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Many nonprofit organizations struggle, quite understandably, with technology planning and investment. New computers, sophisticated Websites and database systems can be expensive. Staff members may be resistant to change and to learning new applications.

But, to quote a famous saying from my homeland: “penny wise can be pound foolish”. Sound and well-thought out purchases in the short term have the potential to save significant resources in the medium to long term.

So, how should your Board of Directors and / or your Technology Committee approach technology planning and investment?

One technique is to start out with a “blue-sky” session. First, take an inventory of the capabilities that you currently have, what’s working in your operations, and your limitations and frustrations. Then, without consideration of constraints such as cost or staff resources, list the things that you should ideally be able to do.

I like to use “What’s the One Thing” questions for this process to help you focus and prioritize:

* What’s the One Thing that you’re currently doing that is most valued by your constituents? (i.e. Board, members, funders, staff, the general public . . .) * What’s the One Thing that you currently don’t do that your constituents wish that you would? * What’s the One Thing that would give you maximum competitive advantage? (or fundraising edge, or whatever is your most burning need . . .)

Look at the procedures that are currently absorbing staff time and resources. Is there potential to streamline these, or to recreate them in a way that would be more cost-effective?

For example, many organizations produce small informational leaflets, brief white papers, or regularly updated research findings. These are sold for a few dollars, which may not cover the true cost of printing, mailing, and check or credit card processing.

An alternative is to provide these as downloadable e-books on your Website. When the buyer enters their credit card, they gain instant access to your materials in whatever format you choose - Adobe Acrobat (pdf), Word, html, etc. Once this system is set up, you should have few maintenance or support issues, and you’re in business on a 24/7 basis. You can change the documents whenever you need to, without leaving stocks of outdated print copies.

Are you using e-mail as effectively as you could? There are two elements to successful implementation of e-mail:

1. Maintaining a comprehensive database of all the contacts that your organization has, including appropriate details of your dealings with each one.

This allows you to create personalized, targeted and timely e-mail messages that you can send to selected recipients, such as:

* News updates about your organization * Special events, discount purchase offers * Legislative alerts and tracking notices * Fundraising appeals * Membership renewal reminders

Of course, you should include and adhere to a privacy policy whenever using e-mail, and you must honor requests to be removed from your mailing list.

2. Having clear e-mail usage procedures. Sometimes it is preferable to use direct personal contact such as telephone or letters instead of e-mail - for instance, when responding to complaints, or thanking donors for gifts.

But your staff should be clear and comfortable about using e-mail to save time and resources. Sending bulk e-mail from a good database is faster and cheaper than sending bulk faxes. One association that I consulted with recently linked their staff bonuses directly to savings realized from using e-mail over fax.

A great deal of Board business can be conducted via e-mail. This may not include actual voting (check your by-laws and legal obligations for this). But much of the background information that is provided at a typical Board meeting could be disseminated by e-mail ahead of time, thus freeing up valuable meeting time for substantive discussion.

How effective is your Website in promoting and achieving your strategy? An intranet (password protected area) can be very useful if you have staff or chapters geographically distant from your head office. It can provide training materials, mentoring discussion boards, templates for frequently used documents, etc. And, you can have a private section of your site for your Board, as an alternative to sending information via e-mail.

Depending on your operations, there are other technologies that might be appropriate for you to consider as you plan your future strategy and investments. These could include handheld devices and laptops if you have employees who are often out of the office. Voice recognition software can be used for dictation by disabled staff, or those who are really not comfortable with keyboards. For larger organizations, virtual private networks may be appropriate for file sharing and synchronized database maintenance.

Whatever your size, use the strategic and prioritizing “What’s the One Thing . . .?” questions that I listed above, together with your estimation of current inefficiencies in staff time and resources to come up with a wish list. Then you can start to analyze the potential investments that you need to make, and the potential savings or revenue that you can realize in the longer term.

© Philippa Gamse, 2002. All rights reserved.

How To Bridge The Digital Divide GIVE THE GIFT OF COMPUTERIZATION START A COMPUTER CLUB AT YOUR BANK TODAY

The digital divide is the space in our society between the computerized and the non-computerized. The digital divide is dangerous, yet can be made safe if we all just work together to build a bridge to cyber freedom.

When the problem is a lack of adequate computerization, the solution is simply to adequately computerize. Web conferencing, computer enriched literacy programs and organizational participation can dramatically help transform the digital divide into opportunities wide.

We live in a world of technology haves and have-nots. Like A Tale Of Two Cities, failure to address the issues can result in creating a future resembling The Time Machine. Since we never know who’s life experience will hold the key to solving the problems of disease, environmental destruction, economic empowerment, or our next really good laugh, we can’t afford to leave anybody behind who wants to participate in the Information Age Evolution.

The evidence is too precise to ignore. Maximizing cyber opportunities is critical to the success of any economy. Make no mistake about it. Second hand information in the information age is truly the new slavery. If you have to go to another for your daily data, by the time you get it, if you get it, it’s old news. Many companies only have additional product information on the web. Talk about second-class status.

