January 1, 2011... The world awoke - or rather didn't wake - to the first widely publicised technical glitch of the new year.

In a Y2K-like scenario, the ubiquitous Apple iPhone and iPod revealed a software bug that affected their alarm clock function. It was probably only a tiny error in a huge number of lines of code. However the effect was much bigger.  There were thousands of angry Tweets, blog entries and emails from users who had overslept and were late for work - or worse, missed flights and trains. I also have an iPhone 4 and use the alarm regularly, but was fortunately unaffected as it was a holiday!

This raises the topic of our reliance on technology in the modern world and the explosive rate at which it is changing. Who and/or what is actually driving the change? Is it "market-push" or "market-pull"? Is it manufacturers or consumers - or both? Is it just about dollars or perhaps improving society or simply just an ongoing pursuit of technology for technology's sake?

Here at iQuest we are both developers and consumers of technology. We are a link in a chain, using other vendor's products to develop our own. Hardware components, software development tools and communication networks - we are reliant on a wide range of technology. Downstream, our users then rely on our integration and application of these technologies, often in mission-critical environmental-monitoring systems.

Sometimes though, to some it feels like it is all going far too quickly. I came across a very poignant blog a while ago that brings an interesting perspective on this topic.  Titled "A Call for Revolution against Beta Culture", it is food for thought as we jump head first into the new year.

We look forward to what's ahead. One thing is for sure - it won't be boring!

- Michael Cook