As a technologist at heart it never ceases to amaze how technology is used and applied. Think about Apple. They recognize early on that the PC is no longer just a business tool. As a company they were looking for ways to take advantage of that shift. Even though they had gotten burned by previous attempts into consumer products (Pippin, Newton) they decided to take another pass at the consumer. They decide to build the first iPod.

At the heart of the IPod was a 5 GB Toshiba hard drives that were the size of a quarter. Toshiba had created these drives but up till this point had no practical application for these tiny drives. These small drives are another great example of how technology is used and applied in ways we never thought.

On October 23, 2001 apple made the announcement of the IPod, an immediate overnight success. In July 2004, apple released a 20 GB IPod that was also compatible with a Windows based machine. Today the IPod is so much more that a device that plays music.

Well who would have ever thought Twitter would take off the way it has. That 140-character message would change how we think about communication. Every day people are finding new ways to use Twitter. Here is an article that recently appeared on  Boston.com.

Police to alert public with Twitter dispatches

By Andrew Ryan Globe Staff / March 12, 2009

A crime-blotter blog. E-mail alerts. Anonymous tips via text message.

Now comes the next high-tech weapon for the Boston Police Department: A sergeant in the emergency dispatch center has been experimenting with Twitter, the micro-blogging tool that facilitates group conversations in 140-character bulletins to subscribers via computers and cellphones.

The updates can be found on twitter at @Boston_Police.

One goal is to interact in real time with the public during festivals and large-scale events about bottlenecks, closed roads, and crowd-related problems. For example, officers could warn their Twitter followers about an intersection to avoid because of an accident. A member of the public could respond, in a few keystrokes, that the suggested detour is also bumper to bumper, warning other users to try another route.

The first significant trial will come Sunday when thousands of revelers inundate South Boston for the St. Patrick's Day parade.

"Primarily we are going to send out information, with no expectations" that the public will respond with feedback, said Deputy Superintendent John Daley. "The idea is to just get a sense of whether or not it has value."

To read the entire article...

Police to alert public with Twitter dispatches

As I did a little more research here are some other police departments that are finding value with Twitter:

milwaukeepolice

ModestoPolice

WMPolice

westyorkspolice

SanAntonioPD

torontopolice

For those of you who dont get Twitter. Give it a try. Its very easy and very addicting. Its also a very useful tool. If you enjoyed this article, you should read this one...

Should CEO's use Facebook & Twitter 

Founder & CEO, Ntirety

www.ntirety.com

My Personal Twitter Account: Michael_Corey

Ntirety Corporate Twitter Account: Ntirety

I just saw a very interesting article on what if Jobs does not return to apple. As an Entrepreneur there is so much hear to think about.  For me this hits home in ways it might not for the average person. Before I point you to the article I saw on PCWORLD let me share with you a few quick thoughts.

I was very lucky to be part of a great company that was faced the perfect storm of problems. So let me set the scene for you. We were a consulting company that grew incredibly fast over 5/6 years. Well over 4000 percent growth. One Day we realized what the company was worth and decided to sell it off for a lot of money. The deal took many months of effort to put together and on Friday we were to close the deal. Collect the cash and hand out the proceeds to the many people that made it all possible.
When fate dealt us a terrible hand. A few days before the closing my business partner, the first two employees and myself were run over by a truck. Not a little truck, a very big truck.

This accident changed my life in so many ways; I don’t begin to know how to tell you. Everyone who survived this accident life will never be the same. The company that was committed to buying the company left us at the alter. The deal was never consummated, the payday never happened.

This accident started a chain of event, the perfect storm of problems for this young company that had come so very far. Part of this was I learned first hand what happens when the vision, the driving forces behind the company are no longer there. Like apple without it’s Steve Jobs our company was without its leadership. My business partner and I were lucky to be alive and trying to put their lives back together. This happened without any warning.

More importantly we never planned for it.  We just assumed we would always be there to do what we did.  Simple things like cutting an expense check became a problem. The two people who signed all the checks were not available. I will say that my company did recover and continue on.

