Pretty cool. I would probably buy one of these.

I agree with everything in this article. Mobile is definitely poised to revolutionize the way we live.

Here’s a great graphic describing the two sides of the political spectrum. I always find these useful when trying to understand such things.

I’ll be presenting my paper titled, “Building a Mobile MBA Program for Smart Phones” at ISECON (Information Systems Education Conference) in Washington, D.C. on November 6th-7th. I’ll be posting the presentation here after the conference, so be on the lookout.

Bobby McFerrin is a genius. Plus it shows how powerful music can be on the mind.

Good article from Harvard about what make innovators different from others.

Last week I attended the CEDIA Expo in Atlanta, GA. CEDIA, in case you don’t know, is the Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association. If that still doesn’t make sense, it’s basically for people that build and design home theaters and home control. Pretty awesome stuff.

While there, I decided to try to find the new trends in the technology and implementation of these systems. Here’s what I saw.

1. The most notable new technology was unveiled by the major TV manufacturers: 3D HD televisions. Sony and Panasonic seem to be leading the way, offering the best programming (movies and games) as well as the best 3D pictures. Panasonic’s presentation was stunning, offering a viewing of the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games on their flagship 103” plasma. If that doesn’t take your breath away, I don’t know what will. These new sets are due to be released some time next year.
2. The second trend that I noticed was the move towards “green entertainment.” The home theater and custom electronics industries offer products that use a lot of - you guessed it - electricity. The recent push in the industry has been to reduce the amount of energy used by electronic components, which has been partly been done out of societal pressure and partly due to necessity. For instance, the European Union has passed legislature that makes it illegal (as of April 2010) to import electronics that use more that 2W of electricity when in standby mode. Supposedly, this will save enough energy to power the country of Denmark for a year. In order to comply with the regulations, manufacturers of power amplifiers, TVs and other peripherals have redesigned their products and enter into the “green” market.
   
   The product that most intrigued me in this new category was the LED TV. These new TVs use Light Emitting Diodes instead of Liquid Crystals or Plasma, which allows them to last longer, have a broader color gamut, higher dynamic contrast and - this is the kicker - use half as much energy as their LCD and Plasma counterparts. While many manufacturers have entered this market, LG (who has a THX certified set) and Sharp’s models were spectacular representatives of the overall market.
3. One of my favorite trends was iPhone integration into whole-house control systems. Companies like Crestron and Control4 have realized the incredible potential of mobile devices and have turned them into powerful home control units. For instance, you could be vacationing in Paris and open your Crestron iPhone application and see real-time video surveillance, turn on your kitchen lights and adjust the temperature of your hot tub with the flick of a few buttons. To many, that sounds like science fiction, but it’s just another example of talented companies finding a unique use for the incredibly versatile mobile devices of today.
4. The final, and most surprising, trend that I noticed was the resurgence of high-end 2-channel stereo equipment. In a time when it seems everyone is cutting back their budgets and buying home-theater-in-a-box sets (which hurts me deeply), many companies are investing in stereo. Companies like Sherbourn Technologies, who are known for their home theater and whole-house audio systems, have stepped into the stereo arena with some impressive products. Equally impressive are the speaker manufacturers who are producing reference level loudpseakers like ADAM,  Burmester (both super-high-end) and even more well-known companies like JBL with their K2 series (which was one of the best sounding systems I heard all week.)

Overall, the week in Atlanta was a great experience, and hopefully everyone will be able to experience a high-end audio/video experience like the ones offered at CEDIA.