Tag: of interest

Someone asked why I bother to post my reading lists on to my blog.

In the course of my regular work, I talk to a lot of people inside the company (and outside, too). I often recall articles that have some relevance to the topic during the discussion. So, tagging articles of interest helps me to quickly find an article for later review and reference. (Windows Desktop Search has made that effortless for the articles and references I have in my archive). Del.icio.us has a feature that automatically posts the articles on to your daily blog, but I haven’t used elected to do daily postings.

Here’s what’s on the hit parade:

Wired’s archived story on Out of Phone Numbers? Add Digits – “Someday soon North American telephone numbers might add up to 12 digits, including area code, instead of the current 10.” By Patrick Di Justo, Feb, 18, 2003.

A tale of two factories: Shanghai and Litchfield, MI – In two plants 7,000 miles apart, two workforces make the same products for the same company. But how they go about the business couldn’t be more different. Fortune’s Alex Taylor III takes a look at who’s winning this China – U.S. competition.

Taking aim at the iPod. Another option in MP3 players – With twice the capacity and more versatility, SanDisk’s Sansa could be the Nano for the rest of us, says Fortune’s Peter Lewis. By Peter Lewis, Fortune senior editor, September 6 2006

CNN Money: Exploding laptop batteries light fire for alternatives – The next big thing in batteries. Exploding batteries light fire for alternatives, but don’t expect to see them in laptops anytime soon. By Grace Wong, CNNMoney.com staff writer, November 3 2006. See also http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/fortune/scary_tech/index.html.

The challenge ahead for Dell –  – “Dell in the penalty box: The computer giant’s current woes have been overhyped. But it still needs to figure out how to build a brand that customers can love.” By David Kirkpatrick, Fortune senior editor, September 5 2006  

Introducing the CRM Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) – From the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog, a quick history/background of CEIP, which internally at Microsoft is called Software Quality Metrics (SQM) which is pronounced something like “skwim” as in swim. It was originally developed by the MSN team to understand customer usage of MSN many years ago.

Blame Vista Delay on Quality? – By Mary Jo Foley, April 5, 2006. “Opinion: Perhaps the tools from Microsoft’s little-known project called Software Quality Metrics will have a positive effect on future releases.”

Amp’d to Tap Japan’s Mobile Market – Amp’d Mobile is the latest gaijin to set its sights on Japan‘s sophisticated cellular market. Is the upstart up to the task? by Olga Kharif.

Facebook’s Changing Fortunes – The social-networking site could have sold for upwards of $1 billion, but declining traffic numbers may have potential buyers waiting for a discount by Steve Rosenbush

Wal-Mart: A ‘Reputation Crisis’ – The giant retailer has been trying hard to improve its image and reignite sales. by Pallavi Gogoi

The Change Function by Pip Coburn, Fast Company, May 2006. “Technologists think, “Build it, and they will come.” But they’re building plenty of cool stuff, and consumers aren’t coming.”

Also see the author’s article Dumb Things That Very Smart People Said in Fast Company – “Luckily, no one told them, “put your money where you mouth is.” This brief includes quotes from John von Neumann, Ken Olsen, Bill Gates’ 1981 prediction of how much computer memory we would ever need, and Robert Metcalfe.

My Book, by Me – How to subvert the publishing industry for under $30, by Stirling Kelso (Fast Company, 2006-05-01).  Also see  Join the Corporate Literati by Danielle Sacks in the same issue. (“Don’t let your day job prevent you from becoming the next Hemingway.”) 

The Counterattack On Google – BusinessWeek on “how Yahoo and MSN are scrambling to slow its search-ad juggernaut.” By Ben Elgin and Jay Greene – May 08, 2006

China’s Online Ad Boom – BusinessWeek on how “the growth of the Net, especially among kids, is powering an overnight shift in spending.” By Dexter Roberts – May 15, 2006

Dark Days At Dell – “The tech industry’s lean, mean direct sales machine is on the fritz, and there don’t seem to be any easy fixes. What gives?” In BusinessWeek by Nanette Byrnes, Peter Burrows, and Louise Lee, with Gregory Hafkin in New York – September 04, 2006

The Accidental Ad Agency – “Flavorpill was just a Web content player. But Bud had a better idea.” In BusinessWeek by Jon Fine – September 04, 2006

Stay Close to Your Customer and Stay Away from Ugly Clutter in BusinessWeek – “While Internet marketing has grown into a thriving industry, it remains a feeding ground for swarms of “consultants” eager to fleece small business owners ignorant of its aims and methods.

