From Boing-Boing …

Many months ago I started a debate with a technical guy at the Westpac Bank. They were changing their already cumbersome internet banking interface to one which required you to use an online keyboard to log in with.

The online keyboard is incredibly difficult to use. Beside the fact that it isn’t in QWERTY format, it simply encourages poor strength passwords.

Since my argument discussion with the Westpac tech-head, I have since moved banks (yes, because of this one issue.) Thinking about all their propoganda on how this change is to protect our security, I am now happy to tell them - “I told ya so.”

Where I currently work, we’re investigating ways to reduce our carbon emissions (more in this specific project later.) What I found interesting what that as soon as this thought had settled in my mind, ideas and options suddenly presented themselves. It is quite amazing how setting an objective like this makes your mind work towards that goal.

So, what about some of these ideas? There are heaps and it’s becoming a bit of a competition which is nice. Here are a few:

• Turn all the kitchen waste into a compost to be used on the gardens and for the local school / community
• Ban printing on a specific day each week
• Computers and non-critical equipment to be automatically turned off after 6pm each night
• Changing light fittings to more economical models
• Provide recycling boxes in all offices and work areas

That’s just a few really simple things. I’ve already started by making every effort possible to not print anything and recycle any paper products and waste I can.

I’ll keep reporting on how these changes become part of our daily lives here and on any more ideas we have.

[5 minutes later ...]
ARGGHHH! This is going to be harder than I thought. Why is it that health funds and the like still insist on people printing and posting in forms? What gets to me even more is when they say “Join on-line by completing our on-line application form.” People, a downloadable PDF file is not an online application!

I’ve been getting on the environmental bandwagon lately, especially after seeing David Suzuki speak in Melbourne last week. Will definitely be writing more about this topic in the near future. To start though, how about taking a look at Carbon Neutral. Do the CO2 test and see how you go … my results coming soon.

As for reference, the Carbon Neutral site was found through this post on Joshua Gan’s blog, Core Economics.

By 2010, six out of 10 people affiliated with IT will assume business-facing roles, according to Gartner.

If this article is to be believed, then I think our IT industry will struggle to keep up with the requirements of modern business. In my experience, it is incredibly rare to find someone who is technically competent and has a personality. Communication skills have always been an issue with our industry.

When I was working through the Y2K era, most of the industry had it’s head burried in the code-sand. After the world’s massive expenditure, business slahsed IT budgets. Now, they have finally (and rightly) turned the tables on us. Reaslising that they need to generate real benefit and improvement from their investment, they are turning to technical folk who can understand real business.

It will become even more important for IT professionals to be competent in speaking and understanding the business world. Project management, business analysis & facilitation will be the skills to have if you want to be employed.

By 2010, applications will become commodities delivered by external service providers. Internal development won’t be dead, though — it will just be done differently in 2010, Foote says. The challenge will be selecting packages and tailoring them to what you need. “Code-writing disappears in this world, unless it’s code-writing in customer-facing applications that offer strategic advantage,” he adds.

This trend has already begun. Businesses are looking for flexibility in the workforce and will call in specialist advisors as required. Application development will move even closer to a customer facing role. Here, some of the agile methodologies that focus on customer interaction will win out.
It will be interesting to see how the industry responds to this pressure from business. Existing technicians will need to change. Students will need to take a wider view on their studies. In the end, a change like this will be a positive one for those in the industry.

Episode 1 is now available. Check out this awesome video by my bro Joe.

• You can watch the trailer first
• Then watch Episode 1

“In Event of Moon Disaster” is a speech (Page 1, Page 2) written by William Safire that President Nixon would have read if Apollo 11 moon landing astronauts were stranded on the moon. After making the speech, a clergyman was to commend their souls to “the deepest of the deep” and then close down communications with them.

What I find difficult to come to terms with is the shutdown of communications. These men have families back home who would have (hopefully) been given a chance to say a last goodbye to them. I can’t begin to imagine how difficult that would be for them.
Also found in the USA National Archives, a second memo (Page 1, Page 2) prepared by NASA provides suggested statement for the president and vice president in the event of Apollo “crew fatalities.”

Source: The Smoking Gun

“We’re back, baby,” shuttle pilot Mike Kelly said quoting his brother Scott, during Tuesday’s interview from the International Space Station.

For those who have keep up to date with space travel news this week, what a wonderful week it has been. I always wished I was born 25 years earlier so I could be there to witness the first moon landing in 1969. There was no World Wide Web until 1990 so people had to crowd around televisions to watch the event.

The other night whilst browsing through the NASA site, I discovered that the crew of STS-121 were about to embark on the first spacewalk of their mission. I launched NASA TV and watched the first hour or so of the walk - LIVE! I was hooked. I felt like a child again. A child who wanted to be an astronaut.

It felt quite incredible to witness the event, listen to their conversation and watch them slowly move across the ISS. Whilst they moved about on my screen, I realised they were just outside my window, 354kms away.

Whilst not completely out of the clear, it looks like NASA is beginning to recover from the Columbia tragedy in 2003. NASA has spent $US1.3 billion making the shuttle safer. Once complete, the IIS is expected to have cost more than $US100 billion. What benefit does this investment provide to our life here on earth?

With water being such a scarce resource, pushing the boundaries of space travel has forced us to come up with new ways to recycle and develop self-sufficient living in an environment where nothing naturally grows.

The Marshall Space Flight Center is currently developing a Water Processor Assembly (WPA) as part of the US Enhanced Crew Life Support System. This system will reclaim waste waters from fuel cells, from urine, from oral hygiene and hand washing, and by condensing humidity from the air. It will produce recycled water that will be cleaner than what we drink presently on Earth.

It’s still a very long way away, but hopefully we will see some good come out of this in our lifetime. Until then, I’ll continue to watch those lucky few as they experience what must be one of the most amazing views you could see.

Perhaps I’m just making excuses but this guy should really find a new career. Kerien Fitzpatrick is the founder of HyperActive Technologies. He looks like he could do with a little more hyperactivity if you ask me. Unfortunately for Kerien, his creation “HyperActive Bob” will do more harm than good.

Kerien has created a system which helps get that super-sized, fat filled burger in your gob a few minutes faster. By analysing incoming drive-through traffic, Bob orders around the workers to tell them how much food needs preparing.

So next time you’re in a rush to get your deep fried oil drenched fries, spare a thought for the pimply teenager being bossed around by a hyperactive computer.

On June 15 2006, Bill Gates announced his plan to move out of the day-to-day management of Microsoft. Through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the richest man in the world is moving on to continue work in curing disease and improving education standards, especially in the most impoverished corners of the world.

Whether you love or hate Microsoft, you have to admire the vision of this man. In 1973, he told his teachers that by 30 he would be a millionaire. He was a billionaire by 31. His early work and vision spearheaded the personal computing revolution and shaped the way we use technology today. He helped to build the world’s largest and most successfull business.

Now, with all his wealth and fortune, he turns himself to charitable work. Having now planned to leave one legacy, Gates is working towards leaving another.

Warren Buffett, the world’s second richest man, made his fortune in the capitalist market. Yet, he has committed to using this money for the betterment of the third world. Buffett has donated almost $37 billion (1.5 billion each year) to the Gates Foundation making it the largest philanthropic gift in history.

With Gates quoted as saying “There is no reason we can’t cure the top 20 diseases,” it will be interesting to witness the legacy of this Foundation in the years to come.

Just as the blogging revolution begins to die down and podcasting takes off, I though I join the old new-age. I’ve been thinking about this for quite a while now so the next few posts are going to be a bit of backtrack on things I find interesting.

Let’s see how this goes.