Greg Maguire tweeted: STEM + A = STEAM what this economy will run out of without creative thinking. I recently signed on as a STEMnet ambassador. W5 is the local delivery agent for STEMnet in Northern Ireland and it’s a good home for a worthy project. If you have an interest in science, technology, engineering, … Continue reading “STEM + A = STEAM”
STEM + A = STEAM what this economy will run out of without creative thinking.
I recently signed on as a STEMnet ambassador. W5 is the local delivery agent for STEMnet in Northern Ireland and it’s a good home for a worthy project. If you have an interest in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (including design, programming, the web), then you really should register.
During my first piece of work for them, I had the opportunity to provide some guidance for students and made the point that Science and Technology and Engineering and Mathematics are great – but there is a part of science and mathematics that is imagination, part of technology and engineering that is design.
In many ways it was easier in the “olden” days when I was at school. School seemed less about preparing a student for the workplace and more about educating and testing the student to see what they were capable of. While they didn’t get everything right, I’m also certain they didn’t get everything wrong.
First, because a digital Single Market seems such an obvious step. In principle, it should be easier to sell digital goods from a distance than “real” goods. … If I can watch my local team’s football matches using online pay-per-view in one Member State, why not in 27?
31% of retailers think a more harmonised regulatory environment would boost their cross-border sales.
To be a Chief Information Officer in Europe, having to comply with 27 data protection regimes or facing 27 different legal environments for Cloud Computing is daunting and bad for business.
The Single Market is at the centre of the EU.
II. Digital Content and Open Data
When it comes to content, the public sector can lead. I’m just back from a trip to Kenya, where the Government has begun to open up its public sector, providing valuable raw material for others to use, for instance weather data and demographic statistics. And the Kenyan people are already seeing the benefits, whether as businessmen, civil society groups, researchers, citizens, or public authority representatives.
We need to change that, we need to overcome the inertia to this development in the public sector. I want public sector workers on all levels to be proud of providing a first-rate data and information service to citizens which can be re-used to create new content and new services
III. Trust and Privacy online
I believe we need sound rules based on three principles:
First, transparency so that citizens know exactly what the deal is.
Second, fairness so that citizens are not forced or tricked into sharing their data.
And third, user control so that citizens can decide – in a simple and effective manner – what they allow others to know.
I also want to improve confidence by, for example, ensuring people know their children can surf safely, respectfully and responsibly; and countering the increasing number of cyber-threats against our networks and infrastructures.
IV. Broadband for all
Perhaps most importantly, we must ensure we have super fast digital networks for everyone: the oxygen of the digital ecosystem.
V. Cloud Computing
Smaller companies and start-ups in particular have much to gain from the cloud
But smaller companies also have the least resources and market leverage to negotiate a market place dominated by uncertainty and missing, incomplete or unclear rules.
Another issue is data portability: smaller companies typically do not have a strong negotiating situation with their suppliers. Clear commitments by such suppliers to data portability, to not making it unnecessarily difficult for customers to switch, are therefore essential.
Cloud computing has no natural geographical borders and we are therefore also working with our international partners on this
Are these not reasonable and obvious suggestions?
My concern is how many of them will transfer to a small region to the north of a backwater island in the far west of Europe.
There is an inevitability of a concentration on the digital knowledge economy for Northern Ireland. We have a thriving group of developers and designers in Belfast, a huge amount of ambition in the North West and a heap of activity building in the Southern and Western counties of the province. Last week I went to … Continue reading “There’s Digital Hubs and digital hubs.”
There is an inevitability of a concentration on the digital knowledge economy for Northern Ireland. We have a thriving group of developers and designers in Belfast, a huge amount of ambition in the North West and a heap of activity building in the Southern and Western counties of the province.
Last week I went to the Digital Hub along with Momentum, Belfast City Council, InvestNI and representatives from DCAL and OFMDFM.
We heard the spiel about how it brought some regeneration to the area, that they still have a considerable subvention from the government after 10 years (less than €2m a year, but overall investment has been around €30m since inception and may not include transferred assets).
I also spoke to some of the guys in some of the businesses. They said they wish the Hub was one mile closer to the city centre, that the reason they use bikes and public transport is because they don’t want to bring their cars to that area of town and even the big lads feel a little concerned leaving the Hub with a laptop.
It re-iterates my belief that a city centre location for a Belfast Hub is essential. Not least because Davy Sims put together a map of Digital Media companies in Northern Ireland back in February of 2010 and discovered most were within a square mile in the city centre.
