- Pembroke College,
Cambridge
CB2 1RF - +44 (0)1223 338100
Jeff Patmore
University of Cambridge, Pembroke College, Department Member
- Jeff is an innovator and mentor. During his 30+ years in management he worked in both the United Kingdom and the Unit... moreJeff is an innovator and mentor. During his 30+ years in management he worked in both the United Kingdom and the United States ( Massachusetts & San Francisco Bay Area ) and was responsible for several key developments in on-line communication, the Internet and Broadband.
He is a member of Pembroke College Cambridge and holds Industrial Fellowships in both the Engineering Design Centre and the Electric Carbon Nanomaterials Group, at the University of Cambridge.
Jeff is also the author of many articles and research papers on how people adapt and use new technologies.edit
UK industry has made some significant improvements in the management of creativity and innovation over the last decade but there are problems in the overall process that still persist. In ICT, we have found that a truly multidisciplinary... more
UK industry has made some significant improvements in the management of creativity and innovation over the last decade but there are problems in the overall process that still persist. In ICT, we have found that a truly multidisciplinary approach will greatly enhance the way in which creative and innovative teams work. However, experience has also shown that to gain real benefit this must involve integration into and within teams and not just ‘lip service’ to the idea.
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Modern technology has made great changes to the way businesses work. In particular, business meetings no longer need to be held face-to-face. People from distant locations can communicate through technology, rather than wasting hours or... more
Modern technology has made great changes to the way businesses work. In particular, business meetings no longer need to be held face-to-face. People from distant locations can communicate through technology, rather than wasting hours or even days in travelling. But are distributed meetings effective?
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Designing Internet services with high usability and accessibility requires that we understand how our end users view the world and more importantly how these views affect their behaviour.
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Research Interests: Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Reference, and 13 moreCarbon Nanotubes, Carbon Nanotube, Nanotechnology, Energy efficiency, Advanced Functional Materials, Physical sciences, Material, CHEMICAL SCIENCES, Energy Efficiency, Conductors, Database, Electrical Conductors, and Nanotube Fibres
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Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene, with their unique mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical, and wettability properties, are very effective fillers for many types of composites. Recently, a number of studies have shown that CNTs and... more
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene, with their unique mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical, and wettability properties, are very effective fillers for many types of composites. Recently, a number of studies have shown that CNTs and graphene may be integrated into wood–plastic composites (WPCs) and natural-fibre-reinforced polymer composites (NFPCs) to improve the existing performance of the WPCs/NFPCs as well as enabling their use in completely new areas of engineering. The following review analyses the results of the studies presented to date, from which it can be seen that that inclusion of CNTs/graphene may indeed improve the mechanical properties of the WPCs/NFPCs, while increasing their thermal conductivity, making them electroconductive, more photostable, less sensitive to water absorption, less flammable, and more thermally stable. This study indicates that the composition and methods of manufacturing of hybrid WPCs/NFPCs vary significantly between the samples, with a c...
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ABSTRACT
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Cable TV networks will pass 17 million homes in the UK by early next century. Reliability has improved dramatically in recent years due to the widespread introduction of fibre into the network. Possibly the biggest attraction of cable is... more
Cable TV networks will pass 17 million homes in the UK by early next century. Reliability has improved dramatically in recent years due to the widespread introduction of fibre into the network. Possibly the biggest attraction of cable is the enormous bandwidth that is available, together with its high degree of flexibility. This flexibility can be utilised to accommodate new
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Research Interests: Demography, Climate Change, Decision Making, Government, Politics, and 15 moreResource Allocation, Population Dynamics, Multidisciplinary, Policy making, Humans, Inventions, Horizon Scanning, Life Expectancy, PLoS one, Private Sector, Conservation of Natural Resources, Environment, Delphi Technique, Public Policy, and Delivery of Health Care
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Current studies of carbon nanotubes have enabled both new electronic applications and improvements to the performance of existing ones. Manufacturing of macroscopic electronic components with this material generally involves the use of... more
Current studies of carbon nanotubes have enabled both new electronic applications and improvements to the performance of existing ones. Manufacturing of macroscopic electronic components with this material generally involves the use of printed electronic methods, which must use carbon nanotube (CNT) powders. However, in recent years, it has been shown that the use of ready-made self-standing macroscopic CNT assemblies could have considerable potential in the future development of electronic components. Two examples of these are spun carbon nanotube fibers and CNT films. The following paper considers whether these spun materials may replace printed electronic CNT elements in all applications. To enable the investigation of this question some practical experiments were undertaken. They included the formation of smart textile elements, flexible and transparent components, and structural electronic devices. By taking this approach it has been possible to show that CNT fibres and films a...
