RIM: Redundancy Is Missing

RIM: Redundancy Is Missing,
that’s what it should mean,
Research In Motion,
is very obscene.

What were they thinking,
April Seventeen and Eighteen?

Service was down,
for many and me,
for I could not use,
my BlackBerry.

I tried and I tried,
but I could not get through,
I had emails to read,
and respond to too.

To their customer service,
”Is anybody home?”,
I couldn’t speak to a human,
but I got a recording though.

And it wasn’t informative,
no… not at all,
it was evident to me,
they weren’t on the ball.

I just checked their website,
news and press release,
not a word about this outage,
not even a peep.

RIM… this (supposed) great company,
should rename their device the DingleBerry.

Headhunters, Recruiters (Pimps to some)

Headhunters,
recruiters,
(pimps to some)
jerks to most,
help to none,
these guys have irked me,
from day number one.

I guess it’s because,
they just don’t get,
their jobs have gone way,
of The Internet.
Did they ever hear of Dice?
Careers.com?
or Monster?
Did they ever think hey,
I’m trying to sell ice in the winter?

I’ll never forget,
the first time I met one,
he asked me for references,
and told me he’d call them,
the next day my phone rang,
(and I’m not lying)
he called me for the reference,
instead of a name that I gave him.

What else could I do?
In a situation like this,
I gave myself a great reference,
that’s what I did.

Needless to say,
I got the interview,
an offer to follow,
a sign-on bonus too,
but I already had a job,
I didn’t know what to do.

While I thought things over,
this jerk kept on calling,
I stopped answering the phone,
he knew I was stalling.

Finally he sunk,
to the lowest of scum,
he promised me part,
of his comisión,
this strategy I simply,
could not imagine,
he was starting to sound,
like a used car salesman.

From that day forward,
it’s been more of the same,
you ask them for help,
it turns into a game.

Later…

Instead of using one,
to find my own occupation,
I hired a placement firm,
to fill a position.

They didn’t screen one applicant,
they just sent me anyone,
instead of screening who can or can’t,
they referred me bum after bum.

All they ever want to do,
is make a quick buck,
their job’s not based on skill,
but based more on luck.

If there’s a job over here,
an applicant over there,
as long as money’s to be made,
headhunter’s don’t care.

Headhunters,
recruiters,
(pimps to some)
jerks to most,
help to none,
these guys have irked me,
from day number one.

Last Names in Tech

Did you know Flickr was founded by a Fake?

and a Field?

Is Scoble-Doo-Be-Doo the name of a dog or blog?

With all the Jobs Steve does at Apple, is it any surprise they’ve done so well?

While we’re on the subject of comebacks, is Michael Dellirious about getting his company back to #1?

Regarding #1, has Mark Hurd from investigators regarding the company’s boardroom spying case?

Do you think Patricia’s Dunn?

Does Carly Fiqurina to any of this?

Is it true that Ted’s just Waiting around to see what happens?

Did Meg have her Whitmans about her when she made the decision to buy Scype?

or was it all hype?

If anyone were to question Yahoo’s finances, do you think Susan would Decker them?

Did Larry design the Page at Google?

Speaking of Google, do you think Dr. Sergey has an ear-to-ear Brin?

Does Eric give a Schmidt that he spent so much for YouTube?

Markets, Emoticons, Netiquette and More

Last week was not the week to suggest to someone, on one of the popular finance forums, that they should be in bonds. It probably would have earned you a nasty response, like a series of four letter expletives or even worse an emoticon.

An emoticon is an icon that expresses emotion, both good and bad. It’s a form of ASCII art. You don’t hear much about ASCII art anymore because of the high resolution displays and printers we’ve all grown accustomed to. Years ago, when a fax machine or printer printed a banner page it was comprised of ASCII art. ASCII art consists of many characters on many lines, while emoticons are limited to several characters on a single line. That’s why emoticons are common in email and forum subject lines. They follow the old proverb, “A picture’s worth a thousand words”. The most popular emoticons are the faces you see when you tilt your head

to the left…

:-)   ;-)   :-(

or to the right…

(-:   (-;   )-:

According to Wikipedia, it was users in East Asia who popularized the emoticons where you don’t have to tilt you head. So maybe that explains who recently replied to a post with…

‹^›‹(o¿o)›‹^›

I remember when The Internet bubble burst. This guy was the finance.yahoo.com poster boy.

