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Raleigh 10A Phase 1 - Kiulu Valley and Crocker Ridge Trek:

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Post-expedition blues: a common medical ailment affecting those who have recently completed a Raleigh expedition...

Fortunately for me I have not had the opportunity to experience post-expedition blues as, upon completing the 09K expedition as a venturer, the 10A expedition was upon me and promised to be a huge challenge in comparison.  Following ten weeks of intense work in Borneo completing three project phases (Adventure, Community and Environmental), I have returned to Sabah as a Project Manager to lead trekking teams of up to fifteen 17-24 year-olds through one of the toughest environments in the world; the infamous 100% humidity primary jungle. 

As a venturer in 2009 I had several Project Managers each with substantially contrasting management styles from which I picked up many golden nuggets of advice, such that by the end of the expedition I had a very clear hypothesis in my mind of how I wanted to lead a group in a manner that would be most beneficial to them:

- To earn the team's trust through being socially involved
- To earn the team's respect through leading by example
- To empower the individual, fostering creativity, innovation  and self-belief as a leader - to me this is by far the most important point as being a Project Manager on Raleigh one of your primary goals should be to develop the individual.

This was and still is just a hypothesis that needs to be tested to the point of exhaustion before becoming a solid foundation for me to build upon and develop as a management style.  Every Project Manager needs to find his or her own method of management that feels right, complimenting their own strengths and weaknesses.  Furthermore, the best lessons learned in life often come through the painful process of trial and error, meaning this hypothesis was going to be put to the test in a live and therefore relatively high risk environment and would more than likely need to be drastically adapted on the fly.

The Kiulu Valley and Crocker Ridge trek, to which I was chosen to lead, is a new venture for Raleigh and as such is an honour to be a part of (even if it did involve more paperwork).  The first section of the trek in the Kiulu Valley region is an ideal training ground in the foothills of Mt. Kinabalu, providing exceptionally breathtaking and inspiring views as well as physically and mentally challenging hikes in the heat.  Upon finishing the first part of the trek the team will be shipped off to Mamutik to complete the PADI Open Water course before returning to the dense jungle to traverse a ridge on the aptly named Orangutan Trail in the Crocker Range national park, climbing 500m vertically in an extremely challenging A-to-B style trek over a period of eight days.

Having now completed Phase 1 and received the feedback from the team I can comfortably say that as a foundation my proposed management framework is a relatively stable base on which to build.  Whilst on phase I chose to trial a few additional methods of encouragement, the most effective of which being pride; giving the team a sense of confidence to achieve something great, spurring them on to conquer a huge mental and physical challenge.  Pride has been especially useful this phase in helping the team overcome the several unforeseen problems that the Crocker ridge has thrown at us, including a distinct lack of drinking water, a near miss with a clouded leapord and a formidable nine hour trek.  This method of motivation however is still in its infancy as it has only been trialled once in a the jungle - I will touch on it again in the next blog post at the end of Phase 2 once I have put it into practice with a new group so until then...
 

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Technology Predictions for 2010

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There were only a few people who could have predicted the almost catastrophic failure of the world’s economy in 2009; and while leading global financial institutions and governments pulled together to bailout failing companies, it was the humble tax-paying workforce that had to push through the difficulties of a recession, employment cutbacks, high inflation, and low interests rates.

In difficult times, the companies that survive are those that innovate.  They evolve and adapt to new ways of working, and those new ways of working inadvertently become the norm. And I’m not the only one who thinks that, ask Steve Ballmer. An executive email published by the Microsoft CEO, entitled The New Efficiency, describes how difficult times result in new ways of working. Cloud computing has long been used to define the future of business enterprise, and describing cloud based-computing often conjures up images of 3D worlds, impossibly thin net-book computers, and completely wire-free working (including powerless power transmission).

As the global workforce begins to collaborate on a larger scale, we’ll see the wider adoption and gradual proliferation of web-based tools,  based on open APIs  (ie sets of technologies that enable websites to interact with each other by using SOAP, Javascript and other web technologies) to aid this mode of working. We’ll find that companies will shift from a static, closed-off, intranet to an interactive, more intuitive, web-based intranet with a greater level of immersion.  And this will spawn from the empowerment of information to the user.  Users will have the knowledge, and understanding, of information at their fingertips and this will allow them to do more with the information available to them. This will be driven by rapid developments in business intelligence techniques, greater transparency in communication across corporate divisions, and advanced levels of data analytics.

Corporate social networking will become the standard platform for communicating within the workplace, and consequently we’ll see a range of mobile device applications which will deliver user centric information direct to a user in real-time. And this information will be synchronised across the myriad of guises that form the user’s corporate identity, in applications such as Microsoft Outlook, instant messaging tools, and knowledge management platforms. We’ll find, by the close of 2010, that web-applications will have the same richness and usability as desktop applications, and that users will gravitate towards online working as the transition between the two platforms becomes almost evolutionary.

A greater emphasis will be placed on home-working, and the ability to work remotely. And this will, in turn, drive developments in wireless telecommunications and advance developments in online collaboration via shared web-based applications. We’ll find that wireless hotspots will have greater coverage with a more reliable (and stable) connection and laptops will downsize as users become part of a more mobile workforce.

