« December 2008 | Main | February 2009 »
Google Earth smokes drug growers
Swiss police have scored something of a success after catching dope growers in the normally straight-laced country.
According to Associated Press the police were trying to locate a couple of farms in the north of the country that had been mentioned by a suspect. They used Google Earth and as they zoomed in found a two acre field of grass, and not the kind that feeds the cows.
The police now have the farmers in custody, along with over a ton of the drug. Not something you associate with the land of chocolate and banking but times are hard and I suppose people have to make a living.
Now Google has an unofficial mantra of not doing evil, but is there anything in there about harshing someone's buzz?
Sins of Vista come to Windows 7
While Windows 7 is looking promising there are worrying signs that Microsoft might be about to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
To explain: for buyers of Windows XP life was simple - you either bought the home or business versions of the operating system. Then came Vista and the number of choices was tripled - Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate, plus two versions for the European market with Media Player removed.
People understandably were a tad confused by this, and it could have been worse. A Microsoft slip revealed the original plans for eight versions of Vista.
It seems now from a look at Windows 7 that again there will be more versions than people need; five to be precise. While the marketing department must love this I'm sure customers won't.
Never has the acronym KISS (Keep it simple, stupid) been more apt.
Sense in the White House
If the rumours about John Thompson are correct then it's yet another sign that sense is returning to government.
Over the years I've had a fair few chats with Thompson and he's very impressive. A quick thinker who doesn't weasel his way out of tough questions by resorting to platitudes (although he's quite happy to good-naturedly say no) and gives the questioner the impression that he's thinking about what he does.
His record is even better. He joined Symantec in 1999 just as the internet bubble was about to burst. Unlike many chief executives of the time, who hung around for a few years, mucked things up and then collected a golden parachute and bailed, Thompson actually grew Symantec into the market leader it is today.
All in all, with the economic situation getting gloomier by the second, I think he'd do a fine job.
Lotusphere not quite the same
It was my second time at IBM's big annual customer event in
There were many positives. Attendees at Lotusphere were up by two and a half per cent, according to IBM, which is a significantly good sign for the company since most technology conferences are down in numbers.
A fitting introduction to the oft referred to Big Blue company was given by the Blue Man Group (I was later told that this was meant to have some link to the Sametime update that was announced but this connection was lost on me). The key notes I attended were delivered well, with the presentation by the new Lotus Software general manager, Bob Picciano, who replaced Michael Rhodin, particularly upbeat with interesting customer stories from HSBC and Coca-Cola. Later Picciano kept his momentum going, making an effort to attend the press drinks and mingle for a while.
But whether it was the current economic climate and the threat of IT job losses, or the freezing
Last year there was more of a buzz. Although there was talk of recession, IT was still going strong. Actually the thought then was that IT was going to grow because businesses were going to invest in automation in order to cut back processing costs. But as I flew to out to
This news could have been worrying for IBMers, who might have thought they were next on the horizon, however, if this economic factor was the reason for the event's solemn mood then it would have surely cleared on the second day when positive financial results were released.
Maybe the mood was due to the weather. Last year it was sunny but this year,
On that point, I was also the only
But maybe the subdued feeling was down to none of these external factors and was simply due to the event organising and announcements.
I was surprised to find out that while hundreds and thousands were attending Obama's inauguration in Washinton DC, IBM's event organisers had not even factored in the historic moment in the agenda. I did make some time and missed my meeting around midday, although as soon as Obama started his great speech, a man fixing the bar plumbing system in the
Finally, while there were a number of announcements at Lotusphere, there was not anything groundbreaking. Most of the key news was of projects announced last year that were now ready to launch as products: project Bluehouse became LotusLive and project
Maybe IBM should have made its partnerships with mobile companies the main focus of the event, rather than announcing them on the third day. Customers will now be able to access software from iPhones, Blackberry, Nokia and Samsung because of IBM's support of the Microsoft ActiveSync protocol and new partnerships with Research In Motion,
This is why everyone hates Microsoft
Forget the antitrust litigation, the blue screen of death, or even the animated paper clip in Office. This commercial is the best reason we've found so far to destroy Microsoft.
