IT Connector

 Back in 2005 I started working as Desk-side Support Tech at SHU.  One of the most common problems I ran into was getting the users to remember the correct address for some of the web applications used by the university.  I had run through the usual remedies: desktop shorts cuts, bookmarks, and post-its.  I just wasn't happy with it.  So I programmed a small Visual Basic program which stayed resident in the system tray. Here are the original training pictures (back in the XP days).

    Ok, so I was feeling a little nostalgic.  The idea was good and it did what it was supposed to do, but it was really a winner after St. John got his hands on the program.  We had Special Projects make some changes after it was initially adopted and St. John crafted a thing of beauty.  He added dynamically updating links which we could centrally control. They would also take into account who the user was (student, staff, faculty) customizing the links to websites which were pertinent to the user.  This kept the links list small and specific to the user's needs.

He also added in an emergency notification system which would interrupt a user's desktop and display the message when Public Safety deemed it necessary. 

    It was so much fun seeing this one go from idea to a heavily used piece of software.  We still to this day push it out via policy and there are some real die-hards who love this software.

Rubik's Cube eliminates eye sores

Bell labs has been developing a new device the size of a Rubik's cube which will fill in blackout spots in cell networks without the need for unsightly cell towers.  Basically these devices can create mini cell ranges where a tower was impractical or not approved due to eye sore complaints.  I'm thinking this is another example of connectivity going smaller and more portable.  This device is designed for cell technology, however, it is not too far a leap to get to "The Device" as described in Do we really need ISPs? or How an ISP is like a drug cartel

Article in DailyMail

Visual Data Interface Project (VDIP)

The VDIP (Visual Data Interface Project) was developed as a test web application to interact with data through visually represented media with a spatially related dimension. It was created using SilverlightBusiness Application and a SQL back end.  The concept was that if you can visualize data in medium which mimics reality the user would be able to understand a manipulate it more effectively.  
The instance we created for testing purposes was the layout of Sacred Heart University starting with an aerial view of the Fairfield Campus.

We would think of this as the "Fairfield Campus" space.  We then allowed each of the highlighted areas to represent a sub-space of the campus wide space.  In this case they represented a building.  That brought us to an interior view such as this..

And ending with a room such as this..

The data piece of this project comes in the form of Items such as this printer in the top right corner of the screen.  This indicates that this item is located in the space being represented by the image.  Additionally, this system of space and items does not have to be relegated to infrastructure as in this example.  I also created a "Science Class" which you can navigate through the table of elements.

Ultimately I appreciate the function of a system like this because it preserves the naturally perceived relations between spaces and items in the real world.  It also leads me to another project of mine The Vineyard.

Clear Giving - Transparent Financing for Non-Profits

    So I own two watches which I love.  One was given to me by my brother for being the Godfather of his daughter Lyla, and the other was a present from my fiance a few years ago.  As you can see one is a sleek looking Fossil watch and the other is a transparent Wohler.  The thought occurred to me as I looked at these two side by side that many parallels could be drawn from their design.  Both accomplished the same function, but they took different approaches to provide it.  Each of them having many additional up and downsides.  One hid it’s internal workings while the other displayed everything.  One ran on batteries and the other was manually powered.  One looked durable and the other fragile.  

    The parallels I started thinking of were things like Apple and Lenovo,VHS and Beta, and of course Bush and Obama.  They all have similar functions but they approach it in different ways.  So in a recent conversation, I discussed running a charity organization like the Wohler watch.  Why approach financing non-profits with a focus on transparency?  The reason is you want to know where your money is going.  Is your money going to people in need through food, shelter, or direct cash?  Is it being used to build a damn or well for a whole village?  Is 35% of it being eaten up by “administrative costs” or embezzlers?  The fact is there are only a few organizations that can easily tell you these things.  So here’s the partnership you’ve been waiting for.
Take a company like PayPal, able to process just about any contribution method possible, tie in Mint.com functionality (graphs and easy visual layouts), add a project photo site, and have an organization do all of their book keeping through this online service.  Then make the reports publicly accessable.  What does this do for us?

1. It makes donating accessible.
   
2. You can see exactly what your dollar goes to (in nice pretty graphs).
   
3. You can also see the result of those projects (in nice pretty photos).

    Good point:  At first I thought this would easily be a win win, but it was pointed out that maybe some of this money is going to other countries where lets say “grease” is needed to get permits or allowance to build that school or dig that well.  Corruption is a fact of life in certain places, so you would think it would be a detractor for people looking to give money.  That makes sense, but what if the opposite happened?  What if instead of getting people not to donate that it rallied support to not only address the issue they were sent to do, but put pressure on corruption also.  Imagine the representative of the NGO arguing with the local corrupt officer while the conversation is streamed live to the very website accepting donations.  Again this could be a huge drawback, but then again it may not be.

    Overall I think the upfront transparency of a charitable organization’s finances along with a good published success story would only serve to endear more people to their cause and put the public in a better position to invest their philanthropic dollar.

