The 3!

Cloud Computing is the convergence if three major trends

Virtualization
Utility Computing and
Software as a Service

This is how the story goes,

We got the internet and broadband got very cheap.Some smart folks realized that not everyone had to build in house data centers. They realized that the computer running the application can be pretty far away from the person using it and only a fast connection was needed between them. This led to Software as a Service.Essentially something like a big fast machine on some one else's data centre running an application that we access using our familiar web browser.

Someone owns the application and we pay a fixed subscription fee.

Utility computing provides on-demand infrastructure with the ability to control, scale, and configure that infrastructure.

However a one size fits all approach did not fit enterprises with large and complex requirements.Thus came Virtualization to the rescue.

With Virtualization application and infrastructure were independant allowing servers to be easily shared by many applications to run virtually anywhere.
Virtualizing an application is packaging the application with everything it needs to run namely databases, middleware and operating systems.

This self contained unit of virtualised application can run pretty much anywhere.

In a turbulent economy cloud computing is more attractive.Why pay for more computing capacity than you need ? Only pay for what you use.

Its all in the Cloud

When I press the "Send" button to drop to say hello to a friend, I don't care how the message went.They would just go in from one side and land up in my friend's inbox.The cloud hid it from us, so we don't need to think about routing or the networks.We had a cloud around the packets.

The next generation of computing is moving towards something that we have based our understanding of the internet on.We usually talk about the internet as the network of networks.Today, everything we think of as a computer today is really just a device that connects to a big computer that we are all collectively building.

So what is cloud computing..?

There is a way wikipedia puts it,

" Cloud computing is a style of computing in which dynamically scalable and often virtualized resources are provided as a service over the Internet.The users need not have knowledge of, expertise in, or control over the technology infrastructure in the "cloud" that supports them."

Lets put it in a way we understand,

Think of it as a metered cab at your disposal whenever you wanted.You only pay by the distance you travel.You don't pay for maintenance, tolls or costs associated with the cab.You pay based on where you want to go that day, you can vary the length of the trips and not worry about the cost.

Another instance,

50 years ago, companies in universities ran their own power plants.People thought that electricity was mission critical, so you can't allow anyone else to manage it.Today we would not dream about managing our own electricity plants.

Consumer technology is evolving at a very rapid pace.One of the hardest challenge that they face is an explosion in the volume of information.While the number of emails and documents were growing at an exponential pace, technology was not keeping up.

The other challenge is the need for collaboration, most the products that were developed aimed at personal productivity while most the work needs to be done through nonuniform contribution of different members of a team.

The third challenge is on the IT side. There are solutions to most of these problems however, they are complex and expensive to manage, making it a nightmare for IT folks.In a typical environment, they would have to manage the OS and the productivity software, the Directory Server, Email Server,Storage Server,Tape Backup, Content Repositories, Security Server, Mobile devices and Databases.

This huge investment, takes up most of our time as we spend it in patching, fixing and making sure that it never goes down.So this meant that the money was not spent effectively by the institution for their core services instead a lot of time and money was spent on various contextual services.

Cloud Computing is about taking the complex environment that is being managed by you and enabling it to be managed by an outside provider like Google, Zoho,Amazon or Yahoo.

So that's about cloud computing. In the next post we'd see the how cloud computing is the convergence of three major trends.

A lifetime's not too long to live as friends

I know that its kinda abrupt to finish my Nostalgia Series this way..but the thing is that.. I have many other things crossing my mind that I want to write about. Just because this stuff is not complete I've got to keep the other things on hold...

So as of now...I'll check out some of the other cool stuff that would be useful to us.

Anyways...I think I make the rules here!!!.. so it dosen't really matter.. I can resume my nostalgia series somewhere down the road.

As a fitting way to sum this up, here is a nice song by Michael.W.Smith....

This song is for friends who very close to our heart. Friends who don't just 'hang' around with us. But take care of us. Who have helped us down the way, encouraged us, built us and many times made us realize ourselves. Friends who were selfless, and deeply involved in all our success stories. Friends who don't just ask for 'treats' but are the first ones you look out for when there's a crisis.

And I even know of friends who love their friends so much, that they let them go to follow their dreams.

