GogoTraining spoke with Michael Simpson, one of our leading industry-expert instructors, about technology and his involvement and reflections on the past, present and future.<\/p>\n
GogoTraining: What inspired you to get involved in IT?<\/strong><\/p>\n Michael Simpson:<\/strong> I have been fascinated by music and languages from a very young age, playing piano and violin while growing up.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always considered music, mathematics and languages just different means of expression — and computing \/ information technology yet another branch.\u00a0 I built synthesizers and studied acoustics in college, which further blurred whatever faint divisions there were for me between music and computing.\u00a0<\/p>\n GGT: Of all the changes that have happened, which would you say was the biggest so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n MS:<\/strong> The \u201cdemocratization\u201d and explosion of information that occurred due to the transformation of the ARPANet into the Internet and the arrival of the World Wide Web.\u00a0 Today, we take for granted access to information that would have overwhelmed the world\u2019s leaders only two generations ago.<\/p>\n GGT: What was a favorite or most interesting project you worked on, and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n MS:<\/strong> One of my favorite projects involved interviewing experts to understand how they solved problems, translating those concepts into objects and classes, and representing those objects and classes in C++ (and, later, Java) constructs. I was able to combine programming skills and artificial intelligence skills in a cross-disciplinary technique known as \u201cknowledge engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n GGT: As an expert in Java, what\u2019s a good tip for someone just starting to learn it?<\/strong><\/p>\n MS:<\/strong> The\u00a0 language\u2019s syntax mimics that of C or C++, but take a deep breath, realize that it *is* case-sensitive, and understand object-oriented programming concepts and constructs BEFORE you take your first Java class.<\/p>\n GGT: Where do you see Android going in terms of growth and application?<\/strong><\/p>\n MS: <\/strong>The Android software stack will grow to fill the void left by the gradual withdrawal of Symbian from the smartphone arena.\u00a0 The development of emerging markets such as China, India, and the African \/ South American \/ Asian continents will create a burgeoning market for inexpensive, reliable mobile phones, bypassing landlines entirely.\u00a0 \u201cCheap is good,\u201d and free is better.\u00a0 Android\u2019s cost advantage will make it easier to penetrate those markets on a volume basis than Apple\u2019s iPhone, Microsoft\u2019s Windows Phone 7, or RIM\u2019s BlackBerry.\u00a0 A second avenue of Android growth will be the \u201cembedded \/ smart appliance\u201d area — refrigerators that know how to re-order, smart thermostats, better and more reliable car engines and so forth.<\/p>\n GGT: Any tips for those starting to learn Android programming?<\/strong><\/p>\n MS:<\/strong> The Android stack is designed to run on many different types of devices, so determine what your \u201ctarget market\u201d is.\u00a0 Think about your application\u2019s appearance, \u201clook and feel\u201d and behavior before you write a single line of code.\u00a0 Realize that knowing Java is a necessary, but NOT sufficient, condition of becoming an Android programmer.<\/p>\n GGT: GogoTraining\u2019s Android Development Training Program has Java AND Android programming courses (Java being optional if one already knows it).\u00a0 What is good to know coming in to the program?<\/strong><\/p>\n MS:<\/strong>\u00a0 Each Android application runs in its own miniature Java environment, so you should be proficient at creating, compiling and debugging standalone Java applications before tackling the Android programming courses.<\/p>\n GGT: What other sorts of practice or activity should one do in addition to the training program?<\/strong><\/p>\n MS:<\/strong> After you go through the Java and Android courses, pick some non-trivial task that would have some value to your organization — organizing or scheduling deliveries, for example — and design and implement it using Android.\u00a0 Once you\u2019ve gotten the bugs *THOROUGHLY* worked out, show it to your friends, then to your management.\u00a0 This will act as confirmation of your knowledge, and show your colleagues and supervisors that (A) you got something out of these courses and (B) you turned your new-found knowledge into something of benefit to the company.<\/p>\n GGT: What level of ability can someone expect to have upon completion of that program?<\/strong><\/p>\n MS:<\/strong> You should have the ability to create, design and implement a small program that can solve or speed up a task whose solution has value to your company.\u00a0 (A good tip is to think of a task like that while you are taking the course.)<\/p>\n GGT: What\u2019s out there in IT that interests you the most right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n MS:<\/strong> In the Android world — how Android will fare as vendors try to push it onto tablets.\u00a0 The iPad and MacBook Air offer stiff competition.<\/p>\n In the non-Android world — security and \u201cneural networks\u201d (how information technology keeps data secure in a world of interconnected networks continually talking to each other, and to humans.)<\/p>\n GGT: What\u2019s next for Michael Simpson?<\/strong><\/p>\n MS:<\/strong> Finding the next boundary to push.\u00a0 Seeing what\u2019s over the next hill.\u00a0 Discovering the next \u201cwhat if …?\u201d\u00a0 Come join me!<\/p>\n …<\/p>\n Michael Simpson<\/a>‘s is a\u00a0knowledge engineer, developer and instructor with 27 years of experience in technology.\u00a0 Michael teaches Java<\/a>, Android<\/a> and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" GogoTraining spoke with Michael Simpson, one of our leading industry-expert instructors, about technology and his involvement and reflections on the past, present and future. 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