Who's Your Data?

A customer wants to backup, replicate, de-dupe and encrypt their data without a significant performance hit. They also want seamless storage management, volume management, network management and endpoint security.

They want heterogenous access to Windows, Linux, Solaris, HP-UX and SGI applications. They want unlimited email with no spam and online access without viruses, hoaxes or worms.

I want a toilet seat that heats up when you sit down on it and that’s not going to happen either.

My solution would be to get rid of all data. This whole computer thing was a big mistake. Let’s go back to face-to-face communication. The airline industry could use the help. And the old-fashioned phone companies. No Voice-Over-IP…that is digital data and we will just get back into storing it again.

If you want to store your phone calls, get an answering machine. I like the pnuematic tubes they used to move documents back and forth in the movie Brazil. Very trendy.

When did we get so obsessed with all of these data management layers? It’s just a bunch of zeros and ones. What is the worst thing that could happen if itunes loses my music files or Amazon loses my order? I am trying to figure out the worse case scenario so I can write a book…it’s no where near the potential death and destruction that comes from wrestling an alligator or skydiving.

Granted, I would not have a job if customers didn’t want all of this data protection.

Posted by Matt Hamilton at 11:16 AM | | Permalink | Comments (2640) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are my answers and comments to some questions and comments you have posted online in response to various weblogs.

Q. Do you live in a cave?

A. I live in Colorado in a bomb shelter.

Q. What is the significance of second life? It seems to be another social networking site with the graphics and interface of an MMORPG. That's all very nice, but who would spend $1500 to buy a virtual island (unless they are wealthy and eccentric)? Do you think it will impact technology or social networking for the average person? I don't see that happening but I'd like to know if anyone does.

A. I would peg IBM’s investment in Second Life somewhere north of $1 million. That is chump change to them, but real money for the site. Who knows which site or technology will grab the audience? I have been gung ho about Second Life’s virtual conferencing capabiltiy…then just yesterday a colleague was describing a new virtual conferencing technology that sounds even better!

Q. Perhaps you could describe the "smart card" in more detail. Is it a universal credit/payment card? Or a government issued identity card that can work as a signature, passport, drivers license, etc?

A. Perhaps you could do your own research.

Q’s. Being split from your family doesn't sound too fun. But if you happen to work more than you live anyway, being in a place where you don't feel like you are missing anything could be nice. I hope Mr. Pink plans to retire early and use that "premium" to do something to make up for lost time.
So for some, is it worth missing out on your family and social life in order to make a few extra dollars? Nice breakdown of the pay scale, it really puts this into perspective.
I'd say missing out on time with the wife/family isn't really worth the money. Hopefully Mr. Pink can come back to the States and adjust to the difference in income.

A. I can think of two reasons why you might leave spouse and family for a job in another country. If you served in the military and you come out with debt and no chance of buying a house in the foreseeable future, maybe a couple of shifts in Kuwait sound OK. At least you could save some money. And what about the thousands of illegal immigrants who come from Mexico into the U.S. each year? Obviously, it is a better deal for them then working at home.

Q. Use technology to get away from technology...this brings another thought to mind: How many people just say that they have limited access to their email or phone simply as a means of screening their messages? Otherwise saying "if I feel like responding to you then I will, but if I don't respond then just know that I am busy" when in actuality they are checking all of their messages and just picking and choosing who gets a response. I wonder!

A. I will respond to your posting when I have more time.

Q. I had a brick phone! Man, those were the days.

A. Man, I am glad you added the word “phone” after brick. For a minute there man you sounded like Cheech and Chong. Those were the day’s man!

Keep ‘em coming man!

Posted by Matt Hamilton at 12:23 PM | | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Pete Smith and I finished up early at a customer site this week in Newport Beach, CA. It seemed right to hit the Corona Mexicano Bar (& Grill we heard). It was happy hour. We were thirsty. The following is what you talk about at 6pm on a Tuesday night in Newport Beach when you’re done.

Adult and Gaming web sites have allowed the internet to grow exponentially. Streaming media, sophisticated caching technologies and advancements in cookies have come from the diligent work of Danni, Kara, et al.

Second Life is a little weird; especially the stat about 60% of the users being men and 70% of the Avatars being women.

Anaheim was up on Detroit 3-0 in a series close out game. We still hate Detroit in Denver even though Claude Lemuiex, Patrick Roy and Valerie Kaminsky are long gone.

Our assumption going in was that the “medium shelf” Margarita’s @ Corona Mexicano would be watered down. We were wrong.

The best way to migrate data from an old storage array to a new storage array is as follows: First, apply Symantec (Veritas) Volume Manager to the old array. Encapsulate the disk. Mirror the disk. Once the mirror is complete, break the mirror. Un-encapsulate the disk. No charge for the above, but margarita’s were $8.95.

Our observation was that the tide does not come in and go out on a regular basis. In Science class the teacher told me it followed the lunar cycles. I always thought the moon was a long ways away to be affecting the beachfront. To my discerning “medium shelf” eyes it appeared to be ebbing and flowing.

Read The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers. It is a great mix of magic, sci-fi and fantasy. Oh, and Stardust, the Neil Gaiman book, is coming soon to the Cine-plex.

Our flight home was late. By the time we got back to Denver we were dead.

Posted by Matt Hamilton at 05:10 PM | | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)