What’s needed in situations like these is netiquette. Netiquette is etiquette on The Net. Similar to road etiquette – where you’re supposed to treat your fellow motorist with respect – you’re supposed to treat your fellow Net users with respect as well. But the reality is most people don’t. What’s fascinating is people’s behavior behind the keyboard somewhat mimics that behind the wheel. I call it the “cocoon effect”, where a driver is in his/her own “cocoon”, surrounded by metal and glass. This protected feeling makes them more inclined to make a gesture or two they normally wouldn’t make; say… at the mall. Being anonymous has a lot to do with it as well. People figure, I don’t know them… they don’t know me… so… ‹^›.

With The Net playing a bigger role in our daily lives (especially investing) it’s important to understand as well as practice netiquette. The next time someone on a finance forum tells you to by bonds in a bear market, respond with a

:-)

And the next time someone cuts you off or takes your parking space, respond with a smile (but first tilt your head). In the meantime, here are some links you might find interesting.

Emoticons
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emoticon

ASCII Art
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_art
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=ascii+art
http://www.ascii-art.de/ascii/def/finger.txt

Netiquette
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netiquette
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/

Virtualization – History Repeats Itself

Someone once said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same”. This couldn’t be truer in the world of technology today, where one of the hottest topics is “Virtualization”. Virtualization provides the ability to consolidate several computers into one – be it desktop, laptop or server. The premise being – with fewer computers, there’s less hardware to manage and less power consumed, resulting in reduced costs.

With virtualization, a computer can host several virtual machines – each running its own operating system (OS). This technology however, is not new and has existed for more than 30 years. In the 70’s and 80’s, mainframe computers ran more than one operating system such as VM/CMS and MVS/TSO – “VM” stood for “Virtual Machine”.

Virtualization’s promise of reduced costs from the consolidation and centralization of computing resources is a reversal of the promises made during the last 20 years. When mainframes dominated the computer landscape, everything was centralized. It was with the advent of the personal computer (PC) this changed. Since each PC had its own OS and hard drive, these resources could then be harnessed and the focus shifted to decentralization.

As PCs became more powerful, server class machines evolved and the result was the introduction of the modern day computer network. The goal then, was to replace (where feasible) large mainframes with evermore powerful networks. As data communications became faster and bandwidth increased, these networks became bigger and more sophisticated. To make a long story short, the largest network in the world exploded onto the scene – The Internet. As computer systems and networks grew, more servers were needed to support the increasing amount of users and data. Redundancy and failover in the event of a server crash was also an issue. The result was the creation of clusters and server farms.

What used to be centralized on one mainframe is now decentralized and distributed across a wide range of servers and PCs. With this decentralized and distributed model of computing has (all of a sudden) emerged the need to centralize everything again. So what’s the next “hot topic” after virtualization? Perhaps a move from commodity hardware systems back to the mainframe? I don’t know, but whatever it is will probably have ties to technologies past.

‘Twas the Night Before Vista

‘Twas the night before Vista, and all through the room,
no hardware was working , not even a Zune.

“The ‘Wow’ starts now” slogan, kicked off the parade,
with plenty of fools, camped at Comp USA.

I just settled in, for my long evening nap,
wondering how many people, can fall for such crap.

This happens each time, MS goes announcing,
then people find out, it wasn’t worth pouncing.

Remember the versions, of OSs going back,
they weren’t great solutions, but more of a hack.

First there was DOS, then there was Windows,
Bill got the idea, of the GUI from Palo Alto.

Recall the announcement, of joint OS/2,
then Bill stopped working, with good ole Big Blue.

Bill decided on Windows, with version 3-1,
it was just DOS, with a GUI slapped on.

A few years later, was Win 95,
followed by Win 98, then enough of that jive.

Then there was NT, i.e. “New Technology”,
it turned old fast, not the way it was supposed to be.

Next there was simply, Windows 2000,
I guess it was called this, for the new millennium.

Last there was XP, what did it stand for?
Nobody knew, but it was their best OS ever.

Now things are working, as well as they should,
it’s time to replace it, with something that could.

There’s promise upon promise, of a new experience,
a new UI called Aero, and a new instant search.

