6 Apr 2012

World Economic Forum The Global Information Technology Report 2012

posted in: Uncategorized |
The Global Information Technology Report 2012
 
This report is an essential read for all those interested in digital, internet and communication technologies.  One of the parts of the report which really resonated with me was about the concept of “Hyperconnectivity”.
 

Hyperconnectivity is a relatively new term that was coined in response to the rapid availability and broad assimilation of entirely new ways to communicate. Hyperconnectivity refers not only to the means of communication and interaction, but also to the impact this phenomenon has on both personal and organizational behavior. Hyperconnectivity results from a combination of broadband expansion, the proliferation of mobile devices and wireless access, the dominance of social media in daily life and, most recently, the use of the cloud for data and applications access. Hyperconnected communication includes not only people-to-people formats (as individuals and as members of groups and using a vast array of media), but also communication between people and machines and between machines themselves without any direct human involvement.

I agree we are already in a hyperconnected world with positive (such as ease of global communication, freedom of information, new business) and negative effects (overload and glut of emails and information).

I was fascinated with one of the statements in the report.
Hyperconnectivity has also given rise to a globalized “168” world (24 × 7 = 168)
Yes! We live in a 168 world now.

Over the past decade, The Global Information Technology Report series, has become the most comprehensive and respected international assessment of the preparedness of economies to leverage the networked economy. This research provides a unique platform for public-private dialogue on best policies and for determining what actions will further national ICT readiness and innovation potential.

Through the evolved methodological framework of the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), The Global Information Technology Report 2012 measures the extent to which 142 economies take advantage of ICT and other new technologies to increase their growth and well-being. This year, Sweden tops the rankings, followed by Singapore and Finland.

Under the theme Living in a Hyperconnected World, the report features expert contributions that explore the causes and consequences of living in an environment where the Internet is accessible and immediate, where people and businesses can communicate instantly, and where machines are interconnected.

4 Apr 2012

How to Make a Region Innovative

posted in: Uncategorized |

How to Make a Region Innovative

Excellent article about essential ingredients for creating innovation clusters. It also describes the type of person required to be an innovation leader. I think this is an excellent goal for all students to have to be this kind of person.

•Synthesis. People need to “connect the dots,” making the relevant context of a complex issue clear so everyone can move forward.

• Perspective. For sustained collaboration, people must analyze and understand the economic and social environment — the “human ecosystem” — in which the quad operates.

• Communication skills. Working across sector boundaries, collaborators must negotiate with and convince others, building pro-innovation coalitions that can be mobilized for worthwhile goals.

• Intellectual curiosity. People must be passionate about exploring questions and alternative solutions together, making decisions with urgency but also with an eye to the long term.

• Empathy. Those working closely together need the unshakable willingness to listen to and understand others’ point of view, even when that means operating outside their comfort zone.

• Substantive knowledge. For those engaged in technical innovation, superior levels of specialized knowledge are essential — and when combined with the other skills and attitudes, they allow people to act strategically.

• Cross-sector experience. A successful quad cluster will feature many people with experience well beyond their own silo, preferably in a different country or economic sector. This is one positive side effect of the “revolving door” phenomenon, in which people can move from one firm to another. The wider the range of experiences, the deeper the empathy and the more finely honed an individual’s skills of cross-border communication and negotiation are likely to be.

Taken together, these attributes allow people to think, act, and move across all sorts of borders — institutional and sectoral, as well as national and regional.

3 Apr 2012

Seoul Digital Forum

posted in: Keynote Speeches and Talks |

Seoul Digital Forum

Mixed Reality: Beyond the Real-Virtual Dichotomy, Expanding Human Potentials

The realm of human influence is extending its scope and reach. The new generation of mixed reality technologies is merging the real and the virtual, making possible simultaneous interactions between the two worlds. With its limitations in interface design and accessibility being mitigated, mixed reality is making tangible contributions to expanding human potentials in an increasing number of practical fields including healthcare, education, training and media by lowering spatio-temporal barriers. With the real and the virtual coming to coexist and increasingly interfused, what kinds of benefits and obstacles lie in store for us?

Visionaries: Adrian D. CHEOK, Professor, Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University / Director, Mixed Reality Lab

Howard CHARNEY, Senior Vice President, Office of the President, Cisco

Genevieve BELL, Director, Interaction and Experience Research, Intel

Symposiarch WOO Woontack, Professor, Graduate School of Culture Technology, KAIST

Introduction to the SDF2012

Coexistence

Technology, Humanity and Great Hope for the Future

The advent of new technologies has profound ramifications for the way we think and behave. What, then, is this digital world and its hyper-connectedness for, and where is it headed?

Captivated by such terms as openness, collaboration and a new ecosystem, the narratives of ―coexistence‖ are defining a new zeitgeist and a key formula for survival in the digital era. Information technology is gearing toward enabling a better life by aiming for broader inclusion and bringing together more diverse voices; now more than ever, the world is in an earnest quest for technologies that are not just smarter, but more humane and compassionate.

