arvino’s posterous

Work Is Not A Place, It's An Activity -- Cisco.

This is probably one of the most exciting word the computer+communication world ever express and contribute to the world, after the following series of fascinating perspectives:

• "The Network Is The Computer" -- Sun Microsystems.
• "Think" -- IBM (Thomas Watson, Sr).
• "A Computer On Every Desk And In Every Home, Running Microsoft Software" -- Microsoft (in the past, when Microsoft were still small, fun, brave, inspiring, ground breaking, innovative, lead by Bill Gates, and truly exciting).
• "The Horseless Carriage", "The People's Car, Car For The People" -- Ford (Henry Ford).
• "It Had To Be Something Different. Something That Nobody Else Was Making", "It's A Sony" -- Sony.

and ..

• "Think Different" - Apple.

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For every iPhone that we purchase Apple says: "Made in China, Designed by Apple".
For every most successful Disney digital movie in the past, it was created by Pixar.
The same thing seem happen to BMW, as described further below.

Seems large, innovative companies know how to strategically partner with speediest, finest and the best smaller entities, while retaining the essence of their brand, and consistently keep their ability to leap forward together further, even better.

 
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as of 2005 ...
 
BMW AG says it expects in-house development of components and systems to drop to 45% by the end of this year, a sharp decline from the 70% level of less than a decade ago.
 
The auto maker says most of the increase in outsourcing will focus on the areas of electronic systems and technology.
 
Burkhard Goeschel, BMW management board member responsible for product development and purchasing, tells SAE World Congress attendees the auto maker will form more partnerships with suppliers to gain better expertise in electronic- and electrical-system technologies.
 
“We are looking for partnerships that offer access to the first innovators,” he says. “(BMW Group) will focus its corporate resources on research and development functions that add value to the brand.”
 
Goeschel points to the successful partnership between BMW and ZF Linksysteme to develop the active-steering system in the 5-Series.
 
He says BMW plans further partnerships with other OEMs, similar to the alliance it has with PSA Peugeot Citroen to develop a new line of engines for use in future Mini vehicles. The 1.6L engines will be produced in France for use in more than 20 different models, with output targeted to reach 1 million units per year.
 
Goeschel says while the engines will share the same basic design, the power outputs have been “tailored for each partner.”
 
BMW's purchasing department also plans to become more partner-focused in its processes, with a new department taking direct responsibility for partner network purchasing activities.
 
He says the purchasing operation will focus on obtaining the most relevant technologies to help BMW build on its business plan to be “to market first” with breakthrough technologies.
 
Goeschel adds BMW plans to bring its supplier partners into the product-development process earlier, with some suppliers coming on board at the concept vehicle-development stage, depending on the system to be provided.

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Look what I recently did to my gmail :-) Now it got new theme that makes it looks better and fascinatingly more appealing than the classic, more plain basic look it had before.
You can do the same: Go to gmail, click on "Settings", choose the "Themes" tab, and let the exciting journey begin!

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General Motors is rumored to be in talk of filing for bankruptcy. To such circumstances, Vinod Khosla said: "Don't Save The Dinosaurs!".
 
Oh! I don' know where to stand: to agree, or disagree.
 
Is GM a dinosaur really? Or it's innovation is getting slower and slower (and less and less relevant) lately?
 
Or is it because its innovation getting slower and slower (and less and less relevant) rapidly ... then it become a dinosaur, actually??

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Even if one day MS-Office becomes free, should people use it forward to compose and store their business documents and electronic writings?
 
May be yes, may be not.
 
Ensuring the format (and the content) of the file would readable forever across any device and across any tool that people had is more important than having the tool itself. This fact is very similar to the fact that the content of our harddisk, or the address book of our handphone is more important than the computer, laptop, nor the handphone itself.
 
These crucial areas are exactly where Microsoft Office tools up to this far seems so weak and screwed up big time. Until today, MS-Office has not shown any real intention of storing their office files and office document in content format that is open, comply to global standard (so called ODF -- Open Document Format), hence would enable people to read, own and see their files from whatever device, computer, working tool, and operating system they had. As such: unless you use things on Windows, your files won't be readable as perfect as it should had.
 
In such retrospect, the 91% discount attraction that Microsoft offer to students feel more like a 'dope' for a wrong cause, rather than something that is magnificently excellent. This looks like something that 'feels free' for those students today .. yet only that it will cost them later ... at the end, when their files 'get trapped' into a tool and format that only belong to a closed, proprietary standard.
 
It is exactly in this area where MS-Office need to be improved. Without such, the 91% discount is simply feels like a 'dope', to a wrong cause.

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It was reported that today (Nov 23) Virgin America debuts In-Flight Wi-Fi Service For Beta Test in their airlines.
 
Virgin will charge $9.95 for a flight of up to three hours. The carrier will charge $12.95 for longer flights. The Wi-Fi Internet access won't be filtered for content or applications. The only restriction with the wireless Internet service is VoIP (voice over Internet protocol).
 
The service will be provided by Aircell Inc. Aircell has mechansisms to manage the shared in-flight bandwidth. This is needed so one user won't overuse bandwidth. Aircell is also working with other carriers to provide Internet access on planes. The company uses its own national network of 3G (third-generation) base stations on the ground.
 
Now work, life, 'tv' (youtube), social (facebook) and internet truly could be anywhere, anytime. Even on the plane -- during the flight. Awesome innovation!

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Leaders and founders of young, great innovative companies like Sony and Apple never "knew" that a Walkman, or a Handycam, or a Mac, or an iPod is "impossible". Hence they just do. They end up inventing (and discovering) great products that change humankind for the better.

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Apple is designing not just a machine, but the ULTIMATE machine. Not just an OS, but the best OS. Not just a phone, but the groundbreaking iPhone. Not just a music player, but the most innovative of all. The best, the state of the art, the finest, the most advanced, the most beautiful. Apple doesn't need to had the largest market share, but they might command the biggest margin, the most continuous revenue stream and eventually may become the largest business on the net and beyond. If other companies don't change in time, Apple might one day exceed them all; in terms of size, revenue stream continuity and healthy margin.

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BMW is developing an open-source platform for vehicle electronics. By taking the open-source approach, rather than using proprietary software, BMW aims to allow providers of infotainment services to develop plug-and-play applications.

The open-source Linux system was created by BMW, Wind River Systems Inc. and Intel Corp. for the in-vehicle infotainment market.

BMW's said that his company would have an open-source platform in a vehicle of 200,000 or more units in the next five to seven years. Electrical and electronics engineers from BMW, Chrysler, Ford Motor, General Motors and Honda R&D participated on the panel.

Linux on the road, probably is about to happen.

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