I don’t think we want a straight property play like the Hub in Dublin. We’re a small region with a big ambition so we have to think much more strategically about what goes where. We also need to be 100% joined up. I think I have the support of the Digital Circle steering group in my opinions and in my vision for a digital hub-type infrastructure in Northern Ireland. It’s a big plan, an ambitious plan, even an audacious plan and if it delivers, it will bring the concept to the province as a whole rather than just to a small region.
From Techcrunch: Well known US VC house Greylock Partners is launching a brand new $160 million fund aimed at internet technology companies, with the fund being deployed between Europe and Israel. .. We’ve confirmed that the fund will be run from London by Laurel Bowden, a Partner, and will cover investments from early stage and … Continue reading “Greylock launches Fund II in Europe/Israel”
Well known US VC house Greylock Partners is launching a brand new $160 million fund aimed at internet technology companies, with the fund being deployed between Europe and Israel.
..
We’ve confirmed that the fund will be run from London by Laurel Bowden, a Partner, and will cover investments from early stage and beyond.
As the fund is being run from London, I wonder how many of our local digital content companies will take advantage of the cheap flights and go and present themselves to Laurel Bowden, the Partner and manager of the fund. And if not, why not?
You want to know what Digital Circle is all about? Everything in this video was made either in Northern Ireland or by people from Northern Ireland. The music is by Wonderful Way by Joe Echo. Related posts: Digital Circle going independent and my thoughts on the Future The Broadband Blueprint (re DETI Telecoms Consultation) Jonathan … Continue reading “Northern Ireland Creative Showcase”
MMXINI is the brand for the Northern Irish delegation to SXSW in 2011. It’s really quite witty. MMXI is the year 2011 in Roman Numerals. And NI is an abbreviation for Northern Ireland. Ordinarily I’d be a little sceptical of any “brand” that you have to explain in two sentences but I like the look … Continue reading “MMXINI? SXSW? #tweetni Lolwhut?”
MMXINI is the brand for the Northern Irish delegation to SXSW in 2011. It’s really quite witty.
MMXI is the year 2011 in Roman Numerals. And NI is an abbreviation for Northern Ireland. Ordinarily I’d be a little sceptical of any “brand” that you have to explain in two sentences but I like the look of this one.
The web site is at http://mmxini.com and you can also follow @mmxini on Twitter to get some additional updates. I’m hoping for some in-situ reports from some of the Northern Irish delegates.
So, we have 28 delegates to the interactive Segment and 20 or so to the Music segment. These are both heralded by some cool parties which are, of course, free to attend. You just have to get yourself to Austin, Texas!
The first is the MMXINI party on Monday night at 7:30 pm (two days away). You can register here and you can view the lineup (which includes several local bands here)
The second is the Belfast Rocks party on Thursday afternoon, yes, on St Patricks Day. What better time to come and hang out with a group of bawdy Irish musicians and digerati. You can get more information here.
Please let me know if you’re going to any or either of these events and if you take any photos, send them along. Obviously there will be copious amounts of free booze at both parties so it’s fair warning I’m not expecting anything too racy. And if you’re not there for the event and are from Northern Ireland, it wouldn’t hurt at all to re-tweet this about a hundred thousand times. Pretty-please?
As I mentioned here, I was in London last week. While there I spent time with with Mary McKenna (Chair of the Digital Circle Steering Group and Co-Founder/Owner of Learning Pool from Derry) and Ryan Adams (BBC Project Manager in their Media/Online arm and also on the Digital Circle Steering Group). So, to get to … Continue reading “London, City of the Future”
As I mentioned here, I was in London last week. While there I spent time with with Mary McKenna (Chair of the Digital Circle Steering Group and Co-Founder/Owner of Learning Pool from Derry) and Ryan Adams (BBC Project Manager in their Media/Online arm and also on the Digital Circle Steering Group).
So, to get to London at 9 am, I needed to be up and about at 3 am. It was going to be a long day.
My schedule included the following:
Quick visit to a Learning Pool event at the Kings Fund. To see what they do and also soak up some coffee.
Visit the RSA building at Charing Cross to finally check if I want to join and also what facilities are there.
Visit to the Technology Strategy Board at the BIS building on Victoria St.
Attending CityCampLDN
Turn up and see what goes on at the Social Entrepreneurs Network monthly meeting at the RSA.
Meet folk at the Tuttle Club, held at the Centre for Creative Collaboration.
London is one of those cities where everyone seems to be up to something; not necessarily a nefarious thing but everyone seems involved in something to a greater or lesser degree.
So what is a Learning Pool?
