Tuition Fees Increase in a Poor Economy

There are some organizations that are holding costs. For example, the Los Angeles Lakers will not be increases ticket prices for the next basketball season. Usually, there is a single digit percentage increase from year to year. Next year will be an exception.

Nevertheless, there are education institutions that want to increase tuition fees, regardless of the economy:

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The New Yahoo CEO Reported to be Carol Bartz

The reported replacement for Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang is Carol Bartz. She is no stranger to the technology sector, as she guided the growth of Autodesk:

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The New York Knicks Tops the Forbes List

It matters not that there have been a string of losing seasons - or lawsuits, or off-court drama or paying a player millions of dollars not to play. None of that has diminished the worth of the New York Knicks. The Knicks franchise remains increasingly prosperous and the NBA most valuable team:

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Colleges and Universities Become Unaffordable

The news that college education has become unaffordable comes as no surprise to any college student. Unless a student is supported by scholarship or financially secure parents, the college experience is the beginning of debt:

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The Auto Makers Fly to Washington, D.C.

The financial stakes are beyond what most people can comprehend. General Motors requires an operating budget of eleven billion dollars a month to pay its bills. So, in the context of the level of money each of the auto makers go through in a month, going to Washington, D.C. in a private jets in just a small percentage of the monthly expenses:

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Microsoft Launches Windows Azure

In one way, it is having Microsoft as the landlord. Microsoft has introduced Windows Azure, as part of its cloud computing concept:

“…Windows Azure is intended to provide businesses with a set of services to easily build, support and integrate their Web sites with other Microsoft applications, Mr. Ozzie added.

While the company announced Windows Azure, it remains to be seen how the platform will integrate with Windows 7, its next-generation operating system the company is expected to reveal Tuesday.”

link: Microsoft launches Web-based Windows Azure

This leads to speculation as to how soon Google will make an announcement in this sector. “Cloud computing” will be an oft-heard term; the competition has escalated.

Catherine Forsythe

Coffee for a Nickle

It is desperate time for some retailers. Krispy Kreme in Seattle is selling coffee for a nickle to maintain traffic flow:

“…The “New Deal” promotion began Oct. 14 and has no end date, but it can’t go on forever — five cents doesn’t even cover the cost of the 12-ounce cup and lid, let alone the arabica coffee inside. “It is a much better deal today than it was in 1937,” Centioli said. “Drink sizes for coffee and otherwise were much smaller back then.”"

link: Coffee gets cheaper as money gets tighter

Hopefully, the customers will not be there just for the coffee. As essentials such as fuel and basic groceries limit people’s spending, the competition will be intense for those remaining dollars. For some businesses, it has become a matter of survival. Taking a risk on a ‘loss leader’ is far preferable than just watching customer traffic fade away.

Catherine Forsythe

BYOC - Bring Your Own Computer to Work

For most people, there is one computer at work and another at the office. Now, some companies are integrating the two and offering a cash incentive to buy a laptop:

“…Employees get a $2,100 stipend to buy a laptop and three-year service plan. In exchange for getting a computer with the specs they want — whether it’s a wide screen, a light weight or ultra-fast processing — the workers essentially take on the company’s technology purchasing and maintenance responsibilities. The 200 staffers who have signed up since the pilot program began this month say it’s a deal they’re happy to take.”

link: BYOC: Company Gives Workers Unusual Laptop Leeway

At first glance, it seems to be a wonderful way to have all one’s computing on a single machine. However, the plan has its dangers. It blurs the definition of what is private. Can the employer now have greater access to private, personal information? Furthermore, it could be a security nightmare. How would a company prevent confidential sensitive information from being downloaded onto a ‘personal’ machine?

The consequences of a stolen or misplaced ‘personal’ laptop now could have potential serious repercussions for corporate security. It may be BYOC (bring your own computer) and OCS (obliterate corporate security).

Catherine Forsythe

United Kingdom Gives Phorm Guidelines

Phorm is the system where advertisers can track internet use for the purposes of directing targeted promotional messages:

“…But any future deployments of the system must be done with consent and make it easy for people to opt out.

The European Union had demanded clarification about the system which tracks web habits in order to provide better targeted ads.”

link: UK government responds on Phorm

The priorities of these guidelines appear to be backward. Phorm is a system that intrudes on the internet user’s privacy, with possible security implications. To initiate the system with an “opt out” provision means that people have to be proactive and remove themselves from being served target advertising. The optimal way for participation would be to allow people to “opt in” - and allow the default be that not every user can be possibly tracked. The “opt in” system has an obvious flaw. It does not allow for those who want to track internet use to maximize their financial gain.

Catherine Forsythe

Google in the Satellite Business

Google has taken a significant step to increasing advertising clicks:

“Google has thrown its weight behind ambitious plans to bring internet access to 3bn people in Africa and other emerging markets by launching at least 16 satellites to bring its services to the unconnected half of the globe.”

link: Google backs space-age project to connect 3bn to net via satellite

Without a doubt, these new satellite users will have prominent exposure to Chrome and Google search. The initial investment made now develops a substantial future user base and billions of advertising viewers. It seems that the ten year old company has grand future plans.

Catherine Forsythe