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My wife and I are in this video.

Hackers Swipe Terabytes of Sensitive Pentagon Data

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Hackers-Swipe-Terabytes-Of-Sensitive-Pentagon-Data-259690/

The above article tells of how hackers have stolen several terabytes of data from the Pentagon. Most of the stolen data was related to the Pentagon's Joint Strike Fighter program, the most expensive weapons program ever developed. Sources claim the attack originated in China. It appears hackers exploited network weaknesses of several contractors working on the project. The hackers encrypted the data as it was stolen, leaving the Pentagon unable to determine what all was taken. The article also stated that the United States does not currently have an office responsible for cyber security. It will be interesting to see how this latest breach changes the government's future plans towards cyber security.

Canadian Credit Card Fees

http://nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com/journal/article/627676

The above article discusses how high credit card transaction fees in Canada are impacting businesses. Canada is currently in the worst retail climate in 15 years and credit card fees are on the rise. Credit card transactions cost Canadians a total of $4.5 billion last year. Large and small businesses have started to feel the pain and are beginning to petition local government to intervene. High credit card transaction fees will only become more increasingly painful as more and more buyers purchase online.

Amazon's Information Systems

The internet has revolutionized the way modern shoppers purchase items for their homes. Consumers no longer have to leave their homes to purchase items. From home, shoppers can buy anything from a car to groceries.

The barriers to entry into starting an online store are very low. All a potential entrepreneur needs is a computer with an internet connection, something to sell, and access to a post office. This results in many online sellers, and buyers have a majority of the power. This sparks a lot of rivalry amongst competitors. The main focus of product differentiation is emphasizing the quality of the goods sold. To be successful, online sellers need to assure potential clients that the item purchased is precisely what the buyer expects.

Amazon.com is an online store that has effectively differentiated itself from its competitors. Buyers have gained confidence in purchasing online through Amazon. By setting up an Amazon account, a buyer is able to easily transition from selection of a product to checkout. Saving billing information online is a point of anxiety for many online shoppers and Amazon has been successful in gaining the trust of its clients. Amazon.com has also excelled in fully executing online purchases. Once a transaction has been made, delivery is generally completed within a week. This is achieved through Amazon’s distribution infrastructure.

Amazon further differentiates itself from competitors by tracking its users’ browsing patterns. This allows Amazon to make recommendations for additional purchases based on past view history. This is an effective marketing tool. Buyers may be led to purchase music or a movie based solely on an Amazon recommendation.

Everything Amazon does is supported through information systems. Attracting customers to the website, browsing products, checking out, and delivery is fulfilled through Amazon’s IT infrastructure.

Britannica vs Wikipedia

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2009/03/31/enter_britannica/

The above article discusses the lengths Encyclopedia Britannica is taking to stay relevant in the age of Wikipedia. Beginning this summer, Britannica will allow its online feature to be edited by certified users. This will be different from Wikipedia because no editing will be anonymous and any edits will be reviewed and approved by Britannica editors. In theory, this should separate Britannic from the criticisms surrounding Wikipedia.
Britannica has been around since the 1700s and has been forced to change its format in recent years to stay competitive in the face of all the free information online. It will be interesting to see if they will have to change from a subscription based revenue stream to an advertising/donation only revenue stream.

Competitive Intelligence - Outsights

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/response-interactive-launches-outsights-competitive-intelligence-service/

The above article discusses the company Response Mine Interactive's new product, "Outsights". Current clients of Response Mine include Home Depot, Rooms-to-Go, and Staples. The main purpose of "Outsights" is to analyze consumer data and allow its clients to understand consumer behavior. This knowledge leads to informed decision making into which strategies would have a high probability of success. Response Mine is another example of how bridging the gap between buyers and sellers can be a profitable business venture.

Second Life

Having spent a few hours on Second Life, I have found a few locations that interest me. One is the Weather Channel's island. The many interactive buttons makes this location enjoyable.

I am a big Star Wars fan. Another island I really enjoyed was Star Wars themed. It had many Star Wars wall decorations and interactive objects. The Mos Eisley detail was also a plus.

A third location I found was a Lake Tahoe ski lodge. The scenery and vastness of this island made a strong impression. There were many interactive snowmen and penguins. This was also a plus.





Overall, Second Life is an entertaining and interesting way to interact over the internet. There are many different locations that appeal to a wide range of interests. I found many locations that were customized for specific TV shows that I watch. I personally found it awkward to start conversations with strangers I met on various islands. Most of the avatars either didn't respond or didn't seem too interested in the theme of island. I also sometimes found it difficult to find other avatars. I spent a lot of time walking around looking for other people. This may be due to my lack of experience on the site.

Artificial Intelligence in Video Games

http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/article/12582/new-media/artificial-intelligence-to-revolutionise-game-and-movie-development

The above article discusses the new ways video games programmers are improving the overall experience of their games through increased artificial intelligence. AI allows a game to "learn" the player's strategies and techniques and adapt accordingly. As the player improves and advances through a game, the game learns of new ways to defeat the player.

