AT THE CENTER
The electronic newsletter of the
Silicon Valley World Internet Center
Wednesday, October 23, 2003
The Silicon
Valley World Internet Center thanks its Sponsors for their continuing
support:
EXECUTIVE
SPONSORS
Amdocs, Inc. Cable & Wireless
Deutsche Telekom Fujitsu IBM Corporation
SAP Sun Microsystems
KNOWLEDGE
NETWORK PARTNERS
Halleck IC Growth, Inc.
Market Wire Incucomm Xterprise
Past copies
of Newsletters and
Directions
to the Center are available on the Web site.
All programs
are held at the Center unless otherwise noted.
To join our
community, click on this link: http://center.infopoint.com/join.php
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SPECIAL INVITATION:
"GERMAN SPEAKING EUROPE - LOOKING FOR U.S. TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES"
PANEL DISCUSSION & NETWORKING EVENT
SANTA CLARA - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2003
SAN FRANCISCO - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2003
5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. for both venues. Open to the Public.
Not held at the Center. Held at various locations in Santa Clara
and San Francisco.
Further information and registration information below.
*********
SMART ITEMS BUSINESS FORUM
(SIBF) WORKING GROUP: MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2003
"BATTERY-POWERED RADIO NETWORKS FOR INDUSTRIAL
CONTROL: A TECHNOLOGICALLY VIABLE PATH…OR JUST HYPE?"
Invitation only. Further information below.
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POWER PUB: THURSDAY,
NOVEMBER 6, 2003
"BROADBAND WIRELESS: A CHANGING LANDSCAPE"
Pub Masters: Mr. George Sidman, President, Monterey Network Center
& Mr. Les Laky, Co-Founder, Fiber Internet Center
5:00 p.m.: Networking
5:30 p.m.: Pub Exchange
6:30 p.m.: Networking
7:00 p.m.: Pub Closes!
Open to the Public. Fee: $15 (cash or check, payable at the door).
Further information below.
*********
SUMMARY: INTERACTIVE
PANEL DISCUSSION: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2003
"OPEN SOURCE AS THE FOUNDRY FOR AN ECOSYSTEM"
Summary below.
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SUMMARY: POWER PUB: THURSDAY,
OCTOBER 2, 2003
"WORMS AND VIRUSES: HOW SHOULD THE INTERNET
COMMUNITY FIGHT BACK?"
Pub Master: Mr. Ames Cornish, Managing Partner, Montebello Partners
Summary below.
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
"GERMAN SPEAKING EUROPE - LOOKING FOR U.S. TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES"
PANEL DISCUSSION & NETWORKING EVENT
SANTA CLARA - WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2003
SAN FRANCISCO - THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2003
5:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. for both venues. Open to the Public.
Not held at the Center. Held at various locations in Santa Clara
and San Francisco.
Further information and registration information below.
Dr. Susan Duggan, the Center's CEO, would like to bring to your
attention a special announcement for two panel discussions and networking
events offering resources for accelerating your company's development
in the European market. As a special offer, members of the Center's
online community will receive a 20% discount off of the $90 registration
fee at either of the programs.
The panel events will be held in Santa Clara on Wednesday, October
22, and in San Francisco on Thursday, October 23. Susan will be
attending the October 23rd program in San Francisco and hopes to
welcome members of the World Internet Center's community at what
will prove to be enlightening programs.
If you are an innovative U.S. technology company looking for leverage
in the European market, this event will give you the contacts and
perspective on opportunities to accelerate your development. Attendees
will be provided with targeted resources to secure a competitive
advantage as you consider expansion into Europe - a market of 100
million people, representing over a quarter of the EU population.
Learn from the experiences of successful business leaders about:
- Building a brand in the EU
- Avoiding the common pitfalls made by U.S. companies
- Opportunities and challenges in mergers and acquisitions
- Getting your technology transferred within the EU
- Strategic funding for life science companies
- Locating the right partners
- Cash incentives for setting up shop
- Legal and tax considerations
- Finding the right people
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Remember: Members of the Center's online community will receive
a 20% discount off of the $90 registration fee.
To register for the Wednesday, October 22, 2003, event in Santa
Clara, visit: (http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=55712)
To register for the Thursday, October 23, 2003, event in San Francisco,
visit: (http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=55714)
To find more information about the agenda, panel participants,
location and directions, visit: (www.bridgingthewest.org).
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SMART ITEMS BUSINESS
FORUM (SIBF) WORKING GROUP: OCTOBER 27, 2003
"BATTERY-POWERED RADIO NETWORKS FOR INDUSTRIAL CONTROL: A TECHNOLOGICALLY
VIABLE PATH…OR JUST HYPE?"
