Cracking the Outsourcing Market
Successful entry into U.S. markets is difficult for outsourcing companies operating within North America. For call center and business process outsourcing firms seeking to gain initial market entry or to expand their market share from offshore locations, it is even tougher.
Lab Review: Building virtual machines on real SANs
... a Xen Hypervisor virtualization environment with SuSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 10. We were primarily ... operating systems run a special Xen Linux microkernel with Xen-aware device drivers, which are all ...
Linux guru backs new GNU licence
... the Cox was once regarded as the Linux number two behind because of his work ... because of his work maintaining the Linux kernel, and he is still a major force ...
U.S. trails major broadband technology trends
The Need for Adware and Spyware Blockers
When you think about spyware blocker, what do you think of first? Which aspects of spyware blockers are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge. ...
Dell expands Linux line-up
FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2007 11:41:02 AM BOSTON: Dell will soon offer more personal computers that use the Linux operating system instead of Microsoft
Ford Takes on Sound Quality
Engineering a quiet car is not a new endeavor. Lexus seemed to perfect the nearly silent cabin years ago, but now companies like Ford are looking at chimes and the sound the door makes when it closes, too. For the new Taurus, Ford designers worked on the rickety-sounding door of the previous Five Hundred. Now the company says the Taurus has a vault-like sound when the door is shut.
For the 2009 Ford Flex, the company is adding a symphonic door chime when the door is opened. Ford says all of this details are because customers are attuned to sound as well as exterior design. That may be true, but if Ford doesn?t make sure it has stunning cars, no one will get close enough to hear them.
Fine-Tuning A Brand's Signature Sound (BusinessWeek)
Attorney Leaves Big Tobacco Behind to Represent the Richest Man in the World
A few years ago, Steven Selsberg, a partner in Mayer Brown in Houston, thought he would make a smoking-hot career out of tobacco litigation, but today Selsberg is the go-to litigation lawyer in the United States for the business empire of Carlos Slim Helu, the Mexican billionaire who may be the richest man in the world. When Selsberg isn't doing work for Slim or his companies, he handles litigation for other clients from Mexico he obtained through Slim or through other Mexican connections.
International Hunt for Missing Backpacker Harnesses Blog Power
Frustrated with international bureaucracy, relatives of Americans missing abroad harness blogging and social networking sites to help find their loved ones.
2007 Roundup: Open Source Comes of Age
vnunet: "Two major open source projects finally came to fruition in 2007, bringing with them major headlines..."
gwenview: Falling in Love All Over Again
aseigo: "I've found myself falling in love all over again with various KDE apps as I use their KDE4 incarnations..."
Legit Websites Heavily Compromised
That nice business Website you put up may be a wolf in sheep's clothing.
SECNAP Adds New Features to Email Security Gateway Powered by SpammerTrap
Outbound and inbound email encryption has been added to support Transport Layer Security (TLS) during the SMTP session. The encryption process is invisible to users and their recipients, and requires only that the recipient email server be TLS-compatible. Encrypted messages travel more safely over the Internet, protected from hackers and other cybercriminals.
Gallery: Wired.com Readers Photograph NYC Waterfalls
:
While New York City's summer waterfall art installation by Olafur Eliasson is impressive in its scope, its impact on observers is varied. We asked our readers to show us their take on the project by submitting their own photos. Some views are beautiful, others ordinary, but they all amount to an interesting experiment in crowdsourced photography.
Click through the gallery to see our selections from the reader's submissions, all of which can be viewed on the original submissions page along with more information. Let us know what you think in the comments section.
Left:
Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water
Submitted by Oliver Valle
Photographer's comment:
"Image taken from Brooklyn side. The expressway is behind and Manhattan is in front."
: NYC Waterfall with Sky
Submitted by JF
Photographer's comment:
"This shot was taken from the free ferry that takes you to see all the waterfalls. This is looking south."
: Over the Falls
Submitted by JSJones
Photographer's comment:
"My view is from above looking down to the East River. I learned how to get access to this part of the Brooklyn Bridge when I was a teenager, finally a practical use for that info."
: Picnic at Sunset in the Park Under the Bridge
Submitted by Anonymous
Photographer's comment:
"There was a picnic and screening of Stand by Me last night in the park under the bridge. Snapped this at sunset before the movie started."
: Not Everyone Loves the Waterfalls ...
Submitted by Jason
Photographer's comment:
"Not everyone is a fan."
: Untitled
Submitted by Alex K.
