Keeping the Internet of Things Human

(...) ground rules.

First, not everything should be connected. Sensors and connectivity don’t always result in a better experience, increased sales or usable information.

Secondly, we need to think clearly about how data will impact people in a significant way in the immediate, aggregate and latent value framework. Equally important, let’s not be afraid to make something new, because we can’t rely on the notion that old things will be inherently better once they are connected. Some things will need to be connected and others won’t, and many things will need to be made new from the ground up.

The Internet of Things: Keeping it Human
By Michael DelGaudio - January 6, 2014

Internet of Things challenges according to Vint Cerf

Recently, Michael Cooney reported what were the seven key challenges facing the Internet of Things, according to Vint Cerf. Here is the list:

• Standardized interfaces - such as IPv6
• Configuration of massive of amount devices
• Strong access control and authentication
• Privacy and safety
• Instrumentation and feedback
• Dealing with software errors vulnerabilities and software updates
• Potential opportunities for third party businesses

Read the full story on Network World.

The BEST way to learn about the Internet of Things

Today I taught a class about The Internet of Things to the BEST Lisboa students.

Photo credits: Mário Romano

This is the presentation that I made:

This is the pinterest board with some of the cool Internet of Things stuff that I showed in class.

You can find more information about supply chain traceability in the TrakChain PhD project page.

And this is a sneak peek of the great demo that Nuno Correia prepared for the students:

I would also like to thank Link Consulting for sponsoring the demonstration and the people involved, Mário Romano and João Taborda Gonçalves.

Thanks also to Joana, for being there and helping with the people flow! :)

Programmable World

For the Programmable World to reach its full potential, we need to pass through three stages.

The first is simply the act of getting more devices onto the network—more sensors, more processors in everyday objects, more wireless hookups to extract data from the processors that already exist.

The second is to make those devices rely on one another, coordinating their actions to carry out simple tasks without any human intervention.

The third and final stage, once connected things become ubiquitous, is to understand them as a system to be programmed, a bona fide platform that can run software in much the same manner that a computer or smartphone can. Once we get there, that system will transform the world of everyday objects into a designable environment, a playground for coders and engineers.

It will change the whole way we think about the division between the virtual and
the physical.

Source: Wired

Exploding-platform

Several in the Internet of Things community are using Twitter for communicating information from sensors. This is an important development that perhaps is overlooked by many.

Edmund W. Schuster blog post about Exploding-platform Strategies - Apple, Google, Amazon.com, Facebook & Twitter