Cache & Carey

Terremark, Aplicor, Office Depot among list of top green tech vendors and users

Terremark Worldwide, a provider of managed IT infrastructure services, has been ranked one of the top Green-IT Organizations for 2009 by Computerworld.

This is Computerworld's second year compiling the list of the top 12 Green-IT companies. Miami-based Terremark ranked 12th among vendors. But it wasn't the only company from South Florida on the list. Aplicor, in Boca Raton, ranked seventh among vendors this year, slipping from it's fourth-place rank in 2008.

The Computerworld list honors companies that are working to reduce energy consumption in IT equipment and are using technology to conserve energy and lower cabon emissions.

According to Terremark, the company uses various energy-efficient methods to reduce its power consumption, including hot-aisle/cold-aisle air segregation, computational fluid dynamics modeling (CFD) and employing rotary uninterruptible power supply systems (UPS). Also, Terremark’s virtualized products provides customers with solutions for their IT infrastructure needs while minimizing their environmental impact.

Among the Top 12 Green-IT Users, Boca Raton's Office Depot ranked ninth. Aside from other green initiatives, Office Depot has a device that track the energy used at all its buildings. So if the A/C is set wrong in a building and is using too much power, headquarters will be alerted.

Miami's Ryder System ranked ninth last year for IT users, but it didn't make the list this time around.

Computerworld's 2009 Top Green-IT Vendors:

1. IBM, Armonk, N.Y. (last year, No. 1)
2. Hewlett-Packard, Palo Alto, Calif. (last year, No. 7)
3. Fujitsu America, Sunnyvale, Calif. (last year, No. 5)
4. Microsoft, Redmond, Wash. (last year, No. 6)
5. Qualcomm, San Diego (last year, No. 3)
6. Dell, Round Rock, Texas
7. Aplicor, Boca Raton, Fla. (last year, No. 4)
8. BT Group PLC, London (last year, No. 2)
9. Applied Materials, Santa Clara, Calif.
10. Entrust, Dallas
11. Compellent Technologies, Eden Prairie, Minn.
12. Terremark Worldwide, Miami

Computerworld's 2009 Top Green-IT Users:

1. Mohawk Fine Papers
2. State Street
3. Allstate Insurance
4. Citigroup
5. PricewaterhouseCoopers
6. State of Indiana
7. KPMG
8. Seventh Generation
9. Office Depot
10. Burt's Bees
11. Marriott International
12. Austin Energy

Product Review: Microsoft Explorer Mouse even works on Julienne fries!

OK, so I didn't test to see if it worked on Julienne fries. But when a wireless mouse tells me it works on virtually any surface, I like to put it to the test.

It actually worked on my hair! And a few other bizarre surfaces... some more dangerous than others. Watch the video below to see what I mean. (Billy Mays, eat your heart out.)

That mangy cat scratched my arm up! That's right folks, I do my own stunts and will put myself in the line of danger to get you the best product reviews each week.

I do it all for you.

Product Review: Get animated with the Microsoft LifeCam Show

After testing the Microsoft LifeCam Show, I think my dinky webcam is in serious need of an upgrade.

Go to the story in today's MiamiHerald or just watch the video below to see the webcam's video and sound quality, as well as some fun special effects:

It has a 2-megapixel video sensor with a wide-angle lens and takes photos at a 8-megapixel resolution. It has 5x digital zoom, a wide-angle lens, a side button to connect with Windows Live Messenger, and the option to just record audio with the built-in microphone. It works with services like Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger and Skype. Software comes with 79 of those fun video effects you saw me mess with in the video, like facial exaggerations, filters and 3D accessories.

A bit of a downer was that it automatically saves videos in a folder within ''My Pictures'' and there isn't a way to change that. Also, it limits what types of changes you can make to the video settings. You can mess with things like brightness, contrast and saturation, but options to change hue or white balance are grayed out and unclickable, which is a strange quirk. If I can't change certain settings, then don't tease me with unclickable boxes!

If you're in the market for a webcam, remember that you can find similar high-quality webcams in other brands, like Logitech, so shop around. And I do like Logitech's interface a little better when it comes to changing the video settings. But these special effects Microsoft has are really fun, and the camera itself is well designed when it comes to portability and being able to set it up in any environment with the magnet connectors.

But if a high resolution video and a travel-friendly design isn't important to you, then I'd say you should save a few bucks and get a cheaper webcam.

iTunes 8 is giving some Vista users the Blue Screen of Death

Some Vista users that upgraded to iTunes 8 are seeing a fatal error crash -- known as the Blue Screen of Death -- when they plug in their Apple devices like the iPod or iPhone. Apple support is saying this could be due to the PC having "out-dated drivers for devices like Logitech QuickCam/Webcam products, Lexmark scanners, or media card readers."

