Your Personal Information Systems

“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” Nobel Prize winner Herbert Simon.

I have had some disturbing conversations with some people lately that I think reflect they are heading in the wrong direction. They say they are too overwhelmed by the volumes of information that they are receiving. And as a result they are opting out and focusing only on the relevant things that affect them. “Forget about the fire hose and chose only to look at what I am interested in.” I think this is a dangerous and unnecessary step towards being precluded from what happens in the technology and particularly the economic field. This to me is like saying you will no longer participate in the human race. Creating a secondary class of citizens who are unable, and lack the will to participate in an advanced economy that is soon to be upon us.

I think they have misdiagnosed their problem. I think that instead of being tired of the effort necessary to keep up on all of the necessary information required to participate today, their personal Information Systems are failing. The data and information that they are sorting through is too broad and unorganized. Too basic and requires too much manual effort to discern any value from it. What they need is to use their computers to control the flow of information in a way that they can select what is relevant from a variety of sources and choose the most pertinent and highest quality. What I am saying is not simple, and the effort necessary to “build” such a system takes time and effort, but it desperately needs to be done.

In terms of time I have worked to control the flow of information that I need to keep on top of. My Information System has taken me the better part of ten years to put together and it is quite sophisticated. The range of topics that I need to keep on top of include the oil and gas business, the technology marketplace, Oracle’s technologies, the economy, politics, societies demands to name just a few. And we all know the devil is in the details. The amazing thing is I can maintain this domain of knowledge with as little as one and a half hours per day, and no more than two and a half hours per day. Including weekends. I generally know one to two days before the headlines show up on the nightly news. The value of this in my business is immeasurable. In a few years it will be challenged by the flows of informations growth and the importance of it.

So how is it done. Quality is the first criteria in selection. The problem with quality sources is they don't publish regularly so you need a high volume of quality sources. Secondly seek out people who you generally agree with and have a good understanding of their positions. These can be anybody in the public domain. Like minded people are easily found and easily listened to. The next is take an equal amount of people that you have selected that are like minded, and select people who are those that you are diametrically opposed to. People, that you can't stand to listen to or think they are crazy. And listen to them carefully. Understand their point of view. Subscribe to a diverse source of news agencies on a local, national, continental and international basis. Understand your sources, you’ll be receiving the same information from multiple sources. Video is a priority. Will someone have a video presentation of that story then wait for that video. Otherwise select the source that will give you the best perspective on the story.

There are a variety of tools that are available today. Everyone will have their favorites. I use upwards of ten. I never access this on my iPhone, I can’t fit my world into a four inch screen. Some of it can be used on my iPad but most of it comes through my computer. In fact all of can be run through there the easiest.

I think its important that we keep up to date in the world as we progress in what is going to be an important time for mankind. The Internet Age will be the same as the Industrial Revolution in terms of the impact on people. But we have to participate. Opting out now could have consequences that affect your capabilities in the very near future.

The Preliminary Specification provides the oil and gas producer with the most profitable means of oil and gas operations. People, Ideas & Objects Revenue Model specifies the means in which investors can participate in these user defined software developments. Users are welcome to join me here. Together we can begin to meet the future demands for energy. And don't forget to join our network on Twitter @piobiz anyone can contact me at 403-200-2302 or email here. 

JavaScript and Java Applets.

I have expressed my concerns about exposing this applications client side to any JavaScript. JavaScript is unable to carry the freight in such an application as this software development project will demand. JavaScript has traditionally been buggy, non-standard and too functional for its own good. I have changed my mind about potentially using JavaScript on the client. The reason for this change is that I know we may not get there from here. Where there is, is accurately captured in this video.

This video discusses the effect of using small amounts of JavaScript in a browser window, or in our case a Java Web Start application. The upgrade is primarily to do with Java and its Applets, not JavaScript. These changes in Java will be what sets off an entire new revolution of client-side computing. With the applications architecture being Java and JavaFX the users of this application will be provided with an elaborate interface that will establish new paradigm's and methods of user interaction. I think this is just the beginning. Many different directions can be taken on the client side as a result of these technologies and we will see robust, stable and secure client side processing that befits the users of this application. It is therefore time to adjust our thinking regarding JavaScript.

Up until now we had incorporated Google's Widget Toolkit (GWT) to render the necessary JavaScript code from Java. No actual JavaScript was to be hand written and that provides an acceptable level of JavaScript associated risk in the People, Ideas & Objects application. Does leaving the coding of this functionality through GWT still provide us with the types of technologies that are demonstrated in the video? I don't know, as the video was using some technologies that are not generally available today, but the presenter was talking throughout about a Java to JavaScript bridge. Possibly Sun has incorporated many of the same technologies as Google's GWT. Either way these new ideas are employing JavaScript in a very small role that has very limited actual work. (Messaging)

I feel reasonably safe with these technologies such that I am not willing to give up on any of the upside of the associated benefits.

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Filthy Rich Clients

Sun Microsystems have released the "Preview SDK of JavaFX". This is Sun's response to the various development frameworks involved in web based user interfaces. Microsoft's Silverlight, Adobe Flash, and other rich media application frameworks. These frameworks are able to provide what is expected by users when they demand Rich Internet Applications. The best video on the site is SunEVP Rich Green demoing many of the capabilities of this addition to the Java language. (No Link)

JavaFX provides audio, video, 2D and 3D rendering on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). JavaFX provides developers, designers and users with the ability to have the most visually rich interfaces to their applications. In my opinion this is one of the most important developments to the Java language. That is for a variety of reasons but for users of oil and gas ERP styled systems such as People, Ideas & Objects, rich media is critically important.