The solution involves access to both equipment and education. For example, internet access without the confidence and ability to effectively use the technology, is like having a microphone and not know how to turn it on or what to say. Though I’ve trained thousands how to use a computer at no financial cost, I’m still astounded at the number of people who don’t have a clue how to use a computer. What’s even more amazing to me are the people who have gone to traditional computer classes and still don’t have a grasp on how to benefit from computer use. My training notes are posted at http://www.compurest.com. Click on Free MS Training.

Multi-level involvement of government, organizations and individuals is imperative. Computers are the keys out of Babylon, the next day in the genesis of our freedom as the human race. I have a theory that during WWII enough people chose good over evil so that we were given the power of computers. The Enigma Machine, an early computer, was developed by the Allies and used to break Hitler’s code, thereby turning the tide of the war. The power of our modern Enigma Machines, computers, has changed the tide in many lives in no less a dramatic fashion.

According to Genesis, during the time of Babylon’s ego, our language was confounded. With computers and their language translation capabilities, people from all over the world can speak and be understood. I’ll never be able to convey the joy on the face of a young man in Harlem the first time he communicated with a soul from Japan about a mutual artistic passion. Or the peace of senior Miss. Ruth who was able to communicate with younger members of her family in another state through a computer, which translated into them becoming even closer. Or the accomplishment of a young father building stronger communications bridges with his six-year-old daughter during conversations they would have while together at the computer screen. It no longer matters what one learned or did not learn in school. The information, the commodity of kings, is available to all who know how to use a computer, the Internet and an assortment of educational tools. As Anthony Robbins says in his book AWAKEN THE GIANT WITHIN…”I can’t overemphasize the power and value of gaining even one, single distinction - a sole piece of information - that can be used to change the course of your life. Information is power when it is acted upon, and one thing is that you never know when you’re going to get it.”

The difference between a computerized and non-computerized life is like the difference between a Mercedes and a mule. Take insurance. Via the web, one can quickly gain access to tools that compare up to the second insurance rates offered by a multitude of companies. Without the web, one usually relies on whatever print or phone information is available. Anyone can be a salesman with Yahoo Classified, a free product advertising service that gets around 12 million hits a day. Driving instructions, medical treatments, food information http://www.foodstop.com, breaking news, spirituality, sports, humor, art, http://www.audart.com, it’s all there.

I’ve been a computer diva for a quarter of a century. Back in the late ’80’s Harlem’s great community service diva, Mother Clara Hale, told me that there was something going on with computers and I needed to come uptown to help people become computerized. I won’t repeat what she said about Harlem’s politicians on the issues.

It is time for effective leadership. I’m not dissin’ the folks in charge, just requesting they use computers to solve the problems the community is facing. Truthful information is a key. In the 80’s I was told by Harlem’s leadership that AIDS was not a Black problem. They said the best way to handle AIDS was to not talk about it. They’d put on another record, rather than have on Niro Markoff Asistent who’s book WHY I SURVIVE AIDS tells how she healed herself of HIV with ARC (aids related complex). In the 90’s, the politicians did little about the 5 open sewers that surround Harlem, the location of the majority of Manhattan’s bus depots in Harlem, the threat of the Hanta Virus or plague from the large rodent population, inadequate disaster relief programs or information available on how to deal with the dramas on hand. The Internet has some answers, but you have to know how to do a search or type in an address to find them.

When I lived in mid-town Manhattan in the 80’s and early-mid 90’s, I had many computer stores in walking distance of my apartments. When I went to Harlem in ‘94, there was not one computer store…a place where you could “kick the tires”, try new technologies, and take a test drive of new software.

When I left Harlem in ‘98, despite pleas to elected and appointed officials, Harlem still did not have a computer super store. Not even all the time spent on the Empowerment Zone helped. Instead, I was told that most people had no interest in computers or that computers were of the devil.

When I’d conduct ‘computer buying groups’, we had one Radio Shack in Harlem, close to Columbia University, which had an extremely limited computer selection and programs were minimal. We ended up having to go down town. When I came to Los Angeles in ‘98 the same was true for Watts and Compton. My sister, Robin Hardin, reports the same is true in her city, Detroit. Are there many computers in Afghanistan? I doubt it with their reported 80% illiteracy rate.

Access to technology is meaningless until we learn how to use it to empower our lives.

The http://www.compurest.com training notes I mentioned earlier, plus one more class that I haven’t posted yet, were given to all who came to me to learn how to compute. I stopped counting at 3,000 people over a four-year period, 1994-1998. I read that millions of dollars were raised for education during that time. I had to accomplish what I did on a $10,000 grant, plus whatever I earned and resources I had. More and better allocated financial and educational resources need to be committed to this issue. “Based on results” needs to be factored into funding and training qualification.

