CDR Sam

Internet Radio

January 10, 2010 | WiFi Music

Internet radio has been around awhile along with it’s counterpart podcasts.  The difference is Internet radio operates on streaming and not a file download.  It does require a wireless network (WiFi) and from there a connection to the Internet.  Or just a connection to the Internet if you are using iTunes or a browser.  Internet radio are audio streams from typically radio stations of their broadcast program.  It’s important to note that it’s running in sync with the broadcast so if you are in an area where you can not pick up your favorite radio station you well may find it on Internet radio.

Let’s take a look at the various options to access Internet radio:

1. iTunes
2. Internet Explorer, Firefox and Windows Media player, Real Player, iTunes
3. Internet radio appliance

Besides the convenience of listening to radio you can also access and share your own music collection using iTunes server across your local network. This adds a new dimension to house wide music entertainment systems.  There are several WiFi Radios made by Logitech called the Squeezebox that really join streaming Internet radio and audio streaming using a server application on the hosting computer that stores your digital music library. You then can browse through your collection and select an album or track to play.   It does require having a wireless network or at least some kind of local network.

This brings up your storage for your music files.   Your laptop or desktop will do but if you really want to be serious about it and make the tunes flow I would recommend some kind of network attached storage device.  This type of system gives you a dedicated server for streaming your audio. Any computer or local network appliance can access it and give almost unlimited music storage.

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Medical Digital Revolution?

January 2, 2010 | Data Storage

So, is it going to happen?  Will we see a great change in the way medical records are handled now? Will various electronic medical systems be able to finally speak a common language?

These questions continue to be unanswered and yet a standard has to be developed and followed.  Certainly the data can be stored and transmitted easily but the compatibility stops there.  For one, the PACS (Picture Archiving Communication System) that many hospitals and clinics use are unique and have different Meta data formats.  This makes it very difficult and expensive to adapt to a standard.

Secondly, the small doctor offices and clinics may not have the resources to purchase and manage a client side data capture system.  If they can even figure out a common standard.  It would seem like common sense to have a method of sharing information electronically  between doctor and hospital but the development of  the American health care system provided no ‘electronic highway’, no ‘connecting the dots’.  Just blobs of clay tossed onto the map. The gains in efficiency and cost management within the health care system can only happen if a common standard is accepted and soon. Throwing lots of money at the issue is not going to solve anything until this happens.

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Who Wants to be in the Clouds: What Really is Cloud Computing

November 29, 2009 | Data Storage

ISPs have been providing what is now called ‘cloud computing’ for years.  AOL,  CompuServe,  Prodigy even the BBS were clouds in their own right.   The idea that somehow the ‘dumb terminal’ is a new concept

is a frightening thought.  The first mainframe computers used terminals and even today mainframes use terminals.

There has always been two camps on owning the software or ‘renting’ the software.  This also reflects on the equipment one uses too.  A cheap throwaway terminal (perhaps a netbook is a good example of this) compared to a full powered system that can run applications independent of the Internet or network.  The ’sell’ is the classic razor blade sales model.   The person is given the razor holder and the cost of the razor blades is inflated to maximize profit.  Data is held hostage by design or poor design depending on ones point of view.  We have gone from ‘ASP’, for application service provider, to SaaS, or software as a service, to the newest coined phrase, ‘cloud computing’.    One can only hope they  rename SaaS to something more appropriate like ‘I hope the Internet keeps working computing’ or ‘the hare vs. the turtle computing’. Without the Internet connection the ‘dumb book’ is just that ‘dumb’

I’m certainly aware of the marketing hype of how SaaS brought on a new age with web based applications.  Really?  Where is Al Gore when you need him to confirm his inventing the Internet. Web based applications have been around a lot longer then SaaS or ASP.

Free applications with advertising.  It’s no accident Google’s earnings are 97% from advertising.  Renting the software does not always require paying for it.  It’s a new spin on giving an application away for visiting my site or telling my friends about it.  I’m not trying to sell you anything.  Just free services that happen to have a lot of advertising.  It is honestly an advertising distribution method and not for the greater good of mankind.

I certainly think that SaaS has it’s place as well as ‘cloud computing’ in that it does provide massive computing power for solving very complex equations.  However to try and sell it as a complete business solution when it can only operate with a Internet connection (and high speed at that)  is just looking for trouble.

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Putting Down Roots in Data Storage

September 13, 2009 | Data Storage

As computers were a revolution in themselves, data storage and analysis will be the next revolution.   I’m referencing Google’s great book scanning project.  It’s mind boggling to consider the information that will be available (by reference) and then the implications to researching human written thought.  The vision of the old great library of Alexandria that once contained all the ancient written  knowledge.  The somewhat mysterious end to the collection by first Julius Caesar and later by successions of burnings.  Not everyone appreciated great learning it appears or highly careless in the case of Caesar.

This time around knowledge is being stored in the form of digital bytes instead of papyrus and the intent of some search engines is to make it all available via search on the Internet.  This is not the current state of affairs with the Internet by far.  There are millions of web sites with varying states of authority (trustworthiness determined by algorithms) giving the searcher some rough indication of source but the system continues to be exploited by  a certain bred of advertisers to drive traffic to their lairs.

I was reading “Why We Buy” by Paco Underhill and Paco mentioned that one of drawbacks of the Internet is it has no organization to it.  He skipped the major influence that search engines and directories have been trying to achieve.  What’s more he really skipped over the point of libraries in the first place, or closer to home for him: the brick and mortar store.  We seek information and organization.  Information does not exist in itself as a pure force.  We seek information.  Be it at a store, print or on the Internet.  The game  changer for the Internet is the concept of search.  You can search for answers (or more questions then answers).

So this is where data storage is taking us.  In order to realize the the full potential of search everything needs to be digitized and stored.  Data centers are the new Alexandrian libraries spread across the United States, Europe and Asia.  Companies and individuals store their data on-line or ‘in the clouds’.  Storage needs increase and data storage adds another terabyte or petabyte to the equation.

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What has the Internet given us?

August 13, 2009 | Random Blackouts

“What the Internet has done is given us a nation that knows the price of everything and the value of nothing”

A quote from Bill Maloney, CEO of the American Society of Travel Agent about the increase in Travel Agent use and the decline of Internet based travel booking.

This change is seen after years of Expedia and Travelocity ruling the business.

The discussion is around the value add a travel agent brings to the table by their knowledge and training.

Unlike the internet that just gives you a price and no value (hidden costs, crazy changeovers, user mistakes, Etc)

The Internet does not need to be that way but I would argue all resellers have done up to this point is offer only price and no value.

..and let the consumer get away with it.

This is not just restricted to the Internet:  Sam’s club, BJ’s and the other warehouse stores contribute to this situation.

Companies have responded with the “Brand” concept of offering cheap prices and no value.   TDK, Philips, Memorex, Verbatim even Taiyo Yuden with it’s value line.

As soon as it’s branded ‘value’ you know you are in big trouble.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/08/12/travel.agent.comeback/index.html

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