We have known for some time that the video gaming industry is leading significant innovation trends in the software and hardware industry.  I stumbled upon this Op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today (from January 2011)  that documents what the gaming industry has brought to defense, collaboration and even the entertainment industry.  I think that one of the biggest innovations brought to us by the video game industry that has yet to be untapped is the Microsoft Kinect.

If you have no idea what a Kinect is let me spend a few seconds bringing you up to speed.  The Kinect is basically a motion detector, voice recognition and camera all built into a device that allows for deviceless control of your xBox.  Meaning that you don’t need a remote to control a game, play a movie, etc. 

Cool I know, that’s why I bought one.  However, not for the reason you might expect.  I purchased it for the kids.  My kids are young.  Handling a controller would be impossible and I shuttered in fear at them using something like a Wii.  Although flat screens have come down in price I don’t have a desire to replace mine once a year because a controller went through the screen.  However, there are some really great educational games out there and I thought that during the 110 degree Texas heat this might be a good change up.  I must admit that I was a bit skeptical at first.  These things never work as advertised.  But it did.  And it worked well.

Fast forward six months.  As any self respecting geek I started to wonder what if.  Microsoft at the time wasn’t allowing much if any customization, but now it appears that the flood gates have opened.  People are beginning to put the device into action.  And now, you don’t need an xBox!

So what is it being used for?  The video below will give you a preview:

Cool huh?  You would be right to stop right there and imagine the possibilities.  However, I came across this next gem.  It’s six minutes long, but I assure you it’s worth your time.

This video highlights two big innovations with real commercial potential.  One is the the virtual content and integrations via a pointing device (read your iPad or phone).  Secondly was the in the last part.  The virtual partial interaction with real world objects (the desk/drawer/garbage can).

So what does this mean?  Simple, no need to carry a laptop or in some cases any device.  Because of the Kinect your apps can go with you anywhere this system is in place.  Your digital life, apps, etc are in the cloud.  Innovation and collaboration anywhere, anytime.  You now become the device.  The technology is just a platform to display it.  No need for keyboards, mice, monitors, etc.  Exciting times for sure!

If you would like to learn more, or even get funded by Microsoft for developing a great idea I would recommend checking out the Kinect Accelerator page.

I’ve been following the recent AT&T and T-Mobile merger news closely over the last few months.  Not because of my love for AT&T nor the cute T-Mobile girl.  I’ve been following it because it’s a replay of the broadband vs. dialup fight and the tiered bandwidth cap fight.  You always hear that history repeats itself and that the speed of technology innovation doubles every few years.  Here is a situation where there is a perfect storm of each factor.

Sprint, is in a unique position, so far.  They are the only major carrier that does not cap or tier it’s bandwidth usage.  AT&T and Verizon have tiered pricing for both phone and data services.  Take the iPad for instance.  AT&T has a 2 gig limit on their top plan with additional charges applied should you go over that amount.  Verizon has a 5 gig with similar terms.  Prices for these services are comparable.  Sprint has yet to offer the iPad, but I do have a contract with Sprint where for $79 I get as much as I want anytime.  It doesn’t mean I’m a sprint fan boy.  It just means that every month my bill is the same.  And there is the key.  Consistency.

During  the late 90’s the internet consuming public witnessed a race between the Telco’s based on speed.  Why use AOL dialup when you can use SW Bell DSL?  It was comparable in price and 8X faster.  Then you had the internet cap situation, which is still in play. Telco's over allocated resources and sought caps to limit large consumers of data.  Verizon was the clear winner in terms of capability and future expansion.  They spent billions to build out their network with no caps on FiOS.  I would argue that Verizon has won the battle for savvy users who really use the internet, which is most of us born after 1950.  I don’t know one person that says I have FiOS, but I wish U–Verse was available.

