Monday, January 26, 2009

Travels I think I've firmed up 90% of my schedule for next week's ARC Forum in Orlando. I see by its Website that attendance is up to about 400. Last week it stood at 355 counting everyone (even me). I hope the 45 new people are end users. That ration is lower than usual this year. There are 7 straight hours of press conferences set up by ARC for (I suppose) its sponsors. Rather than fly during the Super Bowl and pay for one more night at a hotel, I'll miss the first one and maybe part of the second. So, I'll just have 6+ hours of sitting Monday afternoon/evening. I've heard from almost half of the companies, and some of them will be announcing new products. Those, I'll be blogging. I also have many interviews with industry executives during the forum. I'll probably see about six hours over the 2.5 days of the actual Forum. We'll see if there is any other news. ODVA is still accepting reservations for its "annual" meeting, also in Orlando, on February 24-26. Visit the organization's Web site for more details. I'll be down there for it, too. And this time, I'll be able to make a side visit to see my son and his family. Will be too busy next week in relation to his schedule to see him. 8:27:29 PM    comment []

Manufacturing is essential I've been reflecting on 2008 and thinking about 2009 this month. This has entailed a bunch of reading and listening (to podcasts). I've seen a couple of Thomas Friedman's syndicated columns where he talks about the infrastructure deterioration in the US and how he hopes that a big chunk of the Washington "bail out" or "stimulus" package is invested into rebuilding our infrastructure. More to the point of manufacturing, albeit obliquely, Nobel winner and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has talked about the bubble economy generated by cheap credit, reduced saving and buying lots of stuff from China. Peter Schiff (an analyst heard on Andrew Horowitz's The Disciplined Investor podcast and also quoted by Doc Searles) complains that we don't save and we don't make things anymore. More and more I hear a rallying cry that we need to get back into the business of manufacturing. I have always believed that wealth is generated by making things. First it was agriculture--and we still need this vital industry even though it doesn't need as many people anymore. Then it was manufacturing--although it also doesn't require as many people anymore. Actually, there was a lot of manufacturing that has always gone hand-in-hand with agriculture. Farmers have almost always needed someone to make tools, plows, and other things to help them do their jobs. I believe that wealth of a society in the end only comes from turning raw materials into usable products. Everything else just shuffles the money around created by people who work. Today's manufacturing just requires many people ("knowledge workers") to make it more effecient. That's where we come in. We need to lift manufacturing into the nation's consciousness. Get Obama to notice us. We need to lobby within our corporate suites to remind them that there is value in making things. The country's health requires it. Oh, yes, and if you don't live in the US, the thoughts still apply to you, too. 7:45:06 PM    comment []

Comments on OPC Eric Murphy of Matrikon and the OPC Exchange Blog sends this cautionary note in response to my post pointing to a new OPC blog. (By the way, he's the second person over the weekend noting a problem commenting on this blog. I'll check into that. I'm using Radio Userland--maybe the first blogging tool. The company almost collapsed years ago and most people moved to WordPress. I've stayed, but I may have to move. Sometime this year when I have time, I'll investigate going over there. I have three other blogs on WordPress including Automation Gear and I like it.)   Randy's new blog is an excellent resource for programmers and developers, but diving right into code would be a daunting task for anyone asking the question 'What is OPC UA?'. The best starting point to answer that question is here on the OPC Foundation site.   The OPC TAC and OPC Exchange blogs also keep abreast of what is happening with OPC UA and how to use it. Those users that are looking for help with developing their own OPC UA applications will be the main audience for Randy's blog. 11:07:04 AM    comment []