Dreamforce 2014: Inspiration, Imagination, and Innovation

Organized and hosted by Salesforce, Dreamforce is known as an event on technology innovation.

It was first launched in 2003 with 1,300 attendees. Ten years later, during the 2013 Dreamforce event, 130,000 attended. That’s a 10,000% increase in attendance over a decade.

This year, more people are expected at the Dreamforce 2014 in San Francisco on October 13-16. Attending it for the first time would be me – registered as a member of the Press.

There are many reasons why I got attracted to this year’s Dreamforce event.

First, its organizer, Salesforce has been the talk of the town not only in the barbershops but also among the business circles especially investment advisers and managers.  Salesforce is known for its CRM app that helps companies connect with their customers.  As a result, on average, those that use Salesforce see: +27% increase in sales revenue; +32% increase in lead conversion; +34% increase in customer satisfaction; and +56% faster deployment. I thought that I should explore this further.



Second, 95% of those who previously attended the event highly recommend it. Steven Weber of DeMatteo describes it as “half rock concert and half industry show. Anyone who hasn’t been should absolutely go.”

Third, I see a line-up of Keynote Speakers that include the next President of the United States, former US Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former US Vice President Al Gore, Chairman and CEO of Salesforce.com Mark Benioff, Entrepreneur and Author Anthony Robbins, Chair, President, and Editor-in-Chief of Huffington Post Media Group Arianna Huffington, and other celebrities like Will I. AM and Yelp, Inc. CEO Jeremy Stoppelman.

Fourth, BRUNO MARS is going to the event. He is featured at the Dreamforce Gala & UCSF Benefit Concert. Billboard's 2013 Artist of the Year, Bruno Mars is a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, producer and musician. The 18-time GRAMMY nominee and multi-GRAMMY winner has sold over 130 million singles worldwide. His current album Unorthodox Jukebox and his debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans have a combined certification total of 74-times platinum worldwide. According to Billboard, Mars scored his first five Hot 100 No.1s faster than any male since Elvis Presley. As a singer, songwriter and producer, Mars has an impressive catalog of 22 Hot 100 hits. Mars and his eight-piece band The Hooligans are set to launch the next leg of their sold-out 155-date Moonshine Jungle world tour in the United States this summer.  Incidentally, Bruno Mars is HALF FILIPINO.

Fifth, Dreamforce is supposed to be four days of learning, networking, and a whole lot of fun.  In fact, there will be 1,400 expert-led sessions geared towards different roles and industries. Many are even non-business related: 30 sessions tailored for nonprofits; 15 sessions for higher education; and 60 featured nonprofit and university innovators.  A Keynote address for nonprofits and higher education is also scheduled.

Sixth, it will feature Cloud Expos. I will most likely spend a lot of time there because I want to get hands-on experience and get the most out of Salesforce products and solutions. Obviously, as a newbie, I would like to see live demos and meet face-to-face with more than 350 cloud computing companies showcasing over 1,000 easy-to-integrate solutions. The Showcases include the Product, Customer, and Industry.

Seventh, there will be more than 130,000 attendees who expect to network with other Cloud experts and technology innovators. I intend to do likewise.

Eighth, while other attendees are more than willing to pay $1199 for a Dreamforce Full Conference Pass, I was lucky to have been registered and got the same Pass for FREE as a credentialed member of the Press.

Algoworks went to Dreamforce 2013. They are going to attend it again this year, They describe the conference this way:

“Dreamforce promises a learning experience that can boost how you operate your business, help you create new business connections, provide solutions to problems that you want it sought quickest, and of course lots of fun- all jam packed within a time frame of glorious 4 days.”

San Francisco here I come!

The World’s Largest Innovation Playground*

The International Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2015 will be held on January 6-9, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada otherwise known as Sin City.

For about a score and a few years now, I have been attending this event either as CEO of an IT company or as a credentialed member of the Press. I have witnessed and listened to the Keynote Speeches of Microsoft executives like Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and other CEOs of the largest consumer electronics companies in the world during their heydays.