So, back to Sprint and the portable internet which is all the rage.  They have the network capability, the iPhone 4S, and the market share to start challenging the largest two providers in the US.  If Dan Hess takes a lesson from history I would say look to Verizon.  They’ve had great success with their FiOS implementation and I would say that the same market  that drove them will be the same that drive the wireless age.  I would also argue that the US consumer likes fixed pricing.  Whether or not I use it consumers still want a predictable price that doesn’t fluctuate based on the amount of videos you download on a rainy day.

At the end of the day, we, the consumer wins.  Whichever these models wins out it’s sure to drive speeds and price down, just like DLS vs. Dial-up did in the 90’s.

Just in case you haven’t noticed the explosion of devices and consumer based applications is beginning to challenge IT departments.  Do you allow your employees to use their own devices?  What about applications?  How do you deploy and manage security?  These are all questions that just about every IT shop in the world is having to answer.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a multi billion dollar conglomerate or supporting the local church.  The consumerization of IT is here, and I predict here to stay. 

The question of managing this phenomenon is not if you should allow it.  That battle has already been fought.  Devices and applications are being used because they are convenient or introduce efficiencies.  You cannot stop this wave.  Imagine being the head of a pager company and you just saw your first cell phone in action.  You need to start making cell phones, not scoff at the idea that cell phones will never catch on!  The real question is how do you take advantage of this movement.

Make no mistake, this is a paradigm changer and you need to think of ways to take advantage of this.  So what in the world am I talking about?  I remember when I first started working in the 90’s.  You hardly ever saw a laptop.  They were reserved for the ‘high-ups’.  They were cool and a status symbol.  Fast forward 10 years and now all you see is laptops.  They are now the standard of a productive work culture allowing people to work from anywhere, and unfortunately for this guy, at anytime of the day or night.  Laptops stopped being a status symbol and the hallmark of productivity.   They changed the paradigm. 

Today we have devices and applications that take full advantage of sleek form factors and the cloud.  Paradigm changer?  No doubt.  I, myself, own 3 laptops and two iPads.  I have the ability to work from anywhere and at anytime.  Couple that with some slick collaboration apps like Lync, Skype, Facetime and a host of other cloud based collaboration utilities there is no need for me to go into the office.  So why do we continue to build applications, corporate infrastructures and offices like it’s the 1990’s?  Do I really need a cube, an office or a desk phone?  No, what I need is a power strip. 

So what is the next model?  The next laptop transformation?  First, I think IT needs to look at how we allocate IT assets.  Why buy me a laptop?  I have three.  And they are far superior to the one you will probably provide me.  Why not give me a stipend so I can purchase my own equipment?  Why not give me a stipend for being an employee?  Chances are if you are like me you even dislike the office supplies!  I’ll buy my own pens and paper! 

Imagine how that would change the way you not only build out an office, but your approach to building business solutions!  Your external customers and internal customers become one in the same. All rely on the ability to use your product anytime and anywhere.

I’m going to tell you a story about how I almost failed as a manager.  I say almost because it was only because of Bob Smith that I recovered and really understood the error of my ways.    Bob is a factious character because the innocent should be protected.  However, the situation is real and the lesson is a good one that I would like to pass on. 

One of my first experiences managing development teams was an incredible opportunity. I was young, enthusiastic and motivated.  I inherited a team of folks with great capabilities but a relaxed attitude towards owning issues.  I’m positive we were not the first shop to experience this!  During the first few weeks of taking over this team I hired Bob as a replacement for a team member who left just before I took over.  Bob was my first hire.  Bob is an incredible technician.  He knows code, architecture and the urgency of our craft.    

I think I’m preaching to the choir when I say that inevitably there will be an issue in IT.  I, as a young manager, experienced this within two weeks of Bob coming on board.  I remember it clearly.  The guy Bob replaced left a code base and an architecture platform that, well, let’s just say was suboptimal.  I called everyone into a room and said this is the ‘hottest’ issue.  Let’s dedicate all our resources to getting this solved.  I got a lot of blank stares.  Bob however, was the guy on the beat.  Within five minutes he knew what to do, how to solve it and what needed to happen.  I was in love.

