Category: Education

Lest we forget; Today’s technology is tomorrow’s antiquity…

Posted on by The Information Badger in AI & Robotics, Education, Uncategorized

The last few days proved thought-provoking. Why? Firstly, the Badger went to a local travelling circus with very low expectations and came away amazed and incredulous! Apart from booking tickets online, the whole show was devoid of any kind of computing technology and it provided an incredible close-up of the raw skills of human beings and the capabilities of their minds and bodies.

Secondly, the Badger visited a local Classic Vehicle rally and was struck by the complete absence of electronics from road vehicles more than 40 years old, and the passion, creativity and ingenuity of owners in keeping their vehicles roadworthy in their original condition.

Thirdly, the Badger met a frail 95-year-old man who is going to the imminent 75th anniversary D-Day commemoration being attended by the Queen and the US President in Portsmouth. This old soldier is physically frail but is mentally sharp as a scalpel! After the commemoration he’s travelling to the Normandy D-day beach he landed on 75 years ago. It’s the first time he’s been back. His first words to the Badger were that he knew his days were numbered, but if his time was up on his journey then he wanted it to be on the beach where so many fellow soldiers and friends lost their lives or were injured. This was a truly inspiring human being. The Badger was humbled.

The old soldier was interested in the Badger’s IT background and so we chatted about computers, electronic gadgets, the internet and future robots for a few minutes. He smiled and said there were things described as ‘new technology’ in his D-Day era too, but he’d learned that when it failed – and it always did at some stage – it was the ingenuity, resilience and teamwork of people that mattered to ‘get the job done’. He quipped that it had always been the case through his life and that he’d learned that ‘today’s technology is quickly tomorrow’s antiquity’.

So, what thought did the circus, the Classic Vehicle rally, and the old soldier provoke in the Badger? Essentially an even deeper realisation that it’s people and not computers, social media, the internet, robots or smart phones that make life worth living! Technology will always have a place supporting human progress, but it must never aspire to be a substitute for the raw dedication, skills, capabilities and human spirit notable above. Obvious perhaps, but worth saying ‘Lest we forget’, – a very apt phrase as the D-Day commemorations loom.

Explaining what’s at the roots of AI to a gardener…

Posted on by The Information Badger in AI & Robotics, Education, Uncategorized

Over a creamy latte in the local Starbucks last week, an academic friend who was struggling with part of his lecture course to students asked the Badger “How would you explain the what’s at the roots of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning to your gardener?”. The Badger just gulped and took the easy option by saying ‘No idea’. Since then, however, the question has been in the Badger’s brain demanding an answer!

Of course, marketing pitches, academic papers, and short readable articles on AI and machine learning (ML) are readily available. One, for example, describing the difference between AI and ML simply is here. But an answer that simply refers to readily available content on the internet would be a cop out, so after much lateral, off the wall thought the Badger decided the answer a gardener might actually relate to involves mathematics!

Mathematics has evolved over thousands of years from simple counting to embrace calculation, measurement, geometry, algebra, trigonometry, logarithms, calculus, statistics and much more as well as today’s increasingly abstract sophistications. Mathematics is always evolving. Mathematical thinking in Alan Turing’s Enigma code cracking era was very different to that of Isaac Newton’s era, which itself was very different to that in the ancient times of Pythagoras or Archimedes. Indeed, mathematical thinking has evolved even further since Turing’s time. Without mathematics and its evolution, we would never convert science into the material inventions that progress humanity. Today’s air and space travel, navigation, communications, manufacturing, banking and investment, MRI scanners in hospitals or indeed Alexa would not exist without mathematics!

So, to explain what’s at the roots of AI and ML to the gardener the Badger decided on the following answer. ‘It’s all about the mathematics. As mathematics advances, so does the panoply of possible inventions available. There’s nothing magical behind it. It’s just the meeting of mathematical advances, science and available technology opening up the possibility of inventions that can benefit people – just like it has for centuries.’

The Badger tested this with his brother-in-law, a self-employed gardener. His reaction? “Who cares. This is ultimately about screwing more money out of me to line someone else’s pocket. If some robot starts tidying my flower beds and taking my livelihood then it’ll see the teeth of my chainsaw pretty quick.” Expletives have been removed. Not quite the reaction expected! Conclusion? Notwithstanding the interesting point about money, the Badger was right to say ‘No idea’ when his academic friend asked the question!

