DataManagement

Overheard: New Internet on its way — thanks again to CERN

“We need so much processing power, there would even be an issue about getting enough electricity to run the computers if they were all at Cern. The only answer was a new network powerful enough to send the data instantly to research centres in other countries.” Tony Doyle as quoted in Coming soon: superfast internet

Yes, that’s right folks. The Internet could soon be made obsolete by a new “grid” system that’s going to transfer data 10,000 times faster than our current broadband Internet connections. Think of it — 10,000 times faster!!!

The Grid’s main purpose is to track the data associated with CERN’s Large Hadron Collider “big bang project” — although the Grid will also be made available to some researchers. Current thinking is that CERN is reinventing the Internet and no matter what you think about CERN messing with sub-atomic particles, the idea of a new Internet is intriguing — especially with recent predictions of our “using up” the Internet we have by 2010.

The new Grid has routing centers, dedicated fiber optic cables and over 50,000 servers — and the potential to offer everything from HD video telephony to the transmission of holographic images.

Overheard: Drupal is like a giant bin of free Lego blocks for building a Web site

If you are unfamiliar with Drupal, just imagine it as a giant bin of free Lego-style building blocks for creating any type of web site. Its modular system and underlying application framework can allow rapid deployment of incredibly feature-rich sites. All you need to do is imagine what you want to build and start putting together the pieces. Jeff Robbins, How Drupal will save the world

Overheard: What do aliens see when they look at planet Earth?

Without a doubt, the best thing that ever happened to crop circles is Google Earth. PC Magazine, The Strangest Sights in Google Earth

With Google Earth, you can extend your brand with crop circles, a type of geoglyph. A geoglyph is simply a drawing on the ground. It can be a natural — a geographical formation that we interpret as a face, for example — or it can be man-made. Coca-Cola has a geoglyph. So does Firefox.

It’s surprising how many people spend time using Google Earth for entertainment too. Check out this video.

Overheard: Data analysis

“I usually pick the data that works for me and point to the rest and say, ‘it’s flawed’.” Steven Wadsworth, president of Walt Disney Internet Group

Great quote in an article by Mark Walsh, Disney Exec: Online Revenue Could Be Double

Overheard: Data analysis is scary

“Part of what makes data analysis scary is: 1) There is a lot of data and 2) It is all in disparate forms. Slogging through all that data can feel intimidating because there is simply so much stuff.I often relate this phase of analysis to the television show Clean Sweep. It’s a show about people who have a house so crammed with crap that it’s unlivable.” Rachel Hinman, Demystifying Data Analysis