AT THE CENTER
The electronic newsletter of the
Silicon Valley World Internet Center
Tuesday, May 4, 2004
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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POWER PUB TONIGHT!!!: TUESDAY,
APRIL 27, 2004
"NANO-BIO-IT CONVERGENCE: DOES NANOTECHNLOGY
OFFER THE TRULY ULTIMATE BIO-IT INTERFACE?"
Pub Master: Mr. Brock Hinzmann, Technology Navigator & Principal
Consultant, SRI Consulting Business Intelligence
5:00 p.m.: Networking & Registration
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).
Pre-registration is highly encouraged. Registration information
below.
Please Note: This Power Pub will be held in the Cyprus Room
at the Crowne Plaza Cabaña Hotel, 4290 El Camino Real, Palo Alto.
Directions included below.
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THINK TANK SESSION: TUESDAY,
MAY 25, 2004
"CROSS-CULTURAL ISSUES FOR ENTERPRISE-LEVEL
SOFTWARE: THE CHALLENGES OF THE ASIAN MARKETS"
Invitation-only. Further information below.
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SUMMARY POWER PUB:
TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2004
"NANO-BIO-IT CONVERGENCE: DOES NANOTECHNOLOGY
OFFER THE TRULY ULTIMATE BIO-IT INTERFACE?"
Pub Master: Mr. Brock Hinzmann, Technology Navigator & Principal
Consultant, SRI Consulting Business Intelligence
Summary and link below.
********
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: "ARCHSTONE
CONSULTING JOINS THE CENTER AS ITS NEWEST CORPORATE SPONSOR"
Further information below.
********
OF SPECIAL NOTE…
"INDIAN AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE VISITS SILICON VALLEY TO DISCUSS FUTURE
DEVELOPMENT OF INDIA AND ITS HIGH TECH SECTOR"
Summary and links below.
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POWER PUB: TUESDAY,
APRIL 27, 2004
"NANO-BIO-IT CONVERGENCE: DOES NANOTECHNLOGY OFFER THE TRULY ULTIMATE
BIO-IT INTERFACE?"
Pub Master: Mr. Brock Hinzmann, Technology Navigator & Principal
Consultant, SRI Consulting Business Intelligence
5:00 p.m.: Networking & Registration
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).
Pre-registration is highly encouraged.
Registration information below.
Please Note: This Power Pub will be held in the Cyprus Room
at the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel, 4290 El Camino Real, Palo Alto.
The buzz around nanotechnology in Silicon Valley has not dried
up, in spite of delays and debates over definitions and timing.
Does nanotechnology offer the truly ultimate Bio-IT interface? If
so, when will this all come to pass? Nanotechnology has been described
as offering the ultimate interface between biology and information
technologies. Visionaries imagine a pervasive computing environment
in which everything, wet and dry, has sensing, computation, and
communication capabilities built into it. Many questions exist about
how sensors made with nanotechnology will be built and what kind
of new capabilities they will offer. In previous World Internet
Center sessions, the value of having wireless sensor networks built
on nano or any other technology have been discussed and debated.
Advanced biological-computer interfaces may also be desirable, but
questions exist over what is technically possible and commercially
feasible within the timeframe of an attractive investment cycle.
However, the potential creative nano-links with the Valley's biotechnology,
electronics, and IT strengths have only wetted the appetites. Even
so, many investors are struggling to find value in paying for science
projects to discover the links between nanoparticles and biological
organisms or the interface between the nano, the bio, and the macro.
Most of the new investments in nano appear to be going into lowering
the cost of nanoparticle production methods, new tools to figure
out where all those nanoparticles are and to manipulate them, sensors
built from nanoparticles that are highly sensitive and specific
as to which other particles or biological organisms they detect,
and simulation and design software tools. The debate over what happens
when nanoparticles are introduced into the human biological system
and the environment is just beginning.
At this Power Pub, come discuss these questions with Mr. Hinzmann,
the Pub Master for the evening:
- Since electronics researchers can already project they will
be able to stay on the Moore's Law curve for another decade using
well-known conventional technology, and that large electronics
companies are conducting their own nanotechnology research, can
nanoelectronic start-up companies have any commercial impact in
that timeframe?