Some people on the forum have found the clash to be with their HP printers. One support staffer is telling people to uninstall their Logitech software to make it work. But honestly... who wants to uninstall something you use just to make iTunes work? And there are people on the boards who say they don't have HP, Logitech or Norton software that still have the problem. Apparently Apple is working on a fix, but until that fix comes, it's probably best to stay with the older version of iTunes if you use a PC.

Check out the full discussion here on Apple's Support Message Boards.

Cities face crisis in search for tech workers

A crisis in the technology workforce is brewing. A growing number of baby boomers are leaving, and not enough young people are enrolling in science and technology education. Add to that the number of people who are lacking computer skills, and cities have a challenge with being economically competitive.

"Some may not view it as a crisis yet," said Maria Wynne, a Microsoft senior director of economic development in the U.S. public sector. "In the U.S., up to 70 percent of the jobs in the next 5 to 7 years ... will require computer and communications skills. We do not have a pipeline of skilled people to fill these jobs."

Mayors and government technology employees gathered in a casual setting today at the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Miami. They shared ideas on best practices of improving digital literacy in cities, and Miami Mayor Manny Diaz presided over the forum.

Diaz advised other mayors to look to the private sector for funding, since city resources can be limited.

"Don't go crazy trying to Wi-Fi the entire city," Diaz added, warning that when a project is too ambitious, there will be problems with paying the bills.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels stressed that cities cannot just depend on luck that its residents will keep up with the changes in computers in the future. Even with Microsoft Corp. and  Amazon.com in its backyard, 20 percent of Seattle does not have a computer in the home, Nickels said.

If a city is going to have a competitive economy, "you've got to have the people with these skills, regardless of what your base industries are," Nickels said. "Even if your main industry seems to be one that's a smoke-stack industry - it doesn't matter."

After the forum I spoke with, James E. Osteen Jr., assistant director of Miami's information technology department. He said if education isn't improved, South Florida will lose more jobs to other tech hubs and jobs will be outsourced overseas.

"If we want to bring more industries in here, we have to have an edge,''  Osteen said. That includes having a stronger pool of computer competent workers and intelligent consumers.

The city's Elevate Miami program is working to do just that through partnerships with the education system and having public computer and Internet access at parks and senior centers. There are also programs to educate small business owners on things such as how to create websites, use accounting software and locate funding sources.

"I think the most important investment in people is education," Diaz told the crowd. "And digital literacy is giving them the tools. Not everyone is going to take advantage of it. But at least your giving them the tools, the fighting chance, to compete."

Farewell to keyboards?

Microsoft chair Bill Gates told a group of students at Carnegie Mellon that in five years we will be using touch screens more and the majority of Internet searches will be done by speech rather than by typing on a keyboard. [Read the story here.]

Five years? Uh, seems like a stretch. I don't know about you folks, but I need a keyboard. And it doesn't make sense in a work environment. Say goodbye to doing non-work stuff while at work. "Computer, search Amazon for purple pumps." Busted. The same goes for a cellphone and touch screens. I like touch screens, but I rather have a QWERTY keyboard rather than have a touch-screen keyboard, because I type faster on an actual keyboard. What about you? Can you see yourself doing verbal searches? I think a whole new generation needs to grow up in a voice-search world before something like that takes off.

Office Accounting in Espanol

This week Microsoft announced that its Office Accounting 2008 software has a few upgrades, including the fact that there is a bilingual Spanish-English version. So if want to send invoices in Spanish to Spanish-speaking clients, and invoices in English to English-speaking clients, you can translate with a click of a button.

Sounds perfecto for South Floridians.

The basic version of the software is free to download. If you want Office Accounting Professional, that'll cost you $199.95 (but you can try it for free for 60 days).

Download the English version here: www.ideawins.com
Download the Spanish version here: www.ideawins.com/espanol

Free Microsoft software training in Miami

The following is a media release about free training in Office Accounting and Office Live for small businesses, college professionals and entrepreneurs:

Microsoft Office Accounting and Microsoft Office Live Team Up With City of Miami to Help Students and Entrepreneurs

Free software giveaway, free Web site training to take place at the Economic Business Seminar as part of the ACCESS MIAMI initiative.

Who: Microsoft® Office Accounting, financial management software for small businesses, and Microsoft Office Live, a Web-based service for small businesses, are teaming up with the City of Miami to provide free Office Accounting Express software and Web site training for small businesses, college professionals and budding entrepreneurs during the Economic Business Seminar as part of the ACCESS MIAMI initiative.

     According to a study by Bizjournals, Miami is one of the country’s five best markets for small businesses. However, small businesses often lack easy and affordable software to help them manage their finances and build an online presence.

     Microsoft Office Accounting and Office Live are teaming with the City of Miami to help empower business success by equipping students and entrepreneurs with tools and training.

When: Tuesday, Aug. 28. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. EDT

Spanish-speaking spokespeople will be available.

