Joshua Dinnerman’s Exotic View Of Hotels
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 | HOTELS | No Comments
JDD Media, the publishing house of HotelView, employs in-depth market analysis, focusing on the developments, changes and projected changes, thus making it refreshingly different. HotelView, by Joshua David Dinnerman, ethos is to keep its readers abreast of the changes in hotel industry and provide vital information needed to meet the challenges ahead. Joshua David Dinnerman aspires to educate and inform the travelers, about the new openings, restaurants, location, exotic resorts, heritage hotel along with their honest reviews, atmosphere, facilities to all those who are allied with the hotel and travel & tourism industry through HotelView.
JDD Media is not a new name for readers of all ages and interests. With over 35 niche publications and global reach, the Joshua David Dinnerman promoted media group has always brought the most comprehensive coverage from various industries and sectors for connoisseurs, beginners and layman. Josh Dinnerman, based in Hawaii Islands, caters to all sections of the society and believes in building a brand that does not only educates but also involves readers.
Computer View by Joshua Dinnerman Has Global Customers!
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 | Computer | No Comments
Joshua Dinnerman, visionary and brainchild behind Computerview has global customers around the world with around 30 different magazines been circulated. The main aim of circulating Computerview from JDD media across the world is to share smart, latest and valuable information resources that are easily accessible to worldwide readers. Joshua Dinnerman believes in the power of integrated marketing channels combined with aggressive marketing strategies to communicate with the global customers.
Joshua David Dinnerman provides a splendid opportunity to advertisers to promote their latest brands, IT products and services with latest reviews and product features which help in creating greater brand awareness among the people. Computeview from Joshua Dinnerman is a rich source of information that enables knowledge sharing with reviews and excerpts of interviews from big IT giants across the global IT industry among others which is of great interest to the global IT professionals.
Keep Abreast With The Changes In Hotel Industry By JDD Media
Monday, December 15th, 2008 | HOTELS | 3 Comments
HotelView, a media brand from the house of JDD Media, is an educative vehicle for the hotel and travel industry executives. HotelView, owned by niche publisher Joshua David Dinnerman, is an interactive publication that caters to the need of the niche market of hospitality industry. HotelView of JDD media continues to be a publication that has something for everyone related to the hotel industry. HotelView of JDD Media, an integrated media company, serves globally through its publications featuring events, buyer’s guides, market reports, data products and marketing services.
JDD Media, the publishing house of HotelView, employs in-depth market analysis, focusing on the developments, changes and projected changes, thus making it refreshingly different. HotelView, by Joshua David Dinnerman, ethos is to keep its readers abreast of the changes in hotel industry and provide vital information needed to meet the challenges ahead. Joshua David Dinnerman aspires to educate and inform the travelers, about the new openings, restaurants, location, exotic resorts, heritage hotel along with their honest reviews, atmosphere, facilities to all those who are allied with the hotel and travel & tourism industry through HotelView.
The ability to cater to the needs of the readers with its in-depth articles, reports and news related with hotel industry has resulted in HotelView’s, pioneered by Joshua David Dinnerman, global circulation and enthusiastic response across the globe. The popularity of HotelView of jdd media can be imagined with this fact that it has become an indispensable publication for owners, managers & senior decision makers throughout the hotel industry sector.
Google’s answer to Web app security: Native Client
Monday, December 15th, 2008 | Computer | 3 Comments
Google is exploring a way to run code fast and natively in a Web browser without worrying about security issues. To that end, the search giant unveiled its new Native Client open source project on Monday.
Native Client, abbreviated by Google as “NaCl,” is currently available for testing as research release version 0.1. The solution promises to reduce data transfers between Web servers and the browser client to better run Web applications in x86-based machines.
“With the ability to seamlessly run native code on the user’s machine, you could instead perform…actual image processing on the desktop CPU, resulting in a much more responsive application by minimizing data transfer and latency,” according to Brad Chen, a member of the Google Native Client team, writing on the Google Code Blog.
Chen pointed out that these tasks can be performed today using “a combination of JavaScript and server side processing.” However, that approach is “painfully slow” because of the data chunks that must be transferred.
