A Glimpe from the Past and Into the Future

Critical thinking and technology will play a huge role in my life going forward. If it has made this big of an impact on my life already, then I know that it is only going to be more useful to me. Technology has always been something that I use and paid attention to because I remember always wanting the newest phone growing up. When I first got a cellphone it was a flip phone but within three years I had switched phones multiple times because of all the cool new kinds of phones that had been made in the short period of time. Critical thinking on the other hand wasn’t too relevant to me until later in high school. For the most part I would do things just to get it done, I never really took the time to sit back and think about what I was learning and how it could affect me. Now that I am in college, it is kind of the only way you can get through a college course. More and more professors assign homework and projects that make you think critically rather than just going on Google and finding the answer. I think this is really effective because it allows people to learn and apply it in a way they can understand. It allows you to think before you speak and sound more intelligent. Going forward, it is what will get you to the next level. It is not about just knowing the answers but being able to elaborate and learn from it. It also correlates with technology going forward because some people are blind to what is coming. I can even say I was at one point but after taking this class, it has showed me the research you can find on new technology that is to come and how it can affect us as individuals and as a business.

 

To be able to apply critical thinking and the things that I have learned in this class, you must be educated on how to read articles and news you find. You can’t be naïve to everything you see on the internet and you can’t be naïve to think that anything you do on the Internet or phones are private. I actually have seen a change in myself in how I read certain articles or research certain topics. I also see myself being able to join in on conversations more. Not only this class but college itself this year has really had an effect on me. It isn’t about just getting work done so that you can get through the class. It is about actually learning and applying what my professors are giving to me. I want to own my own business and for me to do that I have to be able to apply what I am learning now to the real world. This class has taught me to be successful you must be able to keep up and adjust to change. To be able to do that you must be educated and read with a critical mind. There is not only one perspective, there are many and one of those many may be the one that is one step ahead of your thinking.

 

Although it hasn’t affected me as much as an individual, I know that the constant change in technology will affect me when I start my own business. We have seen the plenty of new technology that has come out just in my lifetime but the advancements in technology in my parents’ generation has become even greater. My parents are pretty into the new and hot product in technology, even my grandparents are but I still have to teach them how to use it. I always hear someone in my family say “give it to one of the kid they will know how to do it.” This is usually true. Technology has advanced so far in my parents and grandparents generation that what they started with was nothing close to what they can use now. My parents didn’t have cell phones growing up or a computer to get there work done on or simply look to their phone for directions or an answer to something. Never would they even imagine a cell phone that you can call people on and see people face to face across the country. It actually scares me a little to think about what is to come when I’m their age or even my grandparent’s age. Honestly the way that my parents have dealt with the changing world of technology was really dependent on us as kids. I think I will have different opportunities though since I have been able to come into a world already with advanced technology and been brought up to work these newer gadgets. To be able to deal with all the change it really just takes experiencing it yourself. Although I may not be able to afford everything new that will come out, there are ways you can experience and learn from that. I’m sure one day I will have kids that will need to teach me things too. Another part of it is not being blind to the changes that are happening. It is good to stay up to date. They say that this generation isn’t traditional and we are being distracted by all this new technology but yea it is true and it is what will take us to the new world of technology and teach us how to be better and find the new hot product that will change someone’s life.

 

I will be 55 in 33 years and I will be 80 in 58 years. This gives the world of technology plenty of time to make some huge changes. Honestly I think it’s really hard to predict what will be going on by the time I am that age. I’ve always believed there will be smart houses which they are in a way working on right now. You can control things in your house from your phone so we are not far away from telling our actual house to do something. Self-driving cars are already being worked on so who knows what might be made by the time I am 50. I do believe there will be some type of hover board involved in getting around places. I also do believe that a lot of jobs will be taken away because robot type machines will be able to do everything for us. Instead of Facetime I even think that a hologram will come up and we will be able to talk to each other that way. I’m hoping that the legal system and the authority of police will be fixed by having machines respond faster to a crime or emergency. This may even help by knowing what the right and wrong thing to do are instead of have the wandering and emotional mind of a human. There are many ways that the world of technology can go, I just hope that it is helpful and doesn’t control our whole lives. I’ve always been the type to put down my phone and technology for a while and just have time to myself or get outside and go for a hike so I will always keep that with me. To position myself in a successful position in my career, I will try and keep up to date with what technology has to offer in the fashion industry and experience things on my own. It is all about being able to use and apply new products and use them to make my business more efficient and successful.

