Microsoft Live: a confused mess of products?

Yesterday, I bought my wife a new netbook for her birthday. And of course she wanted to have access to the music and photos on our desktop computer. Being the forward thinking IT guy that I am, I had previously loaded Windows Live Sync on the desktop (along with my laptop and my office computer). But when I went to install it on my wife's computer, I forgot the name and installed Microsoft Live Mesh instead. The only problem, they do not share files even though I used the same login name and password for both accounts.

Argggh!

After a bit of research I learned that Microsoft has no less than (at least) 4 different file sharing and syncing programs - Microsoft Live Mesh, Windows Live Sync, Microsoft Office Live, and Windows Live SkyDrive. These programs have some similar capabilities and some unique features to each. And yet, there is non-existent interoperability. This does not bode well for Microsoft users and may hurt Microsoft in the near term as frustrated users find other applications that overcome Microsoft's confusing array of products.

AT&T's monopoly

I rather enjoy spending time in class exploding the myth that monopolies are created by excessive competition. In my lecture on the history of the telecommunications industry, I present the facts that destroy this myth, at least within the realm of AT&T's monopoly. In 1910s, Bell's second patent on the telephone had already expired. There were literally thousands of telephone companies in the U.S. at the time (always a shock to students). However, the U.S. government decided that AT&T should have a legal monopoly on all interstate telephone traffic. This essentially gave AT&T a competitive edge that no other telephone company could compete with. AT&T subsequently bought out or forced other companies to connect with their phone system, least they be marginalized. The result, AT&T controlled both the long distance and local telephone market.

On their exam, students must answer a question like the one below:

How did AT&T obtain a monopoly in long distance telephone service?
a) AT&T charged prices so high that no competitors could make enough profit to attract investors.
b) The federal government believed that communication was so important that AT&T should have a monopoly and regulated the market accordingly.
c) A band of outlaws enforced AT&T’s patents even after they officially expired.
d) None of the choices are correct.

The 1982 anti-trust case against AT&T was really one branch of government (federal court) telling another branch of government (FCC and congress) to stop supporting this monopoly. The consequences of this case is an entirely different matter.

When one focuses on the facts, it becomes obvious how real monopolies are created.

Research paper reviews

There is nothing so humbling as having your research reviewed by other academics. As a new PhD, I am still learning the ropes of writing quality research papers. While I understand the concepts involved, communicating those concepts with well structured papers is a learning process that I have not mastered yet.

And while there is some temptation to accept a lower quality journal for an outlet of my research, it would not push me to be the best writer that I can be. This is important for me, as I would like to master the writing part so that I may have a bigger impact with the research I have planned for the future. If I succumb to the temptation of writing with lower quality and accepting lower quality journals as a result, few people will read my research or take it seriously. Since one of my goals is to write papers utilizing and promoting the Objectivist philosophy, I do not want it to be marginalized. It will not do myself or the philosophy an favors.

GM and its "reinvention"

This is what GM has labeled as progress:
"...Judge Robert E. Gerber of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved the sale of substantially all of General Motors Corporation’s assets to NGMCO, Inc., an entity funded by the U.S. Department of the Treasury."

"The new GM’s common stock will be owned by:
• U.S. Department of the Treasury: 60.8 percent
• UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust: 17.5 percent
• Canada and Ontario governments: 11.7 percent
• The old GM: 10 percent

"Additionally, the old GM and the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust will hold warrants that are exercisable for 15 percent and 2.5 percent of the interests in the new GM, respectively."

So now our government is officially an automaker. Its a travesty that it has come to this.

Tools versus ideas - the role of inventions in changing society

In the history of information systems post, I outlined my goal with introduction to information systems class that I'm teaching. One module I'm particularly proud of is the one on "Tools versus Ideas" lecture. In this lecture, I start with the question "Which of the two, tools or ideas, is more fundamental to changes in business and/or society?" After spending a few minutes getting student feedback, I provide my answer through analyzing six different historical cases at the societal level. These six are:

1. Invention of writing
2. The Greeks
3. Emergence from the Dark Ages
4. Invention of the printing press
5. The industrial revolution
6. Invention of the electronic computer

For each of these cases, I explore the causes and effects. For example, the invention of writing is largely credited to be a solution to ever growing cities around 4000 BC. With improved irrigation and better farming techniques, more food was produced by fewer farmers, allowing people to migrate to cities. But with larger cities came larger bureaucracies and more commerce. In order to manage the increased complexity of the information flow throughout these cities, people start using a standard form of communicating with pictures and symbols.