We were a young shop and there were about two more ‘major’ issues that came up within the next six weeks.  Each time I leaned on Bob.  He was my go-to guy to fix the issues that the team couldn’t address, with his help we  satisfied the customers and pleased the execs.  Then came the dreaded lunch!  Bob and I went out to lunch and he let me know that he was thinking about leaving the company.  Imagine my face at this point.  Bob was my get it done guy.  However, it was exactly why Bob wanted to go.

Bob had other ambitions.  None of them having to do with fire fighting others misfortunes.  Bob was a team player, but in his words (Bob doesn’t speak the best English so this is the best translation)  he said “I’m always willing help out, but you need to help others know how to win”.  Prolific need I say more!

What I learned from Bob is that teams need to learn how to fail as much as they need to learn how to succeed.  Winning feels good, I think that anyone that’s been a part of a winning team can sense what a winning team ‘feels’ like.  You just know.  Failure is the same.  You just know when something doesn’t feel right.  Winning and losing is intrinsic in our psyche. 

Failure is painful but inevitable in our business, just as much as success is.  The problem is that most people, as a team, don’t know what it’s like to manage through ‘failures’. It’s not natural.   We naturally separate into individuals when we sense failure.  The whole ‘It’s someone else's problem’ is a common reaction.  Arguably it’s a healthy reaction designed to help us cope.  However, in our business, the business of providing technology, it’s a toxic attitude because we can only solve problems as a team. 

Bob taught me that when a crisis occurs hold the team accountable.  The easy way out is always rely on Bob to fix the situation. Bob is not the long-term fix.  The team needs to know what pulling yourself from failure ‘feels’ like just as much as they understand what success ‘feels’ like.  Just like people know what ‘winning’ and ‘failure’ feels like, your team needs to understand what pulling success from the jaws of defeat feels like so they can repeat the behavior each time something goes wrong.  It's like muscle memory!

I regularly get asked by people just entering or interested in the Technology field what my best advise to a budding technologist would be.  I hate that question.  There is so much to know and so many experiences to share.  How do you boil that down to one elevator pitch?  Someone queue the music: I’ve given a ton of horrible advice.

I’m pretty sure that to most of those outside of our industry pride of ownership is a good thing.  Society encourages people to buy houses, start businesses, etc. All thinking that this will lift the community because people have a ‘pride in ownership’.  In other words, because they own something they will continue to invest in it to make their property better. 

However, I believe, that pride of ownership in our industry is toxic.  I have noticed over the years that pride of ownership in technology leads to two things, terrible product delivery and stunted innovation.  Product delivery constantly fails because your developers are taking liberty with the code.  They are going to try to pay back some technical debt because they think or *know* that if they just had another ‘crack’ at that function or class they could improve it.  Stunted Innovation occurs for much the same reason.  Why look at other technologies?  Your team or yourself is completely engaged in the current paradigm.  If you change you kill your baby.

There is no doubt that the technology team plays an integral part in creating value for the organization.  As I’ve blogged before this is what IT’s value proposition is.  However, as a technologist, you need to realize that the product you created is the product of Technology, Marking, Sales and Customers coming together. Also known as business value.  The technology doesn’t belong to you.  It belongs to the organization. This is the difference between great companies and great failures.

Sounds harsh?  I mean your or your team created the product? But it didn’t.  The product was a successful implementation of the businesses needs.   To put it simply, You were the doctor in the delivery room.  There were a cast of others that had the same level of commitment and smarts to help give birth to the product.  I think I can speak for most of us when I say just be thankful that we walk out with clean shoes!

If, as an organization, you think that you have a pride of ownership issue please feel free to contact me. Once you are free it’s the most liberating and enabling existence of IT. I’m happy to evangelize. 

