After reading one of my more recent BLOG entries, my wife pointed out that it seemed inconsistent that I tout my self as a small "C" conservative while extolling the virtues of Renewable Energy. She went on to explain that "usually", conservatives will support big business, like oil companies and auto-makers.
I don't understand why they have to be mutually exclusive. In the USA, we consistently hear about the need to "lessen our dependance on foreign oil", and the use of terms such as "energy security", to describe the US's shifting foreign policies. If terms such as those underscore a sentiment of finding & developing new forms of energy, why NOT renewable energy ?
I sense a major shift coming. The governments (both Federal and State) of the USA are beginning to really invest in Renewable Energy. Everything from feed in tariff programs, to direct subsidies of this burgeoning industry. So why not get in on the ground floor ?
There is an entirely new industry starting to form around renewable energy. Huge wind projects by companies like General Electric are being proposed. Everywhere you look, there are solar arrays - on roofs, in fields, on commercial buildings. Those are just the traditional photo-voltaic arrays to generate small amounts of electricity. Look at some of the larger projects which seek to focus sunlight to create molten sodium, generating electricity even when the sun is down !
This industry will have serious longevity, as continued research & development will be funded through grants and public funding. Why not be a Capitalist, looking to cash in on this amazing future ?
I'm not some Eco-hippie, trying to save the world. Renewable energy appeals not only to the geeky side of me, curious about the technology. It also satisfies my hunger for open-source. The democratization of the Energy industry. The open sharing of information about the technologies available today is what insures that the industry won't be kept closed by giant energy companies, like we see in the Oil & Gas industry.
My wife has asked me why I don't do something in this field to earn a living ? She's right - why don't I ?
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Un-American Thoughts on 9/11
Today marks the 10th Anniversary of the infamous attack on the USA. As our thoughts turn to remembering those innocent lives that were lost, we also pause to remember those heroic men and women who valiantly rode into the fray to rescue as many as they possibly could. I sit humbly by, amazed by their courage and selflessness. I have no interest in diminishing those memories or emotions.
I was asked this morning what Canada was doing to mark the anniversary of this emotionally-charged day. Frankly, it is one of mixed emotions for me, personally. I don't purport to represent the sentiments of the entire nation of Canada, yet can't help but feel that I am not alone in these feelings. Why should Canadians do anything to mark the day ?
Immediately after the horrific realization that these were deliberate acts of terrorism, the USA slammed it's borders closed, stranding airline passengers of all nations. Canadians in communities like Gander, NL opened their hearts and their homes to those "stateless" people. Meanwhile the USA immediately looked for somebody to blame.
I was mortified when many US politicians accused Canada of providing terrorists a means of entering the USA ! Somehow, Canada was being held responsible for allowing terrorists into the USA. As time progressed, agencies like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were granted sweeping powers by the US Congress, sometimes even violating the Constitution, all in the name of fighting terrorism.
Well, let me be the one who says it: Terrorism has won. Then-President Bush enacted a sweeping foreign policy, based on "your either for us or agin us". And since Canada was not immediately ready to mobilize Canadian troops, we were on the "agin us" side ! The DHS began it's work of protecting the USA by erecting fences along the longest undefended border in the history of the world. Canadians were quietly offended.
And the fences weren't just physical. Trade barriers were erected, as the USA became further & further insular, xenophobic and frightened. The nation that was founded on the premise of "send us your tired & downtrodden", which has an incredible history of welcoming people of all Nations, religions, colours and creeds suddenly lost it's ability to see beyond Caucasian Christianity.
On that fateful day, news agencies around the globe were bursting with stories of tragedy and heroism - from the USA. But the rest of the world soldiered on. Was anybody in the USA aware of the significant market-correction in Japan's stock market ? What about the fact that Germany, who has the second-largest economy in the world, was in the process of electing a new Chancellor ? It was a day of human loss and tragedy - but how many people die every single day in third-world Nations, at the hands of oppressive Governments, drought or starvation ?
The USA has embarked on a sustained "War on Terrorism". Billions or even trillions of dollars have been spent, fighting this war. And yet terrorism is still an ever-present reality. People of all Nations eye each other with suspicion & fear. The simple act of traveling, even within the borders of our own Nation, has been hampered by what many refer to as "Security Theatre". And what has been gained ? Are we any more secure from terrorist acts ? Not as much as we might want to believe.
Now the USA is economically shattered. It can no longer afford to wage war on the terrorists, let alone house and feed it's own people. The collapse of the US Financial industry started a Global recession. But instead of ceasing the war and diverting those funds to spurring the economy, more money is diverted to DHS. To provide even more opportunities for Security Theatre. The policies of the Transportation Security Administration (now a sub-agency of DHS), have been compared to the infamous SS of Nazi Germany.
The DHS saw fit to enhance security at the Superbowl in Detroit by posting snipers around the playing field. Meanwhile, Canada stood by silently as the US Coast Guard commenced live weapons-fire trials in the International waters of the Great Lakes. Under ANY other circumstances, that would have been considered an Act of War !
So please don't be surprised if Canada, and perhaps other Nations, do little to mark the 10 year Anniversary of 9/11. While nobody will ever forget that tragic day, I would rather see our Nations celebrate the durability of the Human Spirit, rather than dwell on the horrors of what human beings are capable of doing to each other. We will include the fallen and the heroes in our prayers, but I wouldn't expect much more.
I, personally, pause & reflect on the heroism and compassion. The selflessness and courage. I weep at the senselessness and cheer for the heroes.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
I was asked this morning what Canada was doing to mark the anniversary of this emotionally-charged day. Frankly, it is one of mixed emotions for me, personally. I don't purport to represent the sentiments of the entire nation of Canada, yet can't help but feel that I am not alone in these feelings. Why should Canadians do anything to mark the day ?
Immediately after the horrific realization that these were deliberate acts of terrorism, the USA slammed it's borders closed, stranding airline passengers of all nations. Canadians in communities like Gander, NL opened their hearts and their homes to those "stateless" people. Meanwhile the USA immediately looked for somebody to blame.
I was mortified when many US politicians accused Canada of providing terrorists a means of entering the USA ! Somehow, Canada was being held responsible for allowing terrorists into the USA. As time progressed, agencies like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were granted sweeping powers by the US Congress, sometimes even violating the Constitution, all in the name of fighting terrorism.
Well, let me be the one who says it: Terrorism has won. Then-President Bush enacted a sweeping foreign policy, based on "your either for us or agin us". And since Canada was not immediately ready to mobilize Canadian troops, we were on the "agin us" side ! The DHS began it's work of protecting the USA by erecting fences along the longest undefended border in the history of the world. Canadians were quietly offended.
And the fences weren't just physical. Trade barriers were erected, as the USA became further & further insular, xenophobic and frightened. The nation that was founded on the premise of "send us your tired & downtrodden", which has an incredible history of welcoming people of all Nations, religions, colours and creeds suddenly lost it's ability to see beyond Caucasian Christianity.
On that fateful day, news agencies around the globe were bursting with stories of tragedy and heroism - from the USA. But the rest of the world soldiered on. Was anybody in the USA aware of the significant market-correction in Japan's stock market ? What about the fact that Germany, who has the second-largest economy in the world, was in the process of electing a new Chancellor ? It was a day of human loss and tragedy - but how many people die every single day in third-world Nations, at the hands of oppressive Governments, drought or starvation ?
The USA has embarked on a sustained "War on Terrorism". Billions or even trillions of dollars have been spent, fighting this war. And yet terrorism is still an ever-present reality. People of all Nations eye each other with suspicion & fear. The simple act of traveling, even within the borders of our own Nation, has been hampered by what many refer to as "Security Theatre". And what has been gained ? Are we any more secure from terrorist acts ? Not as much as we might want to believe.
Now the USA is economically shattered. It can no longer afford to wage war on the terrorists, let alone house and feed it's own people. The collapse of the US Financial industry started a Global recession. But instead of ceasing the war and diverting those funds to spurring the economy, more money is diverted to DHS. To provide even more opportunities for Security Theatre. The policies of the Transportation Security Administration (now a sub-agency of DHS), have been compared to the infamous SS of Nazi Germany.
The DHS saw fit to enhance security at the Superbowl in Detroit by posting snipers around the playing field. Meanwhile, Canada stood by silently as the US Coast Guard commenced live weapons-fire trials in the International waters of the Great Lakes. Under ANY other circumstances, that would have been considered an Act of War !
So please don't be surprised if Canada, and perhaps other Nations, do little to mark the 10 year Anniversary of 9/11. While nobody will ever forget that tragic day, I would rather see our Nations celebrate the durability of the Human Spirit, rather than dwell on the horrors of what human beings are capable of doing to each other. We will include the fallen and the heroes in our prayers, but I wouldn't expect much more.
