CICS Weblogs

ECM - When PDF Might as Well Mean Platypus Document Format

"The power that created the poodle, the platypus and people has an integrated sense of both comedy and tragedy." -James Grover Thurber, as quoted on http://quotes.yourdictionary.com/platypus

One fine day some of the greatest minds decided that what was needed was a truly timeless document format, one that would not age like so many had, one that would cross the lines of companies and processes and could carry with it the historically important content being used. As the sun rose on the great idea, they coined it the PDF - the Portable Document Format.

That was the last time there was such a thing as a pure PDF, and it was also the last time that PDF's were not a potential problem for ECM. PDFs have grown in popularity and variety until they have come to resemble the platypus - something well-defined, yet mysteriously and contrary to what you'd consider to be well-constructed. How could something so well-intentioned become so difficult to deal with? Three factors: façade, foundation and formation.

Economists work to correct ethical conflicts in profession

Economics is the most political of the social sciences. It is replete with ethical temptations, conflicts, and pressures.

That's why this is an article of real interest in Chronicle of Higher Education, the leading trade journal for academia and the advanced research community. The economics profession is tackling its ethical issues through its professional organizations.

"Economists Adopt New Disclosure Rules for Authors of Published Research"

by Dan Berrett
January 6, 2012

Following heavy scrutiny of economists' conflicts of interest before the financial crash of 2008, the American Economic Association has adopted new guidelines at its annual meeting here that require scholars to divulge who supports the research they publish in the association's journals.

Liveblogging: Business School's Smart City Colloquium (5)

Extensive GIS applications;
see Fatih District's website

has many egovernment applications

See Beyoglu Municipality website
Seeks to be an "e-municipality"

here are Preliminary Findings from their study:

Liveblogging: Business School's Smart City Colloquium (4)

Dr. Sevinc Gulsecen
Dept of Informatics
Istanbul University

references this Instanbul Metropolitan GIS system

(Backup URL here):
http://sehirrehberi.ibb.gov.tr/Map.aspx?&scl=4&cx=89847&cy=96753&ap=harita&lng=en

used by 4 million users a month
can accommodate 100,000 users at once
has GSM support
used to find shortest way, for example

Liveblogging: Business School's Smart City Colloquium (3)

Using for pilot studies:

Beyoglu
and Fatih Districts

of 39 in the city.

Reason:

The most vibrant districts of Istanbul
Rich in cultural heritage and multicultural
Institutions: IMM, and University of Istanbul, the speaker's home institution

Liveblogging: Business School's Smart City Colloquium (2)

List of Smart cities:

Seoul-Media City
Arabianranta Finland
Smart City Malta
Neapolis Cyprus-Smart Eco City
Zaragoza Spain-Digital Mile
Thessaloniki, Greece
Stockholm-The Stokab model
Amsterdam Smart City
Taipei China-Multiple dispersed initiatives

MSC, Malaysia-Multimedia Supercorridor
http://www.mscmalaysia.my/topic/12066955968788

Liveblogging: Business School's Smart City Colloquium (1)

Liveblogging today at the Business School across the street from the Ball Communications Building, home of our Center for Information and Communication Sciences.

My Human Communication management seminar graduate students and I are attending as a group.

Here is the Abstract of the talk:

MILLER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM

Istanbul as Smart City: A Conceptual Framework

New Renaissance show in London-- "Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan"

There is a new Renaissance show in London-- "Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan."

The UK newspaper The Guardian, a bright and clear place amongst the wreckage of British journalism, has a good introduction and review to this unique exhibition.

Below is a link to one of my favorite Leonardo images, Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, and the journalist's photo of a woman in the gallery looking at the woman in the painting is a work of art in itself.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/nov/23/leonardo-resold-tickets-invalid-national?newsfeed=true

Liveblogging Global Forum 2011-Brussels (2) Professionalism is based on Responsiveness

Continuing to blog from the 2011 edition in Brussels of the conference Global Forum: Shaping the Future.

