Author Archives: grokiam

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About grokiam

Computer geek and innovation consultant. Worked on hundreds of technology initiatives in distributed, parallel and complex systems, massive data analysis, artificial intelligence, machine learning, business process design and am currently into EdTech and Blockchain. I live on Earth at present, and I don't know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing - a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process - an integral function of the universe. R. Buckminster Fuller; I Seem to Be a Verb; 1970

Oil Sands in Canada Nice Infographic

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oil-sands-in-canada-infographic.jpg (JPEG Image, 890 × 7940 pixels) – Scaled (7%).

IMHO, there needs to be all different kinds of energy.  And, of course, many now realize that we need to develop more green energy sources (solar, wind, tidal, and even nuclear) and move to them as much as possible. I think that we should put a lot of R&D resources into these forms of energy.

BUT, Oil is a liquid and fairly efficient form of energy and will be needed for a long time.  The processes to upgrade Alberta oil sands from bitumen to petroleum products are being improved all the time.

It doesn’t do anyone any good to protest – help improve things – don’t just complain.

ONCE UPON A TIME…, Politics and Life by Rod Love

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This is a blog by an interesting character in Alberta Politics.  Not that many people will be all that interested in this, but he does have some good perspective on popular politics, especially in Alberta, but might also apply in other places.

ONCE UPON A TIME…, Politics and Life by Rod Love.

Infographics Stats On Cloud Computing

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[Infographics] Stats On Cloud Computing | TheTechJournal.

Key factors:

 

  • Worldwide Cloud based IT increasing 25% annually.
  • 52% business application adopting Cloud Technology.
  • So far only 8% server is Cloud based.
  • 73% believes Cloud Based technology will reduce IT costs.
  • 56% of internet user using Web mail service like Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo.
  • Google Control 2% of all web server in this world.
  • Overall right now Cloud Computing is $100 Billion dollar business.

Infographics Credit Goes to HudsonYorke.com

 

Canadian Solar Inc. | manufacturer of silicon, ingots, wafers, cells, solar modules (panels) and custom-designed solar power applications

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A Canadian company that is one of the largest solar panel producers in the world are part of this international Green IT project.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/xiamen-university-partners-with-leading-technology-and-energy-providers-to-build-chinas-first-direct-current-microgrid-2012-03-19

Canadian Solar Inc. | manufacturer of silicon, ingots, wafers, cells, solar modules (panels) and custom-designed solar power applications.

Open data is the raw material of ‘new industrial revolution’ | Public Leaders Network | Guardian Professional

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Many cities, some countries, are moving towards open data.  Edmonton is leading in Canada http://data.edmonton.ca/, Calgary is getting started https://cityonline.calgary.ca/Pages/Home.aspx?redirect=/cityonline.  Canada has a pilot project http://www.data.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=F9B7A1E3-1 that is not very active or exciting or marketed yet.

The UK http://data.gov.uk/ and Australia http://data.gov.au/ seem to be leading.

Here’s a good article:

Open data is the raw material of ‘new industrial revolution’ | Public Leaders Network | Guardian Professional.

Canada Ranks at Top of Innovation

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WASHINGTON (March 8, 2012) – In the midst of intense global competition for innovation supremacy among countries, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation released today one of the most comprehensive assessments ever undertaken of countries’ innovation policies. The Global Innovation Policy Index benchmarks the effectiveness of the innovation policies of 55 countries – including virtually all EU, OECD, APEC and BRIC economies – and provides a framework for making effective policies.

Canada and Singapore rank highest across seven policy indicators; the United States excels in all categories except high-skill immigration

Report here http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/kauffman-foundation-and-itif-unveil-global-innovation-policy-report-ranking-55-nations-capacities-for-economic-growth.aspx

Cloud Culture, Privacy & Security

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Day 2 of the national cloud conference’s morning panel on corporate change was the most entertaining and thought-provoking for me. A big discussion was whether to start a separate group with cloud skills and migrate the enterprise to the new group, or on the other hand, to have champions within the existing structure. It was felt that the cloud is a new way of doing business, definitely not just a new technology.

Some of my tweets from the conference:

“bite the elephant one bite at a time” = transition to the #cloud is a journey, good IT, once on the journey will never look back

If IT doesn’t provide it, then the users will go around IT -> reason IT depts must move to #cloud

Winners are often pioneers, but most pioneers fail – First mover paradox. Canada can still be first mover in #cloud

The #cloud is the perfect storm. It is not hype. It will deliver faster, cheaper, better

Bring your own device is the new way of business and security has to deal with it

Public clouds may in fact be more secure than private #clouds as they have the best IT expertise and it is their core business

Canadian Cloud Computing Conference Day 1

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I am taking a break at the first Canadian Cloud Council conference in Edmonton that runs March 12-13.  I was a big part of organizing this, along with 4 other members of a somewhat grassroots effort to create a vendor-neutral forum for cloud providers and users from a Canadian perspective for mutual benefit.  cCc web site is www.candiancloudcouncil.ca

I used a lot of cloud-based tools to help me organize this distributed team.

RegOnline – is a Software as a Service program that supports online conference registrations and credit card payments, and badge printing and email followups and surveys.  I would not want to do a conference without this.

Google Docs – we shared some checklists and informtion using Google spreadsheets and some uploads.  We did not use this a lot.

Dropbox – for some big graphics files for the printers, we used DropBox.

Salesforce – we had access to a 10-person version of this, but have not set it up to use it for anything yet.

We are forming a national not-for-profit and will create a cloud-supported virtual organization.