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Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene, with their unique mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical, and wettability properties, are very effective fillers for many types of composites. Recently, a number of studies have shown that CNTs and... more
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene, with their unique mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical, and wettability properties, are very effective fillers for many types of composites. Recently, a number of studies have shown that CNTs and graphene may be integrated into wood–plastic composites (WPCs) and natural-fibre-reinforced polymer composites (NFPCs) to improve the ex- isting performance of the WPCs/NFPCs as well as enabling their use in completely new areas of engineering. The following review analyses the results of the studies presented to date, from which it can be seen that that inclusion of CNTs/graphene may indeed improve the mechanical properties of the WPCs/NFPCs, while increasing their thermal conductivity, making them electroconductive, more photostable, less sensitive to water absorption, less flammable, and more thermally stable. This study indicates that the composition and methods of manufacturing of hybrid WPCs/NFPCs vary significantly between the samples, with a consequent impact on the level of improvement of specific properties. This review also shows that the incorporation of CNTs/graphene may enable new applications of WPCs/NFPCs, such as solar thermal energy storage devices, electromagnetic shielding, antistatic packaging, sensors, and heaters. Finally, this paper recognises key challenges in the study area, and proposes future work.
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Executive Summary Modern technology has made great changes to the way businesses work. In particular, business meetings no longer need to be held face-to-face. People from distant locations can communicate through technology, rather than... more
Executive Summary Modern technology has made great changes to the way businesses work. In particular, business meetings no longer need to be held face-to-face. People from distant locations can communicate through technology, rather than wasting hours or even days in travelling. But are distributed meetings effective? This report investigates the factors that make a distributed meeting more, or less, effective and makes recommendations about how to improve them. The study investigated both factors to do with the Technology and those associated with the People. It reviewed current literature on the subject, interviewed experts and experienced professionals, and conducted an online survey of 100 conferencing technology users in the UK. The research showed that audio-based solutions are still the most frequently used conferencing technology, with 78% of survey respondents using them regularly. It is, therefore, not surprising that when asked the question – what are the factors that imp...
Foreword In today's economy, the best results are achieved by teams that collaborate on a global scale. We are a world leader in communications technology that enables better collaboration. We believe that better quality, readily... more
Foreword In today's economy, the best results are achieved by teams that collaborate on a global scale. We are a world leader in communications technology that enables better collaboration. We believe that better quality, readily available and cost effective tools will always deliver a better, more sustainable outcome. Our partnership with Dolby is testament to our commitment to helping our customers collaborate more efficiently. Working with the University of Cambridge and other leading experts from around the world, we have understood how to reduce barriers in global collaboration. This is valuable insight into how we work together across widespread teams and how best to deal with the challenges. As a leader of a global enterprise myself, I am passionate about the use of collaboration technology. They are critical to the efficiency and success of BT Global Services as they are to many other global businesses. But they only work well when they are simple to use and effective at...
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In this short paper the role of trust in the workplace is examined against the backdrop of the number employees working on-line from home increasing by almost four times from those seen prior to 2020 in the UK. How the level of trust... more
In this short paper the role of trust in the workplace is examined against the backdrop of the number employees working on-line from home increasing by almost four times from those seen prior to 2020 in the UK. How the level of trust impacts on productivity, the quality of work and employee well-being is discussed, as are the negative results of a low level of trust in the workplace, such as anxiety and stress among employees. Finally the paper discusses this new extended "workplace" which encompasses the home and how the radically reduced physical face-to-face contact between managers and their teams has both raised new support issues and brought trust in the workplace into sharp focus.
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Current studies of carbon nanotubes have enabled both new electronic applications and improvements to the performance of existing ones. Manufacturing of macroscopic electronic components with this material generally involves the use of... more
Current studies of carbon nanotubes have enabled both new electronic applications and improvements to the performance of existing ones. Manufacturing of macroscopic electronic components with this material generally involves the use of printed electronic methods, which must use carbon nanotube (CNT) powders. However, in recent years, it has been shown that the use of ready-made self-standing macroscopic CNT assemblies could have considerable potential in the future development of electronic components.
