Stewart Francis

Are you worried about computer security?

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:51:00 +0000

It was last night when my computer kicked me off a site because of phishing activity. What's phishing activity? A message is sent to you and if you open it, a virus attack can be sent. Of course, you don't open it. Who sends these messages? Organized crime trying to get to valuable private info such as bank accounts or just some bored kids who think it is fun to be able to hack your computer.

But there is an easy solution. We have Norton Anti Virus. It's one of the highest rated security software for home users according to several popular PC magazines such as Maximum PC, May 2010. I know it is protecting my computer because I see the Norton icon displayed at the bottom in my right hand corner. Well, that's the short form approach to security. Luckily, I have an computer expert overlooking the system.

I'd like to share with you a five minute conversation with Stewart Francis of IT Roadmaps. If you look up the Norton Anti Virus activity, you will see how hard this software works to wipe out risks. Take a look. It says "removed", "blocked" or "quarantined" on any suspicious activity that attempts to enter your computer.

What enters your computer? Cookies. Don't worry too much about cookies, but sometimes unwanted marketers don't ask your permission to track you. Companies often use it publicly to track your activity on their site. Some do it privately, so it becomes a privacy issue. Beware of Trojans. Everyone knows the story of the horse full of soldiers. How the wooden horse got inside the castle and then the enemy soldiers were released. A popular example of a dangerous Trojan is the e-mail that disguises itself as an UPS invoice. I got that one back in March, but thankfully it was blocked. Also, I didn't open it because I know not to open unknown e-mails.

Is virus attacks really that common? Yup and they cause tons of problems in companies and home computers. Stewart just finished reading a statistic from a British PC Magazine. There were more virus attacks in the last year than the total number of attacks in the last 20 years. A big problem? Do you think (!!!)

The 14th Canadian Gold: Our Hockey Team

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:32:00 +0000

The captain, Scott Neidermayer and other Team Canada Hockey heroes are holding the gold. Photograph by D70's, Flickr

Like a big chunk of Canada, Stewart and I watched the gold win for the Team Canada Hockey. I wanted to catch the moment here, but unfortunately CTV 'owns' the Olympics. Here is the next best try, video highlights of the big game via CTV Olympics. Press here

Time Capsules: The First Decade of 2000

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Here's a decade of time reduced to 3:13 minutes by Mojo. It boggles the mind how young some of the technology is we are all using today. Just this weekend, I've looked up the Burke family on Wikipedia. How sad. On a happier note, I viewed my daughter singing Winter Song on YouTube and twittered it to my son. Then I thought I'd rather hear Winter Song on my Apple ipod, and it did sound a lot better. Thank you for all these technology inventions.

Oh, and here's the YouTube video I stored under "Favourites" on my ipod.

J. D. Salinger

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:36:00 +0000

Catcher in the Rye is my favourite book. I read it one summer while I was off from University of Ottawa and had time to literally lay on the grass and enjoy some classical novels. I never laughed so hard as when I read the part where Caulfield was talking to the mother of one of the students he knew. He thought the mother would like to hear her son was something special, so he made up this big story just for her. Holden Caulfield was such an awkward young man, but he had learned too much about life for his age and his insights, I think, were too much for someone with limited living experience to handle.

J. D. Salinger, the author of Catcher in the Rye, died this January. What is interesting about Salinger's death, unlike many writers, this does not mark the end of the author's writing. In fact, J. D. Salinger hated publicity so much that he stopped publishing his books and has many unread novels. I'm looking to forward to these secret novels. Could there be another novel as great as Catcher in the Rye?

In the meantime, you may like to reread Catcher in the Rye. Here is a site for a free e-book. Press here and enjoy.

Technology in 2020

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:08:00 +0000

Jeremy Gutshe is a young Canadian who has made his mark by starting TrendHunter.com. Gutshe is also the author of Exploiting Chaos, 2009. Here, he is being interviewed on Future Fast Forward, CNN.

Ironically, while Gutshe has written a book, he talks about working in a paperless office and the dominance of the electronic world. So what trends will change our life styles? I am looking forward to the memory chip. How about you?

I first introduced Jeremy Gutshe in an earlier blog when he discussed Trends for 2009. Also,I mentioned a magazine, the Economist which is live and well. Check out its latest issue. The World in 2010. It's interesting, but also a bit scary the activity way up north in Canada. Look for that article.