I provide that background to say that intervention is necessary to eliminate the digital divide. The divide, the space between people with computers and people without, is real and we must take steps to close it, and close it now, both nationally and internationally.

Here are a few recommendations on how to achieve that goal.

1. Encourage banks to set up “Cyber Clubs”, much like the “Christmas Clubs” where people can make deposits into an account for future technology purchases. As an alternative to giving a child a doll or game for a gift, take that money and deposit it into the account. These clubs can make group purchases during July 4th and Dr. King’s Birthday weekends offering additional buying incentives based on volume discount buying. They can also keep people informed of the newest, latest and most effective equipment and programs to purchase. Financial management, i.e. “computer banking” computer user groups can be formed to use the technology to enrich the community.

2. Provide incentives for community organizations to offer free computer training to their membership. Teach the basics necessary to write letters, get on and use the web, balance a budget or record one’s family tree. Encourage business growth. With a computer, whatever one does best, they can do as a business. For example, if someone braids hair, show them how their computer can keep their books, appointments, send out customer mailings, encourage word of mouth, file taxes, etc. Sales development clubs, on the web and off, can also encourage economic growth. These clubs can reach beyond national borders.

3. Hold more and targeted local, state and national and international “town meetings” on the web with elected and appointed officials answering questions and listening to solutions from constituents. Network ideas with resources and people to accomplish the mission.

4. Provide additional tax and financing incentives to open computer stores, training centers, wherever. It’s not just low-income people who need access and training. We all do. I still can’t believe the many times I heard “I never thought I would ever be able to use a computer,” or “I’ve never even touched a mouse”

5. Encourage intelligent, cross cultural-religious-economic-racial-gender, etc. computer use. With computers we see the quality of one’s ideas before we see the body they are in or the lifestyle they live. The opportunity to build bridges is to great to ignore.

6. Encourage non-violent conflict resolution through a computer. It’s tough to use a computer and a gun at the same time. Also arguments over modems cause less violence.

7. Promote the joy of computing.

8. Unconditionally computerize all. The only way that national testing of school children can work is if all children have access to the same information at the same time. All 14 years of school should be available on the web. Any child who goes through a web-based education should be able to pass the national standards test. This is not difficult if we allow the needs of the students to hold greater weight than the needs of the unions and school officials.

The systems for success are already in place. Community organizations, one-on-one at home sharing information, economic encouragement and technology already exist to expedite the process. With sponsorship opportunities for computer hardware, software and humanwear, the process can pay for itself via an empowered tax base.

Dr. Martin Luther King was right. In my experience, which began on computers in 1977 at ABC Radio’s WPLJ-FM, the table of brotherhood that Dr. King spoke of in his I HAVE A DREAM speech is a table with a computer on it, and good people around it, using it to solve problems and have a good time. Just like he was a champion of civil rights, we must all become champions of cyber rights. Government, business, non-profits and individual intervention will not only close the digital divide, but where there was a hole in the ground, new opportunities will be found.

The real lesson from the original American Underground Railroad is that those who have freedom, have a responsibility to share that freedom with those who do not. Until that’s accomplished, we’re just a slave system in another form. When that is accomplished, everyone is free with the help of ‘a friend of a friend.’ Free to understand, grow, pray and prosper.

How does one champion cyber rights? If you know how to use a computer, find someone in your life that does not know and teach him or her. If you don’t know how to use a computer, find someone who does and ask them to teach you. Help your organizations and institutions become computerized too. Everyone has something to contribute. I personally recommend beginning with each individual saying their own prayers for divinely guided computerization.

Regarding the question can anybody learn computers, bring to mind the image of an illiterate person who has already learned how to read the screens and push the buttons on their ATM. We are limited only by our imaginations.

Finally, a message from Miss. Roxanna Dawson. I had issued a challenge to Harlem that I was actively looking for the first person I could not train how to use a PC. Since the cost of the training is that it be passed onto at least two other people, I could not back up the challenge with money, but thousands of the people came anyway over a four-year period. Roxanna, at 92 years old, came and said she was that person I could not train. I asked her why and she said because she was blind. I asked her if she was totally blind or legally blind. I had read Huxley’s THE ART OF SEEING so I know the difference. I put Roxanna’s fingers on the home row keys and had her type her name. I made the type big and she jumped back from the screen and yelled, “I can see.” The people in the training room at Minisink Townhouse went electric. She turned around and said with a smile of deep pride, “If I can do it, the rest of your have no excuse.” For her second lesson, I sat her at a computer with a 26-year-old woman and they learned how to use a mouse together. In between practice and laughter, they talked about community issues at a level that’s helped me grow ever since. Healing can be found in networking.

In summary, since the cause of the problem is a lack of adequate computerization, the solution is simple - computerize. It’s easier than it seems, and when done right, its rewards are tremendous.

Happy Computing

Ok so men are usually quite easy to buy for. You just find something that moves fast, is remote control operated, involves football or makes drinking that much more fun, but when the man you’re buying for has all those things already you need something slightly more innovative and different.

