Google Porn Search On Cell Phones
Google gave two computer scientists access to more than a
million of its mobile search records in research aimed at
understanding the unique needs of wireless Web surfers. Judging by
the results, what users really need is a porn portal, as more searches
were for smut than anything else.
Think Globally, Analyze Locally
All this talk about "operational BI" and "pushing intelligence to decison-makers" is mostly just theory, right? No, it isn't. And nothing illustrates better than example.
American IT Jobs Give Bush Valuable Bargaining Chip In Talks With India
George Bush's visit to India this week provides the perfect high-profile opportunity for the President to urge Congress to eliminate all numerical caps on H-1B foreign worker visas. Such a move would help the United States in a number of ways, while holding very little downside for the American economy.
For Apple, There's No Business Like Show Business
Apple plans to announce something tomorrow, and the rumor mill is working overtime trying to guess what that announcement might be. Over the weekend, one possibility -- a big-screen video iPod -- was knocked out of contention after a hoaxter posted a step-by-step video about how he created the fake prototype photo everyone was buzzing about.
Finding Humor In IT
Humor is in short supply in the business world. And that's a shame because there are some subjects that benefit from a liberal dose of levity.
Osterman Research's report, "Email Troubleshooting: The Cost and Impact to the Enterprise," represents just such a topic. Though no doubt a subject near and dear to the heart of Zenprise, the E-mail management software maker that sponsored the study, it's not the sort of reading m
It's Not Wise To Neglect Certain SOX Requirements
If you're still harboring doubts about meeting your SOX deadlines, you might want to check out a webinar tomorrow (Feb. 28) that features Michael Horowitz, commissioner of the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC).
The event, titled, "Upward Mobility: Leveraging Your Sarbanes-Oxley Investment for Broader Risk Management," will take place 1 p.m. EST. Co-hosted by compliance vendor Axentis and Business Finance Magazine, speakers will also include
A Club Apple Wants Out Of
Windows users most likely yawned at last week's warning that Apple's Safari Web browser contains a critical vulnerability that exposes Mac users to attacks using malicious Zip files with virus-laden payloads. Subsequent reports of an exploit that makes it possible to take advantage of this latest Mac OS X flaw surely elicited no sympathy from long-suffering Internet Explorer devotees.
Is There Life After Search Engines?
We should all be thinking the unthinkable about search engines: they may be put out of business by legal challenges. Search engines are under attack from several directions, and of course, it's all about the money.
Companies that own "intellectual property" (something that's always sounded to me like a contradiction in terms) are gunning for search engine's revenues, claiming that Google and Yahoo and the like are profiting unfairly from the use of their copyrighted content. Everybody from
A Settlement Would End RIM's Legal Battle; Even The Judge Agrees
In the latest chapter of the Research In Motion-NTP saga, U.S. District Judge James Spencer didn't issue an immediate injunction to shut down the BlackBerry service, as many have expected. He said he would make a final decision as soon as possible, although stating loud and clear that RIM had been found to violate NTP's patents. It looks like he's trying to buy more time and drive the two companies to settle outside of court.
Ten Sites I Check Daily
We journalists tend to read a bunch of news. I guess it comes with the job description. I've rounded up some of the top blogs I read to help gather and make sense of the news I'm seeing out there. Check these out, and add your favorites in the comments section.
Outsourcing To Vietnam: Is Your Job Going To Hanoi?
For many Americans, the mention of Vietnam still conjures memories of a war in which U.S. troops suffered more than 50,000 casualties. Images of bloodied soldiers being frantically medevaced into waiting Huey helicopters and napalm igniting the jungles across Southeast Asia have become part of the national consciousness.
Fast-forward 30 years, and what has Vietnam become to America?
Are Your Kids Safe Online?
You know the old saying: Timing is everything. The best time to start a new diet, for example, is not the same week Girl Scout cookies are delivered. I learned that lesson last week, and I'm not turning back until the last Thin Mint has been consumed! So when is the right time to find ways to keep your kids safe online? In a word: Now. But ask 10 people about their strategies, and you'll get 10 different answers--filters, computers in a visible family area, talking to their kids about good and b
Friday Is Judgment Day For RIM, But The Views Are Mixed About The Outcome
Research In Motion's patent battle with NTP is infamous for generating mixed views about the future of the BlackBerry service in the United States. While the majority of the analyst community believes that an injunction is unlikely, the legal community is almost convinced that the case will end with one.
