The future of Mobile conference in San Francisco.
To kick off the conference, the BI Intelligence team put together a deck on the current trends in mobile, looking closely at the growth of smartphones and tablets, the platform wars, and how consumers are actually using their devices.
The presentation is on line. Don’t miss it! The Future Of Mobile.
During the implementation of big projects, I found very useful tools to convert diagrams into code and in particular python code. I found a tool very useful to allow UML data modeling into pure hard coded django application.
Other tools already allow you to do the opposite (i.e. generate a diagram from a Django model) but the point of UML is to collaboratively discuss, design and transform a model in a graphical form first and then implement it into a logical or physical model, not the opposite: uml-to-django can do that.
This tool allows to always keep your diagram and your application synchronized building and maintain an entire database and web-based interface without any programming or strong technical knowledge.
Django
The field of genomics is caught in a data deluge. DNA sequencing is becoming faster and cheaper at a pace far outstripping Moore’s law, which describes the rate at which computing gets faster and cheaper.
The result is that the ability to determine DNA sequences is starting to outrun the ability of researchers to store, transmit and especially to analyze the data.
“Data handling is now the bottleneck,” said David Haussler, director of the center for biomolecular science and engineering at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “It costs more to analyze a genome than to sequence a genome.”
For this reason cloud services are becoming always a reliable solution: organizations are demanding storage and incredibly high speed in processing data; since the cost is no more affordable, dedicated companies are taking the lead on storing and processing data for scientific analysis.
Read more: DNA Sequencing Caught in Deluge of Data – NYTimes.com.
The programming language Perl is very popular among Bioinformaticians being a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, dynamic programming language.
The overall structure of Perl derives broadly from C.
Perl is procedural in nature, with variables, expressions, assignment statements, brace-delimited blocks, control structures, and subroutines.
Perl also takes features from shell programming and has many built-in functions that provide tools often used in shell programming such as sorting, and calling on system facilities.
Good tutorials can be found online. One of the best I used can be found here.
BioPerl deals with sequences in a better manner offering many objects for different sequences (DNA, RNA as well as protein) and annotations associated with them.
BioPerl provides interface for sequence analysis with third party software like FASTA, BLAST, CLUSTALW and many more and acts as interface for remote (EMBL and GenBank) as well as local (flat files, MySQL) databases for the purpose of storing and intervening sequences.
In my work I found extremely useful the tutorial made by Bhrat Brij that can be found here: BioPerl Tutorial.
Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report 2011
The 3rd annual report on nonprofits and social networks has been released recently and can be downloaded here.
The report provides insights for nonprofits, foundations, media and nonprofit focused businesses about the most important behavior and trends surrounding social networking as part of nonprofits’ marketing, communications, fundraising, program and IT services.
The report explains that 92% of nonprofit organizations have a presence on at least one social networking site, but most raise very little money through their social activity.
Research found that only 1% of nonprofits are raising over $100K on social media. About the 58% of nonprofits report measuring at least the soft benefits (e.g. increased awareness, education, non-financial supporter participation) of their commercial social networks, with just 9% measuring hard return on investment (ROI)— revenue received from donors, sponsors, advertisers, etc. Incredibly, the 35% have raised less than $1,000, and a very thin slice of less than 1% of all nonprofits have raised more than $100,000 via Facebook in the last 12 months. The document includes:
- 3rd annual report on nonprofits & social networks
- 46 pages summarizing 11,00+ survey responses
- Top ten insights for 2011
- Top 5 commercial social networks for nonprofits
- Avg. community size on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
- Profile of 7 master social fundraisers ($100K+)
- Matrix: 7 verticals, 4 org sizes (house networks)
- 12 Commercial Social Networking Trends;
- 8 House Social Networking Trends
Google announced their answer to Wolfram Alpha‘s advanced math skills with math graphing functionality on Google search results.
All you need to do is type basic and complex math functions into the Google search box and Google will return neat graphics. From basic charts for sin(x) to more complex graphs for x/2, (x/2)^2, ln(x), cos(pi*x/5).
via Google Adds Graphical Math Calculator To Search Results.
It is always more evident that we are now entering in a new era in the Information technology.
The main innovations in 2012 will be mostly two: mobile platforms and cloud computing
Mobile platforms
While last two years social networks represented the most important innovations, mobile platform will have become the dominant communications and interaction platform by early-adopting best-practice organizations. The capabilities afforded users of smartphones and tablet devices grows immensely day by day.
Long before unified inboxes existed for the desktop, smart device users could see all incoming e-mail, social messaging, text messaging, and voice and video messaging in a single place.
Tablets will become the virtual classroom, and an emerging class of tools will let employees manage almost every aspect of their professional life digitally.
