Wonderful article by Jon Udell about publish/subscribe architectures and how they fit in web services and the Internet. Jon's got the rare gift of clear, lucid writing about complex topics.
Weird. Since my earlier post about searching for the next gig, I've gotten phone calls from two current clients wanting my commitment to do another job (including the HP project). Looks like the search will be easier than expected.
Report: Web services a decade away. Cue up Ten Years After's, "I'd Love to Change the World." A market researcher says that it'll be a good, long while before the ultimate promise of Web services is fulfilled. [CNET News.com]
I'm with Dave - I really disagree with CNET and IDC on this topic. We're already starting to see lots of new capability based on web services, and it won't take a decade for app vendors to rebuild or encapsulate their products. Perhaps the bar is too high - we don't need an "ultimate promise" or anything revolutionary, we just need steady adoption of data-layer standards.
But IDC's gotta have something to write about. Enterprise IT is deadly dull right now, so I don't blame them for stirring the pot.
I'm nearing the bust stage of the endless boom-to-bust cycle of the solo worker. My four active projects have dwindled to one, and I can see the end of that one coming soon. Time to dust off the contact list and start some serious networking.
Best prospect is a year-long gig with HP. The work doesn't look too technical, but does include a lot of complicated change management and communications problems. It would be fun to see the inside of a new company, particularly one changing as fast as HP seems to be.
It's also probably time to start the Pervasive Computing weblog.
What a day yesterday turned out to be. First, a run-in with a nasty, spiteful person on one of my projects. Really upsetting. Then, an afternoon golf outing where I play way over my head, shooting 38 on the front nine. Just couldn't miss a putt. Topped it all off with a great World Series game, a nice dinner with friends, and a little too much wine. Today, it's back to reality.
Health Files on Tap for Migrants. Migrant farm workers' medical records often lie scattered among rural clinics like so many seeds in a field. A Web-based record-keeping system intends to put health data at these nomadic patients' fingertips. By Lia Steakley. [Wired News]
This is a *great* idea. Why not do this for everyone? I'd really like to have access to my medical records, and today I don't. And while I'm not a migrant farm worker, my records are also scattered among doctors in 3 states. There's a business opportunity in here somewhere.
