United States – PCIS Ltd.

We want to build our economy around innovation? Then we have to do something about China

June 4, 2019

With all the controversy of the Green New Deal in the USA, I feel like Canadians (and especially the David Suzuki Foundation) are owed an apology. That, or at least an acknowledgement: Democrats in the US pretty much stole our big idea for the future of our country! What was that idea — or should I say, belief? Very simple: give up our sinful pasts as producers of dirty energy and minerals and find redemption at last through the holy spirit of technological innovation.…

The Pros and Cons of BYOD Program in Schools

August 11, 2015

Thought Leadership

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According to the National Consumers League, on average, children are 12 when they receive their first mobile device. With this early introduction into the daily routine, it’s no wonder they grow addicted to it and become dependent on their device. Not all parents are on the same page but with 56% of children in the US owning a cellphone, it’s inevitable that these devices make their way into schools. Whereas a few years ago, schools had strict policies against kids…

Lenovo climbs mount stupid, plants a flag and takes a selfie.

February 27, 2015

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This is a lesson about greed, bad communications and stupidity. Somewhere deep inside the executive offices of computer giant Lenovo, somebody had an ingenious plan: Let’s extract more money from our customers. To refresh your memory, Lenovo has long been a manufacturer of desktop computers, laptops and other electronics. The company first came to the spotlight when it purchased the laptop (remember ThinkPads? Yes they are still around) division from IBM, phones from Motorola/Google and the latest, the Intel-based server…

What do real estate and dating have in common?

November 26, 2014

Thought Leadership

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As mentioned in the previous post, last week I attended the Data Leadership Summit – http://www.datasummit.ca in Vancouver. It brought together a diverse audience to see speakers from different industries with different perspectives and experiences. In my opinion, there were two presentations which were particularly compelling. One was from real estate brokerage Redfin, the other from the online dating service Plentyoffish. I found it interesting that both shared many common themes. For instance, the level of exaggeration when one describing…

IBM is betting big on Watson

November 12, 2014

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There were two news stories from IBM in regards to Watson last week. The first one was about a partnership between IBM and Twitter. The news release is full of great promises – Analytics Services on Cloud, which should deliver cognitive services in the palm of your hand; predictive analytics; visualization. Between Twitter and Watson, you’ll be able to keep the pulse on the planet. Unleashing Watson’s mind on the endless stream of Tweets, reminds me of a quote from…

An “i” for an IBM

July 22, 2014

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Welcome to this week’s Technology Updates, a vibrant mix of hot topics and future trends. What is Really Happening on the Internet The tragedy of Malaysian flight MH17 is on everybody’s mind. It is impossible to comprehend why anybody would commit such an act. While all parties are quick to point fingers at each other, the simple fact remains – there are close to 300 people dead. The propaganda campaign is raging. To get information from around the world, follow…