May 9 - Technologies for Critical Incident Preparedness (TCIP)

[LISTEN/DOWNLOAD] to our coverage of the TCIP 2010 in Philadelphia which includes live interviews with vendors and presenters from the show. Tom's live interviews from the floor follow a very special Week In Review.

Interviews

• International Association of Firefighters - [JUMP]
• National Tactical Officers Association - [JUMP]
• Chain Bridge Technologies - [JUMP]
• Expect Software (Intelligence Based Incident Management System) - [JUMP]
• Dennis Rubin - Fire Chief - District of Columbia - [JUMP]

Week In Review

• History of Mother's Day - [ JUMP ]
• Times Square Response - [ JUMP ]
• Oil Spill Cleanup Tech - [ JUMP ]
• AZ Immigration Debate - [ JUMP ]
• Census Technologies - [ JUMP ]

Steve Ballmer in Nashville - bits and bytes from hats and boots?

Fresh off his ten year anniversary as CEO, Steve Ballmer moved through Nashville spreading his excitement and promoting Microsoft as a partner and reminded us that Microsoft hasn't rolled over and still has plenty of BING!...I mean moxie. Sorry about that, Steve will hit you with a BING out of nowhere.

Along with the big announcement to partner with Nashville based HCA in donating $1.25 million to nonprofits in the area that's primary focus is healthcare, the Ballmer buzz moved in and around Nashville from event to event throughout the day.

A busy day of events started with a student meet and greet [UPDATE: with a kid that had to poke the bear] and the keynote for the Nashville Technology Council's (NTC) Membership Breakfast hosted by Trevecca Nazarene University. Mayor Karl Dean touted the recently approved convention center and plans for a first of its kind 12-story medical mart while stressing the importance of technology and healthcare to Nashville's future. Former CIO magazine Editor in Chief and current business technology analyst, editor and speaker Abbie Lundberg forecasted a continued thaw in IT budgets along with the highlighting CIO's struggle to squeeze efficiencies out of what resources they have now while planning for the growth they need for the future.

With twice the attendance as last year, NTC's President and CEO Tod Fetherling addressed the room of 800+ about the organization's website rebranding, Techville.us and their T3 Initiative. Other feather's in NTC's hat include raising membership by 18%, sponsoring a free outside wifi network in downtown Nashville, and helping establish an Entrepreneurial Center - a first for the city.

The breakfast culminated with Steve Ballmer's keynote. Stating people are likely to overestimate technology in the short term and underestimate its possibilities in the long term, he assured the crowd that Microsoft is positioning itself to be a strong player and leader across the technology board. He illustrated opportunity being everywhere pointing to the Microsoft employees in the room who were still using pen and paper to take notes. He touched on the company's "3 screens and a cloud" vision of the future, crowd pleasing Project Natal and referred to bing as the little search engine that could. He even made light of its 50% increase in market share...from a total of 7-10% of total search engine market share.

After a busy day of events and panels and BING, a laid back 'Microsoft meets Music Row' event awarded some of Microsoft's local partners in the music industry for their projets over the past year. United Artists Records' artist portals using MS webslice technology, singer Dolly Parton's webslices and multiple apps made with CMA to increase its interaction with attendees at its annual CMA Music Festival where some of the award highlights. Steve commended Nashville's own Firefly Logic several times as the type of creative partner Microsoft needs to continue to be a force in the tech industry. Recording artists Lee Brice, Bomshel and Rodney Atkins each played a couple of songs after Microsoft donated a custom, signature filled Xbox Rock Band guitar to CMA. CMA plans to auction the guitar and donate the proceeds to charity.

There was definitely an electricity in the air other than the occasional lightening strike. It could have been the excitement of having a 'tech rock star' like Steve Ballmer come to town, the promise of a capital infusion to local healthcare nonprofits, lofty expectations for a new convention center or a first of its kind medical mart. However, those in the Nashville tech community know that electricity is always around, and it is only getting stronger as Nashville sets the course for a future in the south that moves away from agriculture and manufacturing to a state of the art, leader in technology and healthcare...to solidify its rebranding as the Healthcare Silicon Valley and the transition to bits and bytes. The hats and boots aren't going anywhere yet - they are just getting bluetooth and built-in wifi.

March 15- Week In Review & Home Security Links

We hope you all enjoyed the show about home security with our guest Gabe Goldberg. Gabe and Tom covered both high and low tech steps to making your house more secure including information on who to contact for a free walkthrough assessment of your home security.

Read on for our Week In Review links and the links Gabe talked about last night.

