News Report #6

 

This report is from Business Week entitled “Energy Use: Neighbor vs. Neighbor.”  This article focuses on a new company called Opower.  Opower is a company that is now comparing energy usage between similar households and showing the results to homeowners in areas where they have partnered with the power companies.  This deals with showing the homeowner their current energy usage and compares it showing what an average home that is close is square footage and heating/cooling systems so they can see what other neighbors are doing and hopefully reduce their energy usage.  This plays on some psychology where we are naturally competitive with others around us and seeing what others are doing make us want to do the same.  This is all in hopes to reduce energy usage and so far it seems to be working.  There is an average decrease of almost 3% in households that are shown this information and households that were previously large users of energy have seen up to 6% energy decrease.

 

I think this idea is very smart and should take over nationwide.  I wish that I would have thought if it and been able to do what Opower is now doing.  I do believe it is human nature to try to do things others are doing especially seeing how neighbors around you are doing with their energy savings.  I see this continuing to decrease energy usage the longer it goes on as it may become more of a race between neighbors.  The company is based in Virginia so I do not think it will be long before we are seeing this here in NC and we can all compare with our neighbors on energy usage and hopefully start lowering it now.  In the end it is only going to save us money.

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/nov2009/id2009115_475766.htm

Business Week

November 9th, 2009

Ellen Gibson

“Energy Use: Neighbor vs. Neighbor”

News Response #4

http://mlg4070.wordpress.com/

I used Megan’s news report on some Chinese computer hackers entitled “China Expands Cyberspying in U.S., Report Says.”  It can be found at

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125616872684400273.html

This report is on the recent news that there were several Chinese computer hackers who were able to hack into U. S. based company computers and steal documents and valuable information.  They used extreme caution by making sure to steal the documents, send them to outside email servers, and then encode them so they looked different.  The Chinese Government has denied accusations about this and seem to be trying to hide the fact that some of their citizens have been doing this.  I agree with Megan that it seems kind of scary that these people are able to hack in, even outside the country, to valuable information that should be kept confidential.  What if they already have a lot of Government information?  It just goes to show that in today’s society with all our information online that almost nothing seems private, no matter what measures we try to keep it that way.

News Report #5

This report is on the article from Business Week entitled “Swine Flu May Infect Internet too.”  This article is about how during the H1N1 crisis internet usage is going to go up all over the world and this could mean big problems for the networks and internet providers.  They are saying that if schools are closed and people are at home that they usually are going to the computer to surf the web for entertainment and that is only one problem they forsee from the pandemic.  They also note that while the network providers first priority is to keep government and large business networks running smoothly they too may face being slowed down as the internet traffic increases.  The networks are most worried about neighborhood areas where they can not really do anything about the usage rates and download, they can only ask that people try to stay away from streaming sites that use a lot of capacity.  Networks are asking government to step in since some ideas they have to fix the problems violate the customers already paid internet policies so that they can limit usage and keep things running fast and smooth.

I think it is totally wrong for them to have this problem at all.  I understand that people may be using the internet more than before but that does not mean anyone should be able to tell us when we can and what we can do in our own homes and on our own computers that we paid for and continue to pay outrageous prices for internet access.  I believe it is solely the network providers problem and they are the ones to blame for not setting up things for maximum usage to begin with.  A customer pays a set amount each month, I know ours is around $40-50 and that seems like a lot for what you get out of it most of the time.  This cable companies and internet providers cant rely on the Government to bail them out on something they did “half ass” to begin with.  It is their fault, and I will continue to use the internet the same as before, they should be the ones dealing with, not the paying customer who they are putting the blame on.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2009/tc20091027_902353_page_2.htm

Business Week

Oct. 27th, 2009

Michael Cooney

“Swine Flu May Infect Internet Too”

News Response #3

http://che4541.wordpress.com/2009/10/22/yahoos-new-advertising/

I used Clifton’s news report on Yahoo’s New Advertising entitled Yahoo’s $100 Million Ad blitz  that can be found at

