Connected Devices Speakers and Open Forum

We are Very excited for our September Speakers!

________

Johannes Ernst; UBOS and the Indie IoT

Will the IoT inevitably make us all digital serfs to a few overlords in the cloud, as Bruce Sterling predicts? Or is a more democratic, user-owned, “independent” IoT possible?

Johannes Ernst, entrepreneur and technologist with a mission, will first use the example of a Raspberry-Pi-based IoT system he built for his own backyard to discuss the architectural choices, their consequences, and the business opportunities for “Indie IoT” versus today’s typical commercial “overlord IoT” systems.

UBOS, his company's product, is a new rolling-release Linux distro that makes it easy to install and maintain 3rd-party applications on home servers (x86, Raspberry Pi etc.) Most server administration tasks (install apps, upgrade server, encrypted off-site backup etc.) are just one command each, regardless of the complexity of the setup. It makes it possible to run IoT systems and keep all related data entirely at home, mixing and matching sensors/actuators, applications, and services according to the wishes of the user, and without being dependent on somebody else’s cloud.

Imagine if you could assemble your IoT systems freely from the components (hardware, software, services) that you like best and without lock-in or surveillance? That’s the “Indie IoT" future we're working on.

________

Nicholas van de Walle is a local web developer who loves shoving computers into everything from clothes to books to rocks. He has worked for companies like VSCO and

http://gifs.com

and contributes to open source projects like the Tessel JavaScript microcontroller.

Nicholas will be speaking about his $100 DIY Laptop.

________

We are on the verge of next revolution

Connected devices have emerged during the last decade into what's known as the Internet of Things. These devices measure and interact with our physical world with and without our presence. They are an extension of us, our sixth sense.

With such great power comes great responsibility. What are the implications of your data, your digital fingerprint, spread around in dozens of databases? Do you even own your heart rate measurements? What is YOUR data’s future? Most importantly, how do we secure OUR information and retain our privacy?

In his keynote, Laurynas traverses the reasons why connected things have such hype now and outlines the emergence of the next digital revolution: Augmented Intelligence.

Laurynas Riliskis: Ever since he made two devices talk wirelessly back in 2004, he never stopped making it easier for devices to talk. Laurynas started his Ph.D back in 2009 with designing dependable and secure communication protocols for Critical Infrastructure protection and finished with large scale testing all in the scope of connected things. During his Ph.D he served as advisor to both the United Nations and the European Union. He has 37 publications, multiple awards among them and two Best Paper awards. Currently, he is researching design methodologies and languages for Secure IoT at Stanford University. Most importantly, he is on a mission to make development for the Internet of Things: ACCESSIBLE, SAFE and SECURE.

________

Cindy Hsiang is a product manager of Project SensorWeb under Mozilla’s Connected Devices team. Prior to Mozilla, Cindy brought various connected devices from concept to market and drove market development for a Silicon Valley startup. Coming from a social science and business background, Cindy is passionate about building impactful, people-centric products and services.

SensorWeb is a project born out of Mozilla Taipei from a lean team with a powerful mission. Its vision is to equip organizations and individuals with contextual information about their connected world that empowers them to make informed choices about policy and daily life. Cindy will share the path from concept to product proposal, including challenges faced and lessons learned, and discuss the roadmap ahead for Project SensorWeb.

________

Mozilla will be providing Pizza and drinks. Come join us for some great presentations and conversations!