Liaison Technologies

http://ca.sys-con.com/node/880603

The above article discusses the acquisition of First Thought by Liaison Technologies. The purpose of these two, now one, companies is to act as the middlemen in B2B transactions. Their consulting services allows for substantial growth for their clients through integration. Their clients include Amazon.com, MetLife, and Siemens. This shows how well a company can do by simply acting as a means for business integration to take place.

RFID Technologies

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/10-q-rfi-technologies-inc/story.aspx?guid=%7BDCE83F76-57EE-4F4E-AA7C-EE84C656C5F6%7D&dist=msr_1

The above article provides an update on RFID technology. Radio frequency identification allows for the immediate wireless tracking of anything that contains the RFID chip. This can be applied to products along a supply chain. From production to shipping to receiving, inventory can be quickly accounted for. This will greatly improve efficiencies in production and improve the integrity of inventory data. The cost of RFID technology and its infrastructure is quickly dropping. It is now becoming more economically feasible for companies to integrate RFID.

Wireless Hotspots - Hickory, NC

The following Hickory locations have wireless access:

Atlanta Bread Company
Barnes & Noble
Copper Bean Coffee House
Quiznos Subs
Tea & Coffee Co
Patrick Beaver Library - Possible location for a business

http://hotspotr.com/wifi/list/932-hickory-nc
http://www.jiwire.com

It would be difficult to sustain a commercial business using only these wireless connections. You would be limited to the space of the location and will not have the resources of a contemporary office. It would make more logistical since to pay for internet services through EMBARQ or Charter Communications. EMBARQ provides 10M internet for $55/month. Charter's 10M internet is $40/month. A 10M internet speed may be the best option for a growing business, however, slower internet speeds can be purchased. These services can be purchased for a reduced price if bundled with other products. This may be an attractive option for people who already use Charter or EMBARQ for personal use.

MBA Summer Schedule

http://www.registrar.appstate.edu/extension/summerschedule/summer09_graduate_courses.html#CatawbaMBA

Smart Power Meters

http://www.wqow.com/Global/story.asp?S=9875242

The above link discusses a new trend in electricity that may be heading our way. "Smart Meters" are being installed in homes. These smart meters allows the homeowner to view their current power usage in real-time over the internet and calculates how much they are currently having to pay on their power bill. This allows for the homeowner to become more self-aware of the energy he/she is using. The result is a dramatic decrease in energy use and an increase in energy efficiency.

Travelocity - SitePal

http://www.sitepal.com/sendtofriend?ss=1743771&sl=2020251&acc=15695&from=BrandonEudy@Hotmail.com&to=brandoneudy@Hotmail.com

Please click on the above link to see a rat describe the benefits of Travelocity and it's Business-to-Consumer business model.

Is Noca The Next PayPal?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/09/AR2009020900028.html


Anyone who has ever made a purchase from Ebay is aware of PayPal. PayPal allows for a secure transfer of funds in exchange for a good. This is extrememly important for internet purchases, given that purchases are made through a virtual store. PayPal charges vendors a substantial fee for its service. This fee has led many to potentailly embrace Noca. Noca is similiar to PayPal, in that it maintains the integrity of an online purchase. The benefit is to the seller, who only has to pay a fraction of the transaction costs. It will be interesting to see how Noca grows in the next year. If more vendors begin to offer Noca instead or PayPal, buyers will be forced to switch.

Podcasting Your Novel

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1872381,00.html

http://www.thezombiechronicles.net/


Time's article "Podcasting Your Novel: Publishing's Next Wave?" by Hector Florin discussed the new ways struggling writers are presenting their stories to the public. Instead of having a publisher print and market a book by an unknown author, authors are recording their work in an audiobook format and releasing it free to the masses through podcasts or "podiobooks". This allows the author to create a fan base and potentially prove his or herself to publishers.
This is an example of how new media has created a new genre. There have been audiobooks for years; however, this takes it a step further in that publishing companies are left out of the process and individuals are able to share their own work directly to a wide audience. This service is usually free, but donations are accepted.
I have listened to a couple podiobooks, my favorite being "The Zombie Chronicles". Every week or so the author, James Melzer, releases two chapters of the book. Melzer narrates and gives each character a unique voice. This is backed up with sound effects and theme music that are remeniscent of classic radio serials. It is entertaining and free. Melzer's efforts are paying off. "The Zombie Chronilces" will be released in print some time in 2009.
Hopefully this medium will catch on and become standard practice for authors of all literary levels. Some are skeptical of its sustainability; however, most of the authors who release podiobooks have a full time job in a unrelated field. It doesn't seem likely there will ever be a lack of people who want to write a story and share it with others.

Risks in Outsourced Data Warehousing

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/credit/2009-01-21-visa-mastercard-credit-security-breach_N.htm

http://www.heartlandpaymentsystems.com/

The USA Today article "Mastercard, Visa warn security breach may compromise data" (Byron Acohido, 1/23/2009) illustrates the inherent risk associated with web-based data management. Heartland Payment Systems manages 100 million credit card transactions from Visa and Mastercard per month. On Tuesday, Heartland disclosed that hackers had infiltrated its system. It should be assumed that all transactions were compromised. It is still unclear as to the exact time frame of the data breach. Upper estimates indicate the breach may have lasted up to two months.

