Diversity and open standards...

Even though I believe that the diversity on ways to do your work, or have your fun, is one of the strengths of FOSS it means nothing if they aren't built on common ground in order to achieve interoperability.

That interoperability should be made through open standards, so that everyone who want to work with them knows that they can so so without fear of being locked into using software from a single vendor. Closed standards are to be avoided at all costs, since they mean that the future of that standard is tied to the whatever happens to whoever holds it or unilateral choices by the vendor.

Standards should be considered a common good, and as such they should be keep open for to use or contribute to it with freedom. No single entity should have a position to totally control any standard, all standards should be in the hands of a governing body made up by all those who have a stake on the future of those standard.

Not only that, that governing body should work openly and with transparency. Anyone that has an interest on how that body work, or how it reach a decision should be able to do so.

At the end, standards are the foundations on which all technology are built upon. As such, is in our best interest for them open so we all know that there will be always be available for everyone. Not only that, any improvement made to any standard will be beneficial to as many users as possible in the least amount of time.

The building blocks of out society, and our future, should belong to all of us.

Looking at the Android options...

I've been doing some checking around for a new smartphone, and I'm convinced that it'll be an Android device. There are a several options out there at my price range, from several manufactures.

Not only that, for me it's important my next smartphone to run Android, since it's open source software. In a sense it's a matter of buying a smartphone that runs software that is compatible with what I believe, and the only Android manage to do so.

The fact that I can choose from a wide range of manufactures, and several models they offer, calls me even more. It means that I can choose the experience I get from Android, looking for the smartphone thats form and design is what I'm looking for. I'm not tied to a single manufacturer, giving me whatever they think I want.

Android gives me the level of freedom I want, letting me choose the handset that better suits my needs and what I like. All this while being a modern a robust mobile operating system, the only things that change from one manufacturer to another are the form factor of the handsets, the user interface and the software it comes with. The core is the same you get is the same.

At the end, Android is the mobile OS for me. So, now is just a matter of choosing the smartphone I'll buy.

Portability and connectivity...

It's interesting to see how technology seems to be consolidating several devices into one, which means that as a whole people will need fewer devices to do more.

The idea that with a couple of devices you could replace most of the ones you have now. Not only that, those devices will be portable enough to be taken with you everywhere. And with modern connectivity technology you'll be on line most of the time, with all the implications it brings along.

Today we are connected to the Internet almost 24/7, and almost from anywhere, thanks to laptops and smartphones. In many ways, both laptops and smartphones are points of access that grant humanity to share all what they want in an instant.

So much so, that nowadays the question is no longer if we could share our daily routine with our friends and family. The real question has become what should be sharing, and how much privacy we want for ourselves.

This is why is so important have a complete control on our information. With so much of our personal information out there, it's most important to be able to have a granular control over it in order not to loose control over it.

It's both a blessing and a curse, but we have to learn to live with it.

Nexus 4...

As it has come to be the norm, the new phone that caught my eye was the Nexus just released by Google and LG.

Personally, I've always preferred Android powered smartphones over the iPhone. Since I prefer open source software over closed source one, Android has always been the option for me. And the Nexus line has been the one I prefer over other Android powered smartphones because it gives the clean and unadulterated Android.

Better yet, the new Nexus comes with the most recent version of Android. Which is great, since the I've been looking forward to replace my current smartphone with one that runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box, and not having to wait to be able to upgrade it.

I now pretty sure that the new Nexus 4 will be the smartphone I want, and the one I'll get.

Technology and our data...

Society has gotten to the point where technology is accepted as is, and few people pays any attention on how it affects our lives. It seems that we just take all technology without even an after thought.

In many ways, many people don't seem to realize the real life consequences that any technology has within it. And as we embrace more advanced technology, specially that which enables to share personal information with others, those consequences have a bigger impact.

That's why we need to be more conscious about how we use technology, and what we share with others. There is a need to understand that it's equally important with who we are sharing what, since sharing something with the wrong person can have the same impact than doing so in the real world. The real and virtual worlds are no longer two separate spheres, and they will only become even more intertwined as time goes on.

In order to keep our private lives private, we need to keep technology from taking control over our own data. It's vital to keep full control over our data, and have the power to decide what is shared with who at what time. No piece of data can be used without our consent, and we should be informed how that piece of data will be used.

An open and transparent process needs to be the norm for all technology used to manage our data. The companies using it need to be hold to the same levels of openness and transparency, and should be made to answer to the people who's data they use.

There is no place for companies that work on a close and opaque way, is our data and we should have the final say on its use.

Technology should always enhance our lives...

The purpose of technology should always be enhancing humanity, not being its substitute. If any new technology doesn't enhance our life in a positive way, it isn't worth developing.

Technology shouldn't be something that to be feared, but it should be something useful for people. All technological development should put peoples needs and interests first, so that it makes their lives better and enjoyable. It should be adding value to our lives, not subtracting from it.

People should be at the center of every technological development. There should be clear commitment to make the world a better, and how it'll meet that commitment. There shouldn't be any development just for the sake of doing so, just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be done.

The purpose of all and every technology is to be at the service of society. There should be no need to question this, and it should be the basis for all technological development. It doesn't mean that all development should be practical, in the sense that it should always come with something that can be sold or used by the masses.

It could help develop the skills of our children, or help us gain a better understanding of the universe by pushing the boundaries of knowledge even further.

Technology has brought us so this far, and it can still takes us places we can't even start imagining. That's why we should keep making it better, while making sure is at our service.

Communications technology is just the tool for change...

The Internet, and other communication technologies, won't bring revolutionary change by themselves. These are just tools, and the contributions they bring are dependent on how people use them.

