2006 September

Have you ever wondered if gadgets are more about “fun” rather than “fun-tionality?” This occurred to me today as I was showing off my new iPod nano to someone and they mentioned that it seems like most of the gadgets I own are more fun than functionality.

The fact that most companies can benefit from some kind of process management focus became painfully apparent when the dot-com bubble burst around 2000. The software industry seemed to be going haywire, with the venture capital industry along for the ride. Hundreds of millions of dollars were being pumped into the most superfluous of concepts, […]

When designing a storage area network (SAN) to meet a customer’s needs, one of the most important choices is to determine the type of connectivity to use: FRC (Fibre Channel) or iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface)? Each has advantages and disadvantages and each makes sense in different situations.
The Fibre Channel protocol tends to […]

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, San Francisco, Sept. 27, 2006 - Today Intel Corporation disclosed details of its next-generation Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology platform that will enable laptops to operate faster and with enhanced wireless communication capabilities. At the heart of the platform, the Intel Core2 Duo processor will deliver greater performance and power saving capabilities.
The […]

According to a new survey* from Ontrack Data Recovery, the world’s leading data recovery provider, a majority of people invite the loss of critical computer data by waiting for their computers to break down and neglecting proper backup procedures. Despite the fact that 79 percent of people place significant value on their data - 40 […]

So today, I had the opportunity to spend some time with the Mac OS known as OS X. Considering that I have done this before, I should have been more patient with a few things, but in the end, I came to a very serious conclusion. I like the Mac for its abilities with photos […]

I just love it when I get emails like this:

When you stop to think about how much of your life, both personal and professional, is tied to password security, it makes sense to understand how to make them as secure as possible. Certainly one of the most widespread passwords is your regular Windows login. Whether you are logging into a Windows Server […]

New requirements for securing data are putting pressure on IT organizations to protect the security of their data. Storage Security: Key Steps for Assessing and Mitigating Your Risk details storage security issues and solutions including data encryption.

Ajax programming is one of the most exciting new technologies in recent history. Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) allows a Web page to refresh a small portion of its data from a Web server, rather than being forced to reload and redraw the entire page as in traditional Web programming. Since they can make frequent, […]

If you ask me, moves like this make Hi-Def TV a lot more accessible when working with limited set-top box options. Granted, I am not saying that I am totally sold on the idea of a Slingbox for myself, however the idea of taking my content with me anywhere does have a certain attraction to […]

In the last column, we considered how symmetries can be used to reduce the difficulty of solving problems. In general, for each symmetry, one parameter can be eliminated. This holds from organizing subatomic particles to the structure of the universe. Even when symmetries are not exact, close approximations can help organize data. A common example […]

Best of Breed vs. Suite Anti-spyware: What’s Best for You? offers a compelling first-person account by noted security expert Ira Winkler of a penetration test he devised to demonstrate how hackers could theoretically compromise the highly sensitive Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems that secure nuclear reactors.
Winkler, who is President of the Internet Security […]

Intel Corporation is challenging PC designers and manufacturers to think sexy, stylish and small as they design the next generation of home PCs optimized for multimedia entertainment and powered by Intel Core2 Duo processors.
Looking to evolve the “big, beige box” and help bring to market more stylish, small, quiet and cool-running PCs perfect for any […]

ShellFTP is an FTP uploader designed specifically for Webmasters. It integrates into the Windows Explorer and allows you to upload selected files to an FTP server via the right-click menu.
ShellFTP includes the unique ability to automatically upload the files to specific remote paths (folders) based on the file extension (e.g. upload all .jpg files […]

Let’s face it, DRM is a joke. Not because I want to steal music mind you, but rather it puts a few select companies in power, thus ensuring that moving my music from one point to another is a real pain in the you know what.

Well, it took less time than some of us expected. Microsoft has released a critical fix for that nasty IE bug. You know, I wonder. I would really like to know what the moral is like over at Microsoft headquarters?

Foxit Reader for U3 is a portable alternative to Adobe Reader that allows you to view and print PDF files. Unlike Adobe Reader, it opens PDF files very fast, without any delay.
Foxit Reader supports all the standard features, as well as browser integration, and also an option select/copy of text from the documents. Furthermore, […]

Today was definitely a Monday if there was ever one to be had. Seriously, it’s been a real bear. So on a whim, I decided that I needed to treat myself to a late birthday present and bought an iPod nano. For those Mac fans out there, you will be happy to hear that it […]

I have this nagging problem with XP file sharing, and I am none too pleased about it. The gist of the issue is this: I have file and print sharing enabled on my primary desktop PC (XP Pro SP2) and I cannot access any shared resources from it from any other PC, regardless of OS. […]