I, personally, pause & reflect on the heroism and compassion. The selflessness and courage. I weep at the senselessness and cheer for the heroes.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Renewable Energy & Open Source : the Master Project
Over the past year or so, I've been keeping a BLOG whose main focus has been Renewable Energy and Open Source. Many people have pointed out that these seem like wildly divergence topics. Interestingly, I think that quite the opposite is true.
Most people think of Open Source, and immediately think of Linux. While Linux IS a fine example of Open Source software, in which the creators share their work freely, and a community of enthusiasts contribute to help more people embrace the technology, Open Source isn't just about software. It's about the sharing and advancement of knowledge, ostensibly for the common good.
Another fine example of Open Source is the "open source ecology" work, being led by Marcin Jakubowsky. Take a look at their web site to understand the 50 individual projects which make up the Global Village Construction Set. Marcin's team is building a repository of all of the technology required to build the industrial machines required to build a modern civilization.
Similar (but not to the same extent) to Adam & Jamie on the Discovery television show "Mythbusters", I consider myself to be somewhat of a Gonzo engineer. That is to say I possess enough knowledge and skill to design & build some of the weird & wonderful ideas I have, without blowing up the house ! This translates into a willingness to try things for myself. Case in point, my son & I built our own Appleseed bio-diesel processor, having modified some plans we found on the Internet.
What does this have to do with Open Source, you ask ? The information on how the bio-diesel processor works, and the general plans to make it are freely shared. There are numerous forums which describe ways to modify the process, or challenges posters have encountered. The "community" is always there to lend a hand, and suggest ways to improve the process.
There have been numerous blogs written, and you-tube videos created that describe other forms of Renewable Energy projects. All are freely shared, with the hopes of encouraging OTHER people to try to build their own projects. The topics are wide-ranging, and often overlapping. In one project, the author takes you through the steps to manufacture pretty decent photo-voltaic panels for generating electricity. In another, the author shows you how to build a sun-tracking heliostat. Marry the two projects together, and with a little Gonzo engineering, you have all the information required to build a highly-efficient source of Solar energy.
So I have started to dream again... As I research and discover new projects, I am collating them into a larger master project: a completely self-sustaining lifestyle. Before you all start to groan, and ask if I have been smoking hemp for breakfast, let me explain the draw. I'm NOT interested in starting a hippie commune, and living off the grid. I'm NOT interested in starting a movement to save the planet. I'm NOT interested in any altruistic motives like lessening my carbon footprint.
What I AM interested in is the vaguely geeky, technological aspects of the projects themselves. I have been collating the various projects and information, trying to knit them together into something usable and consumable. My hope is to create a larger master-project of building a self-sustaining home. One in which the owner/builder would NOT be dependent on external sources of power to continue to live a modern lifestyle. One in which all of the components could be built by a homeowner with modest engineering talents.
Admittedly, some of the projects are more challenging than others, and would draw from a variety of skill-sets - some of which I possess, and some that I'd have to learn. And this is another part of the draw for me - a continued search for knowledge, that I can share as I learn.
In a future blog, I'll share some of my ideas for the Master Project, and start building the links to the sub-projects.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Most people think of Open Source, and immediately think of Linux. While Linux IS a fine example of Open Source software, in which the creators share their work freely, and a community of enthusiasts contribute to help more people embrace the technology, Open Source isn't just about software. It's about the sharing and advancement of knowledge, ostensibly for the common good.
Another fine example of Open Source is the "open source ecology" work, being led by Marcin Jakubowsky. Take a look at their web site to understand the 50 individual projects which make up the Global Village Construction Set. Marcin's team is building a repository of all of the technology required to build the industrial machines required to build a modern civilization.
Similar (but not to the same extent) to Adam & Jamie on the Discovery television show "Mythbusters", I consider myself to be somewhat of a Gonzo engineer. That is to say I possess enough knowledge and skill to design & build some of the weird & wonderful ideas I have, without blowing up the house ! This translates into a willingness to try things for myself. Case in point, my son & I built our own Appleseed bio-diesel processor, having modified some plans we found on the Internet.
What does this have to do with Open Source, you ask ? The information on how the bio-diesel processor works, and the general plans to make it are freely shared. There are numerous forums which describe ways to modify the process, or challenges posters have encountered. The "community" is always there to lend a hand, and suggest ways to improve the process.
There have been numerous blogs written, and you-tube videos created that describe other forms of Renewable Energy projects. All are freely shared, with the hopes of encouraging OTHER people to try to build their own projects. The topics are wide-ranging, and often overlapping. In one project, the author takes you through the steps to manufacture pretty decent photo-voltaic panels for generating electricity. In another, the author shows you how to build a sun-tracking heliostat. Marry the two projects together, and with a little Gonzo engineering, you have all the information required to build a highly-efficient source of Solar energy.
So I have started to dream again... As I research and discover new projects, I am collating them into a larger master project: a completely self-sustaining lifestyle. Before you all start to groan, and ask if I have been smoking hemp for breakfast, let me explain the draw. I'm NOT interested in starting a hippie commune, and living off the grid. I'm NOT interested in starting a movement to save the planet. I'm NOT interested in any altruistic motives like lessening my carbon footprint.
What I AM interested in is the vaguely geeky, technological aspects of the projects themselves. I have been collating the various projects and information, trying to knit them together into something usable and consumable. My hope is to create a larger master-project of building a self-sustaining home. One in which the owner/builder would NOT be dependent on external sources of power to continue to live a modern lifestyle. One in which all of the components could be built by a homeowner with modest engineering talents.
Admittedly, some of the projects are more challenging than others, and would draw from a variety of skill-sets - some of which I possess, and some that I'd have to learn. And this is another part of the draw for me - a continued search for knowledge, that I can share as I learn.
In a future blog, I'll share some of my ideas for the Master Project, and start building the links to the sub-projects.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Sunday, August 21, 2011
The Rise of Renewable Energy
I've been off the grid for most of the summer, owing to the fact that well, it's summer ! Time spent at the Lake with friends and family were a higher priority to me...
In the interim, lots has changed in our world. The USA came remarkably close to having to default on it's loans; a Global recession is gripping large parts of Europe and the Middle East; and of course, the nuclear accident at Fukushima. Interestingly, these represent the potential for huge benefits to Renewable Energy !
The financial crisis in the United States will cause a few things to happen. The Obama Administration will want to stimulate the economy, creating jobs and with them, buying-power. This will spur manufacturing and the processing of raw materials, and the cycle will begin again. But what kinds of jobs will be created ?
This leads to the second initiative, already underway - the lessening of US dependence on foreign energy. This drives the investment in Renewable Energy sources. By creating an industry around Solar, Wind, Hydro and Geothermal energy, the US Government effectively addresses both of the first two crises at once ! They create jobs in a new industry, whose aim is to develop & produce technologies which harvest renewable energy.
Finally, the horrifying accident at Fukushima has created an intense global fear of nuclear energy. While it is by far the most prolific means of producing energy, the risks associated with it are once again cause for greater scrutiny. Germany has declared it will phase out all nuclear power generation plants in the next decade, to be replaced with some form of Renewable Energy source.
To date, the largest barrier to mass-adoption of energy produced by renewable sources - like solar, wind, or hydro sources - has been cost. As we are seeing with hybrid vehicles, which run on gasoline and electricity, they are not LESS expensive to acquire or operate. Nay, one has to make a conscious decision that the benefits will outweigh the additional costs.
The current constraint for Renewable Energy is referred to as "grid parity". The conventional wisdom is that until the cost per mega-watt from renewable energy falls below that of traditional "dirty" sources (so-called "grid" sources), mass adoption will stagnate.
Fortunately, technology is advancing at a break-neck pace. The same economic stimulus the US Government is applying to spur it's economy is being invested in researching and developing technologies to gain higher efficiencies in harvesting Renewable Energy ! Further, "Feed in Tariff" programs already in place provide financial advantages for energy producers to develop energy from renewable sources. Renewable Energy isn't just good for the environment, but it is also a boon to Mankind, given our current economic state.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
In the interim, lots has changed in our world. The USA came remarkably close to having to default on it's loans; a Global recession is gripping large parts of Europe and the Middle East; and of course, the nuclear accident at Fukushima. Interestingly, these represent the potential for huge benefits to Renewable Energy !
The financial crisis in the United States will cause a few things to happen. The Obama Administration will want to stimulate the economy, creating jobs and with them, buying-power. This will spur manufacturing and the processing of raw materials, and the cycle will begin again. But what kinds of jobs will be created ?
