Machines Can Process, But Only Humans Can Dream

Perhaps I haven't trumpeted publicly how happy I am to have become a Senior Writer for GreenBiz.com, where I'm writing about how technology aids corporate sustainability and environmental conservation. I've been contributing to the site since last July, but now will be doing so far more frequently: You'll see an average of two posts weekly starting in June.

This week, I had the pleasure of attending the company's VERGE Boston conference, where I moderated a panel about machine-to-machine (M2M) technology and its role in green buildings, transportation and sustainable agriculture. (Yep, that's me in that photo, looking far too serious for my own good. Must smile more when I'm thinking!)

One of the more compelling sessions at this confab was the presentation given by well-known information technology researcher Andrew McAfee. Not just because of the content, but because he couldn't actually deliver the speech in person and used a robot to "walk" on stage. Here's my coverage of his talk.

One of the most overhyped phrases used by the high-tech industry this year is "Internet of things." But that doesn't mean that the principles underlying the concept are any less important.

According to McAfee, we are entering an era where technology will start handling many tasks previously handled by knowledge workers -- most notably in the areas of business intelligence and data analytics. That's just one reason we haven't seen a huge pickup in job growth during the economic recovery. Some of that numbers-crunching is done far more efficiently by machines.

But putting context around those numbers is definitely a job for humans.

So while the technophobes or luddites reading this might be somewhat leery of the so-called M2M movement -- and all the data it is collecting -- it could mean the creation of a whole new sort of job role: a data strategist as opposed to data processor.

The best thing we can do as a society is start educating the next generation how to think more philosophically and creatively, so it can dream up whole new industries, products and services that exploit that data.

Yes, Kids, Your Parents Can See What You're Doing, Everywhere

I live the trials and tribulations of teenagers and social media through many of my friends, who have to be pretty on top of their game to intercept everything that goes on.

I first heard about Wanelo (Want. Need. Love.) during the Super Bowl, when my friend asked me for information about the weird message activity she was seeing on her daughter's email account. Kudos to her for being the sort of mother who is watching that sort of thing.

Seriously, though, this task is not easy. Which is why the whole category of parental control software continues to attract investments, such as the $1 million in seed funding just granted to Qustodio, one of the startups in this space.

One of the best things about this particular technology is the amount of cyber-territory that it covers. It was initially released on Windows 8, but came out in March for the Macintosh OS X/Mountain Lion platform as well as Android devices. All this activity can be managed through a single Web dashboard, called the Family Portal.

There's another big addition: a deeper feature for monitoring Social Activity. The software already worked for Pinterest, FourSquare and Twitter -- now it includes an advance tool for keeping tabs on a child's Facebook activity. You can see photos being posted, Friend lists, and their published interests.

Mind you, though, the company will need to run quickly if it hopes to keep up. Many teenagers are now congregating elsewhere, such as on the Vine mobile video app (owned by Twitter) or the Snapchat photo message service.

"Management of the multiple connected devices and online activities in the family is a new and challenging problem that we aim to solve," said Eduardo Cruz, CEO and co-founder of Qustodio. "We are committed to providing parents useful tools to guarantee safe and responsible use of devices by children."

You can try Qustodio for free, but the Facebook feature is part of the Premium edition, which is priced at $49.95 annually. 

Microsoft Encourages Children to Write Games for Good

If you'd like to encourage your child's computer gaming habit to turn into something more than just a hobby, you might want to check out the latest "Imagine Cup" competition being staged by Microsoft.

The Imagine Cup is a series of educational challenges that Microsoft runs each year to get youth involved with issues or problems faced by communities around the world. This new one, called the Imagine Cup Kodu Challenge, encourages children ages 9 to 18 (there are two participating age brackets) to create video games using the Microsoft Kodu game-creation toolkit. The catch is that the content they create has to demonstrate a sensitivity to global water issues, including clean water engineering and the role of water during disaster relief.

"Microsoft developed Kodu to transform programming from a skill perceived as overly difficult to grasp to one that is fun and kid-friendly," said Scott Fintel, a Kodu producer at Microsoft. "By getting students interested in game design at an early age through Imagine Cup, it's our hope they will acquire new skills that will translate into a lifelong passion for computer programming and computer science and will encourage them to explore STEM-related careers in the future."

The Kodu Challenge will run until May 17, 2013. The program is being held in partnership with Mercy Corps, a global community development organization based in Portland, Oregon, and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, which focuses on the role that digital media and emerging technologies play in educating children.

Students in the two age brackets (9 to 12, and 13 to 18) can compete for first-price prizes of $3,000, second-place prizes of $2,000 and third-place prices of $1,000.

Using Technology To Unite, Not Divide, Families

I'm sort of sick of having arguments with friends about whether or not technology is detrimental to families, and how smartphones and Facebook and such are detracting from quality time. Blah, blah, blah.

As I've written before, technology isn't what is to blame in many of these situations, it's how people decide to use it. Certainly, most of us need to press "reset" to restore some balance and eliminate some of the distractions that gadgets pose.

