Bridge the Gap

Another Apple Convert

I've been holed up recently with my new toy, also known as a MacBook Pro 17" laptop.  Although my ability to push technology's frontiers has meant I have found a way to screw up the vaunted OS X file system, overall the laptop rocks.  (Note: Do not try to manipulate 140 MB image files while running a BT client and several office apps simultaneously - this is apparently too much for even a C2D to handle.) The MacBook Pro is a real dream.  Comfortable, ergonomic keyboard, bright display, extremely easy to use, lots of well thought out features big and small; basically, what one would expect from Apple.  Booting up my old Dell laptop is just painful now.

To make my current technology nirvana even better, I also bought a Nikon 5000 ED scanner. All of my precious frames of film (yes, I still do use film) are in the process of getting digitized.

Now I know you will all say Ed, you are such a technology guy.  How could you still use film when digital cameras are so good nowadays?  The main reason is that Leica optics blow every other 35mm's offerings out of the water, with only Contax/Zeiss coming close.  Nikon and Canon digital cameras produce some beautiful images.  But I will take my Leica's detail and sharpness any day of the week. (Yes, Leica did just come out with a digital M8, but at $4,800 and without a full frame sensor I will save my money.)  Now, I am unfortunately learning that scanned 35mm film has major grain and acuity issues, but the results with a well shot photograph are extremely impressive.  For the others, there are software solutions with which I am experimenting.  I will probably add a digital to the line up sometime in 2007, but for now I still love my Leica.

Anyway, back to my new laptop and scanner. If you don't hear from me for a while, just ping me on Skype and tell me to get out for some fresh air...

The Rise of KPO

Just back from an India trip and laid up with the flu.  Not so bad though, given that Shanghai is beset by tourists and most everyone who lives here is out of town for Chinese New Year.  BTW, 新年快乐 (Happy New Year) to all of you.

The trip was interesting and I was in Bangalore most of the time.  Most of the major technology companies have set up shop there by now.  But I have to say that I was particularly impressed that Siemens and D Link had facilities in Goa, near the beaches I visited last weekend - nothing like being able to go to the beach after a day at the office!

Bangalore is still a sleepy town, but over the course of time it and the rest of the tech centers in India are just going to become more important players in board rooms across the world.  Much has already been written about outsourcing, but this usually refers to business process outsourcing, or BPO.  BPO  is the outsourcing of basic business functions, e.g., support call centers or medical transcription services.  This is a huge industry and India will continue to  lead its aggressive growth.

The other emerging area of outsourcing is knowledge process outsourcing, or KPO.  It is KPO that should be setting off alarm bells in Washington and London (for it is English speaking countries that will be most affected).  KPO involves areas such as financial modeling and writing research reports for Wall Street, doing biotechnology research,  or building advanced databases that can be used, e.g., in managing the hiring process for an HR department - in short advanced business functions that require strong expertise and process knowledge in an area.  India is already the leader in KPO, and as the industry grows ferociously during the next five years, amazingly, India will only become more dominant in KPO. 

Now I don't think that the Bush administration should throw up protectionist barriers to combat this issue; indeed, I think that if they did it would be futile.  However, they need to  understand that every business function that can be done remotely will likely get outsourced within the next decade.  What to do?  The answer is not simple, but has to focus around two areas: 1) aggressively supporting research and services that are geography dependent, much in the same way that the US has to help manufacturers that are geography dependent as it faces the China threat; and 2) fund as much as possible advanced research areas such as nanotechnology and energy research that by their natures cannot be easily outsourced.  Now the US is already doing this (as is the UK) with nanotechnology initiatives.  In addition, in the State of the Union speech earlier, Mr Bush pledged more support for clean energy research.  Now one can argue about definitions - I for one have a problem with nuclear energy being classified as clean, although I do think it is a valid path to develop energy supply - but I do not believe that we can overfund these areas. 

India is well placed with outsourcing picking up steam - and this is a good thing as it is helping thousands if not millions of Indians lead wealthier, more productive lives.  At the same time, the US and other English speaking countries have to move aggressively to provide training and research funding for areas that cannot be outsourced, if they are to retain their dominance in research and development and the service industries.