This leads to the second initiative, already underway - the lessening of US dependence on foreign energy. This drives the investment in Renewable Energy sources. By creating an industry around Solar, Wind, Hydro and Geothermal energy, the US Government effectively addresses both of the first two crises at once ! They create jobs in a new industry, whose aim is to develop & produce technologies which harvest renewable energy.
Finally, the horrifying accident at Fukushima has created an intense global fear of nuclear energy. While it is by far the most prolific means of producing energy, the risks associated with it are once again cause for greater scrutiny. Germany has declared it will phase out all nuclear power generation plants in the next decade, to be replaced with some form of Renewable Energy source.
To date, the largest barrier to mass-adoption of energy produced by renewable sources - like solar, wind, or hydro sources - has been cost. As we are seeing with hybrid vehicles, which run on gasoline and electricity, they are not LESS expensive to acquire or operate. Nay, one has to make a conscious decision that the benefits will outweigh the additional costs.
The current constraint for Renewable Energy is referred to as "grid parity". The conventional wisdom is that until the cost per mega-watt from renewable energy falls below that of traditional "dirty" sources (so-called "grid" sources), mass adoption will stagnate.
Fortunately, technology is advancing at a break-neck pace. The same economic stimulus the US Government is applying to spur it's economy is being invested in researching and developing technologies to gain higher efficiencies in harvesting Renewable Energy ! Further, "Feed in Tariff" programs already in place provide financial advantages for energy producers to develop energy from renewable sources. Renewable Energy isn't just good for the environment, but it is also a boon to Mankind, given our current economic state.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Tablet Wars : Part 2
I had coffees with my friend Marc this week. As usual, I arrived about 5 minutes late. Marc was passing the time, playing with his shiny new Playbook. Having never really gone "hands-on" with one, I asked permission to take a look. It was all the zippy, functional-UI goodness that I expect from a Blackberry device.
We then spent a few minutes comparing my first-generation iPad to his first-generation Playbook. Fortunately, Marc & I are both adults so there was none of the usual "My tablet is better/bigger/stronger/faster/sexier" than your tablet nonsense. Both of us being IT Professionals, we centered more on the device's utility.
Of course, the two most common things that people centre on in a discussion of tablets are the Apps and Flash. While Adobe maintains that if you don't have Flash, you're missing out on an awful lot of web-content, I don't really feel like I have been missing anything.
Apple's viewpoint is that Flash is a resource-hog, and I tend to agree. Watch any Flash-based video sites, and you will hear your fan speed up as the processor & RAM generate more heat ! And given the precious few resources you can cram into the tiny form-factor, Flash is a non-starter.
Further, conventional wisdom tells us that just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD. I have seen demonstrations of Flash on Xoom devices and Galaxy Tab devices. Flash functions, but barely. Hardly what I would characterize as a serious differentiator !
So the conversation turned to the Apps. An article I read this week indicated the Apple App Store had surpassed 500,000 Apps, while the Android Marketplace had 78,000.
Worse, I've started reading articles which indicate Android developers are struggling to monetize their creations. Marc's counter-point asked a simple question: "How many of those Apps are BUSINESS Apps ?". He runs a small-ish IT shop at an energy company, and manages a tight budget. This led me straight to the one app, released the same day as the iPad, which made the iPad a serious business machine from Day 1. I asked Marc to fire up Microsoft Visio on his tablet. He looked at me in disbelief & said it wasn't possible. Microsoft would never publish an App for an Apple device ! No, he's right, of course. But Citrix will enable it !
Enter the Citrix Receiver for iPad. Most major corporations and companies take advantage of Citrix's XenApp and XenDesktop technologies. They all for applications and desktops to be maintained and published from a central location, while presenting a small stream to the client. The stream represents the video display, as well as keyboard and mouse inputs.
Many would push back, stating that since Visio isn't really running natively on the tablet device, it doesn't really count. I would counter that with a single free utility, I can enable the iPad to run virtually ANY business application I need. And still be able to play Angry Birds on the commute home !
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Social Media and Your Personal Brand
Lately, many of my friends and colleagues have been very curious about the rising use of Social Media. We all thought that FaceBook was a passing fad, right ? Originally, I was very skeptical about the use of Social Media, seeing it as a remarkable way to waste time ! I really only got onto FaceBook as a means of sharing pictures from my trip to Australia and New Zealand with my wife & kids. But we've seen how Twitter was used to organize riots and flash-mobs in Iran, and how Social Media is increasingly being exploited by politicians to reach younger, "hipper" voters.
A while back, I read an interesting article that talked about the concept of the personal brand. Not really understanding how a person (OK, me !) could apply the concept of "Brand" to themselves, I turned to my part-time mentor and friend, David Burney. Dave and his team at New Kind are the brains that BUILT the successful brand that is Red Hat, amongst others. Dave was kind enough to take me once more under his wing and enlighten me...
The object of the personal brand is to become thought of as being well-respected in a field. That is to say to be synonymous with that field. Dr Stephen Hawking is extremely well-respected as a physicist and cosmologist, and is considered to be THE thought-leader in those fields. When people THINK of physics and cosmology, he is the face that they come up with. As we go down the journey of personal-branding, the first question you should ask yourself is: "What do _I_ want to be synonymous with ?".
It is important to consider that you not be TOO specific, lest you create a goal instead. Being thought of as the "#1 Sales Rep at Century 21" is a goal. Your brand would be something like "the Real Estate Agent with integrity". What would happen to your brand if you no longer worked for Century 21 ? It's value would fade quickly.
Also, it is important to limit the components of your brand. You need to be passionate about your brand. You probably shouldn't portray yourself as a Subject-Matter Expert (SME), if you have no idea what you are talking about ! Further, if you are trying to be the SME in too many areas, blogging and tweeting and whatever else you're going to do will consume a LOT of your time. I have personally chosen three areas, that have the ability to overlap: Open-Source Software, IT Infrastructure Architecture, and Renewable Energy.
So how does one use Social Media to promote your brand ? You start with something that demonstrates your expertise. In my case, I blog. I write short articles on various topics, around the three fields I have chosen. I take personal delight in finding ways in which they can overlap. But I have also started exploring ways in which I can use video to demonstrate my expertise. Psychologically, people will identify more readily with the FACE of the Brand. Think about Bill Gates or Mickey Mouse. I could show you the image alone, and you would be able to come up with the associated products.
Marketing experts will tell you that the value of Social Media is almost immeasurable, as the landscape changes very rapidly. New Social Media venues pop up and fade away, seemingly overnight ! Does anyone still use MySpace ? I never did...
So lets start mapping in the tools _I_ have selected. I write my blogs and post them to Blogger. I like Blogger because it is connected to Google, and it allows me to "tag" my posts with key-words. These keywords can be entered into the main Google search engine and voila ! My blog comes up in the results list. I call this the "poor man's" version of search engine optimization. The same is true of YouTube - you can associate key-words which are searchable.
So I blog, or produce short videos, demonstrating my expertise. Originally, I was quite concerned that I was giving away my Intellectual Property ( IP ) for free. "Why would anybody want to pay me for my IP, if they can get it for free ?" - I asked Dave. He told me that people will assess my expertise in the subject, but when they need help, they'll come to me. This became poignant when a colleague was awarded a $70,000 project based on a YouTube video he posted on the steps required to upgrade to a company's mail system to Exchange 2010 !
So once I have "the Product" - my Blog, video, etc - I need to let people know about it. Social Media to the rescue ! I have set up accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter. The next step is to shorten the URL to my Blog or Video entry. Since Twitter has a hard limit of 140 characters per tweet, every character counts ! So I use the website bit.ly to shorten the URL. It will turn http://some.really.long.URL.goes.here.blogspot.com into something_short.bit.ly ! Which leaves room in an individual tweet to describe the blog.
I then post amongst my friends on FaceBook, and my professional connections via LinkedIn. And anyone else via Twitter ! Sometimes, my friends or colleagues will sometimes elect to re-tweet or re-post my links for THEIR friends and/or colleagues, which vastly increases the "reach" of my Brand - this is a huge side benefit that comes from Social Media !
Marketing types will tell you that the reach of Social Media is significant. Consider that FaceBook is a Marketer's wet dream ! It is offered as a free "service" to some 500 Million people to connect with friends and share details of their lives. They share all kinds of information about themselves, including where they live, and their age, and their gender. But other things are interesting to Marketers too. I had a friend change her "Marital Status" from single to engaged. Almost immediately, the advertisements on her wall changed to wedding-themed ads, such as Bridal Shops and Wedding Photographers !
