:: MIS Insights ::

Slashdot just introduced me to Writely, an online word processing application. Writely is another software from Google designed to create a totally online user experience. Why do it with desktop applications (MS Office or Open Office) when you can do it online (with Writely)?

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a neologism for the new way of using the internet. O’Reilly Media envisioned a web that allowed users to do everything (well, ideally everything) in the internet. The internet could be a platform where online services would replace local applications. Everything can be customized according to the user’s preferences, wants and needs. Data would be stored online, allowing the user to resume their work anywhere they have a compatible browser and an internet connection.

One of the key players in this endeavor is Google. Assuming that the internet develops as the platform to be in in the future, we can see why Google is investing so much on ventures that are bent on keeping people online longer within the range of their services (or ads, if you will).

Concerns

While many people are excited about the progress and development of the Web platform, there are some concerns with regards to such technology.

• The need for an internet connection that can provide a satisfying user experience. With a more dynamic and richer user experience, we are currently looking at web services that consume a lot of bandwidth where delayed response from the application is more of the rule rather than the exception.
• Data security becomes an issue. Since our data will be stored online, sensitive information become exposed to more vulnerabilities and misuse.

My Way

If there were something that can be done about the above situation, I’d wait until everyone got ultrafast internet connection. A lot of people are still using internet connections below 10Mbps. Performance really takes a lot of beating with such limited bandwidth.

But why is Google doing it now? So that when the internet connection technology becomes available to a lot of people, they’ll have decent working applications and one hell of a barrier entry to late adopters. That, or simply because they can.

In addition to that, I’d also require dedicated IPs for the internet connections of subscribers to such online services. In this way, data need not be saved inside the data centers of the service providers. An interface from the online applications could provide access to the hard drives of the machines. These machines can be located in the internet using the dedicated IPs.

Wouldn’t we run out of IP addresses with such setup? No doubt about it. However, there are many ways to skin a cat. For instance, we could *upgrade* our current IP address setup to accept more addresses. Instead of using IPv4, we could use IPv6 (yes, i know there are a lot of issues to tackle with regards to such change in standards, but that is set for an entirely different article). OR we could set up NAT service providers that can lease IP addresses ala VPN-style. This is something like what Hamachi does.

As much as I’m pleased with such developments, online applications still remain unviable at the moment. Being expensive and impractical, we still has a long way to go before locally-sourced applications (within the intranet, for you nitpickers) are displaced by their online counterparts.

My Trailblazer (Desktop Computer) has got a hot processor - not as in Carmen Electra Hot or Wendy’s Burger Hot, but literally hot.

Does anyone have an idea of how hot an Athlon64 3200+ should be running at idle and full load?

Mine used to idle at 61 degrees Celsius and would freeze at 66 degC under full load before I solved it with a temporary fix.

Details

• I’m using the stock Heat Sink and Fan for the processor.
• I also have four auxiliary fans inside the casing to redirect proper air flow.
• CPU box temperature is at 38 degC.
• I can play GPU-intensive games like Doom3 but I can’t play CPU-intensive games like Heroes 5.
• MSI RS480M2-IL, 1 GB Kingston PC3200, nvidia 7600GT, 160GB Seagate

What CPU Cooling solutions would you recommend? Nothing liquid-based please.

Temporary Fix : Disabled Cool’n'Quiet and the Fan Tripping Point (the low safe, medium safe, high safe) settings at the BIOS. Got it to idle at 58 degC and runs at 64 degC under full load.

Shock - Chinese domain names net US$160,000 in an auction [cnn.com]. The event was organized by Roger Wang ~ whose umpc.com.cn was sold for US$49,000.

Denial - Looks like China will be the next frontier for Cybersquatters [wikipedia.com].

Cybersquatting is the act of buying (or reserving) domain names to be sold later for a big price tag.

Domain names, simply put, are the names of the websites - ex. google.com, cnn.com, paminta.com are domain names.

Damn, I hate cybersquatting.

Anger - Reasons why I think cybersquatting isn’t that much of an issue in the Philippines (.ph):

• Filipinos would rather get cheaper .orgs, .bizs, .coms, etc. ($9~Php600) than .phs, .com.phs ($35~Php2000)
• Some SMEs don’t want to be known as Filipino Businesses. Foreign companies can be very picky with the people they work with.
• Web Presence is not really part of the Information System Plan (or specfically, the budget) in most business plans of brick-and-mortar SMEs here. Where there’s a budget, there’s usually not enough.