Apparently, the five minute vignette is some sort of web 2.0 infomercial about the company's new music product. And I use the term "music" very, very lightly.
Judging from the video, Songsmith is a consumer software product crafted by the demons of hell in an effort to release a plague upon the world worse than the black death and Abba put together.
Among the reactions in the newsroom to this video were "turn it off, I'm getting nauseous" and "this is worse than Joe Theisman." Judge for yourself...
One has to wonder how many laid off employees could have been saved had Microsoft not paid for this and several of its other disastrous campaigns over the last few months (this means YOU, Seinfeld.)
On the other hand, if Microsoft keeps airing these sorts of "endorsements" for its products, Apple may never have to run another "I'm a Mac" ad...
Killer app for iPhone
OK, now we've said some disparaging things about Apple over the years, but the response from the fanboys has been largely confined to harsh language.
That may soon change, if this latest application for the iPhone and Touch gets popular. It's a sniper's program that calculates windage and bullet fall.
The sniper mounts his iPhone on the barrel and it tells him how much to adjust his shot.
Just as a quick note to the readers who may be peering into our office through a rifle-mounted scope - I'm the one furthest from the window and it's the guy closest that writes most of this stuff.
Yahoo's new boss doesn't understand blogging
Carol Bartz may be a respected business supremo and Yahoo's last, best hope but she's clueless about bloggers.
In her first address to staff Bartz was uncompromising and tough-talking, but displayed a fundamental lack of understanding of blogging and the whispers that fuel it.
In the talk she threatened to "dropkick to f***ing Mars" any staff who leaked company information to bloggers.
Given how quickly the news appeared on blogs, several people must be preparing their posteriors for extra-terrestrial exploration.
In defence of the camcorder
During this year's CES keynote I had a rather unpleasant experience. It all started on Wednesday afternoon.
Hundreds of reporters, including myself, had queued up outside the main hall at the keynote for more than two and a half hours, many of them hoping to get video clips of the Steve Ballmer keynote.
Shortly after the lights went out and the speech began, however, we were approached by a Microsoft suit who said that no filming was allowed other than the company's own camera crews, who had a feed we could plug into if we wanted to get video of the speech.
Needless to say, I was more than a bit peeved. Two and a half hours in line, and not one person from Microsoft or the CES crew bothered to look at the hundreds of press wielding cameras and inform them that no filming would be allowed. Of the dozens of emails Microsoft and the CEA flooded my inbox with, not one noted the policy.
In all fairness, Microsoft isn't the only company that does this. Apple also often forbids hacks from filming or taking shots outside of the camera pen at its own events (the popular claim is that this is done to prevent reporters from blocking others' view.)
However, it's a terrible policy, and one that shows a fundamental lack of understanding as to how many news sites operate these days. Most of us don't have a huge camera crew to send to the event, and often the person writing the story is also charged with getting photos and video.
One would think that a company such as Microsoft, which has pushed so hard in recent years to build a repertoire with bloggers and online news organisations, would have a bit more respect for how they cover events.
The experience also got me thinking about the bigger picture. In this era of widespread blogging, networking and news feeds, are companies really any more open? If anything, it seems that this new environment of "transparency" is making many companies even more paranoid, and has led some to put an even tighter lid on what they expose to the public.
CES 2009: Palm Power
Today I did something I haven't done in years - I applauded at a press conference.
While there are some journalists who do give the presenter a hand at the end of a press conference I've always eschewed the habit, as I think we're here to report objectively, not to be cheerleaders. But at the end of the Palm press conference today I clapped and surpressed a whoop.
At the end of last year I was just about ready to lay Palm to rest. The company that used to dominate handheld computing had frittered away its market position and to be frank I resented them a little for it.
I bought the PalmPilot when it still came branded with the 3Com logo, and carried on using them for years. But slowly they became less and less usable, more expensive and the final straw was when they switched to using Windows Mobile as an operating system. I put down the Palm and have never used them since, although I've still got my beloved Palm IIIx because I couldn't bear to throw it away.
