Five Links: Ch Ch Ch Changes

Topics: Google Glass and Wearables, HR Technology, HRExaminer, John Sumser, by John Sumser

Five Links: Ch Ch Ch Changes

This week’s links cobble together insight from a variety of facets. Looking at the progress of digital technology in newsrooms sheds light on our own struggles to absorb new ideas and practices. New kinds of sensors in new kinds of badges open up all sorts of tracking possibilities. A story about the guy who first thought about wearable computing is a great portrait of a real visionary. There is a brewing rejection of technical things and ideas. And, in case you hadn’t noticed, the fundamental lubricator of broken networks is an apology.

  • SocioMetric Badges
    “A sociometric badge (commonly known as a “sociometer”) is a wearable electronic device capable of automatically measuring the amount of face-to-face interaction, conversational time, physical proximity to other people, and physical activity levels using social signals derived from vocal features, body motion, and relative location. We have built several hundred sociometric badges and used them in real organizations to automatically measure individual and collective patterns of behavior, predict human behavior from unconscious social signals, identify social affinity among individuals working in the same team, and enhance social interactions by providing feedback to the users of our system.”
  • The Goat Must Be Fed: Why Digital Tools Are Missing In Most Newsrooms
    Change is hard. Even when you know exactly what you are looking at. Newspapers are hyperadaptive environments that respond flexibly to changes in global, national and local affairs. They can’t get their arms around the digital revolution. Looking at their problems is a good analogy for the insides of most companies today.
  • Meet The Godfather of Wearables
    Whether or not they make inroads in your office, wearable devices will be all around us soon. Here’s a look at the first guy to really wrestle with the problem,. He’s been thinking about and designing wearable devices since the mid eighties. Real visionaries look sort of like this.
  • Punching Nerds In The Face Is Never A Good Thing
    The anti-tech backlash is just getting started. Douglas Rushkoff, our favorite social critic, notices that things are out of hand when comics talk about beating up people wearing GoogleGlass. Something’s Up. “Instead of balking at our widespread suspicions, the leaders of Silicon Valley must begin communicating honestly and effectively about what they hope and dream for. If people are scared of Google’s Glass, of Facebook’s purchase of a virtual reality company or of Twitter’s use of big data, then it’s up to those companies to explain loud and clear how these developments will serve us all.”
  • The Science Of Apologies with Experimental Data
    Apologies are the mechanism we use to restore trust when the network breaks.

Bonus Link

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About the author

John Sumser

John Sumser is a principal analyst for HRExaminer, an independent analyst firm covering HR Technology and the intersection of people, tech, and work. John’s mix of experience over the course of his career gives him a broad and unique perspective on the industry. Like anyone trying to process a lot of information, he is two or three steps ahead in some areas and still learning about others. Sumser’s work includes deep research into the nooks and crannies of HR Technology to identify and explain rapidly evolving trends. Built on a foundation of engineering, design, and philosophy, John’s seeks to understand and advise clients on where their technology works best, for whom, and in what context. Each year, John examines the insides of hundreds of companies, their products, and ecosystems. He delivers vendor analysis by building the framework from which to deliver the critique. He is constantly connecting and making visible the front end of change. He can help you see the path of evolution and the risks on the journey. The HRExaminer is Sumser’s vehicle for understanding and explaining the inner workings of the industry. With three weekly podcasts, and written commentary, he covers emerging ideas, the state of the industry, and the executives who operate it.

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