Invitation only. Further information below.
In the second session in a three-part series on commercial usage
of sensor nets, this Smart Items Business Forum Working Group will
focus on the viability of battery-based, low-powered radios in supporting
communication for industrial control applications within the petroleum
industry.
The academic and industrial research area of Sensor Networks covers
a wide range of technology issues. One outgrowth of this research
is commercial short-range battery-powered radios that can provide
low-bandwidth data streams across multiple nodes of an ad-hoc network.
This technology approach has an obvious contribution when conventional
communication structures are not possible, for example on battlefields
and on the surface of Mars. Some proponents of this technology have
argued that it can greatly reduce the cost of providing data connectivity
in industrial control situations. If data connectivity is substantially
cheaper, then it should open up more sensor and control applications
that can lead to overall process savings, improved reliability,
reduced emissions, and so forth. Around these new control and monitoring
applications new business processes will be needed and new enterprise-scale
applications.
Petroleum processing and distribution is an example of a high
value industry that has processing plants and pipelines spread over
large geographical areas in very harsh environments. The cost of
providing data connectivity is considered very high. This Working
Group session will focus on the technology requirements for out-door
control and monitoring capabilities in the oil industry.
The Working Group will address three major areas:
1. What are the characteristics of modern, current data communication
and industrial control technologies used in refineries and along
pipelines?
- What level of reliability is required and under what operating
conditions?
- What are the minimum and maximum temperature conditions? -
What are the design parameters for electrical noise and lightening
strikes?
- What are the constraints on operating electronic devices in
corrosive and combustible environments?
- Which technologies (e.g. dedicated copper, fiber optic, data-over-power
wiring, or radio) are successfully used for data communication
in these environments?
- What are the approximate costs and limitations of existing
methods?
- What are the regulatory requirements for electronic technology
deployed in these environments?
2. If there were a dramatic cost reduction in providing safe, reliable
data communication for petroleum industry environments, then how
would it be deployed?
- Would it simply replace existing methods in new construction
or would there be new applications with significant economic value?
- What are these potential new control and monitoring applications?
3. What developments of existing sensor net data communications
technology would be needed for deployment in oil industry environments?
- Are short range (~10M), battery-powered radios applicable for
this environment?
- What advantages and drawbacks would come from an ad hoc radio
network approach?
- What are the most promising radio technologies (e.g. Wi-Fi,
BlueTooth, 802.15.4, other)?
We expect to have several contributors from the petroleum industry
- experts in industrial controls - share their knowledge of what
is used today and what the industry needs. Working Group participants
will discuss the viability of current technologies, as well as the
benefits to the petroleum industry resulting from the deployment
of radio-based sensor nets.
Note: In order to keep the discussion focused on potential new
applications and data sources, we will exclude certain relatively
established applications and technologies. For example, applications
of transponders and geographical location and tracking technology
have been covered widely in the marketplace.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
To register for this SIBF Working Group, please submit your name,
title, telephone number, and a short bio to:
Dr. Susan J. Duggan
Chief Executive Officer
Silicon Valley World Internet Center
T: 650.462.9800
E: duggan@worldinternetcenter.com
There is no fee to attend, however, as this in an invitation-only
session limited to 18 participants, the commitment to participate
is strongly requested.
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POWER PUB: THURSDAY,
NOVEMBER 6, 2003
"BROADBAND WIRELESS: A CHANGING LANDSCAPE"
Pub Masters: Mr. George Sidman, President, Monterey Network Center
& Mr. Les Laky, Co-Founder, Fiber Internet Center
5:00 p.m.: Networking
5:30 p.m.: Pub Exchange
6:30 p.m.: Networking
7:00 p.m.: Pub Closes!
Open to the Public. Fee: $15 (cash or check, payable at the door).
The market for wireless -- as an alternative to T1 and Fiber,
and in many cases to DSL and Cable Modem -- is in for quite a boom.
Wireless in the "last mile'" has the potential of rapidly and dramatically
increasing bandwidth to office buildings, residences and hotspots
by providing faster-than-copper wireless multi-point services. Broadband
wireless subscriber revenues will reach around $17 billion in 2005
according IGI. According to Ovum, by 2008, there will be 16 million
lines. The questions heard most often are about using licensed versus
unlicensed frequencies:
- Is security adequate?
- Will wireless at hotspots be free?
Please join our Pub Masters, George Sidman and Les Laky, for a
hot discussion. George Sidman is the President of Monterey Network
Center (http://www.montereynet.net)
and Les Laky is the Co-Founder of the Fiber Internet Center (http://www.fiberinternetcenter.com).
