About
Phaedrus Technologies Inc. is the private corporation of Russell Magee.
I have been working in the field of Controls and Automation since my internship in 1997. Over 20 years ago, my first project involved the implementation of a new Ethernet network for the control systems across the TransCanada Pipelines mainline. This involved co-axial cable runs, vampire taps, speeds of 10 Mbps (10base5) and network equipment from vendors that no longer exist. While comparatively crude to modern cheaper and faster networks, it was an early example of what today is labelled an Operational Technology (OT) network.
As an interesting influence of technology and timing, my career has followed the early stages of what is now referred to as the fourth industrial revolution1. While the buzzwords and marketing strategies are new, the digitization of industry started with this widespread interconnection of systems years ago. As the goal shifts to information transparency, traditional SCADA systems are becoming IIoT. The goal of decentralizing decision making is now driving edge computing and applications to enhance the capabilities of these industrial things.
My observation on this revolution is that vendors are eagerly using the promise of the benefits AI akin to snake oil and looking to the end goals of Industry 4.0, not the stepping stones. If this site had to pick a theme, it would probably be around the practical journey of Industry 4.0, not the destination.
Artificial Intelligence: AI is a nebulous term that should be reserved for the corporate "C" class when describing technology they don't yet understand. If you are a client and looking for an AI solution to your problem, you likely haven't defined your problem to the necessary level of granularity to solve it. Likewise, if a vendor is offering you an AI solution, they either don't understand your problem, they don't understand their product, or they don't have a product yet. Even at the preliminary stages, the discussion should be around if machine learning is a viable solution and which machine learning algorithms are to be applied to solve your problem.
The other places to keep tabs on me electronically is through LinkedIn or my work with Tetranex Solutions.
Contributions to the Tetranex Solutions Site
