The Effects of Technology http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/ Checking out IT from an outsider's perspective en-us Wed, 06 Dec 2006 18:40:02 EST Wed, 06 Dec 2006 18:40:02 EST andrew.mellino@case.edu andrew.mellino@case.edu http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Movable Type v3.121 Googles, Monopolies, and the Internet http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/12/06/googles_monopolies_and_the_internet It has been suggested that Google is abusing it's "silent monopoly" of ad-words . Ok, back up. All of these... http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/12/06/googles_monopolies_and_the_internet General IT Google web search case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Wed, 06 Dec 2006 18:40:02 EST It has been suggested that Google is abusing it's "silent monopoly" of ad-words . Ok, back up. All of these claims need to be substantiated and explained. So let's give it the old inductive reasoning workout (as all good conspiracies require) and see what we think. Does Google illegaly utilize it's high traffic search engine to give itself a competitive edge in other fields?

]]> Lonelygirl15: What's the big deal? http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/11/28/lonelygirl15_whats_the_big_deal Recently in Wired magazine, I read a cover article entitled, Youtube Grows Up. A picture of an attractive brunette and... http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/11/28/lonelygirl15_whats_the_big_deal case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 28 Nov 2006 11:33:57 EST Recently in Wired magazine, I read a cover article entitled, Youtube Grows Up. A picture of an attractive brunette and the subtitle, Lonelygirl15, Web tv, & the end of tv advertising. So who is this Lonelygirl15 and why is she on the cover of Wired magazine?

]]> What makes Gmail great http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/11/21/what_makes_gmail_great The other day in class, a discussion cropped up regarding Gmail and why someone would bother switching to Gmail. Obviously,... http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/11/21/what_makes_gmail_great General IT email gmail web 2.0 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 21 Nov 2006 11:46:22 EST The other day in class, a discussion cropped up regarding Gmail and why someone would bother switching to Gmail. Obviously, with the importance of email these days, it is about as easy to switch addresses as it is to switch phone numbers. You have to tell everyone, invariably, you'll forget a couple of people and hearts will be broken. Not only that, but you have to acquaint yourself with a new user interface as well as sorting out contacts lists, external clients, etc. So what makes Gmail so great? Although I brought up a few relevant points during the discussion, there are many more that have come to my attention and I would like to point these out.

]]> "Social Responsibility" http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/11/12/social_responsibility To preface this entry, I must add a disclaimer. I am neither hardened, nor arrogant. I give everyone fair consideration... http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/11/12/social_responsibility General IT objectivism social responsibility case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sun, 12 Nov 2006 16:58:07 EST To preface this entry, I must add a disclaimer. I am neither hardened, nor arrogant. I give everyone fair consideration before I pass my judgment upon them. I do my best to avoid stereotypes and prejudices. So while many will disagree with what I have to say, I will be forging an argument based upon controversial, yet important social biases. These theories have been largely spelled out by an author by the name of Ayn Rand. Though I have not yet finished her (arguably) greatest work, Atlas Shrugged. These are the foundation for an opinion that, while more extreme than mine, give the best counterpoints to alturism in favor of rational self-interest and what she calls "the virtue of greed."

]]> Macs http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/11/04/macs I understand that there needs to be competition, but let me please say that Macintoshes are not the be-all,... http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/11/04/macs General IT case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Sat, 04 Nov 2006 11:55:06 EST indextop20060516.gif

I understand that there needs to be competition, but let me please say that Macintoshes are not the be-all, end-all solution that some people think they are. I will first cite their ad campaign. The idea that a Mac or a PC is "better" at some things is absurd, as it is really only the software that affects what a computer is used for. Next is the idea that Macs are somehow invulnerable to viruses. This is simply an absurd claim. The truth is, Macs hold such a small market, hackers do not care enough to spend time creating viruses for such a small user base, as their code will proliferate on a larger scale if they design it for a PC. As exemplified recently, Mac security flaws exist.