As an entrepreneur I learned a lot of lessons from this. I now run my company very differently. I have learned that if you expect the best from people many times you will get even more. People will rise to the occasion and challenge. The key is to give them the opportunity. The reason my company survived the many good people around me stepped up the to challenge and did what needed to be done.

Had they not done that the company would have failed.

My first brush with death I learned from it and have changed how I manage my business moving forward. I expect more out of the people around me in management positions. From experience I have also learned that expecting this is good for the people and great for the company.

Steve Jobs has had a brush with death. There is no doubt in my mind that if he does not return to Apple. It will be a loss for Apple and the industry. I also believe that given his close encounter with death once, he has changed how he manages. That he has surrounded himself with very smart people. That there will be an adjustment period for Apple as a company. The biggest loss will be the long term vision.

So I do not agree with the article on some levels. It’s very well written and gives you lots to think about. As an entrepreneur the one constant in running a company is change. Just look around you and see how the world has changed. Running a company is this economic time is very different. This is a unique time in history were we all have to step up our game so many years from now we can see how far we have come. So we do not look back with regrets and failures. Here is a sample of the article…

Regardless of what Apple honchos said at today's shareholder meeting, I have come to the sad conclusion that Steve Jobs will never return to the helm at Apple. This is another of those “I hope am wrong, but . . .” posts that I hate to write. But, skipping the shareholder meeting is a more than subtle hint that Jobs won’t be back in the active role he’s enjoyed, if at all.

Expanding upon the above paragraph takes me down a road I don’t want to travel. So, I will keep Steve in my prayers and hope the future proves me wrong.

It is unfair to expect anyone to be a suitable successor to Steve Jobs. I was following Apple after Jobs was forced out in 1985 and replaced first by John Sculley and, later, Gil Amelio. Both made the mistake, I think, of believing they were running a computer company.

Apple under Steve Jobs is not a company but a phenomenon. A micromanaged manifestation of one man’s view of technology, design, and the world. Apple is about a sensibility as much as it’s about anything else.

True, smart business decisions have helped. Sculley and Amelio could never get the OS issue solved. Jobs did it in a way seemed almost graceful. Building a new operating system using Unix under the Apple user interface has been a huge win.

Apple also, wisely, reversed its traditional course of “our way or the highway” and embraced both Windows and Intel. It was not until the iPod came to Windows that the music player really took off. I think I called it a three-year-old “overnight sensation” when iTunes for Windows hit it big.

To read the remainder of the article...

What if Jobs Doesn't Return To Apple

Posted Michael Corey,

Founder & CEO, Ntirety

www.ntirety.com

My Personal Twitter Account: Michael_Corey

Ntirety Corporate Twitter Account: Ntirety

Should You Have Antivirus Software On Your Mac?

This is an age-old question. I have a household with 7 computers. About half are MAC OS X based. All are running Time-Machine backups, one of my favorite features under MAC OS X.

On the Windows XP side the answer is a clear yes. I don’t think I would last a week, without having a virus attack. On windows XP in my opinion antivirus is a must have. You need antivirus especially if you have High School age children or College age children.

The Windows Vista side of the house the answer is not so clear you might be able to do without it, if you had too. With 2 kids in college, the minute they touch a computer, it’s under attack.  Yet the Windows Vista operating system by design is much more secure.

On the MAC OS X side, I have avoided putting antivirus on the computers. I have done it for two reasons:

• I don’t want it slowing down my computer

• I hate paying the 40-60 dollars a year.

On top of that its not just antivirus, they want you give you SPAM filters, firewalls, etc. Not only does it all not slow down your computer, but also one day you try to do something only to find out the firewall is preventing it from happening.  So for over two years, I have avoided buying, installing antivirus software for all my machines running the MAC OS X operating systems and I have had no problems.  Yes two of those computers are with college age children. So my natural bias is you don’t need it.

Given the state of the world, lets get back to the question at hand. Should you have antivirus software on your mac ?

This Article recently appeared in ZDNET....