Geo-localization services will become the most promising marketing tool for the next 5/10 years and this has been possible with the use of sensors in smartphones and the existence of map-based web services like Google Maps.
Cloud computing
Companies that wants to be competitive online will have to invest on cloud computing for optimizing resources and gain competitive advantages in computing at all levels. There is no reason anymore to invest on desktop tools, hardware for heavy computation and data management for open data. The future resides on the best practices for cloud computing services. Aside this aspect, security and privacy will be major topics of discussion and experts in the fields will be highly requested to configure cloud platforms.
“The crisis is over!” – how many times we heard a such promising statement shouted out on mass media and magazines, by journalists, presenters and optimistic politics?
Unfortunately, metrics and performance indicators in financial markets and economic reports depict a different situation. The forthcoming years will be probably the worst economic period in the last 40/50 years.
Indicators to prove this allegation are:
- a weak global growth
- high pressure from overcapacity
- high rates of real unemployments
- costlier capital
- volatility in financial markets
- more taxations
- more protectionism
- global GDP will shift from G8 countries to China and India that will represent the 50% of global GDP as G8 today, while developed countries will lose a big chunk of global GDP (from 50% of today up to 20/25%).
- China and other developing countries will represent the major opportunities for multinationals company
- shifting from globalization to localization, challenging national differences, adapting to local conditions and taking advantage of a remarkable price differential between markets (responding to arbitrage conditions with risks balanced by product differentiation, market segmentation and reduced globalization). This shifting will bring also new kind of competition: no more global companies will have to face each other like Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi, but big companies will have to involve also local competitors and play the game in new and remote arenas.
- Arbitrages in emerging markets will include
- new geographical channels
- different levels of incomes
- Arbitrages in developed markets will penetrate undeserved markets
- Prices will decrease forcing product repositioning
- Product reinvention and product adaptation strategies will be used to approach local markets
- financial crises is going to destroy weak governments and nations
Research commissioned by Greenpeace International has revealed that clothing and certain products sold internationally by major clothing brands are manufactured using nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), a persistent chemical with hormone-disrupting properties that builds up in the food chain, and is hazardous even at very low levels and can have serious threats to human genitals.
Brands involved in the report: lacoste, peerless, adidas, american eagle, NIKE, puma, abercrombie & fitch, gap, bauer hockey, lining, metersbonwe, youngor, h&m;
Greenpeace is calling on the brands identified in its report to become champions for a toxic-free future by eliminating all releases of hazardous chemicals from their supply chains and their products.
The report can be downloaded at http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/toxics/Water%202011/dirty-laundry-report-2.pdf
First of all I banned these brands from my next purchases from now on.
Second, I found an extraordinary way to promote green changes like it happened with Timberland some years ago:
Greenpeace supporters reacting to a newly released Greenpeace report about deforestation in the Amazon. Timberland became one of the most active player in the deforestation of the forest!
Another good example comes from Jason Clay: 300 to 500 companies control 70 percent or more of the trade of each of the 15 commodities that has been identified as the most significant for human being. 100 companies control 25 percent of the trade of all 15 of the most significant commodities on the planet. If Greenpeace, WWF, etc. will start working with these companies for the sustainability of the biodiversity, then 6 billions of humans can globally benefit of these radical changes starting from a bunch of people…
Ambient advertisements are effective methods to push a brand message in front of consumers. Ambient media can produce mass attention in centralized locations, or directly interact with consumers during normal every day activities.
Ambient marketing is used very well by ADVERblog where it is possible to watch some examples like Aubade or Vodafone adv in Spain
Ambient marketing is part of “experimental communication” very popular today, the Guerrilla Marketing, which involves minimum cost for maximum impact.
Enjoy other examples or visit the huge archive of advertisements.
Another good example is the advertisement for Casinò in Venice.
Is the content management system an important tool for your publishing activities in your company? Which are the pros and cons adopting a single Content Management System? Here you find a collection of pros and cons to be considered in the selection of a Content Management System for all your web sites.