A Log Of Your Stuff – “If you lost possessions to a hurricane, flood, fire, or even a burglary, would you be able to back up your insurance claim? If not, consider using one of a dozen or more home inventory software programs to create a list and photos of your belongings, their cost, and other data.” The author recommends Intuit’s Quicken Home Inventory Manager, the Home Manager from kzsoftware.com, My Stuff Deluxe from Contact Plus, and the free Home Inventory software from the Insurance Information Institute (http://www.knowyourstuff.org/). In BusinessWeek by Ellen Hoffman, Sept 4, 2006

Google’s Desktop Offensive – “The Internet giant is fighting Microsoft’s advances into search with a host of tools that move it deeper into Redmond territory.” In BusinessWeek by Burt Helm – May 11, 2006. See also…

Counting on Yahoo! and Google – Investors are looking to the search titans for stellar second-quarter numbers, after disappointing results from some tech bellwethers. In BusinessWeek by Catherine Holahan – July 18, 2006

Out Of The Attic, Into The Hard Drive – “Scanning snapshots and slides can help preserve those memories forever.” In BusinessWeek by Larry Armstrong – April 10, 2006

Fortune on The New Rules – “Once upon a time, there was a route to success that corporate America agreed on. But in today’s fast-changing landscape, that old formula is getting tired. And a search is on for . . . THE NEW RULES”  By Betsy Morris, Fortune senior writer, cover story, August 2 2006

Irreplaceable? – “Oracle still revolves around its eccentric founder. Larry Ellison won’t have it any other way.”  From Forbes, August 14, 2006, By Victoria Murphy Barret.

New Online Ad Model at Techmeme – Forbes on “the popular tech news aggregator Techmeme just debuted a new advertising/sponsorship model that looks pretty interesting to a lot of folks besides me.” By Rob Hof – September 25, 2006

Tags: misc, articles, what I read.

Fall is here in the PacNW. The nice thing is that the busses are running on time, and Windows Vista looks very solid. Here are a few articles from the reading file and ones I re-read during the commute this past week. These are all available for download, which makes it easy to view later on mobile devices and PCs.

Cingular: Giving Away the (Music) Store – The cell-phone carrier’s new mobile music strategy allows users to download songs to handsets at no charge—but players are a different story. by Steve Rosenbush November 3, 2006

Linux Linkup for Microsoft, Novell (BusinessWeek) – “In a surprising development, Microsoft (MSFT) on Nov. 2 entered into a broad partnership with longtime rival Novell (NOVL) and agreed to provide some support to Linux, the open-source operating system that competes with its own Windows operating system.

Jeff Bezos’ Risky Bet – Amazon’s CEO wants to run your business with the technology behind his Web site. But Wall street wants him to mind the store. Nov 13, 2006

YouTube Finds Signing Rights Deals Complex, Frustrating – WSJ.com – Videos of the hit rap song “Smack That” have been viewed more than half a million times on the popular Web site YouTube. That doesn’t include the countless amateur videos of young people lip-syncing to its infectious beat…

Motorola “Follow Me TV” DVR Set-top Solution Poised for Widespread Deployment through Cable Providers in 2007 – On the heels of the shipment of its 50 millionth digital cable set-top box, Motorola went into demo mode in New York November 2 for its Follow Me TV.

Analysis: Web 2.0 Technologies (Network Computing) – Is one of the most hyped technologies in our industry too untamed for the enterprise? Web 2.0 technologies offer great promise, but they’re still immature and guaranteed to dramatically change your infrastructure in terms of monitoring, management, security

Analysis: Metro Wi-Fi – Wireless (Network Computing) – “City governments are offering metro wireless services with speeds and latency that can’t be beat. We examine how metro Wi-Fi can fit into your mobile data access strategy.” Oct 5, 2006 – By Frank Bulk

Mobile Video: The Next Killer App (Network Computing) – Mobile video technologies will be driven by consumer entertainment, but the technical advances required to make this happen will also pay dividends for enterprise users. Oct 5, 2006 – By Dave Molta

