HP Picks NCR CEO Mark Hurd to be its Next CEO

Less than two months after forcing out Chief Executive Carly Fiorina, Hewlett-Packard Co. picked a relative unknown, NCR Corp. Chief Executive Mark Hurd, to be its next leader, according to sources. H-P is expected to announce the appointment later today.

1984 Betamax Ruling Revisited with P2P Case

Over 28 of the largest Hollywood companies descend on the Supreme Court today to take on Peer-2-Peer (P2P) software companies such as Grokster, KaZaA, and Morpheus. Insightful Q&A on CNET on why the 1984 Court ruling in the Sony Betamax rulling applies to this present day case. Can you imagine a world where researchers don’t research and innovators don’t innovate for fear of being prosecuted? A lot rides on this case that comes before the Court tomorrow morning. Will the judges lean towards the technology innovators or towards the companies who feel they must protect their copyrighted material?

Bloggers have rights too

Great opinon piece by Rep. John Connors from Michigan on the rights of bloggers. He refers to the way journalism revolutionalized the way the country looked at news during the Jefferson era. He goes on: "Today we stand on the precipice of a new media revolution with the advent of the Internet. We need to protect bloggers' First Amendment rights so they can help us protect our own citizens' rights."

Hybrid Cars Rev Up for Auto Fair

This is the Aronson Files' second look at hybrid cars. With U.S. gasoline prices soaring past $2.09 per gallon to record averages, automakers at this year's International Auto Show may be able to drum up extra interest for gas-electric hybrids and cars that run on alternative fuels such as hydrogen. Check it out at this link.

HP Buying Snapfish & Beefing Up Its Photo Capabilities

Interesting news from HP today announcing that it's buying Snapfish. This will help HP provide consumers with more choice for sharing, storing, printing photos. It also broadens HP's position in the digital photography market. The Washington Post covered the story which also included news that Yahoo (for all you Canadians out there) is buying Flickr, a Canadian photo-sharing start-up. Isn't that great eh?

15 Year Tech Editor Berlind Q&A

PR Week just published a Q&A with David Berlind, a very well-respected technology journalist. (covering tech for over 15 years) He's come up with a 'media transparency channel', where he provides the raw data he uses such as audio of interviews and e-mails - to write his columns. Berlind addresses some of the criticism thrown at mainstream journalists lately for not being transparent enough.

Judge in Apple Case Rules Blogs Held Trade Secrets

Nick Wingfield of the Wall Street Journal reports today that Apple Computer Inc. can subpoena information related to the sources of online stories containing information about an unreleased Apple product. Judge Kleinberg of California superior court in Santa Clara County denied a request by three "bloggers," -- Monish Bhatia, Kasper Jade and Jason O'Grady -- who published articles late last year on several Web sites, including PowerPage and AppleInsider, about an Apple device code-named Asteroid designed to link musical instruments with Apple software.

The judge accepted Apple's argument that the stories contained trade secrets that, in effect, were stolen property, not unlike a physical item such as a laptop containing confidential information.

Blogging on the Job

Great Alorie Gilbert blogging story on CNET that answers blogging questions related to work.

Can blogging hurt one's career? How risky is blogging really? Can my employer fire me if I blog from home on my own time? Are there any limitations on an employer's ability to fire me? What about the First Amendment? Doesn't that protect me? Are there any court decisions involving bloggers being fired? What if I'm a union employee? Do I have more protection? How about if I'm a government employee, for example, in the federal civil service?

Microsoft Makes a Comeback in Beijing

The Financial Times reports this morning that the Beijing city government has quietly made substantial purchases of software from Microsoft after it cancelled a controversial $3.5 million order for Microsoft Office and Windows late last year, according to municipal officials and industry executives. This is definitely a boost for Microsoft and is a very symbolic win in a part of the world where it has had to endure a great deal of criticism.

Carly Fiorina and HP

Now that the applause, the trauma, the tears and jeers have passed, what's ahead for HP and for Carly Fiorina?

I found an interesting post on Fiorina's situation that recalls the lyrics of the song ``Celluloid Heroes'' by Ray Davies and the Kinks:

Everybody's a dreamer, and everybody's a star

And everybody's in show biz, it doesn't matter who you are.

And those who are successful,

Be always on your guard,

Success walks hand in hand with failure

Along Hollywood Boulevard.

Google's New Toolbar Causes Concern

Google has released a trial tool which is concerning some Internet users because it directs people to pre-selected commercial websites. A fellow PR blogger, Micropersuasion's Steve Rubel got a nice quote on news.com and the San Francisco Chronicle:
"Let's face it, Google is to the Web what Microsoft is to PCs -- the operating system everyone uses to search. It has nearly the same lock on consumers' share of mind. ... And millions use the Google Toolbar. They shouldn't get away with what Microsoft was unable to."

Sun & Utility Computing

Utility computing is a term companies such as IBM, HP and Sun are overhyping right now and it is defined as the 'provision of IT-based functionality on demand'. In many of the articles written on the subject, users can't help but be confused as to the difference between utility computing and previous, failed attempts to reduce the cost and complexity of IT.

