-
John B Illuminati commented on the post, Weekly Question #7: Complete by March 27, 2017, on the site 9 years, 3 months ago
There is no doubt that the arrival of autonomous vehicles will disrupt a wide array of industries, such as all of the ones mentioned so far. Another industry that comes to mind is the car maintenance (I can’t think of a better term for it) industry. For example, if your autonomous car breaks down or needs to be repaired, then who will fix it?…[Read more]
-
John B Illuminati commented on the post, 4 Tips For Finding Funding For Your Startup , on the site 9 years, 3 months ago
Of the four tips, I think that finding your niche is definitely the most important. Without having a niche, then none of the other three funding tips in the article would be possible. Additionally, having any niche is not sufficient enough to expect to get funded. Rather, your niche needs to be valuable enough for people to want to fund it. An…[Read more]
-
John B Illuminati commented on the post, Weekly Question #7: Complete by March 27, 2017, on the site 9 years, 3 months ago
As homes become more “connected,” I agree that they definitely need to have more security. Unless we can make these security systems completely secure, then, as your security manager said, they can end up just being counterintuitive. All it takes is for one hacker to know how to disable a security system, and he/she will have access to your home.…[Read more]
-
John B Illuminati wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 3 months ago
Earlier in the semester when I gave a presentation on 3D printing, I suggested that Consumer 3D Printing won’t be mainstream for another 5-10 years. Well, it looks like it may […]
-
John B Illuminati wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 4 months ago
-
John B Illuminati wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 5 months ago
http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/17/your-windows-10-password-will-be-your-face/#9tKYA4:KAm2
With Windows 10 right around the corner, Microsoft just Windows Hello. If your computer has the right hardware (being Intel’s RealSense camera), your login password can be your face. It will also be used to unlock a number of online services and applications that are linked to your account. It’s not clear as to how accurate or secure this will be (i.e. What if I just print a picture of a person’s face? Would that allow me to sign in?). If done right, though, then this will probably be a popular and secure feature.
While this in particular may not be disrupting any markets (it’s just a password), it gives a glimpse into how this sort of technology will change the way we access hardware and software, and has great implications for the security industry. For example, imagine if this technology were used in order to gain access to your home. There would be a camera at your door, and the door would unlock only if it recognized your face as being a resident of the house. By bring Microsoft Hello to computers, it will help spread awareness of autonomous technology and the benefits of it.
What do you guys think about this? Is this a good or bad idea? Can you think of any other autonomous technologies could be effectively implemented on personal computers? I personally think this can be a good thing if Microsoft is able to make the software really smart at detecting actual faces from fake ones. However, I don’t think it makes sense to make your face the password. It would make more sense to have your face be the username, or at least a security measure to gaining access to your username.
-
I think that there’s a negative stigma with consumers about facial recognition software. I know there was a lot of backlash when Facebook introduced it for pictures, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the same thing happened with Windows 10. Regardless of whether this is able to increase security, I think consumers will think that this type of technology is intrusive. However, since you’d have to purchase hardware for this anyway (the camera), another idea could be to sell a sensor that can read your fingerprint to sign in. The fingerprint reader on my iPhone is by far my favorite feature, and I think that’s a good way to increase security without overstepping on consumer’s privacy.
-
I think this could definitely be implemented in addition to fingerprint recognition, but as a standalone service I doubt it will be successful. Erin has said it well, earlier versions of windows have adopted it and it was also not very stable.
-
I think it’s a pretty cool idea but Microsoft would have to make sure its very safe and secure because that could have a negative impact. I also agree with that you said in your post about making your face the username and not the password. I don’t think it is a good idea for your face to be the password unless it’s extremely secure and safe. In order for this to be safe I think it has to know your face realtime and not just a print out of your face because anyone can just go on one of your social media sites and print out a page with your face on it.
