Goodbye Stamps?

Ten years ago I would have thought this crazy -- no more stamps?

A few years back we were introduced to self-adhesive stamps as a logical, evolutionary, development to the "lick-it-and-stick-it" variety ...

Now we are talking about sending an SMS to the Post Office, getting charged for a stamp and receiving a code in return -- you write the code on the envelope and drop the letter in the mailbox.

You Had a Good Run, OId Stamps: SMS Codes for Postage Coming to Europe
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/you_had_a_good_run_oid_stamps_sms_codes_for_postag.php

The rate of change (or "evolution" as I like to call it) seems to be ever-accelerating.

I remember collecting stamps when I was younger -- it was a fascinating way to let the imagination roam based on a the tiny images that were printed on those little paper rectangles. Today of course there are so many other ways to expand a person's horizons (think of image search results in thumbnail form as a comparison), that collecting stamps seems very "passe".  It will also be pretty hard to do, if no more stamps are being printed... 

And yet the romantics among us will undoubtedly pause, reflect and feel some sadness at this latest evolution.

Spring Thoughts

Today is the first working day of Spring 2011 (Spring officially began last weekend). 
While experiencing nature's re-birth, thoughts wander to what the future might have in store for us. 
I am not referring to geopolitical changes as much as technology here.

For example I have previously posted my thoughts on Mobile Payments and even mentioned a futuristic Cash-Less Society.  It appears Mobile Payments are expected to hit the mainstream at around 2015, while it might take a little longer for the Cash-Less Society concept to take root (2025+). 
You might be wondering "How does he know that?" (scroll down)

On the Sustainability/Green front, Fuel Cells are certainly close at hand (a couple of years to hit mainstream), however Smart Meters don't make it to mainstream until 2015 and for Piezoelectricity to be widely used it will likely be past 2020.


On March 9, I posted a link to this excellent infographic to my Facebook page - I just wanted to expand on the concept in this note.
Michell Zappa (michellzappa.com, or @mz on Twitter) has pulled together knowledge from diverse fields to create a vision of what the next 25 years might hold for emerging technologies: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1663367/infographic-of-the-day-the-next-25-years-in-emerging-tech 

Like it or hate it, Michell's infographic will definitely make you think.

Luck of the Irish

Today is St. Patrick's Day.

Irish and "wannabe-Irish" will celebrate, Chicago officials will dye their river green (see picture in above link) and many will find this a great excuse to down a drink or two.
You might also hear people talk about the "Luck of the Irish."

I saw a great blog post by Brian Matt of Altitude today, which catalyzed this blog post of my own:

http://altimeter-blog.altitudeinc.com/bid/35487/Do-you-feel-lucky-Happy-St-Patrick-s-Day

Brian points-out that "luck is the opportunity to seize something before you which results in something positive."

A basic requirement for luck then, is the ability to be open to alternative points of view, to be thinking about possibilities, to "keeping your eyes open."  And (as Brian points-out) to also be willing to take calculated risks.

Sounds pretty common-sense to me -- and you don't need to be Irish to practice these habits either.
May the "Luck of the Irish" be with you today and every day of the year.

Seismic Isolation

Hearing and seeing the stories pouring out of Japan after Friday's massive earthquake, one feels an immense sense of helplessness.  You see all these people who's lives were turned completely upside-down and who are sometimes reverting to that most basic of human behaviors -- survival mode.
They naturally will feel shell-shocked, though assistance may be close-at-hand -- I heard that aid is quickly pouring-into Japan from around the world and that this famously closed society is accepting aid even from nations which it typically views with distrust, such as China and S. Korea.
I just heard that there are already seven U.S. Navy warships close to Japan, lending assistance -- including the supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan with its fleet of helicopters.

The title for this post came from a story I heard about earthquake building codes and about how even though buildings are designed to protect lives during truly massive earthquakes, the buildings do not remain serviceable.  In other words, even though the buildings might not collapse during the earthquake, thereby saving the lives of their occupants, they will not be inhabitable and will ultimately need to be knocked down and re-built.

The latest Structural Engineering technology apparently revolves around "Building Resiliency" and "Seismic Isolation" of buildings.  The former employing novel materials which can better withstand the violent movement of earthquakes and the latter employing devices which serve to isolate the building from the movement of the ground, much like the shock absorbers found in a car. 
These technologies, which sound like science fiction, are apparently being employed today.

Designing Buildings to Withstand Earthquakes

Edited on March 15:
I saw another article on the subject of this blog post titled:
Making Buildings Safer with Earthquake Shock Absorbers
Interesting stuff for sure.

Just when you thought ...

I saw an announcement that the time will change tonight (March 12).
The time will "Spring Forward" by an hour, to compensate for the "Fall Back" experienced last Autumn/Fall.
When you hear that the time will change you naturally think that spring is near.

It seems Mother Nature has other ideas though.
I'm posting some pictures from our March 11 snowfall.
The temperature dropped a degree or two below freezing overnight and the rain that had been falling for the last day or two turned to heavy, wet snow.
It was not a massive snowfall (about 2 inches, or 5 cm), but it certainly served to remind us that spring and the warmer weather do not automatically arrive when the calendar says so.