Web/Tech

  • Why Cloud Computing Irks Larry Ellison, But Benefits You.

    The network is becoming the computer.

    Here is a short video that puts "Cloud Computing" in perspective.  In it, Ellison jokes that someone decided to change the word "Internet" to
    "Cloud" because it was a lot easier than innovation.


    Microsoft is spending a lot of time and money to make sure it does better gaining an early lead and monetizing this type of "Internet" service.  Their cloud computing platform is called Azure.

    Amazon also has a cloud offering worth a look. 

    Why Should You Care?

    Basically, you can “rent” a current version Windows Server for as little as 12 cents per hour, and only pay for the hours you need it each month. That’s $12 bucks to use 100 servers for an hour. You also pay for data transfer and storage, but that is negligible. The nice thing is that you can fire up an army of servers to run a batch process … then stop paying when they complete their work.

    You can get access even cheaper under a program where you bid on unused capacity within the cloud at any given time (Spot pricing). 

    I still have reservations about using cloud computing for many daily business applications. However, for “crunch on demand” processes … this model makes much more sense that investing in piles of hardware that all too soon becomes obsolete.

    Most of the data from this post comes from Tim McDonald, the president of Infassure, a technology consulting and out-sourcing company in the Dallas area.  They've been a big help to us on this, and many other matters.

  • Why You Might Want an iPad

    Here is Apple's launch video.  They do know how to innovate and market, don't they?

    Yes, it is stuff that does the stuff their other stuff does.  Yet, somehow it is generating great Buzz.

    Are you planning to buy one?  I'm planning to resist … for now.

  • Why You Might Want an iPad

    Here is Apple's launch video.  They do know how to innovate and market, don't they?

    Yes, it is stuff that does the stuff their other stuff does.  Yet, somehow it is generating great Buzz.

    Are you planning to buy one?  I'm planning to resist … for now.

  • Virtual PCs

    Some technology is innovative and impressive, but doesn't serve a business need.  For example, you keep hearing about Cloud Computing. Yet, how likely is it that you're going to
    allow your business to put a bunch of your proprietary data out on the net
    anytime soon?

    I'm not saying bad things about clouds, I'm just saying that there are a number of other recent advances that are interesting and perhaps more relevant.  Some of these advances promise to save time and money while
    making the computer environment safer and more robust.  An example is the class of solutions that take advantage of shared resources (like database clustering and virtualizing
    servers and desktops).

    100124 VMware Logo For us, one of the biggest changes in information technology, recently, has been the increasing use of virtualization.

    What is Virtualization?

    Several years ago, I needed to purchase a big and powerful computer to run certain in-depth tests. Yet, only a small percent of the tests we run require a machine that big. Some of our other testing took a long time, but didn't require many of the computer's resources. In both cases, we were dramatically under-using the machine a majority of the time.

    With virtualization, you can take a big powerful machine and divide it into smaller less powerful machines when you need to. 

    That means you can use all of the machine's capacity for one purpose some of the time. While other times, you can load a configuration optimized for a different type of test, which lets you create more virtual machines.

    So, if you are running a test that might take one computer 24 hours to run (but didn't use much of the computer's processing power), you could use virtualization to split the computer into four virtual computers.  The result is that it might only take you six or seven hours to complete the same task.

    That is a simple example, but hopefully it gives you an idea of what is possible.

    There are two main players in this space, Microsoft and VMware.

    Virtual PCs Move to the Desktop.100124 Virtual PC Images

    That same technology has moved to the desktop.

    For example, Windows 7 comes with Microsoft's Virtual PC. This makes it easy for you to create a clone of the computer (running inside your computer) but that doesn't affect the primary operating system.

    You can use a different operating system in the Virtual PC. So, even
    though you might use Windows 7, you could setup the Virtual PC to run
    with Windows XP or even Linux (for compatibility or testing reasons).

    Another use of a Virtual PC is as a "sandbox" that lets you install and try software that you wouldn't otherwise try on your main computer.

    For example, Microsoft just came-out with a beta version of its Office 2010 product.  I asked some of our IT staff if I should install it on my PC to try.  When they stopped laughing at me, the answer was "absolutely not", because it might hang, damage something or create the need to re-install the computer.  A Virtual PC, however, is a great place to try something like that without risking your primary work environment.

    Give it a try.

    Resources:

  • Virtual PCs

    Some technology is innovative and impressive, but doesn't serve a business need.  For example, you keep hearing about Cloud Computing. Yet, how likely is it that you're going to
    allow your business to put a bunch of your proprietary data out on the net
    anytime soon?

