March, 2008

Overheard: Garbage collection

Here’s a pretty easy way to automatically collect unused memory. Put a counter on each object, signifying how many outside references there are to this object. When it gets to zero, you know there are no references to it, so it can be deleted. When another object starts referencing that object, it needs to increment the reference count by one. When it stops referencing it, the referrer needs to decrement the reference count. Daniel Ehrenberg, A quick intro to garbage collection

Overheard: gOS

Has anyone else noticed a trend in open-source operating systems lately — a certain movement toward green? No, not money or the environment, as important as those things are: I’m talking desktop color schemes. Brian Donohue Green is the Color

Video: Recovering data from solid-state hardware

Scott Moulton explains how he recovers data from flash drives.  

Overheard: Role mining driven by compliance

We are headed into a phase in Identity Management that is heavily driven by compliance and security, corresponding to a strong demand for intelligent role management and compliance reporting to automate and simplify these processes for enterprises. Jutta Cymanek as quoted in Omada Appoints RBAC Specialist to Identity Management Team

Overheard: Open ID — not just for fanboys anymore

Just a year ago, OpenID was more the hobby of a few fanboys than a serious challenge to the way identities are stored and managed. But in January, Yahoo! announced that all 250 million of its user accounts would become OpenID identifiers, thereby tripling the number of OpenID accounts overnight. Chris Makarsky, I’ll need to see some ID

Overheard: It is the privilege of man to learn to understand

Science has a simple faith which transcends utility. It is the faith that it is the privilege of man to learn to understand, and that this is his mission. Vannevar Bush

Bush, FDR’s Science Officer, is generally credited with changing the way scientific research in the U.S. gets funded. His work to create a relationship between the government and the scientific establishment during WWII fostered the environment in which the Internet was born.

Video: “V” stand for virtualization, sucka

Ever wonder what Mr. T is up to? He's doing video spots for Hitachi Data System Virtualization.

Video: Sarbanes-Oxley explained?

Steven Zelin, the Singing CPA, sings a rather clever rendition of “Happy Birthday” to Sarbanes-Oxley.

Video: Good explanation of change silos

 I’m not plugging Serena Dimensions. I am plugging their video — they did a nice job explaining some of the issues surrounding change management.

Overheard: Operation Cisco Raider

Counterfeit network hardware entering the marketplace raises significant public safety concerns and must be stopped…It is critically important that network administrators in both private sector and government perform due diligence in order to prevent counterfeit hardware from being installed on their networks. Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher, as quoted in Progress Reported Against Traffickers in Counterfeit Network Hardware

Over the last 2 years, Operation Cisco Raider has resulted in 36 search warrants that identified approximately 3,500 counterfeit network components with an estimated retail value of over $3.5 million, and has led to a total of ten convictions and $1.7 million in restitution.