Then there’s IE7, a sidebar and new security,
something called Flip 3D, and a new photo gallery.

Do these features feel, like they’re imperative must haves?
perhaps I’m a moron, but they kind of make me laugh.

I won’t spend for Aero, because I’m too frugal,
I can get desktop search, from a company called Google.

I already have, IE7 on XP,
the sidebar’s no big deal, do I trust its security?

Will Flip 3D flop, or will it help productivity?
and what’s the big deal, with the new photo gallery?
(I can already remove red eye, with another utility).

So the question to upgrade, has never been answered,
but I’ll tell you the truth, it’s been rather censored.

Technology cycles, are approximately 5 years,
they’re longer of shorter, depending on fears.

If your PC is older, or you simply don’t have one,
buy one with Vista, MS won’t abandon.

But if your PC is younger, than I’d wait a little longer,
give Vista a few years, it will only get stronger.

Vista’s success, will be told over time,
don’t expect many users, to change on the dime.

If your looking for exacts, then I don’t know how,
in the short term expect, a dud not a pow.

So the biggest effect, of “The ‘Wow’ starts now”,
will not be on users, but instead on the Dow.

There’s no I in iPod

As in, I wouldn’t buy one.  I agree, the iPod is sleek and fashionable with that patented navigation wheel but at the end of the day it’s just an mp3 player.  Put your thumb on the wheel, browse the menus, select a few songs and by the time the novelty wears off, it’s time to pay your credit card bill.  This is a classic example of paying more and getting less.

I recently bought the SanDisk Sansa M240 for $60 and it’s great.  It has 1GB of flash memory that can hold up to 250 mp3 files or 500 wma files (wma files are about ½ the size of mp3 files).  The iPod, on the other hand, doesn’t play wma files.
 
The Sansa uses a single AAA battery that I can replace.  My biggest gripe with the iPod is once the battery is dead it can’t be replaced – but you can buy a protection plan for an additional $25 to $40.

The Sansa has an FM tuner and I can preset up to 20 stations.  The iPod doesn’t have and FM tuner – but you can buy one for an additional $50 – $100.

The Sansa has a built in microphone for recording.  This is great for recording spur of the moment ideas.  I don’t think this accessory exists for the iPod – but think of all the money you’ll save.

And like the iPod, I can plug the Sansa into my car audio system.

Why then, with so many other mp3 players on the market (in the $60 price range that have more usable features) would anyone buy an iPod?  The bottom line is – they don’t know why.  Instead of evaluating prices and features – they purchase the “latest and greatest”.  Only to find out later that it’s not so great.

I got the idea to write about this at the gym the other day.  In front of the treadmills are televisions.  Each television broadcasts its audio over a different FM station.  So I tune in with my Sansa.  Later, a person with an iPod Nano asked me about the Sansa (its FM tuner) and how much I paid for it.  After telling her about it and the price she shook her head and laughed.  I was going to mention the FM accessory but figured she’d already spent enough money (plus I didn’t want to see her cry).
 
With the Sansa, I can also choose which software to manage my music.  Since I’ve been using Window’s Media Player for so long this was a no brainer.  Unfortunately, with the iPod you must use iTunes.  Did I say there’s no I in iTunes either?

Urban Legend?

With all the meetings and preparation these last few weeks regarding The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) and compliance in general, I couldn’t help but think back to the last time a date – specifically January 1, 2000 (a.k.a Y2K) – had so much impact on Information Technology (IT).

If you have no idea what I’m talking about don’t worry, you’ll just be an hour late for meetings and appointments from March 11 to the 31st and wondering why it’s still light out when you take your kids trick or treating on Halloween.  Otherwise, with the exception of your computer or mobile device (possibly) not working properly, you won’t even notice.

But in reminiscing about Y2K with colleagues and friends – especially over a few beers – one “guy” periodically surfaces in conversations whom everyone seems to remember.  Some recollect a memo he wrote or a meeting he was in but no matter what the means, he’s remembered for making a “famous” recommendation in the year (or years) leading up to Y2K.

His recommendation was… since systems were being modified to store century, instead of storing century as 2 characters to comply with the year 2000, why not store it as 3 so systems are compliant with the year 10,000 (a.k.a. Y10K)?  This was ingenious… of all the system developers and engineers from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s that didn’t have the foresight to plan for the upcoming century change in 10, 20, 30 years – this “guy” was planning for an event which wasn’t going to happen for another 8,000 years.  This type of vision and sheer intelligence was simply unheard of in Corporate America.  Where was this “guy” 10, 20 or 30 years ago?