To put this breach in perspective, retailer TJX reserved $194 million to correct 94 million compromised records. If Heartland was exposed for two months, up to 200 million records may have been impacted. This current data breach has the potential to be the largest ever disclosed.

This episode shows the risks involved in data warehousing. The driving force behind data warehousing is the ability transfer large quantities of information over the internet. Because the internet is easily accessed around the globe, anyone with a computer has the potential to exploit the weakest link in a data warehouse's security. There is a constant challenge for white-hat hackers to stay one step ahead of malicious hackers. This latest breach demonstrates how quickly and unexpectedly hackers can infiltrate data believed to be protected.

For all the advantages data warehousing provides, this occurrence should be viewed as simply the cost of doing business. The business intelligence a corporation can gain by effectively utilizing data mining far outweighs the downside of the occasional security breach.

IT, Does it Matter?

**disclaimer** the position of this article is not necessarily the viewpoint of the blog host.
The position of our debate team (Tim, Joe, Brandon, Ted) is that IT doesn’t Matter. Nicholas Carr is initially taking a “devil’s advocate” pose but upon closer examination he actually has several valid points which logically support his position. Here are those key points:

>IT is expensive:
>In 1965 IT overhead was 5%, today it runs over 50% of a company’s resource cost. It is difficult to say that profitability has grown in proportion in credit to IT.
>IT stifles creativity.
>IT doesn’t challenge personal development or creativity. IT provides the “easy way out” solution rather than causing a desire to find efficiency. IT promotes the idea of “hey, let’s just throw a bigger server at it and that will give us the advantage” rather than “hey, let’s brainstorm and find a smarter way to do this”.
>IT removes competitive advantage.
>Carr calls it the “Corrosiveness” of IT. His viewpoint is that the same IT is available to all (keep in mind that it is hardware, software, and network) thus the first to buy the hardware only has an advantage for a little while until the next competitor buys it. Now, everyone is equal. It’s like a phrase from the Incredibles movie…. “Once everyone has the weapons to make them a Super(human), then suddenly, no one is a Super(human)”.
>IT is misunderstood
>This is perhaps the biggest argument poised by Carr. He says that too many hear him say “IT doesn’t matter” and in misconception they interpret that to be “IT can be eliminated”. Actually, Carr proposes a reduction in the reliance of IT. A reduction in IT being the top concern and factor of success. Once people understand what Carr is promoting (less dependency on IT) then they will become more acceptable to the concept.

Summary: IT is a factor of a business, but it shouldn’t be the dominant factor. IT is a means to an end, not the driving force. There is a misconceived mindset that IT will make the difference between success & failure of a business when in fact IT may be as much of a constraint as a contributor. Proper balance of IT’s role is needed for a company’s growth and success.

Clerkdogs

http://www.appscout.com/2009/01/clerkdogs_helps_you_find_good_1.php

http://www.clerkdogs.com/

The top link is to an article on AppScout.com called "Clerkdogs helps you find good movies." Clerkdogs is a website that is developed upon thousands of movie recommendations from video clerks. Much like Netflix's or Blockbuster's websites, Clerkdogs provides recommendations based on movies you enjoy. It goes a step further, however, by allowing the user to choose the degree of a number of movie characteristics he/she may feel like watching. This allows a real time recommendation based on personal taste and current mood. As compared to Netflix, which makes a recommendation based on how many stars you rated various movies over a time span of several years.
Clerkdogs furthurs its scope by linking all of the information on its website to Netflix, Internet Movie Database, Blockbuster, and Amazon. If a user has a Netflix account, they could find a movie to watch on Clerkdogs and have the movie easily added to their Queue. With Netflix adding more and more "Watch Instantly" films, the potential is there for a movie to be discovered and viewed within a short time frame. This plays into the site's feature of selecting a movie based on mood. Additionally, Clerkdogs allows the user to easily research and purchase a movie or TV show through its link with Amazon.
Clerkdogs demonstrates how a third party site can integrate itself into more mainstream websites and still provide a service that users find interesting and helpful. It will be interesting to see whether a large number of people choose to use an additional recommendation service to search for movies. Netflix currently has the ability to make recommendations based on an individual's data compared to the data of millions of other users. The law of large numbers favors Netflix, however, Clerkdogs presents some fresh applications that are a definiate advantage.

About Me

Hello,

As you can tell, my name is Brandon Eudy. I am a 2006 graduate of Appalachian State University with a degree in Business Economics. I have a wife, Dana, an Australian Shepherd, Amos and a Beta fish, Captain Faraday. Dana teaches fourth grade and also graduated from Appalachian State. She is currently earning her master's in Reading Education through Appalachian.
My interests include movies, music, TV, and video games. My favorite movie is The Empire Strikes Back and my favorite TV shows include LOST and The Office. The bands I'm currently listening to most are The Decemberists and Modest Mouse. I enjoy playing Halo and, lately, Metal Gear Solid 4.
Interests outside the living room include Appalachian State football, trips to the mountains and the beach, and searching for great deals on used books.

My favorite number is pi.