-
-
John B Illuminati wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 5 months ago
Project Ara’s next prototype will stand equal to a top-tier smartphone
Project Ara: Part of it (YouTube video)
The smartphone market is filled with innovation; companies are always trying to outdo themselves in order to create a superior, albeit expensive, smartphone. Google, on the other hand, is looking to alter the current cycle with Project Ara. The goal is to create a modular phone. Rather than having to constantly buy new phones, you just simply upgrade certain parts to your phone. Want a faster processor? Then buy a faster one to put in your phone. Want a longer-lasting battery? Then buy a bigger battery to put in your phone. You have complete control over how you want your phone to be. In a smartphone market where people are very picky about what they want to have in a phone, Project Ara can potentially be a game-changer.
If Project Ara is a success, then I think it would be an example of a Low-End Disruption. Although there is no idea as to what the price of the phone and individual pieces would be, I think that the fact that you only have to buy the phone once will save you money over time. Also, since this phone is being developed by Google, it’s possible that the phone would be carrier-free, which is a popular option for the low-end market. It may take a little while for this to catch on, but I’m very excited by the prospects of a modular phone.
What do you guys think about this? Do you think Project Ara has the potential to be a disruptive innovation? If not, then what might Google be able to do with this project in order to make it so? And besides for Project Ara, can you think of any other future phone technologies that could be a disruptive innovation?
-
I think Project Ara definitely has the potential to be a disruptive innovation for smartphones. I think after 6 generations of iPhones, some of the common issues, such as the planned obsolesce of operating systems and hardware malfunctions (cracking the screen), are starting wear on dedicated iPhone customers. Project Ara offers a solution for the frustrations that iPhone customers are having, and I can see some people looking outside of Apple because of it, within the next couple generations of iPhones. And if it’s brand recognition of innovative companies that appeals to Apple’s customers, I think Google will be just as successful.
-
-
John B Illuminati wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 5 months ago
The Internet of Anything: The System That Pays You to Use Electricity
I found this article about Ohmconnect, a sustainable energy management company. What’s interesting about this company is their business […]
-
I personally do not think that Ohmconnect could have a better business model. A lot of people nowadays are looking for ways to cut back on their bills already as it is due to the economy. The fact that people get paid to cut back is going to have people signing up for Ohmconnect once they find out about it. The only problems that I can forsee is the fact that people will believe Ohmconnect is too good to be true which will have people question whether Ohmconnect is legitmate or not and privacy concerns since Ohmconnect has the ability to monitor their energy usage from an internet-connected device.
-
The one downside about Ohmconnect that I see is that the company will only pay you during “volatile times for the power grid.” Volatile times for power grids typically occur when generators are shutdown because electricity demand is too high, or because of weather conditions. These are times when people need electricity to most, and it might detour them from actually using the service. For peak hours, however, I think this is a create idea and can really pay off for the user and reduce emissions. This could also be extended to water usage to incentivize people to use less water during drought periods or dry seasons.
-
-
John B Illuminati wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 6 months ago
Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO): Firms Should Also Focus On Employees For Cyber Security
Billions spent on cyber security and much of it ‘wasted’
I found this article from last month in which Terry […]
-
I agree that people are the most important (and weakest) component of information security measures; the other components are processes and technology. As we’ve discussed many times in MIS3535, and more recently in MIS4596 during our exploration of the value if IT investment, even the most sophisticated technology is useless (or burdensome) if employees are insufficiently trained to utilize it. In companies for which we’ve worked, nearly all of us know of an instance in which a new technology was imposed on an unprepared workforce, resulting in hampered productivity.
IT security is no different. A company cannot simply make a hardware, software, or networking investment and expect it to make information assets more secure. A company must foster an employee mentality that promotes security, regardless of an employee’s role or rank. It is a cliché to say that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, but the saying certainly applies to information security. Your statement “everyone needs to know how to keep their devices secure” is absolutely true, and no amount of technology investment can compensate for it.
