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Betrayals: Obama's Hollywood Sellout, Tech Companies' Layoffs
November 09, 2009
Last week, two troubling trends were in evidence. The scarier one is that it appears the Obama administration is in the process of putting in place a secret antipiracy provision that has little to do with antipiracy and everything to do with killing properties like YouTube. It is truly frightening, and people are already planning civil unrest to stop it.
On the Prowl for New Ways to Cut Contact Center Costs
November 09, 2009
Contact center operations are constantly under scrutiny. They're complex, they're expensive to run, and employee retention and training can be problematic, to say the least. Contact center managers have a never-ending desire to streamline operations to keep spending in check.

An FBI Cybercrime Agent's Tales From the Trenches
November 09, 2009
The FBI official in charge of major cybercrime investigations told a international gathering of computer security experts last week that financial services companies have suffered massive thefts due to hackers. "The financial services sector has seen losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars in actual cash removed through the infrastructure," FBI Assistant Director of Cybersecurity Shawn Henry said.
Droid Lurches to Life
November 06, 2009
Today is the day of the Droid. The Motorola smartphone touches down today in what's shaping up to be one of the biggest handset launches in recent memory. Of course Verizon is going all-in as far as advertising is concerned, but there's more to the Droid's story than a marketing campaign.

Cisco Forecast Suggests Tempered Optimism for Tech Sector
November 06, 2009
Cisco Systems doesn't want Wall Street to interpret its forecast for its first quarterly revenue growth in a year as evidence that the U.S. and other economies are roaring back. A slow improvement in orders is under way, but the pace is still slow and the recovery is fragile, executives told analysts Wednesday.
Cyber-Meltdown: Managing the Message When IT Hits the Fan
November 06, 2009
It started as an act of Web site defacement by some anti-capitalist zealots, attacking one of Canada's largest multinational corporations. You know the kind -- they've got their fingers in all kinds of business pies, from airplane parts to media content to their own very popular brand of hand sanitizer.

EU Drafts New Bill of Rights for Internet Users
November 05, 2009
EU lawmakers and governments agreed on new rights for Internet users Thursday, aiming to protect them from arbitrary crackdowns on those who illegally download music and movies on the Internet. EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said a deal was reached after EU governments agreed to EU parliament demands to balance measures against illegal downloaders with a broader set of rights for telecom users.
Headed for the Clouds - Cisco, EMC and VMware Launch VCE Coalition
November 05, 2009
By and large, IT favors grand pronouncements and overheated rhetoric, and the industry abounds with "unprecedented" efforts firmly rooted in precedent and "unique" solutions fashioned from the commonest clay. Is that the case with Cisco, EMC and VMware's new Virtual Computing Environment coalition? Decidedly not.

Ancestry.com to Take IPO Plunge
November 04, 2009
Genealogy Web site Ancestry.com hopes to raise about $100 million when it goes public this week. With more than a million paying subscribers, little competition, a small debt load and a record of increasing revenues, it may fare better than other IPOs that have recently priced below their filing ranges.
Nokia's Apple Attack: All for One and One for All
November 04, 2009
The reason commonly given for the creation of technology standards is to enable a more open, seamless process for licensing and adoption. However, in its lawsuit filed recently against iPhone maker Apple, Nokia is attempting an interesting spin on this definition, which may very well reflect reality.

The iPhone's China Syndrome
November 04, 2009
The iPhone went on sale last week in China, and it landed more or less with a thud. Cupertino's carrier partner in that country, China Unicom, announced on Tuesday that only 5,000 customers had purchased the phone thus far. At this rate, the handset may have trouble meeting sales expectations. China Unicom had pledged to sell 1 million iPhones per year.
ISF Panelists Spar Over Security vs. Anonymity
November 03, 2009
Can the Web's big-time masters of malware really be tracked down? How risky is cloud computing to network security? And what challenges await the Obama administration's plans to lock down the nation's electronic infrastructure -- while at the same time creating a "smart grid?"

Folding the US Into a Single Global Currency
November 03, 2009
There have been several suggestions by China, Brazil, Russia and other countries, and by a U.N. Commission headed by Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, as well as by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development for a new global reserve currency to replace the U.S. dollar. Increasingly, the media are running stories and comments about the "demise of the dollar."
Windows 7 Takes Back Mac Switchers and Other Reasons for Hope
November 02, 2009
Last month was fascinating for me. Not only was Windows 7 launched, but it appeared last week that because so many Mac users were installing Windows 7, some huge enterprise servers crashed. In addition, I got a chance to see Yahoo's new CEO Carol Bartz in action, and was both impressed with her and a little disappointed in the event.

Tight Times Are the Right Times to Spend on Innovation
October 31, 2009
A theme is emerging from the flood of recent corporate earnings reports: Cost cuts are boosting profits. Investors are cheering, but they shouldn't. Even in these tough times, more CEOs should be talking about how they are seeking out investments, developing new technologies and making acquisitions. That's what will set their companies up for a stronger future.
Is Facebook's $711M Spam Award Just Monopoly Money?
October 30, 2009
Social networking site Facebook has been awarded US$711 million in damages from prolific spammer and social network scammer Sanford Wallace for bombarding its users with spam, Facebook attorney Sam O'Rourke reported in a blog post. Judge Jeremy Fogel of the U.S. District Court in Northern California also banned Wallace from accessing Facebook.

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