Paul Golding: Books

Wed, 09 Feb 2005 11:55:34 GMT

@ If you're still reading this....

...you shouldn't be. Your browser should have been redirected to my new blog

http://wirelesswonders.blogspot.com/

Fri, 21 May 2004 11:21:16 GMT

:: Withheld identity of a boiler man ::

My boiler is being fixed for the second time. It keeps blowing a fuse, but not in any recognisable pattern - every repairman's nightmare.

I noted the fancy mobile computing set-up for onsite job reporting, dispatch and so on: a Windows CE device, but apparently with insufficient memory to hold the required service manuals. To the engineer, this is the critical need. The providers of the system are more interested in logistics. In any case, the engineer told me how he manipulates the reporting function.

Today, another engineer joined his colleague on site. This was to bring a part from his van to fix my job. Parts inventory appeared not to be part of the logistics set up.

I overheard the second engineer complaining that he couldn't get answers from customers in order to announce his planned arrival time. The problem he identified was that he was withholding his caller ID. Some customers will not answer an unidentifiable call.

The reason for withholding ID is to avoid customers phoning back up for direct support after the job is done.

With appropriate use of existing technology, this problem can be solved, but my guess is that the service company doesn't know this. More likely, they haven't identified the problem in the first place. It probably gets reported as "customer didn't answer".

I feel that writing a book about wireless for lay people will be a useful public service. Perhaps, once some of its potential is more widely appreciated by potential users, "next generation" wireless will become more useful than it currently is.

Tue, 27 May 2003 16:06:24 GMT

:: Book review - Smart Mobs by Howard Rheingold ::

My review (taken from Amazon)

Rheingold is a widely publicised techno-oracle of our age, having made his mark with his earlier works and ideas on virtual reality. If you’re already familiar with the potential of mobile technology, then this book may disappoint a little, especially if one is looking for something very prescient from the mind of Rheingold. In fact, his book is more about observations, full of vignettes from many encounters with both users and creators of mobile phone technology. The emphasis is on the social arrangements that are facilitated by mobile technology and he offers some useful takes on the influence of cultural context, a refreshing change from a US-centric view that one might otherwise expect.

Rheingold revisits the submersion aspects of VR by digging deeper into the progress made in wearable computing and the greater possibilities that wireless connectivity now offers. The segues from current technology and social practises to what is plausibly possible in the future are quite believable, the reflection and experience of Rheingold appears to restrain how far he is willing to speculate. Augmented reality is discussed. This appears highly conceivable and Rheingold helps us to understand its new powers thanks to location-finding technologies combined with ubiquitous wireless access.

In the current climate of doomsayers for wide-area wireless (e.g. 3G), this book is worth reading as it reclaims some of the lost ground and puts it back in the camp of the believers, those for whom true ubiquity is an article of faith. BY emphasising on the social shaping powers of mobile technology, Rheingold is reinforcing the virtuous circle between ubiquity and utility, although, not wishing to over hype the benefits, Rheingold bravely pricks our sanitised view of technology by cautioning us about some of the negative consequences of pervasive (Invasive) technology.

For a more detailed and immediate analysis of next generation mobile services, I would recommend, as a companion book, something like mProfits by Ahonen.

Amazon.co.uk link:

Smart Mobs - The Next Social Revolution

by Howard Rheingold

Fri, 14 Mar 2003 10:10:08 GMT

:: Books I just ordered ::

1 of: Perpetual Contact: Mobile Communication, Private Talk, Public Performance

1 of: Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution

Sat, 01 Mar 2003 23:15:08 GMT

:: New channels Announcement ::

Please note that I have added two new channels (nav links on left). One is "Hot Products" which I hope is fairly self-explanatory. I want readers to be able to easily check up on any mobile products I will review or make comments on.

The other channel is "Techno Vision". This is going to be about showing how emerging technologies can be used to deliver something useful in the near future, trying as often as possible to suggest how products from "Hot Products" could be used together to facilitate visionary services: like wouldn't it be great if we took product X and added service Y and technology Z - then we could do ABC. We often get lost in the froth of techo excitement and can't figure out what we are supposed to be doing with half of this stuff. The channel will be different from "My ideas/thoughts" channel which is a blog of unsequenced ideas that pop into my mind on wireless apps, devices and services, from the mundane to the crazy.

Happy reading!

Wed, 26 Feb 2003 11:46:21 GMT

DOT.CON - Is this the same for WAP?

Just started reading this one (can get it from Amazon). My own thoughts are to write about the "wireless dot.con" - which could be titled wap.con but more likely wap.flop as there are different lessons to be learnt from the "WAP experience". I'm not sure this has been properly documented anywhere, other than the useful lessons (predictions?) on usability by usability guru Jakob Nielsen in his research report on WAP usability (many of the basic lessons still not learnt!)

Tue, 26 Nov 2002 22:42:01 GMT

Just bought this from Amazon. I'm interested as I planned to write a similar book. Let's see what this one is like first.

GPRS and 3G Wireless Applications: Professional Developer's Guide - For experienced software developers, Andersson, a specialist in Internet technology, explains the technical issues that underlie the development of software and content for wireless networks and devices. He discusses how General Packet Radio Services and third-generation systems have evolved, how they affect applications, and how to work with existing and emerging protocols. The disk contains WAP development kits, emulators of several mobile devices, testing templates, and Java SDKs. (Review supplied by Amazon) -- UK Readers Click Here to order

Thu, 31 Oct 2002 13:07:57 GMT

SMART MOBS - You should check this site (and the book)!
Calling everyone in 3G la la land (myself included of course) - this needs some serious thought and attention

Howard Rheingold is one of the world's foremost authorities on the social implications of technology. This site is dedicated to his new book - "Smart Mobs".

Smart mobs emerge when communication and computing technologies amplify human talents for cooperation.

Mon, 14 Oct 2002 15:33:42 GMT

I must be a dummy then....Enterprise JavaBeans for Dummies recommended

I constantly review books that I recommend to my course students, especially on the whole J2EE/EJB area where it can be quite hard to grasp various concepts (like skeletons/stubs). I actually found that for people at the support level who need to know what's happening on the app servers they run, then Enterprise JavaBeans for Dummies is actually quite a good read.

Fri, 11 Oct 2002 10:44:26 GMT

Free courses from MIT [MIT]

By the 2006-2007 school year, MIT plans to publish the course materials for virtually all of its 2,000 graduate and undergraduate courses. There's bound to be some interesting wireless stuff in there!