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In the not too distant future our children and grandchildren may be taught in school about the "carbon revolution" that took place when we learned how to produce low resistance wires made of carbon tubes and platelets, and through this... more
In the not too distant future our children and grandchildren may be taught in school about the "carbon revolution" that took place when we learned how to produce low resistance wires made of carbon tubes and platelets, and through this revolutionary change we were able to rid our world of the excess of CO2 and Methane that currently plague our planet!
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Individual carbon nanotubes are highly interesting electrical conductors which could well complete with superconductors. Yet, the possibility of production of top-performance carbon nanotube electrical conductors beyond nanoscale, is the... more
Individual carbon nanotubes are highly interesting electrical conductors which could well complete with superconductors. Yet, the possibility of production of top-performance carbon nanotube electrical conductors beyond nanoscale, is the question currently challenging scientists.
This study discusses theoretical potential of macroscopic fibres made purely of carbon nanotubes, in charge transport and electrical applications. It also examines various aspects of their electrical conductivity including both direct and alternating current transport, weight-conductivity ratios, current density and doping issues. The reasons for the constraints in electrical transport in fibres manufactured today are explained, as are possible routes to achieving significant improvements in the performance.
This study discusses theoretical potential of macroscopic fibres made purely of carbon nanotubes, in charge transport and electrical applications. It also examines various aspects of their electrical conductivity including both direct and alternating current transport, weight-conductivity ratios, current density and doping issues. The reasons for the constraints in electrical transport in fibres manufactured today are explained, as are possible routes to achieving significant improvements in the performance.
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Between 2005 and 2010 BT underwent a major transformation from a company with a special section devoted to ‘older and disabled consumers’ to a company with an inclusive design strategy. The mainstreaming of these issues responded to a... more
Between 2005 and 2010 BT underwent a major transformation from a company with a special section devoted to ‘older and disabled consumers’ to a company with an inclusive design strategy. The mainstreaming of these issues responded to a demand for better, more user-friendly communications products and growing awareness of the importance of previously marginalised consumer groups. It also took place alongside the development and publication of BS7000-6, a guide to inclusive design management. Based on several product design case studies, this paper reflects on how and why this transformation was seen as necessary for future success, and how the transformation was achieved. The evolution of BT's approach has continued since, but this paper looks back in time, and documents the transformation up to 2010 and reflects the state of the company in 2010 rather than at the time of publication.
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ABSTRACT
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With businesses becoming global in their reach, the use of distributed meetings and associated conferencing technologies is at the core of their successful and efficient operation. However, the actual effectiveness of these meetings is... more
With businesses becoming global in their reach, the use of distributed meetings and associated conferencing technologies is at the core of their successful and efficient operation. However, the actual effectiveness of these meetings is thought to vary enormously. This paper reports on a multi-country investigation into the factors that make for an effective distributed meeting in everyday practice. The results are based on a survey conducted with 400 professionals supported by 40 interviews with experienced teleconferencing users. Ten interviews and 100 survey responses were obtained from each of the following four countries: Australia, China, the UK, and the US.
The results indicate that a wide range of factors need to be optimised to ensure the most effective distributed meetings. The most influential factors were good sound quality and reliable conferencing technology, but other important aspects included having a good chairperson and attentive participants. The survey also identified some differences between countries, particularly between China and the other countries surveyed on issues such as speaker identification and the barriers to adopting new conferencing technology.
The results indicate that a wide range of factors need to be optimised to ensure the most effective distributed meetings. The most influential factors were good sound quality and reliable conferencing technology, but other important aspects included having a good chairperson and attentive participants. The survey also identified some differences between countries, particularly between China and the other countries surveyed on issues such as speaker identification and the barriers to adopting new conferencing technology.
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Public policy requires public support, which in turn implies a need to enable the public not just to understand policy but also to be engaged in its development. Where complex science and technology issues are involved in policy making,... more
Public policy requires public support, which in turn implies a need to enable the public not just to understand policy but also to be engaged in its development. Where complex science and technology issues are involved in policy making, this takes time, so it is important to identify emerging issues of this type and prepare engagement plans. In our horizon scanning exercise, we used a modified Delphi technique [1]. A wide group of people with interests in the science and policy interface (drawn from policy makers, policy adviser, practitioners, the private sector and academics) elicited a long list of emergent policy issues in which science and technology would feature strongly and which would also necessitate public engagement as policies are developed. This was then refined to a short list of top priorities for policy makers. Thirty issues were identified within broad areas of business and technology; energy and environment; government, politics and education; health, healthcare, population and aging; information, communication, infrastructure and transport; and public safety and national security.