 

Future Technology

Just from the time that I have been alive and could actually use technology it has changed dramatically. I remember telling myself I would never get a touch screen phone because they were too complicated but look at me now with an IPhone. It is almost mandatory to have a touch screen and you are looked at weird if you don’t. Advancement in technology continues to reach new heights. We will eventually have a car that drives itself, drones that deliver pizza, our cellphones keep evolving, and many things to come. The top gift right now is the boards that are powered by a battery powered engine that you stand on and it feels the pressure from your feet to tell it what direction it can go in. Those were a huge advancement when they came out. I personally didn’t buy one because that was the first product in a new market so you know what that means, there’s going to be more and better. They have already talked about a hover board that may come out that actually hovers over the ground. Also how technology has advanced in our own homes. We can control everything from our phones to our lights, locks on the doors, cameras and plenty other things. The next thing to come is going to be a smart house I feel where you can just talk to your house to do something. There are numerous things that are to come and that will impact our lives. This means that I will have to be aware and change my career accordingly. Since I want to be in the fashion industry I will have to keep up with the best way to reach my customers and market to them. Social media has been very impactful for marketing clothes for now but who knows what may be next. Maybe I will make an app for my line or another way to attract to my customers. The future of fashion and technology is being able to wear technology, have fashion shows live streamed during fashion week, 3D printing in fashion, using metadata, and the constant change that will happen due to trends. I will have to adapt to all of these.

 

The Impact of Big Data

With advancements in the Internet and technology, data has become more available to us in ways that sometimes we may even question. Big data has affected the lives of your everyday person and has greatly affected businesses. Businesses can use technology to gain information about their customers and target markets quicker than ever with technology constantly sending updates to businesses and allowing them to connect with their customers, sometimes even a little to often. Although being able to access so much data for useful purposes, our privacy and security is sometimes compromised. Sometimes when we are searching the web and see an advertisement for your school or your local gym, that is because the computer takes your information and tracks what you look up most then places ads in when you are searching the web. You can never believe that anything you put out there on the Internet is private; they may say it is but it is not. There are hackers out there constantly trying to get ahold of this info.

It is important for businesses to use big data because it gives them information on their customers and allows them to keep a relationship with them. If a business can connect with what is trending and what customers are looking for, they can be the first to come up with the newest and biggest product or they can take customers from competitors that aren’t using data efficiently. Businesses can also apply data to their CRM software and marketing strategies for this exact use. Some advantages a company could take use of if they did this would be the ability for visibility of data throughout different departments. If a customer makes a call or change to one department, everyone can use this information to make the change. This will also help identify customer’s needs and provide representatives with more information to present to the customer. They can view contracts, prior pricing, shipping information and even personal information about a customer to make it a more personable experience. There aren’t many downfalls to this software but it doesn’t always integrate well with businesses and can be very costly. This system also allows for change in the company due to the data that is now available and not all businesses can deal with that much change. Lastly the biggest problem is making sure the employees use this data in the right way to keep the company on a successful path.

The World of Advanced Technology

Technology is rapidly growing and will continue to grow to new heights we never believed could happen. There are multiple pros and cons to the world of advanced technology. Businesses that embrace technology and new technological innovations have become strong competitors in the business world. When businesses use social media as a platform and keep their customers up to date, they are more likely to succeed. Businesses that also use the best machinery to create more products become more efficient. The down side to using social media is the personal aspect you lose out on from not having face to face. Also using new up to date machinery takes away jobs. Some other advantages a company can take with advanced technology is the access to information more efficiently to keep their business up to date, the education opportunity that technology gives, and the networking and communication skills it provides. Although the world of advanced technology may seem positive, there are also some downfalls. Technology provides students with more education opportunities but it can also be a huge distraction and take away from face to face communication. The biggest problem is the privacy that can be invaded now that new technology is so ready to use for us. Now that we can Facetime and Skype from our phones, it allows people to have access to information from your phone and it leaves a lot of room for possible invasion of privacy and stolen information.

When most people think of the world of technology they think of a world that is so big and widespread that they can’t keep up but in reality the world of technology is very small. People don’t notice this because they usually don’t care enough to look deeper into it. When you order anything from an IPhone to a computer to the clothes on your back, the world was involved in making each ending product. If you go back and look for the production history of your IPhone or computer, you will be very surprised. Each piece and software and process that goes into producing and getting you your phone have come from all over the world. Many companies use pieces from other companies in different counties to make the best product at the best price to the manufacturer and buyer. One company can’t specialize in every aspect of such a complex product. This makes the world a lot smaller when it comes together so easily to make a product people had no idea is so diverse.