This was the first surprise of my visit. I’d considered that Learning Pool was a good name for a company that sold e-learning content. That’s not exactly what I discovered. Learning Pool work with the public sector (and voluntary sector) mainly and the “pool” in their name is their process of pooling all of the content and resources they have developed in co-operation with their public-sector clients and sharing it among the other clients. It really was a bit of a revelation that something so simple and sensible can actually work – ideal for the Age of Austerity. It made me wonder why we don’t do more of this in education (at all levels) and also how it could work well in a private sector environment. Learning Pool recently launched a SME product as well which builds on this: MyLearningPool. The event itself was a gathering of nearly 20 individuals from different councils around London. This group is usually much larger but half-term conspired to make it a lot more intimate.
The enthusiasm of the group was a real eye-opener. Some of these council project managers were encyclopaedic in their knowledge of the product and in the content not only developed for their own region but that of other regions. Considering that Learning Pool works with nearly every council in Great Britain (but oddly none in Northern Ireland), that’s a considerable amount of shared content and knowledge.
The RSA
I’ve posted about this organisation before so I’ll just include some photos now.
The Technology Strategy Board
A meeting was planned with Iain Gray, CE of the Technology Strategy Board and his colleague, Paul Mason (Head of Development), regarding the future of Digital Circle and also our interest in pursuing a Technology and Innovation Centre for Digital Media and Software in Northern Ireland.
The meeting was originally scheduled to be in a prison cell office within the BIS building but after reviewing (and the late hour) we retired to the pub to talk.
We covered the_CONNECT social network, created by the TSB to encourage collaboration and open innovation. Everyone agreed on the importance of networks of networks and I took away the action to encourage people to join the TSBs network in order to access their competitions and contacts.
CityCampLDN
Organised by Dominic Campbell and sponsored by FutureGov, CityCampLDN, it was hosted at The Hub, Kings Cross. There were some great pitches from folk with ideas looking for collaborators. The original pitch was “CityCamp LDN brings together city leaders at all levels from government, business and community organisations to reimagine the way in which technology can help to reshape the future of London.” which sounds like something needed in Belfast.
Dinner
Later that night, I met up with Ryan and Mary and went to a chinese restaurant in Chinatown. The food was tasty though the ordering process left a lot to be desired.
At about 11 pm, bone-weary I arrived at the hotel and barely made it to my room before falling unconscious.
Early next morning: RSA Social Entrepreneurs Network
After breakfast, Mary and I wandered down to the RSA and met with some of the local social entrepreneurs who are Fellows of the RSA. We stayed for about an hour and spoke about both Digital Circle and Learning Pool to the collected group.
The Tuttle Club
The Tuttle Club is named after Harry Tuttle (a renegade air conditioning specialist) from Brazil:
The Tuttle Club is a loose association of people finding a way of working better together both online and off-
There’s no need to sign up – everyone’s welcome at our Friday morning meetups. They run from 10am to midday at the Centre for Creative Collaboration, 16 Acton St, London WC1X 9NG.
The last picture is of Lloyd Davis, founder of the Tuttle Club. He’s about to head off across the US as part of his Please Look After This Englishman (PLATE) project. So anyone in the US who wants to help a funny, charismatic do-gooder should probably get in touch.
And then home…
I finished off the trip to London hoping to catch a meeting with Steve Moore, to talk about some of the BigSociety and BetterSociety ideas we have in the Northern Ireland. Steve is originally from Northern Ireland only timing and short notice conspired against us to prevent us meeting.
I arrived home around 9 pm, exhausted but mind abuzz with ideas and things to do. So I went out and registered a domain for a new social enterprise based around taking small positive actions to an overall better society. But that’s fodder for another blog post.
Stephen Houston (@egeek) contributed this to todays meeting – some things that need to be considered or taught and things that have been lacking in his experience of recent graduates. #ImprovingCodersFromColleges Fundamentals – How does a computer execute your code? – What does the OS do? – Where does your code execute? JS, server side, … Continue reading “#ImprovingCodersFromColleges Fundamentals”
Stephen Houston (@egeek) contributed this to todays meeting – some things that need to be considered or taught and things that have been lacking in his experience of recent graduates.
#ImprovingCodersFromColleges Fundamentals
- How does a computer execute your code?
- What does the OS do?
- Where does your code execute? JS, server side, etc
- Network/Internet, TCP/IP, etc
- How your further your own knowledge, blogs, etc
- Writing your own projects, advantage of doing so for interviews
- Self-starting, own initative
- How are the large sites architected?
- Scale, how much data do the big guys handle?
