Tools for
efficiency — Mobile Computing Tools for Commuters.
I think
it may be time to broaden my view of the accepted correct spelling
for certain modern English words. My first indication was reading
the recent announcement by Tony Long, Copy Chief for Wired News,
that they will no longer be capitalizing the “I” in “internet.” Likewise,
they chose to de-capitalize “web” and “net.” Following
this, I read a thread of debates on various listserv message boards
regarding this decision. That lead me to look up a few words on Dictionary.com using
all the various spellings. I discovered any of them are now acceptable,
although the more popular versions are gaining in usage.
You won’t be wrong using “Internet” or “internet,” although some background provides insight from a time prior to 1990, the year the original ARPANET pipes were shut down (NSFNet became the backbone in 1986). In those earlier days, there were other contenders/internets, but there was only one “Internet” with a capital “I.” Today,
there is no longer any competition.
Also, “Web site,” “web site,” or “website” are all correct, but “website” has become the most popular usage by far for a term derived from World Wide Web (always capitalized). The reason is thought to be similar to what is happening with other technological expressions when they become the more popular usage. So, “email,” “e-mail,” and “E-mail” will
all be considered correct spelling for electronic mail.
All this is not to say there is anything wrong with sticking to
a purist’s version of spelling “Internet,” “Web site,” or “e-mail.” It
just may be considered a little old-fashioned, which shows
keeping up with the changing spelling of modern technological words
is as difficult as keeping up with the evolution of the English
language itself.
Articles in this Fall 2004 issue of TMIS eNewsletter cover some
new developments in the area of wireless technology. Some major
security issues have been resolved with the IEEE’s approval of
the 802.11i Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) extension to the 802.11
wireless LAN standard. New improvements to wireless products will
now include the Advanced Encryption Standard, peer-to-peer communications
security, and preauthentication of users for fast, secure roaming.
Another important area of needed improvement is in Wi-Fi-to-cellular roaming agreements between telecom companies and ISPs. The goal is to avoid dropped calls and dead areas by allowing the cellular radio signals to converge with or switch over to IP-based voice over Wi-Fi.
Other news articles provide the latest efficiency reports from top research firms
concerning the areas of e-government, the IT industry, and outsourcing trends.
There is also an interesting report on defining what constitutes a “world-class” company in contrast to a “median company,” and why the distinction is increasingly critical in today’s
global economy.
I am
grateful to be in a collaborative business with many talented and skilled
professionals. Additional feedback and recommendations for our products
and services at TM
Information Services http://www.tminformationservices.com are always
welcome.
- Mary
M. McLaughlin
From
the Front Page of TMIS News <Top>
http://www.tminformationservices.com
Click
on links below to read Full Stories
Major Wireless and ISP Providers Announce Wi-Fi Roaming Pact
Overland Park,
Kansas
Sprint and SBC Communications Inc. today announced a reciprocal Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Internet service roaming agreement that will provide their customers access to each other's public Wi-Fi networks.
Under the agreement, customers will be able to roam on the Wi-Fi networks of each company using their existing user ID's and passwords. Service charges will be billed according to the customers' current billing agreements.
Full
Story
Regulation
of Operator Obligations and Wireless Interconnection Issues Dominate
Global Agendas
Boston, Massachussetts
According to the Yankee Group's new Global Wireless Interconnect Regulatory
Dashboard, national regulators across the globe are applying significantly
varied approaches to the regulation of operator obligations and wireless
interconnection rate setting.
"Wireless interconnection issues now dominate both regulatory agendas and industry lobbying efforts around the world," says Dianne Northfield, Global Regulatory Strategies program manager. "Interconnection between wireless operators, or between wireless and fixed network operators, is central to the development of competitive mobile markets. Regulators are dictating requirements on operator agreements that were previously commercially negotiated. This creates enormous operator anxiety about operational and cost implications of different interconnection carrier compensation models."
Full
Story
VoWi-Fi:
Another Part of the WiFi-to-Cellular Roaming Solution
Oyster Bay, New York
Wireless LAN switch vendors once promoted their solutions as ways
to centralize management of wireless LAN, to manage security, spectrum,
access points and users. More recently, they have reinvented themselves
as purveyors of VoWi-Fi platforms, according to ABI Research Senior
Analyst, Phil Solis. "Using these vendors' technologies," he says, "you
can allow users to connect automatically to access points experiencing
lower traffic." Such solutions also help users achieve various kinds
of Quality of Service. As users move from place to place, they can
also better enable handoffs and roaming, by pre-authenticating them
on the next access point. "In one sense it's an opportunity for such
switch vendors to differentiate themselves," adds Solis, "but so many
of them are now taking up this opportunity that the question really
becomes, 'who does it better?'"