Mac OS X targeted by Trojan and backdoor tool

By Matthew Broersma ZDNet.co.uk
Posted on ZDNet News: Nov 21, 2008 4:38:55 AM

Two pieces of malicious software affecting Apple's Mac OS X appeared this week: a Trojan horse with the ability to download and install malicious code of an attacker's choice, and a hacker tool for creating backdoors, according to security vendors.

The Trojan — called 'OSX.RSPlug.D' by Intego, the Mac security specialist that discovered the threat — is a variant on an older piece of malicious code but with a new installer, Intego said.

"It is a downloader, and it contacts a remote server to download the files it installs," Intego said in an advisory. "This means that, in the future, the downloader may be able to install payloads [other] than the one it currently installs."

In other respects the Trojan is similar to previous versions of RSPlug, which first surfaced in October 2007, Intego said. It installs a piece of malicious code known as DNSChanger, which routes the user's internet traffic through a malicious DNS server, leading users to phishing websites or pages displaying advertisements.

The Trojan is found on porn websites posing as a codec needed to play video files, a technique used to trick the user into downloading and installing it.

Intego said OSX.RSPlug.D has been widely confused with a separate threat publicized this week by several security firms. That threat is called OSX.TrojanKit.Malez by Intego and OSX.Lamzev.A by other vendors, including Symantec and Trend Micro.

OSX.Lamzev.A is a hacker tool designed primarily to allow attackers to install backdoors in a user's system, according to Intego. However, the company dismissed the tool as a serious threat because a potential hacker has to have physical access to a system to install the backdoor.

"Unlike true malware and Trojan horses, OSX.TrojanKit.Malez requires that a hacker already have access to a Mac in order to install the code," Intego stated.

To read the remainder of the story....

Given the state of the world, lets get back to the question at hand. Should you have antivirus software on your mac ?

Given the popularity the Mac has had of late. We will see more Viruses targeted at the Mac OS. You need to think about how you use the computer, the type of sites you visit. The types of emails, your firends send you. As much as I have enjoyed saving the money for not having purchased antivirus for my MAC the past few years, it might be time to re-think having it. 

 To Quote Apple Corporation on This

"The Mac is designed with built-in technologies that provide protection against malicious software and security threats right out of the box."

I found this quote in an article on Gizmodo.com . The article was titled 

Apple Removes Antivirus Support Note, Reiterates OS X's Built-In Protection

Posted Michael Corey,

Founder & CEO, Ntirety

www.ntirety.com

When I saw this article, I could not resist. I use Itunes every day and I love my IPOD. This article comes to you from the Edible Apple  Site.

What’s the most downloaded catalog song in iTunes history?

Sat, Nov 8, 2008

What’s the most downloaded catalog track in iTunes history?  Before you jump out your seat and guess ‘Jack Johnson’, keep in mind that a catalog track refers to a song released in the pre-digital era, but later re-released as a digital download.  So any guesses?  Here’s a hint: think Power Ballads.

Well, it turns out that the most downloaded catalog track in iTunes history is actually “Don’t Stop Believin” by Journey.  In fact, it’s the first catalog song to ever reach 2 Million in digital sales.  Originally released in 1981, the song topped the Billboard charts at #8.  The song, however, has made a modern day comeback and has become something of a pop culture phenomenon after being featured on popular TV shows such as Laguna Beach, and more famously on The Sopranos.  In fact, after the song was featured on the last episode of The Sopranos, sales of the song on iTunes increased by over 428% in just 3 days.

To read the entire article and see the Sopranos clip....

Posted by Michael Corey,

CEO & Founder Ntirety - The Database Administration Experts

www.ntirety.com

The latest article comes from the U.K. An interview was done with Steve Wozniak. They asked him his opinions on Apple, the Iphone, the Ipod and so much more. It also did a wonderful job of giving you a sense of who Steve is. A bit of his history. I enjoyed and and would like to share it with you....

