Tech Biz

Technology is meaningless unless it changes the way we behave. As many of you have pointed out, my writing is increasingly focused on blockchain, cryptocurrency, smart contracts and NFTs, decentralized finance (DeFi), Web 3.0, and the role AI and other nascent computational tools may play in the future. There's a simple reason. They are all behavior-changing technologies. At one end of the spectrum, there's the potential of an alternative, decentralized system for value exchange that challenges our understanding about the role of central governance. At the other end of the spectrum, this is nothing more than a fad which can be easily ignored. In my experience, no technology is ever "either, or." As you know, almost $8 trillion of wealth vaporized when the dot-com bubble burst in 2000. Those speculative losses didn't have anything to do with the underlying technology; it was all about the hype. With that in mind, think about this... Continue Reading →

I think it's fair to say we're not "going back to work" in September; we are already "at work." A hybrid workforce (on-location and online) is the new paradigm. To succeed, we must modify workflows and processes, adapt our physical and technological infrastructures, and do our best to reduce systemic location-based biases. Continue Reading →

Windows PCs as a service is now a real thing. Microsoft announced Windows 365 Cloud PC: a way to run Windows on a private, secure, virtual machine and access it using practically any type of device from anywhere you can connect to the internet. This is a big deal. Continue Reading →

Elon Musk's latest claim -- "I remain confident that we will have the basic functionality for level 5 autonomy complete this year" -- is a clear sign that Mr. Musk has crossed over to the other side and is now "cuckoo for cocoa puffs." Continue Reading →

Walmart and Walgreens are entering the mobile-first banking business in a big way. It's a solid strategic move, as an estimated 169 million Americans regularly use mobile devices for banking. Continue Reading →

It's official: every speaking engagement I have through the end of 2021 is back to being virtual. About half of them were scheduled as in-person events with the caveat that they could be switched to online-only if necessary. The Delta variant has made it necessary. Continue Reading →

The first time I saw the word "Metaverse" was in Neal Stephenson's 1992 sci-fi novel "Snow Crash." The word has evolved over the years to describe immersive virtual worlds. These environments can be experienced on your computer on a 2D screen, but are best experienced using technology such as VR, AR, XR, MR, etc. This is where Facebook believes we/they are headed, and they are assembling a high-powered product team to get us/them there. Continue Reading →

According to the AP, Amazon is pushing a service called "Key for Business" as a way to cut down on stolen packages by making it easy for Amazon’s delivery workers to leave packages inside apartment buildings and office lobbies, rather than outside. Continue Reading →

The crypto market crashed yesterday! Do you care? Should you? Continue Reading →

REvil, the ransomware gang that attacked meat supplier JBS Foods this spring and a major IT software vendor this month, has mysteriously gone dark. Its websites are gone and there has been no word from their spokespeople. Continue Reading →