Gartner: Enterprises Should Update To IE 7 (TechWeb, Gartner) – Enterprises that have been thinking of dropping Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser should reconsider now that IE 7 is out, Gartner analysts said. By Gregg Keizer, TechWeb Technology News, October 26, 2006

AT&T unveils video home-monitoring service (ZDNet) – AT&T, said on Thursday it would start to offer a monitoring service that would let U.S. customers use cell phones or computers to receive alerts or view a real-time video feed from their home. Published on ZDNet News: October 26, 2006

Microsoft Relaxes Vista License Terms – Responding to a wave of criticism following news that the licensing terms in Windows Vista allowed the operating system to be moved to another computer only once, Microsoft has changed its position and relaxed the restriction for retail copies of Vista.

News from PC Magazine: Microsoft to Support Open-Source Linux with Novell – Microsoft announced in a press conference on Thursday that the company has struck a deal with Novell Inc. to allow open-source Linux software to work compatibly with Windows. By Natali T. Del Conte, 11.02.06

Is Mac Growth In Business World Next For High-Flying Apple? (InformationWeek) – Its popular iPod aside, Apple sold more Macs in the past quarter than ever before. The conditions are right for Mac to grow beyond its niche in business, and some say it’s already happening. By Thomas Claburn InformationWeek, Oct 19, 2006

Microsoft Expression Web Gives Dreamweaver A Run For Its Money (IW) – Die-hard Dreamweaver fans aren’t likely to switch to Microsoft’s Expression Web, but some serious coders who aren’t wedded to the longtime market leader are finding a lot to like in the FrontPage replacement. Nov 3, 2006 – By Brian Livingston

FCC Endorses Broadband over Powerline (TechWeb) – The Federal Communications Commission on Friday gave a big boost to Broadband over Powerline (BPL), classifying the technology as an “information service.” By W. David Gardner, TechWeb Technology News, November 03, 2006

Smartphone Buyer’s Guide – Technology News by TechWeb – TW’s in-depth investigation into the top smartphone vendors’ strategies, plus a comparison of the hottest new models. By Elena Malykhina of InformationWeek, Oct 30, 2006 12:02

Autonomic Computing Special Report (Network Computing) – Vision Vs. Reality: Five years ago, IBM’s Paul Horn articulated a new way of thinking about Information Technology. In this second article of our business innovation series, we examine how far the technology of autonomic computing has come.

Adobe’s big bet on flash (Fortune) – Adobe’s strategy has kept the wind in its sails for over 15 years. By Oliver Ryan, September 22 2006

Fortune on Breakway brands – 10 Breakaway brands: These companies – from eBay to Geico – cut down on hype and connected with customers, says Fortune’s Ellen McGirt. By Ellen McGirt, Fortune senior writer, September 8 2006

How I Work series: Macromanaging with an eye for detail – Macromanaging at Martha Stewart Living: An interview with Susan Lyne, 56, President and CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. By Julie Schlosser, Fortune Magazine, September 13 2006 

Tags: misc, articles, what I read.

A sunny then rainy weekend, filled with costume making and Halloween prep. Here are a few articles from the reading file and ones I re-read during the commute last week. Thankfully, most are available for download, making it easy to save for later reading on mobile devices.

BusinessWeek

Bill Gates Gets Schooled – “Why he and other execs have struggled in their school reform efforts, and why they keep trying.” By Jay Greene & William C. Symonds – June 26, 2006. Then read the follow up in the Readers Report, “What Else Bill And Melinda Need To Know,”  where BW readers responded to the story.

More Elbow Room On The Net – A pending upgrade will provide an almost limitless number of addresses. Nov. 6, 2006.

Big Blue Shift – “IBM is reorganizing its global workforce to lower costs without skimping on service.” By Steve Hamm – June 05, 2006. Also IBM’s India Pep Rally.

Net Calls Get A Better Hearing – I like Stephen Wildstrom’s articles. In this one, he covers “two new products can turn your laptop into a high-quality speakerphone” (June 05, 2006): “In many situations, a quality speakerphone provides an attractive alternative. The basic designs of the ClearOne Chat 50 ($149) and the Polycom Communicator ($129, available in June) are quite similar. These allow the portable versions to function as “full-duplex” speakerphones, meaning that parties on both ends can talk at once, with very good audio quality.” He preferred the Polycom for its sleek design and low price.

