http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/blog318520.html I have an unhealthy love of computers, software, and Web 2.0 apps. I probably need an intervention, but please wait until I finish catching up on my RSS feeds... http://www.daniweb.com/forums/dani-images/misc/dani/logo.gif http://www.daniweb.com http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3599.html Miami has hurricanes, Silicon Valley gets wildfires, and Seattle sits at the foot of a volcano. Where should your data center be? How about the heartland of America -- the Midwest -- where a growing number of server farms are springing up instead of corn or cattle farms. John Rath, a service center manager in Cedar Falls, Iowa, says rural America is an ideal place to locate important technology infrastructure. He says power costs are lower, the existing workforce is highly-skilled, and plenty of renewable energy sources exist. Of course, save the occasional tornado, very few natural... Hardware and Software Sun, 30 Nov 2008 18:26:01 CST Lisa Hoover http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3599.html http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3595.html As if tech workers didn't have enough to worry about, now there's a study claiming people who work in high-tech industries are 50% more likely to develop heart disease than those working in other sectors. The research, conducted by the Taiwan Society of Lipids and Atherosclerosis, cites stress and long work hours as the primary reasons. Researchers also discovered that the number of people with abnormally high levels of lipids in their bloodstreams was three times higher than is found in the general population. Taiwan's Society Secretary-General Ho Yi-lwun says, "Of those surveyed who... Web Development Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:36:28 CST Lisa Hoover http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3595.html http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3593.html "With great power, comes great responsibility." -- Uncle Ben in "Spiderman" I read a fascinating question over at Ask Metafilter this week that I've been thinking about ever since. An anonymous tech worker writes that though he loves job, he's over-worked and over-wrought. His two-man department achieved an uptime of "four nines" last year, but he's practically on call 24/7 every day of the year and it's taking its toll on his mental and physical health. "I feel like when I was a bit younger, I was able to deal with this much better emotionally -- or, at least, I worried about it less. Now,... Hardware and Software Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:56:39 CST Lisa Hoover http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3593.html http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3582.html If you've been thinking of ditching your old BlackBerry and getting a new Bold or Storm, but hate the idea of an upgrade or early termination fee, I have some great news for you. The best part of the new devices has been all its new browser has to offer. Now you can have the new browser on your current BlackBerry without the expense and hassle of getting a new phone. BlackBerry Device Software v4.5 is now available for download. Research In Motion, creators of the ubiquitous smartphone, touts speed as the number one improvement, but there's plenty more to like about this upgrade. HTML in... Hardware and Software Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:45:12 CST Lisa Hoover http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3582.html http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3578.html These days, lots of things happen online in a New York minute. Motrin launches a new ad campaign and moms jump on it instantly. An earthquake hits China and Twitter knows about it before CNN. It's no surprise, then, that an entire online business can go from concept to live in the span of one short weekend. CNN is reporting today on Startup Weekend, a brief but intense 54-hour meetup of people with great Web-based business ideas and the people who can help make it happen. Startup Weekends have been taking place all over the world since 2007 and show no sign of slowing down. In fact, the... Web Development Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:28:20 CST Lisa Hoover http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3578.html http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3559.html A few years ago, small businesses just needed a telephone line and maybe a single computer with a dial-up connection to set up shop. Now that technology has exploded, nearly every company needs a reliable phone system, a Web site, and maybe even a whole network of computers to stay competitive. All that tech comes with the need for reliable people to manage it. If you're in the market for tech workers, or already employ a team to handle your infrastructure, make sure you avoid these four things that are guaranteed to insult even the most laid-back IT worker. Get blinded by the word "free" -... Hardware and Software Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:05:34 CST Lisa Hoover http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3559.html http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3554.html When it comes to enterprise computer technology, everything seems to be happening in the cloud these days. Offsite storage was one of the first iterations of cloud computing and is continuing to gain traction as a smart way for companies to safely retain data. You're probably familiar with the typical terminology surrounding online backup services, but if you pay by the byte, de-duplicating -- or de-duping, for short -- is a word you want to know. De-duplicating means removing redundant information from data before storage. In other words, if you're going to transfer your cumulative... Internet Marketing Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:55:45 CST Lisa Hoover http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3554.html http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3530.html If you've been clinging to the interoffice email and calendaring capabilities of Microsoft Exchange as your company's last vestige of proprietary software, it's really time to consider giving up the ghost. Open source collaboration software vendor Open-Xchange, Inc. announced recently it now offers its flagship product, Open-Xchange, as an appliance edition in addition to its server and hosting versions. Like Microsoft Exchange, it's got email, calendaring, document sharing, contact management, and a backup and recovery system. Unlike Exchange, however, it doesn't come with a hefty price... Internet Marketing Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:23:29 CST Lisa Hoover http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3530.html http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3500.html There's plenty of speculation that the current state of the economy will greatly benefit open source technology, and you know an idea is taking root when mainstream IT conferences include presentations about implementing FOSS solutions in enterprise. Desmond Atkinson, with UK-based capacity planning firm Metron Technology Limited, plans to lead a session about open source virtualization at a conference next month sponsored by the Computer Measurement Group (CMG). I caught up with Atkinson recently to get his thoughts onwhat CTOs need to know about green IT, where it's headed, and why the... Internet Marketing Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:27:46 CST Lisa Hoover http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3500.html http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3491.html There's a kerfuffle brewing in the Sunshine State over who owns the rights to the software that powers certain alcohol breath-test machines. The outcome may mean the difference between a valid or false DUI charge on your permanent driving record. The machine in question, the Intoxilyzer 8000, contains proprietary software code that defense attorneys claim is owned by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Kentucky-based CMI, Inc., manufacturer of the machines, says the source code is a non-transferable trade secret and the FDLE's license covers only the Intoxilyzer 8000's... Internet Marketing Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:59:34 CST Lisa Hoover http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3491.html http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3482.html Open source software is being taken seriously as a viable alternative to expensive proprietary applications but it's important to realize that, like its commercial brethren, it comes with a license for use. It's also important to remember that all open source licensing is not created equal. Free software licensing is quite complex and I recommend browsing gnu.org for the most up-to-date and complete information. According to Eran Strod, director of product marketing at Black Duck Software, around 70% of open source code is licensed under the GPL, something you'll want at least a passing... Internet Marketing Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:53:50 CST Lisa Hoover http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3482.html http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3449.html If the state of the economy has got you down and you're ready to stop throwing money at commercial software vendors, you might be overwhelmed at the amount of open source options that exist. Buck up, IT soldier, here are three applications that let you dip your toes in the pool without jumping in all the way. Mindtouch - I've written before about this dead-simple way to implement a collaborative environment in the workplace. Sure, you can always fall back on sharing files via Google Docs or keep employes connected through an in-house blog, but I don't recommend putting together a piecemeal... Internet Marketing Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:56:07 CST Lisa Hoover http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3449.html