Server Virtualization just got cheaper!

This is a very geeky post, but very interesting to me, and I thought I'd share my opinions... OK, so some of you have heard me prattle on to no end about 'virtualization', or basically running one computer inside another.

Some reading for the interested: http://www.vmware.com/virtualization/ http://news.zdnet.com/2036-2_22-6058678.html

Anyway... the only real issue with running multiple computers inside one big computer is software licensing costs. Right now, most software companies, like Microsoft, charge 'per installation', meaning that if you run 10 Windows Servers inside of one big VMWare server, you still have to pay for the software/licensing costs of 10 physical servers.

All that just changed. You can now buy Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition for one server, and run an UNLIMITED number of Windows virtual machines on one server, for FREE!

This means that if a new big business needed 10 servers to fully operate, they would normally spend ~$100,000, just for the bare boxes and windows alone. With this new revelation, a big business can have the redundancy, stability, and convenience of a virtualized environment and redundant storage for less!

iPods and iTunes and movies, oh my!

Hello everyone, I know this isn't exactly a particularly thoughtful post, but for those of you who use iTunes for your music (and movie) collections, this may be interesting to note. So today (Sept 12th), Apple released a slew of iPod-related things. The new iPod nano has doubled in capactiy (all three sizes) from 1,2, and 4 GB to 2,4, and 8 GB. They keep the same price points as their respective counterparts (150 for the 2gb, 200 for hte 4gb, and 250 for the 8gb). They come in a smattering of colors, much like the old iPod mini before them, but you can only get the black nano when purcahsing the 8gb (much like the black MacBook, I see). They are the same size as the old nano, but the screen is clearer and brighter. Oh, and a 24 hour battery life!

The iPod shuffle (you know, the one that looks like a stick of gum) has DRAMATICALLY dropped in size. We have to wait a few more weeks to get it (ships in October), but oh man is this the smallest mp3 player ever. It has an integrated belt clip, and even with that, it's about 1.5 inches wide, 1 inch tall, and less than .5 inches tall. Yes, that's right, LESS THAN 1 CUBIC INCH!!! 1gb of storage for 80 bucks. http://apple.com/ipodshuffle

The new iPod have a 60% brighter screen, massively improved battery life, full song searching (much like the search function in iTunes), gapless playback on tracks that need to be gapless, and of course, games. I got Zuma and put it on my iPod... I've scared myself.

New version of iTunes, number 7. Changes the green icon to blue, which it actually used to be in Version 1. The user interface is pretty different, the scrollbars have different textures, etc. New tools include "Views", allowing you to switch from the basic list view to "album view", where all the tracks are set alongside their album art, to "CoverFlow mode" where you can 'flip' through your albums. It's hard to describe, but very cool. iPod management has been very much improved.

One of the cool new things about the new iTunes store is that every video has quadrupled in resolution: 320x240 to 640x480. The bigger news is that iTunes is now selling full-length movies. Right now, there are only about 75 movies up, all from Disney and Co., but they're there. Prices are just at or a little under DVD prices, which is pretty cool. First releases and pre-orders are 12.99. Most archived movies are 9.99. Apprently when movies come out in shelves, they will be out in the iTunes Movie Store. You can also start watching a movie while it's downloading, which should take about 1 hour or so.

Wee!!! However, the coolest announcment is that Apple is making plans (or is already under development) of a product code-named 'iTv', which plans to be a consumer-friendly media center application/computer. It seems that Apple is taking a stab at the whole home media center market. Yeesh, just watched the keynote.. Only has HDMI/Component Video/Audio. Not for us cheapos.... :(

Well, that's all for tonight. Have fun folks!

Back into the Dorm

Well, I have officially moved back into my dorm. It was a much more casual move-in than last year, since I basically took all the stuff I had in my dorm last year (sheets, clothes, books, desk stuff, etc.) and dumped it back into my new dorm. Sure, there was a few things I was missing and a few things that I really didn’t need (like that big ugly stereo which I never hooked up last year anyway :-\), but for the most part, it went pretty well. However, and this really stinks, the Internet doesn't work in my room! I’ve contacted technical support, and it’ll be some time (all of 50 other people who have broken network connections). When you see this blog entry, my network has been restored. Our new student union is up and running (well, the part that’s been completed, at least) and it looks pretty good. The old student union was poorly laid out, had more hallways and narrow spaces than a meeting place should, and was running into space issues. The new one is completely open, reaching a much higher student-to-sqft ratio. Phase II of construction, which adds the more important stuff (like the arcade) will be completed by summer of next year, so no arcade until next then (unless I go to Gameworks, which is expensive indeed). As normal, the student union at our campus is owned by a lot of corporations, there to wield their brand influencing unto our young, impressionable minds. Of course, I wouldn’t mind too much if the Housing Department didn’t force you to purchase some number of Dining Dollars with your meal plan. Dining Dollars are basically USD put on your card that you can (ie, must) use at the on-campus food retailers, like Pizza Hut, Burger King, Jamba Juice, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Panda Express, or the other fine commercial retailers.

Of course, if you elect not to spend this money by the end of the year, you don’t get a refund. The money is *ahem* lost. I detest corporate sponsorship.