Amid these currents, how can we forge a world where technologies become more humanized, real and virtual worlds more naturally merge together, the values of the analog era are still preserved, and humanistic digital technologies help narrow the various gaps between groups and generations?

What has so far typically grabbed the limelight has been any newly developed technology and the people in the vanguard of that technological advancement. We have been pouring too much of our energy into keeping apace with rapid changes while unwittingly or tacitly postponing in-depth discussions on technology-induced challenges. It‘s high time that we turned our long-overdue attention to the direction in which technology is headed, and the values it brings to our world. It is the appropriate time to put the technologies around us under close scrutiny and measure their impact, drawing on the framework of Oriental humanism that interweaves science, religion and ethics as well as aesthetics.

What new wonders of technology are before us and how will they shape our future? What is the nature of the Big Data society and how can we make the most out of it? What are the potential pitfalls, and what is the future of data privacy? Is it possible to make appropriate technology (AT) sustainable? What roles can such technologies as speech recognition and interface design play in making technology more people-friendly? Is SNS a facilitator of online democracy or of mob rule? What types of data should be shared and open, and how much? Copyright or copyleft: which way to go? How can we forge a new ecosystem for both corporations and consumers? How do different technologies foster or threaten the emerging era of coexistence?

At SDF2012, we will delve into the new conditions and initiatives for coexistence and explore how we can coevolve with technologies and find ways to better understand and serve the great hope of humanity for a better world.

3 Apr 2012

posted in: Uncategorized |
From Street (1993)
From Fruits (1998)
From Tune (2012)
From Street (2012)

newyorker:

Japanese Street Style

Following last week’s post on global street-style bloggers, I wanted to check in with Shoichi Aoki, who began photographing street styles in the nineteen-eighties. The Japanese photographer has created three magazines on the subject: Street features London street style and street snaps at Paris and New York Fashion Week; Fruits focusses on street snaps of girls from Harajuku, Tokyo; and Tune collects snaps of Harajuku’s boys. He’s also published two books.

– On our Photo Booth blog, a slide show of more of Aoki’s work and a brief Q. & A.: http://nyr.kr/HbhugY
3 Apr 2012

posted in: Uncategorized |

Keio’s new logo.

Think big. Think deep. Think Keio.

I like it!

2 Apr 2012

Cool Japanese Research: Interactive Kissing Display

posted in: Research |

I am glad to be part of a university that develops crazy ideas. In the latest crazy research here is a screen which is used for interactive kissing.

By sensing the distance between the user and the display, this photo of a person reacts when kissed. This system is currently under development by a research group at Keio University and they are also considering how to utilize this system in a commercial context.

“I’m a big fan of pop idols, and I have posters of them in my room. It bugged me that the posters didn’t move at all. We built this system because we thought, if a poster could move to match people’s movements, that would be interactive and fun.”

“This system is very simple. There’s an ultrasound sensor here, to detect how far away your head is. As you approach the sensor, the picture changes. When you get closer, the picture becomes a kissing face, and when you move away, it becomes a blushing face.”

“The current system only produces visual changes, but we could also include the scent of shampoo from the person’s hair, or a lemon-flavored film on the lips, or a speaker that whispers “I love you.” People who’ve tried this system advised us to do those things, so we think there’s still plenty to be done. We’ve learned a lot from talking to users.”

From now on, the researchers plan to develop an iPad application. For this, they’re considering other sensing methods, such as using image recognition via the camera, or using a light sensor that reacts to the shadows created when the user approaches.

“We think we could get pop idols to actually pose for this, and sell it as an application, or it could be used in digital signage. I think people would be really attracted by a face that gives a kiss as they walk past.”

(via Interactive Poster That Loves Being Kissed – DigInfo TV – Tech News Videos From Japan | The latest technology, products, gadgets and scientific research direct from Tokyo)

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
2 Apr 2012

Talking to Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Malaysia F1 Grand Prix

posted in: Keynote Speeches and Talks |

I had the pleasure of being invited invited to Malaysia by the Malaysian government investment arm and part of the visit was attending the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix. At the F1 I met Malaysia’s modern founder and Prime Minister for many years, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. I found Dr. Mahathir to be a most pleasant and gentle man. I could feel he had a deep and solid thinking. 

I was introduced to Dr. Mahathir as the person who “invented chicken hugging on the internet” (related to my previous work Poultry Internet). Dr Dr. Mahathir actually asked me about poultry internet, and I was happy to explain. I guess it was the first and maybe the only time he would talk about internet chicken hugging.

As I watched the F1 it actually came to my mind that Dr. Mahathir basically made all this happen, he modernized the whole country. But I am also very impressed that he let the country go into basically full democracy. Malaysia reformed into an open democracy with the people free to express their voices.

I had the pleasure to enjoy the F1 in Malaysia close up, but what I left with was a more deep impression, I felt free to be myself in Malaysia, it is a open and free society.

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