No doubt we can already see the benefits, and changes, flash memory is bringing. And as the capacity of flash memory increases so will the versatility of its use. We’ll reduce the need to store files on a desktop or laptop computer and will instead carry the essential files we need with us, and this will be driven by rapid advancements in mobile device technology.

Solid state technology isn’t new, and it’s most famous association is with hard disks. However, this will change in 2010 as solid state memory is introduced. This introduction will result in improved performance and processing power. A few years from now, as quantum computing advances, we’ll see the introduction of solid state processors – and by that time we’ll see the cost of solid state technology reduce to levels of actual disk-based hard disks presently available.

Imagine looking through the lens of your mobile phone camera, and seeing the world as you would normally but with an overlay of user-specific data. Augmented reality will deliver just that. For users this will mean using the device – pointing it at a specific location or landmark whilst walking around – and seeing synchronised data and website links relating to whatever they’re looking at.

There are a myriad of other technologies that will evolve over the course of 2010, technologies that will fight for our attention, and technologies that will assist us daily – I’d be fascinated to hear your thoughts on this…

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Noughties gadgets and goodbye

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Over the last decade there have been many technological advances. Here are just a few of them:

Mp3 players: who would have thought that the music industry would be revolutionised by mp3s, downloading music rather than buying CDs? But the iPod and the related iTunes must have an iconic place in the music industry for changing the way that people listen to music.

Mobile phones have advanced getting smaller, having a longer life and becoming multifunctional devices. Most phones that you can buy today have internet access, built in cameras and mp3 players. You can build or buy applications for your phone to personalise what you use your phone for.

The internet although established before the noughties decade has involved with faster broadband speeds, wireless access and mobile broadband. TV programmes are increasingly being streamed over the internet, with application such as the iPlayer leading the way of 'catching up' on missed TV broadcasts.

Devices are becoming smaller with larger memories. Faster and easier to use perhaps? If we have advanced this much in the last 10 years how much will we do so in the next 10? I would love to see teleportation devices developed (as suggested by T3 in their Top 10 Tech Wishes for 2010). This would make travel/commuting much quicker and easier. So as I sign off from my last post I say 'Beam me up Scottie'.

 

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Raleigh 09K Phase 3 and End of Expedition:

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Having previously completed the trek and community phases, the final three weeks of my Raleigh 09K expedition was spent working with the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Center (BSBCC) preparing the perimeter of the new enclosure before the bears are released in March. Located near the popular Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, the BSBCC will house up to 20 bears, teaching them the necessary skills needed to survive before releasing them back into the wild.

Sun bears are the world's smallest bear species and spend most of their solitary life in the high trees of the rainforest. As more and more primary jungle is being cultivated to meet the strong demand for palm oil and rosewood, the home of the sun bear is fast diminishing. To make matters worse, illegal pet trade has left many cubs orphaned and living in small cages with no access to the rainforest.

As well as providing a center for rescued bears to be rehabilitated before being released back into the wild, the BSBCC also aims to raise awareness of this unique and threatened animal. Over a period of three weeks, our team (Alpha 4) worked on the external and internal fences of the center, driving 3ft iron rods into the ground to prevent the bears digging under the perimeter and escaping. I personally felt that this was the most rewarding project as it is such a great cause, making the often repetitive work meaningful and spurring the group on to complete the challenging milestones set.

Now that phase three has finished, Raleigh expedition 09K has come to an end meaning the next adventure to New Zealand begins. In one month I will return to Sabah, Borneo, for the 10A expedition as a Project Manager, employing all the new skills I have picked up over the past ten weeks to empower individuals who step up as day leaders – hopefully they won't mind getting very muddy...
 

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Raleigh 09K Phase 2 - Gravity Water Feed

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Changeover is upon the Raleigh 09K venturers once again and the usual struggle to access the hotel's only computer and landline has commenced. The past three weeks has seen Alpha 2, of which I am a proud member, pushed to their physical, mental and emotional limits in a challenging and exhausting sprint to complete the gravity water feed for Tampasak village.

A gravity water feed, as the name suggests, uses gravity to push water from one end of a pipe to the other, allowing the creators to re-route water from nearby rivers directly to the village. Our gravity water feed was to travel 4.7km from a soon-to-be created damn (110m above sea level), down through the jungle and over a ridge to the village where it would fill six 1,600 litre barrels whose water level was controlled by a float valve. From here a further five 1,600 litre barrels spread around Tampasak village would be connected giving the locals direct access to over 17,000 litres of drinking water, helping them through the dry season which had previously proved challenging.

Moving 4.7km of heavy pipe through the dense Borneo jungle is a pretty tall order, and without the sterling effort and commitment shown by the Sabah Forestry Department, the local villagers and the Alpha 2 teams, the project would never have been completed. Even with so many volunteers, the project suffered continuous unforeseen setbacks and required every ounce of energy, adaptability and motivation to prevent the ever-splitting pipes defeating us.