As a member of the Press, I had the opportunity to interview, converse, discuss, and exchange ideas with CEOs who launched innovative products and new technologies over the years. I hope to do so again this year as I mix it up with other digital players in what has been described as “The World’s Largest Innovation Playground.”

I registered and got confirmation of my Press credentials early. I am done with my flight and hotel reservations. Now I have to plan my schedule in Las Vegas: conferences to attend, sessions to join, booths to visit, CEOs to meet and interview, parties to enjoy, shows to see, friends to meet, and of course, set aside some money to contribute to the Las Vegas economy.

As a columnist for the ASIAN JOURNAL USA that is headquartered in San Diego, California and as a blogger for Google BlogSpot, I always ran a series of articles entitled, “Miracles, Magic, and Mind-Boggling Technologies in the Sin City”.

Recently, I added the word “Mysterious” to make it 4 Ms. In developing the stories, I usually ask the inventors or innovators this question, “Is your product amazing enough to be described as miraculous, magical, mysterious and/or mind-boggling?”

Indeed, many are describable as such. In fact, usually included in my articles are published product reviews which the manufacturers or distributors of the new technologies eagerly anticipate. Of course, sample products are given precisely to test the features and capabilities of the gadgets.

Like in previous years, at least 20,000 of these new technologies will be launched, displayed and/or demonstrated in Las Vegas. Obviously, time and human limitations will prevent me from personally witnessing all the launchings or trying all of them out.

It takes some efficient and effective planning, organizing, and controlling to maximize attendance in a choice event like the International CES. Prioritization would be a key factor. In a place like Las Vegas, in most cases, the priorities of attendees get distracted by temptations to some “unexpected, unavoidable, and unplanned” but justified as being joyful, entertaining, educational and even profitable activities. After all, they say, “What happens in Las Vegas, stays in Las Vegas.”

Fully aware of the circumstances, the CEA which has been efficiently and competently managing the events surrounding the world’s largest innovation playground, developing some methods to assist attendees.

First, there is the CES app, which is a mobile planning tool available for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.

Second, there is the MyCES Planner, which combines planning and logistics into one easy-to-use tool. I have used this program to find exhibitors, sort by location and add personal appointments to make the most of my visit.

Third, CEA staff and management also made sure that you plan the logistics of your experience on-site well. They show you how to obtain food, stow your bags, and even list the phone numbers to call for emergency. They even provide services for the Blind and Deaf. Scooters, wheelchairs and segways are permitted at the Las Vegas Convention Center in lobbies and on the floor for ADA use only.

Fourth, Coat, bag, and suitcases check, even strollers are also available.

Fifth, Security is a primary consideration. The job of protecting more than 150,000 attendees is a gigantic task.

Sixth, Transportation going to and coming from the conventions and conferences is no problem. Shuttle buses are provided for the CEA management.

Most importantly, members of the Press are provided with pressrooms that include all the needed facilities plus food and drinks.

I am arriving in Las Vegas two days earlier. Like in previous years, I am attending events exclusively for the Press. I particularly like hearing the State of the CE Industry both here and in the world as of January 2015. I also like to be an early witness to the unveiling of some of the newest and featured innovative products in 2015.

*For the information of our readers, “The International CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for more than 40 years—the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. And because it is owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the technology trade association representing the $208 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry, it attracts the world’s business leaders and pioneering thinkers to a forum where the industry’s most relevant issues are   addressed.”

AAA: $38-Tablet vs. Poverty

(Continued from Take It From My Barber)

One can store 1,000 pages in 1 megabyte (MB). So, you can store 1,000,000 pages in 1 gigabyte (GB). Theoretically or even practically, you can store at least 32,000,000 pages in the device if you add a 32GB of microSD in the memory slot that is included. The 4GB internal memory could be used for all the built-in features, apps, and other uses.

This means that you can store the entire library both in elementary and high school if you wanted.

Of course, you probably prefer using the memory for other contents such as videos/movies, photos, and music.

