Cloud Computing and the Consumer
April 28, 2012 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials
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Even if consumers don’t know what cloud computing is, they’re probably using it.
- Written by Gordon Kelly
- 27 April, 2012 (for ITProPortal)
‘neb·u·lous’ – adjective – cloudy or cloudlike - Dictionary.com
‘Lick’ has a lot to answer for. In 1963 Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider, ‘Lick’ to his friends, wrote a memo to his colleagues entitled ‘Members and Affiliates of the Intergalactic Computer Network’. It began apologising for his postponement of a meeting, but by the end he had laid the groundwork for a term which still baffles consumers nearly 50 years later. Lick stressed the importance in computers developing “a capability for integrated network operation… such a network as I envisage nebulously”.
The phrase ‘Cloud Computing’ was born. It probably wasn’t the best description, Licklider admitted in the same memo “as you may have detected… I am at a loss for a name”, but the analogy stuck. Today Gartner predicts the Cloud Computing Market will be worth $150 billion by 2013 and that by 2014 60 per cent of server workloads will be spent processing Cloud data. It cannot be stopped and it should not be stopped. It already dominates consumers’ lives and, as one report observed, this year’s CES (the world’s largest consumer tech event) “should have been called the Cloud Electronics Show”.
So what on earth is it? The simplest definition of Cloud Computing is the delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, where the service is provided over a network (typically the Internet). Pure Cloud Computing includes web email such as Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo email; social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and ‘streaming’ Internet entertainment services like Spotify, Netflix and BBC iPlayer. A great deal of productivity software lives “in the Cloud” as well such as Google Docs and Microsoft’s Office 365. Modern file synchronisation and backup services are all ‘Cloud-based’ too including Apple iCloud, Dropbox and Microsoft SkyDrive.
It isn’t technically correct, but an easy rule of thumb is to substitute ‘Cloud’ for ‘Internet’. Yes it really isn’t all that difficult, but despite continual media hype, most consumers have no idea what Cloud Computing is or how it works. In August last year the NPD Group announced research which claimed just 22 per cent of consumers were familiar with the term, though 76 per cent of respondents reported using some type of Cloud-based service in the past 12 months.
“Whether they understand the terminology or not, consumers are actually pretty savvy in their use of cloud-based applications,” concluded Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for NPD. “They might not always recognize they are performing activities in the cloud, yet they still rely on and use those services extensively.”
Little else matters. Henry Ford didn’t care whether customers understood the inline four-cylinder monobloc flathead engine inside the Model T and he didn’t require them to define precisely what an automobile was. Ford just wanted consumers to buy it and by doing so in their droves they created a new sector that took society to the next level. Cloud Computing is no different and the benefits to its widespread adoption are arguably even greater.
This is no tongue in cheek statement…
This is a sample. Read the full article on ITProPortal
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The Dropbox Effect
April 24, 2012 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials
- Written by Gordon Kelly (for ITProPortal)
- 23 April, 2012
For those not in the know, Dropbox is a file hosting, backup and synchronisation service. It works by giving users a single folder which automatically synchronises content added or deleted across multiple devices as well as backing up online. Edited or removed files are kept for up to 30 days online and ‘sharing’ folders can be setup between friends, family or colleagues. Dropbox offers users 2GB of storage space for free, premium subscriptions provide 50GB, 100GB or ‘Team’ accounts for companies.
Dropbox wasn’t the first company to stumble upon this formula, but it has been the breakout success story. We look at why.
The Landscape before Dropbox
Houston is right, there may not have been thumb drives in Minority Report, but when the Science Fiction film was released in 2002, the real world was overrun by them. IBM and Trek Technology were first to market in 1999 with 8MB devices and as capacity increased and size reduced the tech savvy would even boast about whose thumb drive was the best. The technology was impressive, but blinding. Users lost sight of the fact they were mere extensions of the floppy disk and actually a backwards step from the lightening fast Intranets of their schools and universities.
“I graduate and for me it’s back to the Stone Age,” argues Houston. “Where I am emailing myself stuff I’m carrying on a thumb drive. A couple of times I must have put it in the wash… and prayed I hadn’t destroyed it. But I felt like I was just always one stupid move away from disaster.”
This is a sample. Continuing reading the full article on ITProPortal
[The Guardian] My Big Break in Journalism
April 12, 2012 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials
A rare deviation. This article is not written by me, rather I am a part of it giving career advice to aspiring journalists for an article in the Guardian.