As I told you there is no 'goodbye' for real friendship." Friends are Friends forever".

Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
I Can't believe the hopes hes granted
Means a chapter in your life is through
We'll keep you close as always
It wont even seem you've gone
cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

Chorus:
And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
cause the welcome will not end
Though its hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetimes not too long to live as friends.

With the faith and love God's given
Springing from the hope we know
We will pray the joy you'll live in
Is the strength that now you show

But we'll keep you close as always
It wont even seem you've gone
cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

If you'd like to listen to this song..here it is.

The Appointment

(Forgive me!! I don't know poetry but wanted to try..)

The Appointment

Many things I want to say...

Even though some are very deep

But still I wish I had a stage

To tell everyone how I feel.

Philosophical... Whew!! I wish I'm not!

But down to earth and true.

A crazy stop in the journey is over

And I'm being carried through.

Its a joy to look back

And even more joy to look ahead.

But right where I am.

I can't find the right emotion to shed.

Born for a Purpose,

That's greater than me

My life's insignificant 

In the midst of the Light I see.

It gives me peace to know

That I belong to a bigger Plan.

That I am not alone

And every step is in His Hand.

There are dreams that I can carry

And there are ones I need to leave

NO matter what!!; I have a Father and  Friend

Who can meet my every need.

When I didn't have a form

And not even a name

He gave me a job

And enough of His Grace.

I am standing and knocking at the door of a busy world

Waiting and watching, naive and swirled.

He picks me up, with a warm embrace.

And every doubt is gone...

When I see His Face.

-Callie

Its not about parting..

I have a couple of diaries lying on my desk that I need to fill up. Diaries that would one day lie in a corner, but still contain words worth a million.

Words have power. Power to transfer the message they carry. The greatest gift to man, is the ability to express. A single emotion can have several ways of expression. The person who knows the art of expression can convert even the most ugliest emotion to look like a thing of joy.

Heyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!! Am i beginning to preach..?? Sorry!! that runs in the genes...

What I wanna say is....when you're frenz pass a diary or a slam book, take some time and pen in words that mean and heal. You might not have really been close and had a lot of hang outs, but there would definitely be something worth a mention about everyone. Please don't lose the opportunity to say it.

Because somewhere down the lane, when the going gets tough. Such small things would bring a lot of pleasure to your friend's life. Don't you want to be a part of it..?

I don't really think, that with the pace at which technlogy is taking our lives, we'll ever lose touch until we deliberately want to. So the point is not really that friends are going to part. The whole thing about writing is that we make a conscious effort to record memories, before we step out into an entirely new and challenging phase of our life.

As they say..friends will be friends forever..

By the way guys.. .... if there's something you'd like to say to me..I'd be happy if you pen a line or two here..

Thanks in advance...

Love

Callie

OUTstanding indeed..!!

Ok!!

Donk and Ted were angry with me, because in the previous post, I showed my self to be 'Miss Perfect listener' in the class. So I guess, now it is the turn of my face to get dirty.

Like every other college, our college too has a  'most admired', 'most venerated' and the 'most loved' person. This person has her way everyday and with everyone. And we were the fortunate ones who could have this noteworty person to handle quite a few subjects in different semesters.

This particular class, was given to us to prepare for an oral test. We had to memorise an answer and tell it to her in turns. Those who fail to do so, would have to stayback after 3:30 and write a test and could leave only after 5:00pm. 

Though we were back benchers this semester. We were particularly very careful to be extra well behaved and pretend extra well in her class. Because if we were caught doing any mischief.....!!! you know........................I told you she's very nice, she will then bother herself to treat us extra specially well.

So this oral exam session, was going on for some time. And Ted!! Who is the greatest admirer of this person, went to be the first person to give the oral test. I followed her and then Donk came...

It was kinda relieving to be finished with our turns of finishing our oral sessions. So I was just gazing at her face, her mannerisms, her intellect, her posture, and my brain started generating many caricatures. 

I have a crazy brain.....that gets me into trouble more than it gets me into honor. 