UbiSlate 7ci is 7.2 by 4.8 by .4 inches (HWD). It weighs 11.2 ounces and is made of matte black plastic. At the back are helpful labels that show where the headphone jack and the volume buttons are.  A memory slot for a microSD card is provided. A battery is sealed in, and there is a single speaker.

The 800-by-480, 7-inch panel, will disappoint IPAD, Galaxy, Kindle, and Nook users, as expected. Of course, you get what you pay for. For the price, it more than serves the purpose.

In fact, it is quite good when you watch You Tube videos, and even movies from Netflix. It has indeed a very effective media player. Its music player handles MP3, OGG, AAC and WAV music. Its pre-loaded “2160 Super-HD Media Player plays Xvid and DivX video files quite well. No problems hearing loudly all Audio through the headphones. 

The camera can also take great pictures and videos!

Internet connectivity for the Ubislate 7ci is only through WiFi.  It connects to the Internet via 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/h Wi-Fi. There are other more expensive models that allow other connectivity such as 4G or 3G networks. 


This means that if the government intends to subsidize the purchase, assembly, or manufacturing of UbiSlate 7ci, it must also build a national broadband network to connect all schools, government offices, and barangays. This is one Disbursement on Infrastructure that needs acceleration.

Unfortunately, there is no other wireless connectivity – no Bluetooth, GPS, or NFC. For the poor, these fall under “luxury” or “options” momentarily.

The device was first made available in India at the subsidized price of $25 for student use. Perhaps, the Philippines can license the technology and/or subsidize the purchase also for use by students in all the barangays in the Philippines.

Running on Android 4.2.2, apps are available at Datawind’s app store, Google Play, and Amazon’s App Store.  Using the Facebook, LinkedIn and Gmail apps brought no problems.

Battery life is an issue. You can use it for about 2 ½ hours straight. My barber contends that kids should not really use it longer than that anyway. People can adjust! I forgot to say that there are quite a number of games available to tempt kids to play and use the device longer.

For the experienced users of tablets, UbiSlate 7ci is slow. To those who have had no experience and exposure, they would not know the difference. After all, it’s a “little miracle” that could suddenly put them closer if not at par with those who have “more in life”.

Aside from government participation, I suggest that warriors against poverty like the Churches and other similar institutions, charitable organizations, alumni associations in support of their Alma Mater, hometown groups, and other non-profit associations should get involved. Purchasing and distributing them in bulk could go a long way.

If no other tablet is AVAILABLE and no other device can give you ACCESS to data, info, intelligence, knowledge, and education that you can AFFORD, UbiSlate 7ci is the device for you.

That’s AAA for you!

A fly-inspired miniature microphone

Hypersensitive 2-millimeter-wide device could lead to a new generation of miniaturized low-power hearing aids

July 25, 2014

This is a top-side view in a microscope photograph of the biologically inspired microphone. The tiny structure rotates and flaps about the pivots (labeled), producing a voltage across the electrodes (labeled). (Credit: N. Hall/UT Austin)

University of Texas Austin researchers have developed a tiny prototype microphone device that mimics the Ormia ochraceafly’s hearing mechanism. The design may be useful for a new generation of hypersensitive, millimeter-sized, low-power hearing aids.

The yellow-colored Ormia ochracea fly, the inspiration for the design, can pinpoint the location of a chirping cricket with remarkable accuracy because of its freakishly acute hearing, which relies upon a sophisticated sound processing mechanism that really sets it apart from all other known insects.

Described in the journal Applied Physics Letters, from AIP Publishing, the 2-millimeter-wide device uses piezoelectric materials, which turn mechanical strain (from sounds) into electric signals that can be used to stimulate sensors in the inner ear. The use of these materials means that the device requires very little power.

“Synthesizing the special mechanism with piezoelectric readout is a big step forward towards commercialization of the technology,” said Neal Hall, an assistant professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at UT Austin. “Minimizing power consumption is always an important consideration in hearing-aid device technology.