My Big Break in Journalism: Writers Reveal their Routes into the Media
What does it take to get a journalism career started? A handful of high profile reporters tell Jack Oughton how they got their foot in the door, and offer advice for budding journalists
- Jack Oughton (find him on Twitter)
- guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 11 April 2012 10.43 BST
Keen to find out what the journalists and writers that I look up to did to get to where they are today, I devised a mini career questionnaire and sent a few tweets and emails to get some answers. I asked: what’s the one piece of advice you’d give to aspiring journalists? What was the most important thing you did for your career? And, what is good journalism to you? Here are some highlights from what they had to say.
[Cut to my section. I don't have rights to republish in its entirety.]
Gordon Kelly is a writer and journalist specialising in technology, music and film. He works freelance as a features writer for TrustedReviews, the BBC and Wired, produces internal magazines for a number of major companies and teaches courses in media relations
“Remember the 5 Ws [who, what, where, when, why]. It is basic, but how you order information is fundamental to better writing. If I’m allowed a second: don’t be afraid to say you don’t understand. Journalists spend their time talking to specialists. Better to ask a question at the time than feel foolish in print later on.
At my first job my editor made me write nothing but NIBs (news in brief) for the first week. NIBs could be no shorter than 23 words and no longer than 27 words. The lesson was crucial: quickly identify what is and isn’t important and work out what is the heart of the story. Now being able to see the hook of a story, feature or editorial is arguably my biggest strength. To this day if I’m struggling with something I try to summarise it in 23 to 27 words.
[Good journalism is] stories that engage. Different industries and different titles will have a huge influence on what and how you can write, but from these boundaries I think it is important to convey to the reader: ‘this is why you should care’. From cats stuck in trees to front page news, if you don’t care about what you write, why should anyone else?”
Read the entire article here with further advice from the likes of Guardian Technology Editor Charles Arthur, renowned freelance journalist Elizabeth Pears, BGR executive editor Zach Epstein, Tom Warren - Senior News Editor at The Verge and founder of WinRumors, Guardian Money editor Hilary Osborne and Dan Raywood, online news editor for SC Magazine.
Looking Through Google Project Glass
April 11, 2012 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials
Google has given us a glimpse of the future with Project Glass. How realistic is it?
- By Gordon Kelly (for TrustedReviews)
- 10 April 2012
“I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.”
the Terminator
There is fundamental interest in being able to see more than the naked eye can perceive. The analytics of the Terminator, witnessing the magnetic spectrum like Geordi La Forge, Cyclops’s ability to fire laser beams – enhancing vision takes us straight to science fiction and a world of almost infinite possibility. A world that Google this week let us dream may not be that far away…
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Project Glass
Had it come from any smaller company, ‘Project Glass‘ would be dismissed as a pipe dream, the ambitious vision of a design student trying to attract the attention of a high profile employer. However, it comes from Google’s labs, and the company is deadly serious. “We think technology should work for you—to be there when you need it and get out of your way when you don’t,” it proclaimed. “A group of us from Google [x] started Project Glass to build this kind of technology, one that helps you explore and share your world, putting you back in the moment.”
A promotional video (above) accompanied the announcement demonstrating how core smartphone functionality (mapping, social media, video calls, etc) could be integrated into a pair of lightweight glasses using virtual reality. Google showed off a concept design and then, as if to demonstrate the strength of its conviction, a few days later company co-founder Sergey Brin casually turned up to a public charity event wearing a pair (below). A timescale appeared (late 2013) and even a price range was mooted (£300-£500).
What Nonsense
There is a logical reaction to all of this: “what nonsense!” The Project Glass video has already been subject to numerous parodies and it raises more questions, both in terms of hardware and software, than it answers. Looking at the hardware you have to question battery life in an age where we can barely get a smartphone to see out a day. In addition there are questions of durability, heat, fit (especially for those who already wear glasses), processing power, always-on internet connectivity and much more. Just wait for the campaigns to begin about them cooking your brain.
This is a sample. Continue reading the rest of the article on TrustedReviews
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[BBC Future] Titanic Anniversary: The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship
April 3, 2012 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials
My debut feature for new BBC Worldwide site BBC Future.
