Microsoft Kinect: Disruptive Technology

A disruptive technology is one that changes the way that people think about a process.  Some examples of this type of technology are the car vs. horse/carriage, cell phone vs. house phone, etc.  Microsoft Kinect, a gaming system put out by the makers of the Xbox, is such a type of technology.  Instead of gaming with a controller connected to the console or wirelessly, the console instead uses a motion sensor to detect the movement of the players body.  The body of the player is the controller!  It tracks movements, and these movements are then seen on screen.  While their have been constant advantages in the quality of gaming over the year, this Kinect device is totally transforming the gaming world.

Where could this industry go next?  Or is this as real as it can get?

Summary of Technology in Sports

My blog all semester has been predominately about the impact of technology on sports.  What better to do then than a summary of technology in sports?

Technology has changed the way we prepare and play games, what we wear and equipment we use during the games, and how we even view the games as fans.  It has allowed for better information to be available for competing athletes.  This allows them to be better prepared for the games, which leads to a better quality game by both teams.  Technology in shoes has helped athletes to run faster and jump higher.  Technology has helped make jersey materials lighter, making athletes split seconds faster.  Sometimes, a split-second is the difference between a touchdown being scored or not, or a runner being safe or out at a base.  Equipment advances because of technology has allowed athletes to perform better as well.  For instance, the way tennis rackets are put together is much more advanced now than in the past.  Different materials are used for the strings, leading to faster hit speeds and more solid contact.  And finally, as I talked about in my last blog, the many options available to fans to view the game is growing rapidly.  It is almost impossible for a fan to be oblivious to what is going on in the sporting world with all the avenues we now have to watch games.

Just like any firm or market needs to adapt to technology, the world of sports had to do the same.  The sporting market has been willing to do so, and it has led to a better overall experience for the fan because of increased performance by the players.  This better performance and viewing capability was made possible by technology.

Technology Changing the Way We Watch Sports

With the many technological advances in television, internet, and cellular devices, the accessibility of watching sports and keeping up with teams is at an all-time high.  Back in the "olden days," people were lucky if they could catch their favorite football team on television as the game of the week.  If their team was not televised, then they had to resort to listening to the radio.  Now, if our favorite team is not on television, we can watch the game being streamed live on the internet.  If they are not streamed on the internet, then you can usually follow the game on gamecast.  This allows you to see what is going on in the game, though you are not watching the actual live action.  There are also now apps and internet on phones that allow up to the minute updates on all sports. 

It is amazing how much more we can follow the sporting world because of technology.  How much more can technology actually change the way we follow sports?  Have we hit the ceiling?  Or are the possibilities endless?

Golf Ball Technology

http://www.sportstechreview.com/

Many people love to play golf.  Some play it well, while others (like me) play it very poorly.  I have lost many golf balls on my many errant shots.  It is estimated that about 500 million golf balls are lost per year.  Prazza is trying to change this.  They are developing a golf ball that uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to help golfers locate their lost balls. The price is being is significantly higher than regular golf balls, but the added value of not losing balls makes up for the increase in price. 

Ducote Outsourcing: Cisco

I recently saw a Cisco commercial that highlighted one of their clients:  Ducote Motorcycles.  The commercial showed a Ducote motorcycle and talked about how good they were.  The commercial then shifts directions, saying that Ducote knows what they are good at, which is motorcycles.  It then says that they use Cisco for their networking and systems. This is a real life example of outsourcing.


Ducote sticks to their core competency of making quality motorcycles.  They then outsource what they are not good at performing.  This commercial would not have ever stuck out to me without this class, as I would not have been thinking about outsourcing and core competencies.

Technology in Shoes?

Can shoes become so technologically advanced that they are banned by the NBA?  Apparently, the answer to this question is yes.  While many training shoes have claimed to help increase performance, the Concept 1, also known as the "Launch 'N Load, is thought to increase performance so greatly that it was banned by the NBA this week.

The shoe was invented by two former walk-on basketball players at the University of Southern California.  It has a proprietary, springlike device under the balls of the feet.  The NBA claims that it gives too much of a competitive advantage to those who wear them.

This just shows the broad implications of technology.  Of course we hear about how technology is changing things such as electronics and businesses.  However, it is not often that we hear about a shoe being banned because of technology employed in it giving a huge competitive advantage to the wearer.

Anyone else have a technological advancement something like this, where you would not ordinarily expect one? 

NBA Innovations

For years in basketball, videotape of games from many different angles is broken down for players to study their shots, dribbles, and overall fundamentals.  While this technology was good at serving its purpose, there is a new wave of technology being implemented in the NBA now.  This technology is similar to the technology used in the movie Avatar.  It captures every movement of the player throughout the game.  Sensors would be put on the uniforms and shoes of the players to allow for this capture of information.  For example, the sensors could measure the release points of shots of a player, determining which release point is the best for that certain player.

This shows that all companies and industries need to be open changing their processes.  Here, the NBA, a sports league, looked to technology in Avatar, a movie, to make its product better.  I believe that being open-minded to change is key for companies and industries.  Using this technology to increase efficiencies in players can lead to a better product, leading to better customer happiness, ultimately leading to an even better overall NBA experience.  

