As we enter the second decade of the 21st century
A Million Internet Users Join Forces to Create a Record of the Future
By HU, Hsiu-Chu
Keeping pace with the latest international trends, iDEAS magazine has been using the integration of the virtual and the real to create new talking points, and has been seeking to benefit from the collective intelligence of Internet users to identify the iDEAS Five Major Technology Developments of 2011. iDEAs’ constant innovation in terms of the way its content is delivered has written a new page in the history of the publishing industry in Taiwan .
E-Magazines were attracting a great deal of attention in the second half of 2010; i-Pad versions of magazines were seen as the potential “savior” of traditional media. However, actual sales performance was disappointing. Sales of e-magazines in the U.S. rapidly fell off, causing print media companies to re-think their strategy. iDEAS brought together online communities and leading figures in the media to work together on the creation, discussion and presentation of Web 3.0 style issues, creating an experimental new media format that uses the integration of the virtual and the real to create brand-new content through collective brainstorming, identifying for iDEAS readers the iDEAS Five Major Technology Developments of 2011.
These five major developments in technology are:
1. iPad Upsurging?
2. Dead Tree Media Struggling
3. E-Commerce Transforming
4. Advertising & PR Ever-Changing
5. Social Media Emerging
After 96 hours of diffusion, a total of 214 constructive responses were received for the 5 key themes and 9 major sub-themes. With regard to the “iPad Upsurging?” issue, the vast majority of Internet users agreed that the iPad was indeed surging ahead, and that Apple’s iPad2 would be one of the main talking points of 2011. A sub-theme here was the conflict between supporters of Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Here, both iOS fans and Android supporters were able to make convincing points in favor of their preferred operating system, and the end result was a draw; it looks as though the battle between iOS and Android in 2011 will be a fierce one!
Building knowledge and learning maps to enhance service economy competitiveness
Enterprises Need “T-shaped People”
By HU, Hsiu-Chu
As we move into the second decade of the twenty-first century it has become clear that, faced with the reality of rapidly-changing business environments, “I-shaped people” who are skilled in only one area are no longer adequate. Particularly when it comes to industry transformation and innovation, only “T-shaped people” who possess skills in multiple fields are truly competitive.
At a time when the concept of “service science” is being promoted throughout the world, all sectors in Taiwan are seeing active efforts to develop both service science and service innovation. On January 20, a group of experts in various fields from National Tsing Hua University, National Cheng-Chi University, National Taiwan University, Yuan Ze University, the Sayling Wen Cultural and Educational Foundation, the Institute for Information Industry, and the Industrial Technology Research Institute, met together to establish the Service Science Society of Taiwan. The Society will be working actively to fulfill its key mission of cultivating “T-shaped people” through the building of knowledge maps.
Professor Soe-Tsyr Yuan of the Department of Information Management Systems at National Cheng-Chi University, who is also Director of the Service Science Research Center (SSRC) at National Cheng-Chi University, and Professor Rebecca H.J. Yen of the Institute of Service Science at National Tsing Hua University, are playing an important role in “training the trainers” with respect to the building of service science knowledge maps and the cultivation of T-shaped human talent in Taiwan. Professor Yuan explains that the “I-shaped people” cultivated by traditional education systems are very skilled in one particular field. “T-shaped people” not only have a high level of expertise in one special field, they also have a reasonable level of knowledge in other, related fields. T-shaped people possess both depth and breadth; they are willing to embrace change and try to innovate even outside their own area of specialty.
Professor Yen believes that, if Taiwan is to succeed in cultivating T-shaped people, traditional educational curriculums and methods will need to change. Taiwan should try to learn from the attitude towards customers and service that is displayed by tourist hotels in Japan, where considerate, helpful service is in people’s genes, and has become an integral part of daily life and of Japanese culture.
According to Taiwan Cloud Computing Consortium President Lu Shyue-Ching:
Chunghwa Telecom is joining forces with industry leaders to promote the development of cloud computing services that target the global ethnic Chinese community
By HU, Hsiu-Chu
The Taiwan Cloud Computing Association was established on October 27, 2010. The Association’s first group of directors and supervisors include representatives of Taiwan’s leading electronics, telecommunications and software companies; Chunghwa Telecom Chairman Lu Shyue-Ching is serving as the Consortium’s first President. In an interview with iDEAS, Lu Shyue-Ching stated that 2011 would be “Year One for Cloud Computing.” He noted that Taiwan possesses strong hardware infrastructure, and that cloud computing offers Taiwanese enterprises an opportunity to transform themselves. In the future, the Consortium will be serving as a bridge between government and the private sector, and as a catalyst for collaboration within industry, so that Taiwan can begin to export cloud computing services to other countries and secure overseas orders.
Building on its existing infrastructure, Chunghwa Telecom will be establishing four major cloud computing service centers, and working to create Taiwan’s largest cloud computing operations center and data center. The first stage of this project will involve an investment of NT$13 billion. It is anticipated that, by 2013, Chunghwa Telecom will have completed construction of a 29,700 square meter environmentally-friendly data center facility in Banciao. Chunghwa Telecom will also be developing the cloud computing concept in the direction of “symbiotic cloud computing systems,” which get business enterprises interested in cloud computing working together with one another on collaborative projects.
As regards digital content, Lu Shyue-Ching says that the first step is to focus on the entire global ethnic Chinese market. The second step is to expand into non-Chinese markets, so that non-Chinese people also have the opportunity to enjoy high-quality Chinese language content. Developing cloud computing service exports will be a two-stage process. The first stage will be the exportation of cloud computing related devices and equipment to overseas markets, helping the countries concerned to build up a cloud computing environment. The next step is undertake cloud computing modularization by integrating cloud computing operating systems with IT hardware, to create a total solution for export to international markets.
New types of micro-enterprise startup that have developed in response to high unemployment
By Betty HSU
Chongqing Report – “Slow Delivery”
In a nondescript row of shops on Jiefangbei 51 Road in Chongqing City, one shop stands out from the others because of its unusual name: the main business area of “Chen Zaixin’s Store” is “slow delivery.” This is basically the same type of service as express delivery; the difference is that customers have to write down the date on which they want the letter or package delivered. This is very important! The store owner ensures that the item is delivered on the date that you specified. You can send letters or presents to friends, or even to your future self. On the face of it, this seems like an incredibly boring thing to want to do, but in reality it is reflection of the loneliness that many young urbanites feel.
Taipei Report – Miniature Haute Cuisine Restaurants in Residential Apartments
Recently, a number of very low-key, mysterious restaurants of a completely new kind have started to appear in the high-class residential areas of Taipei City’s DaAn District and XinYi District, and in the university district around GongGuan and GuTing where National Taiwan University and National Taiwan Normal University are located. These are “apartment-based ‘home recipe’ restaurants.” Unlike ordinary restaurants where patrons can just turn up at the door, these restaurants are hidden away inside apartment buildings; it is only when the door is opened that you realize what the apartment is hiding.
The operation of these restaurants is usu ally very low profile. They don’t advertise themselves, or even have a sign outside the door; instead, they rely on word-of-mouth advertising. Because the cooking takes place in the apartment kitchen, they are only able to take two or three bookings a night, and reservation is compulsory. Most of these restaurants have no menu as such; what the restaurant owner serves customers depends on the owner’s creative whims and what fresh ingredients they have been able to buy that day. The food is high-quality, expensive haute cuisine; these restaurants can best be described as “low-key luxury” secreted away from view in apartment buildings.
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