http://electronicrealitysolutions.com Mon, 08 Sep 2008 04:43:18 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/images/M_images/ers_rss.png http://electronicrealitysolutions.com Electronic Reality Solutions main news feed. http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/Articles/Dot-Net/Alachisoft-NCache-Review.html I recently had a chance to review an enterprise level caching solution from the folks at Alachisoft called NCache. Our development team was in the market for a scalable solution to high database load which was sapping the life from our database server. NCache (http://www.alachisoft.com/ncache/index.html) is an in-memory cache which can be distributed among a cluster of servers to both improve reliability and performance of data intensive apps. The key benefit of NCache is that it dramatically improves the task of reading data from the database. The caching tier saves a copy of the data the first time it is requested and then draws from that copy to service future requests. This data can either expire after a designated period of time or it can be refreshed via the event notification system in SQL Server 2005. NCache isn't limited to reading from a large aggregated data sets either, the product also offers a comprehensive IIS/ASP.Net state solution which shares session information seamlessly across web clusters. The ASP.Net session cache integrates into existing applications with only a minor change to the site's web.config file. The bad news is that NCache isn't cheap. In the case of the application block in-memory cache product the licensed on a per CPU basis meaning that if you have a eight CPU dual core server you'll have to shell out for eight licenses. According to the website this conveniently falls into the $1495/CPU price range, or $11960, and that is for only one server! Still if you have the budget and are looking for an enterprise level solution to data caching then NCache is worth a look. You can read more about NCache at Alachisoft's web site. (http://www.alachisoft.com/ncache/index.html) Articles - .Net Development Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0100 http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/Articles/Bleeding-Edge/Interactive-Weather.html Weather Underground's latest feature presses the boundary Google Maps has been around for a while but I'm repeatedly amazed by the addition of features by both Google and third parties via the public API. I recently uncovered a new feature from the venerable meteorological site Weather Underground called the WunderMap (http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/). WunderMap (http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/) is a customized weather layer atop the already familiar Google maps engine. However unlike standard radar, the WunderMap (http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/) displays real time data which includes current storm activity and trajectory. Articles - The Bleeding Edge Fri, 25 Jul 2008 22:14:39 +0100 http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/content/view/544/4/ As a systems administrator dealing with Yahoo Mail can be a pain. For the sysadmin of a system that sends promotional, opt-out mailings it can be brutal. I'm still trying to figure out why I can never actually talk to a human over there. Proclamation - Proclamation Items Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:29:01 +0100 http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/Editorials/Business/Not-the-only-option.html Despite current popularity gasoline hybrids are not the only answer Are high fuel prices causing you to consider buying a hybrid? For many consumers the answer is yes but unfortunately the auto industry has not been able to keep up with demand. The most popular hybrid maker, Toyota, can deliver enough Prius models and cites a shortage of batteries in part for the problem. Conversely domestic manufacturers have tried to retrofit existing models as hybrids but thus far have met with lackluster sales given the vehicles poor MPG rating compared to Asian and European offerings. Editorials - Business Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:24:11 +0100 http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/Editorials/General/Drought.html It seems odd that a drought could affect the lives of so many people living so far from the land. A hundred years ago a drought would have meant failed crops, sick or dying livestock and hardship for everyone. These days we depend less on the weather to meet our immediate needs but we still suffer the effect of long-term wet and dry seasons. Even as floodwaters inundate parts of the Midwest drought continues to be a concern throughout the southeast and southwest. Editorials - General Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:18:45 +0100 http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/content/view/541/ As many of you already know, Saturday my wife gave birth to our second child. Everyone is at home and doing fine. Our oldest has happily accepted the new baby and announces that he's "her baby" to everyone. Then she promptly tries to smother him with hugs and drag him outside to play. Obviously she doesn't grasp the delicate nature of babies but it's still nice to see that she knows she has a new playmate. The Daily Blog - Information Explorer Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:41:42 +0100 http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/content/view/540/ A great debate rages in the realm of computer security as to the proper way to protect vital infrastructure. The old adage of creating a walled garden was sufficient in the days before wireless networks and roaming laptops, but it now necessary to adopt a layer approach to security. on the flip side some security experts now argue that it's impossible to construct a wall around infrastructure and thus state "there is no perimeter". while I agree that enforcing security only at the perimeter is no longer valid I'm not convinced that we should entirely abandon the concept. Chad Perrin over at TechRepublic agrees in his post There is no perimeter, kinda (http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/security/?p=455&tag=nl.e036). ..It's a very popular thing to say in certain circles. It makes you sound cutting-edge and knowledgeable. That's the great thing about these postmodern-sounding declarations that everybody accepts as a simple fact of reality even though they don't even exist — they always make you sound cutting-edge and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, it's wrong. There is still a perimeter. For the foreseeable future, there will always be a perimeter. The argument that fifty percent of security breaches "don't go through the firewall" is a bit of handwaving and misdirection, really. What about the other fifty percent? How accurate are these statistics, anyway? The Daily Blog - Tech Thu, 15 May 2008 20:22:11 +0100 http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/content/view/539/ Though the basis of the test was malware infection it's easy to extrapolate that Windows Vista is at least as vulnerable as prior operating systems to exploit. From the start security industry pundits have accused Vista of touting security yet failing to live up to expectation. Given that most of the features of Vista are not "must haves", the disappointing security record means that even fewer people will