Bargaining - What I’d do to set up a Country-Code Top Level Domain Business right now at China… Hmm… Imagine…

1. Register Terms, Phrases and every Chinese word you can think of under .cn (Cybersquatting + Domain Kiting [wikipedia.com])

2. ???

3. Profit!!!

Depression - With a native population of over one billion and another billion around the globe wanting to do business with them, I think there’ll be plenty more of such extor~ *cough* deals in China. How I wish I could have a slice of such virtual pie. Just one bite…

Testing - However, reservation of .cn domains require physical presence or representation in China. Moreover, there is a need for background information on the culture and the psychological nature of people living there. These will be instrumental in matching the right domain names to the economic opportunities that the Interweb brings.

Both of which I do not have the luxury of.

Acceptance - Different Opportunities for Different People. Let me now go back to advertising my profession as an ICT Mercenary.

If you’re in need of a consultant, analyst or instructor for your business or information systems, it’s rj dot mendi at gmail dot com

Kübler-Ross [changingminds.org]

Once upon an interview, I was asked, “What is your greatest accomplishment?”

Foolish me answered, “Graduating without the pressures of a need for a day job”

When what I wanted to say was, “Graduating with a lot more options in life”

Bah! While the interview and discussion only got better after that, I think I lost them right then and there. I need to work on my oral skills. That, or I have to be prepared with generic answers to such kryptonites.

Picked up a pointer about gymnastics today while at the gym (where gymnastic is my term for everything i do in the gymnasium ~ i.e. cardio, machine, weights).

Jonski told me about the importance of following your workout schedule. If your training plan says “Do this only thrice a week,” you should do it at least and only three times a week. Anything less and you won’t feel the benefits of the workout. Anything more and you’ll be in a lot of pain after a few months. The rest days are there to allow your muscles to recover and regenerate.

As I am inexperienced and new to this thing, I shall obediently follow my trainer whose program and motivation has proven effective.

Aloha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hehehe, apologies for the few but loyal readers of my blog. I haven’t been updating my blog because I’ve been *busy* with life - where I define my life as Work, Exercise and Recreation.

Work

• Wrapping up my project with GMA7 (Yes, i’m finishing up their Table Of Contents)
• Negotiating for some school’s Chemistry Inventory System pricing (I hope our proposed budget pushes through)
• Negotiating for another school’s digital yearbook (System Design is complete, awaiting go-signal for implementation)
• Working on three web portals (one’s a done deal, another’s a scope creep and the last one’s being negotiated)
• Gathering requirements for the formal incorporation of my quasi-company (unemployed? do as i do! employ yourself!!!)

Exercise

• I’ve been faithful to Moro, attending an average of 5 days a week
• I still weigh the same, but I feel lighter and better. been cursing fewer morons on the road who don’t know how to drive
• My daily goal is to burn 1200 calories per session while I eat 800-1000 calories worth of food everyday

Recreation

• Been hooked up to lots of anime marathons lately ~ basilisk, samurai 7, samurai deeper kyo, dragon ball…
• Listening to songs and reliving the memories behind them. Some of them are old … some of them new.
• Resurrected Grunt (1Ghz AMD Athlon, 640Mb Ram) for file-serving and retro-gaming purposes. Final Fantasy 7! Woot!

Outlook

Outlook is good in life. However, I’m getting bored with having only a few projects. I almost considered going for a full-time job. As much as I wanted one, God has His own plans for me. On the day of my interview at UC and knivre fpubbyf [I’m sorry, Caesar likes writing company names that way], I :

• was held up by an MMDA officer for swerving along Edsa
• had to argue with the guards to let me park within the campus of my first interview place ~ there was no parking space outside the campus
• had to fill up forms that I *so* love to do
• had to answer a personality test. questions were conducted in a boolean manner and were repeated and rephrased over and over to check the consistency of your answers and personality. I also *love* these tests.
• ran out of parking space at galleria. a level of the basement parking was converted into a function hall for the day
• i couldn’t find the building where i had to take an interview for UC, i got redirected twice ~ walked 2kms in full battle gear of long sleeves, black pants and leather shoes
• the original interviewer at UC didn’t arrive
• waited for an hour and a half to find out. though UC was kind enough to have a replacement interviewer
• replacement interviewer was hot, oh so distractingly hot. did i say she was hot? well, she was hot
• i was supposed to end my day at the gym when i forgot to stuff a shirt in my trusty gym. Since I couldn’t possibly work out topless, I skipped gym for that day

Moral of the story?

There is no such thing as security.

I’d like to explain and connect the dots between all the bullet points I listed, but I trust in my reader’s ability to reflect and think critically. Share your thoughts. I’d appreciate them.