Steve Wozniak interview: iconic co-founder on the iPod, iPhone, and future for Apple

In an exclusive interview with the Telegraph, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak wonders how long the iPod can stay on top spot, laments the limitations of the iPhone 3G, agrees with the downgrade on Apple shares and believes that Web 2.0 revolution has been over-financed and could lead to mini-crash in technology stocks.

By Rupert Neate 

Steve Wozniak was such a chronically shy teenager he could barely summon the courage to speak to other kids, instead he would spend his evenings tinkering with calculators and dreaming of super computers.

He's a different man today. Mr Wozniak, or Woz to use one of his many nicknames, has just had a roomful of high-powered businessmen in stitches as he recounted the rocky beginnings of one of the world's most loved companies.

Mr Wozniak is the electronic engineering genius who co-founded Apple with marketing ace and teenage friend Steve Jobs.

His first love was an Iraqi super computer, a poster of which he had pinned to his bedroom wall. "I told my dad I wanted to buy one, he said it would cost as much as our house. I replied: 'That's OK I'll live in an apartment'".

During his years studying, but not completing until decades later, electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California (Berkeley) he started down the road to professional technology development by taking on freelance commissions to design software for established companies.

When he was given his first commission to design a computer game for Atari he could barely contain his excitement. "I thought 'Oh my god, It would be the highlight of my life to design a game that kids would actually use. Steve and I didn't sleep for two days to get it done on time." His enthusiasm and creativity is clearly undiminished to this day: he still lies in bed at night imagining the next world changing "killer app".

The two Steve's were polar opposites but their differences made the company they founded, which now has market capitalisation of $92bn, work. "Steve was into everything hippy, he ran around shouting 'free love man' and eating seeds" as he embraced the flower power set. While "the second Steve", as Mr Wozniak became known, was still unable to overcome his nerves.

Even when he landed his dream job at Hewlett Packard developing calculators he was "still the sort of person who would never have a wife or a family" so he would go home watch a little Star Trek and then work on projects all night.

Indeed Apple may never have seen the light of day if Hewlett Packard (HP) had recognised the 58-year-old Californian's flair and creativity. His idea for the Apple I computer, which would transform the future of personal computing, was turned down by his employer no less than five times. "Oh my god, I wanted it so badly," he recalls.

Bill Hewlett, co-founder of HP with Dave Packard, later simply said "you win some, you lose some".

Despite the constant knock backs, Mr Wozniak was "almost too ethical" to leave HP when "the angel" Mike Markkula offered 'the Steves' $250,000 to set-up their own company. "I thought I owed it to HP to stay. But Steve [Jobs] got at all my family and they convinced me I had to do it".

Although he has been "basically retired" from Apple since 1987, it is clear his love for the company will never be diminished. He was never in it for the money, as his surprisingly frank and honest comments on the future of the company and the technology industry testify.

Last week Apple's shares tumbled nearly 20pc after two analysts downgraded the stock on fears that the consumer spending slowdown could seriously hit future profits.

While many company founders would steer well clear of commenting on valuations, Mr Wozniak says the downgrade was "correct": an admission which could wipe further millions of the shares which have fallen by from a high of $179 in August to just over $100 on the close last week.

In fact he believes: "It is time for the whole computer industry to maybe have a bit of a slowdown. For twenty years we have been in this replacement and upgrade market," he says. "It is very easy to postpone that when there are financial irregularities."

He says investment houses' over-valuation of web 2.0 and social networking websites could even lead to a minor version of the dotcom crash which saw $5 trillion wiped of the market values of technology companies between March 2000 and October 2002.

I begin to wonder whether he was even briefed by the Apple press office when he predicts the imminent death of the company's most popular product, the iPod.

"The iPod has sort of lived a long life at number one," he says. "Things like, that if you look back to transistor radios and Walkmans, they kind of die out after a while.

"It's kind of like everyone has got one or two or three. You get to a point when they are on display everywhere, they get real cheap and they are not selling as much."

Mr Wozniak even speaks out against the iPhone 3G, Apple's latest cult product which caused pandemonium in the West End when it was launched in Apple's Regent Street store this summer.

