Archives for December 2008

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Zoho Creator Expands Google AppEngine’s Reach

I’ve written about Zoho Creator before – being techno-challenged myself, the key value for me (and I suppose for millions of potential users) is the ability to generate database driven situated applications without the need for any programming.   Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu made an interesting statement back in April:

In principle, it would be possible to layer Zoho Creator on top of Google App Engine  on top of Amazon EC2.

Well, it’s no longer just in principle: today Zoho announced the ability to use Zoho Creator to generate applications which are then deployed on Google’s AppEngine.  Here’s a short video explaining the process:

The video focuses mostly on the process of how to create an app, convert it from Zoho’s own Deluge scripting environment to Python, then installing it on the Google AppEngine.  You will get more detailed explanation elsewhere, let me just focus on why I find this an important step.

Zoho essentially expands Google’s reach, making it available to users without programming skills.  It’s a perfect marriage: Zoho brings the ability to create programs without coding in a user-friendly graphical environment, while Google brings  security for those who might worry keeping their apps and data with a smaller provider: now they can use the Zoho-generated apps in the safety of GoogLand. smile_wink.

The other important aspect is portability, and to quote Zoho’s Raju Vegesna, first they let data be free by releasing CloudSQL, and now they let your applications free.

We’ve already seen Zoho adapt Google Gears first, even before Google Apps;  this is now another example of friendly coopetition with Google.

(Disclaimer: Zoho is the exclusive Sponsor of Cloudave, my main blogging gig.)

Related posts:

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Forbidden 403 Error in Gmail Contacts Manager

Forbidden

Error 403

 

Ouch … this is not what you want to see in your Gmail Contacts. Weird… and not fun, not even on Sunday.

It’s not system-wide, appears to be specific to one of my accounts – crazy log-in-log out sequence produces occasional access, but mostly the error. smile_sad

Update: apparently (thanks, Charlie), this is a more wide-spread problem than I had thought…

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Your Digital Data My Not Be Accessible Soon

So you’re doing the right thing, backing up everything on CDs or DVDs.  Too bad they may not be readable in a few years… and even if they are, you still have to worry about data formats.

Data sitting on your hard disk may not be much better: in fact files you created with the very apps you’ve just upgraded to the most recent version my no longer be readable by the current version anymore.

Read the details here…

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Is Tivo Selling Out Their Customers?

Zat’s Not Funny reports that Tivo is getting ready to push advertisements whenever you hit Pause on your remote.

Using the TiVo Pause Menu, advertisers can, for the first time, reach audiences with targeted product messages displayed within the pause screen of a Live or Timeshifted program. The feature provides an original solution for advertisers seeking to capture the fast-forwarding viewer. It’s another example of how TiVo offers unique and different solutions for advertisers looking to get viewers to watch advertisements.

Another example of offering solutions to whom?   Certainly not their customers. 

Read more

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A Fine Day in America

What a fine day in America:

smile_omgWe’re marching towards a socialist system… or at least a partially nationalized one.  After the financial sector now the Government will likely take a stake in Big 3 Auto.  Governments are not exactly known for running businesses well, let alone when they start with already ailing ones…

smile_baringteethIllinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was taken in Federal custody this morning, straight from his home, on corruption charges.  Allegedly he wanted to cash in on his right to appoint the replacement for Senator Obama, who as we know moves to the White House. A line from the FBI affidavit, based on court-approved wiretap on his phones: 

(the Senate seat ) "is a fucking valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing."

There are juicier details here.   My first reaction was shock … I know about arrests of former politicians but has an active sitting Governor been arrested before? 

Apparently yes, and it gets better (actually worse):  MSNBC keeps track:

If Blago goes to prison, and former Gov. George Ryan isn’t commuted by President Bush, you’d have two Illinois governors in prison AT THE SAME TIME. What’s more, by our count, Blagojevich would become the FOURTH Illinois governor to go to prison (following Ryan, Otto Kerner, and Dan Walker).

Hm, Jeff Nolan beats MSNBC:

Gov Len Small, also of Illinois, was arrested while in office in 1921 for corruption.

This must be a good Illinois tradition…

What a fine day in America…

On a brighter note, Costco profits are up… must be all my purchases. smile_wink

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No Broadband on Internet Street

You can’t make this up … there really is no Internet on Internet Street.

Andrzej Gromek bought a house in Warsaw, Poland on a street named … Internet.  Wow!  How nice of the City of Warsaw to recognize the Internet by naming a street after it!  

Mr. Gromek soon discovered he could not get a broadband connection in his house.  Turned down by all providers he launched a campaign to the National Telecom Authority in Poland. They first took his letters for a prank, but after a dozen or so decided to look at the matter.  It turns out that Mr Gromek is the only resident on Internet Street actually wanting to use the Internet, and it would not be economically feasible to pull it to one customer only.

Solution: Mr Gromek is now selling his house.   I hope he does not move to a street named after water, electricity or gas… smile_wink

(Cross-posted from CloudAve)

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Nokia? Forget it …Kim Basinger’s Lifeline Would be an iPhone Today.

The 2004 thriller Cellular features three stars: Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, and a Nokia 6660 video-phone. The kidnapped school-teacher played by Kim Basinger pieces together a broken phone and reaches a random dude, Ryan (Chris Evans) on cell-phone – this call literally becomes her lifeline.

Ryan effortlessly uses his Nokia miracle-phone in the middle of a wild race in his (stolen) Porsche, even produces the video evidence that will put the bad guys away at the Happy End.

But are Nokia phones really so easy to use in real life?   Read on to find out