Utility Computing And The MEGO Factor
Fundamentally, though, the "MEGO" (my eyes glaze over) factor is huge here--and by "here" I mean utility computing, autonomic systems, and pretty much next-generation anything. After decades of hearing about how technology is going to make their lives better, their infrastructures more manageable and/or less expensive, their smiles brighter (or just pick your benefit), I think IT professionals are casting an extremely wary eye on just about everything right now.
The Patent Mess: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
It's a hopeful sign that once again the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected one of five patents at the heart of the NTP-RIM suit. But don't get your hopes up. At the same instant we get more signs that the patent nightmare is far from over the USPTO has granted a patent that its gleeful owner and his equally gleeful phalanx of lawyers declare
We're No. 1
If you still haven't gotten the respect you deserve from your CIO, that might change.
IM Skyrockets, E-Mail Declines Among Young
A whopping 66 percent -- two thirds -- of "young online users" (13 to 21) send more instant messages than e-mail messages, according to a study by America Online. That's up from last year, when just 49 percent claimed to send more IMs than e-mails.
New InformationWeek Tools For You To Play With
We've been making some changes to the InformationWeek.com Web site designed to make it more useful. This isn't a big remodel like we did two months ago, where we gutted the whole house and redid everything. This is more like new windows and doors, new coats of paint, and replacing the loose floorboards.
What's new? A mobile edition, search tools, RSS feed upgrades, and favicons. Our Digital Edition isn't completely new, but how about we take a minute to tell you about it anyway, as long as we h
Is The CIO 'Field Of Dreams' A Greenfield Data Center Deployment?
Do CIOs and IT managers dream of the opportunity to build a data center infrastructure from the ground up, with no regard for legacy requirements of existing equipment and software? Or is the bigger challenge in finding ways to improve existing infrastructures with incremental changes and additions?
Google Gets Brilliant
In keeping with its efforts to hire top scientists, Google today revealed that it has appointed Dr. Larry Brilliant to serve as executive director of Google.org, the company's philanthropic arm.
Now there's a name to live up to. I can only imagine the torment it earned him as a child.
A GNew Version of GNOME
I confess I'm writing this item just so I could use that headline. Well, no, I'm not either, because the new version of GNOME, the open-source Linux graphical desktop, is news all on its own. The second beta of what will be GNOME 2.14 slipped out last week, and release is scheduled for March 15.
Site Offers $35 Unlimited PSP Games For Life
A company called PSPdownloadservices.com is offering unlimited game and movie downloads for the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) for life. The Price? $34.95 -- basically a rounding error. Normally the fee is $74.95, but they're offering a promotional price until tomorrow (Thursday). Sounds great, but what's the catch?
When Tech Hurts
The ways in which technology has enhanced all of our lives are too numerous to count. But on Tuesday, I was struck by two stories that I interpret as signs that technology may be driving too deep and becoming too pervasive in our lives.
The Year Of The Web Browser
Although the so-called "Browser Wars" ended around 1998, 2006 is shaping up to be an intriguing sequel. To get fully up to speed on all the many browser comings and goings, check out my Targeting Technology podcast on the changing face of Web browsers, as well as our recent "browser wars" blockbuster review Microsoft IE7, F
Beyond The Relational Database
"Information management" goes way beyond the relational database -- if for no other reason, than simply because relational databases can't handle the entire job.
E-Health Confusion
American citizens are confused about the whole E-health thing, and it's time to get them some help to understand the choices they will need to make.
Small Companies Could Get Permanent SOX Breaks
So how many of you are surprised that the Securities and Exchange Commission is looking to possibly withdraw the Section 404 requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley for small businesses? It seems to be one of those controversies that won't go away.
We learned that an advisory panel is expected tomorrow to urge the SEC to eliminate Section 404 compliance for smaller companies. The agency has twice extended the SOX comp
Google: Love It, Fear It
I love Google. I've been critical of Google many times in this space, as have my colleagues, but you should know that I also love Google.
How much do I love it? Well, recently, I was taking a quiz on the Internet that asked me to name four sites I visit every day. And I couldn't come up with four. I could only come up with one: Google.
Even InformationWeek isn't a site I visit every day; every once in a while I like to indulge in a charming, old-fashioned custom called a "weekend," or
Truthiness Confuses U.S. Patent System
Go beyond the headlines, and listen to what the parties say in patent infringement cases, and you might come to this conclusion: there's a whole lot of truthiness being bandied about.
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