More rain from the clouds

Cloud computing took another hit today when QuickBooks Payroll Service had an outage. Companies that use the service to pay their emplyeees still aren't able to do so. Intuit is working hard to correct the problems.

I have never been in favor of using "cloud" solutions for mission critical work. I know, it's the wave of the future but I'm still way too cautious and refuse to put my eggs in so fragile a basket.

Good news, bad news

The tsunami/earthquake tragedy in northern Japan has caused a major disruption in the digital camera industry. Mahufacturers like Canon and Nikon are still trying to get back to something close to normal and their product production has fallen far behind schedule.

The big camera show every year is the PMA Show in Las Vegas. This year's show was scheduled for October but now has been moved to January, 2012 and will be part of CES. That's wonderful news for us because that means we'll be able to cover PMA and CES at the same time. I'm not sure how we'll fit it all in but we'll sure try!!

PowerNap

As a former Air Traffic Controller I found this interesting. We'll be getting a PowerNap to review and we'll let you know if it works. Here's the press release:

Jonathan Husni, MBA, IT expert and inventor of PowerNap (www.powernap.com) audio products that have helped thousands of people energize themselves by grabbing a quick nap, has offered the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), 100 PowerNap CDs and a 50 percent discount on his company’s PowerNap Machine, if they will try his technology as a solution to the fatigue problem that has caused a number of air traffic controllers to fall asleep on the job.

Sleep professionals recommended scheduled, on-the-job naps as a way to fight fatigue. Research indicates that even short periods of sleep—power naps—can reduce stress, increase alertness and improve overall health. A NASA study found that an average nap of twenty-six minutes boosted airline pilots’ performance by one-third and experiments by NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) showed that a midday snooze reverses information overload.

Husni agrees that this is the most direct and potentially effective solution to a problem that has seen several instances of exhausted air traffic controllers failing in their duties. “People wanting and needing a nap don’t often have much time for it, so it’s important that they fall asleep quickly. That’s why our customers buy PowerNap products and refer them to friends.”

The technology behind PowerNap is simple. During the first five minutes of listening to PowerNap CDs with ear buds, the user’s brain automatically adjusts to its inaudible sound waves. For the next ten minutes the PowerNap recording helps induce REM sleep, finally bringing the user to a refreshed state of heightened wakefulness. Throughout, the user hears only the pleasing sound of a waterfall.

Introduced ten years ago, thousands of PowerNap CDs have been sold. The PowerNap Machine, a pocket-sized media player that similarly facilitates sleep, was introduced this year.

Nokia

Today I had some thoughts on Nokia's business model. Nokia is a company that made their fortune making cell phones for people who want to TALK to each other. Gazillions of people around the world started out using a Nokia phone (including me) that was provided by a service provider of some sort.

The big problem, in my opinion, is that people no longer use that model any longer. The vast majority of people don't ever use their cell phones to actually talk any more. They use them for texting, running apps and everything else BUT talking.

I'm sorry Nokia, and MSFT too, but you've missed the boat. You'll never catch up with Android.

VIA ZOTAC ZBOX mini-PC

We saw this announcement today:

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced that it will demo the ultra compact ZOTAC ZBOX mini-PC featuring the  VIA Nano X2 dual-core processor at the VIA Computex booth, TICC, room 201D.

Powered by the VIA Nano X2 dual-core processor, the ZOTAC ZBOX features a palm-sized chassis measuring just 12 x 12 x 4cm, making it an ideal solution for integration into a home entertainment system as well as space constrained workspaces.

“The ZOTAC ZBOX is a great example of the kinds of innovations in form factor design that are possible on our low power VIA Nano X2 dual-core processor platform,” said Richard Brown, Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “It provides an excellent solution for home and officer users seeking a premium computing experience in an ultra compact size.”

VIA Nano X2 Dual-Core Processor

VIA Nano X2 dual-core processors are available at speeds of 1.2 and 1.6GHz and are built using the latest 40nm fabrication process.

VIA Nano X2 processors come with native 64-bit software support, VT CPU virtualization technology, and VIA PadLock™ hardware security features and are also pin-to-pin compatible with VIA Nano, VIA C7, VIA C7-M and VIA Eden processors, facilitating easy upgrades of existing designs.

For images of the ZOTAC^® ZBOX mini-PC, please click here.

For more details about the VIA Nano X2 Processor, please click here.

Memorial Day

Lexmark is making a wonderful offer for Memorial Day:

Don't forget to honor your favorite memeber of the military on Twitter. Lexmark is working with @OfficeDepot and @Op_Homefront for #MemDay – Shout Out to your favorite member of the military to enter to win a printer using the hashtag #OperationShoutOut

All good things must end

For MANY years we have been using dedicated file servers using Linux OSs. We proudly praised them for their 24/7/365 reliability. A few years ago the oldest one died an honorable death. Last year the second one also expired. We are now facing diminished operation with the third.

We're taking all of our important files off and preparing for the worst. How many of you still have a system that has been running since 2003 without turning it off and it has been wonderful. Thank you Snap Server!!