Photographer's comment:
"Walked along the piers to see all four falls yesterday. Nothing like saltwater in the face. :)"
: Waterfall and Ferries
Submitted by Wanda McCrae
Photographer's comment:
"The Governors Island Ferry docks in front of the waterfall, as the Staten Island Ferry passes.?
: Brooklyn Bridge Waterfall
Submitted by Adolfo Miranda
Photographer's comment:
None
: Blowing Waterfall
Submitted by Simon Fondrie-Teitler
Photographer's comment:
"I took the ferry to Governors Island, and on the way back a thunderstorm came, with large gusts of wind. The waterfall started blowing onto the island, soaking the people waiting for the next ferry."
: Up the East River
Submitted by Wanda McCrae
Photographer's comment:
"From Brooklyn Bridge Park you can see the waterfalls at the Brooklyn Bridge and just north of the Manhattan Bridge."
: Brooklyn Bridge Falls
Submitted by Daniel Turkewitz
Photographer's comment:
"Taken July 19, from the South Street Seaport."
: Wired.com photographer Bryan Derballa captures one visitor's displeasure with the waterfalls.
Photo: Bryan Derballa/Wired.com
One Area Where MySpace Has Facebook Beat
There has been a lot of Facebook hype in recent memory. This is fueled by the fact that the site's growth has more than doubled, in no small part thanks to localization around the world.
Infinite Regression Awards 2008
It's time for the annual installment of the Infinite Regression Awards. We're handing out the hardware to the best self-referrers in search, Web 2.0 and beyond. Ever since the movie Scream broke down the rules of horror as it unfolded on the screen back in '96, deconstructing one's self has been oh-so chic. (Read on Source)
WiFiHotspotScout Offline 1.0
WiFiHotspotScout Offline contains all of the WiFi Hotspot location details listed at www.wifihotspotscout.com. It's a useful tool for anyone trying to locate a wireless hotspot, especially when another internet connection is not immediately available. [New | License: Freeware 0 | Requires: Win 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista | Size: 11195 KB]
10 Open Source Companies to Watch
Products range from databases to data integration.
The 20 Best Quotes From The 2008 Republican National Convention
Honorable Mention: "If Barack Obama cannot appreciate that our troops are winning in Iraq, he should not be their Commander in Chief." -- Lindsey Graham Honorable Mention: "Democrats want to use the slowdown as an excuse to do what their... (Read on Source)
Twits and Such for 2008-09-07
@bldngnerd I got it decent on the third try. Definitely should pay money but can’t beat the experience # @dwaltman haha. I feel for you. The buzz cut is an art, under-appreciated by most # @rambn yeah, in hindsight. But I kinda like it, it’s like mowing the lawn on weekends # Okay, iPhone [...] (Read on Source)
BMC Software to get certification for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V
... BMC Software to get certification for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V India Infoline News Service / Mumbai Sep 09, 2008 13:58 Microsofts certification ...
Why Six Sigma Will Outlast Total Quality Management
Six Sigma is not just a new term for Total Quality Management (TQM) . They have many similarities and are compatible in many business environments. TQM has brought great improvements and value to many companies. Six Sigma can do more.
TQM is the development, deployment, and maintenance of systems related to quality-producing business processes. TQM is a strategic approach that focuses on encouraging a continuous flow of incremental quality improvements. It encourages the establishing of a culture of collaboration among different departments within organization. TQM is mainly a cultural initiative and a style of management toward increased quality.
Six Sigma is not just another quality initiative or process improvement program. It is more than that because it is a robust continuous improvement strategy and process that includes cultural methodologies such as the various TQM approaches. Six Sigma is complementary to TQM initiatives such as ISO 9000 registration, which is mainly procedural; Total Quality Management (TQM), which is mainly cultural, and Statistical Process Control (SPC), which is primarily statistical process control monitoring. All of these initiatives attempt to improve quality levels but typically reach a plateau. The Six Sigma approach goes to the next level.
Six Sigma is not about quality in the strict traditional sense. Quality, defined traditionally as conformance to internal requirements, is not the focus of Six Sigma. True, Six Sigma focuses on improving quality by helping organizations produce products and services better, faster and cheaper. However, it accomplishes that by reducing waste. In traditional terms, Six Sigma focuses on defect prevention, cycle time reduction, and cost savings. Six Sigma is about helping the organization make more money. Unlike cost-cutting programs that reduce value and quality, Six Sigma identifies and eliminates costs that provide no value to customers: the costs incurred due to waste.