To read more about what steve had to say.......

I enjoyed learning more about Steve. I found his comments on the IPOD, dead on. I love my IPOD, I use it every day. But I do agree its just a matter of time before its displaced. His comments on the IPHONE, for those who clicked on the entire article. I am sure apple was not too happy about.

Posted by Michael Corey

www.ntirety.com

I just saw an interesting article on www.cultofmac.com titled "To Prevent Upskirts, Japanese iPhone 3G Always Alerts When Taking Photos written by Leander Kahney that I could not help but put on my blog. Please note the Photo was taken by Jeff Epp. The new Japanese Iphone always makes a noise when taking a picture due to a particular problem they are having in Japan.

To quote the article

“The iPhone 3G in Japan has a special feature unique to that country: The camera always makes a conspicuous “shutter” sound when a picture is taken, even when the phone is set to “silent” mode.

The loud shutter sound is supposed to deter voyeurs from taking sneaky pictures up women’s’ skirts — or down their tops.

In Japan, upskirt and downblouse shots have become increasingly popular with the advent of high-resolution camera phones.

As a result, all cell phones sold in Japan make a conspicuous shutter sound, or say the word “cheese” when a snap is taken, according to Nobuyuki Hayashi, a tech reporter based in Tokyo.

To read the entire article…
 http://cultofmac.com/to-prevent-upskirts-japanese-iphone-3g-always-alerts-when-taking-photos/2356

Its so interesting when you travel around the world the different cultures you interact with. When I watch TV when I travel around the world I am aways surprised by what I see and what I don’t see. What is accepted in Europe Verus what you will see on TV in the United States. I hope you found this as interesting as I did.

Posted by Michael Corey

www.ntirety.com

 I was on my way into work very early the other day, and I saw the line of people waiting to get the new apple Iphone. The store would not even be open for a few hours and there was quite a line. It was quite the sight to see. Having taken a hard look at the old IPhone, I can fully understand why people would want one. They are really quite awesome. As I was searching the Internet I saw an article on CNET that caught my attention. It was titled “Steve Wozniak out of line at iPhone store?” by Greg Sandoval.

“Steve Wozniak helped create Apple. He's worth millions. He's a hero to geeks the world over.

Would he really pretend to wait in line for Apple gadgets?

That's the claim of some perturbed customers who say that Wozniak--contrary to media reports--did not wait in line all night in front of the Apple Store at Westfield Valley Fair Mall in San Jose, Calif., to buy an iPhone 3G.

In fact, according to Doug and Patrice Broussard, Woz actually never waited in line at all. The couple, who were there, said the Apple co-founder lounged on some of the mall's nearby sofas for about four hours and then ambled up to the front of the queue when the store opened at 8 a.m and simply cut in line. No discussion.

And he wasn't alone. He had his posse in tow, say the Broussards, who photographed the Woz playing big shot. Didn't anybody say anything?

No. Doug Broussard said it all happened too quickly and, well, who's going to send the creator of the Apple II to the end of the line?

Still, the Broussards said the people who saw it were unhappy.

Who doesn't know the politics of waiting in lines? Taking cuts is bad form, even for VIPs. But those who give them to friends--six friends--risk a butt kicking from those behind in line.”

My god, one of the founders of apple waiting in line to get an Iphone. I have always heard nice things about Steve Wozniak. Lets face it, if he has Asked Steve Jobs I am sure, he would have been happy to have one delivered to Steve.  Steve Actually took the time to respond to this article on CNET.

“I told them I would come at 10 AM and get in line and they told me back that the line would be short and they had talked to the people in front and that the people in front WANTED me to go first. I discussed the fact that I'd be with a small group too. The Apple store staff also said that the chairs and table in front of the store would be reserved for me. So sitting in those chairs I was in line. I am thankful for the chairs. I'm actually older than almost everyone in the lines these days.”