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Trends for 2009

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Information Techology in the Next Decade

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:40:00 +0000

The future is always empowered by present knowledge. As you watch this video, you will recognize a form of some of the technologies in use today. At the same time, they tend to be expensive and not available or unknown to the masses. It will be fascinating to see some of this technology in the real world. I'm sure some advancements will take a few years, but others are likely more than 10 years off. What do you think is possible?

And who will get there first, Microsoft or Apple? President Stephen Elop of Microsoft Business Division introduced Office Labs 2019 at the Wharton Business Technology Conference in 2009. Watch and dream.

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Surface Computing from Microsoft

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Amazon's Kindle 2 Ebook Reader for consumers

noreply@blogger.com (Stew Francis) — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:00:00 +0000

Amazon recently started selling the Kindle 2, an updated version of it's original Kindle book reading device which I talked about in a previous post. By the fall of 2009 there will be a 3rd version called the Kindle DX which will be aimed at students.

I've been an avid reader of ebooks for years and it is disappointing to think that this device is only available in the U.S. A careful look around the web shows that many people have managed to get their device with the help of a US credit card or an Amazon gift card preloaded with enough funds to cover the cost of the device (and books). Evidently with the Kindle first edition, people from many corners of the globe bought Kindles and lots of books this way. What I'd really like to see is some comparisons of the Kindle and it's main competitor, the Sony Book Reader. Think about the number of books Amazon sells in a year. In just their first full year of selling electronic books, Amazon has stated that 10% of all the books they sold in 2008 were electronic books on the Kindle.

I've personally read 100's of books over the past 10 years on electronic handhelds such as the Palm Pilot and the Pocket PC. I am quite adept at standing on the subway holding on to a pole and flicking through pages on a handheld. And reading in bed in the dark with a backlight is a great way to let your body shut down for a good nights sleep. I'm guessing that I have read about 200% more books over the past 10 years by reading ebooks in addition to the the occasional old fashioned types of books.
One of my favourite sites on the Internet is Project Gutenberg which contains thousands of free electronic classics that are no longer copyrighted and can be read right on your computer screen. There is also smaller Canadian and Australian sites that function based on Canadian and Australian copyright laws respectively and you can find them by searching Project Gutenberg and just add the country name. I've also bought hundreds of books from eReader, Fictionwise and other lesser known sites over the past several years.

Below are a couple of YouTube videos about the Kindle 2, the first shows you the feature set and the 2nd is reactions by early testers.

Related Post: Amazon Kindle ebook device

Will there be a digital Pearl Harbour?

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:50:00 +0000

I liked the question and I liked the answers from the panelists. Generally, because the security personality focuses on the risk factor and the ratios. The journalist strategy tends to rely on the fear factor which works well for the moment. Security experts aren't salesman, but realist who plan, prepare and understand the security scenarios without overreacting. In the long term, the monetary value of security is........ Watch the video. I don't want to give anymore info away.

Ari Juels, Chief Scientist and Director of RSA Labs interviews in order

Bruce Schneier, Chief Security Technology Officer for BT Counterpane
Whitfield Diffie, V.P. and Chief Security Officer for Sun Microsystems
Adi Shamir, Computer Science Professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel
Ronald Rivest, Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering at MIT

Zero day exploit in Adobe 9.x and lower

noreply@blogger.com (Stew Francis) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Imagine that a piece of software from a reputable company is sitting on millions of computers around the world and that for years that software contained a flaw that was never uncovered by the software maker. Then imagine that some software hackers figured out there was a flaw and wrote a program that could allow them to steal information from any machine running that software.

Well folks, it's been happening for years. However, the frequency and seriousness of these exploits continues to escalate due to organized crime and a general lack of knowledge among computer users.

In March 2009 Symantec identified programs on the internet that were capable of automating the process of breaking into a computer that ran ANY version of Adobe's free PDF reader as well as Acrobat writer due to a flaw in the PDF format. Adobe spent a good chunk of March testing and fixing the problem, first in the current versions of 9 and later all the way back to version 7.1.

So what has the average user done? Unfortunately, the fact is that only about 10% of users have patched their systems despite the fact that Adobe software's newer versions offer automatic updates. Most end users are happy with their software as long as it works - if it works don't fix it. We have busy lives and would you rather look at pictures on facebook or fortify your defenses on your computer?

