5 Free Business Intelligence Crunchers for Your 2010 Arsenal

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/22/2009 - 11:25
Business Intelligence (BI) applications — which provide views ranging from spreadsheet-like collections of data to useful graphics of historical, current and future aspects of business operations — have been growing in sophistication for years. And while historically many of the best ones were expensive, tough-to-use tools, there are now numerous easy, free and open-source alternatives.

These applications usually mine database- and spreadsheet-centric data for the analytics that they provide, and are compatible with applications such as Microsoft Excel and most popular databases. Even better is that most of the open-source offerings are now just as powerful as the proprietary applications. While they’re often complemented by paid versions that offer more features, and support, you can easily get started with useful applications for no money down. Here are five that can go a long way toward helping you better understand your business:

A Jaspersoft Flash chart

Jaspersoft. Jaspersoft’s suite of open-source BI applications include  JasperAnalysis for analyzing data and JasperReports for creating detailed, graphical reports. Jaspersoft offers both a free Community Edition and a Professional Edition that includes support and services.  Jaspersoft also offers live training online.

A sample Pentaho chart showing technology downtime

Pentaho. Like Jaspersoft, Pentaho’s BI Suite is also available in a free Community Edition or an Enterprise Edition that includes support and services. You can look at what some businesses are doing with Pentaho here. Pentaho’s suite is modular, and you can either deploy the whole thing, or pick components, such as Pentaho Analysis and Pentaho Reporting.

Palo BI Suite. This BI offering is especially targeted at people used to doing business analytics in Microsoft Excel. It manages all data centrally and allows you to use Excel as your front-end for viewing data, graphics and reports.  You can see demos of it here. Below is a sample spreadsheet view of how Palo BI can be used to monitor accounting.

Example of how you can use graphics/graphical tools with SpagoBI

SpagoBI. SpagoBI is an integration platform for Business Intelligence available in a server version that you can download here. It’s not a standalone set of predefined applications, but rather a group of tools that can be modularly customized for unique applications. You can find out more on how it works here.

Actuate. Actuate’s open-source Business Intelligence applications are focused on allowing developers to build Rich Internet Applicaitions (RIA) that can do things like deliver business analytics and data directly to web sites. The company offers a full suite of tools, focused on everything from spreadsheets to reports, and you can find demos here.  Actuate’s applications let you concentrate on spreadsheet-like analyses like the one below, or graphical ones.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Jaspersoft.

Reactor Drawings Make Nuclear History Beautiful

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/22/2009 - 11:15

Gorgeously drawn, colored and detailed, this collection of nuclear reactor designs shows the history of nuclear power like you've never seen before. Salvaged from one scientist's collection of magazine inserts, the drawings are now digitized for all to admire.

Reactor Drawings Make Nuclear History Beautiful

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/22/2009 - 11:07
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Not all nuclear reactors are built alike. Power plant designs can vary in their fuels, coolants and configurations, a fact beautifully illustrated by a series of reactor wall charts originally published in issues of Nuclear Engineering International during the 1970s and 1980s.
Since then, the charts have been lovingly collected by Ronald Knief, a nuclear engineer at Sandia National Laboratory. Recently, he completed his collection with help from the Idaho National Laboratory library and began to digitize the drawings. The first eight out of more than 100 have now been permanently archived online by the University of New Mexico libraries.
“This is not a CAD/CAM-type thing,” Knief said. “This really is art.”
Like the maps that accompanied many issues of National Geographic, the charts were inserts that could be pulled out and tacked up like a poster. They also served as teaching aids for Knief during his tenure at the University of New Mexico, and served to illustrate his books.
“He saved most of them, and it turns out that hardly anyone else saved them, including the publisher,” said Donna Cromer, a librarian at the University of New Mexico, who has worked with Knief on the project.
Drawn from reactors built in different nations, the cutaways direct attention to the variety that exists in reactor design. Knief chose these eight as a cross-section of the industry.
“Each of them is representative somewhat of the state-of-the-art version of a particular reactor type,” Knief said.
Douglas Point, pictured above, is a boiling-water reactor. In this type of plant, the coolant water flows directly through the fuel, boils and becomes steam, which drives a turbine.
“It’s a direct cycle,” Knief said, “similar to a standard coal plant.”
Boiling-water reactors are a common form of American reactor.
Story via Bibliodyssey
Image: Nuclear Engineering International/University of New Mexico