Systems Integration; the downfall of many a plan…

Posted on by The Information Badger in Education, IT Project Management, Systems Integration, Uncategorized

The radio alarm burst into life the other morning. The Badger simply paid no attention and turned over entering that strange dozing state somewhere between asleep and awake. Until, that is, the radio warbled the phrases ‘software’, ‘systems integration’, and ‘new plan’. This triggered a return to full consciousness and instant concentration. The new Crossrail CEO was being interviewed about revised plans to complete one of the largest and most challenging infrastructure programmes in Europe. If you’re unfamiliar with Crossrail then a quick look here, here and here provides context, and you’ll find one of many insights on the delay here .

The Badger listened carefully as the CEO talked about the difficulties regarding the software and systems integration of signalling and train systems. He emphasised that this and the testing of trains running safely through tunnels was at the heart of the revised programme plan. Interestingly, he emphasised a primary focus on ‘Systems Integration’ rather than ‘Contract Management’ going forward. The CEO sounded very knowledgeable, but the Badger couldn’t help feeling a little sad that yet again lessons from past software and IT intensive programmes appear not to have been learned. After all, it’s been known for decades that ‘Systems Integration’ is where the chickens normally come home to roost on major programmes!

Perhaps CityAM’s piece following Crossrail’s March update to the Westminster Public Accounts Committee (PAC) provides an insight to simple reasons underlying Crossrail’s crisis. It sounds like a) politicians were intransigent, b) Crossrail leaders were focused on the politics, contract management and ‘blame games’, c) programme status reporting and assurance mechanisms might have concentrated on the positives, and d) forward-looking risk management and mitigation processes were ineffective. A PAC member apparently said. “It’s incredible, incredible for senior people to sit here and tell me you were not clear this was going to fall over. It was perfectly clear it was going to fall over.” The Badger has uttered similar words many times in his career over the last 35 years! So why don’t lessons get learned, you may well ask? Mainly because of people, egos, political agendas, management and delivery culture, lack of time and an unwillingness to listen. These often conspire to persuade us wrongly that ‘This programme is different and lessons from the past have limited application’.

The radio interview was over within a few minutes and the Badger was reminded of a long- standing nugget of wisdom, namely: ‘System Integration is always where the chickens come home to roost; expect difficulty, plan it well and actively manage and mitigate its risks from the programme’s outset’. The Badger then rolled over and went back to sleep…

The builder and his ‘critical infrastructure’…

Posted on by The Information Badger in Digital devices and the environment, Education, Privacy and Surveillance, Security, Uncategorized

Chatting to a self-employed builder working on a neighbour’s property last week proved interesting. The guy works very hard, but readily admits he’s a slave to his smart phone whenever it rings, buzzes, beeps or its screen flashes. He always responds to these triggers regardless of whether he’s up a ladder, laying bricks or digging a trench. The builder says his smart phone apps are as essential to him as the physical tools of his trade. He laments this but says it’s a necessity if he’s to make his living.

Conversation somehow moved onto online security and privacy. The builder said he’s read about this in his ubiquitous tabloid newspaper, but never pays attention to things like password advice. When asked why not, he simply said ‘because I’m a builder. I just want my day to day life to be as easy as possible’. The builder has used the same password for everything for years! He saw the Badger flinch and frown, and just said ‘With all this AI and driverless cars malarkey, this security gubbins must have been sorted so it’s obviously safe to run my life with one password’. Oh dear!

If the builder’s thinking typifies that of the average person then we should worry about the depth of security and privacy awareness! In 2019, ~55% of British firms reported cyber-attacks (up from 40% a year ago). There have been more cyber-attacks on ‘critical infrastructure’, and Facebook has hoovered up 15 million email address books without permission! The online revolution of recent decades has certainly unlocked Pandora’s box. The builder recognises this but just says: ‘The Genie’s out of the bottle and can’t be put back in, so I’ll just carry on as-is with what works for me’. Oh dear!

The Badger realised two things from the conversation. First, there’s lots more to do to counter security and privacy ambivalence and educate people on the subject. Second, the smart phone in your hand is your ‘critical infrastructure’ and you must treat it as such. To prove the point, try not using it for a few days, like Badger did this last week. Yes, it’s difficult and strange at first, but you adapt surprisingly easily to overcome inconveniences.

Today the Badger and the builder chatted again. The builder has a new phone, a basic one providing just voice and SMS. Why? Because he lost his old one. He thinks he dropped it in a trench and poured concrete over it. He doesn’t miss it because he’s realised all he really needs from his ‘critical infrastructure’ is voice and SMS. Unfortunately, this has made him even more ambivalent about online security, privacy and passwords. Some people will never learn…

Meetings; beware of the HIPPO and the Abilene Paradox!