If you consider that in some way, we are ALL trying to sell something - ourselves ! If we apply the techniques of Sales 101, you have to recognize the roles that these components play in our success. The standard Sales model sees Marketing delivering the message of the brand. This in turn causes prospective customers to become curious about the brand, and want to investigate - this is called lead-generation. It is then the job of Sales to convert those leads into revenue.
If I apply that same methodology to my own personal brand, I use Social Media to perform my marketing for me. This drives prospective customers to seek me out, investigate my IP and start asking questions. It then becomes my job to turn those questions into a contract, which provides me income. I have successfully used my Social Media tools to find contracts for employment, and have finally become a full-time consultant.
The final thing to consider is this: Social Media costs you nothing to use. Its FREE ! The only cost is the time taken to create your personal brand, and then to keep up with your Social Media avenues.
The opinions expressed are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses - everyone has one, and they are entitled to it !
A while back, I read an interesting article that talked about the concept of the personal brand. Not really understanding how a person (OK, me !) could apply the concept of "Brand" to themselves, I turned to my part-time mentor and friend, David Burney. Dave and his team at New Kind are the brains that BUILT the successful brand that is Red Hat, amongst others. Dave was kind enough to take me once more under his wing and enlighten me...
The object of the personal brand is to become thought of as being well-respected in a field. That is to say to be synonymous with that field. Dr Stephen Hawking is extremely well-respected as a physicist and cosmologist, and is considered to be THE thought-leader in those fields. When people THINK of physics and cosmology, he is the face that they come up with. As we go down the journey of personal-branding, the first question you should ask yourself is: "What do _I_ want to be synonymous with ?".
It is important to consider that you not be TOO specific, lest you create a goal instead. Being thought of as the "#1 Sales Rep at Century 21" is a goal. Your brand would be something like "the Real Estate Agent with integrity". What would happen to your brand if you no longer worked for Century 21 ? It's value would fade quickly.
Also, it is important to limit the components of your brand. You need to be passionate about your brand. You probably shouldn't portray yourself as a Subject-Matter Expert (SME), if you have no idea what you are talking about ! Further, if you are trying to be the SME in too many areas, blogging and tweeting and whatever else you're going to do will consume a LOT of your time. I have personally chosen three areas, that have the ability to overlap: Open-Source Software, IT Infrastructure Architecture, and Renewable Energy.
So how does one use Social Media to promote your brand ? You start with something that demonstrates your expertise. In my case, I blog. I write short articles on various topics, around the three fields I have chosen. I take personal delight in finding ways in which they can overlap. But I have also started exploring ways in which I can use video to demonstrate my expertise. Psychologically, people will identify more readily with the FACE of the Brand. Think about Bill Gates or Mickey Mouse. I could show you the image alone, and you would be able to come up with the associated products.
Marketing experts will tell you that the value of Social Media is almost immeasurable, as the landscape changes very rapidly. New Social Media venues pop up and fade away, seemingly overnight ! Does anyone still use MySpace ? I never did...
So lets start mapping in the tools _I_ have selected. I write my blogs and post them to Blogger. I like Blogger because it is connected to Google, and it allows me to "tag" my posts with key-words. These keywords can be entered into the main Google search engine and voila ! My blog comes up in the results list. I call this the "poor man's" version of search engine optimization. The same is true of YouTube - you can associate key-words which are searchable.
So I blog, or produce short videos, demonstrating my expertise. Originally, I was quite concerned that I was giving away my Intellectual Property ( IP ) for free. "Why would anybody want to pay me for my IP, if they can get it for free ?" - I asked Dave. He told me that people will assess my expertise in the subject, but when they need help, they'll come to me. This became poignant when a colleague was awarded a $70,000 project based on a YouTube video he posted on the steps required to upgrade to a company's mail system to Exchange 2010 !
So once I have "the Product" - my Blog, video, etc - I need to let people know about it. Social Media to the rescue ! I have set up accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter. The next step is to shorten the URL to my Blog or Video entry. Since Twitter has a hard limit of 140 characters per tweet, every character counts ! So I use the website bit.ly to shorten the URL. It will turn http://some.really.long.URL.goes.here.blogspot.com into something_short.bit.ly ! Which leaves room in an individual tweet to describe the blog.
I then post amongst my friends on FaceBook, and my professional connections via LinkedIn. And anyone else via Twitter ! Sometimes, my friends or colleagues will sometimes elect to re-tweet or re-post my links for THEIR friends and/or colleagues, which vastly increases the "reach" of my Brand - this is a huge side benefit that comes from Social Media !
Marketing types will tell you that the reach of Social Media is significant. Consider that FaceBook is a Marketer's wet dream ! It is offered as a free "service" to some 500 Million people to connect with friends and share details of their lives. They share all kinds of information about themselves, including where they live, and their age, and their gender. But other things are interesting to Marketers too. I had a friend change her "Marital Status" from single to engaged. Almost immediately, the advertisements on her wall changed to wedding-themed ads, such as Bridal Shops and Wedding Photographers !
If you consider that in some way, we are ALL trying to sell something - ourselves ! If we apply the techniques of Sales 101, you have to recognize the roles that these components play in our success. The standard Sales model sees Marketing delivering the message of the brand. This in turn causes prospective customers to become curious about the brand, and want to investigate - this is called lead-generation. It is then the job of Sales to convert those leads into revenue.
If I apply that same methodology to my own personal brand, I use Social Media to perform my marketing for me. This drives prospective customers to seek me out, investigate my IP and start asking questions. It then becomes my job to turn those questions into a contract, which provides me income. I have successfully used my Social Media tools to find contracts for employment, and have finally become a full-time consultant.
The final thing to consider is this: Social Media costs you nothing to use. Its FREE ! The only cost is the time taken to create your personal brand, and then to keep up with your Social Media avenues.
The opinions expressed are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses - everyone has one, and they are entitled to it !
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Tablet Wars
There's been a lot of press about Tablets lately. Until recently, Apple's iPad was the only game in town. But Samsung released the Galaxy Tab, Motorola released their Xoom, and Research in Motion recently released their Playbook. Apple just released the second generation of the iPad, which dealt directly with some of the initial criticisms of the platform, as well as making it smaller and faster.
Early on, the industry analysts were wondering how large the potential market was. Apple sold almost 1 Million iPads in the first month it was on the market. In all, Apple has sold more that 15 Million iPads, and are on track to sell 8 Million iPad2's.
Early sales of the Motorola Xoom are disappointing, by comparison. In their first quarter, analysts estimate that there have been 250,000 units shipped. This leads us to the question - is this a "Tablet Market" or an "iPad Market"? Recent reports show that the Apple products (first & second generation devices combined) control 82% of the market.
Interestingly, Microsoft is being left behind, and is none too happy about it.
Two years ago, Steve Ballmer showed off an HP Slate, running the Windows 7 operating system. Criticism was harsh ! The concern was that a Windows platform takes far too long to boot up & shut down, and is not "finger friendly". Further, HP has acquired the Palm Web-OS. And the Slate will continue it's development on that platform. Sorry Steve...
RIM's Playbook showed great promise, and the hope was that it would provide a MORE business-friendly tablet interface. But the critics panned it as well, calling it "rushed and incomplete". Worse, the reliance on "bridge" software to allow the device access to the email, contacts & calendar information is not allowed for use on AT&T's network ! And you can't use them without it !
The Xoom is exciting in that it is the first iteration of the Android v.3 (AKA Honeycomb) operating system. But the fact that it is (sort of, OK not really) based on Open Source Software is simply not enough.
The big buzz in the tablet world is the fact that the iPad doesn't support Flash - a technology for building games & applications to be delivered in a web-browser. But even on the tablets which DO support Flash, it's performance is lackluster and prone to crashing.
The message IS clear - it's an iPad market, not a tablet market. Apple has successfully created a market, one which it continues to dominate.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Monday, April 25, 2011
Changing How We Consume Media !
Those of you who have been following my various rants and diatribes will recall that I have many interests. Not only am I keenly interested in Renewable Energy and Open Source Software, but I am also curious about the ways in which technology is changing our lives.
In a previous post, I described my research into building out a media-centre and home-automation solution. The business case has been written and tacitly approved, now we're just waiting for this Year's budget to be released ! Hopefully, in a future post, I'll describe the components and article how I constructed my solution.
In the meantime, my tinkering continues. I bought an iPad last year. What a truly game-changing device that has become. Effectively, my MacBookAir has not left my desk as an ultra-portable computer since I acquired "Tabitha". My wife likes to name the items I'm in love with - Tabitha was a great choice ! Since then, my wife has also acquired an iPad. Now the kids are wondering when THEY will get one...