Brain Chips: Artificial Intelligence Is All in Your Head

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/22/2009 - 11:00

Graphic courtesy of Column Five Media

The 6 Best Gadgets I Bought in 2009

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/22/2009 - 10:43
As the year winds down, I find myself looking back at the year in gadgets. Sure, we’ve reported on hundreds, maybe thousands of devices, applications and services, but ultimately the best ones are the ones that I purchased with my own money. Don’t get me wrong — enjoying features on the very latest devices on loan is always fun, but the real stamp of approval comes my wallet. Here’s the best of the best that I purchased this year, in no particular order.

Apple iPhone 3GS — I bought a first generation 8GB iPhone in June of 2007, but I passed on the iPhone 3G a year later. There simply wasn’t enough of a boost in the hardware for me to upgrade in 2008 and I paid full price for the first generation handset. This year, Apple gave me enough reason to upgrade thanks to the auto-focus camera, 32 GB of storage and faster processor. Say what you will about Apple’s control — you’d be right to criticize them for it — but my iPhone 3GS is still the best smartphone I’ve ever used. The device is never out of my sight, is extremely versatile courtesy of large application library and functions like a digital Swiss Army knife in so many situations. I use it to track my exercise, to take video, read my feeds and so much more. In fact, when my computing needs are light, I use the Apple iPhone over other devices because I always try to use the lightest tool for the task.

Toshiba NB205 netbook — One Saturday night this past summer saw me and my son checking out the latest netbooks at Best Buy. It didn’t take us 10 minutes of play time before we found ourselves in the checkout line with a new netbook. While the guts were largely the same from my MSI Wind U100 –bought in 2008 for almost double the price — the compelling difference was in the battery life. The NB205 routinely lasts for eight hours of real-world use using Microsoft Windows XP. Benchmarking shows it to lose some of that advantage with Windows 7, but it’s still a device that can be used for hours with nary an outlet in sight. Other key features include the generously sized trackpad, effective chiclet-styled keyboard and a USB sleep-and-charge port.

Canon EOS Rebel T1i DSLR — Like my netbook, this digital SLR camera was an upgrade over a 2008 purchase. Last year, I bought the EOS Rebel XSi, but once Canon added a higher resolution sensor and high-definition video recording to the T1i, I knew I had to have it. The very first 720p recording almost impressed me more than Tyler’s speed and agility used to solve his Rubik’s Cube. I was more than happy with the 12.2 megapixel sensor on the XSi, so the bump to 15.1 megapixels on the T1i was just icing on the cake. A faster DIGIC processor on the T1i also allows for more continuous pictures in burst mode — another nice bonus.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens — It didn’t take long before I wanted a new lens for my new camera, so I picked up the “nifty fifty” in 2009. While I didn’t gain any focal length over the included 18 – 55mm lens, I did add some “speed” to my camera in terms of aperture, or the amount of light that passes through the lens. The aperture of Canon’s kit lens ranges from 3.5 to 5.6 — the higher the number the smaller the opening for light to travel into the lens. The prime 50mm lens at 1.8 is fairly wide open which offers better low light photos, the ability to use a faster shutter speed and a shallow depth-of-field which highlights the focus of an image on a very specific point. A good example is a pic I took of the HTC Touch Pro 2 — one commenter said it was the best product photo he’d seen on our site.