Listen to the show to find out more. Sign up to get blog posts and and shows through email or RSS on the right of the blog -->

And here is some more news that we brought to you on Sunday in the Week in Review:

• Apple Redesigned iPod Shuffle hits 4 GB, talks to you- Engadget- [JUMP]
• More Time Spent Social Networking than Email- PC Mag- [JUMP]
• Arizona Cardinals Score Technology Touchdown- E Week- [JUMP]
• Axispoint Selected by Microsoft to Launch First Ever Solution Briefing Center in New York City- PR News- [JUMP]
• Windows Mobile Marketplace to Skim 30%, Promises App Approval Transparency- Gizmodo- [JUMP]

From the show:

• Want to fin out more from Gabe - Email him: tiplet@gabegold.com

• Links from Gabe:

  LaserShield: www.lasershield.com

  AT&T Remote Monitor: https://www.attrm.com/

  Alarm.com: www.alarm.com

  Sensaphone: http://www.sensaphone.com/sensaphone_400.php
  

Upcoming Conferences:

Web 2.0 Expo 2009- San Francisco March 31- April 3

2009 will be a tough year in many ways, but now more than ever, the core concepts of Web 2.0 provide an advantage. Lightweight tools, user interfaces, and development models will help streamline productivity and focus resources; new business models will emerge out of the environment of change. Transparency and openness will help avoid disasters and extend our influence, as we learn to trust users as co-developers. Marketers can’t afford to ignore the value of social media, communities, and a new set of analytics. On an individual, team, company, and global level, this is the year we will choose to work on what matters.
And while the fundamentals of Web 2.0 become increasingly relevant and urgent, this is also the time to look ahead. The landscape today enables interactions that were not possible even two years ago, as the devices around us and the data they generate evolve rapidly. Tomorrow’s big ideas are quietly percolating now, in the aisles of major retailers, the back office of enterprises, and in the labs of passionate, independent-minded hackers. We’ll explore the future potential of Web 2.0, so when this storm passes, you’ll be ready.
The web as a platform has shown us a new direction. Now is the time to answer the call and make its principles real in your organization, whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a brand new startup. These are the times when the most interesting things will happen.

Thanks for tuning in and we hope to see you here again soon!

California Academy of Sciences - We can't wait!

While some of the TechTalk staff had the opportunity to be at the Moscone Center during the Intel Developer Forum, the real treat of the trip was in Golden Gate Park. The California Academy of Sciences new building is almost ready for it Grand Opening on September 27, 2008. Thanks to Helen Taylor, the TechTalk staff had the opportunity to see much of the new facility. The general consensus from those in attendance...WOW!


The most noticeable and, at the same time, concealing feature of the building is the live roof. The vegetation and placement help it blend into the surrounding park.

The skylights are concave to maximize the natural light. The rock separating the sections gather rainwater run off from the panels and is reused throughout the building. There are also motion sensors and cameras to monitor the development of the roof and also as a security measure.

The four-story living rain forest recreates the conditions in Borneo, Madagascar, Costa Rica and also supports an Amazonian flooded forest that actually floods...inside the building. Visitors traverse a spherical staircase through the exhibit that moves through informational areas on each habitat into an open view of native plants and animals. This includes dozens of birds that will live throughout the exhibit.

Dioramas in the African Hall were recreated to showcase the different habitats and ecosystems around the coast of the African continent. This hall is the only hall to be recreated in its original form from the previous building. Even casts of the ceiling tiles and crown molding were used to keep it as close to the original as possible.

Visitors can stroll along the Savannah, past mountain gorillas around the Cape of Good Hope where penguins native to South Africa and Nambia greet guests and send them back up the opposite side of the continent.



Soooo much to see and do...

Throughout the building, technology combines with science and story telling to provide visitors with installations that appeal to all senses. Touch screens, interactive displays and monitors throughout the building are all controlled from a central location.

This enables the information for exhibits to be updated as needed and changed throughout the building. Below is the base for an interactive touch display. It was not quite ready when we were there, but all the equipment was in place. An overhead projector displays images while reading motion interaction. This allows visitors to interact, move and change the images displayed.

We have not even talked about the glass ceiling tunnel in the Steinhart Aquarium, the Morrison Planetarium, the lecture hall that plays 3D movies...and there is a good chance I am still leaving something out.

Thanks again to Helen Taylor for taking the time to give us a tour and all of the great information she provided.

After 12 months of operation, the facility is currently on track to receive LEED Platinum certification. An outstanding achievement for all involved.

Here are a few links of interest for upcoming CAS events and general information:

Green Tie Gala - September 25th
CAS Opening Weekend - Sept 27-28

CAS Home - the organization's website. Pictures and videos of construction, exhibits and information for visitors.

August 24, 2008 - Limor Schafman - IPv6

Limor Schafman of Keystone Technologies joins Tom to discuss IPv6. She will cover the basics of what it is, where it is in implementation and the costs associated with the changes.

You can follow Limor:
At her company website
Her blog - Dig In Blog.com
Games Gateway Meetup found at www.meetup.com
And follow her on twitter: LimorS

Upcoming Tech Events

• IT Service Management Forum’s “FUSION 08”
  
  The itSMF USA Fusion 08 conference and exposition brings together the best minds in the service management industry. During the event, industry experts will present key insights on ITSM best practices, innovative new strategies, and real world results.
  
  September 7-13 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco

• Streaming Media West in San Jose
  
  Covers both the business of video on the net and the technology of streaming, downloading, IPTV and mobile video delivery. Covering both b2b and b2c business and technology issues in the enterprise, advertising, media and entertainment, broadcast and education markets.
  
  September 23-25 ~ San Jose, CA @ the McEnery Convention Center

• INTEROP New York is September 15-19 at the Javits Center
  
  Kudos to www.somewhatfrank.com for the great list of the year’s tech conferences.