Bullpen Bulletins

To All, Am Well

This is Charles Harding, a family member of mine who sent a message along to his brothers and sisters back on June 6, 1909. I think he was on his way to a new city when he wrote to them.

My Aunt dug this photo up from her archives. Snappy dresser eh?

Bring Your Spore Creature to Life

What's got two legs, six eyes, orange skin, purple spikes, and sits on your bookshelf? It's not a nightmare. It's a video game creature brought to life.

One of the more interesting ways to spend time on the Internet is by playing simulator games like the Sims and Second Life. The latest virtual world on the scene is Spore. Launched in September 2008, the online game allows you to create your own life forms from singe-cell animals and help them evolve up the food chain. 

The game has gotten mixed reviews so far, but one thing that sets this virtual universe apart from the others is that you can now take your video game creature and have a realistic looking sculpture of it made for you to keep.

Redwood City-based Electronic Arts, publishers of Spore the online video game have teamed up with a specialty printing company called Z-Corp to create 3-Dimensonal sculptures, called Spore Sculptures. Standing as tall as 4-inches, the figurines are representations of a player's online character. There are 40 million possible combinations, so having a one-of-a-kind creature is not hard to do.

To create a Spore Sculpture, players design their creature using the game's Spore Creature Creator. The creatures are assembled through a myriad of drag-and-drop body parts in one of millions of configurations. Players can then digitally paint their creatures with unique patterns. Just like in the game, certain designs work better. A pair of sturdy legs and wide body stance is preferred to oversized upper torsos and skinny legs. Intricate features like single feathers and long antennae are also difficult to reproduce.

Once the creatures are complete, players upload their digital creations and place their order. The models retail for $49.50 apiece and are shipped to the customer.

The Spore figurines are also notable for the latest developments of 3D printing. Burlington, Mass.-based Z-Corp is one of a new breed of digital printing companies that uses AutoCAD designs to push the limits of 3D sculpture.

A 3D printer is an output device for 3D data in the same way that a 2D printer is an output device for the words and pictures on a computer screen. The primary difference is that a 3D printer produces 3D models and prototypes in composite material. Z Corporation also makes the world’s first handheld, self-orienting 3D scanners for ultra-accurate capture of 3D data.

The company's 3D scanner was recently featured in episodes of "CSI: NY" and "CSI: Las Vegas."

Recharging Your Batteries

There's been lots of talk in the technology world lately about batteries. Not the D-Cell or 9 Volt style that we use for kids toys. No, I'm talking about those rechargeable ones that you have in most of your favorite tech gadgets: laptops, cell phones, BlackBerry handhelds, iPods, Nintendo DS Lite, etc... You get the picture.

These batteries have caught the headlines recently because some have caught fire. The most recent incidents involve batteries that were made by Sony Electronics for laptops sold by Dell and Apple. This is more of a design flaw than it was a widespread problem. In truth, however, this could happen to most any gadget. Nokia, for example, warned customers back in 2005 that using replacement batteries in its cell phones could cause overheating and fire.

Most popular rechargeable batteries fall into two categories these days: Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) and Lithium ion (Li-ion). These batteries require approximately three hours of charging and can last up to 15-19 hours in really small devices and between 5 and 8 hours in larger ones.

According to the Battery University (no football team here, sorry), today's Lithium-ion battery lasts about 2 to 3 years and can handle on average 300 to 500 discharge/charge cycles. The battery prefers a partial rather than a full discharge. Frequent full discharges should be avoided when possible. Instead, charge the battery more often.

Nickel metal hydrides are good for the first 300 cycles, but then the readings starts to deteriorate rapidly. After about 700 times charging and running the battery, the power starts to shut off by itself, according to Battery University.

For the most part, they are safe and reliable. And given the proper care will last for years before they need replacing.

Here are some simple tips:

1) Keep Your Batteries Cool - Avoid direct sunlight for long periods or high temps

3) Handle With Care - Dropping or denting a battery can lead to future problems.

4) Watch Out For Battery Recalls - Many manufacturers are very responsive.

5) Recycle - Keeping it out of landfill helps the environment.

Fortunately, the future looks bright, and powerful. Advances in fuel cell technology have gotten scientists excited about replacing worn out batteries with fuel cells. More than 2,000 organizations throughout the world are actively involved in fuel cell development. But at this point, the technology is better suited for automobiles and other large devices than they would be for laptops or cell phones.

