IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 4/23/2012

What's in a name? That which we call an Ivy Bridge by any other name would perform just as well
Naming things can be difficult. Think about how hard it was to name your kids. If you don't have kids, think about how hard it was for your parents to name you! A similar crisis plays out when the Intel engineers are trying to come up with the codename for upcoming Intel CPU architectures.

I have to take a moment and apologize for the corny Shakespearean title. It's just that from Intel's perspective, it's true. It doesn't really matter what they call the chip as the name has no influence on the design. The codename just has to be something "nice name that could pass the legal test."

Usually Intel codenames are based on locations in North America, so Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge actually break this mold for, what I can tell, the first time ever. To understand how Intel came up with Ivy Bridge, we actually have to look at Sandy Bridge first. Arie Harsat is the Intel engineer who came up with Sandy Bridge.

Now, Sandy Bridge wasn't always Sandy Bridge. First it was "Gesher," the Hebrew word for "bridge," because Harsat saw the new architecture as "a bridge into the future." However, this name didn't pass the legal test because Gesher is also a former political party in Israel. The name was changed to its English meaning and the word "Sandy" was tacked on. Harsat doesn't remember where the word Sandy came from. It could be a reference to beach sand, which is one of the main ingredients in silicon.

Harsat was then tasked with the process of coming up with the codename to the "tick" of the Sandy Bridge architecture. He wanted consistency and a smooth approval process. Naming products is much harder than it was naming my three kids," he said. Continuing along the "bridge" idea, he kept the second word and started looking for a new, American first word.

"There are so many places in the U.S. named something Bridge or Bridge something," Harsat said. "I found 'Ivy Bridge' and I said to myself, 'that's a nice name and ivy is a nice plant.'"

Apparently I frustrate Intel's marketing and branding teams when I refer to chips by their codenames. "I suspect the press and analysts do it partially out of habit because they have been using the codenames for months before we announce the brand names," said Brian Fravel, director of brand strategy at Intel.

Unfortunately, the world may never know which American Ivy Bridge the new processor is named after. "I really don't remember," Harsat confessed. "It may have been that several 'Ivy Bridges' came up in the search and since I found one I didn't care about which." Like Harsat, I don't think it really matters.

Want to buy stock right from Facebook? Soon you will be able to
Do you currently own stock? If not, is it because of all the fees and difficulties associated with buying and selling it? Well, it appears that shortly after Facebook goes public, you could be able to purchase stock in companies straight from their respective Facebook page without any fees or brokers. The minimum amount would be $10, so it's not like you have to spend a fortune to start.

All of this is according to former Facebook executive and current director at Loyal3 Chris Kelly. Loyal3 would like to point out that only 18% of American families own stock, a number which they hope to change with this CSOP, or customer stock ownership plan. Direct purchase isn't new, but few companies use it since it isn't cost efficient to oversee millions of tiny share holders.

Loyal3 hopes that by making ownership easy and without fees the average person will be more inclined to purchase stock. CEO Barry Schneider points out that ownership changes a persons point-of-view regarding an item. People usually care more about something they care than something they don't. Think about it, have you ever washed a rental car?

The ability to buy stock is believed to be available as early as June, but there will be a $2500 cap to discourage people from being daily traders. The idea looks good on the face. I mean, I would buy stock in companies if I didn't have to pay fees. But one has to wonder what could happen if everyone of these untrained stock owners decided to dump their stock on the same day...

Facebook opens half of new datacenter in Forest City, NC
With construction completed on Facebook's new datacenter in Forest City, NC, Facebook has flipped the switch in one of the buildings and now it is serving Facebook traffic. The new datacenter broke ground in November 2010 and should be fully operational by the end of the year.

The datacenter is composed of two buildings which house the first major deployment of the v2 Open Compute Project web servers. These servers are based on Intel's lower power Sandy Bridge architecture. The whole of the datacenter was designed to conserve energy, hence the new web servers. The climate in North Carolina will test Open Compute's outdoor air cooling system, as the humidity and temperature is outside of what is normally needed inside a datacenter.

The datacenter stands as a trophy to Facebook's ongoing success as the servers are needed to power Facebook for its 845+ million users. The timing of the opening of the facility is almost perfect because Facebook is nearing an initial public offering which could value the company somewhere around $100 billion.

Hulu plans four new original shows
In a move designed to further differentiate itself from its competitors Netflix, Amazon and HBO Go, earlier this year Hulu announced it would spend $500 million on original content. Today brings Hulu's announcement that it is creating four new original shows to add to its vast library of online shows.

The announcement provided a brief synopsis for each of the upcoming shows that it plans to create. It also includes release dates for 2, and names and talent that will be involved with each show. The first two shows have release dates of 2012 and 2013 whereas the latter two have yet to receive a set date.

We Got Next (2012): Four unlikely friends butt heads on the pick-up basketball court and on the sidelines of everyday life. Starring: Kenya Barris (THE GAME, ARE WE THERE YET?, AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL), Hale Rothstein (THE GAME, EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS), Danny Leiner (THE OFFICE, MODERN FAMILY, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, FREAKS AND GEEKS, HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE, DUDE WHERE'S MY CAR?