Amazon Kindle 2 — Very few of you know this, but I was a full-time library supervisor for five years in the early 1990’s. My childhood love for books made it a perfect workplace for me. So it should be no surprise that I bought my first e-book in 2003 for a Pocket PC device  – after that, I was hooked. I initially veered away from the original Amazon Kindle, mainly due to what I consider shoddy physical design. This year, Amazon corrected that with the Kindle 2 and I had to have it. I’ve already spent more on digital content than I did for the device itself, and like my iPhone, my Kindle goes where I go. It’s light enough to travel anywhere, offers weeks of battery life and can get new content over mobile broadband in seconds. It’s not uncommon for me to read two to three books each week with this device. And in the rare times, I don’t have it with me, I can always revert to reading on my iPhone 3GS thanks to the Kindle for iPhone software — in fact, the flexibility that software provides is what pushed me to make the Kindle 2 purchase.

Apple Magic Mouse — One of my favorite features on the MacBook I use is the multi-touch trackpad. Since purchasing the laptop in late 2008, I never wanted to use a mouse because I knew I’d lose those useful touch functions. Unfortunately, some pain in the second half of this year had me thinking that I need to find an input solution that was more ergonomic. I’ve since redesigned my workspace with a floating monitor mount and superb ergo chair, but to do things right, I have to layoff the MacBook keyboard and trackpad. Enter the Magic Mouse with support for two finger touch — with it, I haven’t lost all of the trackpad functionality I use daily. I can still have my touch gestures but can leave the trackpad behind.

There you have it — my top six gadget purchases of 2009. I’m anticipating that some will ask where the Palm Pre is on my list since I bought it the first day it became available. Just to be pre-emptive on that topic — I do like the phone and the operating system (although there’s quite a bit that needs refining), but I’m simply tired of waiting for the apps and services that I use and need on a daily basis. The lack of inclusion on my list doesn’t mean the Pre is a bad device — it’s just not meeting my personal needs, as I’ve clearly stated before.

What’s on your list of top gadget purchases in 2009?

Obama Names Ex-MS Security Chief as Cybersecurity Czar

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/22/2009 - 10:30

After months of being rejected by other candidates, President Obama finally appointed a new cybersecurity coordinator.

Obama Appoints Former Microsoft Security Chief New Cybersecurity Czar

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/22/2009 - 10:18

howard-schmidt-with-president-obama
It took seven months but President Obama has finally found someone to take the cybersecurity czar job no one wanted.
Howard Schmidt,  a former Microsoft security executive and a one-time cybersecurity adviser to President George W. Bush, has been appointed to the position of cybersecurity coordinator, according to a White House announcement Tuesday.
Schmidt served as vice chair, and then chair, of the President’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Board and as Special Adviser for Cyberspace Security for the White House from December 2001 until May 2003, when he reportedly left the position out of frustration that the government wasn’t making cybersecurity a priority. After leaving the White House, he became chief information security officer at eBay.
In his new position, he will be responsible for coordinating the federal government’s cybersecurity initiatives to secure government networks and critical U.S. infrastructures. This will include working with the Office of Management and Budget to ensure that agencies have money allocated for cybersecurity priorities, and coordinating the government’s response to a major cyber incident or attack.
According to the Associated Press, Obama was directly involved in the selection of Schmidt, who was chosen after an extensive search.
But the announcement of Schmidt came with little fanfare on Tuesday and followed months of reports from other candidates that they either turned down the job or otherwise discouraged the White House from courting them.
Obama announced last May that he was creating a new office to be led by a cybersecurity czar. For nearly a year, however, he could find no one to take the job, because of what many viewed as its undesirable placement in the federal hierarchy.
The czar, Obama stated, would report to the National Security Council and the National Economic Council, putting the position one rung lower in the executive branch hierarchy than many security experts had wanted. Observers had hoped the czar would report directly to the president, which would have helped insulate the office from agency turf battles and ensure quick access to top decision makers.
The White House was quick to dispel concerns on Tuesday that Schmidt’s office would be exiled from the West Wing. An unidentified White House official told the Associated Press that Schmidt would have regular and direct access to the President for cybersecurity issues.
Schmidt, Microsoft’s chief security officer until 2001, is the second former Microsoft executive to take a top federal cybersecurity position. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano appointed Philip Reitinger in March to the position of deputy undersecretary of the department’s National Protections Program Directorate.
Reitinger was Microsoft’s chief trustworthy-infrastructure strategist, a job that required him in part to help develop and implement strategies for enhancing the security of critical infrastructures. In his new position, he oversees the protection of the government’s computer networks and works with the private sector to help secure critical infrastructures.
There have been concerns about how the White House intends to address cybersecurity issues, particularly in the private sector, and protect civil liberties at the same time.
Obama asserted in his speech in May that the new White House cybersecurity office would include an official whose job is to ensure that the government’s cyberpolicies don’t violate the privacy and civil liberties of Americans.
“Our pursuit of cybersecurity will not include — I repeat, will not include — monitoring private-sector networks or internet traffic,” he said. “We will preserve and protect the personal privacy and civil liberties that we cherish as Americans.”
Photo by Lawrence Jackson, courtesy of White House
See also:

Making Ads Real Time, Too: OneRiot Streams Trending Ads

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/22/2009 - 09:13
As the web and search become more up-to-the-minute, relevant and timely, advertising shouldn’t be far behind. OneRiot, a Boulder, Colo.-based startup, this morning is launching a stream of real-time ads on currently trending topics. The ads are now available for syndication by application developers, and IM client Digsby will be one of the first to implement them. Digsby is actually placing the real-time ads directly in its stream, rather than off to the side.

The stream of ads comes from OneRiot’s real-time ad network, RiotWise, which launched this fall, and is available for web-connected clients as well as in a special mobile ad unit (see screenshot). OneRiot has already built a partner network for its real-time search results that includes Yahoo and Microsoft.

Still, any one moment’s trending topics are often able to be anticipated — for example, the pictured ad is inspired by the recurring timely keyword “Santa.” When a trending topic is a huge surprise, it’s often because it’s tragic (therefore, maybe not something you want to target against). Ultimately, fine-tuning the relevancy of real-time ads may be overkill, but it’s good to see people experimenting to find out what works.

Top 10 Trends for the Smart Grid in 2010, Courtesy of Ray Bell

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/22/2009 - 09:04

Predicting the next 12 months is both unavoidable and irresistible at this time of year, so here are my best guesses for what’s in store for the Smart Grid in 2010:

1) We’ll Mark Significant “Phase Two” Milestones: The first phase of the smart grid was about defining it — and it took nearly a decade for utilities (and vendors) to articulate a vision and blueprint for such a complex undertaking. Now that we’re there, it’s time to start making this vision concrete. Phase Two is about building out the smart grid, and I believe that 2010 will be a milestone year for progress in this regard. One important measure of our progress will be the number of newly connected homes and businesses by the end of next year. (By the way, Phase Three is about living in the smart grid –- and still in the distant future.)

2) A Year of Interfaces: Commercially available products with real standards and real interfaces will drive a meaningful start to Phase Two of the smart grid. That means utilities have realized that the “last mile” network of the grid is as important as the rest of its networked devices.

3) A Year of the Majors: Now that the Smart Grid is a reality, the world’s leading technology vendors are plunging into the fray. The smart grid’s enormous, complex challenges will be met with ingenious solutions from leading vendors in virtually every technology vertical. Look for new alliances among major networking companies, major telecoms providers, major chip suppliers, major retail household appliance manufacturers and major enterprise software vendors (as well as some unknown startups).

4) The Security Debate Will Be Behind Us: Shocking as that may sound, it’s true. Sure, security generated a lot of buzz (and anxiety) in 2009, but government-grade, standards-based security has won the day. The only questions that remain center around how and where security gets implemented within the smart grid. Stay tuned for lots of debate about how best to implement standards-based security. Granularity -– across devices, data, transport and systems — will play a key role in determining successful (or failed) smart grid architectures.