These funny cartoons start popping up in my mind.. and I just could not control smiling. Ted was staring at me, and knowing that quite often I get into my own worlds....she asked "Hey!! yenna thaniya sirrikirae ..? (Why are you laughing ..?) " 

I try to communicate the funny images to her..but the only that she could get out of it were my big teeth popping out of my lips..

So!! quite naturally I got the attention of Ms.Important , and she said "Hey you!! get up.... Yenna Sirripu (why are you laughing..?) and I go to the I-am-ashamed-of-my-actions mode standing up with a really sad face.

She said.."What?? you think you know everything..?What is your percentage..?" I slowly mumble the two digit number  in a monotone...

"So you think too much of your self haa..?" " Go and stand out of the class..."

I guess she expected I'd say sorry...and just stand up and look at her with pleading eyes, but I was just not in mood for that.I needed some fresh air.So, I walked straight up to the dias.. where she was standing., staring and waiting.. and then took a left heading straight to the door.....

This is the story of how I became an outstanding student.

Heal ME...!

Our 5th semester was entirely spent as back benchers, we had come a little late to the class on the first day of this semester so we missed our usual spot in the class.

Unfortunately, all the faculty handling us that semester were new to us. Quite obviously they had no clue about us. To them, we were nothing lesser than mischevious backbenchers. The slightest smile would provoke them thinking we passed a comment, and the signature stare when we write surprise tests would bring in doubts whether our eyes were prying into each others' test papers.And our assignments were the sample ones checked on behalf of the class. What a privilege!!!

"Back Bench Stand up"!! 

We kept hearing this for a whole semester. 

But this was the semester we had so much fun. It was really kinda exciting to be in the limelight in every class. 

We were particularly very famous in Microprocessor and Networks class. 

Hey Donk and Ted!!! this is for the both of you...

Remember, one Networks class, Sir was teaching FDDI. And we were in our usual modes; in our own worlds. Donk was leg wrestling with you, and you were busy complaining to me that she was hurting your 'small' legs. 

I just remembered that whenever sir mentioned FDDI, he had a favorite question. I also noticed his short stares at the busy warriors sitting next to me.

It struck me that the next question would be to the one of us. So I said to Ted, "Listen man!!, sir will ask a question now..Just stand up and say, 'self-healing property'.."

As usual you didn't give a thing about what I said and continued with your warfare.And Bang!!! the question came to Donk.

She got up and Ted says the answer to Donk in the langugage of a ventriloquist. Donk answers it, and quite taken by surprise sir says, "Very Good!! Be seated".

Before you guys could begin with your next innings, Donk asks Ted, "Hey what was that question..?" Ted asks me "Hey what was the question..?" 

And there I go, "The question was, What is the special property of FDDI?" . Donk asks, "Could you repeat the answer? " 

I say "self-healing" property. 

Both break out in laughter. 

The answer Donk had actually said was., "Self-feeling property!!!"

The end of it all....!!

We have been listening to a lot of punchy one-liners through out our days in the class rooms. 

This particular one liner was from one of our first year classes in which we learn how to look at different objects in various views and draw their projections.

I guess you remember the typical scene in this class.

First it would be "Draw a pentagon", when we'd say "Pardon me, I didn't hear it.." it would become a hexagon and if someone does give a third run it would land up as a octagon. You must have heard Tamil , English and even Tanglish. But the version that we'd been hearing in these classes was English spoken in Tamil. The British killed many Indians during our struggle for independance, in revenge, some patriots like our 'hero' in this class would kill their language in the most torturous manner.

If you'd remember, the majority of our classes dealt with points, projections, and views. We had to draw a figure in different projections. 

This particular figure had a fateful point called 'q'. So this is how, it goes

"This is be which is be which comes as be the end 'q' "

All for saying, "Now, this is the end point q "!!

Shoes 'N' Shine

We were in First Year. Chemistry Lab, Physics Lab, Machines Lab and Fundamentals of Computing(FOC) Lab.

If you could remember we were supposed to wear leather shoes for all the labs except FOC. We were kinda scared about the rules and wore the leather shoes regularly for quite some time, until the faculty did not mind a few defaulters. 

This one bright especially hot afternoon, we walk straight into the Chemistry lab, and our professor was seated comfortably on his seat.