Louisiana College IT: Left in the Dust

The college that I attended for my undergraduate degree, Louisiana College, is a perfect example of a company not willing to adapt to technological changes.  When I arrived there 4 years ago, there was about half the number of students enrolled as when I graduated this past May.  The internet service and reliability was spotty at best then, but it was, for the most part, able to be used when one needed it.  However, as enrollment spiked, the investment in IT did not keep up with the spike.  Therefore, in my last year at LC, I constantly had to leave campus just to get internet service.  Too many people were connected in the network, causing the system to move at a snail's pace.  Also, either the IT workers did not have enough help or were not knowledgeable, as the system often crashed.  This left on-campus students without internet access at all, forcing them to leave campus just to do their online homework.  LC's IT department finally installed a wireless network at the beginning of last year.  The entire campus did not have ONE wireless network before 2009; CRAZY!

All of this shows that even at the college level, management of the business (LC) must forecast what is going to happen in their company, so they can keep their technology processes up to date.  If not, the customers (students) will not enjoy the product (overall experience), making them either unhappy or cause them to even leave the college.  Management must always keep up with changes that will force their IT to be out of date.  Doing so can help to avoid a disaster like the one mentioned here.  Anyone else have horrible problems with IT at their undergrad or previous job?

Wal-Mart's Reliance on Technology

I recently went to Wal-Mart to do what everyone does there:  get groceries.  However, this was no ordinary Wal-Mart trip for me.  While the shopping went as smoothly as always, the checkout process did not.  I got in a line with surprisingly no people in it, so I expected a quick checkout.  When I ran my credit card through the machine, the computer scanning system could not collect with the satellite to process the exchange.  The employee had to shut off the computer, turn it back on, and repeat the process.  It once again did not work.  A manager repeated the same process, which also did not work.  This problem was happening at all the checkout lines in the store.  So the worker had to individually enter identification numbers for each individual item, which took quite some time.  I then ran my card, and it was accepted.

This truly shows our dependence on technology, and also how we take it for granted.  What I perceived as a simple process of scanning items, and then paying turned into a 20 minute ordeal.  While I tried to stay calm throughout the process, this did anger some less patient customers.  Technology has helped to cut down our waiting time in lines significantly, and I now appreciate that because of this experience.  It also shows that a backup plan must be in place, such as the one in the CareGroup case, just in case technology does fail a company.  Now if we could only get more workers at the lines to decrease waiting time even more, but that is for another day...

Technology, To Use or Not to Use?

As technology continues to spread throughout the world, firms and corporations must decide whether to stick with their old ways or use the technology that is available to them.  This is the current situation in the world of sports.  Technology has allowed professional sports leagues to be able to more accurately make calls on the field.  In the NFL, coaches can challenge up to 3 calls made by the referee throughout the course of the game that they feel are wrong.  The referee then view instant replay on a camera, and can overturn the call or determine that the correct call was made, and allow the call on the field to stand.  In the NBA, borderline shots that were possibly either a 2 or 3 pointer can be reviewed once there is a stoppage in the game.  Just like in the NFL, the referee reviews the film by using instant replay technology to determine the correct call.

While the MLB has finally implemented the use of instant replay on homerun calls, they have refused to implement it in many other situations where it is needed.  One of the great parts about baseball to traditionalists is the "human element" of umpires.  However, the expanded use of instant replay needs to be addressed in the game, to include close calls at bases.  Earlier this season, a call was missed by an umpire in a game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians.  The pitcher for the Tigers, Armando Galarraga, had a perfect game going with only one more out to achieve this perfect game, which would have been only the 21st perfect game in MLB history (there have been just under 200,000 games played since 1876).  The umpire made a wrong call on an play at first base, calling the runner safe when instant replay obviously showed that the runner was out.  The limitations the MLB has put on technology has cost Galarraga and baseball fans everywhere a chance at witnessing rare history.  Why not use the technology that is available to us?

The stubbornness of the MLB to implement technology is a very bad business decision.  While they are trying to keep the old tradition of the "human element" in the game alive, Major League Baseball must adapt to keep new fans engaged in the game.  It is not wise for any business to turn the other way when technology can help make its processes run more efficiently and better.  MLB is no different; I believe that they must adapt to incorporate more technology into the game, so it can be as good of a product as it possibly can be.

This is a very hot topic in baseball circles right now, as traditionalists are battling with the new-age generation on how much instant replay is needed in baseball.  What do you think?  Should more instant replay be implemented to make the game better and to produce more correct calls?  Or should the MLB be set in their ways, and keep their replay system as it currently is?

Text Message Recruiting Gone Wrong

The University of Miami Hurricans football team is under investigation by the NCAA, but not for a reason you would think.  We have all gotten used to seeing teams face penalties for giving players money, cars, or places to live to get players to attend their school.  However, Miami is under investigation for "impermissable text messages."  Texting potential recruits was banned in 2007, because of possible costs to recruits without unlimited plans.

This is how far technology has brought even things such as football recruiting.  Many years ago, the only contact had with players was seeing them in person.  Then, recruiting over the phone was allowed, giving coaches another medium through which to connect with the athletes.  There were restrictions placed on hours and number of calls made to these recruits.  However, when text messaging exploded onto the scene, the NCAA was not ready to police it.  Therefore, coaches went wild texting potential recruits, which eventually led to it being banned.

IT issues are faced and dealt with by companies every day.  The NCAA is a very powerful association, however, they do not want to face this challenge.  Instead of coming up with a system to monitor the text messaging, they have simply banned it altogether.  Shouldn't the heads of their committees come together to come up with a solution to the problem, instead of running from it?