In the corporate world, the IT guys will look after it.

Oops, wrong answer. The reality is that people are used to the idea that an operating system needs to be patched, but rarely do applications get upgraded. It's time to change that notion.

If you are running an older version of Adobe Acrobat older than version 7.1, you actually need to buy a new piece of software from Adobe.

I recently did an assessment of a clients infrastructure and it was no surprise that they had versions of Adobe software in use on their computers with version numbers that range from 6.0 to 9.0. Adobe is the defacto standard for many companies and newer versions can get automatic updates. However, the IT staff doesn't necessarily have this on their radar. Help them out by asking them if you need a patch to protect your security on your desktop computer at work.

I should mention that this vulnerability also exists in the Unix and Mac versions of Acrobat. The exploits may only work on Windows, but the flaw is there if someone decides to take advantage of it. The problem is that all the hackers target Windows because it is by far the biggest market.

Refer to my previous article on PSI for a free tool that can help you keep on top of software that is known to be a security risk and has already been patched. Yes it does a great job. Yes it is a little bit of a sink hole for time since you actually have to read the reports it generates, understand the degree of risk and then DECIDE if you want it to go find the upgrade that fixes the problem. Only the last step actually saves you time. It's your choice, let the hackers at your system or don't!

I read recently that there are two bills in reading in the US Congress supporting the notion of adding a security advisor to the government with the intent of giving them complete oversite of these types of problems. Do you think that this should be something our Canadian Government should also be looking at closely?

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Conficker3 - Why It Ain't Over?

noreply@blogger.com (Stew Francis) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:07:00 +0000

Thanks to author Christopher B. Wright for allowing me to repost one of his wonderful comics. Having built and run a successful help desk earlier in my career, I've thoroughly enjoyed his recent work.

So, another year of bad April Fools jokes has come and gone. I'm seeing comments and blog articles referring to the "Hype" caused by the April Fools Virus, or more correctly the Conficker3 worm.

Some of the posts are implying that the intent of a lot of writers was to scare people. I've even seen posts accusing people of doing that for their own gain. Yet, I originally started warning computer users about Conficker in January, 2009. At that point, it had been active since 2008. This blog has grown organically over the past 2 years. Then in April, I ran an update on Conficker and received more than 1000 hits in a 24 hour period!

How I warned over 1,000 people about Conficker

Thanks, Bonnie Ford, who contributes frequently to this blog. She pushes me to write, and then pushes me to write better. Bonnie tweeted a tiny URL on Twitter to a few select people who then retweeted it on Twitter.

Also,the CHFI website linked to my article and Erin also copied it to her Erin Davis blog (which by the way has more than 7000 loyal readers each month). Their kindness gave me a lot of joy when watching my blog stats. I was getting as many as 40 people reading on it at the same time!

Did I help people?

Absolutely. A lot of people read my warnings and some acted on the warning. One reader wrote me that he went out and bought a USB drive and backed up his and his spouse's data.

I'm very thankful to have been provided with some real live insight into the power of the media and it is not a lesson I'll forget. Watching it happen in near real time on my own blog is a lot different than reading about it in a search engine optimization book.

So was it hype?

Absolutely not. The reality of Conficker3 is that it could have been much worse except that this particular worm had a bug in it that allows it to be monitored by some very powerful companies. They were able to use the flaw in the code to actually block traffic to infected sites when Conficker3 activated. But there is bad news. Things could get worse now.

Why did Conficker 3 alarm the tech community?

The most recent version, Conficker3 set off major alarm bells within the tech community for several reasons

1. The authors of the virus have created a huge botnet of machines that are attached to the Internet. Many of them reside in countries where the copy of Windows XP is not authentic. Because of this, a large number of machines cannot receive working patches to fix the source of the infection. Microsoft now requires that you have Windows Genuine Advantage, an anti-piracy system if you are going to receive automatic updates. Many of the 12 million infected machines are not patched and the implication is that a good percentage are not patched because they are not genuine.

2. The authors of Conficker3 (referred to by Microsoft as ConfickerC) can use the unpatched botnet and unleash a Conficker 4. The Conficker hackers could patch the flaw that allows it to be monitored making it much more difficult to track.

3. I've already seen reports of malware authors releasing fake products that are supposed to remove Conficker but intstead instead redirect users through compromised search engine links to malicious web sites where your machine can be attacked.