- Will the concern over the environmental and health impacts
of using nanoparticles slow the development of the technology?
- If nanotechnology really does make it possible to put cheap
sensors, sensor networks, interfaces, and nanoactuators everywhere,
what would be the benefit?
ABOUT BROCK HINZMANN
Brock Hinzmann is the technology navigator and a principal consultant
with SRI Consulting Business Intelligence. Over the past 25 years,
Mr. Hinzmann has worked with hundreds of clients to conduct future
scanning exercises, create future scenarios, conduct business opportunity
searches, and to draw technology road maps. Over the past few years,
his projects have dealt with nanotechnology, fuel cells, advanced
interfaces, robotics, and pervasive computing.
ABOUT SRI CONSULTING BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE
SRI Consulting Business Intelligence (http://www.sric-bi.com)
was formed originally as the Long-Range Planning Service for the
Stanford Research Institute. SRIC-BI specializes in making sense
of the future for its large corporate and government clients around
the world. SRIC-BI is able to customize its consulting projects
by leveraging off the knowledge gained from several syndicated research
programs. Scan® is a subscription-based program that alerts participants
to potential major business impacts that might result from today's
early weak signals of change and works with clients to customize
those implications into actionable ideas. Explorer® is a technology
mapping service that tracks nearly 40 technology areas in nanotechnology,
biotechnology, electronics, IT, energy, and so forth. VALS® is a
consumer market segmentation system that predicts purchasing behavior
based on psychological motivations on end-users.
REGISTRATION & SPECIAL INFORMATION
Pre-registration is highly recommended. There is a $15 fee (cash
or check only) which will be collected at the door. Please make
checks payable to Silicon Valley World Internet Center. To pre-register,
please send your name, title, company name, telephone number, and
email address to:
Ms. Claire Kahrobaie
Manager, Client Services
T: 650.565.8070
E: kahrobaie@worldinternetcenter.com
** Special Note: As a special
welcome to the Center's Pub attendees, the Cabaña Hotel is extending
a discount for post-Pub networking! Please ask to receive a coupon
for a 10% discount off of beverages at the Crowne Plaza Cabaña Palo
Alto's bar applicable the night of the Pub.
DIRECTIONS TO THE CROWNE PLAZA CABANA HOTEL
From Highway 101 - North or South
- Take Highway 101 to San Antonio Road/Los Altos exit.
- Proceed on San Antonio west, approximately 2 miles.
- Turn right on El Camino Real and proceed 1/2 mile.
- Turn left at Dinah's Court stoplight into the Crowne Plaza
Cabaña hotel entrance.
- Parking is available in the front and back of the hotel. Ask
for the Cyprus Room.
From Highway 280 - North or South
- Take Highway 280 to the Page Mill Road exit.
- Proceed on Page Mill east, approximately 3 miles.
- Turn right onto El Camino Real.
- Continue for 1 mile to Dinah's Court stoplight.
- Turn right into the Crowne Plaza Cabaña hotel entrance.
- Parking is available in the front and back of the hotel. Ask
for the Cyprus Room.
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THINK TANK SESSION:
TUESDAY, MAY 25, 2004
"CROSS-CULTURAL ISSUES FOR ENTERPRISE-LEVEL SOFTWARE: THE CHALLENGES
OF THE ASIAN MARKETS"
Invitation-only.
The Silicon Valley World Internet Center is conducting a Think
Tank Session on May 25, 2004, to understand the issues and principles
involved in adapting and engineering enterprise-level software products
for different cultures. This invitation-only session will focus
on considerations for cross-cultural adaptation of software to Asian
markets. The specific focus will be on enterprise-level software
solutions including Employee Self Service applications (ESS), payroll,
timesheets, and other human resource functions. This session is
being sponsored by SAP Research.