Just as no one would provide a green screen textual interface to a user today. The time has come for users to demand much more from their systems interface. More information about the actions that are happening of the users interest. What do I mean? Providing subtle hints in audio, visual and textual clues that certain actions are starting, running or completing. Maybe a user is in the Analytic & Statistics Module and wants to know when a complex algorithm is finished. The information is of critical importance to some urgent work been done by the user for an oil and gas producer. But the user also has over 50 other tasks that are overdue for other producers. The system should provide a subtle, but definitive, indication of when the users attention is required over the noise of the other 50 tasks.

Defining the need for this type of interface in the People, Ideas & Objects application modules is difficult to articulate. What I expect to see through the development of these systems is an iterative increase in the productivity of the oil and gas user. Quantum increases over the performance of today. If man can develop their mechanical leverage of one barrel of oil to offset the labor equivalent of 18,000 man hours. We should be able to achieve similar leverage metrics from an intellectual point of view. As much as computers have enabled our lives and increased the productivity of workers, I am certain that I would have concurrence that we have not attained anywhere close to the 18,000 fold increase in leverage that we should expect from computers.

JavaFX is an important component in implementing the systems interface to the level of these expectations.

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I knew this was the right path.

Were traveling down a dark and unknown path in this software development project. Much of what has to be discovered and learned is determined by feel more then any blueprint or map. I think this project is 100% on target to be successful in making the oil and gas producer execute its plan's faster and more innovatively. Today we have some proof that we are in the right place and time to achieve the success we desire.

Some research was carried out on the Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) type of software delivery model. Click on the title of this entry to be taken to the research web page. This article suggests the odds are against us with only a 20% success rate in the SOA business model. It also provides a guide as to what we are doing correctly. And I think a clear understanding of where we need to move to in order to achieve the success that we are expecting.

What are we doing right;

Failed SOA projects get too focused on the means rather than the end. The failure to focus on business goals is a problem and focusing on them is the solution. There is sometimes a failure to ask the most basic questions in building the business case for SOA. Why should we be building services? What does it mean at the end of the day?... While one of the business drivers for SOA is reducing costs and achieving return on investment (ROI), ROI for SOA remains an elusive goal and SOA project leaders frequently take a leap of faith where ROI is concerned.

People, Ideas & Objects is about identifying and supporting the industry standard Joint Operating Committee (JOC). Aligning of its financial, legal, operational decision making and cultural frameworks with the compliance and governance framework. Compliance and governance being the sole domain of the bureaucracy, the separation of operational decision making and compliance and governance is a recipe for disaster. Nonetheless, the stated objective of this software development project is to enable;

"This community, using this software in their own service business offering, will be the method and means that the oil and gas producer will conduct its most profitable commercial operations."

This is not about the technology. It is not about project management. Although this project uses these two disciplines to achieve the stated objective. This is about getting the business of the oil and gas producer in alignment with the rapidly changing earth sciences and engineering disciplines. This alignment facilitates innovation and enables the oil and gas producer to keep pace with the changes in the underlying sciences.

and

1. Business and IT reorganization, usually with a new CIO coming on board
2. Sponsorship at the C-level or by the Board of Directors
3. Agile/iterative development methodologies put into place
4. Projects tied to and measured by business goals, not IT drivers
5. Well-defined funding and maintenance models that balance the needs of service providers and consumers
6. A simplified architecture, making it easier to access and manage quality data
7. A culture of trust between business and IT

Here we have a mixture of opportunities and problems. Item #'s 3, 4, and 6 are in place in my opinion. Item # 1, 2, 5, and 7 are hitting on the one area that has caused this project to struggle, money and trust. This may be a short term problem as the community involved in this software development continues its logarithmic growth in the U.S. I fundamentally mis-trust the companies I highlighted in my review of stock based compensation. These little piggies attempt to steal this project from me during September 2003 and April 2004 has left a bad taste in my mouth. As such I will not miss them. I however am willing to fully participate with the U.S. and British based industries and any other region that wishes to participate. We have much to do, and as you may have guessed, I have a driving passion for this project.

With that in mind I am frankly grateful for this next set of recommendations.

• Define the business cases clearly. If you can’t, don’t do SOA
• Empower those who need to drive the systemic change that SOA requires, typically, with the money and the authority to do something. Else, don’t bother. You need to control the money and be able to fire people if this is to work in a reasonable amount of time. Otherwise, you’re in endless meetings with people who have agendas that don’t include rebuilding the architecture for agility and reuse.
• Think long term and strategic, not short term and tactical. It’s okay; things won’t collapse as you move from a reactive to a proactive mode. Indeed, that’s how companies win their markets.
• Start small, but keep the momentum going. Small battles win the war, and little by little the architecture will get better if you just keep moving the ball forward

I have a fear of the issue that these points intimate. We don't need to follow any blind bunny trails and desperately need to keep the focus and tract of development in-line with the needs of the producers. However, we need the resources to build this project. If as I suggested a few weeks ago the scope of this project might be in the billion dollar range, over probably four years. The smooth application of the financial resources over the life of the project is the obligation of the collective group of project sponsors. This project needs to be managed on a basis that delivers the application with these constraints and difficulties in mind. This I will diligently work toward.

Which leads me to reiterate the value proposition of this software development project. The costs of development are allocated to the producers on a "per barrel of oil / day" basis. These costs are incurred plus a percentage of those costs for the project. The costs therefore are a small percentage of what the license costs of SAP or Oracle. Once the project is released in a commercial offering the costs of supporting and further developments will be handled on the same basis.

This article brings out another point that was assumed but never identified or communicated. The SOA model within an oil and gas company doesn't provide the value an industry focused SOA solution does. Does this mean an SOA denotes that it is an industry focused solution? I think it does and it seems this research indicates that conclusion may be valid.

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