Kindle Fire / iPad - differences

The recently announced Kindle Fire is to sell at $199; while the comparable iPad is about $499 - that is a significant difference.

But ...

The Kindle Fire is smaller (depends on the person if that is good or bad) - smaller screen - but is also lighter to carry

The Kindle Fire does not have a camera

The Kindle Fire does not have a microphone

The Kindle Fire has 8 gigabytes of storage to the iPad's 16 gigabytes of storage

BUT ... the Kindle fire can get you to the Amazon cloud storage - with an immediate 5 GB for free (and more for a reasonable price)

The Kindle lets you get to your Amazon cloud music player (more songs, more storage)

The Kindle gets you to the Amazon Kindle books (although you can also have the free Kindle app on the iPad to get to your Kindle e-books).

The Kindle probably doesn't exactly compete with the iPad - but could cut into iPad sales for the user who wants ebooks, webaccess, music, videos, e-mail reading and doesn't want to pay the Apple price.

Mistakes on Facebook

Taken from:

http://www.bnet.com/videos/dont-make-this-facebook-mistake-secrets-of-successful-startups/6306829?tag=drawer-container;load-video-river

A major company would have announcements and interaction for their Facebook site / Twitter site cleared by their legal department. But ... smaller companies don't have that option. Smaller companies need to think of their message in the context of legality, being accurate, not implying any biases, and yet attractive to the market.

One negative post that the article pointed out was the company what asked "What are you doing this weekend"? (Not much of their company message there!!)

Stop, reflect, think of how your users will read and accept your message. Is it upbeat and positive? Does it appeal to users? Does it promote your company in a good way?

Make your social media efforts pay off - don't just post, but post with a purpose!!

Amazon introduces a tablet

Amazon today (Sept 28) introduced a tablet - Amazon Fire.

Smaller than the iPad, yet attractively prized at $199, it might be a good competitor to the iPad.

But, more than some of the other tablets, it also has better 'stuff" - as it ties to Amazon's resources - with more direct books than the iPad's library; and has access to the Amazon Cloud Music player.

If Amazon can get the apps, and can hit the books, music, news, and flash games, it might give the iPad a run (especially on the price!!!)

Loving Apple looks like a religion to a MRI Scan

From:

http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/17/bbc-loving-apple-looks-like-a-religion-to-an-mri-scan/

It seems like to a MRI scan, the brain that is thinking about Apple is akin to a brain that is thinking about God.

Call it a "fanatic" or a "deeply held belief" -

" And when a team of neuroscientists with an MRI scanner took a look inside the brain of an Apple fanatic it seemed the bishop was on to something. The results suggested that Apple was actually stimulating the same parts of the brain as religious imagery does in people of faith."

So, if a person is very fanatic about his iPad / iPhone / iMac / iPod / etc - it may be a form of worship for him.

Is your car spying on you?

Taken from:

http://blogs.cio.com/security/16518/your-car-spying-you

The article indicates that OnStar "may" continue to gather data on you (even if you are no longer an OnStar subscriber).

While I love GPS units, and the basic concepts of OnStar are that if I need any help, I can just press the OnStar button and immediately get help. (see a spoof here: http://www.guzer.com/videos/blonde_star.php)

But, OnStar can monitor many things on my car - speed (can they report this to police for a speeding ticket? - or to my insurance company in case I cause an accident); even location (customer stops at a coffee shop [generally Dunkin Donuts] every morning - can they sell that information to Starbucks and try to get you to stop there?)

As a General Motors product, it can give an analysis of your driving habits (good driver, slows down and stops effectively - or - a reckless driver) - and give you a good driver discount on your next car - or a larger trade-in value for a better maintained car. They could sell your driving record to insurance companies (for a price - of course).

So, is General Motors spying on us???

The Hazards of Being Too Social in the Age of Social Media

Taken from:

http://www.bnet.com/blog/ceo/the-hazards-of-being-too-social-in-the-age-of-social-media/8509?promo=713&tag=nl.e713

The article suggests that by doing too much with social media can undermine corporate information. It suggests that the overuse of Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Facebook gets executives so they accident 'blab' inside information.