Is the war between business and organized criminals over?

I saw one article yesterday that included a list of 11 things that refute the concept that conficker3 is hype. The point is not to reiterate every hypothesis of what might happen. This is a war between consumers and business versus organized criminals. I wonder at the negative economic impact around the world when tallied over the last 5 years. Would it be enough to provide a stimulus package that would dwarf the recent handouts in Canada and the USA?

We somehow need to think about how we can build accountability into the Internet so that being on the Internet is a privilege that you can loose easily if you are going to act criminally. It sounds like shades of H.G. Wells, I know.

Feel free to post your notions of just how you think we could corral our current version of the wild west.

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Can IT strengthen the economy?

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:10:00 +0000

John Cambers, Chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems, answers the question, " How can IT play a role in bringing their respective enterprises out of economic doldrums?"

Chamber believes there are two approaches. Some companies and organizations view IT as an expense, so these leaders ask IT to cut expenses. He says, others view IT as "the enabler of the business strategy" and during the economic slowdown will "use IT to gain a huge competitive advantage."

He suggests you should grow your IT expenses regardless of what the economy does. He predicts a collaborative IT where video, data and voice are combined. In the future, IT will become intertwined with the business strategy. He illustrates how the business model has changed since the 90's and will continue to change.

The interview by Ken Dulaney and Tom Bittman of Gartner is less than five minutes, but it gives Chambers enough time to show us what technologies are able to do. Gartner as CEO has been able to grow Cisco Systems from $1.2 billion in annual revenue to $40 billion, and his vision is worth consideration.

Gartner ITxpo in Orlando, Florida in 2008

Lirpa Sloof #O40109

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:31:00 +0000

www.marriedtothesea.com

So you wouldn't step away. Okay bucko!
But I warned you. If you press here, you might get scared!

What Everyone Ought to Know About the April Fools Virus

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 13:21:00 +0000

This is no April fools joke.

A new version of the Conficker Worm is circulating and word is that on April 1 if you have the worm on your system, then it will activate. The real kicker is that it is sitting on an estimated 12 million computers world wide and nobody except the authors of the worm know what is going to happen.

Security experts do know that on April 1st, the conficker worm will connect to remote sites to pick up a payload of some sort. It could be anything from an April Fools joke to a major destructive force that could steal information or wipe out your hard drive. Did I mention that this effects only Microsoft systems? At least at this point in time, Linux and MacOS are safe.

On January 25, I posted Millions infected with worm, Conficker/Downadup urging you to make sure you protect yourself from the Conficker worm. The reality is that you may already have it since estimates indicate that more than 12 million Windows computers are already infected worldwide.

The worm infects machines via USB devices such as a USB key. The worm exploits the autorun feature which is a very convenient for a lot of users. Autorun is the feature that will do things like pop up access to the USB key or USB drive that you just inserted.

The Autorun feature was originally identified as a conduit for virus infection in October 2007. It was finally patched on the Microsft Vista operating system in July 2008 with security bulletin MS08-038. However, the problem continued on Windows XP until February 4, 2009. Finally, Microsoft distributed a patch as part of Windows Updates to correct the flaw in Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows Server 2003.

If you don't have Windows Automatic Updates enabled, then turn it on NOW. If you are running Windows XP or Windows XP2, consider getting the free upgrade to Windows XP3. There are minor problems in Windows XP3, but they are mostly an annoyance.This will ensure that your system has all the cumulative patches in place up to the release of SP3. Then you only need to capture a small number of patches released after Windows XP3 to be up to date.

For everyday protection, always have a first rate antivirus solution on your system. I recommend Norton Internet Security from Symantec to my friends and family. Make sure you have current definitions. Norton Internet Security delivers patches constantly in the 2009 version rather than waiting for your schedule to kick in - and believe me you need it.

Unfortunately, the number and sophistication of security problems keeps increasing at ridiculous rates. I've seen comments where people are advocating that the virus writers be treated as terrorists. It really is that serious. Microsoft has put up a $250,000 reward for any information leading to the capture of the culprits who engineered Conficker.

Be prepared and start now as you have less than 6 days to make sure your system is protected.

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Impact of Value Based Fees on Consulting Contracts

noreply@blogger.com (Stew Francis) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:52:00 +0000

Over the past year, I've become really convinced that hourly rates or fees are not good for projects.