As part of my quest to change the way we consume media, I have been carefully playing with Apple's offerings. I can stream audio to various sets of speakers in the house, using Apple's AirPlay. Further, I can use any iOS device - iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad - as either the source of the music, or to remotely control the playback. This is relatively straightforward goodness.
Apple extends this paradigm with the second generation AppleTV. It allows you to stream audio/video from iTunes to a television set - wirelessly ! This is pretty cool too, because it continues to set up iTunes as my media hub. Further, it connects to my TV via HDMI, so I can continue to watch all the High-Def media I pay extra for !
But what about Tabitha ? Apple seems to have neglected these wonderfully mobile, media consumption devices ! Using pure Apple technologies, I cannot stream to the iPads & iPods we love. Fear not, AirVideo to the rescue ! For $2.99 I installed the AirVideo app onto my iPad. I download a free "server" component to my Media Centre (for the Proof of Concept, my MBA). I can now access the folder where my movies & TV shows live & stream them wirelessly to Tabitha !
AirVideo is also AirPlay-enabled, so I can watch the content on Tabitha, while receiving the audio via speakers connected to my Airport Express wireless access point(s). Better still, the audio & video are well-synced, thanks to Apple's RAOP protocol. In the past, minor differences in network lag would cause the audio & video to present a second or two out of sync, diminishing the experience.
The final thing I have come to love is the fact that the AirVideo service on the media centre is completely separate from iTunes. Currently, iTunes only allows on stream at a time. You can't watch one TV show over the AppleTV in one room, while listening to a music stream in another. Air Video allows you to watch multiple iOS streams at the same time !
A single word of caution... If you want to get into streaming video and audio wirelessly, invest in the latest 802.11N wireless access points. When I watch a video on Tabitha, and my son streams YouTube videos to his iPod, there's very little bandwidth left on an 802.11G access point. I intend to spend the $200, and uplift to Apple's Airport Extreme base station.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
In a previous post, I described my research into building out a media-centre and home-automation solution. The business case has been written and tacitly approved, now we're just waiting for this Year's budget to be released ! Hopefully, in a future post, I'll describe the components and article how I constructed my solution.In the meantime, my tinkering continues. I bought an iPad last year. What a truly game-changing device that has become. Effectively, my MacBookAir has not left my desk as an ultra-portable computer since I acquired "Tabitha". My wife likes to name the items I'm in love with - Tabitha was a great choice ! Since then, my wife has also acquired an iPad. Now the kids are wondering when THEY will get one...
As part of my quest to change the way we consume media, I have been carefully playing with Apple's offerings. I can stream audio to various sets of speakers in the house, using Apple's AirPlay. Further, I can use any iOS device - iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad - as either the source of the music, or to remotely control the playback. This is relatively straightforward goodness.
Apple extends this paradigm with the second generation AppleTV. It allows you to stream audio/video from iTunes to a television set - wirelessly ! This is pretty cool too, because it continues to set up iTunes as my media hub. Further, it connects to my TV via HDMI, so I can continue to watch all the High-Def media I pay extra for !
But what about Tabitha ? Apple seems to have neglected these wonderfully mobile, media consumption devices ! Using pure Apple technologies, I cannot stream to the iPads & iPods we love. Fear not, AirVideo to the rescue ! For $2.99 I installed the AirVideo app onto my iPad. I download a free "server" component to my Media Centre (for the Proof of Concept, my MBA). I can now access the folder where my movies & TV shows live & stream them wirelessly to Tabitha ! AirVideo is also AirPlay-enabled, so I can watch the content on Tabitha, while receiving the audio via speakers connected to my Airport Express wireless access point(s). Better still, the audio & video are well-synced, thanks to Apple's RAOP protocol. In the past, minor differences in network lag would cause the audio & video to present a second or two out of sync, diminishing the experience.
The final thing I have come to love is the fact that the AirVideo service on the media centre is completely separate from iTunes. Currently, iTunes only allows on stream at a time. You can't watch one TV show over the AppleTV in one room, while listening to a music stream in another. Air Video allows you to watch multiple iOS streams at the same time !
A single word of caution... If you want to get into streaming video and audio wirelessly, invest in the latest 802.11N wireless access points. When I watch a video on Tabitha, and my son streams YouTube videos to his iPod, there's very little bandwidth left on an 802.11G access point. I intend to spend the $200, and uplift to Apple's Airport Extreme base station.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tape Is Dead ? No, Not Really...
In recent years, we have seen a shift away from tape media as a means of protecting corporate data. Tape has a long history of being the media of choice, due to it's ability to pack data in high density, low cost, portable packages. But it is also sensitive to magnetic interference, and temperature extremes. But the paradigm remains. How does an IT organization protect it's valuable data in an offsite, secure way, without incurring unreasonable costs ?
Many companies, like HP, believe that tape is dead. In fact, they have a product-line called SEPATON - "no tapes" spelled backwards. They believe that the cost of near line storage - inexpensive secondary data arrays - has come down far enough in price to challenge tape as a low-cost medium. In some respects, it is true.
Others would argue that the near line array needs to be offsite in order to satisfy even the most basic Business Continuity schemes. So the pat response is to house the secondary array in a second data centre ! Well, doesn't that fly in the face of keeping the data on the cheapest media possible ? Imagine the face of the CFO when you suggest you want to DOUBLE his costs for IT !
A recent "replacement" for traditional tape systems is the Virtual Tape Library (VTL). VTL takes common storage devices line SAN or NAS, and mimics a Tape Library. The data is streamed to "tapes", which in reality are small disk volumes on the storage device. I've never really seen the value of having a VTL, as you lose the portability.
In all reality, current ideas about Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) point towards a tiered storage approach. Data being used by business applications in day-to-day operations is stored on a Primary, high-speed array. When data is considered stale, either due to it's age (a few days for example) or a change in it's IO requirements, it can move to a secondary tier of storage, in less expensive and lower performance disks. Finally, data which has not been accessed in a longer period of time (say 6 months) gets relegated to long-term retention - AKA tape.
This ILM means that data can be moved around automatically, according to pre-defined policies, in line with the business's goals & requirements. Further, tape is still used for long-term data retention, but is not the primary means of recovery. The secondary tier provides the majority of that function, minimizing the tape requirements, but not eliminating it.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Many companies, like HP, believe that tape is dead. In fact, they have a product-line called SEPATON - "no tapes" spelled backwards. They believe that the cost of near line storage - inexpensive secondary data arrays - has come down far enough in price to challenge tape as a low-cost medium. In some respects, it is true.
Others would argue that the near line array needs to be offsite in order to satisfy even the most basic Business Continuity schemes. So the pat response is to house the secondary array in a second data centre ! Well, doesn't that fly in the face of keeping the data on the cheapest media possible ? Imagine the face of the CFO when you suggest you want to DOUBLE his costs for IT !
A recent "replacement" for traditional tape systems is the Virtual Tape Library (VTL). VTL takes common storage devices line SAN or NAS, and mimics a Tape Library. The data is streamed to "tapes", which in reality are small disk volumes on the storage device. I've never really seen the value of having a VTL, as you lose the portability.
In all reality, current ideas about Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) point towards a tiered storage approach. Data being used by business applications in day-to-day operations is stored on a Primary, high-speed array. When data is considered stale, either due to it's age (a few days for example) or a change in it's IO requirements, it can move to a secondary tier of storage, in less expensive and lower performance disks. Finally, data which has not been accessed in a longer period of time (say 6 months) gets relegated to long-term retention - AKA tape.
This ILM means that data can be moved around automatically, according to pre-defined policies, in line with the business's goals & requirements. Further, tape is still used for long-term data retention, but is not the primary means of recovery. The secondary tier provides the majority of that function, minimizing the tape requirements, but not eliminating it.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Monday, March 21, 2011
Data Lifecycle Management
I have been spending a significant amount of time lately researching how computer data storage has been evolving in the last 5 years. As many of you know, I earn my living as a consultant who develops complex IT solutions for my clients - matching appropriate technology solutions to real business problems. Data Lifecycle Management is a hot topic these days !
Business-grade data storage solutions generally take on two flavors: Network Attached Storage (NAS), and Storage Area Network (SAN). Typically, what differentiates these types of data storage is how the host computers connect to them. NAS devices are connected to the Ethernet network, and use TCP/IP protocols to connect, like CIFS (Windows) and NFS (UNIX/Linux). A newer standard called iSCSI is seeing a rapid rise in popularity.
