The Ultimate Goal

What a journey lies ahead of us! A few years ago, the National Academy of Engineering released a list of what world-famous thinkers and innovators considered to be the greatest challenges of the 21st century. The NAE used the list both to educate future generations the kinds of problems that currently exist in the world and to compel them to create a better, more sustainable civilization. G. Pascal Zachary, a professor of practice at the Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes at Arizona State University, further argues in his IEEE Spectrum Opinion contribution "Why Engineers Must Try to Save the World" that engineering, not pure science alone, is a necessary component in resolving all these issues. Science, unlike engineering, he argues, does not always produce "professionally competent" individuals, which is so important in today's society. Per Zachary,

 "Competence is crucial. After all, the human response to the planet’s seemingly difficult situation must, above all, work. Adaptations and interventions that forestall or remedy or extinguish the ultimate lethal threats, such as catastrophic climate change, an exotic pandemic, or a mysterious collapse in large-scale agriculture can always be moral or immoral, normative or not, sublime or ugly, inspirational or dour. But adaptations and interventions aimed at saving the world as we know it, or want it to be, must work. Pragmatism rules. Or if failure is an essential experience, even our technoscientific failures must reflect the core competence that the practice of engineering holds in the highest of regards."

Science is not responsible for that, and therefore, the fruits of science may not always be as conscious of society as the developments in engineering. Zachary also cites Henry Petroski's The Essential Engineer and the argument "for the central role of engineers in helping societies cope with urgent environmental and sustainability problems." He emphasizes the importance of being a competent professional - an engineer, technically-minded, with a very complete understanding of life, the world, and its people, for

"If engineers lead the way, they will not march alone. Rather, as Petroski recognizes, engineers must "be connected with the cultures of the humanities and social sciences." In the end, 'messianic' engineers will work alongside scientists, but also physicians and social workers and priests and poets."

All must band together, strive to understand one another, and work toward remarkable, innovative solutions to NAE greatest challenges of the 21st century and all the challenges that await us in the future. SIC ITUR AD ASTRA!

The Oblivious Accomplices

There will be no subpoenas, hearings, or trials, and none of us will be charged with a crime - although we may have just committed one. The story of "The King of Spam" Oleg Nikolaenko comes to us from NPR's American Public Media (APM) podcast named Future Tense. Nikolaenko, who received his nickname soon after he went into the spam business, has been recently arrested by federal authorities in connection with the violation of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. More simply, Nikolaenko is accused of generating of over one-third of the world digital spam, for profit, of course, through a massive "botnet" network referred to as "Mega D." Thousands of computers were supposedly hacked and made to "carry out the spamming, unbeknownst to [their] owner[s]." These computers are located all over the world, so theoretically, the ones you and I are using now could be affected, so technically, we could partly responsible for the crime too. Too bad, there is nothing we can do about that, as the hackers made sure to exploit only low-level processing capacities and other small-scale unused computing functionality using very efficient, stealthy software, which means that average users will have a very hard time detecting the hack. In fact, unless you are a very experienced programmer and computer scientists who knows where to look, you won't be able to find the problem. So, whatever Oleg Nikolaenko allegedly did to our computers will probably stay with our computers for a while longer, which brings us to the bad news - spam will stick around. However, there are some good news as well, per Patrick Peterson, Cisco fellow and chief security researcher, "It's important to realize that in some of these cases, the arrests may seem more like petty crimes done on a massive scale. These are the same techniques used to infect our government computers by foreign state actors, used for industrial espionage, used to infect our accountants and people in finance to empty out bank accounts. So, every botnet that gets shut down doesn't just mean less spam in our inbox, it also means a lot less other more damaging crimes will not be committed." From now, Oleg Nikolaenko is in custody, which means we are one step closer to a more secure internet.