Posted on by The Information Badger in Education, IT Project Management, Uncategorized

The Badger’s niece has recently been rewarded for her hard work with a promotion. She’s very pleased, but it was obvious over a recent coffee that her job satisfaction is reducing. Why? Perhaps just because she’s in a male dominated organisation? No. It’s because she’s now operating at a level in her organisation where the volume of meetings and the seniority of their attendees has dramatically risen and encroached on her time for ‘real productive work’. She’s adjusting, but feeling a little intimidated and frustrated. She asked the Badger what he’d learned about meetings during his career. The Badger spluttered in his coffee, and then communicated the following.

First, some meetings – face to face, conference calls etc – are a necessity in any organisation. Most, however, have too many attendees and hangers-on, are poorly managed, and are rituals or ego massages rather than truly useful events. Before attending, always ask yourself two questions; ‘Is this meeting absolutely necessary?’ and ‘Is it of real benefit to me to attend?’. If the answer’s No, don’t attend.

Second, decisions taken in or after more than 75% of meetings will be in line with the HIPPO – the HIghest Paid Persons Opinion! The reason has its roots in psychology, and even the BBC has written about the HIPPO! So, in meetings or conference calls, do two things…know who the HIPPO is, and don’t be frightened to challenge the HIPPO with your own opinion. The best senior people listen and welcome input from others. They know they don’t have a monopoly in being right.

Third, learn about the Abilene Paradox (e.g. see here and here) whereby a group makes a collective decision that’s contrary to the thoughts and feelings of each person in that group. It happens because humans have a natural aversion to going against the perceived feelings of a group. Individuals don’t, therefore, speak up for fear of rocking the boat. If no one speaks up the group decision can be at odds with the view and desire of every individual in the group. Over the years the Badger’s seen this happen with ‘Go-Live’ decision meetings, often with disastrous results! So, always say what you think in meetings; don’t be intimidated by the presence of others more senior than yourself – it’s okay to go against the herd.

The Badger’s niece perked up and bought a second round of coffees! We chatted some more about the people behaviour aspects of meetings. She eventually departed with a big grin, saying she intended to ‘shake up’ the next meeting she was in. Great stuff! The Badger just hopes his niece’s organisation is ready for the whirlwind that’s been unleashed…

It’s people that innovate…

Posted on by The Information Badger in Education, Innovation, Uncategorized

Tim Harper, a serial nanotechnology entrepreneur, recently wrote a great article on ‘Seven rules for nanotech innovation’ for Physics World, an Institute of Physics publication. Sadly, you can’t read it online unless you’re a member. What struck the Badger from reading the article was two things; first, just how closely Tim’s points aligned with the Badger’s experience in IT services, and second that innovation comes from people with belief, determination and resilience in the face of the indifference of others. Corporations per se don’t innovate, but the individuals within them do!

Of course, it’s corporations that benefit from the ideas of their employees, especially when there’s an internal culture that truly encourages creativity and innovation. Often, however, that internal culture is absent, and talented, hard-working employees become frustrated or apathetic about progressing their ideas, and some leave to take their chances as an entrepreneur in the big wide world.

Corporations must continuously innovate in the digital world (e.g. see this from McKinsey) and most in IT services say the right things, have innovation champions, have extensive internal processes to capture and evaluate ideas, and have budget to nurture ideas with potential. Processes and controls are a necessity for any commercial enterprise, but these processes are too often bureaucratic, cumbersome, and slow, which discourages busy people from engaging with them. The Badger’s seen few true innovations come to fruition through such machinery; most ideas seem to stall in the process with people wondering why they bothered!

So, what do you do if your ideas are getting nowhere? Be hard on yourself and re-evaluate your idea ruthlessly and objectively. We can all be blinkered about our ideas, so remember it’s ‘the market’ that comes first not the science or technology. Will your idea really have commercial usefulness and, if so, in what market? Who’ll use it, pay for it and why? If you’re unclear on this then it may be why you’re encountering indifference and getting nowhere.