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This Feature Article gives an overview of the potential of using carbon nanotube fibers as next generation wiring, state of the art developments in this field, and goals to be achieved before carbon nanotubes may be transformed into... more
This Feature Article gives an overview of the potential of using carbon nanotube fibers as next generation wiring, state of the art developments in this field, and goals to be achieved before carbon nanotubes may be transformed into competitive products.
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Carbon nanotubes, with their unique physical properties, have the potential to outperform conventionally used electrical wiring metals. Any improvement in this area of technology would be of great importance to industry, the economy, and... more
Carbon nanotubes, with their unique physical properties, have the potential to outperform conventionally used electrical wiring metals. Any improvement in this area of technology would be of great importance to industry, the economy, and the environment, as the global need for electrical energy and its efficient transfer and conversion rapidly increases. Carbon nanotube fibers, which are assemblies made purely of carbon nanotubes, can uniquely be used in macroscopic electrical applications including electrical wires and devices where the operation is enabled by these conductors. This paper presents details of the working prototype of an electrical machine, a transformer, where conventional copper wires have been replaced with conducting wires made purely of carbon nanotube fibers.
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Modern communication technology makes it possible to easily and cost-effectively run meetings across internationally dispersed teams all the time, anywhere. These distributed meetings can reduce travel costs and time. However, it is... more
Modern communication technology makes it possible to easily and cost-effectively run meetings across internationally dispersed teams all the time, anywhere. These distributed meetings can reduce travel costs and time. However, it is matter of some debate whether and in what circumstances such meetings can be as effective as meetings held face-to-face.
The Engineering Design Centre (EDC) at the University of Cambridge, in partnership with BT and Dolby, produced a report investigating this important question among organisations from the UK, US, Australia and China. Notably, this work was aimed at identifying the key factors impacting on the effectiveness of conferencing meetings and distilling good practice recommendations.
The Engineering Design Centre (EDC) at the University of Cambridge, in partnership with BT and Dolby, produced a report investigating this important question among organisations from the UK, US, Australia and China. Notably, this work was aimed at identifying the key factors impacting on the effectiveness of conferencing meetings and distilling good practice recommendations.
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In order to remain competitive in a rapidly-changing environment, it is critical for organisations to hire, retain, and utilise extraordinary employees. Unfortunately, many organisations have traditionally proved to have inadequate... more
In order to remain competitive in a rapidly-changing environment, it is critical for organisations to hire, retain, and utilise extraordinary employees. Unfortunately, many organisations have traditionally proved to have inadequate procedures in place to both identify these individuals and moreover fail to use them to their fullest potential if they are lucky enough to hire one. This paper defines a “game-changer” and describes their characteristics and how to recruit them. In addition, it explains the flaws in traditional talent management programmes for high achievement-potential hires and proposes novel ways to ensure that their potential is converted to organisational success.
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"Knowledge work requires creativity and problem solving. This may involve drawing on diverse cognitive resources and a process of trial and error to find out what doesn’t work. Seldom does a solution leap, fully formed, into being. Time... more
"Knowledge work requires creativity and problem solving. This may involve drawing on diverse cognitive resources and a process of trial and error to find out what doesn’t work.
Seldom does a solution leap, fully formed, into being. Time pressure, optimisation and efficiency are inimical to these processes. Indeed there are a number of good arguments that suggest that efficiency and pressure are actively damaging to both knowledge work and the firms that depend on it."
Seldom does a solution leap, fully formed, into being. Time pressure, optimisation and efficiency are inimical to these processes. Indeed there are a number of good arguments that suggest that efficiency and pressure are actively damaging to both knowledge work and the firms that depend on it."
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We can fool ourselves into thinking we are being more productive by constantly switching tasks, for example regularly reading and answering e-mail while simultaneously undertaking a possibly more intellectually demanding task such as... more
We can fool ourselves into thinking we are being more productive by constantly switching tasks, for example regularly reading and answering e-mail while simultaneously undertaking a possibly more intellectually demanding task such as report writing or attending a virtual meeting. However, our research has indicated that for the majority of people, that feeling of productivity is an illusion masking an actual deterioration of both work rate and quality.