Sun’s President Jonathan Schwartz explains on his blog that “many suppliers in the technology industry have relied on mass inefficiencies to drive short-term profits—why bother delivering a computing service if you can custom-build a grid for each customer and sell 10X the infrastructure? To us, that sounds like betting against the network—a bad move for any market.” But, later explains to ZD Net’s Dan Farber that more than 99 percent of Sun’s business is exactly what he just condemned.

Sun belief is that there is a utility-like view of computing emerging that will drive a kind of generic use of computing capacity. Mr. Schwartz points to Google as a generic search utility, eBay as an auction utility.

Hybrid Cars...

The Wall Street Journal reports that Honda may offer a hybrid CR-V SUV. Toyota will soon be releasing a hybrid version of their Highlander SUV. Toyota has also announced plans to release in North America in 2006 a hybrid version of the Camry, now the best-selling passenger car in the US.

The major US automakers are developing their own hybrid models right now. Ford has recently released a hybrid version of its Escape SUV, which averages around 36 mpg. The Lexus 400h, a 270 hp luxury hybrid, averages 27.6 mpg (8.5l/100km). GM intends to put hybrids into its full-sized Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs in late 2007. Daimler Chrysler is planning a hybrid Dodge Durango with a 20% increase in gas mileage ( 22.3 mpg combined city/highway for the Durango HEV compared with 17.1 mpg for a comparable conventional V-8 Durango). GM and DaimlerChrysler will work on what they call "two-mode full hybrid" technology - an electrically variable transmission with two hybrid drive modes.

Toyota and Push For Even Smarter Environmentally Friendly Technology

There's a great piece over at Treehugger about Toyota's continued push for environmentally friendly transportation. The hybrid car manufacturer will be testing a new lower impact, mass transit scheme this March in Japan. The Z-Capsule bus runs on a low-emission, compressed natural gas engine. But to further minimize impact, they will run on an Intelligent Multimode Transport System (ITMS) that will automatically adjust schedules and route based on rider demand.

Blogging at Apple vs. Microsoft vs. Sun

Jim Grisanzio's blog has a nice comparison and compilation of articles on the different policies some of the big high-tech companies have with regards to blogging: Jim refers to David Berlind's ZD Net article in which Berlind expands on how Apple CEO Steve Jobs runs a tight ship. Information leaks are treated as flaws in the system that must be eradicated, using the courts if necessary to protect "trade secrets." Hence, blogging at Apple is not an option unless you want to lose your job or simply tow the party line (any Apple employee bloggers out there who want to respond to or challenge this point?). Meanwhile, over at Microsoft, blogging is a popular sport, and greatly tolerated.

Tsunami Disaster & How to Offer Much Needed Help and to Donate

The Toronto Star reports that the tsunami death toll is now over 117,000. People are fleeing coasts. How to help:
Click on: Tsunami/Earthquake Relief.
Canadian Red Cross , or 1-800-418-1111 or contact local Red Cross office.
World Vision Canada or 1-800-268-5528.
UNICEF Canada, or 1-877-955-3111.
Cdn. Relief Organization for Peace in Sri Lanka at 416-429-2822
Any police station.
Development and Peace: 1-888-664-3387
Christian Children's Fund of Canada: 1-800-263-5437
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto: 416.631.5705
CARE Canada: 1.800.267.5232
Foster Parents Plan: 1-800-387-1418

Choosing a Successor to Dan Rather

In looking at who would be the perfect successor to Dan Rather over at CBS, it would be great to have John Roberts (a Canadian) who used to be called J.D. Roberts when he was a veejay on Much Music and a journalist on City TV in Toronto, Canada. He's got an interesting bio and he's a cool guy too.

As Doug Powers writes, if CBS isn't afraid to show its bias, they should go outside the network to find a much better choice as anchor. A great spinmeister, James Carville comes to mind first.
"Entertaining, fiercely partisan, and unapologetic about it, Carville isn't afraid to admit when he's wrong. On "Meet the Press" recently, James pulled out an egg and smashed it on his head, covering his dome and mug with slimy yolk, the egg oozing down his warlock-esque face, a visual that must have made even the hardiest of iron-bellied Cajuns projectile hurl their gumbo halfway across Shreveport. Carville did it to demonstrate how he had egg on his face after predicting Kerry would win the election. This kind of shtick would be great on the network news, and had Rather done this, it could have saved his job." Click here for the full story.

"Powell: Intelligence suggests Iran trying to adapt missiles for nukes"
Haven't we heard this story before? Play it again Sam... Go to CNN for the full story.

Business Week Finally Shines on Sun

An interesting piece in Business Week. It's the first upbeat Business Week article on Sun Microsystems I've seen in years. I guess all those emails and visits to Jim Kerstetter and Assistant Managing Editor, Kathy Rebello may have actually paid off mildly. This one was definitely a hard nut to crack.

Fascinating & The Price of Sleep

Wired has a great story about the price of sleep. We pay for oxygen and water so why not sleep right? Ludicrious I say. Ridiculous.

There's a new biz in New York called MetroNaps that offers a potential solution to your nap problems. Since May 2004, the company has offered 20-minute naps in specially designed, futuristic-looking pods in a suite in the Empire State Building. Click here for the full Wired story.