Lili's Think Telecom Blog

The LIDO Organization Inc, and the CompTIA Educational Foundation Now Offer Free Telecom Training to Transitioning U.S. Vets, Individuals With Disabilities, Youth-At-Risk, Women, Minorities, and Displaced Workers!

Hello everyone - I hope you have all enjoyed a good summer, and are now realizing the holidays are just around the corner!   Time appears to be moving faster, and indeed it is - due to the wonderful world of new media and telecom technologies. 

In my previous post I referred to recent research that indicates that information workers are living a 36 hour "network day" - due to multitasking and passive or ambient networking. Indeed, our sense of time is shifting as a function of the hyperconnected web we've spun.  Personally, I was delighted to find this recent analysis of several independent studies - it provided evidence for why I was feeling that 24 hours sure seemed shorter than is used to!

The 36 hour network day, and more, are part of a larger work, one that all new media thinkers should indulge in reading and analyzing according to your role in 2.0 technologies and . - Cisco's Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology 2009-2013 , http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ns525/ns537/ns705/ns827/white_paper_c11-481360_ns827_Networking_Solutions_White_Paper.html.  

As with any research, use your own experience to form your conclusions, but you will find a vital range of statistics provided in this paper – but the key to unlocking their meaning is contained in your having a good understanding of telecommunications.

And that brings me to the purpose of this email.  To inform you of a program for transitioning U.S. vets, minorities, women, youth-at-risk, individuals with disabilities, and displaced workers - offering an opportunity for free telecommunications training and exam vouchers, leading to the CompTIA Convergence+ certification.   

 
In May 2009, LIDO and CompTIA issued a press release, announcing LIDO’s donation to the CompTIA Educational Foundation Creating Futures program.  The complete press release is at available at http://www.telecomwebcentral.com/PR_LIDO_Donation_to_CF_Press_Release_Final.pdf

With LIDO’s donation of 100 single-user licenses, qualifying Creating Futures participants have access to LIDO’s software and web-delivered eLearning program which includes 34 hours of dynamic multimedia lectures, simultaneous transcripts, accompanying slide shows and clickable links to supporting educational resources, as well as quizzes to test student understanding.  LIDO Telecommunications Essentials are a CompTIA Authorized Quality Curriculum (CAQC) for the CompTIA Convergence+ certification, allowing Creating Futures participants not only to learn telecom, but also use the eLearning to prepare for certification.  CompTIA Convergence+ validates the knowledge and skills in the area of Communications Technologies (ICT), where data communications, telephony, video and broadcast multimedia technologies combine into a single IP-based delivery system.  The certification recognizes a technician’s ability to design, implement and manage both data and voice networking.

As a telecommunications educator and advisor for the last 29 years, I understand the critical role telecommunications plays in realizing the potential of not just information technology, but the growth of nations, industries, businesses, and individuals.   I really do feel, very strongly, that all professionals and individuals involved in the study, deployment or application of ICT need to build a strong base of telecommunications knowledge – and I have committed to supporting at least 100 eager telecom students who might otherwise not have an opportunity to receive world-class education, as well as the CompTIA Convergence+ exam voucher – all free of charge for qualifying applications. 

I encourage you to spread the word on the CompTIA Creating Futures program, and the availability of free telecommunications  training for transitioning U.S. Vets, minorities, women, youth-at-risk, individuals with disabilities, and displaced workers.   In addition to the telecom curriculum and Convergence+ certification,  the Creating Futures program also offers a number of  IT certifications and the courses required to prepare for the exams!   Learn more about the CompTIA Creating Futures offerings, and to apply for the program, go to http://www.comptia-ef.org/training/futures.aspx

And you can learn more about the LIDO Telecommunications Essentials eLearning series, upcoming  seminars, and books by going to www.telecomwebcentral.com.  

In closing - do check out the Cisco study noted above – you will find a wealth of information on trends in IP, mobile, and video communications.

Happy Learning!
Lili

Next Gen Mobile Devices - A Revolution in Evolution!

Greetings Telecom Thinkers!   I hope you’ve all had a good summer, with memorable vacations or staycations, as the case may be - or just enjoyed great outdoor moments throughout the whole season!