Research Interests: Communication, Technology, Web 2.0, Productivity, Cognitive Load, and 3 moreTask Switching, Chat, and E-Mail
Creating user interfaces that deliver information efficiently is all about understanding the humans on the end of the system. Although the human brain is incredibly versatile, there are ways of presenting information that make it easier... more
Creating user interfaces that deliver information efficiently is all about understanding the humans on the end of the system. Although the human brain is incredibly versatile, there are ways of presenting information that make it easier to absorb and retain, and good user interface design takes this into account. Understanding our cognitive preferences and limitations is the key to making the vast amounts of available electronic data useful to users.
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"Industry has made some significant improvements in the management of creativity and innovation over the last decade but there are problems in the overall process that still persist. We might assume that on investigation we could expose... more
"Industry has made some significant improvements in the management of creativity and innovation over the last decade but there are problems in the overall process that still persist. We might assume that on investigation we could expose either a single factor or a small number of key processes which will allow us to resolve this problem, but there are a great many factors and many are sector specific.
In this paper we focus on the area of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), however we have also identified 'generic factors' which can be applied to all business sectors. "
In this paper we focus on the area of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), however we have also identified 'generic factors' which can be applied to all business sectors. "
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In the ongoing debate as to whether communication technology is changing how we operate as human beings there is one constant message: change is happening. Recently, there has been a lot of disagreement over whether this change is... more
In the ongoing debate as to whether communication technology is changing how we operate as human beings there is one constant message: change is happening. Recently, there has been a lot of disagreement over whether this change is positive or not, whether it is a change that we can ever return from, and whether the existing technology can help us make sense of the explosion of information and communications that we are now exposed to.
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Cable TV networks will pass 17 million homes in the UK by early next century. Reliability has improved dramatically in recent years due to the widespread introduction of fibre into the network. Possibly the biggest attraction of cable is... more
Cable TV networks will pass 17 million homes in the UK by early next century. Reliability has improved dramatically in recent years due to the widespread introduction of fibre into the network. Possibly the biggest attraction of cable is the enormous bandwidth that is available, together with its high degree of flexibility. This flexibility can be utilised to accommodate new services such as digital TV, data and telephony.
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The use and impact of modern media and technology in our lives. The research project was carried out in collaboration with teams in the US, China and Australia and it provided a unique view of how people are using communications... more
The use and impact of modern media and technology in our lives. The research project was carried out in collaboration with teams in the US, China and Australia and it provided a unique view of how people are using communications technology in their lives at home and at work, whether young or old.
Research Interests: New Media, Technoculture, Ethnography, Digital Media, Logistics, and 13 moreVideo Games, Culture, Reverse Logistics, Science, Technology and Society, Social Media, People and Technology, New Media Studies, Everyday Life, Microethology, Inter-organizational Exchange Relationships, Marketing and Management Strategy, Retailing Resource Strategy and Finance, and Supply Chain Disaster Preparedness and Recovery
The Mentor and Mentoring. In the now famous 2004 book, “The Elements of Mentoring”, written by W. Brad Johnson and Charles R. Ridley [1], they say, “Mentoring is an act of generativity—a process of bringing into existence and passing on a... more
The Mentor and Mentoring. In the now famous 2004 book, “The Elements of Mentoring”, written by W. Brad Johnson and Charles R. Ridley [1], they say, “Mentoring is an act of generativity—a process of bringing into existence and passing on a professional legacy.”
But for a simple statement of the key attributes of a mentor we can look to a symposium on mentoring in 2002 at the American Physiological Society.
But for a simple statement of the key attributes of a mentor we can look to a symposium on mentoring in 2002 at the American Physiological Society.
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We are experiencing a paradigm shift in the way we communicate and collaborate, brought about by the Internet/Web.
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In 2007 I wrote an article: Living in a world of exponential change. In it I said that we would soon be reaching a point soon where anyone anywhere could access the internet and that this would allow people to communicate and share media... more
In 2007 I wrote an article: Living in a world of exponential change. In it I said that we would soon be reaching a point soon where anyone anywhere could access the internet and that this would allow people to communicate and share media from almost anywhere in the world. I talked about the $100 laptop and its disruptive effect on the laptop industry and I discussed the way the price of memory was reducing every year and how new technologies were helping us to share knowledge and information, both at work and with friends. Much of the change we have seen is the realisation of Gordon Moore's 1965 prediction that the number of transistors that could be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit would double every two years, this being closely linked to the processing power of the integrated circuit, or 'chip'. He was confident that this would continue for at least ten years, however forty five years later Moore's law shows no sign of running out of steam. In 2010 we are around two cycles of this law further on from my original article, so how have things changed?
