A Tale from the Skunkworks Department - Why G-Men aren't IT Men - CIO Magazine reports that the FBI was recently forced to scrap its $170 million virtual case file management system, because of numerous delays, cost overruns and incompatible software. Okay, so what makes this software debacle any different than the other disasters that we have reported about over the years? The main problem here seems to be a trait that has been ingrained at the FBI for a long time. Former IT managers at the FBI say that sharing information has never been standard operating procedure for the nation's top law enforcement agency. "They work under the idea that everything needs to be kept secret," says Sherry Higgins, the former project manager for the FBI's $600 million IT modernization project. "But everything doesn't have to be kept secret. To do this right, you have to share information."

Internet3 ?!?  - David Clark, who led the development of the Internet in the 1970s, is working with the National Science Foundation on a plan for a whole new infrastructure to replace today's global network. Wait a minute, you say. What about Internet2? Wasn't that supposed to solve a lot of the problems that we were experiencing with the current Internet? Why do we need yet another Internet? Well, Clark points out, Internet2 is not architecturally different than the current Internet. A new architecture started from scratch could allow for wireless communications devices and sensors to be embedded in the infrastructure. It could also provide for more secure and convenient forms of commerce. A super-high-speed Internet could even allow people a world apart to collaborate inside elaborate 3-D virtual arenas, a process called tele-immersion.

In a Fog  - What would you do if you needed a really large computer screen, one so large that the glass or plastic needed was just not available? What would you do if you worked in an environment where typing on a keyboard was problematic and you really needed a kiosk to access information? Or how about if you were an advertiser who has looking for a new way to "connect" with your target audience? Here is an interesting option for you; a computer screen made of fog. Yes, that's right, fog. Of course it does tend to get a bit damp if you get too close.

Goodbye "HAL" Hello Clarissa  - According to Maggie Magee, of New Scientist, a new voice-operated computer assistant was set to be used in space for the first time this past June its operators hope it proves to be more reliable than "HAL", the treacherous speaking computer in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. A voice operated computer now is essential for good usability on the International Space Station. The astronauts were finding it nearly impossible to perform the 12,000 procedures necessary to maintain the station and conduct scientific experiments while simultaneously reading through lengthy instruction manuals. "Clarissa is more friendly and is not going to go renegade on us," the developer said. Well, let's hope so.

Cool Software Concepts on a Hot Day  - Find out how you can ensure that your software project will be a success by studying the concept of Anthropology, yes, Anthropology. Come to our next free 90 minute "Taste of Success" seminar focused on High-Tech Anthropology^(R). Our approach will show you techniques for creating the right software for the right application.  We encourage you to share your software development war stories so we can all learn from them.  See you on July 21!

NOTE: This month's "Taste of Success" session is being held during the Ann Arbor Art Fairs. We encourage you to plan extra time for the event -- not only due to extra traffic coming to the Downtown Area, but also so that you might take time to stroll through the Art Fair after the session. Parking is available at the Ann-Ashley structure for $10. This fee covers parking for the entire day. We look forward to seeing you.

Security in Veins  - Forget fingerprints, voice and eye scans; Martyn Williams of Computerworld reports that the next big advancement in security is coming from the ability of new technology to read your veins. Who knew that in addition to fingerprints, our veins could act as a security feature too? Fujitsu Ltd. will start selling a biometric security device next month that relies on vein patterns in the hand to verify a user's identity. The palm-vein detector contains a camera that takes a picture of the palm of a user's hand. The image is then matched against a database as a means of verification. The camera works in the near-infrared range so veins present under the skin are visible, and a proprietary algorithm is used to help confirm identity.

The China Price  - According to Daniel Gross of Slate, "The China Price" is a phrase owners, workers, and shareholders at American manufacturers have learned to dread. Business Week calls it "the three scariest words in U.S. industry." The China Price is the absurdly low rate at which a good or service can be provided by the Middle Kingdom. A companysay, Wal-Martcan approach a longtime supplier with the China Price and demand that it meet it. Or else. Now this phrase is starting to have a different meaning. Take a look at what happened to IBM's struggling PC unit that was recently up for sale. Who would want to buy what was becoming a marginal player in the PC industry? Not Dell or Hewlett-Packard. They had already crushed IBM's PC business, and they had nothing to gain by acquiring the IBM brand name. But Chinese computer maker Lenovo, an ambitious company with no name recognition in the United States, certainly did.

Thinking without Thinking - David Brooks reviews Malcolm Gladwell's new book ''Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.'' According to Brooks, Gladwell has written a fascinating book about the power of first impressions and weaves a wonderful tale by giving lots of interesting examples. For instance, there is the story of a kouros, an ancient Greek statue of a youth that came on the art market and was about to be purchased by the Getty Museum in California. The Getty took months to do all of the normal background checks to establish the authenticity of the piece. Toward the end, art historians were taken to see the statue, and they instantly decided it was fake. Why? It just didn't look right. Well, after additional research, the statue did turn out to be, in fact, a fake. The teams of analysts who did 14 months of research turned out to be wrong. The historians who relied on their initial hunches were right. Gladwell investigates this mighty backstage process which works its will subconsciously and why it is so often right. (Free registration required.)

Internet Control - No one country really has oversight of the Internet. Right? Although there is control over domain names, the servers are located everywhere, thus preventing one country from controlling the flow of e-mail. Right? Wrong. Well guess who controls it? You guessed it. The U.S.A. The Associated Press has recently reported that The U.S. government will indefinitely retain oversight of the main computers that control traffic on the Internet, ignoring calls by some countries to turn the function over to an international body. Though the computers themselves, known as "root'' servers -- are in private hands, they contain the government-approved lists of the 260 or so Internet suffixes, such as ".com.'' The computers in question serve as the Internet's master directories and tell web browsers and e-mail programs how to direct traffic. Internet users around the world interact with them every day, likely without knowing it.

Need a Speaker for an Upcoming Event? - We love public speaking (Rich Sheridan is the best) and are happy to deliver inspiring messages focused on business success with information technology. Call us at (734) 665-1847 to schedule your next event. Look here for a list of some of the topics that weve spoken about in the past.