Where: Jungle Island, Treetop Ballroom

1111 Parrot Jungle Trail, Miami, FL  33132

Other: In addition to the free software giveaway on Aug. 28, Microsoft Office Accounting will provide the following:

• Free training to accountants on Aug. 29–30. Microsoft will provide free software training for accountants so they can in turn help the small-business community. Accountants can sign up in advance through Miami Dade College from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Economic Business Seminar or register through Microsoft at (425) 704-7300.

• Free training provided to local colleges and universities. Microsoft will also enable Miami Dade College, University of Miami and Florida International University to teach the Microsoft curriculum on Office Accounting (“Mastering Office Accounting 2007”). The training offered by the universities is primarily directed at accountants and IT professionals, but may be taken by business owners or office managers as well. Those seeking more information should contact Microsoft at (425) 704-7300.

Background: ACCESS MIAMI is Miami’s successful citywide integrated poverty reduction strategy. Under the leadership of Mayor Manuel Diaz, ACCESS MIAMI has united and coordinated city-based resources with those in the public, private and nonprofit sectors to provide tools, resources, education and long-term opportunities to directly meet the needs of families and remediate long-term poverty. The overarching endeavor, ELEVATE MIAMI, was recognized as a top local program at the 2007 United States Conference of Mayors annual meeting.

Keep safety in mind this summer for kids

This week I visited the Microsoft office in Fort Lauderdale to talk about the Parental Controls on Windows Vista and their campaign of "Safer Summer Surfing" for children.

The Parental Controls in Vista were interesting in the sense that it's very detailed in how much you can learn about your child's computer habits and how they spend their time. You can set it up to not only block mature content Web sites, but parents can also find out exactly what programs their children are using, what sites they are visiting, what music they are listening to on Windows Media Player, what conversations they have on Windows Live Messenger and who they are e-mailing.

Parents can also set time limits for computer use. For example, if Johnny Jr. can't use the computer after 9 p.m., then the computer will tell him how much time he has left until it's 9 p.m. and it logs him off.

If Johnny Jr. is doing a school project on drugs, but all Web sites about drugs are blocked by parental controls, Johnny Jr. has to ask permission from the administrator to access a site. When the administrator logs in (a.k.a., mom or dad) they will get a notification that Johnny Jr. is asking permission to access a site.

This tool can be extremely useful, but it also has the possibilities for trouble if parents don't communicate with their children about the controls and the watchdog tools. Open communication with children is the key to online safety and the key to making parental controls work, and Microsoft also preaches this.

When I was growing up, Dateline NBC's To Catch a Predator was not on TV. And MySpace wasn't around. But there were certainly creepy people in AOL chat rooms. A/S/L? I had no fear about talking to strangers in chat rooms when I was 12. I spent most of that time in areas for kids, but I went exploring. I wanted to know what strange room names were, like LGBT? Looking for love? Phishing? Oh my mom would have had a fit if she knew what I was reading. But luckily I had a sketchy person radar. When I got messages "From AOL" saying they needed my billing information, I was the one teaching my mom and dad that this was a scam. But all it would have taken was one creepy guy to pretend he was 12... actually, I might have talked to creepy guys pretending they were 12 and I would have never known.

My parents knew I was a smart kid, so they trusted me. But they didn't know how much was out there, and although I was a good kid, it would have been easy to get mature content without them knowing, or talk to a child predator in a chat room for teenagers.

With social networking as popular as it is today, it's so important for parents to talk with their children and have conversations about what they see that's strange (just like how I talked to my parents when I came across phishing scams). More than half of teenagers have profiles with their names, photos and hometowns posted. Consumer Reports estimates that more than 2 million children nationwide have inadvertently viewed pornographic spam. As kids explore the Internet, you can't help but accidentally run into this stuff. And it's easy for people to find user names. Six out of 10 online teens say they have gotten an e-mail or instant message from a perfect stranger, and 63 percent of those who have gotten such messages say they have responded to the strangers, according to Microsoft.

Kids feel invincible behind a computer screen. I know I did.

Parents should keep these tips in mind this summer as kids kill time surfing the Web:

• Open communication with children is key to online safety.
• Make sure your kids don't share personal information with anyone online.
• Don't tolerate online bullying (which means if there is abuse, report it to Terms of Service.)
• Keep your computer secure. (Anti-spyware, anti-virus, firewalls...)

Here are some helpful websites for more information:
staysafe.org
microsoft.com/protect
safetynet.aap.org
pauseparentplay.org

Microsoft's statement on Xbox 360 lawsuit

Xbox 360 disc scratch lawsuit update: Heidi Schulz, who is a media relations representative for Microsoft, sent me the following statement from Microsoft officials: "We've only just learned of this lawsuit, so we haven't had time to evaluate it. However, out of the millions of Xbox consoles in use, Microsoft has not received any widespread reports of Xbox 360s scratching disks."