So it seems till we come up with a better power source, we're stuck with batteries that don't always... keep going, and going, and going, and going.

The Disappearing Desktop

Computers were supposed to save us from our cluttered lives. But if your desktop looks anything like mine, you probably can't even find your mouse right now.

I was watching a re-run of "24" the other night. You know, the one where the hero Jack Bauer is trying to hack into the criminal's computer and save the world. I just sat there slack-jawed and completely amazed. Not that Jack was able to figure out the password in 2 seconds. That I believe.

I was more stunned to see that he had an incredibly clean desktop. No stacks of papers? No tangle of wires? No three-day-old cups of coffee? No pictures of kids taped to the monitor? At first, I was outraged. Then I was jealous.

So how does one achieve membership in the "Clean Desk Club?" I may not hold all of the secrets of the well organized, but these tips should help.

The first thing you can do to keep from pulling your hair out is to cover up all of those cables and wires streaming out of the back of your computer. Radio Shack, CompUSA, Best Buy and even Ikea sell plastic tubes (about $3 for 6 feet) that have a slit up one side that lets you tuck several wires behind your desktop computer and monitor.

Feel like you are chained to your desk? Try Wi-Fi. This wireless technology lets you take a laptop, digital camera, DVD player or television about 50 feet away from a wireless access point. There are several desktop PCs that are also pre-installing Wi-Fi so that you don't need to add an Ethernet cable to the back of your computer.

Want to eliminate even more wires? Try using Bluetooth. This is a short-range wireless technology that is installed in some keyboards and computer mice. If it is not pre-installed, computer stores sell adaptors that can let you move away as far as 3 feet from your computer. Like music but not all of the wires? Logitech, Sony, Altec Lansing and about a dozen other companies are now making wireless speaker systems and even wireless headphones. Good ones cost about $120. Better ones will sell for about $250.

You can also scan your way to more space. My desk is usually cluttered with a small library of magazines and newspapers that I plan on reading but know that I won't get to anytime soon. Instead of breaking ground for a new addition to my house, I bought a scanner. Now I can quickly scan the articles that I may want to read, save them to my computer, and pass the magazine onto a friend.

The same goes for photos. Except for the ones where I'm wearing my Disco-era Angel Flights, with a scanner, I can digitize my old pictures and save my shoeboxes for shoes.

A word about storage. I recommend backing up photos, documents and other "can't live without" files onto a storage device (Maxtor, Seagate, LaCie) or burning them onto a CD or DVD disk. For the really important stuff, I would make a second copy and put it in a safety deposit box or someone else's house. 

So what have we accomplished? Potentially, we have eliminated all wires except for the power cable and perhaps one or two wires to a scanner or printer. Not bad. Except now I need to organize all of the files on my computer. Where's Jack Bauer when I need him?

Top 5 Ways To Keep Your Computer Humming

Ever seen the Blue Screen of Death? It's not a pretty sight.

Last year, I was loading in a new program on an old ThinkPad when it happened. My program stopped running and a blue screen warning about a system failure appeared.

At first, I denied that it happened. Then, I cursed at the screen. Afterward, I started talking to the computer asking it to fix itself (it didn't). Later, I felt so depressed. Finally, I figured it was time to give up and reboot.

Don't be ashamed if something like this happens to you. Computers are perfect. Only people can really mess things up. But having suffered through many computer crashes, I can tell you that we can even the odds. We can keep our computers humming and healthy for quite a long time.

So, I assembled some tips to help. Not everything here will prevent a crash, but just like brushing your teeth, cavities are less common. The list applies to computers that run Microsoft Windows, although some rules are good for you Apple Macintosh users out there as well.

1. Don't Try To Do Too Much At Once (Both) -- multitasking is great, but trying to download music while uploading photos and updating a spreadsheet at the same time is a certain recipe for disaster.

2. Free Up Disk Space (Windows) -- Using "Disk Cleanup" lets you get rid of those unidentified files that just take up space. Click "Start", point to "All Programs," point to "Accessories," point to "System Tools," and then click "Disk Cleanup." If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.

3. Defragment Your System (Windows) -- In Windows 2000 and XP, Click "Start," point to "All Programs," point to "Accessories," point to "System Tools," and then click "Disk Defragmenter." This helps reorganize

4. Keep Your Security Current (Both) -- In addition to protecting against viruses, most computer security software will have a feature where you can remove other malicious programs such as spyware (software that tracks your keystrokes or Web sites that you've visited.)