But I'm blown away by the new Palm Pre - if it does what they say it will do I'm getting one the minute they become available. It looks to have all the advantages of an iPhone with very few drawbacks.
Sure, 8GB doesn't go far these days and there's no removable storage. It's also just configured for US 3G, and based on Palm's previous form it'll be six months before the rest of the world gets a device to call its own. But the software looks amazing and if I never have to use another virtual keyboard again it'll be too soon.
Now there's many a slip 'tween cup and lip but based on what we all saw in there, Palm deserve the applause. Normal cynicism will be resumed shortly.
CES 2009: Downturn? What downturn?
The 2009 CES conference was supposed to be a calm, low-key event this year. Dwindling attendance and the lack of tech megastar Bill Gates was said to be making this conference much less crowded than previous years.
Someone forgot to tell several hundred members of the press.
Every year on the eve of the keynote, the event's organisers hold a special preview event for media known as "Unveiled" in which both established and up-and-coming vendors can show off their products and chat with reporters over food and drinks.
Normally, the event is just that, a casual chat session with vendors accompanied by the odd handheld video camera or voice recorder. Though crowded, last year's Unveiled event was fitted into one of the Sands Expo Center's larger meeting halls and went off with little chaos.
This year was a totally different story: the event was held in one of the ballrooms at the adjoining Venitian hotel and was a fully-fledged hall of press hysteria. The normal cabal of tech journos and gadget bloggers was matched with a gaggle of mainstream press, both print and television. Camera crews dominated space in front of some exhibitors, while packs of reporters jockeyed for space in front of others. On one wall, a full radio studio had been constructed for a live broadcast, while another wall sported an impromptu TV studio with lighting, two chairs and a CES logo backdrop.
Perhaps this is just reflective of new coverage styles and a change in media focus. With the huge splash consumer devices such as the iPhone and Wii have made in the general media, electronics shows are increasingly fodder for the evening news broadcast. Or perhaps many organisations, fearing a thin show floor, are trying to wrap up their coverage early.
However, if the Unveiled event is indeed a barometer for how the rest of the event will go, CES 2009 will be as crowded, chaotic and buzz-worthy as ever.
CES 2009: Greenwashing
If I hear one more company at CES talk about how committed they are to the environment I think I'm going to scream.
Everyone's at it. Panasonic even printed part of their press kit on paper that had seeds embedded in it so that we could plant them later.
The thing is it's all rubbish. All this supposed 'green' focus is nothing more than an attempt to sell us products. What these companies have recognised is that consumers want to buy green products so that they can feel better about themselves.
I'm willing to bet some of these companies would cheerfully club seals or burn rainforest if people liked the idea and it got them more sales.
With businesses the hypocrisy is even more acute. If an IT director suggested buying a product because it was environmentally friendly he'd be looking for a new job very quickly. But if he says they save power and will cost less to recycle then s/he's golden.
Still, never let a good marketing slogan pass unquoted. But by the end of the show the only way I'm going to look forward to meeting a green businessman is if there's a high powered rifle, a postal tower and a bad Monday involved.
Where in the world is Steve Jobs?
OK, MacWorld approaches and the rumour mill is going nuts about why Steve Jobs isn't going to be giving the keynote address as normal.
The consensus, such as it is, comes down to three possibilities:
1. Apple is playing hardball with IDC, the conference organiser, to get some kind of reduction in next year's fee.
2. There aren't going to be any revolutionary new products and so Steve can't be bothered to show.
3. Jobs' health has deteriorated so much that he can't manage to do it.
It's the third option that is most worrisome for Apple executives, and the share price is looking jittery.
Of course, if Jobs had followed Bill Gates' lead and obviously groomed a successor like Steve Ballmer this wouldn't be an issue. But Jobs is quite happy being Mr Apple and, some have said, remains paranoid about being pushed out of the company a second time.
Whatever the reason it's clear the Apple board is going to have to have a sit down with him and sort this out because it's not good for the company. Analysts estimate Apple stock could take a 20 per cent hit if Jobs pops his clogs.
Spanish
