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Using Biological Constructs As Metaphors For Developing System Architecture

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Last week I read about a research team at Harvard lead by George Church that encoded Church’s next book in DNA. As the write-up in the Harvard Medical School web page, http://hms.harvard.edu/content/writing-book-dna, said:

“Although George Church’s next book doesn’t hit the shelves until Oct. 2, it has already passed an enviable benchmark: 70 billion copies—roughly triple the sum of the top 100 books of all time.”

A Wall Street Journal write-up by Robert Lee Hotz, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444233104577593291643488120.html?mod=e2tw, quoted Church as pointing out that:

“A device the size of your thumb could store as much information as the whole Internet”

The articles go on to talk about the issues involved with the achievement, for example currently it is only possible to read the information sequentially and both reading and writing is slow, all of which in the end are engineering issues which will be solved over time.

The interesting issue to me is how it is increasingly useful to use biological metaphors to drive thinking about systems design and architecture and in more recent times of course using actual biology itself. And while we use the words, I am not convinced we have thought through all of the implications.

Thoughts On Technology Futures

For the last two year’s I have written, or largely written, the Powertek Corporation, www.powertekcorporation.com, response to a SmartCEO, http://www.smartceo.com/, set of questions associated with where Powertek is positioned technically and what that means to the company. While preparing this year’s, I looked at what I had written in 2011 and by golly, much of what I wrote is still pretty good, so thought I would post it here and then follow up a while later with our new, improved thinking.

A Visit to Cornerstone Christian Church

A few weeks ago, early on a Saturday morning, I found myself at the Cornerstone Christian Church in Richmond, VA, sitting in a chair in the Church social hall. Facing me were perhaps 15 young (and not so young) immigrants from various parts of Sudan.

I had wrestled for perhaps two weeks since I was invited to kick off a two-day seminar on volunteer organizing, trying to figure out what I could offer that would be of value. For each of these immigrants were members of the Lost Boys (or Girls) of Sudan, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Boys_of_Sudan.

The History of Invulnerability

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When I was young I was an avid comic reader, originally obsessive about lots of DC comics like Superman and Batman and later Marvel comics like Spiderman and the Avengers. Today I get to see all of these characters on the movie screen, the aging fanboy I guess I have become, without much regard to the quality of the film.

The last thing that would have occurred to me to think about was the fact that the comics were created by actual people with actual lives and actual concerns and issues.

Last night we went to see The History of Invulnerability by David Bar Katz at the DCJCC. The play focuses on the story of Jerry Siegel, one of the creators of Superman in 1938 along with his artist partner, Joe Shuster.

My Wild and Crazy Week

Once a year, Ellen goes to New York for a book festival for almost a week, like this last week typically leaving Sunday morning and returning Thursday evening.

I will note in passing that when Ellen goes to New York, she takes the bus; when I go, I take the train. One wonders what conclusions can be drawn from this (Gender differences? Political differences? Attitude toward spending money differences?)

Anyway, during that week I am ON MY OWN. Able to do WHATEVER I WANT. Free to do it WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE IT.  Of course, except when I have to go to work, or work on my classes I teach, or this last Sunday except when I am with my younger daughter, Tamar, watching the last two episodes of Game of Thrones for the season.

Reflections on the DOT Headquarters Move

While working on lesson plans for some of the classes I teach, I came across the summary and lessons learned I wrote up after we finished the move of the US Department’s of Transportation headquarters from L’Enfant Plaza to the Navy Yard. It original appeared in Federal Times, I thought some of it might be applicable to other large IT projects and have reprinted it here:

The Department of Transportation Moves to a New Headquarters

Daniel G. Mintz, Chief Information Officer

Department of Transportation

 “We’ve done the impossible and that makes us mighty.”

– Mal, Serenity Captain, Firefly TV Series

The weekend of June 22, the last employee was moved out of the old Department of Transportation headquarters building at L’Enfant Plaza and moved into the new building on the Southeast Federal Center.  That weekend the entire Office of the Secretary, including all of the communications associated with relocating a Cabinet Level Secretary were also moved.

This Year’s Passover Sedar

I have previously posted about the Passover Sedar we hold at our house each year:

https://www.ourownlittlecorner.com/2011/04/10/our-annual-passover-seder/

and

https://www.ourownlittlecorner.com/2011/04/11/our-passover-seder-quotes/

In 2008, one thing we focused on was “We think about from what, to what, and what we have to accomplish to initiate and complete the transition.” This year we want to expand a bit on that: thinking about what risks have to be taken in order to successfully achieve freedom and have to happen to enable people (or communities of people) to take those risks. Perhaps we can consider what implications this has for the current day.

Teaching vs Hosting a Party

In the February 1, 2012, Harvard Business Review, there was an analogy used to discuss the impact of social media on an organization which I thought was pretty useful. Gerry Eberstadt, the CEO and founder… 

Thoughts On Teleworking

I teach a class at the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) about the future of Information Technology.

One of the great things about doing this is how much I learn each semester, I find I always gain much, much more than I bring to the class (pointed out to me by the observant students …).

In a recent discussion thread one of the students had some interesting things to say about telecommuting which I thought deserved a wider audience. So with a tip of the hat to Neelima Jampani …