Full
Story
D-Link
Announces Business-Class 802.11g Wireless Access Point With Integrated
PoE and 802.11i Security Support
Fountain Valley, California
D-Link, the global leader in the design and development of connectivity
and communications technologies, today introduced a new D-Link AirPremier
Access Point (DWL-2200AP), a business-class 802.11g AP that delivers
instant Power over Ethernet (PoE) for remote placements where power
outlets are not within reach. Speed enhancing options and robust security
and management feature sets round out the new AP. With robust management
capability, the D-Link AirPremier Access Point complies with 802.1x
user-based authentication and supports WPA, AES encryption, as well
as the upcoming 802.11i security standard.
Full
Story
E-Government
Success Likely to Fuel More, Better, Broader Online Government
Services, Especially Transactions
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Users of online government services tend to be highly likely
to return to the sites they use and to recommend them to others, according
to an analysis of findings from the special e-government version of
the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The latest Index shows
a significant improvement in the quality of e-government over the past
nine months, but continues to show a very wide disparity among agencies
and types of sites in terms of how well they deliver overall user satisfaction.
Full
Story
Market
Metrics Measure IT Spending Expectations and Foreshadow Future
IT Growth
Framingham, Massachussetts
Market intelligence and advisory firm, IDC, has announced
the launch of FutureScan, a set of market metrics that measure supply
and demand in the IT industry based on leading indicators and customer
surveys. Values reflect expectations of future growth, with an index
value of 1000 indicating zero growth and each 10 points representing
roughly 1% of expected growth or contraction. For September, the FutureScan
Buyer Intent is 1085 with the Market Indicators at 1032.
Full
Story
State & Local
E-Government Spending to Double by 2008; Waning Spending Rebound Predicted
in 2005
Reston, Virginia
The state and local market for e-government products and services
will reverse its dramatically declining growth trend in 2005 and more
than double 2004 spending levels by 2008, according to a report released
today by INPUT, the leading provider of government market intelligence.
Fueled by integration and consolidation of government-to-government
back-end systems, this growth will be preceded by two years of measured
compound annual growth rate of 8 percent, accelerating rapidly in 2006
and 2007.
Full
Story
Critical
Performance Measures Show Gap Between World-Class and Median
Continues to Widen
Atlanta, Georgia
The gap between world-class performers and median companies continues
to widen across a range of critical performance measures including
costs and staffing, according to 2004 Book of Numbers research into
world-class performance from The Hackett Group, a business advisory
firm and an Answerthink company. This gap should be seen
as a potential danger sign for companies that allow themselves to lag
behind, according to Hackett.
Full
Story
Eighty
Percent of Organizations to Outsource Operations by 2005
Stamford, Connecticutt
Eighty percent of organizations will outsource at least one function
by 2005, according to research by META Group, Inc., a leading provider
of information technology (IT) research, advisory services, and strategic
consulting. While 70% of that group will renew their outsourcing contracts,
many will reduce both the scope and the duration of the original agreement.
Full
Story
Free
SMILE Labels Help Stamp out Rudeness
St. Louis, Missouri
To help stamp out rudeness, Telephone Doctor, an international customer
service training company, is offering FREE SMILE labels. Nancy Friedman,
President of Telephone Doctor, reminds us: "It's difficult to be rude
when you're smiling."
Full
Story
From
Thunder Mountain the On-Line Store <Top>
http://www.thundermount.com
|
|
|
Back-A-Line
Ergonomic Back Belt
|
Actiontec
USB00020C01 USB
Internet Phone Wizard |
Canon
I80 Portable Color Bubble Jet Printer
|
|
|
|
Infocus
LPLITESHOW Wireless
Connectivity Module |
Franklin
Electronic SCD1870 Speaking Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary |
Logitech
965102 io Digital Pen
|
Through
our partnership with Rite2U, we now offer over 30,000 computer and video
game products. Our Full
Stock Web Site is designed to make your buying experience a pleasant
one. You have access to thousands of brand name computer products manufacturers.
Our wide range of choices makes us truly a "one stop shop" for
whatever you're looking for. We offer real time pricing and availability
so you can be assured that we have the product when you need it at a
competitive price. Your satisfaction is our highest priority. Use our Microsoft
Licensing Wizard on the site to easily add to or extend your requirements
for office software licenses.
Now
use our Whitebook
Configurator to order your built-to-order notebook PC with the Centrino
Pentium Processor. Choose the amount of processor, RAM, storage space
and software you desire to fit your budget. This is the best wireless
connectivity mobile technology today!
We
are partners
with the Northwest's premier commercial printer, Centerpoint
Graphics!
Ask
us about government and education discounts on computer
hardware and electronic equipment for schools and local governments.
If
you can be efficient, you can be effective!
TM
Information Services P.O. Box 1516; Orting, WA 98360
email: info@tminformationservices.com
TMIS Web
site:
http://www.tminformationservices.com
Thunder Mountain the On-Line Store: http://www.thundermount.com
Copyright 2004© TM Information Services All Rights Reserved
|