The Cost of Clean Energy

With the capacity to produce around 35,000 megawatts, United States is, as of 2008, the largest wind power consumer in the world. Currently, about 2% of the electricity used in the United States is generated by wind turbines. Electric cars, in turn, help reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere by 30%, given the present-day U.S. energy mix. Less than 1% of the population is driving an electric car today, but the trend is becoming more and more popular. These some of the most remarkable developments in technology, and some day, they will keep our planet clean and well-maintained. That is not the case now, because wind turbines and electric vehicles are just two of a whole large set of technologies that use rare earth metals. Rare earths are "'large permanent magnets make the generators feasible,'" and they are starting to worry both the academia and the business world. Used in "computers, screens, superconductors, oil refineries, hybrid or electric vehicles, catalytic converters, compact fluorescent light bulbs, light-emitting diodes, lasers, audio speakers and microphones, cell phones, MRI machines, telecommunications, battery electrodes, advanced weapons systems, polished glass, and even [some] electric motors," rare earths are used to generate electricity which key to many of these inventions, including clean-energy technologies, like wind turbines and electric cars. Ironically, however, these metals are causing a lasting environmental impact. Rare earths have to be mined, a process which often destroys natural environments and creates dangerous working conditions. Then, the metals have to be separated for industrial use by a process of "intensive boiling with strong acids" which dissolves the metals out of the ore rock. The acids used are highly toxic, and these acids also dissolve the radioactive materials often located near and around the rare earths releasing deadly particles into the atmosphere. Another problem is that these metals do not regenerate quickly enough, so as more and more electric vehicles appear on the road, more and more rare earths must be harvested. We are running out of these metals very quickly, which is why U.S. Department of Energy and General Electric have been tinkering with these compounds in order to create efficient methodologies to mass-produce them synthetically. Research continues, but it is clear that "rare earths [materials problem] won't be solved anytime soon." While I was always fully aware of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which states that entropy in the universe is always increasing with time and explains the notion of irreversibility in nature, I never realized how much of an impact it has on real life. Rare earths are a perfect example of humans overcoming great challenges and partaking in great innovation in an attempt to create order in the universe and failing in certain scopes of doing so. The challenge stands for a new generation of thinkers to solve, and I hope some day soon, despite all odds, we will be able to say with confidence - "We now know how to solve this problem."

The Social Network for Charities

Can internet make the world better? Chris Hughes, one of the founder of Facebook and President Obama's chief digital campaign manager, seems to think so, as he has recently founded Jumo, a social network that "aims to connect people with nonprofits and charitable organizations." This project's journey to success is just beginning. Offering contact with a variety of non-profit organizations on a variety of issues - ranging from hunger to environmentalism to gay rights, the website is predicted to create one of the biggest volunteer bodies in the nation. Since most people already support various organizations through online donations, the transition will be easy. Plus, tons of user reviews on the charities will be available for people to see all over the world, which means more people will be able to find and to donate to causes they are passionate about - that is not to say that Jumo's main purpose is to solicit donations. It's not; it is really about "deepen[ing] ties between...users and their favorite causes." Success of a social network like that would mean not only that people would be able to stay connected but also that people would be helping the world - through donations, volunteerism, and activism. Finally, non-profits, even those that have not had the chance to advertise on large scale would be able to connect with their supporters. The potential is remarkable, but the question stands - will followers of non-profit organizations translate into volunteers and donors?

The Cloud. 'Nuff said.

Forget meteorology, and think virtualization. Cloud computing is finally becoming a significant part of our lives.  Microsoft, in particular, is certainly making sure of that. Introducing the new, dynamically scalable, over-the-internet productivity suite Microsoft Office 365 available in the early 2011 completely through a cloud computing environment! Consider the business world transformed. Now, employees of any company around the world will easily be able to communicate, collaborate, and get their work done from anywhere around the world. With an entire suite of Microsoft products available to employees over the internet through a simple log in process (without a software install of any kind), work will go very smoothly - too bad offering the service is such a gamble for Microsoft. Many companies still either don't know or simply refuse to believe that cloud computing is safe and reliable, so many will not risk their sensitive information for the service. Also, marketing the service as a subscription may actually end up hurting Microsoft. After a little bit of math, it's clear that buying traditional software licenses works out to be cheaper in the long run. So, why pay for the subscription? Microsoft's competition is also tough. Google offers a similar service called Docs for free. In combination with Gmail, Google Docs is a solid choice for any company interested in these kinds of services. We will have to wait and see how MS Office 365's success plays out, but in the mean time, I wish them the best of luck, for it this thing works, it could become a $25 billion dollar per year business by 2013.