Software Development Methods

There are seven different software development models that all work differently. The seven models are the Waterfall model, V model, Incremental model, RAD model, Agile model, Iteritive model, and the Spiral model. The waterfall model has a waterfall effect from requirements, to design, then implementation, to verification, and ending with maintenance. There are some advantages a business could take use of when using the waterfall model. It is pretty easy to use and understand. Each level has specific tasks that everyone in a business can understand. Each level is completed at one time so you can track where you are. This is mostly used for small projects. It also has its disadvantages. Since you do each level at a time, once it is finished it is hard to go back and change something that doesn’t work. Also the software is created toward the end of the process, which leaves a lot of risk and uncertainty. This model also isn’t ideal for complex, long lasting projects that may be subject to change.

The v model is a model that starts with a business case and ends with its release test. Once you have the business case it then gets its requirements then finds its system specification. After this the system and component are designed then the component is constructed. Once it is constructed it goes through a series of testing then is finally released. The advantages of using this model are that it is easy to use and there are multiple tests that are ran before the coding so there is a better chance for success. It also catches defects early on and is helpful for small projects. There are also some disadvantages. It is not as flexible and since the software is produced through later testing, if changes are made then many other changes in the process have to be changed.

The incremental model starts with a project’s requirements then has three different builds that are designed, developed, tested and implemented. The advantages to this model are that it develops software quickly and early in the cycle so that making changes are easier and cheaper. Since there are three builds, it can be implemented and tested faster and get response from customers. The disadvantages are that it needs a lot of planning and design. The whole end picture has to be seen before you can start the work. It is also more expensive overall.

The RAD model is somewhat similar but instead of three different builds, there are three different teams. Within these teams they have a business model, get the data for the model, process and apply it, then test it and take in turnover. This is all done within 60-90 days. The advantages of this model are that there is reduced development time and the components that are used can be reused if changes are made. This model also encourages customer feedback promptly. The disadvantage of this model is that you must have a very skilled team of developers and designers.

The Agile model has the same concept of choosing a project, then initiating it, then constructing it and working on its release then sending out the release and supporting it then lastly retiring it. This allows customers to be more satisfied because there is constant release of useful software by focusing more on people and interactions. There is a close relationship between the developers and the people to constantly make changes they need. The downfall is that at the beginning of the process you may not know how much work it will actually take because the project can easily go off track if the customer doesn’t know what they want.

The iritative model has the same concept but there is feedback after every step and is highly managed. This allows it to detect defects and receive user feedback on what can be fixed early on and throughout the whole process. This can be costly though because of the extra changes that may need to be made.

The spiral model also has the same concept but risk is highly anticipated and reviewed before the project. This is useful for large and critical projects so it is highly controlled. The downfall is that it is costly and needs people with special expertise. It is also very dependent on the risk analysis.

Each of these models could be applied to business projects depending on what the business needs. Although these models talk about the process to build software, it really is general steps a business can take to take on small and big projects depending on the requirements of the ending goal. It takes a team to analyze the risk, test a theory or product and then implement it.

Newest Features for 2016 Cars

This article gives a list and details of new features that will be added to the changing technology in our cars today. Technology has grown unexpected heights and is only just beginning. Cars have been a platform for new technology to thrive and this article explains to us just why. Some of the new features of the car that we can expect to see are cameras to see all the way around the car that are triggered by the way the car is going. There are also features that will allow the car to start to drive itself since they are working on a self driving car. This feature can change lanes for you, keep you in the lanes, and detect traffic. Another feature is that the cars computer system can sense motion from your hands to manage what you want to do on the screen of your car whether its to turn up the music or answer a call, it is hands off. Another amazing new feature is being able to connect your phone to receive data and open apps that are in your phone, parents can also monitor how fast and how much mileage their kids are using.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2015/12/08/the-hottest-2016-new-car-features/

Although we have seen the self driving cars start to evolve, it is amazing to see what we have to look forward too. Although the teenagers won’t like their parents looking at where they are going, these new features are to make driving easier and safer. There was even an update that allows these luxury sport cars to take video in their car and share it with their friends on social media. Now to me that is a little bit much but hey if you have a car doing all the work for you then why not. These new technological advances are to take away the risk that us as drivers bring to the roads. It will be amazing to experience this but it may take awhile for these advances to reach your everyday cars since mostly luxury cars will have these new features.