NAS devices are attractive to smaller organizations because they are less expensive to deploy. The are simply attached to the existing Ethernet network and then they expose their data volumes to the host computers. SAN devices require Fibre-Channel cabling and switching gear to connect the hosts. This is significantly more expensive than NAS, so is considered a "higher-end" solution. It is also considered to be more secure, as the users of the applications and the storage are on physically separate networks, using different access protocols.
In almost all data storage systems, the device is a collection of computer hard disks in an enclosure. It will also house the controller heads (the brains to read & write the data) and the means of connection, be it Ethernet or fibre-channel. The brains provide different means of striping the data across the disks, mitigating the risk that a hardware failure of a single drive permanently destroys data.
Newer data storage systems have evolved from the traditional ones to include different types of computer hard disk in the same array. The heads (brains) understand that the different types of disks will have different price:performance ratios. So rather than treating all workloads the same, those with higher performance requirements - real-time applications or databases - will be intelligently migrated to the faster disks. Those with low performance requirements will move to the less-expensive, lower-performance disks.
Then there are other software advances in the heads (brains) which help by deduplicating the stored data. Imagine you wrote a paper on encyclopedia. Rather than writing out the word encyclopedia every time it appears in the paper, it gets written once, and then all subsequent copies are stubs which simply point back to the first - like an abbreviation. But the heads can do this with every word in the paper ! This can lead to efficiencies in the storage system of up to 90% ! Then there are other means of making the data storage more efficient, like thin-provisioning.
As you can see, organizations will go to great lengths to protect their data. The final tier in this Data Lifecycle Management paradigm is the role of tape. In traditional data storage systems, data would be backed up onto tapes, which are then sent offsite for safe keeping. Companies such as Iron Mountain have made a great business out of managing the logistics of off-site data storage for other organizations.
But tape is not without it's problems. While it IS remarkably inexpensive, in terms of cost-per-Gigabyte-stored, it is also somewhat fragile. Like most media, it is very sensitive to magnetic fields, and simply holding your tapes too close to a mobile phone places them at risk !
Since the price of disk-based storage is rapidly coming down, and the availability of high performance flash disks (no spinning platters, these are solid state !), is becoming common-place, the concept of "near line" storage is really taking hold. Organizations will acquire a second inexpensive storage array, and use it to store copies of the Production data.
This near line storage allows for all kinds of operational efficiencies. In the event that a user accidentally deletes an important file, it is quickly and easily restored from the near line storage system. In a traditional system, the operator would have to identify what tape the file was on, order the tape back from the off-site facility, and aft it arrives, restore the file. This could take a significant amount of time.
With data archival systems (like traditional tape backup systems), there are three key factors: Recovery Time Objective (RTO), Recovery Point Objective (RPO), and - of course - cost. RTO is the amount of time it takes from when the file was deleted to the time it has been restored. The RPO is how far back in time was the deleted file copied to the archival medium. That could be measured in minutes, hours, or days ! The entire outage is measured in terms of the sum of RTO + RPO. Finally, the costs are associated with the length of the outage targets. Conventional wisdom is that the shorter the outage window, the more expensive the protection scheme.
So the final tier of Data Lifecycle Management is still tape, but it is used more for long-term data retention. When the organization looks at the age of it's data, it may no longer be cost-effective to keep stale, unused files on the near line storage system. Tools are available to keep track of when data is accessed and migrate it down through the storage tiers, based on policies. For example, a policy can state that anything not accessed in 14 days should be moved from the primary storage system to the near line storage system. And if it remains untouched there for 30 more days, it gets marked for long-term data retention, offsite on tapes.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Business-grade data storage solutions generally take on two flavors: Network Attached Storage (NAS), and Storage Area Network (SAN). Typically, what differentiates these types of data storage is how the host computers connect to them. NAS devices are connected to the Ethernet network, and use TCP/IP protocols to connect, like CIFS (Windows) and NFS (UNIX/Linux). A newer standard called iSCSI is seeing a rapid rise in popularity.
NAS devices are attractive to smaller organizations because they are less expensive to deploy. The are simply attached to the existing Ethernet network and then they expose their data volumes to the host computers. SAN devices require Fibre-Channel cabling and switching gear to connect the hosts. This is significantly more expensive than NAS, so is considered a "higher-end" solution. It is also considered to be more secure, as the users of the applications and the storage are on physically separate networks, using different access protocols.
In almost all data storage systems, the device is a collection of computer hard disks in an enclosure. It will also house the controller heads (the brains to read & write the data) and the means of connection, be it Ethernet or fibre-channel. The brains provide different means of striping the data across the disks, mitigating the risk that a hardware failure of a single drive permanently destroys data.
Newer data storage systems have evolved from the traditional ones to include different types of computer hard disk in the same array. The heads (brains) understand that the different types of disks will have different price:performance ratios. So rather than treating all workloads the same, those with higher performance requirements - real-time applications or databases - will be intelligently migrated to the faster disks. Those with low performance requirements will move to the less-expensive, lower-performance disks.
Then there are other software advances in the heads (brains) which help by deduplicating the stored data. Imagine you wrote a paper on encyclopedia. Rather than writing out the word encyclopedia every time it appears in the paper, it gets written once, and then all subsequent copies are stubs which simply point back to the first - like an abbreviation. But the heads can do this with every word in the paper ! This can lead to efficiencies in the storage system of up to 90% ! Then there are other means of making the data storage more efficient, like thin-provisioning.
As you can see, organizations will go to great lengths to protect their data. The final tier in this Data Lifecycle Management paradigm is the role of tape. In traditional data storage systems, data would be backed up onto tapes, which are then sent offsite for safe keeping. Companies such as Iron Mountain have made a great business out of managing the logistics of off-site data storage for other organizations.
But tape is not without it's problems. While it IS remarkably inexpensive, in terms of cost-per-Gigabyte-stored, it is also somewhat fragile. Like most media, it is very sensitive to magnetic fields, and simply holding your tapes too close to a mobile phone places them at risk !
Since the price of disk-based storage is rapidly coming down, and the availability of high performance flash disks (no spinning platters, these are solid state !), is becoming common-place, the concept of "near line" storage is really taking hold. Organizations will acquire a second inexpensive storage array, and use it to store copies of the Production data.
This near line storage allows for all kinds of operational efficiencies. In the event that a user accidentally deletes an important file, it is quickly and easily restored from the near line storage system. In a traditional system, the operator would have to identify what tape the file was on, order the tape back from the off-site facility, and aft it arrives, restore the file. This could take a significant amount of time.
With data archival systems (like traditional tape backup systems), there are three key factors: Recovery Time Objective (RTO), Recovery Point Objective (RPO), and - of course - cost. RTO is the amount of time it takes from when the file was deleted to the time it has been restored. The RPO is how far back in time was the deleted file copied to the archival medium. That could be measured in minutes, hours, or days ! The entire outage is measured in terms of the sum of RTO + RPO. Finally, the costs are associated with the length of the outage targets. Conventional wisdom is that the shorter the outage window, the more expensive the protection scheme.
So the final tier of Data Lifecycle Management is still tape, but it is used more for long-term data retention. When the organization looks at the age of it's data, it may no longer be cost-effective to keep stale, unused files on the near line storage system. Tools are available to keep track of when data is accessed and migrate it down through the storage tiers, based on policies. For example, a policy can state that anything not accessed in 14 days should be moved from the primary storage system to the near line storage system. And if it remains untouched there for 30 more days, it gets marked for long-term data retention, offsite on tapes.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Renewable Energy and the Grid
It seems that every time we turn around, our electricity providers are extolling the virtues of going Green. By that they mean we should be using energy from renewable sources. Whether the sources are wind - like the experimental wind farm near Pincher Creek, in Southern Alberta, or Solar Panels that Enmax (the power retailer in Calgary) will install on your roof. It seems they all want to demonstrate how conscious they are of environmental issues.
Don't get me wrong, that's admirable and everything, but until the infrastructure changes, it is really little more than lip-service. "Why do you say that, Mark ?" you ask... Well, we have to remember that most Renewable Energy sources aren't steady-state. The wind goes calm, and the sun hides behind clouds. As such, we can't always predict how much power they will generate.
As I noted in my previous post, the Grid is like a pipe. When the demand for water at the output end changes, so must the call for water at the input end. In Alberta, the Grid is managed in a similar fashion - electrical demand is forecast and provided for in advance. When unplanned spikes or dips happen, the operators of the Grid call upon the producers to ramp up or slow down their production.
But the operator of the Grid can't ask to increase the wind or decrease the sun. It simply doesn't work that way. The generation "curve" from Renewable Energy sources would look very spiky, if you were to graph it on paper.
The problem is further exacerbated by simple physics - any electricity not consumed is simply wasted. Like the "water in the pipe" analogy, anything not used before it gets to the end flows out the far end, unusable and unrecoverable.