Possible Partnerships:
Charities, Mint.com, Paypal, Facebook

Do we really need ISPs? or How an ISP is like a drug cartel

    Ok, let's start with the motivation for this post.  Being in the IT field I hear all manner of complaints about technology.  One in particular is the grievance "I hate Comcast, but I have no other choice" or "When will FIOS get here?".  This struck me as an unfair system which gives you limited choices for internet connectivity and an unfair advantage to ISPs who control an area.  I looked oligopoly up online to find that ISPs are exactly that.  The part that threw me for a loop is this line in the description "Where there is a formal agreement for such collusion, this is known as a cartel."  Wow, the majority of the time I hear that word it's is preceded by "Columbian Drug".  Now, I'm sure the government is constantly on the lookout for collusive practices and shady dealings between these companies, but why should they have to?  

    So that's the problem. The solution I came up with is a technological one with lots of roadblocks and outstanding social issues which make it a very interesting topic.  Let's start with "The Device".  Basically, this device would function much like your wireless router you have at home right now.  You could connect it to an existing cable modem or DSL modem and distribute that connectivity via wired or wireless connections.  The additions to the device would be 

    1)  It would have local cache of data.  Some of this data would function much like a proxy server would cache website data.  The other half would store situational information about what environment the unit was in (ie. highly populated area with many "like" devices, very sparse area with loads of interference).

    2)  It would automatically share its connectivity with "like" devices in its area. (This is the most controversial aspect of this device and we'll cover that in a bit).

    The scenario I can envision with a device such as this would progress the through the following steps.

    This is the current situation.

    Releasing these devices as replacements for the normal home wireless router enabling automatic wireless sharing. 

    Eventually ending up with the following user generated infrastructure.

    I like this concept for the following reasons:

1. It has built in fail-over capabilities (no more outages for a downed wire because someone in your net still has a Verizon connection or is on another cable provider)
2. It spreads the ISP charges over a larger user base making the connection more cost effective and the larger group can hold more sway with the ISPs (ever tried to talk your ISP down in price?).
3. It re-instills the core principal of the internet, everyone is equal on the net.  It also adds in the ownership of it.  The internet would no longer be a service we subscribe to, but a core infrastructure which we own and operate (much like our roads and highways without the bureaucracy of government in the way).

    I dislike this concept for the following reasons:

1. Security - It could be a nightmare to track down malicious users depending on how the self-aware system is setup.
2. Technical Limitations - From the discussions I've had with network professionals there would be many of them and possibly would not work at all with current network standards and protocols.

Given this hypothetical scenario there are many aspects that have to be discussed and worked on.  I will be writing a follow up article going over in detail how a device like this would work and what the ramifications would be.  My challenge to you is to think about how you would like your internet to look.  Are you happy with what is currently available, or would an idea like this be something that could make a better the user experience better?  What do you think?

Why isn't there a hole in your ceiling?

I've always been interested in the physical sciences.  How stuff works is one of my favorite websites.  Lately I've been wondering a very simple question.  Why is my apartment so hot?  I live in a two story house on the second floor with no air conditioning.  I know what you're thinking, "Eureka!! You've answered your own question".  Other than the obvious, the question I'm asking is why are houses designed in such a way where it constantly tries to store heat?  Once again this may seem to be a straight forward "duh" type of answer especially in New England.  "It's to keep heat in during the winter".  I know that, what I'm really getting at is why are houses designed without the ability to automatically adjust to their environment?

Jared's Brain - "It's hot in here.  Where does hot air want to go?  Up.  Why can't it?  Ceiling. :(  Hmmm".   This conversation I had in my head lead me to the brilliant conclusion that I needed a giant hole in my ceiling.  While this is a simplistic fantasy it does start me on a tirade of "why nots".  

The main concept I keep coming back to is in a house especially with a basement there are two primary locations which naturally have different temperatures.  The basement is cooler and the attic is hotter.  The funny part to me is that we put the water heater in the cold basement and sometimes the air conditioner in the hot attic.  It seems that the tools to keep our homes at the right temperature are right there is front of us.  Add in the constant temperature of the ground (GeoThermal) at around 55 degrees, we could utilize these natural temps to heat/cool our houses.

In my mind homes should be alive.  They should operate automatically much like the body regulates its temperature with sweating for cooling and reduced circulation to stay warm.  Almost like homes need a circulatory system to bring heat and cool to the proper location via exchangers, ducts, cooling plates, etc...

This is a huge topic and I definitely do not have the expertise to speak intelligently about the cost/benefit of different approaches to home heating/cooling.  What I will do is leave you with a few ideas I had which in conjunction or by themselves could be useful.

Roof/Attic Collectors - These would absorb heat from either the roof or attic 
Ground Collector - This would provide cool water (around 55 degrees) 
Building Core - A column in the center of a building which would be the transfer point carrying heat and cold to upper floors 
Cool/Heating Plates - Metal heat sinks hooked up to the building core which allows for things like PC's, PS3,TV's which generate heat to connect directly to it. (All heat which need to be dissipated can be expelled via the heating/cooling system rather then via the air in the space.) 
Controlled Vents - at the top and bottom of every room allowing heat up and cool down.
Intelligent Control System - which would control these and other devices maintaining the proper temperatures in each room much like our brains control our homeostasis.Ultimately I would like to see house construction take into account the surrounding natural resources and environment allowing these houses to provide a homeostatic temperature with minimal power and fuel consumption.