Brian X. Chen (wired.com) reports that Abilene Christian University has just finished the first year of a pilot program in which 1,000 freshman students each received a free iPhone or iPod touch to explore how the always-connected devices ”might revolutionize the classroom experience with a dash of digital interactivity.” Says Bill Rankin, a professor who helped plan the initiative: “I think this is the next platform for education.”
Read more…
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/iphone-university-abilene/
2009/12/17
2009/12/10
IDC plans to create sustainability index for IT
IDC - Press Release
IDC Plans ICT Sustainability Index to Guide Nations Towards Their CO2 Emissions Targets
05 Aug 2009
FRAMINGHAM, Mass., August 5, 2009 – IDC today announced plans to create an index that scores a country's ability to use information and communications technologies (ICT) to effectively reduce its CO2 emissions. Results of the first IDC ICT Sustainability IndexTM will be released prior to the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held December 7-18, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The ICT Sustainability Index utilizes a variety of inputs to determine a country's ability to use ICT to reduce its CO2 emissions. In addition to population and GDP data, the Index correlates a country's current energy profile with its ICT investment and spending patterns to help make climate change targets attainable. By using additional ICT-related input factors to this base line, the Index score also effectively measures a country's readiness to leverage ICT to lower its carbon emissions. The Index scores will allow IDC to rank nations fairly and transparently as they tackle the long-term challenge of environmental and economic sustainability. The Index will be accompanied by a special study offering qualitative recommendations to policy makers on where ICT investments can contribute to achieving climate change goals.
IDC Plans ICT Sustainability Index to Guide Nations Towards Their CO2 Emissions Targets
05 Aug 2009
FRAMINGHAM, Mass., August 5, 2009 – IDC today announced plans to create an index that scores a country's ability to use information and communications technologies (ICT) to effectively reduce its CO2 emissions. Results of the first IDC ICT Sustainability IndexTM will be released prior to the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held December 7-18, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The ICT Sustainability Index utilizes a variety of inputs to determine a country's ability to use ICT to reduce its CO2 emissions. In addition to population and GDP data, the Index correlates a country's current energy profile with its ICT investment and spending patterns to help make climate change targets attainable. By using additional ICT-related input factors to this base line, the Index score also effectively measures a country's readiness to leverage ICT to lower its carbon emissions. The Index scores will allow IDC to rank nations fairly and transparently as they tackle the long-term challenge of environmental and economic sustainability. The Index will be accompanied by a special study offering qualitative recommendations to policy makers on where ICT investments can contribute to achieving climate change goals.
German association ZVEI presented forecast: Microelectronics-trends till 2013
Vorweihnachtszeit ist Rückschauzeit. Ob Gottschalk, Jauch oder Kerner, alle blicken zurück auf das Jahr 2009. Da ist der ZVEI innovativer: Er schielt nach vorn und zwar mit der »Mikroelektronik - Trendanalyse bis 2013«, die einem ausgewählten Journalistenkreis diese Woche vorgestellt wurde. Durchforstet man die gut 50-seitige Studie, fällt auf, wie schnell sich die Mikroelektronikindustrie von der Krise erholt hat. Fast so schnell wie die großen Banken - von einigen Landesbanken mal abgesehen. Nach 2001 hatte es gut drei Jahre gedauert, bis man wieder auf dem alten Umsatzniveau war. Dieses Mal scheint der Spuk bereits nach etwas mehr als einem Jahr vorbei zu sein. Das sind doch gute Aussichten! Und noch etwas: Nicht nur wir werden älter, sondern auch die Mikroelektronik. Laut Trendanalyse hat sie sich von einer reifenden zu einer reifen Industrie gewandelt. Bis zur Rente dürfte es allerdings noch sehr lange dauern - wie im richtigen Leben.
2009/12/08
Increasing lead times: Here are The Facts From ACAL
In November ACAL Technology (partner to IMU Group Swiss) surveyed nearly 400 contacts from its franchised supply base of over 300 worldwide suppliers. The responses to the survey have been analysed and summarized for the benefit of our customers.
• 75% of responders are currently experiencing fluctuating lead-times
• 38% already have product allocation issues for areas of their portfolio
• In the next 6 months 43% expect lead-times to continue to extend by a minimum of 8 weeks
Due to the current global economy many component manufacturers are slower in increasing production capacity due to continued uncertainty in the market. These factors are expected to force prices to climb and further lead-time extensions.
Over the last three months global pricing has increased in some product areas of the components market by nearly 24%. During the last quarter average prices have increased by 1.6% as shown in New Electronics November issue of ‘Marketwatch’ which showed 82% of the products tracked had experienced price increases when compared to prior month.
