being the Rapporteur at the workshop on Technology trends at the Digital World in 2030 held at the Altiero Spinelli Building, European Parliament

The session was chaired by Lambert van Nistelrooij, MEP and EIF Governor and besides me, the other panellists were

- Patrik Regårdh, Head of Strategic Marketing, Ericsson

- John Finney, Chief Commercial Officer, O3b Networks

- Matthias Wulff, Head of Communications Clubs and Direct Marketing, Bertelsmann

Background

The event was based on updating the Digital world in 2025 – indicators for European action created in 2009. The aim is not to predict the future – but rather to predict the future directions.  The Digital world in 2025 report was based on some key ideas

• A paradigm of mass collaboration
• Living a world of abundance (fast, fat pipes)
• We are going from a world of traditional economy to digitally led economy
• Leading to a new value chain
• In 2025, What will we pay for? What will we invest in?
• How will governance be impacted?
• What R and D investments will be needed?
• We will live in a world of Smart systems and a Data led world. But what does that mean?
• And most importantly – will technology drive people together or pull them apart?
• Finally, what would be the place for Europe?

The objective of the sessions was

• To look at the existing 2025 report i.e. comment on what is in the report, how did that content evolve and comment on what is missing.
• For me, to co-relate the ideas with other key policy discussions ex ESPAS
• The report covered many existing tech trends including – Manycore, terabit networking, next generation internet protocols, a single device accessing all services, internet of things, RFID, ipV6, spectrum management, Cloud, wireless sensor networks, immersive web. How will these evolve?
• The sessions will feed back into the next version of the report

The discussion

MEP Lambert van Nistelrooij  set the stage by indicating that we will have a forward looking debate

And also the context that 2014 was the year of the EU elections

Comments as below:

Patrik Regårdh

• The mobile dimension is key – mobile is integrated into everyday life
• Digital Identity is the core of many of the benefits in the report – but Digital Identity is not yet developed and fragmented
• The report does not cover the potential decoupling of value creation and job creation
• In 2030 where will we go when we leave the office?
• The digital infrastructure platform is based on Mobility, Broadband and Cloud. In most cases, it exists but will evolve
• Transformation in society – can be efficiency driven or disruption driven. The later is not covered and not easier to predict
•  We need cross sector regulation for many areas like healthcare, transportation etc
• We will face a challenge in managing behavioural change at individual level v.s value chain evolution of industries (ex threat of music industry)

Matthias Wulff

• Companies have plans – but users often do different things
• Spoke of the Tolino platform created with Deutsche Telekom
• Tolino said that is open, cloud based, secure, privacy enabled(does not follow users), more aligned to user process and technology is in the background
• The book business model may change(streaming for books?)

John Finney

• Comes from the satellite industry
• Demonstrated a video of Steve jobs which said that man is a tool maker and can be faster and better than animals due to better tools
• No one in this room has grown up collaborating with others (unlike the current generation which is doing so)
• We see some key trends 0 new generation has grown up completely online, net generation loves to connect, social networks are core to the Web i.e. now a fundamental part of the Web, traditional corporations are facing competition from ‘clusters of businesses’, peer production is key(IBM-Linux), harnessing human capital involves connecting as many people as possible
• In emerging markets, the capacity to Peer is limited due to lack of connectivity
• Satellites could provide the capacity to add 3 billion more people
• Global collaboration means – open systems, peering, sharing, acting globally

Audience comments and discussions

• Jurgen (from DG connect) – even in hard economic times, ICT practitioners has seen a 3% year on year increase in demand for jobs
• Lambert  van Nistelrooij compared to China, korea re broadband uptake
• The rate of change in ICT is great – you would want to be treated by an ‘old’ surgeon (demonstrating experience) – but the same does not necessarily translate to an older IT professional since the rate of change in ICT is high. Hence, a capacity to learn is inherent in ICT education
• How do we know the ‘best’ universities?
• Innovation has cycles. Policy makers miss that
• A paper on innovation in 1988 missed the mobile phone completely!
• iPad for kids may be useful because they can learn faster without having to worry about handwriting!
• For the first time, I heard Rwanda and Estonia mentioned in the same context(uptake of ICT)

Comments welcome. This will be an ongoing discussion leading up to the next version of the report in 2014

The ex Chinese Premier Wen Jiabo once said “Internet + Internet of things = Wisdom of the earth”

Indeed the Internet of Things revolution promises to transform many domains ..

Here, I present a personal, citizen centric and a realistic view of where it is going

It is the basis of my Smart city talk at Close and Remote this week

As the term Internet of Things implies (IOT) – IOT is about Smart objects

For an object (say a chair) to be ‘smart’ it must have three things

-       An Identity (to be uniquely identifiable – via iPv6)

-       A communication mechanism(i.e. a radio) and

-       A set of sensors / actuators

For example – the chair may have a pressure sensor indicating that it is occupied

Now, if it is able to know who is sitting – it could co-relate more data by connecting to the person’s profile

If it is in a cafe, whole new data sets can be co-related (about the venue, about who else is there etc)

Thus, IOT is all about Data ..

By 2020, we are expected to have 50 billion connected devices

To put in context:

• The first commercial citywide cellular network was launched in Japan by NTT in 1979

The milestone of 1 billion mobile phone connections was reached in      2002

The 2 billion mobile phone connections milestone was reached in 2005

The 3 billion mobile phone connections milestone was reached in 2007

The 4 billion mobile phone connections milestone was reached in February 2009.

So, 50 billion by 2020 is a large number

There are two classes of applications that will drive the uptake of IOT

a)     Top down – mainly corporate/vendor led – ex Smart metering, vending machines etc and

b)    Citizen led – more grassroots, citizen led approaches

Maslow said – “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”

That’s pretty much how companies see IoT and Smart cities i.e. they each come from their respective strengths (ex for Intel, it is a Microprocessor problem, for Cisco it is a video problem etc etc)

For that reason, I believe that the later(citizen led IoT approach) will be more disruptive

Smart cities can be seen as an application domain of IOT

In 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of the world’s population will be living in towns and cities. By 2030 this number will swell to almost 5 billion, with urban growth concentrated in Africa and Asia with many mega-cities(10 million + inhabitants). By 2050, 70% of humanity will live in cities.

That’s a profound change and will lead to a different management approach than what is possible today

Also, economic wealth of a nation could be seen as – Energy + Entrepreneurship + Connectivity                                                                               (sensor level + network level + application level)

So, what makes a city ‘smart’?

Building upon the previous discussion, my view is a Smart city is a city that behaves like the Internet i.e. is a platform/enabler for it’s citizens

Thus, the citizens make the city ‘smart’ by adding knowledge, value, data etc

This is a part of a wider socio economic trend to go from ‘mass production’ to ‘smaller individualized services’ – ex in music, in urban farming, in the Bristol pound, in local sourcing of food etc.

For the same reason, I am not a believer in the Urban Operating system

The three areas I focus on are

a)     Open source hardware and software as an enabler to smart cities (Arduino, Raspberry Pi etc)

b)    Education – especially my ed-tech start-up feynlabs  -which is focussed on accelerating the learning of computer science for young people especially using Physical computing(building interactive physical systems which can sense and respond to the Analog world – especially applications that can be created by the Raspberry Pi and Arduino)

c)     Internet freedom – Bills like SOPA, CISPA etc which go against the ethos of the Internet

Look fwd to the discussion

Ajit Jaokar @AjitJaokar

ajit.jaokar at futuretext.com

www.feynabs.com

www.futuretext.com