Mash up - Breakthroug communication

It is the combination of using different data sources combined with data mining to find information from a specific topic. We can leverage data mining ability with key websites to find the information required

www.wikipedia
www.maps.google.com
www.zoominfo.com
www.zestimate.com
www.zillow.com
www.virtualglobetrotting.com

Mash up technology combines all the technology faciliting the search of combined information. Example combining the graphical information with the text information. Example Chicagocrime.org. In order to create an effective Mash-Up you need:

a. Multiple information streams (e.g., location, salary, catalogs,..)
b. Multiple information representations (e.g, map)
c. Feed one into another
-Parallelize a sequential process
-Connect across system boundaries
-New insights

Important Web-Sites

Create comparative searches such as Paris Hilton or popular topics.


http://www.alexa.com/
Compare number of hits of your website versus your preferred site. Provides stats, charts and cool analyis

http://technorati.com/
Provides what topics are being the most blogged. Important to identify trends and what are people talking about.


http://www.google.com/trends
What's people is searching for in Google. Ideal to identify what are the newest trends.

http://www.oreillynet.com/
Lastest trends reports in internet solutions and blogs

http://secondlife.com/
Second Life is a 3-D virtual world entirely created by its Residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by millions of Residents from around the globe.

http://www.gartner.com/
Gartner offers the combined brainpower of 1,200 research analysts and consultants who advise executives in 75 countries every day. We publish tens of thousands of pages of original research annually and answer 250,000 client questions every year.

Technology making contries more productive

In 1976 with the introduction of the CNC and new computerized models countries such as Japan have been able to improve the production processes to match those from skilled contries. Technology can become a facilitator to reduce poverty in third world countries.

Today, China is following the same path as Japan. Starts as low - basic provider of products, but as time evolves we will see China to rise the quality processes.

Crazy Hong-Kong

Hong Kong land of Technology

I must say i'm impressed with Hong-Kong. The landscape itself is amazing, but what it really amazes me is the technology.

Let's start with the subway system. MTR uses a proximity card that allows you not only to ride the subway, but also buy products at vending machines and retail chains such as 7-11. The card is convenient and the cost is moderate.

You can see technology everywhere. Shops with the most specialized equipment for sale. The tax-free environment makes Hong-Kong a shopping paradise. Internet penetration is close to 100% and an incredible speed.

To all my friends that are reading this blog, I highly recommend you to come to Hong-Kong.

Joint Development with Customers

The consumer is boss or is it part of the innovation?

Joint Development is becoming more and more important. Companies are using customers as part of the development process to improve current products. Companies can do four different things with Creative Customers (those that want to contribute with new ideas for businesses).

Resist change: Actively restrain customers creative
Enable: Activile facilite customer innovation
Discourage: Ignore or tolerate customer innovation
Encourage: Acutally promote customer innovation


The choice to any of the options differs from company depending on the nature of the business. One company that is encouraging consumers is Procter & Gamble. Examples can be found in the creation of commercials in YOUTUBE with Tide To Go with the campaign your stain talks ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgtfC5LBAW4 ). Also P&G is taking big steps listening to the consumers as AG Lafley (P&G's CEO) described in an recent interview with Fortune Magazine.




1. We put the consumer at the center of everything we do. Three billion times a day P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. Our goal is to delight consumers at two "moments of truth": first, when they buy a product, and second, when they use it. To achieve that, we live with our consumers and try to see the world and opportunities for new products through their eyes. At P&G the CEO is not the boss - the consumer is. In ways large and small, we were not living up to the "consumer is boss" standard - and we were paying for that lapse.

As conclusion, companies have now more alternatives to promote innovation. Customers are one source that can contribute to achieve breakthrough results.



http://money.cnn.com/2008/03/07/news/companies/lafley_charan.fortune/index.htm?source=yahoo_quote

Do massess know more than individuals?

When contestants playing who wants to be a millionarie chooses to use the help from the public, this help is usually right. This phenomenon can be attributed to the Logic of Collective Intelligence: Ability to Exclude.

The model works the following way:

-Let's assume we have three players (Bert, Cecilia, and Dora)

-There are four options (A … D). Let’s assume the correct answer is A.

-Bert knows “It’s not B or C”. à guesses randomly between A (p=0.5) and D (p=0.5).

-Cecilia knows “It’s not C or D”. à guesses randomly between B (p=0.5) and A (p=0.5).

-Dora knows “It’s not D or B”. à guesses randomly between A (p=0.5) and C (p=0.5)

-Highest Probability: A (p = 0.5). All others have p = 0.5 / 3 = 0.1667.

This way we can prove that by eliminating options the odds of having the correct answer increases in large pulls. but why is this important?

Well, organizations can use this knowledge to perform better forecasting within the organization. By using the common knowlegde of the people and the increase penetration of technological tools, management will be able to predict better forecasts in cost, sales, human resources, etc.

Another use could include the stock market. The mass usually is more accurate than the prediction of some experts. The public might have a better understanding of the market conditions delivering a more accurate forecast than the ones from the experts.

Disruptive Technology

Day one

Disruptive Technology - How Eee PC will change the Computing industry

A new laptop that offers great connectivity, weights less than 1 Kg, has amazing durability, and best of all only costs $200. Can all of this be true? the answer is a big YES! ASUSTeK came out with a revolutionary concept, the ASUS Eee PC, that offers 80% of the functionality of a portable PC running on open source at a great price.

Eee revolution of the computer industry comes from challenging basic concepts. First, it runs on Linux making the software free for people to modify and create cutomize solutions. Second, Eee comes as a modular piece which facilitate add-ons to its hardware. Finally, the computer doesn't have a hard drive but offers three USB ports that allows expanding the memory by using memory sticks reaching more than 60 Gigas if necessary.

Eee PC might have some shortfalls as well. World wide distribution is not still available, and brand recognition is not as strong as Apple or Sony. Also it is worth to mention that similar concepts were tried before and didn't work.

Competitors and suppliers need to be aware of the upcoming computer player. This time the history is different for the concept. Eee is making the right moves as using open source and creating a reliable machine that is highly portable (did I mentioned that the battery can last up to 3.5 hours??). Sony, Apple, Dell, Microsoft, and Intel will have to move fast. Suppliers and competitors need to start playing in this new created industry segment.

I can conclude that Eee PC is here to stay. ASUSTeK finally has reach the product that a large part of consumers were waiting for. Eee PC is a great product, at a great price, it is fun and I going to buy one.

You can find additional information about the latest technology gadgets at

http://omniuntechinnovation.blogspot.com

http://event.asus.com/eeepc/microsites/en/index.htm