I wonder how much technology was involved in each day you spent on holiday – no doubt, at any given moment, you were under the guidance of hundreds, if not thousands, of sensors…..most people do not realize how much they depend on machines in their day-to-day lives  - until they fail, that is.    With the evolution of PAN technologies and wireless solutions - including RFID, UWB, and NFC, and widescale deployment of embedded intelligence, there are more machines running your life than you can imagine!   But that is a story for another post – I have other intentions for this note.

Today I wanted to share with you what is truly happening in the world of mobile, which today, means it touches just about every aspect of your life!  Think about it – what is the main characteristic of mobility that is so compelling to just about every sentient being – it’s a concept that so many have fought for, prayed for - since the beginning of time – that concept is Freedom!  

To understand how education, and knowledge building and transfer, are going to dramatically change in the coming years, you must also understand how mobile devices and communications are going to change within 5-10 years.   And the teacher and mentor in me says - you must take a look at the work going on in R&D labs and key universities - in the areas of nanotechnology, tangible interfaces, fluid interfaces, embedded intelligence, and wearables.    I also believe you must look at what is being developed as applications in the worlds of healthcare, military/warfare, and entertainment – but that’s a different conversation for another time.  Back to the hyperconnected universe of mobile……..

The array of concept phones and prototypes being developed and studied is absolutely the most fascinating peek into the future of communications  - it is a veritable crystal ball!   I'm preparing for my fall seminar tour, 3 Day MBA in Telecom,  and have been having the pleasure of researching this arena - and due to  the visual metamorphosis we're in - there are videos available to allow us all to truly visualize and experience the potential! 

We all know the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”,  so  I’m truly happy to direct you to videos that will provide you a great additional depth in understanding just how mobile devices and applications are evolving !  I encourage you to view these videos as soon as you can - you'll quickly see that today's smart phones will soon be considered archaic and cumbersome.

Let me provide you with three of my favorite projects.....
You have to see Ericsson's Exciter device, which will enable teleportation, through 3D holograms http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYCycOSoPfQ,  - just imagine how your life will change in 7-15 years - which is coming faster than you know!  In fact, recent research reveals that we (information workers)  now live a 36 hour network day, due to the impact of multitasking and ambient (passive) networking, - each adding 6 hours of additional activity to our day -  and it will be a 48 hour network day by 2013! 

Nokia's Morph phone concept is a study in the application of nanotechnology to mobile devices – in the application of wearable communications devices -  http://www.nokia.com/about-nokia/research/demos/the-morph-concept/video.   

And, I very seriously recommend that you view Pattie Maes, of MIT's Fluid Interface Labs discuss and demonstrate the SixthSense device – this presentation will simply astound you!   Wearing the device enables it to 'see‘ what the user has in front of them. The projector can then project data onto the surfaces or objects in front of the user - meaning the device  has no physical screen but uses anything at hand, including the user’s own hand or a blank piece of  newspaper.  And , as if this were not enough, Patti predicts that the SixthSense device will be available as a brain implant in 10 years - now that is mobile!  The video is at at http://www.ted.com/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html.    The demonstrations they conduct during this 9 minute video are not mock-up productions, or animations, or “concepts” – you will see a working prototype engage in a wonderful range of applications, and I bet there will be one or two that you have not thought of!

After you view just these three projects, your view of mobile phones, or more truly, your view of “communications”  will never be the same - and this is just three of the dozen we'll be covering in LIDO's Master of Telecommunications seminars.  The process of learning and teaching, as well as knowledge transfer and exchange, are undergoing tremendous change, enabled by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).  

One parting thought for you – to bring us back to the immediate timeframe – did you know? - today's high-end smart phones and netbooks generate as much traffic as 450 standard mobiles!!    Which is why telecommunication infrastructures will continue to grow and evolve, and why anyone involved with knowledge building had better understand their telecom essentials!

I hope you enjoy the look into your near-term future - and Happy Learning!
Lili

Lili's Musical Interlude - Music and Learning

Lili's Musical Interlude

Here is a little musical interlude I enjoyed, while taking a break in the taping for my  LIDO Telecommunications Essentials elearning series. 

