A bit off topic.. climate change

A Bit off topic... the environment

though it is a bit off topic.. i wanted to address the one such interest, perhaps more of a passion I have for the environment. Through technology and the use of the internet it has allowed for more; business, technological pioneering, awareness and self learning. In regards to e-business it has opened a vast new world to business (more customers, cost efficiency, international business etc) that has been illustrated through my blogs. Regarding the environment, it is crucial that we utilize the most innovative and energy efficient technology to preserve the worlds most precious and ancient living species struggling for survival.. as per example of the coral video..
Again, rather off topic.. But it is important to be reminded of the environments exasperating silent cries that need to be heard, it is for this reason that technology ceases to fear me, because the real fear for me is how much we don’t listen to the environment.. Technology that can better the future environmentally should be recognized, embraced and utilized..

Blackberry Vs IPhone

Themes, ringtones and games are all well and good, but they don't really scream "BlackBerry." RIM's phones for years enjoyed an identity as rock-solid corporate phones. They were status symbols for executives: "This phone is not for chit-chatting, it's for getting things done." Now, it seems RIM is trying to make it look less like a workaholic. Is the BlackBerry losing its identity?
Given that the BlackBerry has been the rock solid enterprise player for the business executive on the go, will the new custom ringtones, visual themes and video games fit the mold? Or will they muddy the waters? Is BlackBerry trying to shift from its all-work, no-play image to become a one-size-fits-all option? Or is it all just part of the development game that defines this constantly evolving market?
They're just working to grow outside the mold and widen their audience. The key lies in the quality, not quantity. But there does need to be some kind of critical mass for applications that are developed, and it is evident that the real potential growth is on the consumer side. Yes, RIM is trying to make it more developer-friendly, because the developer community hasn't been as interested in the platform as the iPhone -- or Android, to a lesser degree.
We see smartphones evolving to the point where they will become your computer, your wallet and your digital lifestyle device. The total convergence of capabilities is an inevitability and the developers are excited to see these tools becoming available. They expect RIM to be constantly evolving to give them more tools to do more on increasingly powerful devices
So, do blackberry’s really need to develop to be more like an iphone? Or should they stick to their all work no play model? Perhaps the 100’s of iphone applications are what the consumers really want… if so, will the consumer battle increase for Iphones and Blackberrys? shouldn’t Blackberry stick to just what it does best, which is to offer its corporate style?
Hmmm Iphones?? Or Blackberry??

Google Wave Put Simply

Google Wave

Google Wave was probably the most exciting product announcement from Google since Gmail. Take Twitter, Gmail, Instant Messenger, Flickr, and Google Docs. Pour them into a blender; stir in robots and open the whole thing up to developers to the mix and start blending. You might have something like Google Wave
A wave is equal parts conversation and document. People can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.
A wave is shared. Any participant can reply anywhere in the message, edit the content and add participants at any point in the process. Then playback lets anyone rewind the wave to see who said what and when.
A wave is live. With live transmission as you type, participants on a wave can have faster conversations, see edits and interact with extensions in real-time.
A few Google Wave features:
- Real-time: In most instances, you can see what someone else is typing, character-by-character.
- Embeddability: Waves can be embedded on any blog or website.
- Applications and Extensions: Just like a facebook application or an iGoogle gadget, developers can build their own
apps within waves. They can be anything from bots to complex real-time games.
- Wiki functionality: Anything written within a Google Wave can be edited by anyone else, because all conversations
within the platform are shared. Thus, you can correct information, append information, or add your own commentary within a
developing conversation.
-Open source: The Google Wave code will be open source, to foster innovation and adoption amongst developers.
-Playback: You can playback any part of the wave to see what was said.
-Natural language: Google Wave can autocorrect your spelling, even going as far as knowing the difference between similar
words, like “been” and “bean.” It can also auto-translate on-the-fly.
-Drag-and-drop file sharing: No attachments; just drag your file and drop it inside Google Wave and everyone will have access.

Brain Waves and Twitters

From Brain waves to Typing

Scientists from the Mayo Clinic have developed a process using brain waves to type characters on a computer screen, which researchers say is a step toward helping people better control prosthetic limbs.
The experiment at the Jacksonville, Fla., clinic involved two patients with electrodes attached to their brain. The patients were able to type by just thinking about individual letters.
the technology could eventually help people with disorders such as Lou Gehrig's disease or spinal cord injuries control prosthetic arms or legs.
He said potentially millions of people could benefit from such a brain- computer interface.
The technology is currently limited because it requires electrodes to be attached directly to the brain. The electrodes would relay the brainwaves to an attached computer, though Shih said there is a possibility the computers could become small enough to be implanted.