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2009/tc20090922_896261.htm

This article was about the amount of money Yahoo is investing to try and regain market share in todays internet search engines.   Yahoo did have a good run at it back when the internet was gaining popularity and its ads were catchy and fun.  It says that Yahoo is going to spend around $100 Million in the next few on ads so that people will hopefully begin using them more.  They have outsourced their technology research to Microsoft and many wonder if they are just wasting their time.  It seems that Microsoft’s Bing has a competition with the search engine Google and has a good chance, but Yahoo is just trying to “jog somebody’s memory.”  I think Clifton is right that its a waste of money and they need to find something different to focus on so that they may have an advantage rather than trying to get people to go back to using them.  There are better search engines out there like Google and Bing, and possibly Yahoo should start focusing on other aspect of the Web and find a new Niche they could enter.  Clifton also talks about how many advertisements they already have on their homepage and how that may also be losing popularity with the public.  Google has no ads on their page and tries to do everything fair and honest for everyone while still selling some ad space.  Yahoo seems to be focusing on all the wrong things and in the end it is going to bite them as I dont seem them lasting as a search engine.

News Report #4

This report is on the article from Business Week entitled “Apple: Finding Even More Uses for iTunes.”  This article was talking about all the various ways and suggestions that iTunes can grow in the near future.  The author seems very biased to the Mac products is always comparing them to the Windows systems.  The article talks about how Apple has a new device coming out in the very near future, early 2010, and it is described as being a “tablet.”  This device is going to be able to allow users to look and read electronic texts and books and is going to be a direct competitor with Amazon’s Kindle system that already is doing this.  Apple has more registered credit card users at 100 Million in iTunes  than Amazon (94 Million) and Ebay (75 Million) user so the giant can continue to grow and take over about any market is desires to enter.  The article also goes into ways that iTunes can expand its store to be easier for windows users to upgrade their own systems (Windows XP to Windows 7) since it seems to very difficult presently. 

This article was very interesting but I understand the fact that the writer seems to be very biased in their information and seems to really be pushing the Apple/Mac products in every way possible.  I do think the new Apple tablet is going to be a great thing and will allow online text to be easier to access and read at anytime.  The new things the author suggests for the iTunes stores seem to all be good ideas about how they can continue to grow their online market besides just the apps and music store.  Microsoft really needs to catch up in that aspect or before to long everyone will be using a Mac.  I know it really got me interested in the future for Apple and wanting a new mac Computer.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2009/tc20091012_054650.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories

Business Week

October 12th, 2009

 Arik Hesseldahl

“Apple: Finding Even More Uses for iTunes”

News Report #3

This report is on the article titled “Publishers Try to Learn to Love the Web” from Business Week.  This news story is about the growing demand and change towards digital books available online.  It goes over all the different options that publishers have along with the companies who are now digitially offering books online for users to download onto their computer.  This article makes references to how music and newspaper firms have already gone ahead with the times and made the change to the digital world and that the publishers need to make the change too or will be facing problems in the future.  The article gives several examples of companies that are not only offering books online but are also allowing users to buy only chapters in the books for as little as $1.99.  There was also a reference to college students and how much money is spent on textbooks, which are the most expensive books out on the market.  Many business’ have also started to rent out textbooks and this will allow the cost of textbooks to lesson while still making publishers money since they only get profit when the books are sold new.

I believe that this is a great change for the publishers and the companies who now are offering online books and rental services.  I think it is very neat how they are describing it making analogies to Netflix and how they loan out the movies/books to users for a montly fee.  I believe something like this could save college students a large amount of money since it seems that bookstores on campuses are always selling at the highest prices imaginable and paying less than a third of the selling price to buy back books.  I personally hate the whole idea of having to buy textbooks at the school because it really seems a waste of money and only putting money into the bookstore’s pockets.  This new digital age I believe is going to be a huge change and will make life better for not only college students but anyone looking to read a book, online or renting.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2009/tc20090922_846948.htm

Business Week

September 22nd, 2009

Olga Kharif

“Publishers Try to Learn to Love the Web”

News Response #2

http://che4541.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/the-social-benefits-of-the-google-books-settlement/

I used Clinton’s article entitled The Social Benefits of the Google Books Settlement.  It can be found at:

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/09/03/the-social-benefits-of-the-google-books-settlement/

This article was about Google wanting to put out-of-date books online so that more people will have access to more books even if they do not have a good library near by.  I think it seems like a good idea in concept but I think Clifton is right about how something needs to be done so that Google does not become a monopoly over that industry.  I can see why companies like Amazon are upset because it will hurt their sales.  Although there is a lot of good that can come out of Google putting the books online there could be much wrong if they are the only ones doing it, having no competitors, especially if they do not have any regulation.  I think it might be a better idea to let the government do this online “library” that way it would be regulated and if there are profits they could use them to make up for our deficit.

