bskool bloggin

Ann Arbor is on Technorati: Election Watch 2004

Check out Technorati: Election Watch 2004. There is a link to a blog about events in Ann Arbor right of the Technorati page. That's pretty intense, even though I don't like the group that is represented. Maybe we can qualify without too much work.

SugarDaddy

SugarDaddy In regard to Neil's post, I have to say that firefox is better in terms of security than IE. IE will let in most spyware and not allow you to customize security for particular websites. In addition you have to install the google bar to prevent pop ups, which is just added software. Finally, in the long term I feel like the virus that ends the world (as the conspiracy theorist I am) will come through IE and those on mozilla will be safe. Just my thoughts...

No Fun Feedreaders

By the way, it seems as though I will no longer have fun seeing people's new formating on their blogs due to the use of my feedreader. Plain text gets boring....

The question is whether feedreaders work for blogs that incorporate a lot of media-rich content like pictures. Do you have to go to the blogs themselves if people are incorporating this stuff?

About the Articles

This week's articles seem to show that business is no longer looking for the newest, fastest, most powerful database software in the world, but the most value-added for their businesses. This is likely a turn of events from the days that companies were spending huge sums just to 'keep up with the Jones' (if their competitors were named Jones that is). This may be further evidence that this is the time where software developers need to change their business model from selling software, to giving it away and charging for maintenance.

In looking at the mysql website, you can see that the AP is not alone in using the open source relational database management software. NASA, Yahoo!, and Cox Communications rank among other users. Thus, more companies will probably find their needs met by less expensive alternatives, changing the market for such important and complex technology.

On Bud's Blog

With regards to track backs do I need to post on my blog and put in a web link to the other person's blog for them to get a trackback or do I post a comment on theirs and then put in my URL where they have a comment section? This whole idea is confusing. I posted on Bud's Blogonaut site under his CBS story. Here is the link

Regarding Printing

Since this little part of the blogosphere is all business school students I thought I'd bring up the issue of printing. I'm glad that we do not have to print anything out for BIT320, because in the rest of my classes I'm going crazy trying to print in a hurry with the new Xerox machine system. Standing in line to swipe my card is a serious waste of time, and two printers when there used to be four in the Kresge lab makes no sense at all. Hopefully they will find creative solutions to these issues early in the semester, as it could become quite an issue during final projects and exams when students need to spend less time printing, and more time on value-added to their studies.

Regarding My Question

In case my question in class regarding normalization sounded ambiguous, I wanted to clarify. I asked "do we peform normalization only when we have a really messed up database? is this a service offered by some firms?"

In speaking with Professor Gibson after class and reflection on the topic, I basically realize that this is a very useful concept with the everyday data issues that analysts have to deal with, at least in consulting projects like the one I worked on over the summer. In my case I had to work with a data tool that was made prior to me coming on board. There was a lot of repeat information, and some fields were like the 'child x' example (for instance primary contact and secondary contact, where there wasn't necessarily a #1 and #1 person for the suppliers that I was modifying in the database). With the concepts we've discussed I would not be able to speak with one of my company's data people to better display information so that my use of it would not be stifled with confusion.

The dark side of the Internet

As we explore the great benefits of new ways to get information, some are not so sure that there is some dark side to the total access the internet provides. You have probably already figured out that I'm talking about our nation's schools, where Internet, while attractive for learning, runs into the issue of controlling browing. An article in today's New York Times shows that companies are furthering their access to youth by making video games rich with advertising. They can fly into the school's 'under the radar' because students seem to be harmlessly using the internet. This is a great business model for advertisers, but will certainly controversial, as the ups and downs of information business get sorted out for years to come. It seems relevant to the class because we will likely use technology in this way in the future--to find creative ways to pass along the message of someone we work for. The question is whether the means we choose will be accepted or not.

Fingers Crossed

Hopefully I get a good team. Projects can be great or not so great based on the composition of those teamed.

Friendly Faces

It's weird being in my first non-section B-School class. I actually am seeing people I don't know. They all appear to be friendly faces though, so I'm not too worried.