]]> IE7 and Firefox 2 http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/10/25/ie7_and_firefox_2 As Mozilla's user base grows, we can't help but step back and wonder what they are doing right. I... http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/10/25/ie7_and_firefox_2 case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Wed, 25 Oct 2006 12:01:23 EST


As Mozilla's user base grows, we can't help but step back and wonder what they are doing right. I will look at all the things that made me change over from Firefox to Internet Explorer and try to put these into a global context.

]]> More on buying YouTube? http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/10/10/more_on_buying_youtube It seems those clever guys and girls over at Google have decided to buy YouTube. I'm pretty surprised to... http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/10/10/more_on_buying_youtube Venture Capital case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Tue, 10 Oct 2006 12:19:43 EST Banner.png


It seems those clever guys and girls over at Google have decided to buy YouTube. I'm pretty surprised to hear that Google decided to do this, but this simply adds to their repertoire of quality, searchable databases and reduces the competition in the fast-growing media entertainment business. As I mentioned in my previous post, Google will now carry the burden of potential copyright infringement. YouTube's current policy of removing copyrighted material only when it has been flagged as such remains a sketchy solution at best, and we all know that Google has some fairly loose interpretations of copyrighted material. Additionally, Google is attempting to persuade some big companies to offer copyrighted material for free via Google Video. I am all for loosening these copyrights, as I love everything free, but I'm sure as I move into the computer software / digital rights arena my views will be subject to change. However, in this situation, I firmly believe that a low quality video available for free online will only generate more interest in these bands rather than serve as a replacement to purchased media. All of this is very exciting, but I suppose all we have to do now is sit back and ask ourselves, "What's in it for me?" Apart from rising stocks, we should see Google expanding its already versatile array of services to present to the public. Sit back and enjoy the Google life.

]]> ERP and You http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/10/04/enterprise_systems_sap_human_element After perusing a delightful play, written by our very own Michel Avital, I got to thinking about my own experiences... http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/10/04/enterprise_systems_sap_human_element General IT case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Wed, 04 Oct 2006 19:31:54 EST After perusing a delightful play, written by our very own Michel Avital, I got to thinking about my own experiences with SAP. As mentioned previously, I worked over the summer in the automotive department of Nordson Corp. based in Amherst here in Ohio. Of course, Nordson is a fairly large company with several other branches in places such as Georgia, Alabama, and even Germany and China. At the level Nordson Corp. is performing, there is no room for outdated inventories, inaccessible information, or any sort of blind management of these "value chains."

]]> Visionary or already being implemented? http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/09/22/visionary_or_already_being_implemented So I hear tell of a new cell phone vending machine being implemented by motorola. Where to begin... There are... http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/09/22/visionary_or_already_being_implemented pervasiveness ubiquitous computing case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Fri, 22 Sep 2006 08:38:07 EST So I hear tell of a new cell phone vending machine being implemented by motorola. Where to begin... There are so many things about society, technology, and business that have changed so rapidly and so completely to make a machine like this viable. To begin with, the idea that techonology is "throw-away" or consumable is only made possible by the exponential curve of techonological change. Not only is your cell phone becoming outdated very quickly, the rate at which it is becoming outdated is increasing. Another aspect of this is the trust society as a whole places in technology. Ten years ago, no one - no one - would have been buying cutting edge technology from a vending machine. While it may seem like a stretch to call cellular technology cutting edge, let's look at what makes it so.

Size: as cell phones converge between fashion and pragmatism, their size becomes a huge issue. We see companies pushing the bar to create smaller designs that remain ergonomic and chic. What makes that possible? Technology.

Reliability: cell phones are not for emergencies. Period. They have become so ingrained in daily life that some people have even gone as far as cancelling their landlines. This exemplifies the trust they hastily profer to these relatively new technologies. In the past, all new technologies were treated with a healthy dose of skepticism. Today, we see acclimation to new technologies happening faster and faster.