ACAL Technology continues it’s commitment to inventory and will continue to invest, in addition ACAL is also working with many of its partners to provide services reducing lead-times in the inventory cycle.
With all of the conditions that we are currently prevailing ACAL is recomending it's customers to secure inventory to ensure production is not affected by changes in the market.
For further information on how ACAL can support you in the current market
please complete the form below.
• 75% of responders are currently experiencing fluctuating lead-times
• 38% already have product allocation issues for areas of their portfolio
• In the next 6 months 43% expect lead-times to continue to extend by a minimum of 8 weeks
Due to the current global economy many component manufacturers are slower in increasing production capacity due to continued uncertainty in the market. These factors are expected to force prices to climb and further lead-time extensions.
Over the last three months global pricing has increased in some product areas of the components market by nearly 24%. During the last quarter average prices have increased by 1.6% as shown in New Electronics November issue of ‘Marketwatch’ which showed 82% of the products tracked had experienced price increases when compared to prior month.
ACAL Technology continues it’s commitment to inventory and will continue to invest, in addition ACAL is also working with many of its partners to provide services reducing lead-times in the inventory cycle.
With all of the conditions that we are currently prevailing ACAL is recomending it's customers to secure inventory to ensure production is not affected by changes in the market.
For further information on how ACAL can support you in the current market
please complete the form below.
Industrialisation of Hacking Will Dominate The Next Decade
Imperva delineates five key security trends Organisations will face during the next ten years
London, 08 December 2009: As we approach the dawn of a new decade, battle lines are firmly drawn with Organisation’s squaring up to Cyber Criminals. Imperva, the Data Security leader, predicts five key security trends to watch for over the next ten years:
The industrialisation of hacking - Clear definitions of roles are developing within the hacking community forming a supply chain that starkly resembles that of drug cartels. The weapons of choice will be automated tools applied through botnets. Imperva recently tracked and analysed a compromise that affected hundreds of servers. The scale of this attack, and others like it, is enormous and would not be achievable without total automation.
A move from application to data security as cyber-criminals look for new ways to bypass existing security measures and focus on obtaining valuable information.
Increasing attacks through social network sites where vulnerable and less technically savvy populations are susceptible to phishing attacks and malware infection.
An increase in credential theft/grabbing attacks. As the face value of individual credit card records and personal identity records decreases (due to massive data breaches) attackers look at more profitable targets. Obtaining application credentials presents an up sell opportunity as they provide a greater immediate value to stolen data consumers up the food chain.
A move from reactive to proactive security as organisations move from sitting back and waiting to be breached, to actively seeking holes and plugging them as well as trying to anticipate attacks before they come to realization.
London, 08 December 2009: As we approach the dawn of a new decade, battle lines are firmly drawn with Organisation’s squaring up to Cyber Criminals. Imperva, the Data Security leader, predicts five key security trends to watch for over the next ten years:
The industrialisation of hacking - Clear definitions of roles are developing within the hacking community forming a supply chain that starkly resembles that of drug cartels. The weapons of choice will be automated tools applied through botnets. Imperva recently tracked and analysed a compromise that affected hundreds of servers. The scale of this attack, and others like it, is enormous and would not be achievable without total automation.
A move from application to data security as cyber-criminals look for new ways to bypass existing security measures and focus on obtaining valuable information.
Increasing attacks through social network sites where vulnerable and less technically savvy populations are susceptible to phishing attacks and malware infection.
An increase in credential theft/grabbing attacks. As the face value of individual credit card records and personal identity records decreases (due to massive data breaches) attackers look at more profitable targets. Obtaining application credentials presents an up sell opportunity as they provide a greater immediate value to stolen data consumers up the food chain.
A move from reactive to proactive security as organisations move from sitting back and waiting to be breached, to actively seeking holes and plugging them as well as trying to anticipate attacks before they come to realization.
2009/12/06
What is the Gap?
What is the Gap?
There is often a stark contrast in the perception of sales effectiveness and sales productivity between the business owner and the sales manager or sales team. We call this contrast “The Gap”.
Case Study:
During a recent meeting with a Business Owner and his sales director, we gave each of them a blank piece of paper and asked them, independently of one another, to rate the overall effectiveness (ability to sell) of their sales team on a scale of 1-10. The President wrote down a 3, and the sales manager wrote down a 9! In other words, the business owner thought the sales team was doing very poorly while the sales manager thought it was functioning at almost optimal levels. With this sales manager’s mind set, what do you think that company’s potential for growth was? With this mind set do you think this sales manager has any incentive to raise the bar?