Who knows what happen and I am not sure I even care.  I for one, would have been happy to let Steve cut in front of me. It would be a story I would be telling my friends for years. I love technology like the new iphone. Its fun and excitng. It also gives blackberry a reason to innovate. Innovation is something we all benefit from.

To read the entire article......

Steve Wozniak out of line at iPhone store?

By Michael Core7

www.ntirety.com

I just saw an interesting article on CNET News.com posted by Tom Krazit Titled “Think before you install”.  The opening line is..

 “Look, people, it's 2008: You're responsible for what you install on your PC.” God I wish I had thought of the tag line it’s 2008: You're responsible for what you install on your PC. With that said lets use it to our advantage. My variation on this tag line would be:

It's 2008: You're responsible for what you install on your Oracle Database.

It's 2008: You're responsible for what you install on your Microsoft SQL Server Database.

Before I go more into the article that started me on this train of thought about how you are responsible for what you install on your Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server database, lets talk about it.

Just because a vendor ships you an update or patch does not mean you need to install it. Think before you install. Some Vendors are better than others. But ultimately you are running your business on the database. Every time you introduce new software to the Oracle or Microsoft SQl Server database, there is an element of risk. Make sure you read the fine print on the patch. Make sure you have done your homework. Make sure you actually need the patch.

Over the past few years I have had to get involved with a few clients that wanted us to apply a patch straight to production.

 Oracle sent the patch, its Oracle of course we should just apply the patch. straight to production.

The DBA LAW #1. Never Install a Patch Straight onto a production Database. Always test it in Development or Test first. 

We have had to put the breaks on with these clients. We had to protect them from themselves. If we are going to apply the database patch, lets do it properly.

Step 1. Research the Patch.

This means read the fine print. Read the release notes. Perhaps check in with you local Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server users group. Perhaps do an old fashion Google search.

Step 2. Decide if you need the database patch

Do you need this patch? Does it fix a problem you are having or might experience? Is it relevant for your environment?

Step 3. How Critical is this database patch

If the answer is you need this patch. How critical is it?. Is it a security patch? One you understand how critical the database patch is, you can determine how fast you need the patch.

Step 4. Apply the Database Patch to Test/Development First

What a novel idea. Put it in an environment where you can make sure the database patch actually works. Test it, Test it & Test it

Step 5. Back up your production Oracle or SQL Server Database before You apply to your production database.

The Morale of this Story. Vendors release software before its ready.

It's 2008: You're responsible for what you install on your Oracle Database.

It's 2008: You're responsible for what you install on your Microsoft SQL Server Database.

No back to how I was inspired to write this blog entry. I saw an article titled “Think before you install” Posted by Tom Krazit on C/net News.com. It’s about the latest bonehead maneuver from a software vendor. In this case its apple computer. To quote to article

“The outrage is spewing forth over Apple's move to include Safari 3.1 as part of its Software Update program. The new twist is that Windows users who never had installed Safari are now seeing it pop up in Software Update, where they are accustomed to seeing updates for iTunes and Quicktime, and that's not sitting well with many who inadvertently installed the browser.”

I don’t know why vendors insist on doing things like this. But as they say buyer beware. Or in this case Installer beware.  The article goes on to say

“Short attention span syndrome strikes again. This practice, of trying to get people to install your software through coy tactics, has been going on for years. All the major IM vendors have tried it at one point or another. Yahoo faced an outrage in 2005 over the fact that its "standard" installation of a Yahoo Instant Messenger application included toolbars and this really obnoxious "live words" thing that directed people to Yahoo Search.”

The point it’s your PC. Be careful what you install on it. How many times have I had to rebuild my kids PC’s because they became infiltrated with software that brought the machine to its knees. I don’t even try to rescue the PC anymore. I just Initialize the hard drive and start over.

These vendors count on you being condition to just install whatever comes from an official source. To read the entire article click here


The Morale of my Story. Vendors release software before its ready.

It's 2008: You're responsible for what you install on your Oracle Database.

It's 2008: You're responsible for what you install on your Microsoft SQL Server Database.

Posted Michael Corey, Ntirety

www.ntirety.com