News Response #1

http://che4541.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/the-u-s-needs-a-cybersecurity-czar-now/

I used Clifton’s News report entitled “The U.S. Needs a Cybersecurity Czar Now.”  It can be found at:

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2009/tc20090813_393090.htm

Clifton made some great points about how the article only named the problems that need to be addressed but did not in any way try to make solutions or any way to go about fixing them except for appointing a Czar to control the theft of intellectual property on the web.  The article says that the Obama Administration needs to fix this and the money should come from the tax payers, which I disagree with.  I believe that if corporations in America are losing $250 Billion each year in intellectual theft then they should be the ones investing in the Cybersecurity Czar.  It would seem to me that it would cost much less to appoint a person (and a committee, as Clifton pointed out) to be in control of all the things dealing with the American corporations theft problems.  I believe the Government should focus more on the theft of medical information as that I believe would be something the tax payers need more and would be more willing to invest in.  Since our country is in so much debt already shouldnt some of these business’ that the US Government has already helped out or the ones who are still prospering greatly step in and take care of their own intellectual property being stolen?

 

News Report 2

For this news report I looked at the article from Business Week entitled “Will Windows 7 Reboot PC Sales?”  This article was solely focused on how the new version of Microsoft, Windows 7, will affect the current PC market that seems to finally be flattening off due to the economy and price points consumers are now asking for.  Microsoft’s Windows Vista was not a well liked or adopted version and as many of us at school already know it is not very popular nor easy to use.  Microsoft hopes that Windows 7 is going to be the next big hit especially since many PC users are still using the 9 year old outdated XP.  According to research done at IDC firm: “PC unit sales are expected to rise 6.9% worldwide in the fourth quarter…That would be the first quarter-over-quarter increase this year, but far short of the boost from releases such as Windows 95.”

            I believe this would be a great move from Microsoft to go ahead and launch the Windows 7 system.  I know that I personally, along with several of my peers do not really care for the Windows Vista software.  It seemed to be very difficult to get used to and a bother when you have the XP system, like many do, when a file in the newer Vista was sent to you.  I hope for everyone’s sake the new Windows 7 is much better and actually makes it seem more useful to upgrade than Vista did, which I still do not have or want.  I believe that PC sales will be affected in a good way if this system is a hit and this will help everyone in the industry along with investors.

 

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_37/b4146020996347.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories

 

Business Week

September 3^rd, 2009

Peter Burrows

“Will Windows 7 Reboot PC Sales?”

News Report #1

This blog entry is about the rare way in which Microsoft allows its research employees to have the freedom to dream up ideas for the future.  Rick Rashid is the head of the research department for Microsoft and is the manager of 850 employees who are among the smartest in their technology fields.  Microsoft Research’s whole research concept is to dream up the things people currently don’t want but that will be in demand in the next ten to twenty years.  Investors and outsiders are somewhat skeptical of MSR’s tactics and “experts say MSR has yet to deliver the far-reaching innovations that could validate Rashid’s approach.”  Rashid and Microsoft do not want to become a short term research company and will continue with their current outlook and work ethics toward the future.  Rashid said, “I see my job as trying to ensure that 10 years from now there still will be a Microsoft.”  The article leaves the reader hanging by only noting a few new innovations like Natal and Bing (their new search engine).  No one in the article ever said what the future may hold besides mentioning that “his team is delving into potential breakthroughs in robotics, health care, security, and privacy.”

            Overall I thought the article did a great job of describing the current research method and goals that Microsoft and its managers are trying to achieve.  I also believe that Microsoft and Rashid may need to think a little more short term especially in a downed economy like the US and other countries throughout the world are facing right now.  As a manager Rashid could possibly try to encourage more practical, day to day, necessities that the company could redesign or update to keep them afloat for years to come.  I believe looking into the future is great and that is how Microsoft got to where it is now, but they have to make it there first and without constant new technologies and programs they may have a hard time making it to the future for their next “Big Hit.”

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_36/b4145044687973.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories

Business Week

“Microsoft Research Keeps Dreaming Big”

August 27th, 2009

Helen Walters