Finally, consumability: the idea that buying a cell-phone is not an investment. This is a direct result of the rapidity of change. If the other points have not convinced you that cellular technology is cutting edge, then here is your caveat. Research shows that the number of new cell phones people are buying over a year is increasing. Why? Because they are just like any other fashion. You use it while it's in style, then when it's fallen out of fashion, you move onto the next trend. So what does this say about the techonology. Well you don't see any new editions of the stapler coming out. A toaster oven 3.5? What about an advancement in CRT technology? That's been around for decades.

So what has made this consumability possible? It is most definitely the pervasiveness of the computer. Technology is no longer a supplement to living, it is staple. As I mentioned previously, while cell phones were originally almost exclusively for emergencies ( bulky, expensive, very limited minutes, poor service etc.), they have become entirely essential to a functioning business as well as becoming increasingly necessary to personal life.

Another example of this pervasiveness is online shopping. Fifteen years ago, the internet did not exist. In 2005, "eCommerce sales for 2005 were $86.3 billion..." That is in a market that did not exist only 15 years ago. Initially, onlnine business did not fare so well, as I mentioned in a previous post. This was due to a lack of consumer confidence, which caused the great dot-com bubble of the early millenium to burst. So what changed over these years? As more and more people use computers at home, in the workplace, and on the go, it is no longer a foreign object. The demystification process has picked up the pace as the dissemination of information and general consumer awareness improves, but ultimately the ease-of-use and accessiblity of internet commerce has slowly made it more attractive. Couple that with growing support in general business practices making it smoother, safer, and easier, ubiquitous computing has helped generate an $86 billion market that otherwise would not have existed.

]]> Dot-Com Bubbles http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/09/14/dotcom_bubbles By now everyone has heard of the "Dot-com" bubble. Though most people only have limited knowledge of what this means,... http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/09/14/dotcom_bubbles General IT bubble dot-com case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Thu, 14 Sep 2006 17:27:24 EST By now everyone has heard of the "Dot-com" bubble. Though most people only have limited knowledge of what this means, even less people are aware of the growing trend that some people have called the second Dot-Com crash. Interestingly enough, after such a terrible failure just 6 years ago, venture capitalist companies such as YouTube and MySpace are raking in huge amounts of cash annually. Original predictions after the NASDAQ crash following the abysmal performance of many of these internet start up companies placed the venture capitalist firms at half their current value. However, surveys show that VC's are actually rising in the corporate world. The question that hangs in my mind is: What is the problem?

]]> Expository first entry http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/09/11/expository_first_entry Assuming this is not traditional blogging, as it is an assignment versus simple self-amusement, I should think that much of... http://blog.case.edu/andrew.mellino/2006/09/11/expository_first_entry Intro case cwru Case Western Case Western Reserve University Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:57:23 EST Assuming this is not traditional blogging, as it is an assignment versus simple self-amusement, I should think that much of this blog will be written in a semi-professional way. I do not promise that some colloquialism will not be introduced, as it remains a blog despite said key difference, but I shall do my best to be as informative and concise as possible. As a computer engineering student at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, I will more than likely be somewhat biased towards the positive aspects of information technologies in social and corporate infrastructure. While I will apply some counterpoints to my arguments for the sake of fairness, I think it goes without saying that technology has been mostly positive as far as general human productivity and efficiency is concerned. Of course, this being a management-focused class, social issues will also take much of the focus of each entry. While this set of issues will cater towards some groups more than other such as fellow students as well as those familiar with the practices of businesses, I will attempt to make my information as accessible as possible. Such issues that I find intriguing range from large-scale corporate mergers such as AMD-ATI and the practices of such large organizations as Google Inc. or even governments regarding the use of IT, but I will also explore such social phenomena as instant messaging, public online profiles like MySpace and Friendster, and even blogging itself. All of these technologies change the way people live think and act, so I will discuss my (biased) opinion. I will attempt to make it as awesome as possible. Also, though there is a one entry per week minimum, I will do my best to make 3-4 entries per week as blogging is something I have been looking for an excuse to begin.

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