Failure and bad examples

Nothing is ever a complete failure; it can always serve as a bad example.

Anonymous

Complexity and failure

Complexity increases the possibility of failure.

Anonymous

Immortality through errors

If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.

Anonymous

Bye bye Google wave

Many sources reported the end announced death of Google Wave: among them Dan Nosowitz at Fast company (http://www.fastcompany.com/1677794/google-wave-poorly-understood-and-underused-is-officially-dead), Ryan Paul at Ars Technica (http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2010/08/wave-cancellation-google-gives-up-on-next-gen-messaging.ars), Matthew Ingram at GigaOM (http://gigaom.com/2010/08/04/google-pulls-the-plug-on-google-wave).

Well, is the end of Google in social networking? I don’t think so, but is a big stop for Google on this area.

Of course the Big G is telling that can reuse part of the work done and that is part of company culture to learn from failures.

But a failure like this is difficult to understand, because ruins in part the quite perfect track record held by Google.

It is difficult to explain why those who created Google mail, Google Docs, Google earth and so on where not able to create something usable and appealing.

When I first tried Google wave I really had difficulties to understand what was the real use and potential: this is uncommon in Google applications which are often brilliant examples of “do something and do it well”.

I think the problem could have been in trying to put everything in one place, creating some confusion.

I hope that Google reenters in social networking market with something more attractive and understandable, because can be a good player against Facebook predominance.

This post as a comment at http://www.fastcompany.com/1677794/google-wave-poorly-understood-and-underused-is-officially-dead, at http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2010/08/wave-cancellation-google-gives-up-on-next-gen-messaging.ars?comments=1&p=20685642#comment-20685642 and at http://gigaom.com/2010/08/04/google-pulls-the-plug-on-google-wave/?go_commented=1

Failure and instructions

When all else fails, read the instructions.

Anonymous

Standards failure

When all else fails, lower your standards.

Anonymous

GPS failure and how much we rely on technology

Dan Elliott of Associated Press reported yesterday a news on a problem “[…] that rendered as many as 10,000 U.S. military GPS receivers useless for days is a warning to safeguard a system that enemies would love to disrupt, a defense expert says.  The Air Force has not said how many weapons, planes or other systems were affected or whether any were in use in Iraq or Afghanistan. But the problem, blamed on incompatible software, highlights the military’s reliance on the Global Positioning System and the need to protect technology that has become essential for protecting troops, tracking vehicles and targeting weapons[…]” (full article at http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gp4YJHFW1EXEJiT8apgRFxg7dXwQD9G2DH680).

Greg Grant at Defense Tech commented on this remebering that “[…] 

Yet, earlier this year, Colin Clark at companion site DOD Buzz, reported on public comments by Air Force chief Gen. Norton Schwartz, where he said “GPS signals are particularly vulnerable in time of war since enemies know of the reliance U.S. forces place on its highly accurate signal.” Schwartz said the military must find alternatives to GPS when operating in denied environments because of the system’s vulnerabilities. […]”.

This could make sense, because is not the first time that someone has access to military satellites at different extent (remember talibans intercepting videos from UAV in Afghanistan or brasilian hackers accessing Navy’s satellites with home made dishes).

On the other side, everyone knows (and recent experiments such as the Unmanned X37B prove this) that space is in a way or another the theater to govern in order to obtain a strategic advantage.

What makes me think is how much we are relying on technology for our defense and civilian uses.

Within the years we have shifted from tech as a commodity to tech as a vital need and this is a problem we are not thinking to solve, neither in part neither in a whole.

A system like GPS should be safeguarded as something vital for all mankind and not be seen as a military target.

This post as a comment also at http://defensetech.org/2010/06/02/or-maybe-the-militarys-gps-system-has-been-hacked/

Failure of planning

People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.

Anonymous planner

Why things fail

Failure is more frequently from want of energy than want of capital.

Anonymous

Fail and preparation

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

Anonymous