Interesting technique for predicating trends

This from Tim O'Reilly via Tim Bray ongoing - The Java + Open Source Sweet Spot. When books were the primary vehicle for knowledge transfer I used to measure success/adoption by shelf inches at Stacy's (Great Technical bookstore in San Francisco). Tim O'Reilly now has a more scientific approach - and please increase the graph size, I need a magnifying glass to read the data.

However I am not sure this now tells the full story. I have noticed a substantial drop in my book buying habit, much to the relief of my wife who has had to navigate the piles around the house. It is not that I read less but rather the internet is more the source of up to date information rather than a book. I have mixed feelings about this, as I enjoy reading information from a book, especially sitting out on a warm sunny day. Laptops just do not cut it for reading outside or on the train etc. While the information junkie in me loves the immediacy of the internet and ability to research any problem quickly and easily. Hopefully tablet machines will get to the point where they are readable in all environments.

Podtech

I did a podcast last week with John Furrier of PodTech - fun way of having a live discussion Podtech.net InfoTalkÃ?ƒƒƒ‚™ : A Podcasting Radio Show - "Fresh voices of Silicon Valley, Technology, and Media" He is looking for other CTOs for his series - so drop him a line.

Loosely coupled the simpler the better

Matthew Adams makes a great clear case for not prescribing the end point technology. I would further interpret this as by keeping the definition of the end point to the minimum. Not prescribing the end point keeps the service loosely coupled, which is the objective yes?

Peer to peer or client server

Reading a little on Ruby over the weekend I was struck by how artificial we have made that boundary between client and servers (Note: I have very limited knowledge of Ruby so excuse an inaccuracies). Ruby has a built in http server as part of the language. This seemed very sensible - most other language environments make http servers/interfaces a different part of the system.

This blurring of the lines between client and server seems to be the right direction. In this I would include AJAX both the client and server can send and receive events the only real difference is who is in control (machine or human) - does there need to any other difference's? It should be all about breaking down the barriers!

The power of the web

The simple power of the web was brought home to me this week by my six year old. He had figured out Google Image search with a friend and proceeded to announce that Google was his new favorite toy. We spent all weekend helping him spell words to type into Google - he even helped his younger sister find Barbie pictures. It is so easy a six year old can use it - I wish all technology was that easy!

The amount of raw power in the hands of a six year old is something to consider. How will their brains develop when they have access to limitless information and what new skills will they need to develop to process it and determine fact from fiction?