I’m not sure if you’ve heard about the recent TSA controversy regarding John Tyner and his recent visit to the San Diego airport.   For those living under a rock John Tyner refused an intimate pat down after refusing to go through the ‘Naked Machine’ (There’s another name for it that I refuse to print here).  You can spend all night reading up on this, but I need to Segway back into how this applies to software development.  So here it is: People understand procedures and rules are for the greater good, but when it stops providing value or begins to violate reason than you are doing more harm than good.

This is where the TSA and IT Governance have something in common.  John Tyner set off a national outcry regarding the use of some of these techniques designed to keep us safe.  There is no doubt that ‘Naked Machines’ and intrusive pat downs will keep the flying public safer than not having them.  But at what price?  Personal privacy, longer lines, inconvenience, etc..  At some point someone was going to have an issue and set off a fire storm.  The end result, in my opinion, will be an extensive review about the effectiveness of these searches and political pandering that will end up reducing the ability of the TSA to keep airline passengers safe.  One sure thing is that the TSA will suffer a reduction in public trust and ultimate legitimacy as a public safety entity.  Move over IRS and The Post Office, there is now someone more hated.

Unfortunately I’ve seen these same types of events (although everyone was clothed) happen in our industry. IT Governance and PMO organizations have a tendency to think that adding more process or rules is a good thing.  After all,  they initially improved processes in the past.  However, there is a tipping point where the implementation of more rules ultimately ends to less impact.  Ultimately becoming detrimental to the very SDLC process you seek to improve.  Then, everyone starts to question the effectiveness of the PMO or IT Governance.  Essentially leading to IT Organizations have their own John Tyner moment!  The result is the same.  Good intentions end up having the opposite effect of which they were intended.

My advice to IT Governance and PMO organizations is to constantly reevaluate all your polices.  A mature development organization should, in most cases, have less policies and procedures in place than one just starting out.  You need to constantly evaluate your maturity level as an organization and make adjustments.  Prejudice should be placed on removing roadblocks, not creating them.   Don’t turn your development staff into a bunch of John Tyner’s.

I received an interesting email the other day.  The link was to a Microsoft article announcing an upcoming release of a ‘Cloud Appliance’.  I spoke about how great this would be for the world of computing in a blog post back in February 2009.  I forwarded the article to the folks I work with in Server/Network and they lost their minds.  A system fully capable of abstracting hardware and software!

As someone who works in a heavily regulated industry, and rightfully so in my opinion, this is the best thing to come along since virtualization.  There is no one in my industry that doesn’t recognize the benefits of a cloud based architecture, but new regulations in Healthcare now dictate jail time for certain violations.  I’m less willing to take advantage of the architectural benefits and cost savings if I know there is a real risk of visiting a federal institution of time outs.  Long story short, I’m excited to see Microsoft enter this space. 

More from InformationWeek…

More for Microsoft’s Website…

I came across this great presentation today talking about the challenges of Social Networking and what the next generation might look like.  The presentation is by a guy named Paul Adams who is a UX researcher at Google.

I am going out on a limb here.  Technologist are not traditionally people persons.  Please insert your own Office Space quote [here].  Technology is a profession I love.  Make no mistake.  But, we have our issues.  The issues have nothing about capability or effectiveness.  We are very good at that providing solutions to problems.  Our problem is self promotion!

When thinking of traditional Technical Evangelists I believe most people picture someone that promotes a platform or a proprietary service such as the ones Microsoft and SUN have employed.  Currently, I believe that Steve Jobs is the best known evangelist given Apple’s recent product home runs.  However, I do believe there is an opportunity for smaller shops, or even your own company, to employ the same strategies to maximize technology value to customers.

I think at face value this makes sense, but just for fun let’s examine some everyday scenarios that support an evangelist position:

• The pace of innovation is increasing.  You need to be agile in your evaluation of new technologies and how your business can leverage them to deliver a step change competitive advantage.
  