Note: as part of BBC Worldwide, BBC Future is not available to available UK dwellers. You can use this ‘anonymouse’ link to view it.
The official link can be found here:
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20120402-the-myth-of-the-unsinkable-ship
The full article can also be read below, click to enlarge each page.
![Titanic Anniversary The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship p1 [BBC Future] Titanic Anniversary: The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship](http://gordonkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Titanic-Anniversary-The-Myth-of-the-Unsinkable-Ship-p1.jpg "Titanic Anniversary- The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship p1")
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![Titanic Anniversary The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship p2 [BBC Future] Titanic Anniversary: The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship](http://gordonkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Titanic-Anniversary-The-Myth-of-the-Unsinkable-Ship-p2.jpg "Titanic Anniversary- The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship p2")
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![Titanic Anniversary The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship p3 [BBC Future] Titanic Anniversary: The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship](http://gordonkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Titanic-Anniversary-The-Myth-of-the-Unsinkable-Ship-p3.jpg "Titanic Anniversary- The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship p3")
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![Titanic Anniversary The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship p4 [BBC Future] Titanic Anniversary: The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship](http://gordonkelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Titanic-Anniversary-The-Myth-of-the-Unsinkable-Ship-p4.jpg "Titanic Anniversary- The Myth of the Unsinkable Ship p4")
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The Scotsman: Myths & Miracles of Social Media
April 3, 2012 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials
In the run up to Digital Scotland last month I produced two features for The Scotsman newspaper: ‘Myths and Miracles of Social Media’ and a ‘Smart Devices: Roundup’.
Many thanks to all the contributors involved in this.
- Chris Owen, senior account director at Octopus Communications
- Allan Barr, head of digital & social media at PR agency The Big Partnership
- Dan Monsieurle, co-founder of justFDI, creator’s of ThinkWall.com
- Ben Mathews, founding director at Bright One
- Stephen Pritchard, business journalist, broadcaster and producer
- Chris Lee, MD, Planet Content
Please find an image of the articles from the newspaper below and a PDF can be downloaded here. Questions, comments and further professional enquiries welcome.
Click to Enlarge
The Paperless Office: Why it never happened
March 6, 2012 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials
We’ve been talking about the paperless office for decades, so why is it still just a dream?
The Paperless Office: Why it never happened
Written by Gordon Kelly (for ITProPortal)
In 2012 the global demand for paper is expected to exceed 400 million tons for the first time. Before recycling this equates to 7.2 billion trees, after recycling it still tops four billion trees and eliminates an area the size of Croatia. Remarkably this landmark will be set against a background of flourishing digital media, economic downturn and increasing pressure to live in an environmentally friendly manner. It is a damning situation: try as we might, we just can’t break our addiction to paper.
Nearly 40 years ago this scenario was seemingly unimaginable. Speaking in Business Week in 1975 Vincent E. Giuliano of Arthur D. Little Inc, the world’s oldest management consultancy firm, predicted the use of paper would rapidly decline by 1980 “and by 1990, most record-handling will be electronic.” His comments came in an article entitled ‘The Office of the Future‘ under a subsection called ‘The Paperless Office’. It is thought to be the first time this ominous phrase was used.
A Changing Vision
The notion of ditching paper spread like wildfire and pouring petrol onto the flames was technology. The idea wasn’t new. As far back as 1945 American engineer Vannevar Bush theorised about the memex machine (a portmanteau of ‘memory’ and ‘index’), which individuals would use to store their books, records and communications. It would provide an “enlarged intimate supplement to one’s memory… a sort of mechanized private file and library. It would use microfilm storage, dry photography, and analog [sic] computing to give post war scholars access to a huge, indexed repository of knowledge-any section of which could be called up with a few keystrokes.”
Bush famously went much further in his essay ‘As We May Think‘, predicting the concept of the Internet, search and even Wikipedia. Continue reading
Is Apple TV Apple’s Most Important Product?
February 25, 2012 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials
Strange but true: 3rd generation iPad and Apple TVs will be announced next month. You should be more excited about the latter…
Is Apple TV Apple’s Most Important Product?
- By Gordon Kelly
- Published 25.02.2012 (for TrustedReviews)
There is a lot of excitement about 7 March, but it is focused on the wrong product. While the headlines speculate upon the possibility of Tim Cook unveiling a fatter iPad 3 or even iPad 2S, an arguably far more important product is also tipped to take to the stage: a new Apple TV.
