330 Topics
 | Google announced on Friday that it was adding on-demand indexing to its hosted Google Site Search product, giving customers the ability to instantly re-index a site after adding new content. This gives web site owners running Google Site Search much greater control over the indexing process than in previous iterations … |
| | [I]Way down deep it's the same old you Way down deep you ain't hiding the truth Just for a minute you had me confused Baby way down deep it's the same old you ~Tom Petty, Same Old You.[/I] My colleague Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols in his aptly titled [URL="http://blogs.computerworld.com/the_big_windows_7_lie"]Cyber Cynic[/URL] column …  |
| | I was watching a [URL="http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1568178642/bctid1906856143"]video[/URL] of a panel from the Web 2.0 Summit on [URL="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/cloud_computing_panel_at_web_2.php"]ReadWriteWeb[/URL]. I've had a growing fascination with Cloud Computing in recent months, and this particular panel included key players from Google, Salesforce.com, Adobe and VMware (with Tim O'Reilly acting as panel moderator). As each man made … |
| | Microsoft announced a new program the other day called [URL="http://www.microsoftstartupzone.com/BIZSPARK/Pages/At_a_Glance.aspx"] Microsoft BizSpark[/URL], where they give away a boat load of software and services to young startups and presumably lock them into Microsoft long-term. For a small start-up with little capital, this has to be a very attractive offer. Microsoft not …  |
| | [URL="http://www.salesforce.com"]Salesforce.com[/URL], best known for its cloud-based CRM package, announced on Monday that it would be providing web hosting services for web sites, intranets and web-based applications. The announcement comes on the heels of Microsoft's coming out party for its [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3431.html"]cloud computing services platform called Azure[/URL] last week at the Professional … |
| | All last week, Microsoft was trying desperately to shift the spotlight from Vista, the OS that has become a major liability for the software giant. To that end, Microsoft made a flurry of announcements including Azure, the newly announced cloud platform, the Windows 7 Alpha and a preliminary view of … |
| | This week at the Professional Developer's Conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft made a big splash by announcing a new [URL="http://cooney.typepad.com/lauren_cooneys_blog/2008/10/welcome-azure-qa-from-the-experts.html"]cloud computing initiative it's calling Azure[/URL]. It's significant on several levels. First of all Microsoft wants to compete with services like [URL="http://aws.amazon.com/"]Amazon S3[/URL] and offer online storage and online computational services. … |
| | [I]“Informed decision-making comes from a long tradition of guessing and then blaming others for inadequate results.” ~Scott Adams. [/I] There is a battle going on out there in cell phone land involving the 3 hottest-of-hot cell phones. I write of course about[URL="http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iPhone.jsp"] the iPhone from AT&T[/URL], the [URL="http://www.t-mobileg1.com/"]G1 from T-Mobile[/URL] … |
| | [I]In time the Rockies may crumble Gibraltar may tumble They're only made of clay But our love is here to stay ~Ira Gershwin. [/I] These are heady days for Apple and its CEO Steve Jobs. In spite of a world economy that appears to be sliding out of control, and … |
| | [I]You can do one of two things; just shut up, which is something I don't find easy, or learn an awful lot very fast which is what I tried to do. ~Jane Fonda [/I] Steve Ballmer doesn't seem to have learned Jane Fonda's big life lesson. In fact, dude doesn't … |
| | There's been a lot of hullabaloo this week on the internet about Apple's audacity to announce the new Mac Book line without [wait for it] a firewire port [gasp audibly]. I know, it's a bold move on Apple's part, and it didn't help matters when Apple reportedly deleted a thread … |
| | With no end in sight to the economic malaise and a good chance that this could be lasting a while, it's time to find ways to cut your IT budget. Just today OpenOffice.org announced that [URL="http://www.openoffice.org/"]the Release Version of OpenOffice 3.0[/URL] is available on its web site, and it's proving … |
| | Rumors are flying this week ahead of Apple's big Mac Book event on Tuesday that it will announce the long rumored sub-$1000 notebook. In fact, my friends at [URL="http://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/09/800-for-a-new-macbook/"]The Unofficial Apple Weblog[/URL] are reporting that someone has gotten their hands on a price sheet ahead of the announcement suggesting that … |
| | Over the last week or so, I've been exploring cloud computing. My basic thesis through this series has been that as the economy sours--it's darn close to curdling--cloud computing gives you access to sophisticated applications without expensive hardware. Sounds like a smart play on the face of it, but when … |
| | [I]A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. ~Mark Twain. [/I] This week we learned what can happen when Citizen Journalism runs amok when an untrue rumor began circulating that Apple CEO had suffered a severe heart attack. As soon as … |
| | My post the other day, [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3277.html"]Does Using Gmail Mean You're Stupid[/URL], produced some thoughtful comments from people that made me me think harder about the advantages and disadvantages of Cloud Computing. There are security risks and data ownership issues that you have to take into consideration. To get another point … |
| | [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman"]Richard Stallman[/URL], the founder of the [URL="http://www.fsf.org/"]Free Software Foundation[/URL], stated the other day that he thought Cloud Computing was stupid and we were all being duped by the cloud vendors. Specifically, in[URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/29/cloud.computing.richard.stallman"] an interview with London's Guardian[/URL] newspaper, he said, ""It's stupidity. It's worse than stupidity: it's a marketing hype … |