The Improved Relevance

“What your friends think and what people like you think is much more relevant than what everybody thinks,” said Augie Ray, an analyst with Forrester Research, in an interview with Jenna Wortham for her recent article "Search Takes a Social Turn" published in the NY Times. Indeed, the world of mouth that is becoming more and more tailored to the individual. Why waste time sifting through tons and tons of reviews about a product or a service when you can simply listen to what the people you already trust have to say on the matter? Think about it. You're looking for a good local restaurant on Google, and the reviews seem to vary vastly. Which ones do you trust? Which ones were posted by regular people like you? Which ones were posted by food critics? Which ones were planted by the managers and marketing advisors of the restaurants? It's so much easier to simply ask a friend who had been to the restaurant and get a straight opinion. Most people would think so - to save time, at least, if for no other reason. In recent years, companies have realized that simply providing reviews is no longer cutting it with consumers. Social media has helped them turn things around. Facebook, Twitter, TunerFish, Loopt, Hunch - be they location-based social systems or plain profile-based ones or new interest-logging applications, they are making a difference for consumers and their friends. It is now clear that the traditional search engine has to change to provide this improved relevance everyone has been talking about. So, it turns out that your friends do know you best - and, ultimately, they can help save you some time. Who would have thought?

The Netflix Solution

What if you could go to your living room, sit down, turn on the TV, and watch any show, movie, or sports game that is currently on or that aired any time in the past? It may sound like science fiction, but we can already do that. Well, almost. This is exactly the type of project Reed Hastings, "a quiet disrupter [who] sabotag[es] business models silently and irretrievably" and the CEO of Netflix, is working on. In an attempt to create a media-streaming infrastructure that by-passes all services provided by the cable company, Hastings is revolutionizing the television experience. Netflix may have gone down wrong paths, may have had some set-backs, and may have dealt with "hell" over the past few years, but Hastings' dynamic business strategy and a very informed view of the technology and the surrounding markets have allowed Netflix to not only pull through but also succeed far beyond the expectations of industry analysts. Something tells me that even though there are a lot of risks in being Netflix right now, the company's vision will keep in at the head of the industry. Just five years ago, most people did not have a TV that could fast-forward through commercials, and everyone had to deal with setting up that bothersome VCR to record shows that they knew they would miss. Now, we can stream cable channels through our computers or re-watch the glorious moments of the Boston Red Sox taking the World Series title in 2007 all with a push of a button, without any extra devices to set-up, and with Netflix making the process easier and easier every day.

The Technological Teddy Bear

I recently found an article that made me realized that the notion of progress is actually much more interesting and much more complex than I had imagined before. Currently, when we think of progress, we think of how technology has evolved and how our minds and attitudes have evolved with the machinery. We take this evolution as fact (for all practical purposes), and we rationalize it to be true, as we hope that technology will work to do great things for us in the future.  But what if we are wrong? What if our digital revolution is not a revolution? What if our "human factor" - our human nature and our love for the natural and the actual - will never allow us to proceed? What if a technological world with perfect living conditions for humans is just science fiction? Humans really love their printed books, Rubic's cubes, and teddy bears. They have no idea why they do, but I think as they refuse to give them up now, they will refuse to give them up in the future. So, yes, in the future, explaining your computer science program logic to your computer may be much more useful than explaining it to your teddy bear (because the computer can help you solve the problem), but the computer will not be nearly as effective as the teddy bear in teaching you about the principles that lead you to make a mistake and the principles that will lead you to the solution.

The Digital Kind of Dorm Experience

Would you like your dorm room to be the most popular hang-out spot on a Friday night? You could start by sharpening your social skills and making friends...or you could just do what Zack Anderson and his roommate RJ Ryan did. Two words: PARTY MODE. This absolutely crazy, yet completely awesome applications of electrical and computer engineering, as well as computer science, puts most college dorms, even the wild ones, to shame. Check it out: blinds, lights, music all create a complete party experience with a push of a button. The security camera set-up is also glorious and a very smart idea too with the RAs walking around.
Clearly, this is not your typical dorm room experience, and not all of us are able/want to build a system like this. I think however that it is a wonderful way to utilize technology in practical matters of the daily life and a solid approach to the dorm experience.