In purely financial terms this sounds like a ludicrous statement. In January Apple reported huge financial results which revealed sales of 15.43 million iPads in just 14 weeks up to 31 December. It represented a growth of 111 per cent over the same period in 2010 and nearly tripled the 5.2m Macs sold over the same period. A post PC era indeed. Furthermore iPhone sales were reported at 37.04m, an even bigger 128 per cent leap year on year. To quote Tim Cook: “We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs”. What of the Apple TV? It wasn’t even mentioned.
Cheap Imitation: The Risk of Windows on ARM
February 17, 2012 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials
Why Microsoft’s plans for Windows on ARM risk going horribly wrong.
Cheap Imitation: The Risk of Windows on ARM
- By Gordon Kelly (for TrustedReviews)
- Published on 16 February 2012
It is said disappointment comes wrapped in lengthy explanation and it doesn’t get much lengthier than the 8 627 words it took Windows Division president Steven Sinofsky to finally detail ‘Windows 8 on ARM’. ‘WOA’ may sound like a line from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, but we were far from wowed – in fact we can summarise Sinofsky’s 8,627 words in just two: cheap imitation.
Here is what we learned:
1. WOA will have a desktop, albeit one that only runs Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote) and opens Explorer.
2. WOA will not support virtualisation so no existing x86/x64 programs will ever run on it
3. WOA programmes must be Metro-style apps, only available through the Windows Store
4. WOA’s version of Internet Explorer will not support Flash
5. WOA will be launched at roughly the same time as the x86/x64 version of Windows 8 (Q4 2012), but will not match the latter’s 29 February public beta.
In short: it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, but isn’t really a duck. And for the masses who struggle to tell you what version of Windows they currently run, it is a recipe for disaster. Sceptical? Jump forward 12 months and try explaining points 1-4 to any relative when they ask you what to buy. Worse still run through the conversation you’ll have with friends and relatives who have already bought a WOA device and want to know how they go about installing their favourite programs. The Chinese are famous for producing underwhelming knock-offs of long established, trusted brands… it is rarely done by the brand owner itself.
Private Property: What Google’s Unified Privacy Policy Means for You
February 15, 2012 by Gordon
Filed under Features & Editorials
I enjoy the opportunity to get my teeth into topics in some depth so if you’re wondering what Google’s new privacy policy will mean to its users, read this!
Written by
Gordon Kelly (for IT Pro Portal)
“We’ve been tidying up a little, making our privacy policies and terms more consistent, easier to read and easier to understand. You see while privacy policies, ours included, may not be the most popular read on the Internet, we think they’re important. So instead of over 60 policies for different Google products and features we’re introducing just one with fewer words, simpler explanations and less legal gloop to wade through.”
-Google Privacy Policy Update promotional video (24.01.2012)
One Policy to Rule them all
From 1 March Google is radically overhauling its privacy policies. In broad terms Google’s numerous (70, not 60) policies will be replaced with just one. Consequently instead of a policy for Gmail, one for Google Calendar, one for YouTube, another for Search and so on they will be amalgamated and no longer tied to services, but accounts. Crucially Google will then share the information you provide across all these services, though not with third parties. Again the pitch is compelling:
“Over time it’ll mean better search results and ads, we’ll understand that when you search for Jaguar you’re looking for a jaguar [animal] and not a Jaguar [car],” claims Google. “It can mean more accurate spelling suggestions because you’ve tagged a word before and it may even mean we’ll be able to tell you when you’ll be late for a meeting based on your location, your calendar and local traffic conditions. All of which means we’re not just keeping your private stuff private, we’re making it more useful to you in your daily life too.”
These benefits are tangible. If you discuss your interest in something in an email YouTube may suggest videos about it and search results will be automatically refined to improve their effectiveness. For Google Apps (professional Google accounts) the situation is slightly different: core Apps services (Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Sites, Control Panel) have their own contract which takes precedence over the new privacy terms so they will be unaffected. Access non-core services (YouTube, Picasa, Blogger, etc) with your Google Apps account however and information will be shared between them.
Why you should be worried
Four key reasons: stubbornness, convergence, exposure and track record.
Stubbornness - Google is not budging over the implementation of its unified privacy policy, despite pressure from both the European Union and US Congress. Continue reading