    I'm not saying bad things about clouds, I'm just saying that there are a number of other recent advances that are interesting and perhaps more relevant.  Some of these advances promise to save time and money while
    making the computer environment safer and more robust.  An example is the class of solutions that take advantage of shared resources (like database clustering and virtualizing
    servers and desktops).

    100124 VMware Logo For us, one of the biggest changes in information technology, recently, has been the increasing use of virtualization.

    What is Virtualization?

    Several years ago, I needed to purchase a big and powerful computer to run certain in-depth tests. Yet, only a small percent of the tests we run require a machine that big. Some of our other testing took a long time, but didn't require many of the computer's resources. In both cases, we were dramatically under-using the machine a majority of the time.

    With virtualization, you can take a big powerful machine and divide it into smaller less powerful machines when you need to. 

    That means you can use all of the machine's capacity for one purpose some of the time. While other times, you can load a configuration optimized for a different type of test, which lets you create more virtual machines.

    So, if you are running a test that might take one computer 24 hours to run (but didn't use much of the computer's processing power), you could use virtualization to split the computer into four virtual computers.  The result is that it might only take you six or seven hours to complete the same task.

    That is a simple example, but hopefully it gives you an idea of what is possible.

    There are two main players in this space, Microsoft and VMware.

    Virtual PCs Move to the Desktop.100124 Virtual PC Images

    That same technology has moved to the desktop.

    For example, Windows 7 comes with Microsoft's Virtual PC. This makes it easy for you to create a clone of the computer (running inside your computer) but that doesn't affect the primary operating system.

    You can use a different operating system in the Virtual PC. So, even
    though you might use Windows 7, you could setup the Virtual PC to run
    with Windows XP or even Linux (for compatibility or testing reasons).

    Another use of a Virtual PC is as a "sandbox" that lets you install and try software that you wouldn't otherwise try on your main computer.

    For example, Microsoft just came-out with a beta version of its Office 2010 product.  I asked some of our IT staff if I should install it on my PC to try.  When they stopped laughing at me, the answer was "absolutely not", because it might hang, damage something or create the need to re-install the computer.  A Virtual PC, however, is a great place to try something like that without risking your primary work environment.

    Give it a try.

    Resources:

  • Waving Goodbye to Last Year

    As you start making progress on your New Year's Resolutions and 2010, I thought I'd share these two videos to put last year in perspective and chronicle some of its happenings.

    One of the new technologies to generate a buzz last year was Google Wave. Even if you don't understand what it can do, you can appreciate how it's used here.

    Finally, JibJab brings a little humor its retrospective.

    Best Wishes and Good Luck in 2010.

  • Waving Goodbye to Last Year

    As you start making progress on your New Year's Resolutions and 2010, I thought I'd share these two videos to put last year in perspective and chronicle some of its happenings.

    One of the new technologies to generate a buzz last year was Google Wave. Even if you don't understand what it can do, you can appreciate how it's used here.

    Finally, JibJab brings a little humor its retrospective.

    Best Wishes and Good Luck in 2010.

  • Tap the Knowledge of People in Your Network

    Have you ever had a question that you just didn't know who to ask? There's a new website designed to help you. 

    Aardvark is a new kind of tool that lets you tap into the knowledge and experience of friends and friends-of-friends.  Think of it as a crowd-sourced (or human powered) knowledge engine. However, instead of just storing the answers, it tries to figure-out who to ask your question to in your network of contacts.

    100109 Aardvark Answers

    Send Aardvark a question (from the web, email, Twitter, IM, or iPhone) and you’ll get a quick, helpful response.

    I was a little skeptical; however, when I tried it, I got good answers very quickly. Finally, a business use for social networks (other than marketing).

    I recommend that you give it a try.

    Other Resources.

  • Tap the Knowledge of People in Your Network

    Have you ever had a question that you just didn't know who to ask? There's a new website designed to help you. 

    Aardvark is a new kind of tool that lets you tap into the knowledge and experience of friends and friends-of-friends.  Think of it as a crowd-sourced (or human powered) knowledge engine. However, instead of just storing the answers, it tries to figure-out who to ask your question to in your network of contacts.

    100109 Aardvark Answers

    Send Aardvark a question (from the web, email, Twitter, IM, or iPhone) and you’ll get a quick, helpful response.

    I was a little skeptical; however, when I tried it, I got good answers very quickly. Finally, a business use for social networks (other than marketing).

    I recommend that you give it a try.

    Other Resources.

  • Shopping Smarter: Where to Find the Best Deals this Season

    Here is a list of shopping tools that can save you money and time.

    These are sites I've used myself and was happy about using.  Please let me know if you have additions or suggestions.

    The suggestions fall into several main categories: Deals, Price Comparison, and Phone Apps.

    Deals:


    Price Comparison:


    Phone Apps:


    Honorable Mentions: Other Resources Worth Checking