5.  Get Rid Of Old E-mail (Both) -- You would be surprised how much space e-mail can take. If you send your friend a photo, the message is usually saved in your "Sent" folder. Every month, make it a point of deleting some of the larger files. Also purge your "Deleted" file on a regular basis.

What happens if...?

Every now and again, you will come across a problem that seems too big to fix. If this happens to you, call a professional. While every computer company will have a 1-800 number to call (and wait), there are several local companies that would be happy to troubleshoot your computer for a nominal fee.

Dissecting the Blu-Ray Hype

 Wanna watch a movie tonight? It's a classic story about bitter rivals fighting for survival with millions of dollars and the whole world at stake. Sound familiar? It's the story of Blu-ray digital technology.

Blu-ray is a high-definition video format that uses blue-colored optical laser technology to store six times the amount of information of a double-sided DVD. That's like having an entire season of the Sopranos on one disk. The disks are scratch resistant and have copyright protections built in. As of July 2, 2008 more than 650 Blu-ray Disc films have been commercially released in the United States and more than 410 Blu-ray Disc titles have been released in Japan. 

The Entertainment Merchants Association, a non-profit trade group, recently predicted Blu-ray disc sales will reach $9.5 billion in 2012, surpassing sales of regular DVDs for the first time. The growth will be fueled by new releases and video games, the group said.

"Blu-ray has a long road ahead before it replaces the regular DVD. However, keep in mind that the studios are in control here -- they can determine which films are released on which formats," said Phillip Swann, an industry analyst who runs the TVPredictions.com Web site. "Eventually, they will start releasing movies on Blu-ray only, which will encourage sales of new Blu-ray players."

So why all of the hoopla? Primarily because Blu-ray requires a Blu-ray player to play Blu-ray discs. That's a cost of around $350 for a pretty good player. Three of the highest rated Blu-ray players: Sony BDP-S300, Philips' BDP9000, and Panasonic's DMP-BD10
are all available for purchase at places like Amazon.com and Wal-Mart online. The Sony PlayStation video game console also plays Blu-ray disks. It's rumored that Microsoft is developing its own Blu-ray player for the Xbox 360. Swann predicts Blu-ray players will sell for less than $200 the closer we get to Christmas, so it may be a good to wait for a bit before diving in.

The good news is that the standard-definition DVDs you now own will play on a Blu-ray player. Movies in Blu-ray look their best at 1080p digital resolution, although I'm told that 720p or 1080i settings are just fine. And the larger-screen (46 inches and above) the better the Blu-ray technology will shine.

The path to greatness for Blu-ray format was hard fought against rival technology HD DVD. Several comparisons to the VHS and Betamax format wars were made. This time however Sony has come out victorious. 

"I wouldn't say that HD DVD's technology was superior, but I would say that the individual merits of each player was not a major factor in who won the war," Swann said. "Blu won because the studios, including Blu's chief backer, Sony, decided to line up behind it. Without studio support, HD DVD was a long shot from the get-go."

More Families Keeping Connected with Tech

If your house is like mine, life moves at the speed of sound... as in the sound of us speeding past each other as we rush from one event to another.

And even though we may not be at the same place at the same time, we are very connected to each other and even share experiences virtually thanks to cell phones and the Internet. 

Call it a profile of the "Networked Family." Researchers with the Pew Internet and American Life Project did. The group's last survey revealed that 58% of people married-with-children (aged 7-17) were those most likely to have multiple laptops and nearly two-thirds of those in multiple-computer homes (63%) link those computers in a home network.

Likewise, 89% of married-with-children households Pew researchers surveyed own multiple cell phones, and nearly half (47%) own three or more mobile devices.

Some are good at juggling all types of technology. A recent Sunday comic strip of "Zits" by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman poked fun at the phenomenon of kids that use cell phones, e-mail, text messages, and the like all at the same time. While the word fails him initially, the father realizes that his son is deep in "text-a-post-i-chat-a-mmunication!"

In reality, Pew's report found 70% of couples who both own a cell phone contact each other once a day or more to say hello or chat; while only 54% of couples who have one or no cell phones do this at least once a day.  