This is me playing one of my favorite pieces - Schubert's Impromptu in A flat major.   My absolute favorite piece to play is Chopin's Scherzo in B flat minor.  Did you know? -  B flat is the key of the universe!  However, you and I can't hear it - it is 57 octaves below middle C!  So if a black hole hums, it hums at a frequency a million billion times lower than you can hear. 

I like to think that introducing this type of moment, a musical interlude,  in a classroom or elearning setting works wonders in addressing those high on musical intelligence.  If you're not familiar with the fact that we are comprised of multiple intelligences - read two of the books I recommend - Armstrong's 7 Kinds of Smarts and Gardner's Multiple Intelligences.

Another factor that governs how our brain thinks is our sensory style - audio, visual, kinesthetic, and read/write.  Clearly music appeals to all four - we can deduce that music can be a powerful method to accelerating learning. 

But it does depend on the type of music - it has to induce alpha waves or theta waves, not disrupt them!  What is the best music for learning by?  Experts tell us Baroque is the best music to play while using accelerated learning methods because its cadence is the same as the alpha brainwave state.  Ambient music and meditation in nature settings are also an excellent way to get the mind prepared for accelerated learning exercises.

I hope you have enjoyed my musical interlude - it is may be my last.  Tomorrow I am having a joint fusion performed on the middle joint of the left index finger, and the finger will be bent permanently at a 45 degree angle.  They say I won't be able to play - but If I could resume my playing, and read music like this, after not touching the piano for 23 years, anything is possible! 
I’ll be off the keyboard for a little while, but talk to you soon!
Lili

4 billion mobile connections reached this week - but only 100 million are broadband!

I ran across an interesting update on the status of mobile connections today, which brings up some questions.  I thought I’d share this short summary from GizMag (02-12-09) with you.

“February 12, 2009.  The world passed its four billionth mobile connection this week, passing another milestone along the road to the ubiquitous wirelss connectivity of every human being.  The first commercial citywide cellular network was launched in Japan by NTT in 1979 and it took 23 years for one billion mobiles to be connected.

The two billion mark was passed in 2005, with the three billion milestone passed in 2007 and the historic “tipping point” where 50% of all human beings are carrying a mobile phone was reached in Q2, 2008.

Further growth in emerging markets such as China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan, plus the integration of previously unconnected devices are expected to push the number of global connections to six billion in 2013.  There are only 6.7 billion human beings.

Mobile Broadband accounts for just 100 million of the four billion mobile connections, compared with 1.1 billion fixed broadband lines.  Given the rapid penetration of mobile into the global community, mobile broadband can be expected to accelerate from this point too.  Notably, with fixed line broadband included, broadband connectivity now reaches on sixth of the world’s population.”

So, I have a few questions for you….

1.   What are your thoughts regarding broadband mobile in general?

2.   How quickly do you think it will reach the same penetration that the fixed-line world demonstrates?

3.   What applications do you think will drive the demand?

And this is a pop quiz question……….

4.   Who or what represents a bigger population of users than the 6.7 billion humans we’re connecting?

Hope to see some answers from you!

And I wish you all a very special Valentine’s Day with your loved ones!

Lili

Invitation to Join New Telecom Essentials Social Network and Discussion Forum

Hello there everyone!    I hope all of you are preparing for a romantic and playful weekend  - afterall, it is Valentine’s Day tomorrow, and there's a whole weekend to celebrate it!  For those in the United States - a long weekend ;-)

 I have some exciting news to share with you - LIDO Telecom Essentials is well on its way to becoming Telecom Essentials 2.0!   And as readers of my blog, I am inviting you to be part of of what promises to be an wonderful adventure, resulting in dynamic knowledge exchange and potentially rich friendships between a group of people bound by their learning experiences with LIDO, as well as their interest in, if not love of, telecom and the ICT universe.

 My project now is to focus on expanding the Telecom Essentials 2.0 Learning Center – which will allow me to serve your learning and knowledge needs in a fashion consistent with how ICT technology is redefining every possible industry – going Web 2.0. 

I’ve got many of the pieces in place already – my blog, RSS feeds to selected telecom news sources, top industry blogs, and ICT podcasts.  Telecom Essentials podcasts are in production, and soon we'll be offering mLearning --  just-in -time learning for those on the go!   But right this minute,  I’m building a social network for Telecommunications Essentials – and with the members we already have, it’s a veritable ICT Think Tank!

