Unless you have the processing power of a Cray Supercomputer or totally isolated from what’s going on in the real word like the cast of LOST, then I recommend that from time to time you press Life’s PAUSE button.

There is so much going in the world around us, that it’s far too easy to get wrapped up in our own little sand box and miss out on the great things flashing at light-speed before our very own eyes.

For the purposes of this article, I refer to technology – not directly the stuff we find in hotels, but in the world around us – stuff that if we take a moment to catch our breath and inhale deeply, will enrich our daily lives.

Over the last year, we’ve seen some amazing developments in both hardware and software – let’s look at a few of those which I believe have impacted the world @ large.


These folks came out with a piece of software that has without doubt revolutionized communications. They took the world by surprise by freely launching onto the market a small piece of software that originally, allowed you to make voice calls without cost between two PC’s. Then they made a version for the MAC and one that runs on some Wi-Fi enabled PDA’s.

From there, they said hold on, why should we restrict calling from computer to computer when we can make it computer to ANY phone in the world. And not only that, but with Skype-in, you can call from any phone to any computer. They do all this at ridiculously low rates, and offer a QOS (Quality of Service) that baffles the boffins amongst us.

Not content at stopping there, they also included IM (Instant Messaging) and with a small add-on called Festoon , you can video conference for free to your hearts content.

File transfers are also a great feature of Skype, and when I use it, I have found it to be around ten times faster than clunky old MSN.

When these folks started out, skeptics and naysayer’s said it would not work – well let me tell you - selling out to eBay for US$2.4 billion dollars cash ain’t bad at all.

See:


This nifty web based program allows you to zoom in to the earth’s geography as though you were a space tourist paying upwards of US$2m for the privilege of floating around in a rocket weightlessly, and peeking down at us mere mortals.

Although it’s still in Beta, some of the views you get are just stunning. Take a look at the Forbidden City in Beijing, Hong Kong’s airport, Niagara Falls, The Vatican (to name a few), and you will see what a spectacular piece of software this is.

Not only is it fun, it’s also educational; and if you are smart, you can also use it to promote your business; i.e. location, location, location.

See: http://earth.google.com/


Stands for Really Simple Syndication – and for me is one of the greatest discoveries of 2005. If you go to some websites you will notice a little orange button with either RSS or XML inside, and this means they offer this kind of functionality.

The BBC has a great explanation of RSS so I am not going to repeat what they have done so eloquently. Suffice to say, this service helps me both personally and professionally sift through and filter out tons of information sources on a continuing basis – RSS helps me solve that problem with ease.

See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3223484.stm

Although there are many RSS readers, I like a product called ONFOLIO, and to me, this is a marriage made in heaven. I cannot encourage you enough to get on the RSS bandwagon – and soon!

See:


I would find it hard to imagine that you have not heard of this gizmo – a.k.a. iPOD. Not only does it allow you to carry around your entire music collection in a box that’s about the same size as a packet of cigarettes (you remember those don’t you…) – but it now has the capability to store pictures of friends, family, loved ones and pets. And as of a week ago, you can now play back TV shows providing you have the latest Video iPOD (or ViPOD as I called it) and iTunes V6.

This ‘thing’ has revolutionized music on the move, and will soon do the same for video. Not only does it bring about a new meaning to PVP (portable video players) or PMP (portable media player), it also means we have evolved into time shifters – storing copies of our favorite shows, and then watching them at a time and place of our choice. This could be a train, boat, plane or even hotel room – since it has an output jack for playback – and looks great on those ubiquitous plasma 42” screens we are rushing to install on a wall near us.

Other delights inside this little box allow us to receive Podcasts (pre-recorded audio broadcasts of news etc.,) and constantly updated – again for our listening pleasure.

And then there are Audio Books – voice-over recordings of books that we are perhaps lazy to read, or feel carrying it around in this format is more environmentally friendly. You can even get Harry Potter as an Audio Book.

The iPOD is a miracle of technology – and as it continues its metamorphosis it will without doubt, play an even greater impact on our lives – that is apart from the fact that millions upon millions of us now spend a great deal of time listening to music through headphones.

See:


But I have to say that the story I found most fascinating is the invention of the sub US$100 computer by Nicholas Negroponte of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). He wanted to create a machine which was affordable and functional enough to be bought and distributed to underprivileged children – who would otherwise not have access to those things we take for granted.

The machine is battery powered, and when there is no AC power (which is often the case in these areas), one can turn a handle on the side for one minute, and generate ten minutes worth of battery power. It is wireless enabled, and has a carry handle built-in.

This is truly amazing, and will help level the playing field between those that have, and those that don’t I take my hat off to Mr. Negroponte.

See: http://laptop.media.mit.edu/



Terence Ronson started his career as a Chef, and acquired his wealth of practical experience and knowledge whilst holding various management positions with Hilton International in Asia and at several prestigious establishments in the U.K. After developing a personal interest in computers and technology some twenty years ago, Terence has turned his attention on to this exciting and rapidly evolving aspect of the business, working with several prominent IT related companies in the hospitality industry, applying their products and services so as to streamline businesses, improve profitability, and the guest experience. Amongst other things, Terence now runs his own business Pertlink Limited, which specializes in helping hospitality companies different themselves, drive business and maximize the use of IT in the pursuit of improved customer service and brand loyalty. Email Terence Ronson at: [email protected] or visit "