So next time you’re looking for a gadget for your man just log onto RedSave.com and browse through the hundreds of products they have which cater towards men in the ‘for him’ section. You’re bound to find something to suit his individual manly needs!

The Future Is Flexible

Gone are the days when the only way you could afford a cell
phone was to buy into a lengthy cell phone plan. In those early
days, a cell phone plan included a seemingly ironclad contract
that lasted a minimum of three years. There simply were no
choices. If you wanted a cell phone you had to buy the phone and
commit to being tied to a contract; like it or lump it.

Thankfully those days are over and today because of the number
of service providers, choices abound! Today’s cell phone plans
are designed with the consumer and their multitude of choices in
mind. The wireless customer can choose an affordable cell phone
with many choices and combinations of cell phone plans. That’s
the good news! There is bad news though, with the large volume
of information available today, where does a person start to
look and how do they decide what to choose?

Choices, Choices, Choices

That’s the reason for this article. My goal is to help guide you
through the myriad of choices that are available and to
introduce you to the world of prepaid cell phones, family plans
and shared plans for multiple cell phones. I’ll be giving you
some suggestions on how to match the best cell phone plan for
you and your lifestyle. I’ll also be giving you an idea where to
find some ratings and reviews.

There are a few things to consider when making a decision. Once
that’s done you can look into the various reviews on what’s
currently available. Some internet sites provide ratings for the
cell phone plans they advertise and are always striving to
inform the customer about their newest offerings and hottest
deals.

Decision Helpers

• Hardware & Software.
• What’s Available?
• The prepaid cell phone - Diamonds
  & Dust.
• Contracts - Bundles of Bargains.
• Companies you can count on.
• What’s your
  style?

Hardware And Software

The Hardware When it all comes down to it, isn’t it all
about the phone? This is primarily one of the first of the
decision making factors because it determines what kind of phone
you’ll get. This is especially true when you are looking at what
can be a very expensive purchase.

Almost every cell phone company provides the most simple or the
most complex cell phones with their prepaid cell phone packages.
Companies such as Verizon, Cricket, and Nextel all offer easy
consumer friendly “pay as you go” options.

If you chose a contract, there seems to be a formula but some
companies have very enticing offers especially if you are
changing service providers. The basic rule of thumb seems to be:

• $50.00 price reduction for a one year contract.
• $100.00 price reduction for a two year contract.
• $150.00 price reduction for a three year contract.

As mentioned above some service providers offer up to a 75%
discounted price for a top of the line cell phone in exchange
for a three year contract. As a particularly good salesman told
me “you can always get out of a contract these days, you just
have to pay it out”. Because the cell phones offered by most
service providers are top of the line items from Motorola and
Nokia and the contract is so consumer friendly it will be easy
for you to stick with a contract for three years.

The Software The service provider is the most important
software factor when choosing between a prepaid cell phone and
cell phone plan contract. This is an important issue because
even the best phone is only as good as its signal.

Buyers beware however; some service providers’ piggyback on top
of more established lines. If it’s a case of first come; first
serve and your service provider piggybacks, you could be the
first one off. This results in dropped calls and unreliable air
space. Not a good outcome to your purchase. So do your research
diligently.

What’s Available?

Because it’s all about the phone, ask yourself the following
questions. What kind of phone do you want? Do you want one that
is bare bones or one that has it all? Does the cell phone
company or service provider offer a phone that comes with family
or shared plans? If you chose a family plan, are both phones
equally efficient? Do you want a cell phone that doubles as a
palm pilot or perhaps you want a
cell phone camera?

All these questions will determine where you want to look when
making your choice between a contract and a prepaid cell phone
plan. There may be some features that you can live without.
Knowing this upfront will help you determine what is best for
you. There are numerous websites that provide ratings and
reviews of what is currently available. Surf the web and
research Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Nextel, Cricket and Cingular.

The most popular plans these days are shared plans or family
plans. Family plans are useful to the small business because
each employee can have a cell phone and the company receives
just one invoice. This is a good way of keeping track of
communication expenses. This applies to a small business but one
invoice is a good way to monitor family budgets as well.

Prepaid Cell Phones…Diamonds & Dust

Diamonds

• Prepaid minutes can be less expensive
  than contract minutes.
• No Credit checks, no
  hassles!
• No monthly bill, you’ve paid upfront.
• No service fees.

Dust

• Extras costs
  more, long distance and roaming fees can be very expensive.
• Not all services are included, you may not be able to surf
  the web.
• Your phone only works in analog areas (quite
  common in more remote areas).
• Prepaid minutes can be
  more expensive on a minute by minute basis. Read the fine
  print.

Contracts - Bundles Of Bargains

The most attractive feature about cell phone contracts is the
bundle concept. There are numerous cell phone plans to make it
easy for you to adhere to a contract and get a bundle of great
deals. You can get special “add ons” like three way calling and
call display. You can purchase a relatively nice cell phone at a
reasonable price. As mentioned above contracts are not the iron
clad document they used to be. If need be you can get released
from them and you do get nicer phones!