There are military and defense applications as well, and Hall’s work was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). In dark environments, for instance, where visual cues are not available, localizing events using sound may be critical.

Super Evolved Hearing

Humans and other mammals have the ability to pinpoint sound sources because of the finite speed of sound combined with the separation between our ears. The spacing of several centimeters or more creates a slight difference in the time it takes sound waves to hit our ears, which the brain processes perceptually so that we can always experience our settings in surround sound.

Insects generally lack this ability because their bodies are so small that sound waves essentially hit both sides simultaneously. Many insects do detect sound vibrations, but they may rely instead on visual or chemical sensing to find their way through the fights, flights and forages of daily life.

O. ochracea is a notable exception. It can locate the direction of a cricket’s chirp even though its ears are less than 2 mm apart — a separation so slight that the time of arrival difference between its ears is only about four millionths of a second (0.000004 sec).

But the fly has evolved an unusual physiological mechanism to make the most of that tiny difference in time. What happens is in the four millionths of a second between when the sound goes in one ear and when it goes in the other, the sound phase shifts slightly. The fly’s ear has a structure that resembles a tiny teeter-totter seesaw about 1.5 mm long.

Teeter-totters, by their very nature, vibrate such that opposing ends have 180-degree phase difference, so even very small phase differences in incident pressure waves force a mechanical motion that is 180 degrees out of phase with the other end. This effectively amplifies the four-millionths of a second time delay and allows the fly to locate its cricket prey with remarkable accuracy.

Mimicking the Mechanism

The pioneering work in discovering the fly’s unusual hearing mechanism was done by Ronald Miles at Binghamton University and colleagues Ronald Hoy and Daniel Robert, who first described the phase amplification mechanism the fly uses to achieve its directional hearing some 20 years ago. In 2013, Miles, and his colleagues presented a microphone inspired by the fly’s ears.

Inspired by Miles’s prior work, Hall and his graduate students Michael Kuntzman and Donghwan Kim built a miniature pressure-sensitive teeter-totter in silicon that has a flexible beam and integrated piezoelectric materials. The use of piezoelectric materials was their original innovation, and it allowed them to simultaneously measure the flexing and the rotation of the teeter-totter beam. Simultaneously measuring these two vibration modes allowed them to replicate the fly’s special ability to detect sound direction in a device essentially the same size as the fly’s physiology.

This technology may be a boon for many people in the future, since 2 percent of Americans wear hearing aids, but perhaps 10 percent of the population could benefit from wearing one, Hall said.

“Many believe that the major reason for this gap is patient dissatisfaction, he added. “Turning up the gain to hear someone across from you also amplifies all of the surrounding background noise — resembling the sound of a cocktail party.”

The new technology could enable a generation of hearing aids that have intelligent microphones that adaptively focus only on those conversations or sounds that are of interest to the wearer. But before the devices become part of the next generation of hearing aids or smartphones, more design and testing is needed.

Abstract of Applied Physics Letters paper

The parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea has the remarkable ability to locate crickets using audible sound. This ability is, in fact, remarkable as the fly’s hearing mechanism spans only 1.5 mm which is 50× smaller than the wavelength of sound emitted by the cricket. The hearing mechanism is, for all practical purposes, a point in space with no significant interaural time or level differences to draw from. It has been discovered that evolution has empowered the fly with a hearing mechanism that utilizes multiple vibration modes to amplify interaural time and level differences. Here, we present a fully integrated, man-made mimic of the Ormia’s hearing mechanism capable of replicating the remarkable sound localization ability of the special fly. A silicon-micromachined prototype is presented which uses multiple piezoelectric sensing ports to simultaneously transduce two orthogonal vibration modes of the sensing structure, thereby enabling simultaneous measurement of sound pressure and pressure gradient.

references:

Michael L. Kuntzman, Neal Hall, Sound source localization inspired by the ears of the Ormia ochracea, Applied Physics Letters, 2014, DOI: 10.1063/1.4887370