Spechnology

Eric Schmidt, Google's CEO, was in Dubai yesterday and gave a stirring speech at the Global Strategy Conference event. I was reminded of one of his earlier quotes:

"What's surprising is that so many companies are still betting against the 'net, trying to solve today's problems with yesterday's solutions. The past few years have taught us that business models based on controlling consumers or content don't work. Betting against the 'net is foolish because you're betting against human ingenuity and creativity."

One might hope that our telco duopoly here in the Emirates take this to heart and slowly ease up on the excessive censorship of the world wide web.

What's this got to do with 'spechnology' (speculative technology)? An open internet spurs innovation, allows people to dream up new applications, services and products. I was frustrated in an attempt to go deeper into dynamic digital publishing (on-screen magazines with page-flips plus animation and embedded media). But one of the software firms was based in a country not far away, but whose TLD suffix means that it's invisible from where I am.

Staying on this subject for a moment, the January 2007 issue of WindingRoad is available online, with first rate coverage of the kind of cars you only see in Beverly Hills, Miami and... Abu Dhabi.

Okay, back to speculation. What will be the great revelation of the Consumer Electronics Show? Reading the guesses is fun. Will the Optimus Keyboard really be delivered? What about the iPhone?

Here's one that I'd like to see happen. Imagine a HiDef iSight camera mounted elegantly on a support like that of the Artemide Tolomeo desk lamp?