This week, I'm super excited to give a talk at PICNIC. This is the TED of Europe and everyone from Richard Branson to Genevieve Bell (ala Intel) to Werner Vogels to a million other amazing individuals will be speaking. They all have a huge interest in changing the world, and they are doing it today. They're focusing on energy, environment, IT, media, and really everything else. I'm honored to give a talk in the presence of such luminary individuals.

My talk will focus on how pervasive computing is making energy management real -- no one really knows how or where they're using energy. While data centers are the current "fad", the real problem is managing the millions of inefficient things that are out there. Once you know where the energy inefficiencies are, you can then take action to manage them. Without knowing the root of the problem, you're shooting in the dark, and that's where Sentilla can tell you exactly where the problems exist.

Where: Flexbar I, PICNIC, Amsterdam, Netherlands
When: Friday, September 26 @ 9:00.

The press release gives some context (immediately below) -- although stay tuned to the bottom for the next event -- BAIA!

Sentilla, a pioneering leader and supplier of pervasive computing solutions, today announced that Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder Joe Polastre will join other industry luminaries next week at the PICNIC Conference ’08 in Amsterdam, September 24-26. The annual gathering showcases the world’s foremost thought leaders, technologists, and innovators who will share their insights on media, technology, arts, and entertainment. In addition, the conference will spotlight cutting-edge products and services in demonstrations and panel discussions. Dr. Polastre will participate in a session entitled, “Internet of Things,” aimed at raising attendee awareness of a new ecology of pervasive computing solutions. In his talk, he’ll discuss how embedded intelligence in objects all around us can provide meaningful information about the things that people care about—like saving the planet—and provide insights on energy management solutions that can leverage energy harvesting to provide industrial manufacturers with “green,” maintenance-free solutions.

For example, metals manufacturing production consumes a tremendous amount of energy, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. In these harsh, non-stop industrial environments, up to one-third of the production costs come from the energy required to operate these plants. Thus, even a one-percent reduction in energy usage in that industry will yield savings in hundreds of millions of dollars, not to mention decreasing harmful environmental emissions derived as a result of that efficiency. Sentilla’s pervasive computing solutions are aimed at helping industrial manufacturers manage their energy usage, and thereby re-direct the energy efficiency gained to improve plant operations, increase production throughput, and ultimately achieve greater profitability.

But why stop there? I'll also tell you why this is important and how companies need to adjust their business models in the Business Association Italy America (BAIA) Forum in October. Organized by Marco Sgroi (who has done some incredible work with pervasive computers on the body to help in things like rehabilitation), I'm honored to participate in this forum back in the US. With Italian ancestry (my last name was originally Polastri, not Polastre, but was changed in Ellis Island), I'm thrilled to participate in this panel as a real Italian -- and entrepreneur! Hope to see you there.

Where: HP Auditorium, 306 Soda Hall, University of California, Berkeley
When: Wednesday, October 8 @ 6:30pm

The continuous decrease of the size and the cost of electronic devices is gradually making the vision of ubiquitous networks of wireless sensors a reality. After almost a decade of extensive research, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are in the midst of the transition towards industrial deployment in various application domains such as automotive, environmental monitoring, health care, building and industrial automation, energy management.

BAIA presents a panel of outstanding experts from the academia and the industry, who have played an essential role in the history of WSNs. The panel will discuss applications and business models of WSNs and will address questions such as:
- what applications will drive the mass deployment of WSNs both in the short and in the long term?
- what players will be most successful in the WSN domain and what business model will they adopt?
- what are the main barriers before wide adoption of WSNs?
- when will the deployment of WSNs happen in large volumes?

Panelists:
- Prof. David Culler, University of California at Berkeley, CTO and Co-Founder Arch Rock
- Mike Horton, CEO and Co-Founder Crossbow
- Prof. Raju Pandey, University of California at Davis, CTO and Co-Founder Synapsense
- Prof. Kris Pister, University of California at Berkeley, CTO and Co-Founder Dust Networks
- Dr. Joe Polastre, CTO and Co-Founder, Sentilla
- Prof. Alberto Sangiovanni-Vincentelli, University of California at Berkeley, CTA and Co-Founder Cadence Design Systems

Program:
6:30 - 7:00 pm Registration / Networking
7:00 - 8:00 pm Program