5) Disruption Is Bound to Happen: Yes, there are government stimulus awards being handed out, as well as contracts signed by putative (and emerging) market leaders. But which vendors are likely to succeed, and why? My prediction (setting aside my bias as CEO of an emerging vendor, Grid Net): Disruption will result from a combination of the “usual suspects” (large, well-known technology vendors) plus some new surprises (see Prediction #3).

6) Smart Grid Networks Will Continue to Be Built: Until recently, there was lots of talk, speculation, blogging, Powerpoint presentations and whiteboard diagrams — and little else. So who is actually building out a viable, scalable, secure smart grid network? Actual smart grid deployments -– while small -– are now growing (in stature, as well as volume of connected devices). As the smart grid transitions to Phase Two, the vendors that demonstrate real technology (that’s really working in real-world deployments) will have a huge advantage and overwhelming mindshare with utilities.

7) Distributed Generation and Load Shaping Will Be the New “Killer Apps”: In the mid-1990s, everyone used to ask what the Internet’s “killer app” (i.e., the application that would propel massive adoption and growth) was. Seems rather quaint from our 2009 vantage point. Yet keen minds involved with the Smart Grid are now asking a similar question. But first the following queries about distributed generation and load shaping need to be answered:

  1. How can utilities safely incorporate and distribute alternative energy?
  2. How will utilities manage and distribute all that new energy going back into the Smart Grid? Has two-way energy management been a heretofore ignored issue?
  3. How does this transform utilities’ value-add? Do they become energy brokers/marketplaces, as well as energy providers? Will deregulated markets help or hinder this process?
  4. How will consumers’ interests be protected? Who really wins?
  5. If harnessed properly, can we end our reliance on fossil fuels?

8) The Birth of Retail Energy Will Be Upon Us: With connected smart meters, utilities are on the cusp of developing more powerful ways to connect and communicate online with consumers. Moreover, utilities will need to listen closely to consumers, and work hard to deliver what consumers want. That’s exciting, but daunting. Our prediction: The birth of ‘retail energy’ will happen first in deregulated markets, where there exist meaningful incentives for both utilities and consumers to communicate and transact online.

9) The “Grand Slam” –- Energy, Voice, Video and Data — Will Emerge: Back at the start of the century, telecommunications companies described the “triple play” (voice, video, data) opportunity –- a convergence of all media into the home, provided by a single vendor, and streamed onto a variety of consumer devices (phones, TVs, computers, and more). The Smart Grid is the first opportunity to enable the “quadruple play,” and I believe it will be big –- very big! Quadruple play is made possible by the use of standards-based, scalable smart grid architectures that connect and leverage feature-rich devices and functionality, along with high-bandwidth (and low cost) 4G networking. We are already seeing both vendors and utilities evaluate the benefits of this “quadruple play” approach as they build out their smart grids.

10) Did We Already Mention the “Grand Slam”?

Ray Bell is the founder and CEO of Grid Net, a provider of open, interoperable, policy-based network management software and 4G wireless communications products for the Smart Grid.

Image courtesy of martcatnoc’s photostream Flickr Creative Commons.


What was the big news that happened in your sector in Q3? Catch up with GigaOM Pro's, "Quarterly Wrap-ups."

Honda to Debut Small Car Concept

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 12/22/2009 - 08:49

Honda_CRZ_Concept_1a.jpgHonda is set to unveil a small car concept at the 10th Auto Expo show in New Delhi on January 5th--mirroring an announcement from Toyota the week before, according to AutoblogGreen.The report said Honda is referring to the car internally as the "New Small Concept." It's intended for emerging markets, but it's also designed to be sold in other parts of the world (meaning that it's engineered to easily meet safety, emissions, and other standards for other countries, either right away or with an engine swap).Honda will also show the CR-Z Concept 2009 (pictured) again, after unveiling it earlier this year, the report said. Honda is doing great with the exception of its hybrid line; the new Insight isn't selling well here or overseas, the Civic Hybrid continues to lag the Prius (especially with Toyota's 2010 revamp), and Honda canned its unsuccessful Accord Hybrid several years ago.