This seems to be especially true of larger projects. In the past year, I've spent a lot of time researching this and trying different approaches with different clients. I finally stumbled upon the book, "Value Based Fees - How to Charge and Get What You're Worth by Alan Weiss. What follows is a mixture of what Alan Weiss has to say on the topic and every podcast, white paper, and article that I could find that talks about value based fees as well as value propositions and value metrics in projects and strategic planning. I've recently started to look at some of the literature on balanced score cards as well. All of that reading and research is targeted at making me a better resource for my clients.

I have also reflected on my own experiences, especially those related to doing projects in my own consulting practice at IT Roadmaps over the last 2 years. As well, there is my prior experience on the opposite side of the table where I retained services from consultants many times in my career as an IT manager.

And it is gratifying to see the impact on how simply discussing value based fees with clients quickly turns a discussion about fees into a conversation of what the client sees as the strategic value of the project and its return on investment(ROI). Whether that is increased business or a cost cutting measure makes no difference. The resulting conversation is about the expected value of an initiative that is the client's vision. I then have to figure out if I can deliver what they envision.

Setting value based fees has many advantages for the client.

On a project, hourly rates on anything other than a very small job are the equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot. First off, the consultant spends too much time documenting what they are doing instead of getting the job done. The client meanwhile is being very vigilant about costs in order to make sure there are no overruns. This manifests itself in behaviors and actions that run contrary to the needs of the project.

Lot's of times the ROI on a project is very fuzzy. That is why you read about governance of projects and strategic planning. If you have shareholders, they will dump your shares pretty quickly if you do projects with no clear payback. But when you have a consultant or contractors working on a project and you micromanage their time, you are doing the equivalent of chopping off their value. Technical projects in particular present a lot of challenges and unexpected problems. I've seen projects where the contractor is kept out of meetings because they would have to be paid. I've seen technicians discouraged from getting that needed advise from a vendor.

I did one project where every week meetings were conducted via phone calls with people I never met. It is very difficult to read a person's face and body language if you never talk to them in person. Do they look away when they tell you everything is under control? How about work breakdown structure? Can you brainstorm while talking on bad speaker phones and generate synergy with the right people if you are on a phone? Blackberrys are great for some stuff, but they just don't cut it for the down and dirty parts of a project.

The idea is that when you go to engage a client, you need to establish what it is you are going to do for the client and how you will be paid. Both sides need to agree and the value based fees theory says that you must come up with an answer that works best for both parties.

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Surface Computing from Microsoft

noreply@blogger.com (Stew Francis) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:11:00 +0000

While this is old news, it is surprising how few people I've talked to seem to know about it. Microsoft has been working on this for a while and just how long it takes to really impact consumers is hard to tell. Right now, a surface computer can cost between 5 and 10 thousand dollars, and it is targeted at businesses such as bars and hotels. At any rate, it is an impressive short video. Microsoft Corporate V.P., Tom Gibbons, suggests that consumer versions of Microsoft Surface are being targeted for 3 to 4 years down the road.

Twitter 2 : Twit Tips for Tweeple

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 16:08:00 +0000

Here's a crash course on how to maximize tweets on Twitter.

1.To share or post a website, you need to shorten the URL.

Shrink it with TinyURL.

2. Add media on Twitter.

Try the tool, Twitpic to post photos.

3.To see tweets sent to you, press "@Your user name" on the right margin.

4. For private chats, go to "Direct Messages" on the margin.

5. To create, find or follow conversation topics, use hash tags.

Type "#your tag".

You can subscribe to www.hashtags.org to keep current on tags.

6. Use the twitter search to find trending topics/people to follow.

Try http://search.twitter.com

Or search for specific topics. I typed in "Twitter shorthand". Tweets directed me to

A list of Acronyms and Text Message Shorthand. Use in moderation!

Twittionary - Every Term and Twitter Tool I Can Find

I found these sites in a matter of a few minutes.

Twits are only a sentence or two similar to these quick tips. Enjoy twittering! I keep a low radar twitter, but you can find Stewart Francis at http://twitter.com/stewfrancis.

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Twitter 1: A Free Web Tool

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Okay. Obama got his Blackberry, but did you know in Canada some of the big city mayors twitter to each other. In fact, our Toronto Mayor, David Miller, has started twittering on his Blackberry and has a growing number of followers.