At the end of the end, people are the ones who make change happen. If they don't act, that change they want won't come at all. What the Internet and other technologies bring to the table, is a way by which people can inform themselves and organize to act to do what they believe it must be done.

People are the ones that must act in order to bring change, and technology is the tool that can help us to make that change a reality. And the Internet, mobile phones, among other technologies, give us a real chance to organize ourselves to bring the change we want. More than ever, people can have the control over how they interact with each other in order do what's needed to make a difference.

Now more than ever people building the society they want is no longer a dream, but something that we can do if we work together to make it a reality.

There is more and more people that are starting to see this, and are starting to speak up against injustice. People are sharing ideas with others on what going around them, or what could be done to make things better.

Yet, the most important thing thing is laking. The key to make the society we want a reality, is to actually go out there and act to make it happen. Until then, things won't change much.

While some governments, and corporations, act when the public puts enough pressure, it isn't enough to bring the change we want. The change has to start with our actions, not with the actions of others. True and lasting change comes from the whole society acting together toward a common goal.

There are good signs that we are getting to a point where society will start doing what it must, but there is still some road to cover before we are there.

Ask the right questions...

The possibilities that modern technology are almost limitless, and any limitation that currently exists can be made mute by giving it enough though and effort to make it through.

It's easy to say that this or that isn't possible, but history shows that where theres a will theres a way. It comes down to asking the right questions, and to face the problem with the right mind set. More often that not, when we fail to see how we can solve a problem it isn't because the problem is unsolvable. It's because we aren't able to see beyond what we have right in front of us.

The answer might be where we least expect it to be, but we have to be able to see it by not closing our minds to it. Just because something hasn't been done before, it means that it can't be done.

Quite often the main limitation to solve a problem is not it's difficulty, but that we can't seem to be able to think on ways to solve it. We limit our possibilities to what we know, not giving a chance to finding new things or ways that could be the answer to solve the problem we are facing.

So, next time you face a problem that's seemingly unsolvable, take a step back and ask yourself what are you missing to be able to solve it.

Technology can humanize people...

Technology can be as humanizing, or dehumanizing, as each user wants it to be. All comes down on how the user handles technology, and what use is made out of technology on daily basis.

It's true that technology is a double-edged sword, since it can be used to enhance social interaction or thwart it. Yet this is not the fault of technology itself, since technology can not make choices for the user. At the end the one making choices on how it's used is the user, technology is just the medium that facilitates the action that derives from the choices made by the user.

The argument that technology is the origin, and end, of all what's wrong with society is shortsighted to say the least. It doesn't take into account a host of other factors that make people use the technology they use they way they do. Or how we can give people the tools to avoid the pitfalls that comes with any technology.

At the other hand, technology by itself wont solve all the problems that humanity faces. There is no silver bullets that solve all problems, and no two problems are the same.

Technology is just a tool that facilitates a certain task, is up to the user to use it wisely. Yes, some people need more help than others to use technology correctly. So, lets make sure that people have enough information to know what tools they need, and how use them correctly.

Let's make it easier, and more rewarding, to use technology to humanize people's life. To make it part of how people interacts with each other, to find and build relationships while strengthening existing ones.

It all comes down on how people uses technology to relate to others.

FOSS true value...

One of the best things about FOSS(free and open-source software), is that users have choice over their computer experience in all aspects. With open source, software adapts to they users needs, not the other way around.

FOSS isn't about being free in the sense of having no monetary cost, or that developers can't have a profit from their work. FOSS is about the users freedom to control their software, and hardware, by being able to study, modify and redistribute any piece of software installed on their computers.

In many ways, is putting the users freedoms ahead of other concerns. It's about people and the communities they make to work on the same objectives, or people just getting together to share what they are passionate about.

It's time to put users freedoms at the forefront of software development, and not the interests of corporations and their profits. All software needs to protect the freedoms of its users as principle, and serve their interests as well. Any software that doesn't have these two points as a priority isn't one that deserves user's support.

All software companies should have their source code available for study, and to be modified. If any restrictions should be made, those should be limited on how any modification can be redistributed.

FOSS gives users the best weapon to protect their freedoms, since it's development is transparent and all can keep an eye on the source code. We can choose the software that best adapt to our needs, or find a way to adapt an existing one to whatever need they have.

If you want to protect your freedom, use FOSS as much as possible and help the developers as you can.

Understanding of science and technology...

The perception that science and technology are boring and hard to understand, are two persistent misconceptions.

Those perceptions steam from how they are presented to society at large, we are told that they are that way all the time. Adding the fact that our schools systems seem to be on the business of teaching it so it becomes boring, making it harder for our children to become interested on them. Since we remember how science classes where boring, it becomes evident that it becomes hard to understand because people had no incentive to study science in a way they can make sense of it.

Not only that, in many ways science classes don't tie what they teach with technologies, or other instances, on which what it's being teach is applied. So, many just don't see why science is useful, or how it's part of their everyday life.

If we want to keep moving science forward, and to benefit from its fruits trough new technologies, we need to give people at least working understanding of the basic scientific principles. That way having science research open to the public to revise, and to participate in, becomes a reality. People wouldn't feel left out, or resent having a group of people talking about thing they don't understand.

Also, having people who understand scientific principle can actually participate actively on the development of technology. Or at least understand how the technology they use works, and how they can benefit from its use.

Science and technology are deeply intermingled, we can't have one without the other. Not only that, our modern world is deeply rooted on them. We wouldn't have much of what we have without them, so it's imperative we understand them, and for them to be open to society as a whole.

Science and technology can be our two of our greatest allies for making the world a better place. Yet, we need to understand at least their basic principles, and them to be open to all.