-
-
John B Illuminati commented on the post, "Cyberattacks" Is our information really secure?, on the site 9 years, 6 months ago
I wouldn’t say that information security is not taken seriously enough, but that businesses in general just don’t know how to properly protect themselves from hackers. For example, Target actually had a pretty good information security system in place. The problem, however, was the people who were maintaining the system. They were not properly tra…[Read more]
-
John B Illuminati commented on the post, Sustainable Competitive Advantage through IT Innovation, on the site 9 years, 6 months ago
Travis, I agree with you that IT still can provide a company with a short-lived advantage through innovation. I also agree with the notion (whether or not you were putting words in his mouth) that IT alone does not result in sustainable competitive advantage. It’s one thing to just have an IT system in place – that will at least put your com…[Read more]
-
John B Illuminati wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 6 months ago
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2012-04-27/why-there-are-no-bosses-at-valve
I’ve noticed that many of the most innovative IT companies seem to incorporate some seemingly unorthodox organization […]
-
I think that this type of organizational structure has to match the company’s culture. For the Valve Corporation, I think it’s a perfect fit because they are innovative and working on different aspects of the project helps spark a lot of creativity for them. I would be interested to see if Valve employees tend to chose the same/very similar aspects of the project every time or if they mix it up.
I also think this would be a good organizational structure for very small companies, because when a company is less that 30 people, organizational structure isn’t really important or necessary. But for very large firms, I can see this structure becoming a disaster. All projects would probably revolve around the politics of who is going to do what, and the intention of creating innovation would be lost. -
I agree with Erin in that the size of a company determines the viability of a flat organizational structure; a large company needs more structure to operate, whereas a small company does not require as much. In a small company, employees are also generally more knowledgeable about the skill sets of other employees (simply because there are fewer employees in total). This is advantageous when projects initiated because employees know which coworkers should be sought out to assist with tasks with which they have previous experience. Even though Valve shirks job titles, it is no stretch of the imagination that their roughly 100 employees (from a count of employee bios at http://www.valvesoftware.com/company/people.html) are familiar with each other’s skills.
-
I agree with Erin and Travis that this type of structure depends on the size of the company. This structure working also depends on the job that a company is trying to do. If a company is trying to spark creativity and innovation, this structure would be most beneficial. Although this structure allows people to try new things and participate in new ways, people will most likely gravitate to what they’re good at. Going off John’s example, an animator who specializes in mouth animation they will most likely stick with that since that’s what they are good at. This animator might attempt eye animation but if they realize someone else is better at it they will most likely revert back to mouth animation so that they can best showcase their abilities. Maybe one of the best things that comes out of this structure is the freedom it offers. A lot of people don’t like to be pigeonholed in a position. So by allowing employees the option to move around, employees may feel more comfortable or more willing to work at that company.
-
This minimalist architecture seem to be ideal for encouraging creativity and keeping the workplace interesting and stimulating. I personally would enjoy working in such an organization. Performing the same tasks over and over makes employees too comfortable with the status quo which is part of why they become resistant to innovation later on in their careers.
However, I have to agree that this model wouldn’t just magically work for all organizations. Such a level of autonomy only suits highly skilled employees and the organization seeking to embrace such a flat architecture needs to hire only highly responsible employees with very specific traits that would enable them to fit into that culture.
-
-
John B Illuminati commented on the post, Progress Report for Week Ending, September 22, on the site 9 years, 6 months ago
I agree that Systems Thinking can be applied to just about any industry, and to good use too. It’s imperative to be able to understand the interrelation between all actors and functions in a plan. If you can’t do this, then you cannot be certain what will happen. In the case of the public sector, I agree with Andre in that it would greatly benefit…[Read more]
-
John B Illuminati wrote a new post on the site MIS4596 – Section 3 Spring 2015 9 years, 6 months ago
Hello Professor,
Below is the Project Proposal for Topflight Solutions:
Idea: Website/app for doctor’s notes
The problem to be addressed is companies requiring sick notes for when employees call out sick. Sick employees result in both wasted time for the company and increased healthcare costs.
The solution is to create a website/app which assists in identifying sick trends within the company and how to address those trends. When a sick employee goes to the doctor, the doctor can send the sick note directly to the employer via the app. On the employer’s end will be a HR section for the app in which they can keep track of sick employees. This can help HR identify which departments are at risk for certain illnesses (i.e. Truckers are more susceptible to the flu). HR can then take measures to ensure that truckers get flu shots. It can also be used to identify sick trends among specific employees. For example, if a specific employee is susceptible to sinus infections in the winter, then the employer/app will send our reminders to the employee that he/she tends to have that illness during the winter, how to prevent getting sick, and how to prevent others from catching his/her illness.