For example, "Now, Bloomberg reports that HP vice president Scott McClellan tipped off competitors about previously undisclosed details of the company’s cloud computing strategy on his LinkedIn profile."

The old adage "loose lips sink ships" in the military meant that even a casual comment like "our ship is leaving port tonight" could tip off an enemy submarine. Likewise a casual comment like "we are selling off our PC group" could cause prices to drop and a company to look bad.

(as I am reading and grading assignments, one student had this comment: "I do know for a fact that some employees have been terminated due to their social networking post."

Continuing the six hottest jobs

Hot IT job No. 4: Mobile technology expert

Mobile devices (Smartphones) are HOT - and being able to effective manage such devices is a HOT IT job!!

"Mobile is the biggest factor changing IT right now, Building mobile apps, architecting mobile strategies, and securing those devices" are the top concerns facing the enterprise today."

So ... what does that mean to the business and to the job hunter?

With thousands of apps available, what suite of apps should be on corporate smartphones? If (say) Travelers Insurance was to equip all its salespeople with an iPad and with appropriate insurance and industry apps, what apps would you pick? Why? And ... how would you manage a fleet of such devices?

Talented individuals who have strength in evaluating and selecting appropriate business apps (and also with the skills to work on teams to develop specific apps for that company and industry) look to be very employable!!!

The "expert" analyst

Yesterday I was an 'expert' on Craigslist security

http://www.criticalmention.com/ctv3-1/landing_email.php?type=email&video=true&random_string=3c1c206e34c0faba78880023cca7011c

My suggestions:

• insist on a public place like a cafe, restaurant, mall, grocery store parking lot, etc. where they will be people and security cameras
• take somebody with you
• see the item first before showing the case (or come back a second time with the money when you feel you can trust the individual)
• use good judgment
• be careful with high value items (rings / jewelry) as they can be quickly snatched out of your hands
• if it could be suspicious, record the conversation (your iPod can record). Your friend can also take pictures
• find out what you can about the sellers - frequently sales on Craigslist?
• have your cell phone for quick calls to 911 if you need to
• if you suspect a fraud , back away
• if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is NOT true!!!

The standalone GPS is dead

From: http://blog.cmbinfo.com/in-the-news-content-/bid/65932/All-Car-Tech-Taps-For-TomTom-The-Standalone-GPS-Unit-Is-Dead

The standalone GPS unit (TomTom / Garmin / Magellan) is going to die. With smartphone GPS apps, the GPS unit as a standalone is only going to appeal to the non-smartphone users. And ... as smartphones take over the planet, that will be only my 98 year old mother and my 88 year old uncle!!!

A nice, handy device that is loosing out as times change.

Talk like a pirate day???

From:

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

The website notes: "In the nine years since Dave Barry mentioned us in his nationally syndicated newspaper column, what was once a goofy idea celebrated by a handful of friends has turned into an international phenomenon."

While talking like a pirate is probably not a technology concept, the idea that through social media and the www.talklikeapirate.com website, it has grown. In computer terms, "Talk Like A Pirate" has gone viral!!!!

Let's put that in a business sense - how can marketing pair up with IT to create a viral (and virtually free) marketing campaign? With a slick idea, and with some ingenuity and luck, you could get a great push for your products without a lot of work!!!

So, avast ye landlubbers or walk the plank!!! Arghh!!!

Netflix changes - due in part to Social Media

Taken from: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20078960-93/dear-netflix-price-hike-ignites-social-media-fire/

So in July Netflix announced up to a 60% hike in fees and caused a massive customer backlash.

According to the article:

Within a few hours after announcing the change, over 9000 people had comments on Netflix' Facebook page (about 99% of the comments were negative).

Today (September 19th) Netflix' CEO, Reed Hastings, " admitted that he had fallen victim to "arrogance"". They are separating into two functional areas - the DVD by mail that had been Netflix first claim to fame, and Qwikster - a new brand for the streaming video part of the company.