"Parent-child communications, particularly on a daily basis, are similarly dominated by the telephone: 42% of parents contact their child/children daily using a cell phone, and

35% do so using a landline telephone," the report said.

It's true that the biggest down side is that these networked families have a harder time sharing meals together, primarily because they work longer hours at home and the office because they are connected to work.

Still, a majority of adults Pew talked with said that connected technology lets their family life today be as close, or closer, than their families were when they grew up.  People also said cell phones and the Internet help them stay connected with friends and family. This is especially true when I want to touch base with my wife and coordinate our schedules when I'm not at home.

Networked families also report that they spend less time watching television and have more "Hey, look at this!" experiences while online. That's very true at our house as we often share a laugh or conversation about something we found on a Web site.

What's interesting for our family as well is that thanks to cell phones and laptops, we're more likely to get off the couch and go out and explore our neighborhood because we know we'll always be connected.

What's Powering APAC Cloud Computing?

Asian Pacific countries are adopting cloud computing services at a slower rate than their American counterparts, perhaps because APAC companies are guided by different market forces, a recent survey by developer-research group Evans Data found.

While American cloud computing adoption rates are seemingly being hindered by security fears, APAC countries are seemingly focused on the basics: cost savings, ease of use, and broad ability as their main motivation for adoption.

"Interest in cloud computing and hosting is growing rapidly amongst SMBs as the range of available services and trust in the model increases. This represents a great opportunity for cloud service providers that are able to execute and respond to market forces,” Antonio Piraino, a senior analyst at Tier1 Research, told a group of attendees at the Parallels APAC Summit 2009 back in May.

This is not to say that all APAC countries are jumping on the cloud. More than a quarter of those surveyed, 28%, told Evans that they have no plans for cloud computing.

"But when developers do consider it, the primary motivators for using cloud computing services are ease of use (21%, or 29% of those considering the cloud), cost savings (19%, or 27% of possible users), and its availability for spikes in demand (16%, or 22% of possible users)," the Evans' report said.

That's still a positive adoption rate compared to worldwide views on software as a service, infrastructure as a service, and hosted applications and storage. A staggering 38% of companies interviewed by Information Technology Intelligence Corp. said they were undecided or unsure about whether they will adopt cloud services. ITIC's survey of 300 corporations worldwide that found an additional 47% admitting they are not considering implementing cloud in the next year. Security was cited as the biggest obstacle.

"An overwhelming 85% majority of corporate customers will not implement a private or public cloud computing infrastructure in 2009 because of fears that cloud providers may not be able to adequately secure sensitive corporate data," ITIC principal analyst Laura DiDio said in the report.

In APAC companies, most of the push seems to be coming from vendors like Amazon, Google, IBM, and Microsoft -- sometimes to the chagrin of developers, Evans' report points out. The promises are received well, however, when IT teams are told how application services can are made available, independent of user devices and network interfaces as long as the network is kept intact.

"Users, developers, and IT departments don't need to worry about storage capacity, compatibility, or whether they're running the latest version of the software," Evans said in its assessment of primary motivators for cloud computing adoption." Also because the pricing model changes to pay-per-month (or other period) or pay-per-use, it can be marketed as more affordable up-front (and possibly more profitable for the vendor in the long run). "

IBM, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, and Yahoo have already made great strides in securing APAC contracts. Willy Chiu, VP of IBM's Cloud Labs and high performance on-demand solutions told John Foley recently that Big Blue has build eight testing labs in China, Japan, Korea, Ireland, South Africa, India, Brazil, and Vietnam, in addition to in the United States.

IBM has also secured contracts in APAC countries, such as a testing and development cloud for China's Wang Fu Jing department store chain and a training, consulting and support cloud for Vietnam Technology and Telecommunications. Malaysia's MIMOS plans to develop a national cloud computing platform to deploy services in that country, Foley reported.

Other broad based APAC clouds in operation include the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute in South Korea. The research and development test bed for massive data sets is structured under the Open Cirrus project, which is sponsored by HP, Intel, and Yahoo.

Evans is currently polling more than 400 software developers on issues in both developing on and deploying to a cloud, including security, tools and interoperability in public and private clouds, licensing, and virtualization. The results will be released on August 3.

