Say NO to Servers…this guy did

You could do the same thing today with your information system really…let someone else worry about it, it’ll just work, and you can beat your own antiquated, costly and depreciative server to kingdom come.

Be our guest.

Great video of world-wide IT industry leaders discussing their definitions of cloud computing.

Mozilla has released the newest version of its popular Web browser, Firefox, and it’s chalked full of unique and cutting-edge application integration and security features.

Integrated into your operating system, Firefox is able to run applications even while users aren’t connected to the Web, offers zoom capabilities anywhere on the page, one-click bookmarking, instant Web site IDing for enhanced security and much more.

Find all the information on the newest version of Firefox here.

Google Maps has released its pictures of Knoxville in it’s Street View feature. Travel the streets of Knoxville, or refer a friend or family member living out of town to see where you work, play and live.

Street View gives users of Google Maps a first-hand, ground level view of streets and cities throughout the United States using a camera mounted to the top of cars leased by Google which snap 360-degree pictures as the cars move about select cities in the U.S. The pictures are then uploaded to create a computer-generated virtualized version of the cities it maps. 

I had a sneaking suspicion that Google was crawling around Knoxville. Here’s an excerpt from a March 7th post:

“Speaking of the Google Map Street View cars, I saw one on Tuesday at the intersection of Morrell and Westland, only the camera had been covered by a clear garbage bag…it was raining. It’s not the first time I’ve seen one of the so-called Google Cars crawling through Knoxville. You’ll know the car when you see it…it has a long metal pole on the roof of the car with a camera mounted to the top.”

The addition to Tennessee’s sex offender law that requires offenders to provide their email addresses, instant message screen names, and other electronic information to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has received tremedous feedback.

Claris Networks would like to thank the partners who assisted with making this legislation a reality. Thanks to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police.

Claris Networks CEO Paul Sponcia said the legislation is a step in the right direction.

“This new law will strengthen the states stance on sexual predators,” he said. “We asked for this legislation to be introduced because we believe that Tennessee’s children will benefit from the deterrent it creates.

Claris Networks has a passion for community service initiatives which keep children safe and healthy. It holds an annual charity golf tournament for Children’s Hospital and also led an effort in 2007 to rebuild the Debuty family home in Blount County and also assist with smoke alarm education throughout Blount County schools.

“As a technology company, we know we don’t have to provide services relating to the legislation to recognize that gathering electronic information for those that may use the Web for illegal means is a smart move and a step in the right direction. Maybe this legislation will inspire other community advocates to make a mark where they are passionate.”

Legislation which would require the collection of email addresses and instant message screen names from registered sex offenders in Tennessee has been signed into law by Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen.

The law, proposed by Sen. Jamie Woodson, was recommended and requested by Claris Networks in June of 2007 and passed unanimously in both the House and Senate.

The law requires that convicted sex offenders provide their email addresses, instant message screen names and any other electronic communications to the Tennessee Bu­reau of Investigation as an addition to the information that is already collected by the states chief law enforcement agency.

Paul Sponcia, chief executive officer of Claris Networks, emphasized the importance of the legislation in an appearance on WNOX NewsTalk100’s State Your Case on Sunday, May 25.

“We’re pleased that Gov. Bredesen has signed this legislation into law and believe that these measures will no undoubtedly keep Tennessee’s children more safe,” Sponcia said.

Woodson, also appearing on State Your Case with Sponcia, believes the legislation will also deter offenders from contacting children through popular social networking sites like MySpace.

“These social, networking Web sites have enabled predators to anonymously contact our children,” said Woodson. “This legislation provides a much needed tool and deterrent to prevent sex offenders from having this access.”

The law, sponsored by Woodson and Rep. Doug Overby, requires offenders to provide information within specific time frames if new email addresses or screen names are cre­ated. Failure to do so provides both monetary penalties and/or incarceration.

A bill which would require the collection of email addresses and instant message screen names from registered sex offenders in Tennessee is awaiting Gov. Phil Bredesen’s signature.

The bill, proposed by Sen. Jamie Woodson, was recommended and requested by Claris Networks in June of 2007 and passed unanimously in both the House and Senate.

The bill requires that convicted sex offenders provide their email addresses, instant mes­sage screen names and any other electronic communications to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation as an addition to the information that is already collected by the states chief law enforcement agency.

Paul Sponcia, chief executive officer of Claris Networks, said the requirement is long overdue.

“As we continue to move into the digital age, it is more important than ever for the state to monitor sex offenders online contact with minors throughout the state,” Sponcia said.

“Predators no longer need to walk the streets during the day to commit their crimes,” he said. “It’s become incredibly simple for them to launch their attacks on children from the privacy of their own computers.”

“These steps are necessary to ensure the safety of children throughout the state,” Spon­cia said. “We have continued to emphasize the importance of this legislation and educate the community about the dangers and risks posed by online predators.”

Microsoft announced on Wednesday that it has begun releasing service pack one (SP1) for its newest operating system, Vista.

Microsoft is hoping the long-awaited release will inspire consumers and businesses to adopt the Vista operating system, which has been plagued by bugs and glitches since its release in late 2006.

Many industry insiders believe enterprise confidence in Vista has been on the decline since the initial release and wonder how Microsoft, which had five years between XP and Vista to plan, botched it so badly.

So you’re thinking “okay, I have Vista, and I’m ready to upgrade to SP1 and fix these issues.” Not so fast. Microsoft also announced that not all Vista owners will be able to download SP1 initially. Microsoft is planning a phased deployment of SP1 downloads, but hasn’t detailed how this plan will be carried out, so it looks like you’ll have to wait your turn. Sounds like they’re expecting a high number of downloads.

More information on Vista SP1 can be found here.

This has got to stop. 

A widely-published story yesterday played out a personal nightmare for a Jacksonville, Oregon man who returned to his home this weekend only to find it being ransacked by more than 30 people.

The people rummaging through his personal belongings had seen an ad on the popular trade/auction site Craigslist, which stated everything in the home was free for the taking. 

He was tipped off while driving home when he saw a truck pass by and noticed it was packed with his own belongings. Upon pulling the truck over he demanded his property be returned, only to be told that the ransackers had a right to his property because they were responding to the Internet ad. 

He, in effect, lost everything: his clothes, front door, windows, and even the swing on his front porch. His horse was later returned by a woman who responded to the ad out of concern that the horse be taken care of. Once she figured out the ad was a cruel hoax, she returned the horse. 

Someone is responsible for this and you can bet it wasn’t the homeowner. He suspects that it was probably an evicted tenant that posted the ad which has in effect ruined his life. 

Craigslist responded to media requests for comment by saying that it couldn’t divulge information about the person who posted the ad without a subpoena and also noted that it has a “strict” policy about posting illegal or false information.

It isn’t the first time this has happened. There have been numerous reports of the same situation occurring as a result of a fraudulent ad being posted on Craigslist.

You would think Craigslist would get the hint. The world is full of bad people…people that will do the worst of things, including offering your property to other individuals and they won’t bat an eye in the process. 

I can tell you if it were me, I would sue the pants off of Craig, the brainchild behind the popular site. You’d think in this day and age with the technologies available, that Craigslist would require proof of ownership for ads that involve real estate or other highly-valued items. It’s negligent for not doing so and should pay the price.

Who’s going to offer all of their personal possessions to strangers anyway? Come on.

***NOTE*** I’m only posting this because I’m a HUGE Red Soxs fan and it’s pretty cool that the Soxs travel on all away games with their EMC data center in tow.

Facing a relief pitcher on the road? Pull up videos with the help of EMC and watch his delivery…very cool story here.