There was this other loud-mouthed professor who taught the IT department, standing in the entrance of the lab, aimlessly gazing at the feets of the students who passed by him.

Students wearing sandals, slippers, heels, and other kinds of wooden feet did not catch his eye until;  I, with my flashy red slipper walked past him. I think it was the color!!. He stopped me, and lectured, "Don't you know that you have to wear leather shoes to the lab..???" "Where are you going.....to a park..???"

Then I guess, the cells of his brain resonated , 'hey there are others too in the lab without shoes.' 

So he shouted with a thud... "Everybody in the lab without shoes GETOUT" .All my poor friends who thought they escaped came back to the door, staring at my red footwear, and glaring at me....Did I have to make my fashion statement in the lab..?

A huge chunk of the class were standing out, almost 80%, except the few good ones, who follow rules whether rain or storm.

Our professor who was disturbed with our commotion tried to rescue us, but the other professor was determined to have us condemned. So our sir, picks up a paper and says.. "All of you out here, write your names in a paper....I am going to reduce marks in your internals" 

We go into our discussion mode...mumbling our apologies, but he just would'nt listen.There was this particularly hilarious lab assistant, to whom we went and said...."Sir, what do we do now..?"

and he asked us to just write the names, he said.. "He'll toss the paper away even before the period ends.." , "Just do it people..!!"

And then we write this letter, "Sir, we hearby assure you that we will always were shoes to the lab. We apologise for having forgotten this time.." 

All our names went at the bottom.

I guess we all got full marks in Chemistry internals.... 

The Nostalgia Series!!

My days of telling people "I am an engineering student" are almost getting over.I guess I have to face the fact, the expectations from this world is going to be very different from now on.My certificates, educational accolades will mean nothing, as long as they remain on ordinary paper.Everything I studied and worked for, has value only if I can generate cash.

Oooohh!! the goosebumps come up... Life is going to be tough!!!

But that does not mean , I won't have fun and land up with blood pressure and hear attack before I am 40.

As I told you,good memories do a lot of miraculous things to your system. My advice, store good memories. Through photographs, diary entries, greeting cards, blog entries, or a symbolic gift. Or if you are a person like me, cherish the memory often, by thinking about it and you'll find it hard to forget it.

In the forthcoming series, I'll be putting together some of these most memorable moments of my days in college with friends and (uh!! forget it!) the others....!

Let's meet in the paradise of our happy nostalgia.

Most Wanted IT SKILLS

With the present economic meltdown, the companies that came about and lured us by flashing their large compensation figures are now backing off from showing us our work cabins.

It would be quite unfair to blame them.Everything is a consequential setback of a global crisis. The downward economic spiral has triggered a domino effect, hurting all industries in every sector.

Every setback poses both pain and challenge. If we are going to focus on the pain, we would be referred to as the 2009 pass out victims.But if we would rise up and challenge, we'd find opportunities that help us tap unheard potential scale enormous heights.

This time, is especially for us to rise up and sharpen our skills, explore unbeaten paths, and look beyond the sunset:.

In view of this, there are a few specific IT skills that we need to evaluate ourselves in.

• Security/Firewall/Data Privacy
• General Networking/Network Infrastructure
• Operating System
• Hardware
• Non-specific Server Technology
• Soft Skills
• Application-Level
• Specific Programming Languages
• Web-Based Technologies
• RF Mobile/Wireless

If these skills are accumulated in a systematic and efficient manner, we are sure to benefit a lot more from this recession, than we did any other "boom" time.

All the Best!!

Why our information age is primitive?

Almost everyone I meet or talk to or read about has been hit in some way by the crisis cocktail that the world is facing . We've been through an age of population explosion but now the impact of the information explosion is burying the effect of the former.

We have built large number crunching machines, huge information hungry satellites,precision technologies to retrieve and dig the information and illustrate mind blowing predictions and forecasts.

But the unfortunate reality was that none of them have helped to disaster proof our homes, our career, our money and our lives.Face the fact!! we are still primitive.

We cannot help ourselves, the helplessness of our 'leaders' today is the evidence.Of course things will become better, not because of somebody's 'strategy' or changed policies or a peace talk or some great guy's interference.