The objectives of this session are:
- to understand important aspects of interface design for Asian
markets, identify any pre-existing design guidelines, and determine
hot research areas
- to identify the level of commitment among other large producers
of technology solutions to cross-cultural adaptation; and
- to identify and discuss current best case examples of successful
cross-cultural adaptation of enterprise-level software.
This is an invitation-only Think Tank Session limited to 20 participants.
If you are an expert in the cross-cultural adaptation of enterprise-level
software (including user-interface) and would like to be considered
for participation in this 4-hour, afternoon session on May 25, please
submit your name, title, company affiliation, and bio for consideration
to:
Ms. Claire Kahrobaie
Manager, Client Services
T: 650.565.8070
E: kahrobaie@worldinternetcenter.com
**Please note that
the World Internet Center is not in a position to accept all interested
participants.
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SUMMARY POWER PUB:
TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2004
"NANO-BIO-IT CONVERGENCE: DOES NANOTECHNOLOGY OFFER THE TRULY ULTIMATE
BIO-IT INTERFACE?"
Pub Master: Mr. Brock Hinzmann, Technology Navigator & Principal
Consultant, SRI Consulting Business Intelligence
At the April 27 Power Pub, the Center welcomed 66 participants
to the Crowne Plaza Cabana hotel to discuss the issues surrounding
nano-bio-IT convergence with Pub Master Mr. Brock Hinzmann, Technology
Navigator & Principal Consultant, SRI Consulting Business Intelligence.
The main questions of the evening revolved around whether to use
nanotechnology to extend Moore's Law or to use some nano-bio approach
to create a new paradigm of information technology, and who would
fund either effort. Participants envisioned small companies being
better able to try new approaches than large IT companies because
small companies do not have large financial commitments to Moore's
Law. In addition, since no one knows which of the current research
areas will evolve into major new markets, small companies are more
likely to hit on successes than the big companies seeking guaranteed,
multi-billion-dollar opportunities in existing markets. However,
since most of truly new nanotechnology is a 10- to 15-year investment,
it will be difficult to get venture capitalists to invest in this
area. Small companies that take new, interdisciplinary approaches
to solving current problems or making current processes less costly
and/or more efficient are more likely to receive funding. Rather
than "fabs and labs," it was suggested that the investment value
of nanotechnology will be based on intellectual property.
Although "What's the Killer App?" is always the question that never
seems to get answered, the Pub participants had several ideas for
nano-bio-IT products:
- As the nano-bio-IT convergence expands (sic) and grows, an
entire community of small players, in the form of suppliers, database
and tool designers, and business integrators, will evolve. IT
should be seen as a source of innovation to provide the tools
needed for nano-biotechnology, and vice versa. Computer-aided
design (CAD) tools specialized in nano-bio-IT will be required.
- New types of control mechanisms for nano-bio-IT devices will
be required. A new type of multiplexer-demultiplexer, for transducing
from nano-scales to microscales will likely be required. As an
alternative to conventional programming, new ways of discovering
the internal structure of a lump of "nano-goo" and to program
it to have some kind of settable configurations are being researched
and may prove successful.
- The nano-bio-IT equivalent to microfluidics and a "lab-on-a-chip"
will be a programmable "lab-in-a-cell" that will be able to test
the potential impacts of other technologies on the human cell.
Nano-bio mechanisms inside the cell will be able to look for biological
impacts and send a readable signal of impacts to an output device.
- Creating a new industry out of organic IT, as opposed to inorganic,
silicon-based IT, could become very big. For example, it should
be possible to use DNA as an information storage medium or model
to allow us to store unlimited amounts of information about diseases
on a protein-based biocompatible device, encapsulating tiny machines,
which can be injected into the body to look for diseases and to
signal their presence or to eliminate them automatically.
- One of the big needs to be filled will be to design the information
management software to store, analyze, and make sense of all of
the new data that will supposedly be flowing into the nano-bio-IT
system. If we have information overload today, it will only increase
when every cell is an addressable node in the system.