If, however, you’ve clear answers, then you may just be mired in slow, dogmatic corporate bureaucracy which is at odds with a truly creative and innovation-centred culture. If your passion for your idea is overwhelming and your frustration high then you may be at a career crossroads. Do you leave for a dynamic, smaller company hungry for new ideas to fuel growth, or do you plunge into the uncertain world of becoming an entrepreneur? Only you can make such judgements. If you do, then do so knowing that  it’s people that innovate, most innovation originates in smaller companies or start-ups, and that most of these are eventually bought by bigger companies! Your job satisfaction could soar, and you could make your fortune far sooner than with a corporate. One final point. Be confident in yourself and never stifle your creativity. After all, your ideas are just as valid as anyone else’s…

Digital Transformation – is it really a new concept?

Posted on by The Information Badger in AI & Robotics, Digital Transformation, Education, IT Project Management, Uncategorized

The Badger can’t help but roll his eyes when he sees the phrase ‘Digital Transformation’. Of course, strategists, marketeers, consultants, media people, and researchers all need a convenient label for their visioneering or to sell their wares, but you’d think from its use in recent years that ‘Digital Transformation’ is a new phenomenon. Not so. At least in the Badger’s opinion which, admittedly, is influenced by a tendency to cut through flimflam and look at realities under the covers. If ‘Digital Transformation’ embraces putting digital technology into an enterprise changing the way it operates and delivers to its customers, then it’s been going on for at least 40 years! Why this view? Because since joining the IT industry everything the Badger’s been involved in entailed delivery that transformed enterprises and the way things worked.

A recent interview by Computer Weekly with Mark Gray, Director of Digital Transformation at the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) illustrates the Badger’s point and also provides an insight to the vision, leadership and complexity involved in keeping an organisation modern, relevant and effective. CPS’s core case management system, built and hosted in a data centre 17 years ago, is apparently on track to complete migration to the cloud in the next quarter. A significant moment indeed, especially as the Badger was at the time a senior leader in the company that built and delivered the CPS’s case management system all those years ago! It was a very significant achievement for all concerned, and it was transformational for the CPS. It was a ‘Digital Transformation’ embracing the technology available at that time. It was just as fundamental then as the CPS’s transformative moves with technology are now.

So ‘Digital Transformation’ isn’t new. It’s been at the heart of keeping organisations modern, relevant, efficient and competitive – all things that leaders must focus on – for decades. If there’s been something new in recent years, it’s that leaders are dealing with ever speedier cycles of change in a world being disrupted by many forces – technology advancement is just one. Accordingly, there’s no scope for leadership complacency these days if an organisation wants to survive and remain relevant to their customers.

So good luck with completing the whole CPS transformation programme successfully, Mr Gray. No doubt the necessary culture changes and revised working practices are as much a challenge as the technology, but just think…it’ll all have to transform again in a few years time when the robots finally take over!

So, you want to be a project manager…

Posted on by The Information Badger in Education, IT Project Management, Uncategorized

A young builder working on a Badger property happened to say that he ultimately aspired to be a specialist construction project manager (PM). This made the Badger wonder if young IT PMs realised the full breadth of attributes needed to succeed in project management.

The Badger remembers attending his first internal project management course many years ago. The course leaders were company seniors and a 10-minute opening address was given by the CEO. He made two points that made a lasting impression. First, he wrote 1×5=4, 2×5=10, 3×5=15 up to 10×5=50 on a flipchart. He then turned to the course attendees who, horrified that the boss could make such a mistake, pointed out that 1×5 is 5 not 4! The CEO grinned. His mistake was deliberate to make the point that in the real world you’re rarely congratulated for the 9 out of 10 things you get right, but you’re always criticized for the one thing you do wrong. He said if you can’t cope with that, don’t be a project manager!
Second, he presented a question regarding two project managers who’d each run three projects. The first PM ran two successfully but failed with their last project.

The second failed with their first two but succeeded with their last one. Which was the best PM? Everyone plumped for the first one. The CEO grinned and made his point; namely, to remember that you’re only as good as your last project, and if you can’t cope with that then don’t be a project manager!

Wise and very apt words in the Badger’s experience. It’s also the Badger’s experience that it takes more than PM process knowledge or APM or PMI accreditation to be a good project manager. The right human attributes are crucial too. The best PMs have complex personalities and inner strengths. They’re focused, assertive, directional, objective, decisive, and action-oriented individuals who are empathetic but firm with their team and their client. Their actions build respect and they take responsibility. They’re rational, natural problem solvers, astute, calm under pressure, and politically, technically, commercially and financially savvy. They’re tough, resilient, analytical, forward-looking with a nose for trends and threats, and at least 7 out of 10 decisions they make are good ones. People with all these attributes are rare beasts!