Nobody remembers his name or what he looked like (or even if he was a guy) but they remember his message.  So… getting back to EPAct 2005 – if you still have no idea of what I’m talking, below are a few links to help you out – or you can visit you vendor’s website.  After all, you don’t want to be known as that “guy”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Policy_Act_of_2005
http://www.dstpatch.com/

What’s in Your Bulk Email Folder?

In my personal email account, the ratio of SPAM- to-good email is about 50-to-1.  This is one of the disadvantages of having the same account for many years – you’re on everyone’s mailing list. 

Fortunately for me, Yahoo has a decent SPAM filter – so a majority of these go into my bulk email folder.  SPAM that slips through to my inbox is then easily identified.
 
Sometimes I’ve made the mistake of identifying good email as SPAM – or Yahoo’s SPAM filter mistakenly identifies good email as SPAM.  For this reason, I tell people to periodically scan there bulk email folder.  I know this sounds like a pain in the neck (and it is) but it can also be quite amusing.  Below is a sample of what’s in my bulk email folder.  One thing’s for sure, you can’t make this stuff up!

College Degree
    From a college I never heard of.  I wonder if they have a football
     team?
Prescription Drugs
    Glad to hear the F.D.A. is on top of things.
Certain Body Part Enlargement Products
    What are they insinuating?
Adult Videos
    Are these to test the products above?
Dating Sites
    Do they want me to apply what I learned in the videos?
Weight Loss
    In the event I can’t get a date?
Get Rich Quick
    So I can impress women with money?
Replica Watches
    …or jewelry?
Penny Stocks
    In case the get rich quick scam doesn’t work?
Online Casino
    If all else fails?
Loans
    To pay back the casino?

Spammers, I have a request – I’ll need a lawyer!

Over Time Technologies Advance and Prices Decline

I was surprised the other day when I found a box of old files and noticed one marked “Computer”.  Inside was the receipt of the first computer (PC) I ever purchased.  I remembered paying a lot of money for it but more or less forgot about it.  For me, this served as a strong reminder as to how far PC technology has advanced over the last 20 years and how inexpensive it had become.

I’ve listed the contents of the receipt below (dated March, 1987).  You’ll notice a few things we take for granted today either didn’t exist at the time or weren’t included in the purchase; for example: a mouse, network interface (modem or Ethernet), CD/DVD, sound card/speakers or productivity software.

NEC APC IV - $2,699.00
     Intel 80286 10MHz
     640K RAM
     40MB Hard Drive
     5 1/4″ 1.2MB Floppy Drive
     MS-DOS
     Keyboard
NEC Multi Sync Monitor – $579.00
Pro Sync Graphics Card – $399.00
Nec P7 PinWriter Printer – $679.00
Printer Cable – $20.00
Sub Total – $4,376.00
Sales Tax- $328.20
Total – $4,704.20

Compare this to a PC today.  I recently went to www.dell.com and priced out a “middle of the road” PC (not high end but not low end either):

Dell Dimension E520 – $1,013.00
     Intel P4 524 3.06GHz
     2GB RAM
     250GB Hard Drive
     Windows XP
     Keyboard/Mouse
     15″ Flat Panel Monitor
     Intel Graphics Media Accelerator
     10/100 Ethernet
     16X DVD-ROM + 16X DVD+/-RW
     Integrated Sound Card
     Speakers
     Microsoft Works/Microsoft Word
Dell All In One Inkjet 926 Printer – $124.00
     Printer Cable
Shipping – $0.00
Sub Total – $1,137.00
Sales Tax – $68.21
Total – $1,205.21

With a processor operating at a clock speed of 300 times faster (this doesn’t soley differentiate the increased performance), 3,000 times the amount of RAM, 6,000 times the amount of hard disk space, the additional accessories and software this PC is 1/4 the price of the one purchased 20 years ago.  If we take inflation into account (a conservative 3.5% annually) $4,704.20 20 years ago is really worth $9,360.36 today or 1/8 the price.  Just imagine making the same comparison 20 years from now.