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BT's head of strategic university research, Jeff Patmore, looks at how instant access to knowledge via the internet is changing our view of the world. At the last count more than one billion people were connected to the internet, with... more
BT's head of strategic university research, Jeff Patmore, looks at how instant access to knowledge via the internet is changing our view of the world.
At the last count more than one billion people were connected to the internet, with 70 per cent of North Americans and 38 per cent of Europeans having access to a connection. And these numbers are accelerating every year. It's thought it won't be long before every child attending school in the northern hemisphere is provided with a laptop computer with fast internet access. So what will it mean for our children to have access to the sum of human knowledge at the click of a mouse?
At the last count more than one billion people were connected to the internet, with 70 per cent of North Americans and 38 per cent of Europeans having access to a connection. And these numbers are accelerating every year. It's thought it won't be long before every child attending school in the northern hemisphere is provided with a laptop computer with fast internet access. So what will it mean for our children to have access to the sum of human knowledge at the click of a mouse?
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At the centre of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, there is thought to be a supermassive black hole, known as “Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*)”. This black hole is approximately 26,000 light-years away from us. It is thought to have a mass of just over... more
At the centre of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, there is thought to be a supermassive black hole, known as “Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*)”. This black hole is approximately 26,000 light-years away from us.
It is thought to have a mass of just over 4 Million times that of our Sun; if true this would give it an event horizon radius of approximately 11.8 Million km, or about 7.3 Million Miles.
To put this into some kind of context the radius of our sun is just 695,700 km (0.69 Million km) or 1/17th of the size of this black hole event horizon at the centre of our Milky Way Galaxy.
But we should be clear that without a detailed examination of a black hole, much of this is still conjecture or an educated guess, although some quite outstanding people have proposed these ideas and theories.
It is thought to have a mass of just over 4 Million times that of our Sun; if true this would give it an event horizon radius of approximately 11.8 Million km, or about 7.3 Million Miles.
To put this into some kind of context the radius of our sun is just 695,700 km (0.69 Million km) or 1/17th of the size of this black hole event horizon at the centre of our Milky Way Galaxy.
But we should be clear that without a detailed examination of a black hole, much of this is still conjecture or an educated guess, although some quite outstanding people have proposed these ideas and theories.
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Our concentration on an important computer based task can easily be destroyed by the " e-mail alert ". The " ping " from our phone or the message box on our screen, either of these can distract us from our current task. And of course if... more
Our concentration on an important computer based task can easily be destroyed by the " e-mail alert ". The " ping " from our phone or the message box on our screen, either of these can distract us from our current task. And of course if we take a look at the new message we have been alerted to, we fool ourselves into thinking that we are " multi-tasking " and that taking this action is a very productive use of our time.
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Thought experiments, "what ifs" conducted in the mind, could provide clarity and direction if carried out with an open mind.
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In business, complacency will almost certainly lead to a slide into irrelevance. Innovation is the survival engine for almost every organisation. Recent history has shown us that a successful innovation strategy can provide new products... more
In business, complacency will almost certainly lead to a slide into irrelevance. Innovation is the survival engine for almost every organisation. Recent history has shown us that a successful innovation strategy can provide new products and services, new revenue streams, new partnerships and access to new markets. So while innovation is broadly recognised not just as a good idea but as a necessity, why is it our experience that far too many organisations fail to utilise it effectively?
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What is clear is that the human mind can provide us with the amazing ability to travel back in time; our memories can certainly enhance our actions today and more than that they can help us to shape our direction in future times, we just... more
What is clear is that the human mind can provide us with the amazing ability to travel back in time; our memories can certainly enhance our actions today and more than that they can help us to shape our direction in future times, we just need to keep an open mind.
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Whether studying gravitational waves or the accretion disk around massive a black hole, we strive to create models that let us grasp space and time. Will gravity prove to be an emergent phenomenon and will we need to rewrite Albert... more
Whether studying gravitational waves or the accretion disk around massive a black hole, we strive to create models that let us grasp space and time. Will gravity prove to be an emergent phenomenon and will we need to rewrite Albert Einstein’s theory of gravity, those are the big questions that must be answered.
However what is clear is that we are getting a lot closer to the truth, and with this truth gravity can emerge from history with its role both in the past and in the future of our universe understood.
However what is clear is that we are getting a lot closer to the truth, and with this truth gravity can emerge from history with its role both in the past and in the future of our universe understood.