Companies You Can Count On

Tried & True There are so many cell phone companies and
service providers these days, who can you, count on? For the
best hardware (the phone) and the best software (airtime and air
quality), you could choose cell phone companies that have been
in the communication business for a long time. Verizon is one of
these companies. They have a long standing tradition of superior
customer service and product dependability. AT&T is also a long
established communications company with impeccable standards.

Up & Coming There are also some new cell phone companies
and service providers who are making a good name for themselves
because of the attention to quality as well. Check out new
companies such as Nextel (a proud sponsor of NASCAR), T-Mobile,
Cingular and Cricket.

There are reviews you can read about the latest and newest
technology about all of the above companies so go to each
company’s websites and check out how their phones rate against
each other.

What’s Your Style?

Truly today, it is all about you and your unique lifestyle. This
is the most important decision making factor of all. You know
what you need in a cell phone plan. The key is finding the best
one that will serve your needs best. Don’t be intimidated or
overwhelmed by the number of choices out there. Just keep in
mind; it’s all about your unique communication needs. Read these
two short scenarios. They will help to show you what could be
right for you.

Your job takes you all over the world. Your friends have a
hard time keeping track of you because you are always on the
move. You pay your bills on the internet and phone your family
periodically just to let them know you’re “OK”.

OR

You’re still in school and living at home. Your parents want
you to keep in touch but you’re sick of pay phones. Borrowing
your friend’s cell phone is getting old but you still need to
check in.

The first scenario indicates that a prepaid cell phone would
suit your lifestyle well. Make sure you prepay your minutes and
avoid those pricey extra airtime costs. Use an international
company such as AT&T so that you receive global coverage.

The second scenario indicates that your family needs a shared
plan like the family plans currently available. Surf the web and
research companies like Verizon and AT&T.

The Bottom Line - Choices Do Abound!

So there you have it, the future is flexible and choices do
abound. I hope you have found this article helpful as you make
that choice between a prepaid cell phone and a cell phone
contract. Keep in touch!

The bulk SMS industry changed substantially over the last
two years or so as sp@m became an issue with carriers and the
industry defined itself by distinguishing between the features
of a route and the price the client pays.

As a result, we now live with a situation where “you get what
you pay for”. In an earlier article, we
discussed how a bulk SMS client should choose the route
he wish to use. We looked at the different features and options
that are available.

In this article, we will take a look at the difference of
commercial bulk SMS routes vs guaranteed bulk SMS
routes also known as premium bulk SMS.

Commerci
al bulk SMS routes: may include all features a
guaranteed route offers but the delivery is not always
guaranteed. Users therefore always have to test before they send
a batch. Managed sends always include one message at the end of
the batch sent for management to check whether the messages
before theirs were delivered. Some of the very cheap bulk
SMS routes might not offer delivery reports, have fixed
numeric sender ID etc.

Guaranteed Bulk SMS routes: on the other hand
guarantee not only delivery, but also include all the features
that clients wish for (delivery reports, dynamic sender ID,
short code originator, binary support etc). That is the
advantage. The only negative point is that guaranteed bulk
SMS routes are charged at a premium price.

So, let’s take a look at the price issue:

Let’s suppose a client purchase 1 million credits from a
commercial bulk SMS route where delivery is not
guaranteed at say 2 Euro cent per SMS. Upon sending, only 50% of
the messages arrive. That implies that the client achieved 50%
success or delivery to mobile phones and in effect paid 4 Euro
cent per SMS.

With guaranteed bulk SMS routes the client will pay for
example 4 Euro cent per SMS and obtain 100% delivery. This could
play a crucial role in the effectiveness of a campaign for
example:

Cases where the client runs a competition and the recipients
have to SMS an answer of a question to a short code.

If 100% delivery does not take place, the company running the
competition does not only loose out on the branding opportunity
but also the revenue share they would have earned from the
networks. 100% delivery at a higher price ensures that the
response expected from a SMS campaign equals the input.

The final decision about the route that the client would like to
use lies with the client and in consulting them we should
determine what sort of response they expect from their campaign.
The features and service level should match the price they are
willing to pay.

Bulk SMS decisions nowadays cannot depend on price alone
anymore - quality is surely a rising issue with most gateway
customers. The use of guaranteed bulk SMS routes are on
the rise as clients are starting to realize that it is worth
paying for quality.

In general 10 Gigabit Ethernet links are deployed in parts of an enterprise or service provider network where large numbers of Gigabit Ethernet links are being aggregated. This most commonly occurs in the network core, but as gigabit-to-the desktop deployments continue to grow the need for 10 Gigabit Ethernet uplinks from the network edge will emerge. Following are some common uses or applications for 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

Enterprise

As all enterprise applications converge on the common Ethernet backbone, the network must be able to gracefully support a new array of bandwidth hungry applications such as storage, backups and video. To effectively deal with this onslaught of bandwidth demand, forward-thinking network architects are designing enterprise networks with 10 Gigabit Ethernet to meet current and future needs.

