Category: technology

Both are two subjects that I’m becoming very interested in recently. In trying to develop a clear understanding of all the implications of National (Irish), European and World Market (US, predominantly) data retention legislation I’ve been having a look at the Irish Data Protection Act. More information is available at the authoritative DataProtection Commissioner’s website. However, the following point struck me.
Section 2 of the original 1988 Act (which is still valid AFAIK) states that

A data controller should observe certain principles in relation to personal data:

• The data or information constituting the data shall be obtained and processed fairly
• the data shall be accurate and where necessary kept up to date.
• Data held for back-up purposes is exempt
• shall be kept for one or more specified or lawful purposes – specified refers generally to purposes specified in any registration document, where applicable
• shall not be used or disclosed in any manner incompatible with such purpose(s)
• shall be adequate, relevant and not excessive in relation to that purpose(s)
• shall be kept for no longer than is necessary; data held for historical, statistical or research purposes is exempt.

What’s worrying me is the point in bold print. The problem isn’t whether this data is currently used as part of a live data set but what happens if data that does not meet the terms of the act is restored, after information system loss or damage. The nature of some database and structured data records means that offending data WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY have to be restored from an incorrect archive AS LONG AS IT’S IN THE ARCHIVE IN THE 1ST PLACE. It’s a subtle point but surely, the onus should be on companies to ensure that they always have a backup or archive that contains only non-offending data that doesn’t breach any part of the act. Therefore, backup policy MUST be affected by this act.

Not exactly a shock but indicative of both technical intent and direction at Microsoft. The full article is available at Grid Computing Planet. Most followers of P2P and collaboration technologies are familiar with Groove Networks offering. It enables the creation of a virtual office by connecting PC’s together over a P2P network to create a secure workspace where document, applications and communications can be shared. The Groove software will be integrated within Microsoft Office, integrating with the RTC (Real-time Collaboration) s/w that Microsoft already bundles including Office Live Update.
In another twist, Ray Ozzie, the creator and CTO of Groove will become the CTO of Mc$oft’s collaboration s/w division.

Ozzie, who will become CTO and report to Microsoft Chief Software Architect Bill Gates, is renowned for creating Lotus Notes, now a multi-billion-dollar business for IBM. He is also one of seven “Windows pioneers,” an honor bestowed to engineers who have contributed to the improvement of the operating system.
Gates, who joined the conference call from Redmond, that Groove technology has “fantastic and very unique” properties Microsoft wants to put into Office.
“He’s made a huge contribution in terms of giving us feedback about the platform,” Gates said, citing Ozzie’s work on Windows user interfaces and Visual Studio. “It’s very exciting to have Ray and his team joining Microsoft. I think it’s really going to help us do a better job for all of the information workers out there.”
Noting that he has had the privilege of working with Ozzie for “many decades” as he was building applications on DOS or Windows, Gates said he had wanted to hire Ozzie for a long time. The CTO will have a great deal of say over corporate communication and collaboration offerings.
He will also continue his work with Groove’s roughly 200 employees, which will remain at Groove’s Beverly, Mass., headquarters as part of Microsoft’s Information Worker Group.
Ozzie said his plan for Groove reflected how the business environment was changing, including a different type of security model based less on setting up firewalls and more on how people work with one another.
“Over the years, we’ve been very fortunate have led us all to be carrying around Wi-Fi-enabled laptops,” Ozzie said. “The nature of work itself has changed for many of us. We very commonly do work in a geographically dispersed fashion, in the office, at home, in hotels, at Starbucks and so on. Our interactions involve being on multiple networks…”

Microsoft had already demonstrated its committment to both Groove Networks and collaboration software with a $38 million investment in Groove during 2003.

Pulled this from wired news. The difficulty of providing accomodation quickly and cheaply under arduous circumstances such as wars & natural disasters is a serious issue for governments, armies and aid agencies. According to Wired a solution could be at hand.

A pair of engineers in London have come up with a “building in a bag” — a sack of cement-impregnated fabric. To erect the structure, all you have to do is add water to the bag and inflate it with air. Twelve hours later the Nissen-shaped shelter is dried out and ready for use.

The inventors are students completing their Masters Degrees in Industrial Design & Engineering at the Royal College of Art in London. They got the idea when they heard about inflatable structures used in the repair of broken gas pipes.

The inventors filed a patent, which covers the concept of creating structures using a cement-impregnated cloth bonded to an inflatable inner surface. Full-scale production is planned and could take off soon, as Concrete Canvas is short-listed for the New Business Challenge run by Imperial College London and the Tanaka Business School. The winner of the £25,000 ($48,000) prize will be announced next week.

I like the quote from the program head of Medicins San Frontieres in Uganda who would like to buy 10 as soon as they become available. The advantages over flimsy tents and the transportation issues of prefab buildings mean that many more buildings could be constructed this way in the future. Perhaps even houses?

I seriously doubt it however!
iBill or “Internet Billing” is a secure online payments provider that promises to simplify the process of payments processing for small businesses that don’t want the hassle of setting up their own merchant account or deploying their own online credit-card payment system. Sounds like a good idea & it is. However, iBill charge an absolutely staggering 30% of gross sales for this service. 20% processing charge and an additional 10% for “reserves”. “That’s amoral” I hear you say.. NO, this is amoral. It turns out that iBill haven’t been paying their customers for months. With a wait of around 4 months for customers to find a new payment processor iBill can afford to make empty promises for quite a while, god knows where the money is going. According to the NYTimes article the company is currently under investigation by the US Dept of Justice & a class action lawsuit by disgruntled clients is reportedly on the way.
Interestingly enough I asked around & several friends thought that iBill was associated with Apple in some shape or form. the lower case i is very reminiscent of Apple’s product nomenclature. Apple take note!