Advantages of adopting of single Content Management System
nSimplified content management
nSingle repository of content with unique life cycle
nReuse of content in many areas of the web site and for different activities as publishing and marketing (delivering via RSS feeds, release of newsletters, promotion in
Internet, etc.)
nEfficiency gains for editorial and related staff
nContent sharing for staff and external partners
nImproved coherence of content with no redundancy
nTechnical support at corporate level
nKnowledge sharing and better cooperation and team working facilitating the nurture of Community of Practices through centralized workspaces, central administration, etc.
nStrengthened corporate identity with compliance of standards and policies
nIncreased demands for compliance and control
nCost savings in:
nMaintenance of system architecture (software and hardware), in detail:
nAllocation of resources
nCost of ownership (licenses, documentation, upgrades, helpdesk, etc.) with:
nBetter negotiating leverage with vendors
nReduced overhead to manage contracts
nReductions in the number of servers and hence in datacenter space (with attendant power
and operational costs)
nAcquisition of technical knowledge
nScalability and modifiability of the software: costs for accommodate changes, implement new requirements and customizations
nSmaller range of technical skills required, hence reduced training costs and better utilization of consolidated skills pool
nTraining staff and time to learn the software
nCentral governance for the corporate layout of the web site with easier maintenance and applicability of official branding
nMore opportunities to analyze and perform web analytics with business metrics on homogeneous data; increased ability to see the “big picture” across the CMS
nThe consolidation brings also a rationalization of business processes to normalize combined information in any useful way
nSoftware support costs increase when the new CMS is set up and start decreasing when people stop using the old platforms. If a couple of groups decide to stay on their old systems, then these cost savings may be less than anticipated.
Disadvantages of adopting of single CMS
nSome functionality could not be supported by default and should be implemented
nUnique technology brings interdependency for installation of new components and for any in depth customization of the environment (workspaces, user interface, etc.)
nHaving a single system could limit the possibility to customize the CMS for specific requirements (less flexibility)
nThere is less overall workload but more directed to a central area of the IT team
nLong response time of the software could create problems with remote content developers
nLocal installation of the CMS brings more decisional independency
nTechnical expertise is oriented on specific technologies and programming languages to produce and manage the tools for content management; indeed, in longer terms, this can be
considered a big advantage for Bioversity, because of cost savings related to maintenance of the technologies
nDifferent web sites can address different audiences: the messaging and branding can be different (no content reuse, no template reuse and in general other high-assets of the
CMS)
nLess security and privacy for content providers
nSome well-defined and stable processes will change at different rates
The U.S. economy has had two crises that were followed by long periods of depressed economic activity, high unemployment, and instability lasting more than a decade — the Panic of 1873 and the Crash of 1929.Conditions are emerging that could cause that to happen again, and without a radical change in policy, the nation is at risk of a terrible calamity.
via A Double Dip … Or Off the Cliff? – FOXBusiness.com.
I just want to quickly suggest this web page with a collection of best Ads Ever Seen 19 Best Ads I Have Ever Seen.
The overwhelming majority of US Internet users research online to find local products and services before proceed with the purchase.
The most common online tool used for local research was search. Nearly one-half of respondents used Internet yellow pages and 42% checked comparison-shopping sites before heading to local businesses.
See report at Local Shoppers Look Online First – eMarketer.
Your company brochure is the face of your business and plays an important part in your small business marketing and PR campaign.
How to create a professional Brochure can be found at Guerrilla Marketing Tips for Small Businesses Group News
Strong & Weak Dollars Defined in this article from Mint.com (What Does a Strong US Dollar Mean – Purchasing Power of US Dollar | MintLife Blog | Personal Finance News & Advice).
To not forget that during economic recession with weak dollars not only American goods are good deal for foreigners but also financial services like pensions, insurance and general risk management products are not convenient in US currency.
Brand marketers want consumers to follow them to build buzz and engagement, but social media users are also interested in deeper engagement: the top motivation of social users is learning about specials and sales of those who friended or followed a brand online, supporting the results of earlier surveys. Users described as “max connectors”—those with at least 500 social connections—cared about new products and company culture. Twitter is mostly used in US for exclusive deals and offers.
Read more at What Social Followers Want – eMarketer.
Getting Things Done (commonly abbreviated as GTD) is a method created by David Allen, and described in a book of the same name.
Good to have a look at the methoology at Getting Things Done – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
behavioral economics—the study of how real people actually make choices, which draws on insights from both psychology and economics.
see “Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk”, Daniel Kahneman, LL.D. ’04, of Princeton and Amos Tversky of Stanford.
via The Marketplace of Perceptions | Harvard Magazine Mar-Apr 2006.
Tim Brown posted an interesting and inspiring article on Design concept:
“Design is an agent of change that enables us to understand complex changes and problems, and to turn them into something useful. Tackling today’s global challenges will require radical thinking, creative solutions and collaborative action.
Here is a set of principles identified by the Global Agenda Council on Design:
- Transparent: Complex problems require simple, clear and honest solutions.
- Inspiring
- Transformational: Exceptional problems demand exceptional solutions that may be radical and even disruptive.
- Participatory: Effective solutions will be collaborative, inclusive and developed with the people who will use them.
- Contextual: No solution should be developed or delivered in isolation but should instead recognize the social, physical and information systems it is part of.