The View Beyond Vista – “Microsoft’s monopoly on operating systems may face new competition.” By Stephen H. Wildstrom – May 08, 2006. dowload the podcast here. Also see Vista Offers Brighter View for PC Gaming as “Microsoft’s Rich Wickham talks about the introduction of operating system Vista and what it means for the future of the industry.”

Hauling In The Hollywood Hackers – Interesting, short read on “how undercover FBI agents nab the bootleggers who threaten the movie biz.” By Roger O. Crockett – May 15, 2006

Dawn Of The Idea Czar – “When the ‘I’ in CIO is for innovation, the post should go to a jack-of-all-trades.” By Jena McGregor, April 10, 2006, who writes:

“The structure of the role varies widely: Some CIOs have sizable teams while others are more like internal consultants, and the job may be most closely tied to strategy, marketing, or R&D. But able candidates are drawn by the position’s high visibility and the rewards that could accompany any successes. “If they’re incubating truly new businesses, they could ultimately go run [one of them],” says Spencer Stuart consultant Cathy Anterasian. “That’s very exciting.”

Google’s “Not Office” Launches – “Google has just launched “Docs & Spreadsheets,” notes TechCrunch’s Mike Arrington, one of the bloggers who got an early look. Yeah, yeah, they’re not trying to do an online version of Microsoft Office. Sure. Just the next thing that could…” By Rob Hof – October 11, 2006. and…

Google Vs. Microsoft, For Real – “So Google’s moving forcefully at last into the business software market, at least in a test version” with Google Apps for Your Domain. By Rob Hof – August 27, 2006

From Business 2.0

The mighty micro-multinational – The garage goes global as a new breed of startup operates worldwide in the battle for technology, talent, and customers. By Michael V. Copeland, July 28 2006. 

How to hacker-proof your business – “Is the information stored by your company secure? Here’s how to make sure your confidential data remains top secret.” By Kevin Poulsen, October 27 2006

Microsoft’s big nightmare: free online apps – “A new generation of browsers is about to make Web applications better than downloadable desktop software.” By Om Malik, October 23 2006

Fast Company

Like, Um, You Know – by Alyssa Danigelis, 2006-05-01. “Verbal tics may be holding you back. How to identify them and overcome them. Totally.”

The Future of Design – by Linda Tischler,  2006-07-01.

Fortune – free access

The big surprise is Enterprise – Quietly beating out rivals Hertz and Avis, this privately held outfit reigns as the No. 1 car-rental company in America, and the Taylor family aims to keep it on top.” By Carol J. Loomis, Fortune editor at large, July 14 2006. At Enterprise, “keeping customers happy is an obsession.”

The company’s “Enterprise Service Quality index, or ESQi, derived from prompt follow-up phone calls to one out of every 15 Enterprise customers. The survey asks just two questions: First, on a scale ranging from “completely satisfied” to “completely dissatisfied,” how would you rate your last Enterprise rental experience? Second, would you rent from Enterprise again? The answers to the first question are next compiled into an index. Each segment of the company – each branch, for example–then gets its score. And here is the kicker: If the ESQi for your bailiwick doesn’t at least meet the company average, you don’t – absolutely don’t – get promoted.”  

PC Magazine

Build It: The Ultimate Game Room – By Dan Evans and Nathan Edwards – 030106 – “Make your game room a vip room, with custom-painted PCS, a giant-screen plasma TV, an Xbox 360, and the world’s first LAN scoreboard.”

Smarter Homes – PC Magazine writers “take you inside three of the smartest homes in America to show you what they’ve done and how they did it. We also give you DIY tips and product recommendations for creating your own high-tech habitat.”

From Forbes.com (subscription/registration sometimes required)

Move Into the Light – August 14, 2006, By David Armstrong – “Philips finally figured out how to make money selling TVs in the U.S. Credit a funky backlight–and a stern threat from the boss.”

Is The Internet Out Of Room? – April 11, 2006. A look at the move to IPv6.

Tags: misc, articles, what I read.