Starting from the edge of the network, as gigabit-to-the-desktop deployments continue to grow, the need for 10 gigabit uplinks from a wiring closet switch to handle the performance demands of power users will emerge. Backbone links to entire floors or buildings may run over optical fibers at gigabit rates, while drops to desktop workstations may need to be no faster than 100 Mbps. Naturally, with this upsurge in bandwidth, demand 10 Gigabit Ethernet will be used as a high-speed interconnection between multiple buildings. These buildings could be in close proximity on a self-contained “campus”, or could be many miles apart and be connected by dark fiber provided by a local service provider or municipality. Due to the limited distance of 10 Gigabit Ethernet on multimode fiber (MMF), singlemode fiber (SMF) must be deployed or leased to support 10 gigabit building interconnects.

In an enterprise data center, 10 Gigabit Ethernet can be used in a variety of applications such as cluster computing, server attachment and storage interconnect.

High Performance Cluster Computing (HPCC)

Server clusters are a group of tens, hundreds or even thousands of relatively inexpensive (e.g. 1U Linux servers) computers (referred to as nodes) connected in parallel to cooperatively solve large, complex problems. Cluster computing has become a mainstream technological tool for research, financial modeling, digital image rendering and scientific applications. The connection between the various computers in the cluster is typically an Ethernet switch.

Gigabit Ethernet Servers and NAS

As servers and Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices are attached to the edge of the network at 10 gigabit speeds, the network core will have to scale proportionally by link aggregating multiple 10 Gigabit Ethernet links or eventually with 40 Gigabit Ethernet. Network architecture must take into account meeting current Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet server connectivity needs and scale upwards as the need for greater bandwidth inevitably emerges.

Storage Interconnect (iSCSI)

Fibre Channel has been the protocol of choice for storage area networking, however, with the emergence of the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) iSCSI protocol, Fibre Channel’s dominance is being challenged by IP/Ethernet. Simply put, iSCSI is an IP-based storage networking standard that facilitates data transfers by carrying SCSI (a protocol commonly used for communication between storage devices and computers) commands over IP networks. As iSCSI continues to gain in popularity, 10 Gigabit Ethernet links are the logical choice to carry the enormous volumes of data that traverse large corporate networks.

Given the extreme complex nature of designing an appropriate Gigabit Ethernet network architecture….and even deciding if it’s right for your organization….it’s strongly suggested that you not dump this whole animal on your IT staff. At a minimum….make use of free technical consultation for the bandwidth sourcing requirements from DS3-Bandwidth.com.

A boiler is used for generating steam. It does this by heating
water to its boiling point, after which steam will evaporate
from it.

When you boil a kettle of water, you will shut off the fire
or electric power when the water comes to a boil.

No so with a steam boiler. Generation of steam is a continuous
process. Once a boiler is generating steam, it may take quite
a long while before it is stopped. When steam is evaporated
from the water, new water has to be added in to replace the
water given out.

As more and more steam is evaporated, the water becomes more
and more concentrated with salts and other impurities. If you
use your kettle for a long while, you will see some chalky
deposits inside it.

The fresh water supplied to replenish those lost through
evaporation cannot be pure and free from salts. Even minute
quantities of salt in the water will eventually become so
concentrated as to form scales or deposits. The deposits are
usually calcium or magnesium salts.

These scales are very damaging to the boiler because they
interfere with the heat transfer and can lead to overheating
and eventually, boiler rupture.

Soft water is water that contains very little calcium or
magnesium salts. They are used to feed the boilers. However,
they tend to be acidic in nature.

Acidic water tends to corrode. This is not good for the boiler.
Corrosion can weaken the boiler.

By treating the boiler water with chemicals, we can control
the acidity of the water as well as the softness of the water.
This will solve the problem with scales and corrosion, but it
is not the ultimate cure-all.

The boiler water will continue to become more and more
concentrated as the steam evaporates. The next step to take
is to remove the concentrated water and replenish it with
fresh, soft water.

The process of removing the concentrated water is called
blow-down.

Folks, close your ears!

Until next time…

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August 25, 2020 - For the first time a court case is based on a multi voice recognition transcript as the main evidence. It was when Frank Levin took part in a dispute with four people that resulted in a fired gun that killed Adam Denny. The three other all testified that Frank had pulled the trigger, while Frank claims that according to the transcript, it clearly states that he was not the one holding the gun.

The challenge for Frank Levin’s attorney in this case is to make a multi voice recognition transcript valid as proof of evidence in itself, since the conversation was not recorded. Frank had his voice recognition software in “text mode only” on his cell phone, so during the conversation no talk was saved; only a text file was created. The case is assumed to mainly be about the reliance in this technology which in the long run could benefit the development of voice recognition software.