This Power Pub is aimed at the deployment of broadband wireless
systems in both domestic and international markets and the reason
wireless networks represent an attractive business model. The discussion
will specifically address key issues of licensed versus unlicensed
frequencies, the adequacy of wireless security, and whether hotspots
will be free.
ABOUT GEORGE SIDMAN
George Sidman is a proven entrepreneur with a 20 year track record
in launching and growing successful software companies in the information
sciences. In 1984, he founded INLEX, Inc., which quickly became
a leading provider of library automation systems worldwide. He is
the Founder and President of Nousoft, Inc., (1994), a software company
specializing in very large-scale object management technologies.
Mr. Sidman also is the founder of Arista Systems, Inc., (1997),
a venture capital funded distance-learning company.
Currently, he is Founder & President of Monterey Network Center,
a regional web commerce provider. In this capacity, he provides
leadership for company formation and growth, technology development,
marketing, and sales. Mr. Sidman has conducted successful financings
in public and private markets. Among his other accomplishments,
he is a licensed architect and developer of award-winning sports
facilities; and a consultant and public speaker to the information
sciences community. In total, Mr. Sidman has started 7 companies
over the last 25 years, all of which are operating successfully
today.
ABOUT LES LAKY
Les Laky (http://www.leslaky.com)
is the CTO of New Access International, a fixed broadband wireless
service provider with operations in the United States and South
America. He is Co-Founder of the Fiber Internet Center of Palo Alto,
intent on reducing the cost of connecting to the fiber optic network
and upgrading customers to the faster speeds.
Mr. Laky was also one of the founders of MediaCity, a successfully
Palo Alto ISP acquired by SoftNet in 1996. He is a telecom and Nortel
veteran, a pioneer in cable modem technology, and an active participant
and advisor to several start-up ventures as a co-founder of Internet
Inventions. In addition, Mr. Laky is the Keeper of DomainKeep, a
private domain name registration service.
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SUMMARY: INTERACTIVE
PANEL DISCUSSION: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2003
"OPEN SOURCE AS THE FOUNDRY FOR AN ECOSYSTEM"
Summary below.
On October 15, 2003, the World Internet Center welcomed back Mr.
Mark Cathcart, IBM Distinguished Engineer & Member, IBM Academy
of Technology, IBM On Demand Systems Environment Architecture and
Design and Mr. Lawrence Rosen, General Counsel for the Open Source
Initiative (OSI) and Attorney of Rosenlaw.com as key panelists for
the session, "Open Source as the Foundry for an Ecosystem."
Mark Cathcart opened the session with a call to think beyond specific
applications being programmed in open source code to consider the
benefits of social computing which can solve significantly large
problems (e.g., health and societal issues, etc.) Mr. Cathcart noted
that because of the shared objectives between programmers in a social
computing context supported by open source code, programmers go
off and focus on their particular strengths, thus driving invention
and new applications of common technologies across a broad range
of problems and solutions. He was very much encouraged that he is
seeing an emergence of social and welfare wave of computer applications
coming from the very possibility of collaboration through open source
code.
Lawrence Rosen's opening remarks focused on how the law affects
an ecosystem around open source and called for us -- the ones that
create that ecosystem -- to avoid "intellectual chaos." He expressed
a concern that laws are being developed around the world that tend
to protect certain players and prevent effective cooperation in
the open source space.
An active discussion ensued covering several of the key themes
and questions noted below:
- Humanitarianism vs. Big Corporate use of Open Source: what
is the driving force for companies like IBM to support Open Source?
- Increased activity in the Open Source space by people simply
looking for a job
- Are the Big Companies paying into the "milk cow" of the Open
Source community? Or will the "milk cow" soon be dead for lack
of financial resources?
- Are customers really clamoring for open source-developed apps?
- Should the Government be feeding the Open Source Ecosystem?
- Is Microsoft a false enemy to Open Source? If not, why do so
many developers in the Valley still feel "hatred" in their hearts?
- What is motivating developers to keep contributing to Open
Source?
- Who is liable for problems attributed to co-opted Open Source
code?
- Have Open Source licenses been too "floppy" to date?
- Will the only Darwinian survivors be the ones who build proprietary
apps on top of Open Sourced middleware?
To contact either of the panelists, please send your inquiry to
the Center at info@worldinternetcenter.com.
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SUMMARY: POWER PUB:
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2003
"WORMS AND VIRUSES: HOW SHOULD THE INTERNET COMMUNITY FIGHT BACK?"
Pub Master: Mr. Ames Cornish, Managing Partner, Montebello Partners
Summary below.
The first Power Pub was a huge success drawing participation from
HP Labs, SAP Labs, SRI, and many small- and medium-sized businesses.
