Letters From Our Readers

Cloud Security

I am delighted to read the fascinating articles in the Technology Review India edition. In the July 2009 issue, I read about a completely new subject of cloud computing. While going through the articles on cloud computing I was reminded of an analogous phenomenon of MITR consortium involving banking and financial institutions who made an agreement for sharing ATM arrangements under the scheme of National Financial Switch (NFS). Although the MITR consortium has been dissolved, I think the mechanism used to operate on the same network principle as that of cloud computing. I look forward to having more interesting articles in the pages of TR.

Tapan Kumar Mukherjee
Burdwan, West Bengal

Excellent article [Security in the Ether] providing a thorough summary of many of the salient issues and concerns about today’s cloud computing resources. A couple of thoughts: First, the notion of extracting higher value information from mass quantities of aggregated personal data (redacted of sensitive info) exists today in the form of financial markets. Most adults today maintain some form of personal financial portfolio (stocks, bonds, etc.) which are traded in public markets. However, our personal information (SSNs, account numbers, balances) is omitted from public view and scrutiny. Yet, the power of the combined information is incredibly powerful, facilitating the market itself, comparative analyses, and higher value-added services. This emerging phenomena in medicine (alluded to in the article) will become prevalent across multiple industries with the growth of cloud services.

James Maiocco
USA

The Lithium Rush

I hope we don’t become too dependent and corrupted on Bolivia’s lithium like we did on Saudi oil.

McCann
USA

Although Evo is friends with Chavez (Venezuela’s President) and I don’t like Chavez, I believe that Evo should protect his country’s resources. Some countries in Africa produce billions of dollars in diamonds and oil but the people there don’t ever see half a penny. Also, Evo is of American descent, which is a first for the region. So he knows a thing or two when he remembers the Spaniards ransacking the place. Lastly, as every country knows, you make money by selling end products not raw material. Bolivia is better off creating lithium battery factories than selling the lithium by itself.

Jeremy Villalobos
USA

I believe this has to be a case of establishing a partnership where the Bolivian government and the battery companies could be equal partners. With mutual trust and respect a collaboration can thrive.

Daniel Christadoss
USA

Shoveling Water

Lots of government research labs do exactly what you’re talking about. They help run things like the National Nanotechnology Initiative, various “Grand Challenge” programs (DARPA, DOE, NASA, and others), and small business research initiative (SBIR) grants. These are all directed toward commercialization. In most areas, funding for research has been either flat or diminishing for the last few decades, once inflation is taken into account. Basically, the more entitlements we give out to people, and the more we police the world, the less money there is for spending on things like R&D. Many universities have set up technology incubators to accomplish exactly what you’re requesting. But, as the article points out, the companies thus formed have a very narrow focus on one particular product, or even just one patented idea. It’s much harder to develop an entire new industry.

D. Mackie
USA

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There’s more money in curing a disease than preventing it from happening.

Anwar Sukkar
Australia