The app can also be used to track certain sick trends in areas, rather than just specific companies. This can be used to help those areas (townships, cities, etc.) get a better understanding of the trends and how to combat the illnesses in the area.
Possible issues with this idea would be compliance with HIPPA laws, ensuring the validity of the sick notes sent to employers, and cyber security.
Project Contacts:
Blake Ford: tud16345@temple.edu
Thomas Huang: tuc52467@temple.edu
John Illuminati: tud03055@temple.edu
Travis Spiecker: tue48173@temple.edu
Jesse Worek: tud09449@temple.edu
-
The idea has possibilities, but HIPPA needs to always be considered.
As a parent, keep in mind schools also require doctor’s notes when students are out sick. Companies can also require notes after a certain number of days.
Doctors might not be thrilled because the current system is a revenue stream for them. Think about the Minute-Clinic and Emergent-Care or nurse practitioners as possible sources of the notes. I also like the proactive approach as well.
You will need to do research with HR people, the care providers and probably insurance companies as well.
-
-
John B Illuminati commented on the post, Progress Report for Week Ending, September 22, on the site 9 years, 7 months ago
Sending out content ahead of time is definitely a good strategy, but only if the audience actually reads the slides beforehand and if the presenter then actively engages the audience. At least in the case of students, I think most students probably don’t look at the slides until the professor is covering them. For example, in class last Thursday,…[Read more]
-
Travis C. Spiecker and
John B Illuminati are now friends 9 years, 7 months ago
-
John B Illuminati wrote a new post on the site John Illuminati 9 years, 8 months ago
There was a lot of work to do this week, since the class is wrapping up. On Tuesday and Wednesday, a few other PMs and I met with the BAs so that they could practice their presentation several times. We gave them advice on how to present and what to focus on in the prototype (which looked fantastic). In addition, I worked on fixing the MS Project document (this took much longer than I expected, since I have no experience of the program) and also worked on the RACI chart. Earlier today, I spent several hours with Sandi and Melissa prior to class working on finishing all deliverables that we will include in the binder, as well as create the contents of the binder. Since our final exam is on Monday, we are trying to have the binder all finished by tonight or tomorrow. I am thankful to have had great PMs to work with for this class.
-
John B Illuminati wrote a new post on the site MIS 3535 Team 3's Blog 9 years, 8 months ago
-
John B Illuminati wrote a new post on the site John Illuminati 9 years, 8 months ago
This week was productive for both the PMs and BAs. On Wednesday, we had the revised Communication Mgmt. and Change Mgmt. plans due, which Melissa and Evan worked on, respectively. We also had our weekly meeting on […]
-
John B Illuminati wrote a new post on the site MIS 3535 Team 3's Blog 9 years, 8 months ago
- Load More
I think it will definitely impact the consumer industry. Even if it’s fairly expensive, it makes sense to pay a bunch for a 3D printer and print whatever you want, rather than buying individual items every so often. I also think that it won’t become fully mainstream until some celebrities/high-profile people start using them, then it will trickle down.
3D printing to me is a concept that is truly remarkable and will be a very very big market in the future. However, the key word here is future. Right now, like most newer technologies, it is very expensive and not attainable by most consumers. I like to think of it similarly to how the iPhone came about. It started out very expensive, but as time went on it became more simple and cheaper, and that is when it became popular. I can see something like this happening to 3d printing in the near future.
I believe that this will impact the consumer industry greatly in the future. I do not think that 3D printers are going to be affordable for the general population for a VERY long time, so for the LEGO example, I feel that this would only make an impact once the price of 3D printers dramatically fall. I feel if they were affordable that everyone would be purchasing them and that the market would be huge for 3D printers. If 3D printers were affordable they would be the most convenient thing to have in the house.
I think Tiko is awesome and is really going to make a significant impact on the consumer industry. If the price of $179 hold true throughout development and deployment–I think the pricing is perfect to reach a really wide audience. I’d definitely buy one. If they execute this right and offer easy-to-use companion software that anybody could learn to use, they could have a major hit on their hands with Tiko.