A colleague and Moderator of the Global Forum's Regulatory Session, Andrew Lipman, responded to a question I had for him about professional communication. I am always looking for tips or "tricks of the trade" for our work developing professionals at the Center for Information and Communication Sciences.

Andrew Lipman is a partner at an international communications law firm. As such he is often involved in business development through a focus on client development. Essentially the attorneys are developing business by finding and developing clients for mutual benefit, a definition of a service business.

Andrew Lipman says "Ninety percent of being professional is being responsive."

You have to be alert to the client's needs, and you have to be able to listen.
At conferences such as this one, a professional hardly gets out of the conference building, all day long,
he indicated. You spend the time listening, learning, responding. communicating.

It's hard work, and good work.

Liveblogging Global Forum 2011-Brussels (1) KDDI strategies in Japan

Kan'ichiro Aritomi, Vice-Chairman
Member of the Board, KDDI Japan

underlines KDDI-Japan new "3M Strategy"

Multi-NETWORK

Multi-DEVICE

Multi-USE

Here is a summary from KDDI's President:

Dennis Ritchie dies--UNIX founding architect

Dennis Ritchie obituary
Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie, computer scientist, born 9 September 1941; died 12 October 2011

[Backup URL here]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/13/dennis-ritchie

A British take on Dennis Ritchie's death.

Some money quotes here:

Rutgers Renaissance History Professor Jacob Soll wins MacArthur "genius grant"

Rutgers Professor Jacob Soll is among those who received a MacArthur genius grant, the foundation announced today.

He is a historian of "early modern Europe," also known as the European Renaissance.

Here is Jacob Soll's web site with his many publications in information networking history.

Here is the MacArthur Foundation's summary:

Liveblogging the Digital Policy Institute Forum--"Empowering America: Broadband's Role in Growing the Economy" (3)

Kelley Dunne of "One Economy" organization

suggests using a major city with rural areas around it, like New Orleans or Detroit,
as a real-world test bed for the application of broadband technologies to help advance the area
both in economic and social development.

What would be done?
Some actions: install broadband networks, especially in public housing,
and give every elementary school student (at fifth grade level for example)
a free basic laptop that they would use with the school's assistance.

Help train people for 12 months across the region on using broadband technologies to get into new opportunities.
This is a "broadband adoption-information literacy equation."

[Jay Gillette comment. See the real-world example of Chattanooga's world class municipal network at 1 Gigabit per second]

Liveblogging the Digital Policy Institute Forum--"Empowering America: Broadband's Role in Growing the Economy" (2)

Larry Landis, regulator, speaks about the regulatory environment in communications today:

Changes now in Universal Service.

High cost support before went to small markets. This is because the market may not be able to serve these small markets. Yet with good intentions some dysfunctions have developed over time.

So we give FCC kudos for identifying some of these problems and push forward and doing something about it.

That said, concern in the states about sustainability of the rural communications companies.
These are the incumbents, but for generations these were the only companies to serve these areas. The presumption is that their long service needs to be recognized.

1. Broadband service now needs to be seen as essential service.

2. Wired funds need to be provided.

3. but also Wireless funds now need to be provided for.

Liveblogging the Digital Policy Institute Forum--"Empowering America: Broadband's Role in Growing the Economy" (1)

Liveblogging the Digital Policy Institute Forum--"Empowering America: Broadband's Role in Growing the Economy"

Here at the Alumni Center of Ball State University as Moderator Stuart Brotman introduces the conference and the main panelists.

They are Bruce Melhman, Kelly Dunne, Michael Hicks, Larry Landis.

Stuart Brotman, J. D., serves as a member of the Digital Policy Institute's Board of Directors and was formerly Distinguished Visiting Professor of Emerging Media at Ball State University.

He says "broadband" technology really needs to be thought of less in terms of technology and more in terms of a broadband information "ecology."