On the other hand, local CPU processing of data using Web applications poses security issues, which is the main question that Google is trying to address with the release of Native Client.
“To help protect users from malware and maintain portability, we have defined strict rules for valid modules,” Chen wrote. “Our approach is built around a software containment system called the inner-sandbox [that] uses static analysis to detect security defects in untrusted x86 code.”
These security measures specify a set of structural criteria for all modules. For instance, “modules may not contain certain instruction sequences,” according to Chen. The goal is to help developers to create “safer and more dynamic applications that can run on any OS and any browser,” Chen wrote.
The initial release of Native Client is a hefty download that includes compilation tools and runtime. It also has a software development kit to write portable code modules that will work in Firefox, Safari, Opera and Google Chrome.
Currently, Native Client is not supported in Internet Explorer. While Microsoft’s ActiveX technology allows code to run natively, a Google white paper (PDF) explains that it requires the “manual establishment of trust relationships through pop-up dialog boxes…[that] have been inadequate to prevent execution of malicious native code.”
The white paper asserts that in contrast to ActiveX, “NaCl is designed to prevent such exploitation, even for flawed NaCl modules.”
Some readers of the Google Code Blog have compared the Native Client technology with an Adobe solution code-named “Alchemy.” The Alchemy solution lets developers run C and C++ code via the Adobe Flash platform.
Native Client will run on any Windows, Mac or Linux system with an x86 processor. Chen explained that Google is “working on supporting other CPU architectures (such as ARM and PCC) to make this technology work on the many types of devices that connect to the Web today.”
Single Information Source For IT Experts by Joshua Dinnerman
Monday, December 15th, 2008 | IT-Tech | 3 Comments
IT-Techview by Joshua David Dinnerman Media (JDD Media) is an effort to consolidate a single information source for IT experts, educators, professionals, students and enthusiasts. Josh Dinnerman emphasizes India and China are the two emerging IT giants that have benefited from a surge of IT outsourcing like software development, application development and ERP & CRM solutions. Conclusively, Joshua David Dinnerman Media ensures that IT-Techview covers the developments and dynamics of these two markets exhaustively.
Through the business intelligence gathered through in-depth market study, Josh Dinnerman also points that the IT industry has highly volatile market equations. The technology changes and advances so rapidly that JDD Media ensures that they outline these changes, developments and advances in the rapidly changing cutting edge technology.
Josh Dinnerman’s IT-Tech View serves the IT industry with a wholesome view of the global practices and the who’s who of the industry. The advertisers and potential investors both are benefited by this Joshua Dinnerman enterprise. It is a comprehensive and unbiased information source for the investors and IT clients and a profitable branding vehicle for advertisers.
JDD Media comprises a bouquet of over 30 niche magazines that are known for their exhaustive content and aggressive branding, a part of Josh Dinnerman’s integrated marketing concept. IT-Tech View is no exception from this Joshua Dinnerman concept and thus forms a part of the JDD Media bouquet. This Joshua Dinnerman’s magazine gives an insight into the IT sector developments, the R&D in the sector, top industry people, technical advancements and emerging hubs of outsourcing.
STR reports U.S. hotel performance for the week ending 29 November 2008
Saturday, December 6th, 2008 | HOTELS | 4 Comments
The U.S. hotel industry posted large year-over-year drop-offs in each of the three key performance measurements during the week of 23-29 November, according to data from STR(Smith Travel Research).
The year-over-year decreases are in large part because of the date of Thanksgiving, which fell on 22 November 2007. This year, the holiday fell on 27 November, and historically, the Thanksgiving week is a slow week for the U.S. hotel industry.
In year-over-year measurements, the industry’s occupancy fell 22.6 percent to 41.5 percent (53.6 percent in 2007). Average daily rate dropped 12.2 percent to finish the week at US$90.84 (US$103.51 in 2007). Revenue per available room for the week decreased 32.0 percent to end the week at US$37.70 (US$55.48 in 2007).