- Sustainable: Every solution needs to be robust, responsible and designedwith regard to its long-term impact on the environment and society.”
via Some design principles » Design Thinking.
Here are 3 tips to remember as you expand your reach through social media:Dont try to drag your customers to a new platform. Find them where they are.Even if you dont join the conversation, be aware of what people are saying about your company on different social media platforms.If you do engage, let the customer be the spokesman: make videos, images, articles easily shareable.
via A New Source of Stress: Feelings of Social Media Inadequacy.
In “Are You an In or an Out Leader? – Gill Corkindale – at HarvardBusiness.org, Gill hghlights two different kind of leaders:
In Leaders:
- Focus on results and deliverables
- Coach and support their people
- Build team spirit
- Offer expert knowledge or share experience
- Monitor performance/quality control
- Are present and available
- Surface and deal with conflict
Out Leaders:
- Get involved in cross-organisational initiatives
- Build networks
- Delegate extensively
- Manage their profiles and visibility
- Engage with peers inside and outside their companies
- Look after their careers
- Engage in organisational politics
- Join committees
- Attend or speak at industry conferences
In Communicating with Virtual Project Teams/Creating Successful Virtual Organizations – Virtual Communication – HBS Working Knowledge, it emerges a close relationship between being a good leader in virtual teams and manage teams in a real world.
The article focuses on three main important aspects of the collaboration in virtual workspaces:
- ensure accountability
- build trust
- learn to adapt to dynamic markets and globalization
Trustiness can be secured working on:
- contractual trust – get jobs done and do not focus on internal politics
- communication trust - open communication, admit mistakes, be honest, maintain confidentiality
- competence trust – respect teammates’ skills
Learn to adapt through observation and understanding of the market and, consequentially, properly communicate in the organization to lead changes and improvements. How?
- Keep it simple, easy
- Communicate goals to everyone
- Incorporate values in daily activities
- Create an atmosphere of openness
- Encourage individual learning
- Promote risk-taking
What will happen in 2 years coming? The end of the crises or the beginning of a disaster?
The current crisis is particularly severe and worse is to come in the train of recurrent crises under capitalism. For this reason I believe in 2009 there will be a huge depression of the world economy and the financial crises will produce very bad consequences especially in poor and weak countries. like Italy.
I do not trust italian news channels: the situation is worst than alleged. Many workers are leaving the country.
In my opinion, this situation is the consequence of the Keynesian imperfection of the market and its failure without rules and any sort of transparency; as stated by Naomi Klein (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09zvzzCOB2M) in many occasions, US economy has a lot of responsibility of this collapsing: Alan Greenspan did not govern the mechanisms to hide high risk investments and poor balances; but also other national economies have their own responsibilities and each single case should be discussed appropriately.
Almost half of all Britons fear losing their homes, the prices of houses in USA felt down and will continue in all 2009. Some estimates of the eventual financial losses have been in the order of an unprecedented US$25-30 trillion worldwide and the effects of this in the real economy will be catastrophic.
As stated by Economist, the World Bank calculated in 2008 it has been a reduction of 50% on flowing of private capitals compared with 2007. Again, the number of unemployed people in America is incredibly growing faster. We are as in 1945 in terms of unemployment rate rises (7.2%). Annual loss biggest since end of World War II. The total number of unemployed Americans rose by 632,000 to 11.1 million.
History tells us in periods like this, the inflation can become the final killer of any positive attempt to sanate and could defintevely destroy national economies. It happened in 1922 in Germany where an egg did cost 540 milions of Rentenmarks and this brought population to support extremism like Nazism. In Germany the situation collapsed with the World Economic Crise in 1929. What will happen today? Nobody knows. The news we receive are often unpredicted. Economic models are failing.
What is evident is that today the global financial situation is even worst of 1929′s (http://www.fembusiness.nl/web/artikelSmal/29338/The-worst-crisis-since-1929,-says-ex-ECB-board-member.htm), because the real status of the economy is unknown: toxic assets are still hidden and it is difficult to calculate the real risk of any investment.
My forecasts:
1. In general, prices will go down resulting more affordable particularly for the middle class: real economy works with realistic prices.
2. The petroil costs will go up again because OPEC and other producers will reduce the offer of petrol in the market
3. Dollar currency could collapse vs. Eur if the solutions adopted by US Federal Reserve will not sustain the economy: the interest rate cut close to ZERO . If this solution will not improve investments and will increase the consumes in US then the value of the currency could go seneibly down and this could be good for our pension plan
4. Climate change is the new challenge. We must become green for the health of the planet. This could save our global economy as well.
5. Italy will collapse.
UPDATE MID-2010:
Italian stock market lost about 20% in only 6 months…