I visited his Twitter account and downloaded this Twitpic photo of David Miller in Basel, Switzerland during the environmental conference. According to Miller's tweets, City mayors met to discuss a carbon finance project and city concerns including waste, transport and tower renewal.Visit Mayor Miller's tweets at Twitter.com/mayormiller

The public reaction to Miller's use of Twitter is mixed. Some say he is wasting his time while others like that he is making himself more transparent and can communicate with the people. People have similar reactions to Twitter. It's just a bunch of random conversations or it keeps me in touch with people and the world. I'll let David Progue from the New York Times introduce Twitter.

It's up to you to decide where you want to take it. Some twitter to a close group of friends and some strive to have thousands of followers. Forums and mini blogs have started. It was originally created for personal use, yet many companies/organizations twitter for business. Twitter is real time and most people use the public mode. Instant messaging means Twitter can break news and even communicate essential info during and after tragic events.

According to Wikipedia, Twitter began March 1, 2006 with $57 million in funding. It hasn't surpassed Facebook in users, yet it seems to be growing in popularity. But what about the stability of these social networks on the web? Can Twitter handle the growing volume? Saturday, I unsuccessfully tried to access Mayor Miller's tweets. I got the message, "Too many tweets. Please try again." Hmm. Twitter couldn't handle the high volume it was receiving. Also, how long will Twitter continue to be free?

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Twitter 2: Twit Tips for Tweeple

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A Walk in the Cloud - Microsoft Azure Cloud

noreply@blogger.com (Stew Francis) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:58:00 +0000

Well that was an interesting CIPS event. Damir Bersink of Microsoft spent a fascinating 90 minutes talking to the IT Management Special Interest Group about the future of Cloud computing for Small and Medium Businesses (SMB's).

The key component that sets Microsoft apart from others is that they have an operating system for the Cloud that is Windows based. While still in beta, it's codename is Azure. You will not be able to buy it and put it on your machine because it is not a desktop operating system or a server operating system in the traditional sense. Microsoft wants to offer access to the Cloud so that you can use your applications in the Cloud instead of on your desktop or your servers.

Microsoft will look after all the details. This means, you will be able to try some of Microsoft's software in the Cloud and let Microsoft worry about keeping it up to date, backed up and secure. Right now, developers can experiment with Microsoft development tools that they are already familiar with such as .NET, so they can try to deploy a website into the Cloud. Very soon, you will be able to work with Microsoft Live versions of office applications such as Microsoft Word Live and Microsoft Excel Live.

At first glance, you might roll your eyes after watching the bad press about Vista, but if you think about it a bit more it starts to make sense. If you have a business that runs on Microsoft technology and you want to continue to use Microsoft software, there would be many benefits to an operating system for the Cloud. Microsoft could make things like active directory work seamlessly both on the desktop in your office and on your servers in the Cloud.

Will this be free? Of course not. You will be paying for services that will add value. SMB's need better security, business continuity and disaster recovery and will pay for these services in the Cloud. It's a fascinating topic. Watch for future blogs on Clouding or subscribe to this blog.

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Windows 7, Azure and Microsoft Pl atform Vision

Masdar City versus Toronto

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:48:00 +0000

Masdar is the futuristic city touted to have 0 carbon foot print. It is being funded by the Abu Dhabi government in the United Arab Emirates. At the World Energy Summit, they were pushing for Masdar City to hold the headquarters for Irena. This is the new global organization to help develop clean energy.

It's the right move for this area as the gas is projected to offer reduced revenue. Positioning themselves as leaders in the newer energies that are more environmentally friendly means a brighter future. Moreover, Masdar is a city created in a dessert area. What will be the real estate value for a condominium in this city? Who will set up business in this prestigious location?

Have a look at the video of Masdar City. You'll see the Personal Rapid Transport (PRT) podcar which is a kind of vehicle that seats four. It has no driver. Also, note the blonde woman relaxing having her tea. There is a definite focus on pleasing the American culture. It's about 5 minutes long, but it is very soothing to see this futuristic city.

According to Wikipedia, podcars already exist in England and the USA. However, they have limited use. Not everyone supports PRT and some believe on a larger scale, they will not be successful. Here's a report on Masdar City's driver-less PRT podcars.

Now, contrast this with what's going on in Toronto. We are busy patching up a chaotic public transportation system. The mayor and his council have revived an old idea to add another subway line starting at Pape Avenue and going to Union which is train central. This is a project that was originally proposed a century ago!

