Thursday, August 31, 2006

Google's "Google Book Search" service is going to allow, effective today, downloading books in the public domain. This includes classics as well as other more obscure books. They will be in pdf form, and people will then be able to read them online or print them and even bind them if they wish. The announcement and link to the service is at: Official Google Blog: Download the classics

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

You will be hearing more about IPTV over the next few years. Internet Protocol TV. It's the protocol for sending HDTV over the Internet. A BC company has announced a new technology to make this viable. The big problem was to compress transmission sizes down to a size that current technologies can handle, and they have done that with MPEG 4. Along with the introduction of a new box for TV's that can manage the technology. the signals can also be sent to conventional PC's, which is likely more significant. The provision of High DEfinition TV over the internet will shake up the industry considerably. Already a hot bed of competitive activity, the telephone companies, cable companies and other players will be adapting to this new reality. The cable companies already provide both TV and the Internet so it won't be too hard for them to embrace the internet. However, their competitive environment will be changed, since the telephone compaiies will now be able to provide TV content over their high speed connections. Also, the Internet providers and internet content providers will be interested.
It will be another industry shakeup. Technology Review: Emerging Technologies and their Impact

Monday, August 28, 2006

It looks like IT executives had better get serious about security. There have been numerous high security breaches in recent years, and now companies like AOL and enterprises like Ohio University are starting to fire the IT managers and high end executives who they deem to be respoonsible. Maybe it will mean more attention being paid to the issues around system security.IT execs on firing line over security breaches

Thursday, August 24, 2006

The internet is global, we like to say, but it is largely English, which not everyone on the web speaks, and many parts of it are in languages we don't generally speak here in North America. Is there a better way? Prof Pierre Levy of the University of Ottawa thinks so and is working hard on the Information Economy Meta language (IEML) that can be understood by computers worldwide. It reminds one of the efforts in the accounting community to develop XBRL. Whether or not Prof Levy suceeds, the concept is going to have a lot of legs over the next few years. Truly global and computer readable languages are needed for global e-business, and for that matter everything else. globeandmail.com : Pioneers aim to create new language for the Web

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Television is moving to the internet and other networks and it promises to change the very nature of tv. Cisco, in recognition of this, has bought a video on demand company - Arroyo Video Solutions, which is distinctive in that it enables networking of tv's. This is a trend that will not go away. Online tv abounds, and now, there are innumerable sites where a person can watch tv from around the world over the internet. Networking tv is another extension that is sure to prove popular as a way to gain access to a tv without buying a lot of extra boxes. It also could change the business model for tv, as advertising becomes more difficult to convey to tv watchers, who have a growing ability to bypass the ads. Technology Review: Emerging Technologies and their Impact

Monday, August 21, 2006

It's not just the recording companies who need to enbrace the internet. It's the entertainers too. Some of them have, but others haven't. However, some of the holdouts are seeing the light.globeandmail.com : Music holdouts give in to iTunes

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Online banking is one of the most successful online e-business applications. It has revolutionized the banking industry structurally and strategically. This recent survey confirms that. globeandmail.com : On-line banking a habit that's starting to click

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Sony is about to launch a new wireless handheld called MILO which is designed to communicate using wireless networks over the internet using VOIP. It will be directed to younger users, but may be attractive to business users as well. If the success of the iPod is any indication, look out! globeandmail.com : Sony to launch a new wireless handheld

Monday, August 07, 2006

The use of RFID tags to track goods has been growing impressively. Last quarter revealed a rise of 14% in sale of RFID scanners for this purpose. It shows a continuing interest of business in streamling goods movement and the supply chain through the use of technology. E-Commerce News: RFID: RFID Reader Shipments Jump 14 Percent in First Quarter

Thursday, August 03, 2006

eBay has been under legal attack from several sources. Here's a rundown of those attacks - and the response. eBay: The Lobby
XBRL has been a promising new technology for several years. When and how will it meet that promise? Will it happen when companies realize the data integration benefits of this powerful technology or when the SEC mandates it? We'll find out within the next year, according to this CEO Mag article. XBR-What? - CFO Magazine - August Issue 2006 - CFO.com