‘The numbers certainly aren’t the greatest, but they aren’t as bad as they may look,’ said Mark Lomanno, president of STR. ‘Beyond the typical decline of the Thanksgiving holiday, the figures are in line with the downward trend the industry has been experiencing, especially when you consider the 28-day moving average.
‘The last two weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster ride because the date of Thanksgiving shifted,’ Lomanno added. ‘However, the industry appears to have settled into a pattern of declining year-over-year comparisons-a trend we expect to continue through at least the first quarter of 2009.’
Each of the six location segments experienced significant year-over-year drops for the week ending 29 November. Led by a 35.7-percent decline in occupancy at Airport locations, each segment experienced double-digit declines in occupancy rates: Urban (-32.4 percent), Suburban (-24.8 percent), Interstate (-11.9 percent), Resort (-12.9 percent), and Small Metro/Town (-13.9 percent). Hotels in the Interstate segment and the Small Metro/Town segments achieved gains in ADR of 1.3 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively. The other location segments weren’t as successful in ADR: Urban (-18.6 percent), Suburban (-13.0 percent), Airport (-21.3 percent), and Resort (-2.7 percent). All six location segments experienced drop-offs in RevPAR: Urban (-45.0 percent), Suburban (-34.6 percent), Airport (-49.4 percent), Interstate (-10.8 percent), Resort (-15.2 percent), and Small Metro/Town (-11.9 percent).
About STR & STR Global
For more than 20 years, Smith Travel Research has been the recognized leader for lodging industry benchmarking and research. Smith Travel Research and STR Global offer monthly, weekly, and daily STAR benchmarking reports to more than 36,000 hotel clients, representing nearly 5 million rooms worldwide. STR is headquartered in Hendersonville, Tenn., and STR Global is based in London.
Computer Virus Hits U.S. Military Base in Afghanistan
Saturday, December 6th, 2008 | Computer | 4 Comments
KABUL—The largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan was hit by a computer virus earlier this month that affected nearly three quarters of the computers on the base, U.S. News has learned.
This wasn’t the first such cyberattack, and officials said that earlier incarnations of the virus had exported information such as convoy and troop movements here. It was not clear precisely what information, if any, was being pulled from Department of Defense computers by this latest virus, they said.
U.S. military spokesmen at Bagram declined to comment, citing operational security.
But privately, U.S. military officials express grave concerns. The Chinese “learn a lot from these attacks,” says one U.S. military intelligence official. “Like how our logistics and other systems work.”
Hot Tech Toys-Small Lightweight Laptops
Saturday, December 6th, 2008 | IT-Tech | 4 Comments
Popularized by Asus Eee PCs, which start at $269, netbooks are designed for basic tasks — Web surfing, e-mail and word processing. That’s just fine for some folks.
These sleek Wi-Fi-enabled computers are usually limited in capacity, and to keep costs down, often ship with the open-source Linux operating system instead of Microsoft’s Windows.
“Especially during this economic downturn, a low-cost option is very attractive,” says Doug Bell, an analyst at researcher IDC. “Mini-notebooks are also a great PC option for kids because of the small keyboards.”
Still, Bell says, “While the main draw is the price and compact size and weight, it is important to know what you are buying.”
Price ranges and features are expanding rapidly. Some stripped-down machines offer limited solid-state storage drive capacity of 16 gigabytes or less. (SSDs are basically flash memory drives not unlike what’s in a digital camera or iPod nano.) Others sport traditional hard drives of 120 GB or more. Prices can range from under $300 to around $500.
“Performance and price is all over the map,” says Leslie Fiering, an analyst at Gartner. At $500, you’re better off investing in a full-featured 14-inch notebook computer, Fiering says.
Fiering recommends 10-inch netbooks as the “sweet spot” for keyboard, screen size and price. In addition to Asus, major PC makers including Dell, HP, Lenovo and Acer all offer mini-notebooks.
Hotel Chain Latest Victim Of Cyberthieves
Monday, December 1st, 2008 | HOTELS | 6 Comments
The Best Western hotel chain has reportedly suffered what is being claimed as the world’s largest cybercrime, the identity theft of eight million customers.