So, if you want to be a PM think carefully whether you’ve the right personal attributes for the role. But don’t be unduly put off, because you don’t know what you’re capable off until you try! Afterall, the buzz from shaking the client’s hand on a successful delivery is second to none, and the pride that goes with seeing the results of your management in use for years – or sometimes decades – is awesome and will never leave you.

Smart meters & devices – How much do you value your privacy at home?

Posted on by The Information Badger in Digital devices and the environment, Education, Internet of Things, Privacy and Surveillance, Security

The UK’s Smart Meter programme continues make the press, see here for example. Things are unsurprisingly late. Consumers, who’re paying for the £11bn programme through current energy bills, can apparently expect savings of less than £1 a week on bills by 2030. The utility companies haven’t been particularly consumer friendly in their rollouts. There’s been lots of pressure tactics applied to get consumers to accept a Smart Meter installation. Indeed, the best energy deals today mean a consumer must accept having a Smart Meter. The Badger has proudly resisted and doesn’t have one!

Why? Doesn’t the Badger want to save money or the planet? Is it because the Badger is intimidated by modern technology? Or is it just the Badger’s a dinosaur and resistant to change? Good questions. The Badger’s very pragmatic and objective, very technology, environment, and budget aware, and very conscious of how tech is transforming society, so what’s the real reason for not having a Smart Meter? Simple. The Badger values his privacy.

Smart Meters and other smart devices in your home provide granular data that can be analysed to determine what you do inside your home. That’s nectar to organisations and marketing companies who, let’s face it, employ expert lawyers to ensure they can maximise their benefit from the data they capture from you and your home. Articles from Bloomberg and the Daily Mail are worth a read. They reinforce that we must not be naïve when it comes to how such data is used.

The Badger is an advocate of ‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’. Smart Meters and smart devices encroach on that being the case. Unlike twenty years ago, today’s smart technology means you no longer really have privacy in your own home. Others will pooh-pooh that statement and assert legal protections are in place, but should you trust that’s proven to be the case with the companies involved? Hmm. The only safe way of keeping what you do within your home private is not to have Smart Meters or devices like those in the Bloomberg article in the home in the first place.

So, there you have it. The Badger values privacy within his home way above any future saving of £1 a week – a loaf of bread – in energy bills. In fact, the Badger’s significantly reduced home energy bills without a Smart Meter and still remains an advocate for technology that preserves individual rights, freedoms and brings real benefit to society. Does the case for the UK Smart Meter programme really stack up? Views differ. All the Badger knows is that ‘the Badgers home is his castle’. Smart inanimate interlopers will be resisted until privacy within the home can be guaranteed…

Privacy & data protection education doesn’t auger well for social media goliaths…

Posted on by The Information Badger in Education, Privacy and Surveillance, Security, Uncategorized

In the last 20 years ‘data’ has exploded. It’s gone from scarcity to abundance and today it’s easy to store and continues to accumulate exponentially. Businesses now use clever data analytic applications to improve their operations, knowledge of their customers, their products and services, and their positioning in the markets they focus on. Data has, of course, always been important in the business world. Indeed, businesses have closely guarded their data for decades, because if they didn’t competitors will put them out of business!

So, if businesses guard their data so closely, why haven’t many of us been so good at guarding our own on the internet and social media? Simple. Way back, we were attracted to the fact that email and social network services were free. At the time we either didn’t think about issues of privacy and protection, or we ignored them. In addition, the service providers didn’t make it very easy to understand how they would use the data gathered when we used our accounts.

Things have of course moved on. We’ve become less naïve, more circumspect and better aware of the darker and negative aspects of the internet and social media. Today we have a better understanding of the importance of online privacy, security and data protection, and politicians are more focused and adept at challenging the morals, ethics, and legal obligations of the goliath companies involved. The Badger, however, finds it quite sobering that debates raged ten years ago on whether user privacy, online security and data protection should be taught in UK schools (see here, for example), but it’s really the last three years or so in which the subject has gained momentum (see, for example, here, here and here). That’s very encouraging, but of course long overdue given that anyone born in the last twenty years has grown up with the internet and social media as core utilities in their life.

TechMarketView’s Richard Holway believes social media has reached a peak. The Badger agrees. Why? Because youngsters going through education today will be more knowledgeable about privacy and the value of their information. They are likely to be less fickle and more careful, and this surely doesn’t auger well for the social media giants. With regulation on the horizon, and ever more circumspect users, it’s hard not to conclude that the future for social media companies is less rosy than the past. Facebook’s just celebrated it’s 15th birthday. Impressive! But times they are a’changin…