Syncfusion Dashboard Platform

Syncfusion Inc., an enterprise development company, has made a platform for business dashboards that creates data visualizations that can be shared through the web or in applications. These dashboards basically take information from the business from any source such as excel and other relational databases and turns them into data visualizations for an executive to see and the employees to be able to make decisions for the company. These visualizations include charts, maps, and grids, that can be joined together or filtered depending on certain data. All of this can be accessed by whomever the company chooses by putting it on the web or sharing git within the business application.

https://adtmag.com/articles/2015/11/18/syncfusion-dashboards.aspx

This is what every business needs. Although many big companies will hire someone that can make sense of all the data that comes into the business’ hands, this kind of dashboard makes everything a lot more understandable. Theres nothing more convenient than having your information in front of you when you need to make a decision that will affect the future of the company. Not only does it update to changing information, but everyone can understand it and access it so it isn’t just one person making the decision but the executive and associates can all understand to make the company better and more efficient.

Bookmark Awards 2016 Entrants

The Bookmark Awards have been extended until November 30 to give Publishers the chance to enter their best work. The Bookmark Awards honor our country’s most creative and impactful digital executions for advertising and published work. There are many different categories that one can win but the Platform category is an important one. This category along with other is based on intranets and internet. The Platform category winner is the one that best communicates a digital message to its current and future clients. Intranets are also very important in these categories because they look for private sites that that are designed for internal business use and they choose the best one. Each winner will have achieved the goal of creative and impactful work through internet, blogs, websites, domains, or intranets.

http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/16/137881.html

I personally have never heard of the Bookmark Awards until now and I think that is really interesting. The internet and what we can access and learn through it is limitless. It only makes sense that we honor the people behind each website and information that it made available to us. Technology and trends are constantly changing so the publishers of this digital work must keep up with that to be able to communicate messages to their customers whether it be available to the public or information for an internal business.

Salesforce Adds New Predictive Analytics to their Marketing Cloud

One of the main goals and drivers for business analytics is to put useful information in the hands of the business owners who can use the information rather than the analytic pros who make models then present them to the business owners. If the business owners are able to better have this information ready and be able to understand it, it can reach the customer more quickly and make better decisions. Salesforce’s CRM announced a Salesforce Marketing Cloud that help’s businesses score and segment their customers in real-time. Marketers can now provide each individual customer with the right program for them almost instantly.

http://www.informationweek.com/big-data/big-data-analytics/salesforce-adds-new-predictive-analytics-to-marketing-cloud/d/d-id/1323201

Salesforce of course has become a huge tool for businesses and has helped businesses grow tremendously. With their new announcement for marketers, it helps growth within Salesforce and their clients. With how fast technology is growing currently, a business has to continue to change to keep up and be successful. This article gave an example that really opened my eyes. When we want to go somewhere now a days, we just put it in our gps on our phone and go. It updates us on traffic and finds multiple routes as you drive. But if you think back, I remember printing out directions from mapquest and once those were printed you couldn’t change it. Same with this new marketing in the cloud, it allows businesses to get information in real-time and adjust to changes.

Having a Digitized Core to Advance in Globalization

Although this article talks a lot about the digital core of a company, it makes some good points for a company to take part in if they were to globalize their business. Many companies are transforming their companies digitally and outsourcing different departments of the business to different companies. Companies are able to reinvent their business through digital globalization. With this, companies can focus on the individual customer and making them feel special. This was the first pressure point that this article focused on, the empowered customer. Each customer wants to feel special. The second pressure point are the competitive and regulatory pressures. This allows companies to stay ahead of the competition. Customers are just one click away from your competitor so you must be able to reach every customer. The third point is globalization. This is important for a company to be relevant and expand into new markets. The last point is technological process. When a business globalizes, they need to be agile enough to compete and innovate.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/the-digitized-core-at-the-heart-of-reimagined-business/

This article is very important to me and what I want to do with my career because in the fashion industry, you have to constantly keep up with trends and make you cusomer feel special. People buy your clothes to feel better about themselves and confident. That is reaching to your customer on a personal level. As a clothing brand, you must make it easy for your customers to browse your website and buy your clothes. I plan to globalize my company one day and see my brand to people around the world. I also plan to manufacture in a different country and ll the pressure points that this article capitalizes on are important to expand.