A Scottish newspaper, the Sunday Herald, reported late last week that hackers placed a trojan on the hotel chain’s European reservation system, capturing a clerk’s password to gain entry to the group’s online booking system.
The intruders then reportedly sold details of how to gain access to the system to a Russian gang. The attack was noticed when the Best Western database, which included guests’ names and credit card numbers, was offered for sale on an underground forum.
Responding to the newspaper report, Best Western issued a statement admitting there had been a breach, but claimed that on Friday, it closed the entry point in its system that allowed access to the hackers. The company also refuted claims that its data had been compromised. It also sought to reassure its customers that it is taking appropriate action.
The chain, which has more than 4,200 hotels in 80 countries, responded that the charges in the newspaper report were “grossly unsubstantiated…We have found no evidence to support the sensational claims ultimately made by the reporter and newspaper.”
It also stated that it complies with Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS), and that to maintain that compliance, it uses a “secure network protected by firewalls and governed by a strong information security policy.”
The chain added that it only collects credit card details when processing a reservation and then encrypts that information, deleting it when the guest departs. Also, the company restricts access to that data to only those people who require it.
However, despite these appropriate information security strategies, experts point out that there are ways a hacker may have gained entry to the company’s network, most likely via a traffic-sniffing trojan.
Ed Moyle, manager at CTG, which provides IT solutions to Global 2000 clients, said Best Western may be correct in its assessment of the breach’s extent. But the news is already out and the company’s reputation could be harmed, he said.
“It’s an unfortunate outcome for what appears to be a smaller-than-reported data loss,” he said. “In an ideal world, companies ought to be looking at how they can prevent this sort of thing with the ultimate goal of not having to put out a retraction.”
Moyle said there appears to be nothing more Best Western could have done to prevent the compromise.
“Yes, they were in compliance with [PCI], it’s a useful bar to meet, but that doesn’t guarantee loss prevention,” he said. “There are always going to be breaches.”
Stuck On Tape
Monday, December 1st, 2008 | Computer | 6 Comments
For large enterprises, tape libraries are still a cost-effective storage option!
As disk prices fall, many organizations are switching from tape storage to disk-based virtual tape libraries (VTL) as the preferred means of long-term data storage. The Agriculture Department’s Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) in Alexandria, Va., for example, started using NetApp Virtual File Manager to back up its servers onto a set of NetApp FAS200 series devices. “Since doing disk-to-disk backup, tapes are hardly being used,” said Harold Russell, a Wyandotte NetTel project manager working at FNS.
Despite predictions of their imminent demise, however, tape libraries — which have been around since Remington Rand built the Uniservo in 1951 — still have a place in the data center.
FNS has two Spectra Logic Spectra 20K tape libraries, each with four drives and 24 tape slots, which it still uses for backing up its test environment. And next summer, FNS will start doing monthly archives of its e-mail messages to meet the seven-year retention requirements.
“Knowing the federal government, we will probably never completely dump tapes, unless we switch to another durable type of media like optical disks,” Russell said.
Disk vs. tape
“Tape is the most cost-effective storage out there, and people will continue to leverage tape products for many years to come,” said Tom Coughlin of consulting firm Coughlin and Associates.
Robert Stevenson, managing director of storage research at TheInfoPro, said tape usage is particularly strong among large organizations.
“They are starting to see more regulatory compliance requirements, so we are not seeing a reduction in tape growth,” he said.
Smaller organizations, however, are adopting VTLs as an alternative to tape. Those that have 15,000 to 20,000 tapes are weaning themselves off tape, and many could be completely off tape in about five years. Those with less than 15,000 tapes are using VTLs as a storage consolidation method.
“They like VTLs, not so much because they have a bottleneck in terms of their tape drives being busy, but they have different tape drive technologies,” Stevenson said. “They are using VTL to consolidate onto one single tape format while being more aggressive on trying to minimize tape creation.”
Coughlin said one main driver in keeping tape is not only the equipment and supplies cost but also the power consumption differences between disk and tape storage.
“As fuel prices go up and energy costs increase, tape automation systems can be a big part of using your resources more effectively and lowering your total operating cost,” he said.