A group of mobile phone makers is on a mission to raise awareness that charging devices consume energy when left idle but plugged in. LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung Electronics and Sony Ericsson have developed a new ratings system to communicate how much energy chargers use in standby mode. Read more.

posted by pcenright # 8:33 AM

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

The Waste of Workstation Energy

A recent survey reveals that computer workstations are a major source of power consumption, chiefly because so many users leave them on 100% of the time. Some 69% of respondents also report using more than one machine. For a company with 10,000 workstations, the wasted energy amounts to more than $1.26 million per year. You can read more here.

posted by Chris # 8:34 AM

Monday, November 17, 2008

Is There an IT Labor Shortage?

According to this blog post at TechRepublic.com, IT departments are planning to increase offshore outsourcing in 2009, after two years of declines. However, a recent survey shows that this still represents a very small part of overall IT spending, and tech leaders in the US believe they continue to face a very real shortage of skilled labor.

posted by Chris # 8:01 AM

Friday, November 14, 2008

Searching by Voice

Google has taken a big step forward with speech recognition software, by adding a voice search capability to the iPhone software. It's not perfect, and some queries return gibberish, but Google believes it's accurate enough to be useful. Any question will be accepted, from "How tall is Mt. Everest?" to "Where's the nearest Starbucks?" You can read more here.

posted by Chris # 7:29 AM

Thursday, November 13, 2008

The High Cost of "Expertise"

It's commonly assumed that Business Analysts need expertise in the domain for which they're developing requirements, and this domain-specific expertise is often hard to find. However, a recent study IAG study suggests that expert analysts with no domain knowledge are more likely to ask the kind of questions that reveal false assumptions and lead to cost savings in the long run. You can read more here.

posted by Chris # 7:33 AM

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Calling Doctor Google

Google has launched a website to follow the spread of flu in the US, by using keyword tracking technology to monitor queries involving the word "flu." It's been able to cross-reference several years of data with the CDC and because its system is based on dynamic feeds, Google believes it can deliver results much more quickly. You can read more here.

posted by Chris # 10:23 AM

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Sun Rolls Out New Storage Appliances

Sun Microsystems is rolling out an innovative series of storage devices featuring advanced management software and solid-state drives. Sun's storage business is one of the fastest growing parts of the company, although it's still a relatively small part of its operations. The new boxes offer higher performance, lower cost and much faster installation times. You can read more here.

posted by Chris # 8:01 AM

Monday, November 10, 2008

Improved Notebook Security

Seagate is now shipping self-encrypting hard drives, with capacities up to 320GB and a 500GB model expected soon. McAffee is also partnering with Seagate to provide enterprise-level notebook management software, responding to the growing reliance on mobile computers. According to the FBI, a notebook computer is stolen every 53 seconds, and 97% are never recovered. You can read more here.

posted by Chris # 9:58 AM

Friday, November 07, 2008

Avoiding Traps in BI Implementations

This analysis at TDWI reviews a recent Gartner report on common flaws in BI implementations, and offers advice on how best to avoid them. Most of the shortcomings involve the same kind of blunders that trouble all tech implementation efforts. At the top of the list is a "Field of Dreams" expectation among BI architects, who assume users will enthusiastically adopt BI tools.

posted by Chris # 7:29 AM

Thursday, November 06, 2008

A Technology Led Recovery?

IBM chief exec Samuel Palmisano is proposing a technology-fueled economic recovery plan with increased investment in utility grids, traffic management, food distribution, water conservation and health care. Such investments could improve long-term prospects and provide a foundation for further innovation and growth. You can read more here.

posted by Chris # 7:20 AM

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

CNN Goes Star Wars

This article in TG Daily notes the expanded role of display technology in the now-concluded presidential election, with surface tables and "magic walls" replacing the whiteboards of 2000 and 2004. The most innovative change, though, was probably CNN's use of live holograms, projecting 3D images of distant interview subjects into the CNN studio.

posted by Chris # 8:20 AM

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Computing Forecast: Mostly Cloudy

This is an interesting article in The Washington Post, presenting a detailed overview of cloud computing. Some early cloud-like services have been less than successful and there are still some performance and reliability issues. Despite that, most industry observers agree it's the way of the future.

posted by Chris # 7:27 AM

Monday, November 03, 2008

E-voting and the US Election

This blog post at ZDNet considers the use of electronic voting systems, which have had some problems in early voting in some states. The author feels the reports seem to involve touch screen calibration issues, rather than systemic flaws, but worries that any problems might help to undermine voter confidence, especially in tightly contested states.

posted by Chris # 7:32 AM

Friday, October 31, 2008

'Shotgun' Mergers in Financial Services

This article at CIO.com considers how IT teams are being put to the test by the fast-track mergers and acquisitions of the current financial crisis. There may not be time to analyze security threats and develop system integration strategies, but IT still needs to ensure that due diligence is done and that companies can come together as intended.

posted by Chris # 8:18 AM

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Doing More with Less

This blog post at TechRepublic.com considers whether the troubled economy will automatically mean higher unemployment. The author suggests that some well-considered tactical decisions by management could lead to more favorable outcomes. People can be more innovative in hard times and, if given the opportunity, may find new ways to reduce costs.

posted by Chris # 7:58 AM

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Mobile Phone Chargers are Energy Vampires