Application Portfolio Management

How many times have you read a book and realized that you can't recall a major character? Or, maybe you were left wondering how an important plot came to pass. The average novel contains 50,000 lines of text. Now, imagine a multimillion-line novel written by a team of authors over the course of decades that was repeatedly rewritten to the point that entire chapters were no longer relevant to the plot. That is the typical application portfolio of today.
Application Portfolio Management (APM) is a practice that has emerged in mid to large size Information Technology (IT) organizations since the mid 1990s. Application Portfolio Management attempts to use the lessons of financial portfolio management to justify and measure the financial benefits of each application in comparison to the costs of the application's maintenance and operations.
Application portfolios control your most central business processes. However, over time, they tend to become more complex, less manageable and less aligned with your enterprise goals. In fact, many core business operations are likely automated by applications that can't be efficiently adapted to support real-world business requirements.
APM solutions allow organizations to identify, prioritize and act on initiatives that realign the application portfolio with business goals. They do so by trending technical and business metrics regarding enterprise applications' value, cost and risk. This information is then presented back to the right level within your organization to facilitate decision-making and implementation, an APM solution can measure where weaknesses and value exist.
APM offers an approach to bring your application portfolio in-line with your business requirements. However, organizations should be careful when selecting an APM solution. They should look for solutions that create immediate value by quickly centralizing the right mix of business and technical metrics.

Want Less Holiday Chores? Invest in a Robot!

For years, robots have been used outside the home. They detect bombs on the battleground, build cars in factories and deliver supplies and visit patients in hospitals. However, the past few years have seen the rise of home robots. There are also robotic lawn mowers, duct cleaners, surveillance systems and alarm clocks. There are robotic toys for entertainment, such as Furby. Robotic companions, like Paro the harbor seal, comfort the elderly. It is said that by 2015, personal robot sales in the U.S. will exceed $5billion USD, quadrupling what they are now. We will see more and more robots that help maintain your home; they will pick up stuff from the fool, stock your fridge, carry stuff from the car. some can be instructed, they can be programmed, you can have software that is built upon by others.
What better way to enjoy the holidays than to spend more quality time with loved ones by letting the robot do the nasty chores..

Facebook-for better or for worse

Facebook has taken a keen interest in user privacy lately, for better or for worse! It's required users to review their own privacy settings following a system revamp. Privacy from app developers, though, is another matter. what started out as a college-kids-only social net has become for everyone, and its a serious enterprise. it is for this reason that the company decided to give a stern lecture to all of its members, reminding them to grow up and review their privacy settings,lest the photoes of their childish antics with the bottle of captain Morgan to be exposed to the world at large..
Facebook has not made it just a reminder to look at the setting.. but a requirement, this week users who sign on to Facebook are greeted with notices to review the new privacy options Facebook set up. if you ignore the notices enough times, you get locked out of your account until you go through the motions.
Those new settings include things like the elimination of regional networks and the ability to set more specific privacy settings for individual bits of content. These are useful adjustments, probably aimed at making Facebook more attractive for use in business settings
However, there does seem to be an implied message from Facebook that you need to be saved from your own social ineptitude. If you're annoyed by that, well, it's certainly not the first time the site has irked users with a slight makeover, and no matter how much grumbling goes on, Facebook just keeps growing.
All in all .. facebook began as one thing and transformed into another.. from a college social network.. to a business or matured social network.. i feel as though facebook is already to intrusive and by making more changes to benefit a more mature user is always a wise decision.. after all .. facebook is a virtual way of self exposure...as is myspace, orkut, bebo, hi5.. and if facebook users want .. they can always use the alternative.. and allow facebook to evolve into something more useful and purposeful

Coca-Cola and the Environment

Roughly 75 percent of plastic soda and water bottles end up in landfills, by some estimates. What a waste. We could argue about whether to blame lazy consumers, governments that fail to promote recycling, or the beverage industry. This is a growing problem that requires atttention. This is a continual issue that United Resource Recovery Corporation faces (URRC). The URRC. provides recycling services for the photographic film/silver recovery market. The company focuses on recycling plastic food and beverage containers made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This week with the co-operation of Coca-Cola Co. a $60 million joint venture partnership with URRC in opening the world's largest bottle-to-bottle recycling plant in Spartanburg, S.C. When fully operational, the plant will produce approximately 100 million pounds of food-grade recycled PET plastic each year the equivalent of nearly two billion 20-ounce Coca-Cola bottles. Coca-Cola has set a long-term goal to recycle or reuse 100% of its bottles and cans in the United States.
PET plastic beverage bottles are made with up to 30 percent of their PET material derived from plants. This process for making PET plastic bottles that contain a blend of traditional material and up to 30 percent plant-based material. Today, the plant-based material is made from sugar cane and molasses, a by-product of sugar cane processing.
So the question remains.. is this enough,? Is there enough environmental concern being addressed? In this case it is just to say that Coca-Cola is making a step in doing theire part to solve a big and needless waste problem. Now we need governments to do more to promote curbside recycling–maybe with “pay as you throw” programs, that charge wasteful people more money. And, of course, we need consumers to think twice before throwing a bottle in the trash or, worse, by the side of the road.

Video on How to Better the SCM

Video on Greener Supply Chain Management

Ten Steps to a Greener Supply Chain a great youtube video on how to increase the success of SCM on an environmental perspective..

