The Renaissance "Man" in I.T.?

Computerworld recently published Hot Skills, Cold Skills as part of a 'special report' on predictions for the I.T. industry in 2010.  Specifically, author Stacy Collett claims:

The IT worker of 2010 won't be a technology guru but rather a 'versatilist.'

Essentially, the article predicts that "more rounded" skills, particularly those which center on acquiring and managing business, are going feature more prominently as the industry matures.

Social Networking Blues

Here's another article in the current wave of not particularly insightful but interesting nonetheless articles on social networking: Facebook, MySpace Reveal Hidden Messages.

The thing that bothers me about this kind of journalism is that it's once again stating the obvious,  i.e. if you constantly change your Facebook/MySpace status then you're probably doing some attention-seeking.  Do we really need a journalist to point this out to us?

People do all sorts of things to get attention:  they dress and style themselves, they surround themselves with 'defining' possessions like cell phones and cars, and if you watch truly gifted networkers at a mixer, then they don't hesitate to approach someone new out of the blue with some sort of an "opener."  Chatty people chat.  Twitterers tweet.  Status updaters update their status.  So what.

I think it's fairly obvious that we're exposing ourselves emotionally over social networks - this isn't necessarily a bad thing.  The only thing I'm really worried about is whether more advanced data analysis is going to scour my online emotional trail one day to create some sort of semantic-emotional graph.  A potential employer might not need to analyze my biological DNA if they have access to the emotional 'strands' that I've left online as behavioral fingerprints.

Useless Tech Tips 101

I've noticed that some of the 'tech tips' web shows have recently started offering micromanagement tips for personal computing. One example (that I will not link to) is a popular 'daily' show where the hosts introduce methods to 'control' browsers, such as 'how to make your browser display over 40 open tabs on the screen at once'. However, it may be time to adopt the time-honored approach of "use the telescope, not the microscope" and to step back and look at some of the overarching principals of personal/time management, instead of learning how to juggle so many balls at once.

One of my friends wrote to me yesterday claiming that she was trying to get her email inbox "under 1000", so I humbly refer you to a useful site that offers some excellent advice on adopting principals and strategies that might help you avoid getting into these 'mass tangles' to begin with. Prevention is usually better than the cure.

43 Folders Series: Inbox Zero

Enablement in the Workplace

"Enablement means giving employees the wherewithal—organizational structure, information technology, and other resources that lead to confident decision-making—to do their jobs well. According to an online survey and interviews conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for a study commissioned by Microsoft, 87 percent of respondents rate enablement as important to employees’ sense of pride and confidence in their work."

Download the study here

World Community Grid

Grid computing is 'always on'

Distributed computing is an excellent example of how an 'always on' culture can realistically contribute to positive change. I support BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing), and groups that I've contributed to include:

• SETI - the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence
• Folding @ Home - computing valid candidates for medical treatments
• World Community Grid - search for solution to diseases such as cancer and dengue fever
• Climate Prediction Net - developing models of worldwide climate change

I encourage any of you who have computers that are sometimes just sitting around idling to participate in community projects such as these - there are scores more to choose from.  All it takes is the time to set the software and accounts up, and the will to 'loan' your computing power to a variety of worthy causes.  

Riding Technology's Wake

All hail the pioneers of the new frontier! A toast to the early adopter - that glorious breed of cyberwarrior who parts with his time and money for new products and operating systems, and then battles each bug and glitch as if his honor was at stake. And to those of you who felt like it was your mission to test blog on every new website and service... R.I.P.

It's one thing to be 'ahead of the curve,' but it's a completely different thing to be 'spinning out of control.' There are those of us who will choose to try absolutely every new service, experiment or 'toy' on the Internet in order to find the next big thing, but then we might find that we're simply among the other thousand (or million) people who were doing exactly the same thing - and providing free testing and reporting services for those who were hoping to reap the rewards of free labor.

Choose your missions and your battles wisely, and remember that sometimes the people riding the wake are ultimately having more fun than those who are battling the wavefront.

Photo by jkprime. CC licensed.