Hastings admitted that " it is on track to lose 600,000 subscribers in the current quarter"

There already has been many comments about the change - ranging from the new name ('why not Netflix Streaming Video instead of Qwikster?" was one comment).

To me, it demonstrates the power of consumers - and the power of social media.

Social Media Architect (continuing IT jobs)

According to the article:

"Social media no longer means just Facebook and Twitter. IBM, Jive, and Yammer are now the companies to watch, offering social tools for public and private clouds that redefine the role of social media for business. This creates a demand for IT pros with the specialized knowledge to build secure communities within a business network and between businesses and customers."

I know social media is HOT!!! I guess I hadn't given a thought to having an 'architect' for it. As the article mentions companies like IBM are advancing in social media. The use of internal "facebook like" accounts for virtual teams (maybe like our videos and introductions) help teams from dispersed areas to interact and know a bit more about their colleagues.

These positions will focus on the platforms, the uses, the direction that social media can have internally with a company - as well as externally.

It will be interesting to follow this trend!!!

Continuing the six hottest jobs

Taken from: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/061411-the-6-hottest-new-jobs.html?page=2

The second hot job was "Data Scientist"

With the huge amount of data acquired, we get the ideas of data warehousing and data mining. Think of a gold mine of information, where the gold might be so hidden in the ore and rocks and only constitute 1% of the material - but the gold is worth so much, that even 1% of the material will pay for the cleaning of 99% of the materials.

Mining those hidden trends in data, 'nuggets' of valuable information about customers, products, marketing, and more are what a 'data scientist' does. And ... that data might be worth 'its weight in gold' to the company.

The article stated: "data science jobs will require workers with a spectrum of skills, from entry-level data cleaners to the high-level statisticians, yielding a range of opportunities for newcomers to the field. As the business world gets increasingly social, the demand for people to plumb the depths of all that social networking clickstream data will only increase. The cliché going around is that "data is the new oil." A career in refining that raw material sounds like a good bet." And ... I agree!!!

The Six Hottest Jobs in IT

Taken from:

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/061411-the-6-hottest-new-jobs.html?page=1

The article gives these six hot jobs (they admit to being somewhat unscientific though):

1) Business Architect

2) Data Scientist

3) Social Media Architect

4) Mobile Technology Expert

5) Enterprise Mobile Developer

6) Cloud Architect

Speaking to the business architect position, the article stated: "The notion that IT is separate from business has faded into antiquity. Upper management recognizes that technology is not just integral to success, but actually drives the way companies pursue their business goals. To help merge technology and business processes, a new breed of enterprise architect -- known as the business architect -- is emerging."

Maybe we called this a "Business Analyst" in the past, but it combines business acumen with technical expertise.

The broad spectrum of IT

IT (information technology) covers a broad (huge?) spectrum.

I got this link by email the other day for a webinar on web performance testing (or ... as they put it ... "Getting ready for Cyber Monday")

http://www.sdtimes.com/content/resources.aspx?ShowOnlyResourceID=524

The complexity of network issues, backups, help desk, internet connections, through speed, hardware issues, software issues, development issues, 'bugs' (aka "defects" or "flaws") and getting business value can boggle the mind.

So more of a systems analyst / business analyst, I prefer to look at the new systems and ways that can give value and competitive advantage to a company, (and ... I prefer not to look at the 'mess' behind the scenes). Create this system (or buy a package and install it) and life will be good (unless the network goes down, I have been hacked, the data is compromised, the traffic is too heavy for Cyber Monday or some other infrastructure problem occurs). Ah, it is nice to wear rose-colored glasses (but ... I am so glad there are realists behind the infrastructure making it all work!!!)

Windows 8

From: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/13/7745761-hands-on-preview-of-new-windows-8-features

Microsoft (and Apple and HP and Intel and Dell and all others) needs to have new products to sell. If an ultimate computing experience has been created on my current laptop - then why should I spend money to get the newest and latest devices? I can read email, surf the web, use Word, Excel, etc.

BUT ... with Moore's Law and faster computers, all the computer companies are counting (hoping / relying) on us needed to buy new devices.