The Green Supply Chain; Cutting Out Weak Links

As companies evaluate their carbon footprints, supply chains are one area of business that have come under increased scrutiny. Making the complex network of manufacturers, packagers, shippers, wholesalers and retailers greener, it protects the environment, saves energy, and ultimately reduces costs.
Ways in which cost is reduced and reduced carbon footprint: advancement of electronic network systems, thus making communications between all links in the SCM paperless and efficient.
Measuring Carbon Footprint
To green a supply chain, a company must evaluate the situation. This can be accomplished either by having a thorough walk through by an environmental consultant or other environmental experts.
To do a thorough investigation of a supply chain, companies can turn to software like Infor's SCM Network Design. The latest release of this supply chain management and modeling software includes the capability of analyzing the environmental impact of a company's supply chain. The software's sustainability criteria let companies evaluate the carbon emissions related to the production, storage and transportation of the goods they sell.
Green Communication
With the advancement of digital communications between companies and their suppliers and transporters it can make a big difference in the environmental impact of a supply chain. This reduces the use of paper, decrease unnecessary transportation, and cost as well as error rates. Verizon Business has partnered with GXS, a provider of B2B supply chain integration and collaboration products, to help clients communicate electronically with their manufacturers, distributors and shipping companies.
With the environment as a consideration, in the SCM it greatly impacts the advancement and success of a company.

T.V. Commercials Online the Challenge for Marketers.

The growing popularity of consumers watching television programs online is staggering. Hulu and Joost are popular sites to watch movies or programs, both sites sell advertisement space, this means $money$ for marketing companies, or does it? With the size vast size of online users how can advertisements be effective? Marketing companies have figured out an effective way in which they can deliver the advertisements. First off, there are currently many sites that do not allow you to click past the advertisement, however to avoid clicking off the site, it is usually one or two commercials. Secondly the advertisement is delivered to a specific program or movie, meaning a more captive audience.
So now how to target the younger generation?? Those who don’t watch television programs?? Knowing that webisodes (similar concept as television episodes but instead, returning to a site more than once) are most appealing, this is the new market for advertisments, when trying to captivate the younger audience.
Now, what about mid to older generations not watching t.v programs?? Corporate videos are becoming bigger and bigger because know one wants to read extensive information on a company and click around to find out answers when a video can easily sum it up. This is great for companies in decreasing cost of salespeople. So it is here where Marketers have also decided to captivate a specific audience.
These are all great strategies for marketers to get around the obstacle of being successful in advertising online..

RFID- Radio-Frequency Identification- is a small electronic device that consists of a chip and an antenna. The chip can carry 2,000 bytes of data. It works much like a barcode or a magnetic strip on the back of a credit card, but better! RFID can be used to identify an object or a person wirelessly, using radio waves. This way one can capture data on the tags and transmit it to a computer system.
RFID is being used on a world wide level, a popular benefit of RFID in regards to e-business is the increasing efficiency in the supply chain management. It can be used to uniquely identify each container, pallet, case and item being manufactured, shipped and sold, which means an increased visibility throughout the supply chain, also, it has the potential of helping retailers maximize sales and profit by reducing out of stocks.

RFID Supply Chain Management

Dead or Alive, Walmart still wants your business

Wal-Mart, one of worlds largest retail stores has now decided that selling every other type of merchandise was not quite enough.. They have now began selling funeral Urns and Caskets online. This could hinder the sales of funeral homes, with Wal-Mart’s low prices of $895.00!! (Black casket on right)These caskets are sold online and delivered where you like.
A leading funeral company Star legacy Funeral Network Inc. offers a variety of caskets, and those (beige on right) visually comparable to Wal-Mart sell for $2,499.00!!! When looking at the lowest cost of Wal-Mart’s casket being 895.00 and the lowest cost of Star Legacy casket being $949.00. The visual comparison would suggest that once again Wal-Mart has proven to have the lowest prices!! In just one click you can now have Wal-Mart deliver diapers and caskets to your destination of choice!

From the Beginning

Hey All
Soo this is blog entry #2 and as the hours pass, as i continually ponder and search for the asnwers to questions like; What to put on my blog?? How do i relate it to ecommerce?? How do i make it interesting?? I decide.. i should just start from the beginning!!!
Soo from the Beginning..
I am not sure about you, but i am still trying to wrap my mind around the world of business.. so for myself, and for those of you thinking what im thinking which is.. 'i dont really know what their talking about' I decided to provide you with the site that has helped me through some of those nasty chapter reading ..
this site is a dictionary site.. but one that is for business jargon!!

http://www.businessdictionary.com/

and the other site is a Canadian Business site, a site to share, one that will help me better understand more about business.. this site has current articles that help to keep us up to date and to teach us more about business..http://www2.macleans.ca/2009/09/28/fussing-over-fonts/ this was one of the articles that i found on the macleans site..
hope you enjoy
cheers!!!

Introductions..

Hello

my name is Heather Cosh.. this is my first blog..

hope to learn loads and share loads !!!

Cheers!!