The End of Hard Copies

Portable scanners? Frankly, the idea is not that difficult to conceive, but I have never heard anything about portable scanners before I read the article "Speed-Dating Portable Scanners" from IEEE Spectrum. Apparently, they are becoming quite popular with professionals on the go, and they are reputed to be the digital tool of the future. The device itself is quite simple. A thin, long (20-30 cm) scanner device allows the user to scan any hard-copy document, saves the digital copy of the document, and transfers the document to a computer. The current models of portable scanners vary in size, weight (another 500 grams in my backpack, really?), appearance, and operation. From the article, it is also clear that portable scanners could use some debugging and usability testing, which, I suppose, is exactly the phase they are in right now. As time goes on, however, portable scanners will improve, and it seems we will no longer keep anything in hard copy.
Is it a digital revolution? Perhaps. Keeping digital copies of documents is generally a good practice - not only do digital copies help save space in numerous file cabinets in offices around the world, but also digital copies can sometimes be considered more reliable than hard copies, especially for the disorganized. However, what happens when your digital companion gets a virus or simply gets soaked in the afternoon downpour? What happens when the hard drive gets corrupted and your last back-up was two weeks ago? What happens when you thought you saved in that really important contract, then your little sister messed with your computer, and you just can't find it? It certainly keeps me wondering. I think I will keep the hard copies.

The Social Media Revolution

Last summer, while working at SAS Institute in Cary, NC, I had the pleasure of attending at seminar on social media. I did not know much about the subject, aside from my personal use and general unfocused clicking on Facebook and LinkedIn; I certainly did not know that there were so many social networks out there or that they were all so different and so extensive. The point of the seminar however was not only to simply discuss social media; it was, in fact, to discuss the impact social media makes on not only individuals as consultants/experts in their fields and as average consumers but also on large corporations and companies, like, for example, SAS. Wayne Sutton of http://socialwayne.com/, the seminar's guest speaker, opened my eyes about the capabilities of social media. The man made a successful business out of the modern-day development and popularity of social media, and he is also the expert on the subject. A YouTube video (insert ironic joke here) on the social media revolution linked here summarizes some of the things he talked about in this presentation.
Per our class discussion the other day, do you still think that social media is ruining our lives and corrupting our minds? I do not think so. I, like Wayne Sutton and many other modern-day business professionals, see it as an OPPORTUNITY! Surely, the way we receive information is changing (and yes, that may be scary and unfamiliar), but some many aspects of our lives - advertising, consulting, information flow, consumer behavior, business strategies, organization of the economy - have just reached a new level - due to the development of social media. It took just one seminar to convince me, and like many others, I have now stopped fearing the internet and agonizing over all the facts that are too personal for me to reveal to the public, and I have now started embracing my digital dossier and actively controlling all of that information that is out there about me. I refuse to see social media a hindrance of progress, and I choose to use it as a tool to my advantage in my career in the future. What do you think? Do you agree with this perspective? Yes? Well, then, join the Facebook group.

The Purpose

Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way, Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, 1861.

I had an interesting conversation with my mom the other day. She was wondering why the internet wasn't invented earlier. Why wasn't it invented in the mid-1960s when she was born? Or in the 1980s when she went to college? She grew up in the Soviet Union during a time period when the infinite patriotism of previous generation (that is, my grandparents' generation) no longer made sense to this entirely new, young society hooked on foreign films, imported products, and Def Leppard. Her argument stated that the sheer existence of the internet* would have broken down all the remaining aspects of the idealist thought that supported communism, and the Soviet Union, or whatever was left of it at that point, would no longer be standing (or even kneeling) by the 1980s. Due to a lack of knowledge on the subject, I can neither support nor argue against her theories. However, I would like to use her question as an example of very good analysis of the 21st-century interactions between society and technology. Essentially, these are the types of questions we should be asking. The discussions associated with these questions will help us gain new insights on our modern way of life; they will also help us understand how we got here and where we are going. This blog is dedicated to these discussions in hopes to provide some clarity on whether or not we, as a world "empire," have truly progressed "westward" in accordance with our timely course.
*The idea of internet for my mom is not only very reliable, easy means of communication but it is also a vast source of all kinds of information, including opinions, and all kinds of knowledge. She considers the internet to be a means to be bring the world closer together and one of the fundamental reasons for globalization. Because she has this particular view of the internet and its capabilities, she cites it in this question.