Wednesday, July 18, 2012

BlueStripe Blog

BlueStripe Blog: "

Infrastructure Complexity: The Problem That Will Not Go Away

July 16, 2012 11:10 AM | Posted By: Vic Nyman
After my "APM is Broken" post, I've been amazed at just how many of you agreed that infrastructure complexity is the big issue causing IT availability problems.

The rise of infrastructure complexity has become the main source of application performance problems. The surprising thing is that it doesn't take many different kinds of components interacting to cause problems.

When we surveyed 126 IT execs from the Fortune 1000 a few months ago, 84% of those we surveyed had at least five technologies in their applications, and 64% had 7 or more different technologies! According to a survey Gartner conducted, 73% say their infrastructure complexity is either "high" or "out of control.""



Nearly 2 MILLION US Facebook users quit social network • The Register

Nearly 2 MILLION US Facebook users quit social network • The Register:

 "Shares in Facebook continued to slide on Tuesday, after an analyst claimed the dominant social network had seen a modest drop in its userbase.

Capstone Investment's Rory Maher said Mark Zuckerberg's company suffered a 1.1 per cent fall in US users over the last six months. The number of European Facebookers had also declined, he added.

Meanwhile, Facebook's stock hit a month-long low yesterday finishing the day at $28.09 on Nasdaq, after falling some 8 per cent at the start of the week."

ED: This coupled with the damning BBC Undercover Bagel operation brings FB's claimed user base into serious doubt, which flows through to put their advertising business model under question with investors and prospective advertisers.........



Thousands of "Likes" – but none from actual customers, or maybe even humans
Thousands of "Likes" – but none from actual customers, or maybe even humans
UPDATE/ July 16: Facebook is disputing a BBC story in which a reporter set up a fake company and found it got 3000 "likes" on the back of a $US10 ad capaign.
The social network's NZ marketing solutions manager, Paul Webster, passed on an NBR ONLINE query to Facebook Australia-New Zealand communications and public policy manager Mia Garlick.


Sunday, July 8, 2012

NXP trials congestion management system in S'pore

NXP trials congestion management system in S'pore:

"NXP Semiconductors N.V. has begun testing what it says is a next-generation congestion management system. Cars equipped with the company's 3.5G telematics solution—the automotive telematics on-board unit platform (ATOP)—are currently piloting modern mobility solutions in Singapore.
Singapore's world-class infrastructure is the ideal test bed for intelligent traffic solutions as it faces the mobility challenges of today's global megacities and aims to reduce pollution and congestion. During the Singapore trial, cars equipped with ATOP, a module allowing for cost-efficient and flexible integration into automotive electronics, will wirelessly collect real-time traffic data via 3.5G mobile broadband. This allows testing congestion management as well as securing payment, road-side assistance and paperless parking."


Monday, July 2, 2012

MIS-Asia - Apple excludes China, India in Asian expansion of iTunes music and video

MIS-Asia - Apple excludes China, India in Asian expansion of iTunes music and video:

"but the two large markets of China and India were excluded.
The company said it was launching stores in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan with a selection of local and international music from major and independent labels.
Apple said it was also bringing the iTunes Store to music fans in Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Customers can also rent or purchase movies from the iTunes Store, including in HD, from major studios like 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures."

Computerworld Malaysia - BAE Systems develops GPS alternative

Computerworld Malaysia - BAE Systems develops GPS alternative:

"The technology is being touted as a replacement for current technologies such as GPS, which relies upon a relatively weak satellite signal that is vulnerable to disruption.
Known as Navigation via Signals of Opportunity (NAVSOP), BAE Systems' new system is resistant to hostile interference such as jamming and spoofing, and can learn from signals that are initially unidentified to build a more accurate and reliable fix on its location.
NAVSOP can function in places where GPS is unable to reach, such as dense urban areas and deep inside buildings, and can work in remote parts of the world, such as the Arctic, by picking up signals that include Low-Earth-Orbit satellites and other civilian signals"