| | [I]You can't go back and you can't stand still If the thunder don't get you then the lightning will ~The Grateful Dead. [/I] Gloomy economic reports continue to pervade our daily news. It has me wondering if the problems on Wall Street will eventually trickle down to the tech sector … |
| | Everyone is all ga-ga this week over the [URL="http://www.t-mobileg1.com/"]G1[/URL], the new HTC phone from T-Mobile, which is the first phone powered by Google's Android phone OS. On one level, the geek in me certainly shares the excitement. It's open source. It's Google's first entree into the phone market. I'm not … |
| | Over the past year or so, [URL="http://twitter.com/"]Twitter[/URL] has become a full-blown communications phenomenon. For those of you who don't follow every social networking trend. Twitter is a micro-blogging site where you enter your thoughts, whatever they may be, in 140 or characters or less. Experts say if you aren't paying … |
| | Google quietly introduced an audio search tool called[URL="http://labs.google.com/gaudi"] GAudi[/URL] this week in [URL="http://labs.google.com/"]Google Labs[/URL]. For now, Google is using to the tool for experimentation purposes to index political content on YouTube videos, but chances are they are exploring this for more than good citizenship points and will expand it at … |
| | After months of speculation, [URL="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/16/android-phone-the-g1-to-ship-mid-october/"]TechCrunch[/URL] reports that the first Android powered phone, the HTC Dream is set to be released in the US by T-Mobile on October 20th. T-Mobile did not return my calls to confirm or deny this rumor, but one thing is certain, the iPhone is no longer … |
| | The second [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBWPf1BWtkw"]Microsoft-Seinfeld ad[/URL] was released Friday. It had a few funny moments, but once again left most people shaking their heads wondering exactly what Microsoft hopes to achieve. I'm not sure they know. Although they may have a game plan, it's hard for anyone to see exactly what it … |
| | The other day I downloaded the latest version of iTunes and discovered the much-heralded Genius feature is a not-so subtle way to sell content on iTunes. When I heard about the Genius feature, I mistakenly thought it was like Peter Gabriel's [URL="http://byronmiller.typepad.com/byronmiller/2007/04/filter_tool_for.html"]Filter[/URL] tool, a very cool utility for iTunes, which … |
| | This morning EMC, Microsoft and IBM announced they had worked together over a two-year period to create a [URL="http://www.fiercecontentmanagement.com/story/ring-bells-major-ecm-vendors-send-content-sharing-standard-oasis-today/2008-09-10"]content interchange standard[/URL] for enterprise content management systems. It may not sound like much, but it's meaningful on several levels. For content management customers, it means it will greatly simplify moving content … |
| | According to a [URL="http://gizmodo.com/5046463/apple-admits-british-man-invented-ipod-in-1979-uses-him-to-win-patent-lawsuit"]Gizmodo post[/URL] published on Sunday, a British man claims he invented the iPod (or at least a prototype of what would become a portable music player) way back in 1979, the same year the [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkman"]Walkman[/URL] cassette player first went on sale in Japan. Up to that point, … |
| | [I]"Jerry, I have to tell you something. This is the dullest moment I've ever experienced." - George, watching laundry, in "Good News, Bad News" episode of Seinfeld. [/I] I woke up this morning to find a [URL="http://startupmeme.com/microsofts-first-seinfeldgates-ad-a-home-run-to-trash-can/"]Tweet from Startupmeme[/URL] that the first Seinfeld ad for Microsoft had hit the airwaves. … |
| | Wasting little time coming out of the long US Labor Day weekend, Google released a shiny new browser aptly called [URL="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/fresh-take-on-browser.html"]Chrome[/URL]. Why on earth would the world need another browser at this point in the history of the internet is unclear, especially another open source entry, but one thing is … |
| | To no one's surprise, except perhaps the [URL="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/30/business/30pipes.html"]New York Times[/URL], internet traffic is going global, and more so with each passing year. The result is that more traffic is flowing through servers outside the United States. The chief concern about this development, according to the NYT article, was the fact … |
| | On a Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend, Comcast released its latest volley against its customer base, announcing a 250 GB monthly download limit. According to reports, after the first violation, you will get a message from your friends at Comcast warning you about your dastardly behavior (aka using the … |
| | For the past couple of years I volunteered at my son's elementary school to set up blogs for his classroom, but the projects never got off the ground. Nervous school IT staff unable to find a platform that offered them the privacy and control they wanted, and knew parents would … |
| | Web 2.0 came crashing into the enterprise a couple of years ago and was given the new moniker: Enterprise 2.0 (which was coined by Harvard Business School Professor [URL="http://blog.hbs.edu/faculty/amcafee/"]Andrew McAfee[/URL]). While business has come a long way when it comes to understanding social networking tools and how to use them … |
| | Microsoft has announced a $300M dollar ad campaign, featuring 90s TV star [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098904/"]Jerry Seinfeld[/URL], which according to multiple reports has been designed to save Vista and salvage Microsoft's battered reputation. There is so much wrong with this strategy, it's really hard to know where to start. First of all, the …  |