demand Vista on new computers. Is it any surprise that many OEMs plan to continue to offer XP preloads for the foreseeable future? Windows Vista More Vulnerable To Malware Than Windows 2000 (http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/operatingsystems/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207601217) Microsoft's Vista operating system is more susceptible to malware than Windows 2000, and though it's 37% more secure than Windows XP, it's still too vulnerable. That's the contention of security vendor PC Tools Software, which has a financial interest in the vulnerability of Microsoft's software. "Ironically, the new operating system has been hailed by Microsoft as the most secure version of Windows to date," said Simon Clausen, CEO of PC Tools, in a statement. "However, recent research conducted with statistics from over 1.4 million computers within the ThreatFire community has shown that Windows Vista is more susceptible to malware than the eight year old Windows 2000 operating system, and only 37% more secure than Windows XP." The Daily Blog - Dumb IT News Fri, 09 May 2008 13:00:00 +0100 http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/content/view/538/ It's easy to see why environmentalists are upset over a new coal fired power plant, but what they fail to see is that in exchange Duke will shut down four older plants. The new plant will not only be more efficient but will also have to comply with new EPA rules which mandate scrubbers and other methods of reducing carbon output. While protesters might mean well the fact is that this new plant, along with several others, will help to power the expanding demand of the Charlotte area which has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. If the Golden State, California, is any example failure to build newer more modern power plants will result in shortages, skyrocketing utility prices and possibly even rolling blackouts. Duke Energy gets criticism for NC coal-fired generated (http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/05/08/ap4987936.html) Duke Energy is building an 800-megawatt generator at Cliffside, about 50 miles west of Charlotte. The company plans to close four older generators when the project is complete in 2012. Several environmental groups have asked a judge to halt the $2.4 billion project, arguing the state air quality permit for the project violates federal law. Along with the Cliffside plant, the company is building a coal gasification power plant in southwest Indiana. The company also has plans to build two natural gas-fired plants in North Carolina and a nuclear plant in South Carolina. The Daily Blog - North Carolina Fri, 09 May 2008 06:00:00 +0100 http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/content/view/537/ Andrei, you've lost another submarine? Whether the backups have gone missing deliberately or accidentally the fact that White House staff members can't lay hands on them is an embarrassment. Aside from any juicy tidbits about the Iraq war what other state secrets could be on those tapes? In the real world some IT people would be fired for such an offense. White House Admits It Is Missing Email Backup Tapes From Start of Iraq War (http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/05/8165_white_house_adm.html) The White House acknowledged in a court filing last night that it no longer has backup tapes of email from between March 1 and May 22, 2003, a period that includes the beginning of the Iraq war. Yesterday's filing (PDF) is the latest development in the ongoing White House emails lawsuit, in which two non-profits, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and the National Security Archive (NSA), are suing to force the administration to recover any missing emails and institute a more effective email archiving system. (For the full story on the missing emails, check out our missing White House emails index.) The filing comes on the heels of several seemingly contradictory statements by administration officials about whether the allegedly missing emails are available on backup tapes. The court had asked the administration to clear up the confusion by clearly stating which backup tapes it does and does not have for the period between March 2003 and October 2005. The Daily Blog - Dumb IT News Thu, 08 May 2008 21:12:22 +0100 http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/content/view/536/ A 3.4% decline for Charlotte points to continued weakness in housing and illustrates the fact that no market is safe. According to some, Charlotte has benefited from retirees as much as a strong labor market. The speculation is that folks who retired to Florida later move further north after a rash of hurricanes and rising property taxes. Bulletproof housing markets get hit (http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/01/real_estate/bulletproof_cities/index.htm?section=money_latest) Some of the last, best housing markets - the ones that continued to climb even as the rest of the country cratered - have turned south lately. Seattle, Portland Ore., Charlotte, NC, and Salt Lake City all posted home price gains during 2007, even as more than half of the 150 markets tracked by the National Association of Realtors registered declines. Now they've joined the losers. In Charlotte, prices have fallen about 3.4%, through February, from their August, 2007 peak, according to the S&P Case/Shiller Home Price Index. All of them avoided the speculative runup that fueled so many bubble cities, but their local economies are perhaps the biggest factor in keeping them afloat. In Seattle, software and aerospace jobs have kept things humming, while high-tech and telecom have done the same for Portland, and banking and tech companies have boosted Charlotte. And they all have geography on their side as well. Charlotte, which is home to the headquarters of Bank of America (BAC, Fortune 500) and Wachovia (WB, Fortune 500), has also seen an influx of retirees from the north who moved to Florida and then left the Sunshine State after property taxes and insurance soared in the wake of severe hurricanes. The trend is dubbed the 'halfback' phenomenon since the retirees are moving halfway back to where they started. The Daily Blog - Charlotte Tue, 06 May 2008 20:53:45 +0100 http://electronicrealitysolutions.com/content/view/535/ Further deterioration of earnings for Wachovia Corp. The business revised its first quarter loss up by 80% as a result of third part "stable value" vehicles which were related to its insurance portfolio. The expectation of this revision is possible what prompted Wachovia to raise $8 billion in capital earlier in the year. Wachovia nearly doubles its 1Q loss to $708 million (http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-earns-wachovia,0,95971.story) The Charlotte-based bank said it lost $708 million, or 36 cents per share, during the January-March period, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It previously said losses totaled $393 million, or 20 cents per share, during the quarter. Last month, Wachovia said it would pay $144 million to settle federal allegations that it failed to stop telemarketers who took advantage of thousands of elderly consumers. Reports have also circulated that federal prosecutors are investigating Wachovia in a probe into alleged laundering of drug proceeds by Colombian and Mexican The Daily Blog - Business Tue, 06 May 2008 20:51:01 +0100