So I have two invitations for you.  First, it is my pleasure to invite you to join me on LinkedIn!   My connections constitute the members of our social network.  And already some are inviting their connections to join as well! 

I’m also inviting you to join my Telecommunications Essentials Group on LinkedIn.  This is where our discussion forum resides.  You need to join this group in order to participate in discussions and knowledge exchange.  And I also invite you to join my Telecom Trainers Groupon LinkedIn -and its not just for those in education, there will be a lot about learning 2.0, ICT in education, and the psychology of learning, with helpful advice on how to accelrate your own learning process! 

With this project of mine, to build our network, I have now experienced first-hand, the potential, and speed, of social networking, which I’ll address below!   Meanwhile, I have the privilege of seeing the member’s profiles when they join, and I am so impressed with our network.   I already know that all of you will be able to find answers to questions that come up for you within this group – there is someone for everyone!  And I have questions for so many of you!   Let me share the highlights.

· It is comprised of the professional and academic space – it will be a multigenerational forum – which should make it all the more exciting – with the applications LinkedIn Supports, there is opportunity to address the visual and kinesthetic learners in our group by sharing presentations using SlideShare.  And I’ve just added the poll application – and your first poll – please do cast your vote!

· It is comprised of wide range of talents – executive, scientific, engineering, sales, teaching,  and more.  With personal interests to boggle the mind!

· It is comprised of a very diverse range of disciplines – software, wireless, switching, higher education, military, network operations, legal, financial, too many to mention -  although all focused on ICT. 

· It is a worldwide group – as LIDO is a global company, with members from all continents – although we are still waiting for Happy Feet to join  J   For those that may not know, Happy Feet was the name of a Penguin in a beautiful animation film, meaning I have not gone to teach in Antarctica yet, but I’m hoping!

· And, quite importantly, most of you share me in common – you have either read my book, attended my seminars, used by elearning, or visit my website – and as such, you all have something rarely found in a social network – a common foundation for what you have learned about telecom, at least from me, made special by your own knowledge and what you have learned about telecom since Telecom Essentials!  Of course this will be less the case as more people join  by virtue of recommendations, but there will always be a core of my students as well, so please do use the forum to ask questions about topics from my learning materials if you wish to!

I also see so many great matches for discussions and friendships when I read your profiles – honestly its making me feel like a matchmaker!  Hopefully you will discover each other over time, but I may, from time to time,  bring you together in the forum by introducing a question and asking for your response :-) 

 As you can see, I’m excited about my LIDO 2.0 adventure – and in a few short hours, I was convinced me that it will be a most thought-provoking, educational, and enjoyable journey! 

Just to make the point – when I say a few hours – I mean it.  When I sent out my initial heap of invitations, within 2 hours I had 60 acceptances!  Now, less than two days later, we have 200 new members in our network!  And by virtue of your connections, we have 30,000+ mind shares between us.  

Now, it is very important that you also join both our groups - Telecommunications Essentialsand Telecom Trainers .  I humbly ask that you join, and indeed participate from time to time.  With our group of almost 300 as 2-18-09, and growing daily, there are enough of us to keep a great dialogue going, and achieve the goal – knowledge exchange and connected knowledge to expand our ICT IQ! 

I invite you all to treat this as an experiment – our own personal experiment on the power of social networking, as well as the pitfalls, while also creating a rich telecom and ICT resource for questions, advice and/or collaboration!

If you aren’t familiar with the whole 2.0 ecosystem, take a look at my powerpoint presentation ‘Innovations to Gain the Edge:  The Learning 2.0 Ecosystem” – its posted on my profile page on LinkedIn.  While it addresses Learning 2.0, the concepts are the same, and the web 2.0 technologies are the same, so you will get a good summary of web 2.0, as well as what our mission with this social network is about!   You can also Download Innovations to Gain the Edge PDF[Compatibility Mode]  

Once again, I invite you to join our growing community, given the members, its bound to be a dynamic forum of telecom thinkers – I like to think of it as the LIDO ICT Think Tank – an educational cooperative of the world’s most committed telecom thinkers J

Happy Valentine’s Day

Lili