| | Microsoft products have always presented a paradox for organizations. On one hand they seem to be universally derided. On the other, they remain the corporate standard. Open source, SaaS/online and other alternatives have had a hard time gaining widespread traction in large organizations. That's partly because companies would likely rather … |
| | Community journalism encourages members of the community to participate in the news process, not just as passive readers, but as active producers of the news itself. This direct connection to the product is similar in many ways to the kind of community building that goes on in open source development. … |
| | I'm on vacation right now in Germany, and I thought I could watch some American TV here on my PC. But I've learned that US sites consistently block their TV shows outside the US, a practice I find more than a bit curious. I tried the network sites. I tried … |
| | Many of the operating system tools that come with Windows are far inferior to free alternatives, and you can't beat the price. This post looks at some of my favorite free utilities. [URL="http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/"]Firefox [/URL]– Web Browser No round-up of free utilities would be complete without the fabulous Firefox, perhaps the … |
| | There’s an old saying, 'What do you want for nothing, your money back?' But the fact is there is lots of good free software out there. Much of it has a much smaller footprint than your typical Windows software from Mega Corporation (you know which companies I’m talking about) and … |
| | Alfresco released [URL="http://wiki.alfresco.com/wiki/Alfresco_Labs_3"]Alfresco Labs (Beta) 3[/URL] today and with it announced a new capability that enables businesses to leverage Microsoft Sharepoint functionality without buying additional Sharepoint licenses. Sound too good to be true? It’s not, and what has allowed Alfresco to do this is the 2004 EU Commission order for … |
| | When you make changes to your site design, it’s not always easy to figure out how the changes affect traffic and visitor behavior. That’s where the [URL="https://www.google.com/analytics/siteopt/new_expt?account=5119167"]Google Website Optimizer[/URL] tool comes into play. You can experiment with two or more designs and see which one works best to achieve your … |
| | By most people’s measure, it was quite a quarter for Apple, but apparently not for the geniuses on Wall Street. While Apple sold almost a million iPhones in the first week (think about that for a second) and had what [URL="http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2008/tc20080721_851111.htm?link_position=link1"]BusinessWeek[/URL] called a “blowout quarter,” an off-handed remark by Apple’s … |
| | In a promising technology mash-up, [URL="http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=105317&p=irol-pressArticle&ID=1177390&highlight="]the New York Times (NYT) has entered into an agreement with LinkedIn[/URL] that displays a list of suggested content for readers on the NYT web site based on information in their LinkedIn profile. For now, the service is confined to the Business and Technology section. … |
| | Is your vendor giving you trouble? Won’t respond to your calls? Won’t help with your problem? Who you gonna call? Well, when I spoke to [URL="http://www.brentleary.com/"]Brent Leary[/URL], a partner at [URL="http://www.crm-essentials.com/"]CRM Essentials[/URL], yesterday, Leary surprised me when he suggested if your vendor won’t help you, go on [URL="http://twitter.com/home"]Twitter[/URL], find a … |
| | [I]Though nothing will Drive them away We can beat them Just for one day ~David Bowie, Heroes.[/I] That collective sigh of relief you hear this morning is probably the millions of YouTube users who are relieved that [URL="http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/07/15/youtube_viacom_agree_to_mask_viewer_data/"]Google and Viacom have reached an agreement[/URL] to protect their privacy. All I … |
| | By all rights, iPhone consumers should be storming the gates of Apple headquarters this morning in true [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day"]Bastille Day[/URL] fashion after Friday's mishandling of the iPhone 3G launch, but as far as I know all remains calm in Cupertino, and consumers remain strangely silent over the whole affair. In a … |
| | [I]It's not always easy, And sometimes life can be deceiving, I'll tell you one thing, its always better when we're together ~Jack Johnson, Better Together. [/I] [URL="http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/07/11/schmidt_independent_yahoo_better_for_competition/"]AP is reporting [/URL]this morning that Eric Schmidt, he being CEO of the great and almighty Google, thinks it would better if Yahoo! remained … |
| | The other day, my buddy got a shiny new 32GB iPod Touch. This morning he was kind enough to let me play with it and I’m glad he did because I learned that using that touch keyboard takes some practice. The bad news: you can get frustrated in a hurry … |
| | [I]Nothing's wrong as far as I can see We make it harder than it has to be and I can't tell you why ~Eagles, I Can’t Tell You Why. [/I] Apple and Adobe have both gotten some press lately for going to the trademark police after a couple of small … |
| | I’ve been highly critical of many of Microsoft’s moves lately, mostly because they have felt like the awkward ramblings of a company one step behind the curve, but the other day Microsoft made, what in my view, is a smart play. They bought [URL="http://www.powerset.com/"]Powerset[/URL], a San Francisco-based semantic search company … |
| | You might have woken up this morning to a distant noise not unlike the pounding of hoof beats. Yesterday you could see the dust cloud forming far off on the horizon, but today, July 1st, it’s a little easier to hear the slow and steady march toward July 11th when … |
The End.