Many of the 45 participants underlined how much they preferred the
full hour's worth of discussion in the middle of the Pub to focus
on a topic. The townhall-style conversation, led by Pubmaster Ames
Cornish of Montebello Partners, covered a great variety of possible
solutions to the growing cybersecurity breeches caused by worms
and viruses. Mr. Cornish underlined that on average companies spent
$500,000 for fixing problems resulting from the recent Blaster Worm
attack. He also cautioned that motivations for hackers are changing
from just pure challenge to the desire to make money from such viruses
and infiltrations.
The discussion flowed around who should be responsible for the
security of our personal computers and for corporate and government
IT systems. Each time someone pointed to the need for more legislation
from the government, a Pub Participant would counter with an elegant
plea to keep the government away from our personal information.
As one person put it, "No, we don't want the FBI-Carnivore going
through my email to track the bad guy down."
Another participant raised the point that "reasonable and customary
caution" needs to be applied by the user in order for insurance
companies to stand behind any claims arising from the "hijacking"
of information from someone's computer and used for criminal activity.
But even there, few could agree upon what was "reasonable caution"
and few could agree who should be responsible for shoring up this
caution: software vendors? ISPS? the government? individuals? A
fired up participant claimed, "I don't think any amount of government
regulation and oversight is going to solve this problem."
One frustrated participant pointed out that what we have here is
an "unbelievably bad software problem" that vendors are perpetuating
by not holding their development to high standards, allowing for
all sorts of cracks to viruses to worm their way into.
Mr. Cornish wrapped up the lively discussion with four main points,
looking to future movement against this cybersecurity crisis in
the next year. He predicts that we will see a lot more political
pressure placed on governments and vendors. There is a regulatory
trend towards defining breeches against privacy, here in California
(and should be effective elsewhere). He underlined his concern that
we may go too far in regulating cybersecurity and we need to be
vigilant about keeping a balance between protection and the free
flow of data. And he called for us, as individuals, to be more aware
of security issues for our own computers and our own offices, pointing
out that we need to make good choices of software and security measures.
Susan Duggan, the Center's CEO, welcomed the group to stay and
network for the remainder of the Pub. We look forward to having
a similarly stimulating Pub Exchange on Thursday, November 6.
For further information on Ames Cornish, the Pub Master, please
see, below.
ABOUT AMES CORNISH
Ames Cornish leads Montebello Partners (http://montebellopartners.com)
which he founded in 1997 to provide business strategy, Internet
security, and application development services to high-technology
businesses. Clients include Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurial
start-up companies, and venture capital firms.
Mr. Cornish was the founder, Chief Technical Officer, and President
of Vividus Corporation, which was funded by Draper Fisher Jurvetson
in 1991, and acquired by Sunburst Communications in 1997. As the
product visionary, he conceived, designed, and developed Vividus'
award-winning multimedia authoring (Cinemation), web authoring (Web
Workshop), and children's (Amazing Animation) products.
Prior to founding Vividus, Mr. Cornish's roles included managing
the Desktop Presentations marketing group at Apple Computer and
managing the product marketing team for Business Graphics Software
at Hewlett-Packard. Previously, Mr. Cornish worked in corporate
finance at Kidder, Peabody, where he assisted in initial public
offerings for technology companies and invented a debt-for-debt
swap, in which over $100,000,000 was invested.
Mr. Cornish has presented at numerous industry conferences and
appeared on national TV and radio broadcasts. He has been elected
to the board of directors for the Bay Area chapter of Infragard
(http://www.sfbay-infragard.org),
an FBI-sponsored cyber-security organization. He is a member of
the executive council of the Software Development Forum (http://sdforum.org),
Silicon Valley's leading developer organization and is the Founder
and Co-chairman of SDForum's Internet Security and Privacy special
interest group (http://sdforum.org/sigs/security).
Mr. Cornish holds bachelor's and master's degrees in theoretical
physics from Harvard University and an MBA from Stanford University.
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For further information on the Center's Sponsors and Knowledge
Network Partners, visit their Websites:
EXECUTIVE
SPONSORS
Amdocs, Inc. http://www.amdocs.com
Cable & Wireless http://www.cw.com
Deutsche Telekom http://www.dtag.de/english/index.htm
Fujitsu http://www.fujitsu.com
IBM Corporation http://www.ibm.com
SAP http://www.mysap.com
Sun Microsystems http://www.sun.com
KNOWLEDGE
NETWORK PARTNERS
Halleck http://www.halleck.com
IC Growth, Inc. http://www.icgrowth.com
Market Wire http://www.marketwire.com
Incucomm http://www.incucomm.com
Xterprise http://www.xterprise.com
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To join our
community, click on this link: http://center.infopoint.com/join.php
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