In that vein, families who are thinking about ways they might be able to use technology to bring families together might want to check out a site called Me In a Tree.

The Canadian founders of the site originally envisioned it as a sort of parenting tips resource, but it has grown into more than that, providing ideas for activities that families can do together and even helping with a task that becomes more complex every day - coordinating family calendars and schedules. The company intends to give 10 percent of the profits it raises to non-profit organizations that support children and families.

The founders note:

"At the end of the day, parents have a responsibility to raise compassionate and successful adults, which can be exhausting, demanding, frustrating and sometimes confusing. The 'Me in a Tree' philosophy was born of real-life experiences, professional knowledge and a passionate love for the united family."

I especially love the idea of the "Family Huddle," which includes ideas for a pow-wow, regardless of whether or not it's for a specific purpose.

The software is currently in a "beta" phase, which means that the company is looking for more people to help bang on it and make it better. After a free trial of two weeks, the service costs $5.99 per family per month.

Even though it doesn't say on its site, it's pretty clear from the photos and images that Me in A Tree focused on the pre-high school set. But who knows, maybe using technology in a more united way at a young age will help reshape some of the solitary habits that many teenagers develop later on.



Getting started with Me in a Tree from Me in a Tree on Vimeo.

Changes In Store

I'm interrupting my usual fare of technocultural copy to note two very important updates that are happening this week in my professional blogging life. Actually, there are three, but two are related.

First, I've been named a Senior Writer for GreenBiz.com, a site that covers exactly what it sounds like. I've actually been contributing there since last year, but will be increasing the frequency of my contributions. I'm fine-tuning my coverage focus this week....

Next, the bittersweet news: I'll be wrapping up the GreenTech Pastures blog at ZDNet. Not because there isn't an interest in clean technologies like solar panels or energy management software, but because much of the coverage that traditionally has been featured there is moving into many of the other mainstream blogs on the network. 

This, in my opinion, is a good thing. 

And, it leaves me free to start another blog: "Next-Gen Partner." I'll be covering enterprise software, networking, data center and cloud integrators who will play a role in helping businesses of all sizes deploy next-generation IT infrastructure – especially public, private and hybrid clouds.

The goal is to help ZDNet readers make more informed choices about the partners and service providers they choose for their next-generation IT transformation projects. 

I'm thinking this will be a very fun topic indeed! I'll update you all with the link when it goes live on March 1, 2013.

Need a New Doctor? Check Out Vitals.com Before Your First Check-up

I don't often use this personal blog to promote my work, but felt the following link to one of my recent entrepreneur profiles was relevant to my ongoing mission here.

The subject is Mitch Rothschild, who is CEO of an Internet company called Vitals.com. The site lists all (yes, ALL) the doctors and dentists in the United States along with "vital" information about their speciality, office hours, visit policies and so forth. You might even be able to read some "reviews" about the clinician you are considering.

For example, I should have used the site to check out my new-ish internist. I would have discovered earlier on in the process that while she's got a great "bedside manner," her office tends to be pretty poor about follow-up. Plus, I would have figured out earlier to bring more than one book while waiting for my appointment.

If you're thinking about a new doctor because your insurance plan changed or you just need a change, you should definitely check out the site - and read my article about the company's ongoing strategy.

My Favorite Project, Reincarnated

When I was still holding a "real" editorial job, hands-down my favorite project to cycle around every year was the annual Hall of Fame issue and event.

Picking the candidates was guaranteed to create controversy among the staff, and then there was the matter of convincing the inductees themselves to show up for the awards ceremony.

I still remember spending one dinner at the Computer History Museum sitting between Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak and spreadsheet wizard Dan Bricklin, feeling both star-struck and utterly out of my realm. Or, another time, convincing one not-so-nice inductee not to leave during an especially long speech.

During the years I have been blessed to meet so many people who have truly transformed the industry - and who also turned out to be super-approachable people.

My most memorable encounters of this sort have included:

• Pixar founder Alvy Ray Smith (astonishingly sweet)
• Speech recognition and artificial intelligence pioneer Ray Kurzweil (mind-blowingly smart)

I was thrilled to learn last year that after a hiatus of several years, tech industry association CompTIA has revived this annual tradition. Even more thrilled when they asked me to help think of great nominations for the future.

I've managed to nail down three of them for certain, but I'm working on even more.

So, here's a challenge: If you know someone who deserves recognition as a pioneer of the high-technology, I encourage you to bring that person to my attention.

Being that the Hall of Fame has been around for close to 20 years now, take a moment to check the list of past inductees to see who has already been inducted.

You'll notice that the Hall of Fame doesn't just focus on technologists, developers or engineers. We are also looking for business model innovators, too.

Last year's inductees for that category are great example - they were the inventors of a peer community that gave small technology resellers a bigger voice with the vendors they were representing. The concept they created has now become the powerful VentureTech Network, representing hundreds of computer VARs, systems integrators and managed service providers who bring technology solutions to small and midsize businesses.

Have an idea for someone worthy? Send me a personal email with your rationale.

Looking forward to your suggestions!