Multi voice recognition has become widely popular for the last years, especially within the business world, since it allows all meetings to be recorded and transcripted simultaneously, with every quote related to the correct person. When the meeting is over, everyone gets a transcript of the meeting, easily searchable for the correct information. More and more people are also creating official “talklogs” where they record everything they say and publish it as diaries.

About the Author

Pontus Edenberg is the editor of News of Future, a publication with news about future technology, society, health, environment etc. People of the world are invited to comment on the news and take part in shaping their future.

Way back, back further even than before the time of your future dreams, there was a Map Maker who was regarded as the finest maker of maps in the city. His maps were known throughout the land, and people would travel for many days to have a map prepared by the Map Maker.

One day, a foreign dignitary visited the Map Maker’s shop, and at the dignitary’s request the Map Maker prepared him the most exquisite of maps made of the finest parchment, with the rarest inks. The Map Maker worked late into the night, ignoring mealtimes and calls for bed. In the morning, the dignitary called to pick up the map as arranged and he was delighted.

Reverently he unrolled the map out on the Map Maker’s desk. Beneath their eyes desert lands unfurled in gold, while green-brown forests and white peaked mountains lay before them. Delicate lines marked out contours, latitudes and longitudes, and exquisite letters showed the locations of towns, villages and cities.

“Map Maker” said the dignitary, pointing to a deep blue river on the map, “tell me of this area here”.

“Sire” replied the Map Maker “I know not of these areas I draw. My maps are drawn from the words and the maps of others who have gone before me.” And he took the dignitary to a room at the back of the shop that contained books from travellers, hand drawn maps, sketches, and all manner of paper and record.

The dignitary hid his disappointment well, but soon after he left, the Map Maker began to hear disturbing stories. That people were saying that they could not trust his work. Saying, that if he simply put together his maps from other peoples work then however fine they were, how could anyone guarantee their accuracy? How could anyone who used them know that they would simply not get lost?

Over the weeks, he noticed a slowing down of business, until his customers had almost stopped coming in their entirety. Now, this sorely vexed the Map Maker, for not only was this how he made his living, but he was a deeply proud man, proud of both his art and his reputation. And it pained him to the core of his being that his maps might not actually be as good as he had always believed them to be. So he resolved to discard his work and to discard his books and his drawings, and venture out into the world himself, and learn his art again anew.

So, he sold his shop, his fine pens and his parchments. He sold his rare ink and his gold leaf, his books, papers and records. With the proceeds from the sale, he paid of his servants and was about to put the remaining money in the single bag he had packed for his journeys when he had a thought. This thought came unbidden, and he knew not from where, but it seemed important to him somehow.

“If I am to start out anew then I must go out into the world as much as a new born child as I am able. Only then will I be able to immerse myself deep in my art”.

And so he gave the remainder of his money to a beggar outside the shop, and he left his shop and he left his city. As he walked passed the city gates with only his clothes and his bag he turned back to look, and it seemed to him as if he was leaving a strange place.

Many days he wandered and there was much fear in his heart, for he had no maps to guide him now. But many days there was much joy too, as he took to sketching with the simple pencils and paper he had brought with him for the task of relearning his art. And sometimes he measured, and drew maps, and sometimes he just sat, deep in a silence. And it would seem to him afterward, that it was at these times that he was most deeply immersed in his art, and that it was in this inner sense of silence that he learned the most.

As he learned to survive, to trade his physical labour or his skills as an artist for food, the days when he felt fear grew less, and the days when he felt joy, grew more. He came to know the pleasure of rain on his skin, the soft sound of birdsong as the sun rose in the mornings. He came to learn the ache of muscles worked hard during a long day. He came to appreciate the bright crispness of a winter’s day, the newborn colours of spring, the warm joy of summer and the red-gold quiescence of autumn. He discovered the joys of a simple welcome and of hospitality, of a giving and receiving, motivated only by a common humanity.

As he wandered, his muscle grew hard, and his body lean and tanned. His face became lined and radiated a peace and a gentle silence that filled the people he met with quiet awe and reverence. Yet none of this he noticed.

When he came to a new town, he would tell the people there of his travels, and he would illuminate his stories with pictures and maps of his own making, drawn both on paper, and in the air with his arms as he told his tales. And he started to notice a strange thing; that when he came into a new place, people seemed to know him, and to have been waiting eagerly for his arrival. Audiences would gather to hear of his travels, and he would leave behind maps and pictures for the people, never taking them on with himself in his journey but always starting out anew with fresh pencils and plain paper.

As he continued to wander, he came to realise that the maps he carried in his memory would guide him better than the maps he drew on paper, because they could change, and in winter, would have snow and ice, and in summer, fields and desert. So he started to tell his audience that they did not need his maps, that the maps that they carried in their heads were much more useful, because they would change, but only the children seemed to understand, and so he would still leave maps and pictures for the townsfolk wherever he wandered.