• Your leadership team probably interacts less with technology less than your IT team does.  You need to continually bring new opportunities to the forefront at every chance.  Perhaps an evangelist should even be present during board meetings?  Can you imagine; IT being a strategic business partner???  I kid of course.  It’s what we should be!!!
  
• Your customers are becoming more tech savvy.  There are no more secrets in Technology.  They have access to the same vendors and solutions that everyone else does.  You need to put someone in front of them that can inspire them.  Leave the sales transaction up to the sales team, build interest and excitement for the product up to the evangelist.
  
• Building a product and selling it is just 30% of a launch (my take on it).  You need someone to continually look for ways to promote the product on a micro-interaction level.  Be it whitepapers, speaking at local groups or even through blogging and social network sites.
  
• Customers need to be ‘connected’ to the product to build loyalty and honest feedback.  Nothing makes your IT product more replaceable than a customer feeling like they have no feedback loop or someone they can identify with.  Did you notice the recent Microsoft commercials about ‘Windows being my idea’?

So how do you position the need for a product evangelist?  Moreover, how do you convince the ‘brass’ that one is needed?  My current employer does not formally recognize the role, however I believe that each leader in the IT organization informally plays the role.  I think a large part of that is due to the fact that our IT department is viewed as a strategic partner in business decisions and efforts.  For many organizations that’s a tough road to pave.  I’m admittedly lucky.

Those of you seeking to build a case for implementing an evangelist culture I would work to tie the five points above with specific plans or actions to address them.  Building legitimacy is key.  Challenge your current status quo by continuously providing competitive analysis and how you can overcome those challenges by bringing forth new technological advancements.  It’s a small step and the culture will not change overnight.  However, it’s a step in the right direction.  Remember, overnight success usually takes 3-7 years.  Even for Google!

I would be happy to read and repost any stories on how you successfully implemented an evangelist role or culture.  I think this is an important component of IT’s growth and I’m happy to share.

I think the recent comments by Steve Jobs have been well documented.  I don’t discount his evaluation of Flash.  It’s his opinion and it’s his company.  He should be able to do what he wants.  However, Job’s is putting a lot of money on one factor he has no control over.  Developers.  Dare I say that Steve Ballmer was right?  It’s Developer, Developers, Developers!

As a technologist I think it’s absolutely absurd to say that the adoption rate of HTML will be non-existent.  I wrote a Blog post back in January 2009 arguing that Silverlight would be adopted in spite of Flash.  I still feel the same holds true for HTML 5.  If you make an application ‘cool’ enough they will come.  I think that HTML 5 has real promise. 

The problem will be the adoption rate by developers.  Apple does not have enough market share to convince me to convert to HTML 5.  That doesn’t mean that it will not.  It just means that in the foreseeable future I have no plans to replace my Silverlight or Flash plugins by implementing HTML 5.  Completing an asp.net site will pretty much cost me as much as doing a Silverlight based site.  In fact, my UX guys will probably use Adobe Photoshop to do most of the images so including Flash probably won’t be that much either!

Secondly, I would argue that Apple is approaching a new phase in its life as a product company.  For the longest time Apple has enjoyed a dedicated following, otherwise known as ‘Fanboys’.  Remember your old art teacher in grade school with the Mac?  I bet he/she is still a rabid Mac fan.   Unfortunately Apple is beginning to appeal to the masses.  They are no longer a niche player in the world of computing.  I know countless Apple converts who until recently could only brag about the sleekness of Apple products.   Now  they complain about compatibility, battery life and gasp!, crashes and viruses. 

The point is that Apple will eventually need to cater to these new expectations and user base.  Even if only some of them.  They have a taste of success and they are going to want to keep it, if not for the sake of their shareholders.  At some point they may have to, and should, listen to their customer needs.  Including the support for Flash and Silverlight might be one of the many things they need to do.  It will be the converts that lead the growth for Apple not the current base of dedicated art teachers!