Stu Downes

I’m looking forward to the day when every web application, both internet and intranet can be used offline.  Its not a new request in that Lotus Notes performed this for what seems forever and recently new additions have started to emerge in the form of Google Gears and others.

So why do I ask or suggest we should drive in this direction?  I have a simple thought triggered by a recent read (Capture IT, a future workplace for the multi-generational workplace), and I’ll paraphrase:

If the task worker got 50 times more efficient in the 20th century then in the early portions of the 21st century the knowledge and information worker should also see a 50 times improvement in efficiency. 

How do we do this?  Well in hundreds of ways, some existing, some emerging, some not even considered.  One such method will be to make the information flow more efficient.  I am not talking RSS here I am talking about the integrating the data we work with today with our working requirements, our working styles, our experience of work.  Hence do we sync or do we surf?  My opinion is that we will start to build systems which understand our information consumption habits, understand our working requirements and sync that data, or maybe cache is a better word as we are likely to be living more in the cloud.  And that cloud, as Steve rightly asserts will no longer be simply corporate data but will increasingly be the mixture of personal knowledge, collaborative network knowledge, and corporate network knowledge.  Graham also recently asserted that user experience should focus on application speed today, tomorrow maybe its more about information access speed and knowledge transfer capabilities.

Some thoughts, a bit random, but something to ponder for me, and possibly you.

I was interested to see this video which I read about on the OfficeLabs blog, the video shows the use of a 3D camera to control and advance a PowerPoint presentation using hand gestures.  The PowerPoint had been developed using the pptFlex plugin:

What was more interesting about this what all the way through I was thinking Johnny Lee.  Then at the end “kapow” there it was he now holds a position with Microsoft Research in addition to his academic position.

Anyone got a spare Wii controller?  You can do it with a Wii using the instructions here.