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Have we finally found a way to bring together gravity and quantum mechanics in a unified theory? This article looks at the latest research against the backdrop of historical physics experiments, some re-visited with our latest technology.
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Our species is defined by the size of our brains and our ability to communicate with one another. The way in which we share knowledge and information has determined how we have evolved. From the most efficient way for a group to gather... more
Our species is defined by the size of our brains and our ability to communicate with one another. The way in which we share knowledge and information has determined how we have evolved. From the most efficient way for a group to gather food to the best models of trade and business, we have always shared our discoveries for " better ways " with our " tribe " in a way that allows all in the group to benefit. The thing that has changed, over the last couple of generations, is how we store and access that knowledge and information. What really sets apart the 21 st century from any previous one is our access, something that is hyper-fast, in comparison with the past.
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What is it that allows us to discover new things, to see through the fog of uncertainty and to suddenly experience that mysterious clarity, which is the hallmark of completely new thought? The ability to carefully and rigorously follow a... more
What is it that allows us to discover new things, to see through the fog of uncertainty and to suddenly experience that mysterious clarity, which is the hallmark of completely new thought?
The ability to carefully and rigorously follow a well-trodden logical and philosophical path while maintaining a mind open to new ideas and conclusions is notoriously difficult! The two approaches are naturally conflicting and yet to discover something completely new they must co-exist.
Over the last five years I have had the enormous privilege of working with several people who have made discoveries, and just to be clear, these people experienced original thought [1] and through this new thinking were able to discover things that had not been observed and written about before.
The ability to carefully and rigorously follow a well-trodden logical and philosophical path while maintaining a mind open to new ideas and conclusions is notoriously difficult! The two approaches are naturally conflicting and yet to discover something completely new they must co-exist.
Over the last five years I have had the enormous privilege of working with several people who have made discoveries, and just to be clear, these people experienced original thought [1] and through this new thinking were able to discover things that had not been observed and written about before.
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There is much debate about 'the future of work' and talk of 'new work spaces' and 'innovative environments' and there are some great examples of how these can be effective but also mistakes have been made in the recent past in the name of... more
There is much debate about 'the future of work' and talk of 'new work spaces' and 'innovative environments' and there are some great examples of how these can be effective but also mistakes have been made in the recent past in the name of work place productivity and we should ensure we learn from these.
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Thanks to the rise of the Smart Phone and tablet PC, we are seeing some key changes in how people are accessing information and how they are communicating. The use of mobile phone and tablet applications for the majority of day-to-day... more
Thanks to the rise of the Smart Phone and tablet PC, we are seeing some key changes in how people are accessing information and how they are communicating.
The use of mobile phone and tablet applications for the majority of day-to-day tasks is a new phenomenon. Reading the news, sending mail, reading and updating social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, and downloading or streaming music and videos are things that in the past we would have done through web pages. Today, it is via applications on our mobile devices.
The use of mobile phone and tablet applications for the majority of day-to-day tasks is a new phenomenon. Reading the news, sending mail, reading and updating social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, and downloading or streaming music and videos are things that in the past we would have done through web pages. Today, it is via applications on our mobile devices.
Research Interests:
We are entering a time of unprecedented change in terms of both technology and the way we work. Spending time over the last five years on the MIT campus in Cambridge Massachusetts has given me a unique glimpse of what a 'connected'... more
We are entering a time of unprecedented change in terms of both technology and the way we work.
Spending time over the last five years on the MIT campus in Cambridge Massachusetts has given me a unique glimpse of what a 'connected' future looks like. Being able to open your laptop at any time and be online is now possible in many UK cities, but something I have experienced for some time and it is life-changing.
Spending time over the last five years on the MIT campus in Cambridge Massachusetts has given me a unique glimpse of what a 'connected' future looks like. Being able to open your laptop at any time and be online is now possible in many UK cities, but something I have experienced for some time and it is life-changing.
Research Interests:
In business, innovative behaviour has the potential to develop a new idea or a new slant on an old idea. This could then result in the development of a new product or service which customers value and will pay for. While this seems like a... more
In business, innovative behaviour has the potential to develop a new idea or a new slant on an old idea. This could then result in the development of a new product or service which customers value and will pay for.
While this seems like a sensible thing to encourage in organisations, too many fail to do it effectively.
While this seems like a sensible thing to encourage in organisations, too many fail to do it effectively.