The State of California is desperate for electricity. Every summer, we read news articles about rolling blackouts, and brown-out conditions. So bad is the situation that Google built their own hydro-electric dam! But California struggles to use Renewable Energy from their neighbors in Oregon, because they can't manage it's production.
"So what's the solution, Mark ?" you ask... Well, I think if we could store any excess power when the Renewable Energy producers can over-generate, we could draw from that reserve to augment the production when the sun sneaks behind a cloud.
I'm quite sure we are all imagining a huge building full of truck batteries, in a quiet corner of the Province ! But we can store power in many different ways. Electricity is really a different form of energy potential. So that energy could be stored in other forms, such as heat or mechanical energy.
One power-storage means that I find intriguing stores potential energy in a huge fly-wheel. We use the excess electricity to drive a motor, which in turn spins up the fly wheel. It has lots & lots of mass, so once it is spinning, we need less energy to keep it spinning at the desired rate.
Then, when we need to draw power from the spinning mass, We simply attach or engage a generator - which turns the mechanical energy back into voltage. As long as the mass continues to spin, voltage is created. This is not a remarkably efficient means of storing energy, because as soon as the power input is removed, the flywheel's rate of spin begins to decrease, eventually stopping altogether.
Another, more efficient means of energy storage would pump water from a source in a lower basin UP a hill. The excess electricity powers the pump, and a reservoir at the top of the hill acts as the storage medium. When electricity is required, gates open up, channelling a flow of water through a hydro-electric generator. The trick is having large enough storage reservoirs to handle enough volume to provide power for a reasonable period of time.
So the solution is not in the creation of electricity from renewable sources,it's truly more of a question of how to manage it. Our current Grid is inelastic in that it is unable to cope with fluctuations in the production of electricity as well as it does with the consumption. Implementing some form (or many !) of energy storage would flatten the spiky generation curve, making it easier for the Grid operators to properly manage the load.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Don't get me wrong, that's admirable and everything, but until the infrastructure changes, it is really little more than lip-service. "Why do you say that, Mark ?" you ask... Well, we have to remember that most Renewable Energy sources aren't steady-state. The wind goes calm, and the sun hides behind clouds. As such, we can't always predict how much power they will generate.
As I noted in my previous post, the Grid is like a pipe. When the demand for water at the output end changes, so must the call for water at the input end. In Alberta, the Grid is managed in a similar fashion - electrical demand is forecast and provided for in advance. When unplanned spikes or dips happen, the operators of the Grid call upon the producers to ramp up or slow down their production.
But the operator of the Grid can't ask to increase the wind or decrease the sun. It simply doesn't work that way. The generation "curve" from Renewable Energy sources would look very spiky, if you were to graph it on paper.
The problem is further exacerbated by simple physics - any electricity not consumed is simply wasted. Like the "water in the pipe" analogy, anything not used before it gets to the end flows out the far end, unusable and unrecoverable.
The State of California is desperate for electricity. Every summer, we read news articles about rolling blackouts, and brown-out conditions. So bad is the situation that Google built their own hydro-electric dam! But California struggles to use Renewable Energy from their neighbors in Oregon, because they can't manage it's production.
"So what's the solution, Mark ?" you ask... Well, I think if we could store any excess power when the Renewable Energy producers can over-generate, we could draw from that reserve to augment the production when the sun sneaks behind a cloud.
I'm quite sure we are all imagining a huge building full of truck batteries, in a quiet corner of the Province ! But we can store power in many different ways. Electricity is really a different form of energy potential. So that energy could be stored in other forms, such as heat or mechanical energy.
One power-storage means that I find intriguing stores potential energy in a huge fly-wheel. We use the excess electricity to drive a motor, which in turn spins up the fly wheel. It has lots & lots of mass, so once it is spinning, we need less energy to keep it spinning at the desired rate.
Then, when we need to draw power from the spinning mass, We simply attach or engage a generator - which turns the mechanical energy back into voltage. As long as the mass continues to spin, voltage is created. This is not a remarkably efficient means of storing energy, because as soon as the power input is removed, the flywheel's rate of spin begins to decrease, eventually stopping altogether.
Another, more efficient means of energy storage would pump water from a source in a lower basin UP a hill. The excess electricity powers the pump, and a reservoir at the top of the hill acts as the storage medium. When electricity is required, gates open up, channelling a flow of water through a hydro-electric generator. The trick is having large enough storage reservoirs to handle enough volume to provide power for a reasonable period of time.
So the solution is not in the creation of electricity from renewable sources,it's truly more of a question of how to manage it. Our current Grid is inelastic in that it is unable to cope with fluctuations in the production of electricity as well as it does with the consumption. Implementing some form (or many !) of energy storage would flatten the spiky generation curve, making it easier for the Grid operators to properly manage the load.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The other side of the equation: how DOES the grid work ?
Astute readers will notice that I haven't written in my journal in quite some time. Life gets busy: a new job, family pressures, and a host of other things have occupied my time. But on a positive note, I have taken a long term contract as an IT Consultant at the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO). This is an eye-opening experience, and I'd like to share a little about what I have learned so far.
The AESO is mandated by the Provincial Government of Alberta to operate "the Grid". The Grid is a mesh of components, including electricity producers, the transmission facilities and the retailers. Finally the retailers handle the "last mile" of connection to the homes & businesses in Alberta.
The AESO manages the supply and demand cycle of electricity on the grid. That means that it forecasts usage in advance, but tweaks the generation on a minute by minute basis. Electricity has to always be on, so imagine it's like a pipe full of water: water goes into the pipe, and flows to the far end of the pipe, which is open. If you opened a faucet in the middle of the pipe, the amount of water coming out the far end is diminished. In order to keep the flow and pressure up, the producer must monitor the flow and add more water when the faucet is open, and equally, reduce they need to reduce production when that faucet is closed again.
Behind the scenes is a lot of metering, and logic behind the estimation of the demand. Complex models are created which identify how to re-route the electricity should a segment of the grid become available, such as in severe whether when transmission lines get damaged.
The AESO monitors the demand, and as demand rises in the morning, or slows in the evening, must call for more power from the producers, or ask the producers to throttle back their production. Internally, it operates similar to a commodities market, buying electricity according to demand, and in turn selling it to the retailers.
Of course this is where things get interesting. With traditional electricity-generating methods, the aim is to create so-called "steady state" production, ramping up as demand rises, and ramping down as demand subsides. Producers which are able to adjust morequickly to demand changes have a higher "value" in the market, than those which react slower. Remember, we are measuring demand on a minute-by-minute basis !
But how do you do that with some of the renewable energy sources ? Wind and solar generation schemes are fickle. It's either windy or it's not. It's either sunny or it's not. From the AESO's point of view, renewable energy is usable, but has ZERO value on the Grid, due to the fact that it cannot ramp up or down according to demand.
When it is available to the Grid, it is added at a net-zero cost, which effectively lowers the market price over a long period of time. In effect, sunny and windy days CAN help lower your power bills ! BUT we also can't count on them, as their production tapers off as the sun ducks behind a cloud, or the wind dies down.
So while we value the electricity generated by non-traditional, renewable energy sources, there are some drawbacks. The Grid wasn't really built to support non-"steady state" producers, so the "value" is zero. But we can all rest assured that at least some of our power is generated from non-polluting sources, and that is worth being proud of.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
The AESO is mandated by the Provincial Government of Alberta to operate "the Grid". The Grid is a mesh of components, including electricity producers, the transmission facilities and the retailers. Finally the retailers handle the "last mile" of connection to the homes & businesses in Alberta.
The AESO manages the supply and demand cycle of electricity on the grid. That means that it forecasts usage in advance, but tweaks the generation on a minute by minute basis. Electricity has to always be on, so imagine it's like a pipe full of water: water goes into the pipe, and flows to the far end of the pipe, which is open. If you opened a faucet in the middle of the pipe, the amount of water coming out the far end is diminished. In order to keep the flow and pressure up, the producer must monitor the flow and add more water when the faucet is open, and equally, reduce they need to reduce production when that faucet is closed again.
Behind the scenes is a lot of metering, and logic behind the estimation of the demand. Complex models are created which identify how to re-route the electricity should a segment of the grid become available, such as in severe whether when transmission lines get damaged.
The AESO monitors the demand, and as demand rises in the morning, or slows in the evening, must call for more power from the producers, or ask the producers to throttle back their production. Internally, it operates similar to a commodities market, buying electricity according to demand, and in turn selling it to the retailers.