Having just completed a full phase consisting of 5:45 wake-up calls without a single day off I can safely say that we as a team left Tampasak proud in the knowledge that the infrastructure for fresh drinking water was in place. Raleigh and the Sabah Forestry Department are currently in the process of procuring a pump to siphon the water over the highest ridge and we expect the barrels to be full within the next few days.

To keep up to date on the great work Raleigh is doing in Borneo visit the website here.

Until next time...

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Raleigh Sabbatical - 09K

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My surroundings have changed somewhat substantially since the last post and I now find myself in a small hotel on the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu in Borneo literally absorbing the stiffling heat. The BTC has always offered amazing development opportunitites (Dragons Den and Les Fontaines) but the latest one really does take the buscuit - a seven month sabbatical partaking in two Raleigh expeditions in Borneo, one as a venturer and one as a Project Manager.

As stated, Raleigh pushes people to their limits in some of the most difficult environments in the world, so naturally the interchangeable skills gained here through first hand experience substantially develop you as an individual, both as a team player and a team leader.

I am now entering my fourth week of expedition life and have already spent two weeks trekking through the 100% humidity and leech ridden jungle, culminating in a successful hike to the Sarawak border, making us the first Raleigh team in three years to achieve this. Given you are only as fast as your slowest trekker, a huge amount of effort was employed to keep motivation and morale high, unifying the team and preventing dissent before it could arise. 

This morning I found out my next allocation and will be off to continue building a gravity water feed for a local village that struggles to attain fresh water during the dry season; another amazing opportunity that will not only develop me as a person but also help the local villagers.

Until next time...

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Online Security & Education

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In the past few weeks there have been news stories about email addresses and passwords being posted online for user accounts for Hotmail, Gmail and other web based email clients (BBC News). Should we have more information on how to stay safe online? Is it necessary that everyone sits through an education program before they can log on?

The majority of internet users should know about Phishing and Key logging attacks, which were used to capture the most recent breach of account details. There are plenty of articles online willing to offer advice on how to prevent/detect these. The US has gone one step further and had a National Cyber Security Month in order to educate people about being online. It ‘urged all internet users to play their part in protecting the network from attack’ (BBC News). This implies that not all internet users do this – so perhaps education would be a good idea.

I think that some sort of training before people go online might help educate those who are new to the internet on what can happen. Yet it might also  discourage people, or push them to become complacent with their security. With more people aware of traditional scams it would also force the perpetrators to think of new schemes and ways to trick people - so perhaps there wouldn’t be fewer victims of these scams!?!

Bottom line is: anyone who uses the internet should be aware of current scams, be particularly careful who they give any secure information to, choose a secure password and change it either monthly or quarterly.

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Social Networks and Revenues

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The big news in the IT industry came from Facebook a couple of days ago: the social network giant announced that after five years of existence, it has  managed to generate enough cash to cover its day-to-day operations and costs without any outside investment. Adding its 300 millions users, Facebook has put itself in line for a future public offering.

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Value Add in the Cloud

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Until now Salesforce, Amazon and Google (App Engine) have all been focusing on selling their cloud platform services directly to the consumer.

A recent announcement from Salesforce details their new Value Added Reseller program.  The program is aimed at leveraging the relationships between consulting firms, local IT providers and their various customers.

This development in the way cloud is taken to market shows a keen understanding on the part of Salesforce.  Many organisations are still wary about moving to the cloud.  They don’t know who these new players are, don’t recognise their expertise in this new area and often don’t have the capacity to develop for the cloud in house.

By using the relationships already developed over years by local IT providers and consultants Salesforce has found a route to market that captures the tentative and unsure customer through the trust they put in the professionals that have helped them in the past.
 
Critically this also allows organisations who don’t have the expertise of creating applications for the cloud in house to start realising the potential cost savings and efficiencies offered by the cloud. It could also create another avenue for Salesforce's leading offerings in SaaS.

By allowing third party resellers to develop for other organisations, Salesforce is ensuring it spreads its net far and wide as momentum in the cloud marketplace picks up, whilst also growing their core business.

 

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IT and the Credit Crunch

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I think that we can all agree that nearly everyone is being affected by the credit crunch, but how is the credit crunch effecting the IT industry?

According to a recent article  the recession will 'destroy 40,000 UK IT services jobs'. They think that this 40,000 will go during this year and the following year, but will start to pick up in 2011. However it does not suggest exactly which areas in IT will where the cuts will be.

Another article which surveyed CIOs stated that 'renegotiating contracts with suppliers and headcount reduction (both staff and contactors)' was the main focus on reducing costs across IT. It also suggests that due to the recession IT budgets are being reduced by on average 4.7%. However the same article suggests that although conditions are the same in Europe and America, Latin America is experiencing a 4% rise in budgets at the moment. And thinks that late 2010/early 2011 will signal the rising of budgets again.

So times may look a little gloomy at the moment, but things are expected to pick up in about a years time. Every sector will be affected by the credit crunch, since each has a knock on effect on the rest, and IT as an industry is certainly not immune to the credit crunch.

What do you think? Will the recovery come quicker than this? Will certain areas prosper and others decline as a result?

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