Earthquake Prediction Technology Improving

Do you ever wish you could predict earthquakes? From the massive Loma-Prieta quake of 1989 to the small temblors we feel, it's yet another reminder of the unstable ground we live on. Thankfully, the technology of predicting the next Big One has improved.

Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and research facilities around the globe are working around the clock to better alert residents before a major quake occurs. Wireless sensors, satellite monitoring, and instruments buried deep within the earth are all helping to monitor the Earth's crust.

Time is not on their side, however. A study published earlier this year suggests that it’s a 99 percent chance that California will have one or more magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquakes over the next 30 years, and the chance that a magnitude 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years has increased to 4.6 percent. The Hayward Fault has special significance considering the last major "event" was in 1868. October 21 marks its 141th anniversary.

"People should realize there is a possibility that they won't be able to drive home from work or pick up their children from school," said Jeanne Perkins from the Association of Bay Area Governments. "A Hayward Fault earthquake could close 1,100 roads, including 900 in Alameda County alone."

To better understand how earthquakes work, the USGS has constructed a new 3D computer model of the upper 20 miles of the Earth's crust around the Bay Area. The project, which may help researchers better predict the shaking levels of past and future earthquakes, is a joint effort of the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and the USGS National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.

In addition, the Earthquake Hazards Program has continuous near-real-time monitoring of earthquakes across the United States called the Advanced National Seismic System, and across the world with the Global Seismographic Network. Geodetic instruments measure the slower movements of the earth's crust, while strainmeters, such as the ones on the San Andreas Fault measure the accumulating strain.

The data collected from stations along fault lines are then broadcast in near-real-time. The Earthquake Notification Service (ENS) sends out text messages to subscribers, while Web sites like ShakeMaps and PAGER show earthquake impact estimates.

So where's the Hayward Fault? The USGS has prepared nine separate field trips complete with a map, photographs, and directions so that residents can get a better appreciation for the fault zone.

There is also a "virtual tour" of the Hayward Fault in which users can explore the impact of 1868 Hayward earthquake using free Google Earth software. The tour is available online.

Eden Prepares For Electronic Health Records

Eden Medical Center is one step closer to converting its patient health records into the digital age.

Todd Peterson, the hospital's vice president of information technology, back in February revealed that Eden Hospital in Castro Valley would primarily use electronic health records -- or EHR -- when it the new building is completed in 2013.

"What does this mean?" Peterson said in the hospital's blog. "Our physicians will get a full view of a patient's care at any given time, from any location, once their patient has been admitted to the hospital. So the patient's medical history as it relates to diagnostics, drug therapy, procedures, diet, rehabilitation and notes generated by physicians and nurses will all be available online."

The digitized health records would also be used and available for visits to any Sutter Health-owned facility or physician office, Peterson added.

"Every patient room, alcoves between rooms and nurses' station will be furnished with a computer workstation so patient records can be accessed throughout the hospital, he said. "Physicians will also have wireless devices such as PC tablets to provide the most flexibility and mobility throughout the hospital."

Down the road, patients are expected to be able to check their own clinical results online, e-mail their doctors, arrange appointments, and track their own health history.

But why make every doctor's scribble or blood pressure readout available in digital form?

It is widely believed that the adoption and use of interoperable, electronic health records will improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care. Studies have shown that electronic health records reduce medical errors, eliminate unnecessary and duplicative services (e.g. lab tests, prescription medications), reduce insurance costs, and increase patient's involvement in care.

President Obama has even made health technology including EHRs and their private, secure exchange a centerpiece of his plan for health reform. The current $787 billion economic stimulus package signed on Feb. 17 calls for as much as $3 billion to help jumpstart the process; making it a commonplace practice in hospitals and clinics by 2014.

Given that timetable, Eden's and Sutter's plan to implement EHRs could be ready a full year earlier, making it one of the first hospitals in the area to convert wholly to digital format.

However, any EHR program comes with a whole set of concerns. Privacy advocates and civil rights groups are anxious about Big Brother-style consequences. Security experts have warned of data breaches similar to that of T.J. Maxx's parent company, which exposed customer information to cybercriminals.

And while there are no guarantees, Peterson said the hospital is committed to patient safety and points to several practices to prevent mistakes... using barcodes to match patients with their medications, for example.

"The prospects for EHR are endless," Peterson said. "Our patients and clinicians become real partners in the delivery of care over the long term."

The hospital is welcoming feedback from the public on electronic health records on its Web site.