Yet, even with the advent of writing, society did not change much. Empires became larger, but they were still despotic. Whoever had the strongest mob following him ruled the land. The invention of writing did not fundamentally change how society operated.

Compare that with the Greeks. What was fundamentally different about the Greeks? Why did this one culture discover the beginnings of science, philosophy, literature, great art, and a systematic study of history? And the answer lies with the Greeks unique ideas. The Greeks worshiped man. The believed that each individual man should become the best that they could be, physically, but more importantly, mentally. It was this respect for individual achievement and reason that fundamentally changed society as we know it.

The rest of the cases highlight this same theme. The inventions did effect society, but merely accelerated the transmission of ideas already present. When it accelerated the right ideas, such as when the printing press allowed more scientific and secular writings to be printed leading to the reformation, scientific revolution, and enlightenment, society started to change for the better. But if ideas are bad, such as the despotic form of government, inventions like writing did not make life any better or more enjoyable.

The major take away from this module is that information systems are only as good as the ideas that they transmit. The old notion "garbage in, garbage out" applies to any information system and its application to individual changes, business changes, or societal changes. Ideas matter! They matter far more than the tool. But once the right ideas are discovered, tools can accelerate the transfer of those ideas. Knowing which tools are right for which job is an entirely different subject and is the focus of the remainder of the semester.

History of Information Systems

Over the past 4 years, I have taught one class more than any other, Introduction to Information Systems. At every university I have taught this class (4 different ones), it is a core class for all undergraduate business students. While I agree that this class is essential for business students, I believe there is a general failure in how these classes are generally structured. Bill Gates is noted for saying that information systems are the "digital nervous system" of a business, but how can this essential system be portrayed to students in an effective way?

Many professors hate teaching this class. Reading through numerous textbooks for the introductory class gives a clue why. The textbooks bombard students with lots and lots of facts, like the difference between systems software and application software or what is a decision support system or name some hacking techniques to break into a computer. What is missing is a focus on integrating these facts into usable principles for utilizing and enhancing information systems for improved organizational performance. While most professors understand these principles, they feel it necessary to ram tons of facts down the throats of students and then ask the students to regurgitate the facts without applying them. For the professors that do ask them to apply the facts, most students are not equipped to do so. Without a focus on principles, most students are clueless on how to apply new technologies for business success. The professors certainly are not inspired. So there is little surprise that they cannot inspire their students.

To overcome these limitations, I have been redesigning this class to better highlight the principles of information systems. At first glance, the case study method offers a means of introducing facts by allowing sufficient discussion and contemplation to integrate the facts into usable principles. However, this method suffers from an over abundance of complexity. Often its is difficult for students to easily grasp the principles because there are often two or more different principles involved, complicating the issue. While I still use case studies, it is something that I utilize only after I have established the principles.

Instead, I have turned to history. It was amazing to me, that after I had completed my PhD in information system, I had no idea about where computers originated. To understand why computers are an integral part of business, its important to understand why they were introduced in the first place. By focusing on the historical aspects of computing, a bigger picture emerged about why they are so effective and popular. It also allows the instructor to focus on principles one at a time by picking historical examples the best exemplify its effects. It explains why in the 1940s, why 4 computer systems were invented independent of each other. It explains why IBM was so successful with the mainframe, but not nearly so successful with personal computers. It helps explain what email, cell phones, and Facebook have in common.

After introducing the historical aspects to information systems, I have received numerous comments from students that that was their favorite part of class. While my restructuring of the class is a work in progress, I have found inspiration from many of the great articles found in The Objective Standard that have effectively utilized a historic approach to present principles. For those of you unable to take my class, I have found a number of books that have really been key to my understanding. These include The Universal History of Computing: From the Abacus to the Quantum Computer, ENIAC: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World's First Computer, Computing in the Middle Ages: A View From the Trenches 1955-1983, and Computer: A History Of The Information Machine, Second Edition (The Sloan Technology Series).

Universal cell phone charger

Recent news that cell phone manufacturers have agreed to a standard cell phone charger for all cell phones regardless of manufacturer is welcome news.

And you know what, the government did not have to get involved. Amazingly, the free market fixed itself. No regulations were required. No tax incentives were necessary. Just plain old profit motive. Yeah for greed!