On the other hand, there is talk about passing legislation that will see the greening of many high rise roof tops over time. "Over time" means when a roof top needs replacing, it will have to go green. Presently, Ryerson University is studying its roof top full of lilies and wild flowers. Businesses are catching on and RIM already has an impressive roof scape. City of Toronto has made some advancement in green roof technology. Our roof scape will have environmental and economic benefits. Green roofs can clean Toronto's smog , absorb water reducing run off to sewers, and create savings in energy by moderating temperatures. Even growing crops on the top of high buildings are currently being studied.

Toronto is not a new city like Masdar, but can it be progressive? There is definitely a growing economy for environmental efforts.

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Energy Summit Pushes Renewable Powered Economy

Energy Technology in the 21st Century

Top 10 Technology Breakthoughs

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:40:00 +0000

Top 10 Technological Breaktroughs In 2008

View more presentations from coolkreativez. (tags: 2008 in)

Maybe you were surprised by one or two? I'm keeping my eyes on No.10, flexible displays. The others manipulate energy, but that challenges physical space and the way we use it. Hardware will become software?!

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Windows 7, Azure and the Microsoft Platform Vision

noreply@blogger.com (Stew Francis) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:51:00 +0000

For those of you local to the City of Toronto, you might consider signing up for a Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS) event sponsored by the IT Managment Special Interest Group. You don't have to be a manger to attend. The guest presentation will be given by Damir Bersinic, a senior IT Pro Advisor at Microsoft.

Damir will share his thoughts on Windows 7, Azure and the Microsoft Platform vision. Damir has also written several books on SQL Server, Active Directory and Oracle. This is a great opportunity for IT Managers and IT specialists to begin thinking about their own roadmap over the next 2-3 years by getting a small glimpse of the future. You do not have to be a member to attend, but non-members must purchase a $10 ticket here .

When?
Monday, February 09, 2009
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM (ET)

Where?
Metro Hall, 3rd Floor (Room # 303)
55 John Street,
Toronto, Ontario
M5V 3C6 Canada

Major Intersection: University/ King
Subway: St. Andrew, Adjacent to Roy Thomson Hall

For those of you who would like to participate regularly in the IT Management SIG, look me up at the meeting. I've held many different roles in technology over the past 20 years including management of software development, infrastructure, support, and project management and am currently working as an IT Management Consultant for clients who are growing their business with the help of technology.

Hope to see you there!

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Energy Summit Pushes Renewable Powered Economies

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 15:00:00 +0000

I wanted to say all sorts of neat things about the the World Energy Summit. However, I kept reading about how we mismanage the planet. In reality, the people of this planet, at least in the first decade of the millennium, are not ready for this peaceful revolution that can advance mankind and cure the planet. Face it. We are a throw away society. We give the word absurd a whole new meaning.

On the other hand, there are world leaders who are trying to at least slow down our negative impact on the planet. Even industrialized countries, which of course create the most damage to our planet, have made modest attempts at recycling to curb our embarrassing consumption. Hopefully, the World Energy Summit was able to plant some seeds. There are some notable world movements that may at least reduce the negative impact of our life styles. I'm keeping an eye on two world organizations

1. December 2009, Denmark is hosting the UN meeting that could result in a whole new global approach to climate change. Connie Hedegaard, the Danish minister for climate and energy, spoke at the Energy Summit. Vesela Todorova of The National followed the minister. Hedegaard pointed out, the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. When the Kyoto was signed, 2/3 of greenhouse gases came from industrialized countries. Now these countries are responsible for more than 1/2 of all emissions and by 2020, industrialized countries will again contribute 2/3 of all greenhouse gases.

Moreover, the UN scientific body predicts that a 50% decline in emission over 2000 levels by 2050 will correspond to a temperature rise of up to 2.4 degrees Celsius. The largest growth in greenhouse gas emissions has come from energy supply and road transport. Hedegaard wants countries to resolve differences and be prepared to sign a new treaty by the end of 2009. She hopes to bring China and US on board to successfully reach climate and energy goals by 2050.

2. Another global organization, the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) was founded January 26, 2009 in Germany. 75 countries signed the Irena's clean energy treaty. Canada and United States are only observers at the moment.