Of course this is where things get interesting. With traditional electricity-generating methods, the aim is to create so-called "steady state" production, ramping up as demand rises, and ramping down as demand subsides. Producers which are able to adjust morequickly to demand changes have a higher "value" in the market, than those which react slower. Remember, we are measuring demand on a minute-by-minute basis !
But how do you do that with some of the renewable energy sources ? Wind and solar generation schemes are fickle. It's either windy or it's not. It's either sunny or it's not. From the AESO's point of view, renewable energy is usable, but has ZERO value on the Grid, due to the fact that it cannot ramp up or down according to demand.
When it is available to the Grid, it is added at a net-zero cost, which effectively lowers the market price over a long period of time. In effect, sunny and windy days CAN help lower your power bills ! BUT we also can't count on them, as their production tapers off as the sun ducks behind a cloud, or the wind dies down.
So while we value the electricity generated by non-traditional, renewable energy sources, there are some drawbacks. The Grid wasn't really built to support non-"steady state" producers, so the "value" is zero. But we can all rest assured that at least some of our power is generated from non-polluting sources, and that is worth being proud of.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
How Does Government Invest In Renewable Energy ?
Renewable Energy is quickly becoming a hot topic on the world stage. In yesterday's State of the Union address, President Obama called for a clean energy mandate - “We need to get behind this innovation [in renewables]. And to help pay for it, I’m asking Congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies,” Obama said. “I don’t know if — I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they’re doing just fine on their own. “. This backstops his campaign promises to spend $150 Billion USD over the next ten years.That's a significant investment. But simply doling out money is not the answer, so how could a government spur investment in renewable energy ? Consider one option: the Feed in Tariff (FiT). The idea is that those generating electricity from sustainable, renewable sources (like solar, wind or hydro-electric) are able to sell their excess energy back to the grid at a higher rate. As an example, in Ontario, consumers purchase electricity at a rate of $0.42 per kWh. By comparison, energy generated by solar sources (PV cells, etc.) can be sold to the utility company at a rate of $0.80 per kWh.
This gives solar-PV generation an advantage in the energy market. Some would say that it could be an unfair advantage, as other renewable energy schemes (wind, hydro-electric or geothermal) may not receive the same economic advantage. This would form a bias towards photo-voltaic systems. Admittedly this could be the case, and it is up to the Government which mandates this policy to allow for a mix of schemes.
So rather than talk about what governments SHOULD do, lets look at what governments ARE doing.
"The Alberta Micro-Generation Regulation forms part of the Government of Alberta's Provincial Energy Strategy and allows Albertans to generate renewable electricity for their own use and to receive credit for any excess power they send into the grid. Small wind, solar PV panels, small-scale hydro, biomass and micro-cogeneration systems under 1 MW in size qualify under the regulation."Source: http://www.albertaacts.ca/node/270
"Ontario introduced a feed-in tariff in 2006, and revised it in 2009,[53] which in a draft proposal increases from 42¢/kWh to 80.2¢/kWh for micro-scale (≤10 kW) grid-tied photovoltaic projects.[54][55] Ontario's FIT program also includes a tariff schedule for larger projects up to and including 10MW solar farms at a reduced rate. As of April 2010, several hundred projects have been approved, including 184 large scale projects, worth $8 billion all together.[56] "
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feed-in_tariff#Canada
Others, like the United States, implement what are called Net Metering Programs, which simply means that the small power generator receives a credit for a portion of any excesses which flow back into the system. Typically, these are considered more of an accounting process, rather than a policy. It is up to the individual consumer (as opposed to a larger entity) to recover their credits or rebates.
Unfortunately, these same utility companies will differentiate between wholesale power price and retail power price, offering to "buy" the electrical credits at wholesale rates, while charging any deficits at Retail rates, imposing a further disadvantage to the consumer. Further, the transmission companies will often impose strict regulations about how a consumer-generation system can be tied to "their" grid, which can be onerous and often expensive to the consumer, thus negating any economic benefits.
So it falls back to the Government to describe their policies for incenting the creation and use of more renewable energy sources. I was personally very pleased when I read that the up & coming Alberta Party has already created specific policy around Renewable Energy (second bullet point). President Obama has been promising to invest heavily into Renewable Energy, and it is a key platform strategy for him. Let's hope he's as good as his word. His leadership will dictate how quickly other countries will develop their strategies for investing in Renewable Energy.
The opinions expressed are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses - everyone has one, and they are entitled to it !
Thursday, January 20, 2011
CFLs vs LEDs
There has been a lot of discussion recently about LED lighting technology. Many people will tell you that Compact Flourescent Light (CFL) bulbs do more harm that good. So I guess it's truly a matter of opinion.
Standard incandescent bulbs provide a high rate of resistance across the filament, which glows brightly. Typically, they are bought in terms of the watts of electricity consumed - in 25W, 40W, 60W and 100W varieties. This represents a fixed number of lumens.
But they are actually remarkably inefficient. Incandescent light bulbs waste up to 90% of the electricity they consume, by converting the watts of electricity into heat, rather than light. If you don't believe me, use your bare hands to unscrew a lit 100W bulb !
A colleague of mine argues that these bulbs are only inefficient IF you consider the heat by-product as a waste. I'm here to tell you that anyone depending on 100W bulbs to heat their home during the Canadian winter had best invest in heavy sweaters ! Sorry, Jon...
CFLs run much more efficiently, consuming significantly less electricity for
the same number of lumens. The common varieties are 13W and 25W bulbs, indicating they are approximately four times as efficient. While they are still warm to the touch, you can handle them with your bare hands. Further, they are reported to last seven times as long as incandescent bulbs. But they cost around $3 CDN a bulb.
In fact, the major concern about the CFLs is the fact that they contain mercury. So you can't just toss one in the garbage if & when it goes. well, I suppose you COULD, but it would be very irresponsible. So far, there have been no plans put forth to recycle them, although I am told that Home Depot & Ikea will take them.
Light Emitting Diodes, on the other hand, are very efficient. They are reportedly six times as efficient as incandescent light bulbs, and are reported NOT to burn out. Further, they contain no mercury ! But they are also wildly expensive by comparison. They cost about $28 CDN per bulb. This may be a red herring - if they never burn out, you never need to replace them, right ? But it the Return on Investment (RoI) is measured in decades, does it really matter ?
In my humble opinion, the big show-stopper is the fact that they are only really good for task-oriented lighting. They don't cast a glow, rather than a directed field of light.
So while CFLs represent a "band-aid" solution, according to my pal Dan, they are still more usable than LEDs. And they represent the mid-point for price, which should help with mass-adoption of energy conserving technologies - not the best, but certainly better than nothing at all.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
Standard incandescent bulbs provide a high rate of resistance across the filament, which glows brightly. Typically, they are bought in terms of the watts of electricity consumed - in 25W, 40W, 60W and 100W varieties. This represents a fixed number of lumens.
But they are actually remarkably inefficient. Incandescent light bulbs waste up to 90% of the electricity they consume, by converting the watts of electricity into heat, rather than light. If you don't believe me, use your bare hands to unscrew a lit 100W bulb !
A colleague of mine argues that these bulbs are only inefficient IF you consider the heat by-product as a waste. I'm here to tell you that anyone depending on 100W bulbs to heat their home during the Canadian winter had best invest in heavy sweaters ! Sorry, Jon...
CFLs run much more efficiently, consuming significantly less electricity for
the same number of lumens. The common varieties are 13W and 25W bulbs, indicating they are approximately four times as efficient. While they are still warm to the touch, you can handle them with your bare hands. Further, they are reported to last seven times as long as incandescent bulbs. But they cost around $3 CDN a bulb.
In fact, the major concern about the CFLs is the fact that they contain mercury. So you can't just toss one in the garbage if & when it goes. well, I suppose you COULD, but it would be very irresponsible. So far, there have been no plans put forth to recycle them, although I am told that Home Depot & Ikea will take them.
Light Emitting Diodes, on the other hand, are very efficient. They are reportedly six times as efficient as incandescent light bulbs, and are reported NOT to burn out. Further, they contain no mercury ! But they are also wildly expensive by comparison. They cost about $28 CDN per bulb. This may be a red herring - if they never burn out, you never need to replace them, right ? But it the Return on Investment (RoI) is measured in decades, does it really matter ?
In my humble opinion, the big show-stopper is the fact that they are only really good for task-oriented lighting. They don't cast a glow, rather than a directed field of light.
So while CFLs represent a "band-aid" solution, according to my pal Dan, they are still more usable than LEDs. And they represent the mid-point for price, which should help with mass-adoption of energy conserving technologies - not the best, but certainly better than nothing at all.
The opinions expressed in this post are purely those of the author. Opinions are like noses; everyone has one and they are entitled to it !
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