This gap in perception of sales effectiveness goes to the root cause of sales and sales management failure. Change will not occur until a business or individual comes to the conclusion that status quo is more financially detrimental than change itself. Although the company cited here had spent time and money on boot camps, one-day seminars and short-term motivational programs, the sales manager did not see any reason to change and as such made little effort to reinforce the training (change) provided, as such the business owner had wasted money training his sales team. The sales manager also had no “incentive” to change when he felt things were about as good as they could get. Remember you cannot change results until you change routines and you cannot change a routine until you first change the person’s mind.
For details on enhancing sales performance: http://www.ceosalesolution.com/webinar.html
The First Step in overcoming Sales Ineffectiveness:
The Gap is present in a great number of sales organizations today. Change does not take place until the one with the most to gain and the most to lose (The Business Owner or President) concludes that things are not good enough. Some take back control by implementing and enforcing change. Others merely rely on hope. They hope that everything they have no control over may change, such as the economy or the sales superstar who has eluded them may come knocking! Stop relying on hope and make a decision to take back control over the engine of your organization: the sales department!
Please visit http://www.ceosalesolution.com/webinar.html for details on enhancing your sales performance results.
There is often a stark contrast in the perception of sales effectiveness and sales productivity between the business owner and the sales manager or sales team. We call this contrast “The Gap”.
Case Study:
During a recent meeting with a Business Owner and his sales director, we gave each of them a blank piece of paper and asked them, independently of one another, to rate the overall effectiveness (ability to sell) of their sales team on a scale of 1-10. The President wrote down a 3, and the sales manager wrote down a 9! In other words, the business owner thought the sales team was doing very poorly while the sales manager thought it was functioning at almost optimal levels. With this sales manager’s mind set, what do you think that company’s potential for growth was? With this mind set do you think this sales manager has any incentive to raise the bar?
This gap in perception of sales effectiveness goes to the root cause of sales and sales management failure. Change will not occur until a business or individual comes to the conclusion that status quo is more financially detrimental than change itself. Although the company cited here had spent time and money on boot camps, one-day seminars and short-term motivational programs, the sales manager did not see any reason to change and as such made little effort to reinforce the training (change) provided, as such the business owner had wasted money training his sales team. The sales manager also had no “incentive” to change when he felt things were about as good as they could get. Remember you cannot change results until you change routines and you cannot change a routine until you first change the person’s mind.
For details on enhancing sales performance: http://www.ceosalesolution.com/webinar.html
The First Step in overcoming Sales Ineffectiveness:
The Gap is present in a great number of sales organizations today. Change does not take place until the one with the most to gain and the most to lose (The Business Owner or President) concludes that things are not good enough. Some take back control by implementing and enforcing change. Others merely rely on hope. They hope that everything they have no control over may change, such as the economy or the sales superstar who has eluded them may come knocking! Stop relying on hope and make a decision to take back control over the engine of your organization: the sales department!
Please visit http://www.ceosalesolution.com/webinar.html for details on enhancing your sales performance results.
2009/12/01
Soyuz Lands Safely in Kazakhstan
By Marc Boucher on December 1, 2009 2:20 AM No Comments
Soyuz Leaves International Space Station and Lands Safely in Kazakhstan, SpaceRef Canada (With Video)
"Canadian Space Agency Flight Engineer Robert Thirsk, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Roman Romanenko and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Frank De Winne undocked their Soyuz spacecraft from the station at 10:56 p.m. EST Monday and landed in Kazakhstan at 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, 1:15 p.m. local Kazakhstan time. The Soyuz spacecraft landed upright which helped the search and recovery teams extract the astronauts."
For a full details please click at the link below:
http://nasawatch.com/archives/2009/12/soyuz-lands-saf.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nasawatch%2FAekt+%28NASA+Watch%29&utm_content=Twitter
Soyuz Leaves International Space Station and Lands Safely in Kazakhstan, SpaceRef Canada (With Video)
"Canadian Space Agency Flight Engineer Robert Thirsk, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Roman Romanenko and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Frank De Winne undocked their Soyuz spacecraft from the station at 10:56 p.m. EST Monday and landed in Kazakhstan at 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, 1:15 p.m. local Kazakhstan time. The Soyuz spacecraft landed upright which helped the search and recovery teams extract the astronauts."
For a full details please click at the link below:
http://nasawatch.com/archives/2009/12/soyuz-lands-saf.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nasawatch%2FAekt+%28NASA+Watch%29&utm_content=Twitter
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