- DBs, relational, schema-less, etc
- Agile methods
- Handling requirements
- Professional behaviour and attitude
- Different languages, what are they used for? Advantages/Limitations of each
- Why you need to be a polyglot
Software skills
- Version control
- Team working
- Emphasise the need to understand projects during placement, how they fit, team dynamics
- Language fundamentals
- Coding standards
- Unit and integration testing
- Code patterns - don't just know, understand
- Multi-threading/concurrency
- Deadlock
- Documenting your code
- Thinking maintenance
Local Industry
- Who is out there?
- What do they use and what do they need?
- What can they do for you? How will they further your career?
- Your own ideas?
- Your internet profile
- A good interview
I reckon this is a good start. I have toyed with the idea of getting hiring managers (not HR) to contribute to the process by essentially sponsoring spaces which will turn into jobs. So if CompanyX needs 10 enterprise Java guys, then maybe we find training for 20. And if CompanyY needs 5 PHP or Ruby guys, we train 10. We have to remember to not only fill the job pipeline but also to provide training to supply our growing startups.
All in attendance were agreed that software engineering is vocational and not academic and that more could be achieved with training courses and input from industry than with a 3 year degree. And for the most part an honours project is a complete waste of time.
I’ve spoken to Momentum and BMC and I believe we can do this if we have enough support from local industry leaders. It can’t be just the usual suspects – we have to engage with the little companies as well as the big ones. I left with a few actions to go speak to people. In all a very positive meeting.
Very happy to also meet today with @bndouglas, @andyboal and @hamstarr to chat about this subject.
This is supplementary to the Code4Pizza FreeSchool. We need everything working in unison.
This is, to my mind, the best way out of the Age of Austerity.
After the debate the other night on twitter, I proposed the idea of a FreeSchool for extra-curricular programming guidance. I’ve spoken to both Momentum and Belfast Metropolitan College about how they can support this and both seem keen to help industry find the software developers they need. Momentum and the colleges have some experience in … Continue reading “So do we need more/better software developers?: 1 pm, Starbucks Cornmarket, Belfast”
After the debate the other night on twitter, I proposed the idea of a FreeSchool for extra-curricular programming guidance.
I’ve spoken to both Momentum and Belfast Metropolitan College about how they can support this and both seem keen to help industry find the software developers they need. Momentum and the colleges have some experience in this with their Software Professionals Course that ran in previous years, funded by DEL. It was designed to take graduates from non-IT backgrounds and give them the vocational skills (over 6 months) to have a sustainable career in software. This is, in theory, similar to other courses – such as the Rapid Advancement Programme (RAP, originally by BIC Systems) and the Advanced Vocational Training in Information Technology course (AVTIT, originally by the University of Ulster). These courses were popular pre Bubble 1.0 but seem to have fallen by the wayside even though we seem to be heading for a larger (and slightly more sustainable) Bubble 2.0.
We’re meeting at 1 pm today, in Starbucks at Cornmarket, to generally see what level of interest there is in industry lobbying for a renewed commitment to turning non-IT graduates and non-graduates into professional software developers using an industry-focused vocational course.
My friends Rory and Anita at The Creativity Hub are pretty much the nicest people I know. That’s not entirely surprising considering the work they do in creativity and conflict resolution. I know Rory from a few years ago when he was working in the rehabilitation of prisoners (from our unique political ‘situation’) and I … Continue reading “Steal the Future; Change the World”
My friends Rory and Anita at The Creativity Hub are pretty much the nicest people I know. That’s not entirely surprising considering the work they do in creativity and conflict resolution. I know Rory from a few years ago when he was working in the rehabilitation of prisoners (from our unique political ‘situation’) and I was very glad to re-acquaint myself with him not long after the start of this job – both for work and socially.
Rory introduced me to the concept of “Advanced Civilisation” (which he said is also available on the Internet as Beachhead). It’s something I had used for my creative writing but I had not really considered using it for work-related purposes. I do find now that I use it a lot – that imagination figures heavily in how I want to enact change in the world around me. The secret to achieving things lies in the discovery of great people, not in the funding programmes that are available.
This weekend we will complete the proposal document for StartVI year two and we will be looking for 6 great start-up ideas. We have a much more cohesive programme planned for the 2011 intake, more mentors and a better idea of what can be achieved now that we’ve shown it can work.
I’m also proposing the founding of a new co-working, research based technology centre in Belfast. And a solution to improving the quality of software engineering in Northern Ireland – comprising of a industry-tailored education programme and a community focused technology freeschool. Of course I alone am not qualified to do all of this. That’s why I’ve been looking for great people to help change the world; to steal the future; to get there earlier.
All of this to create a hub of 21st Century Enlightenment.