Here we have a new operating system - Windows 8 - do I need it? Yes, it has great features, yes, it is a step up from Windows 7, yes, it combines touchscreen (oh!!! neat) and other functions. So, the consumer is put between the rock and a hard place - get the newest and latest - or stay with the known (and cheapest).

Fortunately, I'm an employee at an academic institution who is part of a Microsoft package buying license, so I can probably get the update fairly cheaply. So, yes, I'll probably look at Windows 8, but maybe not until next summer (when I'll have time to play with it)

WiFi to eliminate in-flight entertainment?

From:

http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/13/7748301-will-wi-fi-kill-airline-seatback-entertainment

The article suggests that within 5 years, airlines will not offer in-flight movies, entertainment. The premise is that for a relatively little amount of money (or for free!!!), you can get WiFi - so, with your iPad you can watch your own movies or archived television shows (like Hulu or others) - with shows you want to watch, not the stuff the airlines show. And ... with your iPad (or laptop or whatever), you can read your books, surf the net, check email - so why watch the movie anyway?

I think the author is correct - WiFi will kill the in-flight entertainment - at least on domestic flights (you still might get options on international flights)

Finally!!! US moving to smart credit cards

From: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=140340362

In the article is this quote: ""The card system in this country has been dysfunctional for a long time," says Mallory Duncan, general counsel of the National Retail Federation. "We have far, far too much fraud because we have a very antiquated payment system relative to the rest of the world. This is something they should have fixed a long time ago."

Yes, American credit cards have a magnetic strip - which holds information about the user, the account, and more. What is really happening to your credit card in the restaurant when the server takes your card and your bill to the back room to process it? It is out of your sight and out of your control. The card reader reads the magnetic strip (and it is possible for the server to write down your account number, expiration date and even the CVV number on the back. Later they can go on line, order something, have it delivered to an anonymous place and fraud has occurred.

The new cards have a chip in them and the servers have to bring the reader to your table and you have to enter a pin - no disappearing into the back room with your care. The server doesn't even touch your card, doesn't see your account number or expiration date or CVV value. Even if the card is stolen, unless the criminal knows (or can guess) your code, you are safe.

Unfortunately, there will need to be new card readers for the new cards to work. The technology in swiping cards is old, while the new will be wireless devices brought to your table or on the checkout stand - where you swipe (or tap) and enter your pin. It will take a few years (Visa says by 2015) to make the change.

Tablet wars

Taken from: http://www.pcworld.com/article/239480/tablet_war_is_heating_upfor_second_place.html

This article talks about the new tablets - HP had one (and is dropping it), Lenovo (formerly IBM's PC maker) has a tablet; Google has an Android tablet (check out: http://lifehacker.com/5750114/five-ways-the-android+powered-google-tablet-is-better-than-the-ipad). This article talks of the upcoming Amazon tablet as a competitor to the Apple iPad. The conclusion of both that author and this reviewer is that for the near future, nobody is really going to complete with the Apple iPad.

With the predictions that tablets will replace traditional laptops, it would seem like Apple is going to sweep the competition. We will see!!!

Ten Trends that will change your workplace

I found this to be very interesting - from:

http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Intelligence/10-Trends-That-Will-Change-Your-Workplace-580123/?kc=BLBLBEMNL09082011STR2

The first one is:

Top Demographic Trends:

• Baby Boomers leaving the workplace
• Global shortage of skilled workers
• Increases in chronic health conditions

Baby Boomers (or just 'boomers') is the term to children born between 1946 and 1964. Basically the concept is that as soldiers came home from World War II, they had children. (WWII ended in 1945). The parents of the boomers has been called "the Greatest Generation" - as they lived through the Great Depression and into World War II and the post war economy.

The 1950's saw a great growth in population, in housing building, increase in schools, etc. For colleges, the 1965 incoming freshmen was sometimes twice as large as the freshmen of 1964.

The GI Bill helped parents get an education and the world changed. Prior to WWII, if your father was a carpenter, you became a carpenter; if your father was a mechanic, you became a mechanic. But, with more education, you did not have to follow your father's direction - you became your own person.