The Awesomes (2013): An unassuming superhero and his cohorts battle diabolical villains, the ever-present paparazzi, and a less-than-ideal reputation as second-class crime fighters. Starring: Seth Meyers (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE), Michael Shoemaker (SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON) and animation studio Bento Box (BOB'S BURGERS, ALLEN GREGORY).

Don't Quit Your Daydream: A cast of famous musicians travel across America in search of could-have-been musical artists to collaborate on a new song giving them a second-chance at stardom. Based on an award-winning documentary by Adrian Grenier and John Loar. Starring: Adrian Grenier; Produced by Virgin

Flow: When Ed Dante, a hard-working kid from the wrong side of the tracks is framed for a crime he didn't commit, he begins an epic quest to deliver true justice. To achieve his goal, he must discover the mysteries of an ancient art, uncover hidden worlds and become a hero to a generation. Starring: Michael "Dooma" Wendschuh (show creator, co-founder and president of sekretagent studios: ASSASSIN'S CREED II (2009), ARMY OF TWO (2008), ASSASSIN'S CREED (2007); David Belle (Founder of Parkour); Produced by Agility Studios (producers of The LXD) and the Shine Group (WHO KNEW? IT'S EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS, APPETITE FOR LIFE)

Hulu does have some competition in the original online show area. Netflix, too, is funding the creation of original content for its subscribers. This year, Netflix released Lilyhammer and plans to add House of Cards. They also are bringing back Arrested Development which happens to be a favorite of mine. I might just have to get Netflix after all.

Navizon releases new tech that can track you by your smartphone's wireless
Yet another assault on users' privacy has occurred today. Navizon I.T.S. (Indoor Triangulation System) is a system similar to what Google is using for indoor navigation at large venues. It, however, locates you for the owners of the establishment, rather than you locating yourself for directions.

Aimed at retail stores, shopping malls, museums, office buildings, and similar spots, the technology can be used for a couple of different purposes. One way is to use it as a security and surveillance system, as it could track approved Wi-Fi devices in a secure area or locate wireless devices on a campus.

Another way that it can be used is to study traffic patterns in certain areas or just generally see how many smartphone users there are at a given trade show. These ways are a bit less intrusive than using it for security, but it still raises concerns. Think about all of the pressure Apple and Google have gotten over WiFi geolocation.

Luckily, the system can't identify who you are. Rather, it can only get the signature of your device. It could, however, keep track of that signature and use it to track you every time you come back and then start to look for patterns. This is just one more way that smartphone users can be tracked, and many of these ways are without our knowledge.

Battleship (2012) Cinema Review

I can just imagine being a fly on the wall when the film was pitched:

Exec 1: "Transformers just made a billion dollars. We need a new franchise like Transformers."
Exec 2: "Hasbro is shopping some titles around. There was that game...Battleship?"
Exec 1: "Transformers...ON THE SEA!"

[Execs high five and do a line of Coke]

Battleship is of course loosely based on the classic board game manufactured by Hasbro. I say 'loosely' because short of a tip of the hat during the climactic battle, this is a film based almost entirely on the name alone. Why Universal thought this was a good title to exploit is a little beyond me - most demographic hitting Gen Y kids would probably struggle to even be peripherally aware of the board game.

Taylor Kitsch, fresh off the dubious success of John Carter plays Alex Hopper, a bedroom dwelling no-hoper, given a second chance by the U.S. Navy. Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson) isn't a fan, preparing to dump Hopper from the service, only complicated by the fact that Hopper is dating his daughter Sam (Brooklyn Decker).

Whilst the Western allies join forces for the bi-annual RIMPAC Naval Exercises off the coast of Hawaii, an attack by hostile alien forces begins. The three Navy warships contained within the attacker's force field begin a fight for survival against an enemy force significantly more advanced than our own.

There are formulaic films and then there is Battleship. The film literally steals from dozens of far superior films including Independence Day, Battle Los Angeles, War of the Worlds and the obvious one Transformers. Hell, Battleship even has the gall to re-use sound effects from the latter. However, unlike all of the above examples, this film just isn't the sum of its parts. The film barely works, but it's such a joylessly slog that many viewers simply won't care by the time the film becomes mildly entertaining during the last quarter of its runtime.

Cinema goers have been slowly de-sensitized by big dumb summer blockbusters, but they are almost always worth the popcorn dollars. I just can't say the same for Battleship. The first hour serves as a painful show of military might (the U.S. military no doubt hinged their support on promoting the forces to the young and impressionable), and a ham-fisted attempt to manipulate the audience into giving a damn about the characters. The amount of exposition for a film marketed as a non-stop action adventure kills any sense of forward momentum. Twenty minutes could have easily been cut from the film from the first half and it would have been stronger for it.

It would also be remiss of me to not mention the cinematic debut of pop star Rihanna as Petty Officer Raikes. The fact that I cringed in the mano a mano sequence, calling to mind the unfortunate incident with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown, means that I not only cannot take her overly seriously, but was horribly miscast ala fellow songstress Kylie Minogue in Street Fighter.

The nicest thing I can say is that Director Peter Berg seems to have tried to imbue the film with a bit of meat; it's just that he fell way short of the mark. The visual effects are unsurprisingly good, but again, no amount of technological prowess can make up for the lack of compelling narrative.

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Monday, April 23, 2012

IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 4/23/2012

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