To view Brock Hinzmann's presentation from the April 27, 2004
Power Pub on "Nano-Bio-IT Convergence: Does Nanotechnology Offer
the Truly Ultimate Bio-IT Interface?":
- Click Here
- Scroll down to the "*April 27, 2004 Power Pub" and select.
- You will see a link to the presentation in PDF format.
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
"ARCHSTONE CONSULTING BOLSTERS QUEST FOR BUSINESS INNOVATION AS
SILICON VALLEY WORLD INTERNET CENTER SPONSOR"
Archstone Consulting's Strategic View Supports Reinvigoration
Of Technology And Business Communities Archstone Consulting (www.archstoneconsulting.com)
has announced its commitment to support innovation in the technology
and business communities through corporate sponsorship of the Silicon
Valley World Internet Center (www.worldinternetcenter.com).
Archstone Consulting joins the eight-year-old, Palo Alto-based innovation
platform as a management consulting industry representative to the
Center's corporate sponsorship program.
Archstone Consulting intends, through its sponsorship of the World
Internet Center, to contribute to the vitality of Silicon Valley's
technology community by leveraging its deep expertise in business
issues that influence innovation in today's economic environment.
"Archstone Consulting believes that the Internet will be a major
factor in the economic recovery, and how businesses advance their
interests," said Eric Schlumpf, principal and global manufacturing
practice leader for Archstone Consulting in San Francisco. "The
Internet is fundamental to success of the Northern California business
community and we look forward to contributing, with our World Internet
Center partners, to its growth as a tool for delivering value to
the business community as a whole."
"Archstone Consulting brings to the World Internet Center a unique
understanding of the business issues that influence innovation,"
said Dr. Susan Duggan, CEO of the Silicon Valley World Internet
Center. "Technologic advancement is intrinsically linked to business
success -- you cannot have one without the other. For that reason,
we are especially pleased to welcome Archstone Consulting and its
contributions to the Center's innovation dialogue."
Archstone Consulting is an independent business strategy and operations
consulting firm specializing in manufacturing, consumer packaged
goods, life sciences and business and consumer services sectors.
Focused on innovation, growth and value, Archstone Consulting's
expertise includes product development, complex manufacturing and
supply chain operations, strategic sourcing and information technology
effectiveness. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, the company
has offices in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.
For additional information, visit the company's Website at www.archstoneconsulting.com.
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OF SPECIAL NOTE…
"INDIAN AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE VISITS SILICON VALLEY TO DISCUSS FUTURE
DEVELOPMENT OF INDIA AND ITS HIGH TECH SECTOR"
On Sunday, April 18, 2004, our Knowledge Network Partner, the Crowne
Plaza Cabana Hotel (http://www.cppaloalto.crowneplaza.com),
hosted the Indian Ambassador-at-Large to the U.S., Dr. Bhishma K.
Agnihotri, for a fascinating discussion of the future development
of India and its high tech sector. Dr. Agnihotri called for individuals
from the Silicon Valley to submit suggestions for how best to develop
the capabilities of the Indian technology economy in the near future.
The Center's CEO, Dr. Susan Duggan, committed to continuing a dialogue
with the ambassador, is looking at what technology sectors in India
could best benefit from an intense exchange of strategic intelligence
with Valley counterparts. Several attendees called for a serious
focus on biotech and nanotechnology markets, noting that India was
well-prepared to "leap frog" into a position of intellectual and
market leadership.
The event was highly supported by India Post (http://www.indiapost.com)
and by TechBiz Radio (http://www.tech-biz-radio.com).
Any suggestions for the development of the Indian technology economy
may be submitted through the World Internet Center (mailto:info@worldinternetcenter.com).
Or for further information, please access the Ambassador-at-Large's
website: (http://www.indianambatlarge.com).
To view a photo of Center CEO Dr. Susan Duggan with Dr. Bhishma
Agnihotri, visit: (http://www.worldinternetcenter.com/Photo_Album/index.html).
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For further information on the Center's Sponsors and Knowledge
Network Partners, visit their Websites:
CORPORATE
SPONSORS
SAP http://www.sap.com/
Archstone Consulting http://www.archstoneconsulting.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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