But ... now the first of the boomers is turning 65 - many have already retired - and the job force is changing - which can be considered both good and bad. The good is that some of these boomers have not kept up with technologies, are not as productive as they once were and their leaving jobs opens jobs to younger more technological savvy employees. The bad is that these people really know the business and have a lot of collective wisdom in running, managing, and doing business.

As I write this, I am 64 - one of the early boomers (born in 1947). I think I have kept up with technology (part of my job is to be relatively current); and I think I have more wisdom and understanding than others. Retirement is a concept yet for me, not on my immediate agenda. I hope to be able to teach, instruct, lead and guide a new generation into technology and critical thinking and problem solving.

From: http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Intelligence/Identifying-the-Fraudster-in-Your-Company-863593/

Identifying the fraudster in your company:

"Who commits fraud in your company? He may be one of your hardest-working and most trusted colleagues, someone who is often stressed, rarely takes vacations, and protects his business unit from scrutiny while personally attending to the top vendors. That’s the profile of a typical fraudster produced by KPMG International, revealed in its study of global fraud. The research draws on nearly 350 actual investigations conducted by KPMG member firms in 69 countries, and it shows that the majority of cases exhibited at least one red flag that should have triggered intervention. Yet only 10% of these cases resulted in action before requiring a full-blown investigation. Patterns of fraud often remain undetected for years, costing millions. Senior management must be proactive, supporting a robust ethics and compliance policy while providing an easy way for employees to report an issue without fear of retaliation, all while maintaining appropriate due diligence."

While we tend to think of computer crime as outside hackers, many fraud events are actually inside jobs. It might be a disgruntled employee, mad since he didn't get a promotion, or upset that somebody doing about the same job gets more money. Sometimes the person gets started just on a lark, and then goes farther and farther.

Can such a person gain from the fraud? Depends, can he (or she) sell the information to a competitor? Can he (or she) sell account numbers on the black market? Can he (or she) use the information to open credit card accounts in the names of customers? Can he (or she) move money and funds to a secret account?

When I worked at Citibank's credit card division, the federal banking regulations required that a person take a two week consecutive days off vacation. This dated back to the depression of the 1930's where bankers could daily swap the books and accounts to make the bank look solvent. (Like if Mrs. Smith comes in to withdraw her money, the banker quickly moved money from Mr. Jones' account to Mrs. Smith). It was thought that a two week vacation should 'tell' if fraud was occurring. I'm not sure if that federal requirement is still in force in these days of being able to adjust accounts electronically from home.

So, when you become managers, watch out for insider fraud as well as outsider fraud, and have the controls and communications in place to enforce your actions!!!

A brief change of pace

So we along the east coast had a Hurricane (or ... tropical storm). Being without power at home for five days can remind a person about computing and technology (and ... electricity)

It also reminds me of doing backups and having a disaster recovery plan. I generally backup my laptop to an external hard drive once a month. I don't have financial information (like a company would have), but there are files I would like to keep.

In the past, I have had hard drive crashes - and while my work is not the same as a bank, insurance company, hospital, etc., it does hurt to lose the data.

So ... backups and having a disaster plan are important!!!

Tablets replacing PC????

In a recent article:

http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Features/Tablets-Will-Replace-PC-Say-Users-895994/?kc=BLBLBEMNL09022011INDEPTH

the discussion was on Tablet Computers replacing PC's.

The article had eight factors:

- more than 60% of respondents said that tablets will someday serve as their primary computing devices

- BUT ... only 15% of tablet users had anti-virus software or encrypted data

- 2/3rd of tablet users don't back up their data

- tablet users like the portability of the tablet - using them on vacation and even in the bathroom and bedroom!!

- most tablet users say it makes them more productive

- and ... many said it improved their work / life balance

For "real' work, I'm not sure I want a tablet; but I do use the iPad for the funner things - reading an e-book, browsing the web, reading email, and ... maybe ... in the bathroom and bedroom!!!