The focus of TQM initiatives differs from the focus of Six Sigma programs. One, TQM programs focus on improvement in individual operations with unrelated processes. Six Sigma focuses on making improvements in all operations within a process. Two, Six Sigma involves dedicated, full-time resources—the "black belts" —versus TQM, which is usually a part-time activity of non-dedicated managers.
The breadth and depth and the precision of Six Sigma and TQM also differ. Six Sigma has a well-defined project charter that outlines the scope of a project, financial targets, anticipated benefits, milestones, etc. It's based on hard financial data and savings. In TQM, organizations go into a project without fully knowing what the financial gains might be. Six Sigma has a solid control phase (DMAIC — Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control) that makes specific measurements, identifies specific problems, and provides specific solutions that can be measured.
How else is Six Sigma different? Six Sigma is:
* Fact based and data driven
* Results-oriented, providing quantifiable and measurable bottom-line results
* A leader-sponsored top-down approach
* Linked to strategy
* Thinking about customer requirements
* Applicable to all business processes - administrative, sales, marketing, R&D, etc.
Six Sigma is a robust continuous improvement strategy and process that includes cultural methodologies such as Total Quality Management (TQM), process control strategies such as Statistical Process Control (SPC) and other important statistical tools. Six Sigma tools and techniques all are found in total quality management. Six Sigma is the application of the tools on selected important projects at the appropriate time. Six Sigma tools and techniques all are found in TQM. When done correctly, Six Sigma becomes a way toward organization and cultural development. Yet, it is more than a set of tools! Six Sigma is the strategic and systematic application of the tools on targeted important projects at the appropriate time. Because Six Sigma incorporates TQM but goes beyond it, it will outlast TQM.
Peter Peterka is the Principal Consultant <a href="http://www.6sigma.us/aboutus.php" target="_blank">http://www.6sigma.us/aboutus.php</a> in practice areas of DMAIC and DFSS. Peter has eleven years of experience performing as a Master Black Belt <a href="http://www.6sigma.us/six-sigma-black-belt.php" target="_blank">http://www.6sigma.us/six-sigma-black-belt.php</a>, and has over 15 years experience in industry as an improvement specialist and engineer working with numerous companies.
What is Firebird?
I?d like to clarify some facts about Firebird and Firebird Foundation. I think right now is a correct time to remind how all these things are organized, because some messages about "crisis, firebird's death, low finances" and so on being spreaded around. It seems that many people think that Firebird Foundations owns Firebird, makes development strategic/tactic decisions or something like this. This is not real, in fact the Firebird Foundation is an institution to collect donations and sponsors money and grant them to people, related with Firebird development. To understand exactly who is who we need to look at the current situation with Firebird.
Akvis Magnifier 2 adds lab editing, print options
Akvis Software has released Magnifier 2.0, the latest version of its utility for increasing image resolution. The company claims that its app produces better-quality images than bicubic interpolation, through the use of algorithms that also work to reduce noise and compression artifacts. The update adds support for lab-mode editing, and a print dialog is now offered in the standalone version of t...
SENATOR PREDICTED PRESIDENT OBAMA
FOUR years ago, in the New York delegation section in a convention hall in Boston, I sat alongside Sen. Chuck Schumer. We were watching someone whose name I'd never heard before, Barack Obama, make a speech. Schumer whispered to me: "That guy's...
Alt Text Video: Top 5 Most Guilt-Inducing Videogames
Playing any game is, by definition, a waste of valuable time that otherwise could be spent saving the world (or cleaning the kitchen). But some games waste time a little bit better than others.
Outside the Box: Black Friday dispatches
This will be one Black Friday and holiday shopping season retailers will soon hope to forget. This will likely also be the Year of the Freebie.
If you use Web CEO, SpyFu, or SEOmoz’s Rank Checker then you are dishonest.
Warning: If you’re the type of person who would rather remain in ignorance because you think that makes you innocent of any crime because you don’t know if you’re committing one or not, then you probably won’t want to continue reading. Of course now that you’ve read this it’s too late. (Read on Source)
Make Money Online 1.54
Tired of paying for website visitors... Stop right now this new software will enable you to drive up 100, 000 visitors a month over and over. [Update | License: Freeware 0 | Requires: Win ME/NT/2000/XP/Vista | Size: 158 KB]
Wall Street Beat: IT Crawls to End of a Tough Year
Amazon and Red Hat provided a few glimmers of sunlight as the tech sector suffered through a turbulent week, with no signs of...
Name: SyroBro