The data-logger expert Onset has expanded the capabilities to its HOBO U12 line, which now can measure and record kilowatts, air velocity, gauge pressure, differential pressure, DC current and other energy and environmental parameters. Onset attributes this new functionality to a new, compact power adapter, which enables energy and building management professionals to power external sensors that require 12-volt A/C excitation power conveniently. The new functionality augments existing measurement parameters, such as air temperature, relative humidity, light intensity, AC current and AC voltage. HOBO U12 Data Loggers also can record data unattended for up to months at a time, storing up to 43,000 measurements. Using a USB connection, HOBO U12 data loggers offer convenient, high-speed data offload directly to a computer or to a HOBO U-Shuttle data transport device.
The authorial threesome Dave Gray, Sunni Brown and James Macanufo have just released an interesting new book, Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rule-Breakers, and Changemakers. The subtitle indicates that the book is targeted squarely at us—that is, “people who want to design the future, to change the world, to make, break and innovate.” The book's premise is that 200 years of industrial habits are embedded in our workplaces, our schools and our system of government, and certain strategies are required to make the changes necessary to “win in the 21st Century”. Gamestorming is full of practical solutions that help one engage people in a project, to get better traction and move more quickly with groups, to make things happen and get better, faster decisions and results.
No Starch Press, publisher of Michael Kerrisk's 1,500-page book The Linux Programming Interface, bills the title as the “authoritative work” and “definitive guide to the Linux and UNIX programming interface”. Kerrisk, who is the maintainer of the Linux man pages project, presents detailed descriptions of the system calls and library functions that one needs in order to master the craft of system programming. He accompanies his explanations with clear, complete example programs. Some key topics include using signals, clocks and timers; creating processes and executing programs; writing multithreaded programs using POSIX threads; building and using shared libraries; performing interprocess communication using pipes, message queues, shared memory and semaphores; and writing network applications with the sockets API.
SugarCRM hopes to (warning of sugar metaphor ahead) sweeten up the CRM space with Sugar 6, the latest edition of the company's flagship CRM system. The buzz around Sugar 6 involves its integration of social-media tools, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, directly within the user interface. Users now can listen, monitor and aggregate social data and tie it to their existing customer information in a simple yet highly structured manner.
The recent brewing going on at enStratus has resulted in a new edition of its self-titled suite of tools for managing cloud infrastructure that now includes VMware's vSphere. With this expanded support, customers can leverage a unified solution to manage vSphere as well as private and public cloud infrastructures. Features that customers now can leverage in a vSphere deployment include self-provisioning, advanced user management, financial controls and automation. In addition to supporting vSphere and vCloud Express from VMware, enStratus also supports leading cloud infrastructure platforms from Amazon Web Services, Eucalyptus, GoGrid, Rackspace, Cloud.com, ReliaCloud, Terremark and Windows Azure.
The word from Axigen is that the new v. 7.4 of the Axigen integrated e-mail, calendaring and collaboration platform is available and replete with many fine new features. Hundreds of additions have been added to the Axigen Mail Server, the Webmail interface, the Outlook Connector and the Active Directory Connector. Support for FreeBSD 8.x has been added. In addition, Axigen's application now offers a revamped licensing model that includes free e-mail users.
Bond would be up a creek without a gadget should his arch-rivals get their hands on Blancco Mobile Edition, an application designed to eliminate the risk of inadvertent data leaks by erasing retired smartphones that may contain sensitive business and/or personal information. Capable of erasing up to 150 such devices per day, Blancco Mobile Edition helps IT security managers set and enforce end-of-service policy related to smartphones, an area frequently overlooked as a source of data breach. The application was developed for erasure of smartphones running major platforms like Symbian, RIM for BlackBerry, and Microsoft; support for Android-based platforms is slated for late 2010.
The role of xTuple's new Drupal-based Web Portal is to extend the firm's open-source CRM, accounting and ERP applications to the Web. The xTuple Web Portal, which can be hosted on-premise or through an xTuple Partner, enables companies to improve customer service, establish an internal help desk, build deeper relationships with partners or suppliers and engage end users of the company's products. Once a conversation is initiated in the xTuple Web Portal, an incident is created automatically that users can categorize, prioritize and assign. In addition, users can create opportunities, to-do lists or even full projects from that initial incident. One can utilize all three xTuple editions on the Web Portal, namely the free xTuple PostBooks, xTuple Standard and xTuple Manufacturing.