On the last day of the summit,The National reported, Abu Dhabi wants Irena's headquarters to be in the emirate. The Abu Dhabi government has invested US $18 billion in the Masdar company which is building Masdar City. This city will use alternative energy to build an urban centre with 0 carbon emission.

In the next few years, expect to see a significant amount of investment and development to launch renewable and cleaner energy solutions. The summit is working towards the sharing of technology to advance solar power, electric vehicles as well as carbon capture and storage.

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Millions Infected with Worm, Conficker/Downadup

noreply@blogger.com (Stew Francis) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 17:16:00 +0000

A worm that has been circulating since October 2008 continues to infect Windows systems running the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser.

By mid-November, Microsoft admitted they had collected more than 50 different exploits and a recent report on January 16 from the security site, F-Secure, found an increase in infections from 2.5 million to 8 million in the 4 days prior to the report.

Now the worm has been updated with a much more complex payload that includes infection of shares, all USB devices, as well as intelligence routines that can use a dictionary attack on ADMIN level resources that do not use a strong password.

Part of the problem is that both administrators (technicians) and end users (anyone using windows) do not take the time to regularly patch their systems. The security site, F-Secure, was finding networks with hundreds of infections over a very brief time frame.

There are a several things that I see that are leading to these types of problems getting worse.

1. The worm has different names from different antivirus vendors. When will the major vendors get their act together and fix the naming problem. They are just making it easier for the virus writers by not getting some governance in place. McAfee and Microsoft call it Conficker and Symantec calls it Downadup.

2. Automatic updates will fix the problem, but probably not fast enough. A recent problem in the release of Windows XP service pack 3 disabled automatic updates and a lot of users still haven't even noticed.

3. Administrators in corporations are not able to keep up with the constant onslaught of patches that need thorough testing before deployment or they risk taking down business users when a patch goes badly. The fact is the job needs to be done, but frequently it is not done.

So this particular patch is bad enough that you really need to patch it.

What can you do?

1. If you are going to use an admin level account, make sure the password is a strong one.

2. Make sure you have Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool. You can get it the current version from the Microsoft Security site or via Windows Updates.

3. Permanently turn off Autorun if you know how to do so. If inserting a CD, DVD, or plugging in a USB drive can launch a progam automatically, a virus can use the same approach on your machine. If you don't know then you need to research this one as it requires changes to your registry.

4. Make sure you have installed MS-08-067 from Microsoft.

You may already have installed it as long ago as October, so you need to see if it's there. Go to Control Panel, select Add Remove Updates, and make sure that the "Show Updates" check box at the top of the screen contains a check mark and then wait for the list to be filled. Now search down the list for Security "Update for Microsoft Windows (KB958644)".

If it isn't there, go get it at the Microsoft Download Centre.

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Tech Books for Free Download

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:45:00 +0000

The first post on Comments on Technology recommended Nick Jenkin's book on project management. It was a free download. Today I noticed Jenkin's book, A Project Management Primer, on Tech Books for Free. Take a look on this site. You might find another gem there.

Happy reading and stay warm. Brrrrrr. It's cold in Toronto!

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Did you know? Technology

noreply@blogger.com (Bonnie Ford) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:30:00 +0000

My oldest is in high school. I sat him and his friend in front of this video to make a point. I think the friend felt obligated or at least wanted to do the polite thing, but they agreed to give me 5 minutes of their time. They are both thinking about post secondary education. Like most teenagers, they don't really want to listen to you or other adults that may have just a bit more experience. Anyways, they found this video fascinating which is a huge accomplishment given these are the 90 kids who could type on a computer before they could read a book. The point I was trying to make was that you can over plan your future, so don't get tunnel vision.

You just don't know what your job will be like in a few years, but think virtual space. For example, writing, radio, TV, and songs will all evolve to who knows where. All we can do is project our present conditions into the future, yet there is no way we can predict future conditions. For instance, if you look at books from the 40's or 50's showing the future, you'll see the outdated culture more than you'll see the future. We get trapped in our present concepts because we are all culturally bound.

As this video will illustrate, the possibilities are wide open. After watching the video, the teenagers were concerned about the power of technology and possible threat of underestimating this power or mismanaging the technology. Could computers take over? For me and my husband, we have experienced some of the changes in technology. We enjoyed telling anecdotes to the next generation. These kids actually listened to us. Kudos!

Enjoy and take away from the video what you may. Also, it's actually a fun one to watch with someone else.