Fortunately or unfortunately we have been given the power to control our actions, and not their consequences.That's why the wise old proverb says, "Prevention is better than cure."Things will change slowly, we need to be patient and take collective measures to protect ourselves, the greatest thing we can do to help is to stop the condition from worsening.

Then, we need to move forward with a repentant heart for buying facts at the cost of wisdom.

Habit Engineering College

I am an engineer, only with paper value at the moment.

I don't blame our educational system, I don't blame our inefficient faculty who become teachers by chance rather than by choice, I don't blame the 'Dr' chancellors and correspondents and their "hard-earned" "M.A Phds", I don't blame the fact that none of our engineering colleges are run by educationalists, I don't blame the fact that our exams are a further mockery of our system.

I hate the blame game. So I take it on myself. Ouch!! but then my ego hurts. So I'll tell you how our funny engineering college education can help us in some way.

My college education failed badly to prepare my brains, but it did do a great job in habit formation.

They say, Good habits take a long time to form. I invested 4 years of my life for this.

1)I can never be late.

2)I can never think about giving an excuse for not completing an assignment.

3)I will not take leave unless and until my head falls off.

4)I can patiently listen and take notes even in the most boring lecture.

5)I will never take my mobile phone to a class or a meeting.

6)NO matter, how absolutely baseless a rule maybe, I can adapt myself to it.

7)Nothing is taken for granted.I will prepare for even the most mundane things.

8)I won't over-socialize, there are strict boundaries circuited in my system.

9)I don't extend lunch times for chit-chats.

10)I am no extravagant shopper for clothes or accessories. I hardly spend a minute before the mirror.

11)Even when I am not watched at, I obey rules. Even if not asked, I follow protocol.

12)I know to have fun no matter what.

Guys, if you think college will make you an engineer, then you are wrong, it can only get you a degree. A "good" college like mine can help you form habits along with getting you a degree. Do we spend lakhs of money just for learning habits?? Hey!! that's the state of the day and I don't intend neither do I believe I can change the system through a blog post.

Though our educational system is at serious fault.Blaming them is not going to make life any better.Many are unhappy, because they are searching for the wrong things in college.

• Don't take your dreams to your college. Only take your note books. Use your time in college to observe people, organization, work politics, and train yourself to follow rules.

• Learn the fundas, you'll never get so much time again.

• Make friends.There are wonderful people out there.It is hard to get genuine friendship after this phase.

• Work the work that's given to you, learn for exams, do the assignments. It sounds kinda boring but these exercises help you to keep your brain from rusting.

If you plan to use your "professional education" to build your career, then your career would be shallow and with stunted growth.With time you'd become stressed out,dissatisfied,obese, and start attending yoga and art of living classes.

Consider these years as warming up exercises, your real engineering education begins after you receive your degree.Here you are the chancellor, principal, professor, instructor and the student. Your performance is assessed by the market.

Your dreams will be your closest friend and good memories will bring a smile.

In the journey from paper to professional!!!
Callie

What about WHAT.....!!!!

Ok!! I know that you did not give a thing about my welcome note... You want to hear real stuff.. So let me cut the crap and tell you what I really want to talk about.

The only things that you wont find here are the stuff I write in my diary, everything else goes here. Ideas, opinions, expressions, thoughts, people and experiences.The topics would range from Technology,travel,careers, education,friends,entertainment, programming, environment, society, government and books.

Welcome to my World!!! Enjoy your stay....!!!

First Note

Hi!!

I guess anything must begin with a good welcome note. Well, though I don't believe in rules much, I do think that writing a welcome could warm me up.

I owe a lot to the internet, because it has given me the audacity to doze off during lectures in the classroom. It has helped me express myself in a way, that is so really me without any frills and without the need to meet any criteria.

The purpose of this little space, is to fill in just about everything that I perceive.

I pursued a degree in Computer Engineering so that I can fund my passion. I am on my way to completing this degree.

When I am not doing something that would help me pursue my passion, you'd find me doing something that would help me earn my bread.

I intend to look at a lot of things through this eye; all our worlds are the same, but the huge difference comes because we look at the same stuff quite differently indeed.

If you drop in you'll see how I see the same things you see!!!