Business, Marketing, and New Technology
Business News
Training for New IT Careers
Nov 26th
That the economy has taken a dive is no news to anyone. Many people are out of work, and there is no work for them. This is partly because of the shifting of labor and businesses around the world. Businesses and jobs that used to be located in one country (like the USA) have moved elsewhere, simply because economic dictate that it is more economical to do so. This leaves workers in some places jobless and searching.
Naturally, many have come to the realization that going back to school is the answer, as they retrain, relearn, and/or acquire totally new skills- skills that are now in demand where they live. Our country is moving from labor intensive, to information intensive. This has opened up an entire new avenue of needed skills. As more and more businesses make use of higher and higher technology, there are more and more people needed to support these fields. The tech is always changing, and has a serious need for trained technicians, not only for development, but for maintenance and daily operations.
The F5 technologies are right on the crest of things. They create a responsive, and flexible infrastructure that is needed for companies to keep their businesses in line with IT functions that are constantly changing. The F% technologies are more flexible and integrative than using single-purpose solutions that often conflict with other needs.
Training to master these new technologies would be a worthy goal in these economic times, because there is a demand for those who can work with them. So, taking some F5 training courses
is one way to make yourself valuable to potential employers. Along those lines, the Cisco IronPort training courses would be just as valuable. Check them both out, if you are interested in a new IT career.
Obama- “keep my eye on robots”
Jun 26th
National Robotics Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon University this last Friday, President Obama joked around saying that part of his job is to “keep an eye on robots”. 
“I just met with folks from some cutting-edge companies and saw some of their inventions here in your National Robotics Engineering Center, but that’s not the only reason I’m here,” the president said. “You might not know this, but one of my responsibilities as commander in chief is to keep an eye on robots. And I’m pleased to report that the robots you manufacture here seem peaceful, at least for now.”
Yeah, I guess it is. Somehow, years ago, we were frightened with the idea that robots would take over the world and make slaves of us mere humans. Sure, yeah…
Anyway, it’s good to know that someone is watching out for us, right?
Google Loses Its Grip
May 9th
Hey guys! Did you know that Google is no longer the most valuable brand? That’s right- Apple has taken over, thanks to its booming ipad and iphone market. The the annual BrandZ study of the world’s top 100 brands has determined that Apple is even more valuable than MicroSoft.
Who would’a thunk it?
Integrate Your Work and Play
Apr 17th
Here is a quote I ran across recently. Although the author lived several hundred years ago, it applies now more than ever. It emphasizes that you should like what you do for a living, and not just work, work, work for the money.
“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his eduction and his recreation. He hardly know which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing , and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.”
- by Francois Auguste Rene Chateaubriand (French politician, 1768-1848)
QR Codes Coming Fast
Apr 10th
QR codes are fast becoming an integrated necessity in our business lives. Just like the old bar code became ubiquoius, the new square QR code will take over because of its near-infinite functionality.
Just scan the code, and you have a world of information at your fingertips. They can be placed anywhere, and anyone with a phone, and a scanning app has instant access to more info than they’ll ever need.
Some uses for the new codes:
- On menus, -scan and get nutritional information, ingredient lists (critical for peole with allergies)
- On posters in windows – new band coming to town? Scan the code and get access to a video!
- On products in stores -scan and get info on parts, accessibility, how-to-use instructions, etc.
The possibilities are endless and mind-boggling. If you do not have a QR code for your business, look into it asap!
California Solar Companies Growing Fast
Apr 6th
Solar power is an up and coming thing, for sure. We have an unlimited supply of sunshine. At least until some volcano erupts and clouds over the entire planet for a couple of years. Well, now, let’s not focus on THAT scenario, please.
Solar power used to be just for the big corporations, and large companies that could fork out the large amounts of money to invest in it. But it is becoming so integrated into our daily lives, that tapping into the solar trend is available to just about everyone. Who doesn’t have More >
Rolling Dustball Actually Collects the Dust
Feb 9th
A distant relative to the Roomba, perhaps, there’s a new kid on the dust-cleaning block. Invented by Dutch designer Dave Hakkens, the Dustball is a round sphere that resembles a cross between a golf ball, a tumbleweed, and a honeycomb. The designer sees it as an automated way to clean public spaces. It simply rolls itself around the area, picking up dust and debris, and even knows how to find it’s way back to a dock plugged into a wall whenever it needs to be emptied. The two sides of the sphere are honeycombed with latticework, and are attached to each other magnetically. It does require some manual attention, though, to empty the debris. It’s not hard, just pull the two sides apart.
Now, I’ve had some experience with rolling things underfoot, so I’m wondering if having little golf balls rolling randomly around a public place is such a good idea. Stepping on one is a definite hazard, and if the area is large, there would have to be multiple little Dustballs rolling around, increasing the possibility of accidents. Maybe if you made it the size of a beach ball- but then, it could not get under chairs, or tables, or radiators, etc.
I’ve watched the video, and gone to the designers site, but can’t really tell just how big the thing is. I thought it was golf ball size, but this video implies that it is beach ball size.
Hmmm… automatic cleaners are a real good i
idea, but this one might need a little tweaking before enjoying widespread use.
Cement You Can See Through? Not Exactly
Feb 4th
Cement is considered hard, dense and solid, and being inside a cement building is characterized by darkness, or artificial light. That is, until now. At the World Expo last year in Shanghai, transparent cement was seen for the first time at the Italian Pavilion. It’s quite remarkable. While the complete creation process is still a secret, the manufacturer, Italcementi, says that the technology uses a matrix of cement that has resins embedded within it that allow light to pass through, without compromising the overall integrity of the material. The resins fill holes that look like rectangular slats. These holes are about 2-3 millimeters . The end result is that the building is about 20% transparent.
The resins let light pass through, so from the inside of the building, the walls have a soft glow from sunlight, thus reducing the need for artificial lighting. During the day, from the outside, the building looks like any ordinary cement structure, but at night, if the lights are on inside, the outside of the building has a soft ethereal glow. Architect Giampaolo Imbrighi calls the new transparent cement i.light. The i.light material is also cheaper to use than other options, like using optical wires embedded in the cement. It also lets more light come through, and is easier to mesh/integrate with the surrounding cement mixture.
Hope For Those Waiting On Organ Donor Lists
Feb 3rd
Those needing new organs find themselves on waiting lists that number in the thousands. Often, the wait takes years, during which the health of the recipient declines, and the odds of a successful transplant declines with it. There are so many more people needing transplants, and so few organs available, the situation is critical.
However, scientists from the Scripps Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego have encouraging news on that front. They reported online in Nature Cell Biology (January 30, 2011) that they have managed to take ordinary skin cells, and “reprogram” them at the cellular level, so that they transform themselves into heart cells. The process only takes a few days to move from skin cells, to beating heat cells.
This has enormous potential in the organ-growing field. As research progresses, there is hope that scientists will be able to take a person’s own skin cells, and grow a new heart for him. There would be no waiting for a donor heart, and just as important, there would be no potential for rejection of the new organ, because it would be of the patient’s own makeup.
Other scientists have converted similar skin cells into nerve cells, so there is hope that this technology will be able to be adapted for other organs as well.