Time went on, and although he had not forgotten why he had left the city, his purpose became less and less important to him.

Over time, he noticed that people seemed to treat him differently. The children would rush toward him still and clutch at his clothes, begging to hear his stories, and the adults would welcome him into their homes, offer him work and give him food, but there was a change. There was an air of hushed reverence and deference in their treatment of him and gradually this came to trouble him. One day he stopped at a village that he knew well, and the people of the village welcomed him with their usual love and respect, but he asked of them “Why this change? For many years now I have travelled, and I’ve come through your village, and you have always welcomed like a brother, but this, this is different. Why do you now treat me like a…?” and he paused, lost for the word.

“Magus, you do not know?” asked one villager. The answer troubled him further, and he shook his head, so the villager lead him to the village meeting hall. There, inside, and surrounded by people, lay one of his maps, left behind from a previous visit. The villagers parted to let him through, and he approached the map, only to notice the most curious thing. When he was here last, he had drawn a map of the land in winter, with snowcaps and frozen lakes. This, this was a map of the land in summer, all green fields and flowing rivers. He peered closer, and was surprised to see movement. If he looked closely enough, he could see the meeting hall. And if he looked closer still, he could swear that he could almost see into the hall itself, and see himself standing surrounded by the awed villagers. He laughed out loud.

“Do you see, Magus?” the villager asked.

“I see nothing” said the Maker of Maps, kindly, “I see only what I have told you all along, but only the children understood.” and with that, he picked up the map, and tore it into little pieces. He turned to the villager, placed his hand upon the villager’s head and asked “And who has the best map, now?”

About the Author

Adam is an NLP practitioner and Hypnotherapist, as well as a mental health nurse with over a decades experience. He is passionate about the use of language to effect change, and about the ability of people to maximise their own potential.

This article is free to use as long as you publish a live link to http://www.hypnosisaudiocds.com using the link text “Hypnosis MP3s and CDs“

Part Three Of A Series On Psychotherapy Once you have made the decision to find help, be wary of “fast-food solutions,” the “McDonalds” type of psychotherapy such as glib call-in radio shows, simplistic magazine articles, or motivational tapes that promise to instantly heal your deepest wounds. It may only take thirty days to tighten a tummy, but soothing a troubled soul may take considerably longer. While there are helpful remedies for depression, obsession, anxiety, or a host of other psychological problems, there are no instant cures for the upheavals and stresses that are all too common facts of life. The social norms of the twenty-first century are convenience, precision, and speed. But when it comes to healing a hurt heart or suffering soul, slow and steady can win the race.

On the other hand, if all you really need is help in making a decision about a new job, a sick relative, or pre-marital counseling, be careful not to commit yourself to a trek up Mt. Everest, when all you may require is a situational solution. Sometimes less can be more. If you have never sought help, you may be wise to open the door a crack and look around before crossing the threshold.

Once you have differentiated between a crisis and a non-crisis, you still are faced with myriad choices within the mental health care maze. Even professional health care practitioners need help sorting out all the options. Several years ago, I supervised Susan, a talented and well-trained psychiatrist, who also happened to be a working mom with one teenage son and two younger daughters. Divorced for five years, she had recently remarried. The girls were delighted to have a new dad. However, her son Ryan felt replaced as the primary “man” in her life. Ryan became increasingly vocal about how much he hated the new intruder. He felt displaced, and in a way that can be typical of teenagers, he demanded attention by “acting out.” Unhappy and angry, Ryan stole a car. The police caught him and Susan and her new husband received every parent’s dreaded nightmare-the call to come to the police station. The police warned Susan that “Ryan was a bad kid,” a “rotten apple” who would amount to no good. They urged Susan to press charges and make sure that Ryan would go to jail for a long time. Because she had trained to understand her son’s underlying issues, Susan knew enough to call an attorney who managed to keep her son out of jail. However, even though she understood that her son was “crying out for help,” Susan was unclear about what steps to take next.

Susan turned to me for help. Together we decided that Ryan needed to speak to a therapist of his own, and that the whole family could benefit from family therapy. Although Susan was an excellent psychiatrist, in this situation she was a mother and wife first. Through a social service agency affiliated with the hospital where she worked, Susan, her son, and the newly blended family were able to find the help they needed.

The immediate crisis had been handled by calling her attorney, but it had taken several weeks of careful consideration to find the appropriate long-term help. Susan was lucky. She already knew a mental health professional whom she trusted. Still, it took time before she was able to sort out a useful direction for all involved.

Life is too hard to do alone,

Dr. D.

Dorree Lynn, PH.D.

About the Author

Dr. Dorree Lynn is co-founder of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Psychotherapy and a practicing clinician in New York and Washington, DC. Dr. Lynn served on the executive board of the American Academy of Psychotherapists and she is on the editorial board of their publication, Voices. She is also a regular columnist for the Washington, DC newspaper, The Georgetowner. Dr. Lynn is a noted speaker and well known on the lecture circuit.