Cross Platform Virus

News of a cross platform Virus has made headlines today across the internet. While this Virus is only a Proof of Concept, meaning it contains no malicious code. You can be sure that it is only a matter of time before someone will take advantage of this.

Currently this cross platform virus is meant to infect the ELF binaries in Linux and the .exe files in Windows. However, with the recent announcement that Macs with the Intel chips will now be able to boot to windows I wonder how long it will be before we see a cross platform virus that will infect both of them.

All of this could lead to an interesting future in the computer security industry. I am also sure if this happens most apple users will not be too happy at all.

The Next Industrial Revolution

It would seem the world is in the infancy of the next industrial revolution. Although this new revolution has actually been occurring for quite sometime in drips and drabs; its impact is starting to be felt far and wide. It has also brought with it deep social and economic changes that are affecting the world as we know it today.

Companies that do not learn to adapt to these changes may find it increasingly more difficult to earn income as these changes continue to affect their bottom line. Take for instance as just one example how the recording industry has been hit by these changes.

Early on they had the chance to adapt to these changes and make file sharing work in their favor. Instead they chose to ignore it and are now playing catch-up and alienating their own customers by suing them.

I am not saying that the recording industry is wrong for taking the stance that it did. However, in the long run is it a position that it can win?

YouTube.com is another example of this change. In a Cnet news.com article posted early today largely promoting the companies success, and second round funding. It also makes mention of YouTube.com having to struggle with removing unauthorized video clips from its site. People are posting, viewing, and sharing videos at such a fast pace the company just can’t keep up.

The real problem begins for YouTube.com when the company starts to earn serious cash from its success. How, will it keep from being sued and losing all of its revenue to lawsuits if it cannot find and remove ALL unauthorized content fast enough? At this point the company will become a victim of its own success.

This is only a small example of the changes that are out there. I am not trying to pick on or in any way have a negative impact on the successes or failures of YouTube.com or the recoding industry for that matter. Just to bring to light of the possible changes that may be lying ahead for us all.

Simply put how does a company maintain, or for that matter change its revenue model in order to profit from the ever increasing changes that are occurring with in our world.

How can we make money as individuals and institutions when information is shared so readily and freely?

The online environment has changed the way we conduct business, live our lives and most apparently how we share information with one another.

The last Industrial Revolution is what gave birth to our current way of life. What this new form will lead us to only the future can hold. One thing is for certain, it is having an impact on our social and economic lives already.

It's comming Soon

A while back I wrote about thePSP and that the only thing that could make it better would be Wi-Fi TV. Well beleive it or not it's comming soon. Check it out here Wi-Fi for PSP.

Glade to hear it too. I will be waiting paitently for it.

Interestingly Enough

I felt that I really needed to post one of my older articles from a few months back which you can find directly below this one. It is called, Does Your Business Need A Blog Policy?

People are still being fired from their jobs on a regular basis for the comments they post on the internet mainly in Blogs. Just look at what happened in the case of AAA where 27 worker's were fired for comments they made. These workers I feel probably got what they deserved for many reasons. However, having a policy in place before you get to this step can do a lot for both the employer's and the employee's involved in such cases.

Although the article refers to Blogs specifically it is not just Blogs alone that should be included here. It should go for any area that a person posts information that is readily accessible to the general public.

While some feel this violates certain rights, it has also been upheld in the courts as an extension of the workplace. This will be a topic that will probably be debated for quite sometime.

In the meanwhile, think before you post any of your comments. Is it going to be worth your job if it comes to that.

Does Your Business Need A Blog Policy?

Weblogs or Blogs as they are more commonly referred to, have become extremely popular in the last several years. So popular in fact that many large businesses are letting some employees post Blogs on their corporate websites. While many businesses are jumping on the Blog bandwagon for use as a creative marketing technique; a few businesses have fired employees for what they posted on a Blog. These businesses accuse the employees of allegedly disclosing trade secrets, proprietary information, and making statements that had a negative impact on the employer.

First it may be important here to explain what exactly a Blog is. A Weblog or Blog is a website not unlike a diary that people post their ideas, views, daily events and opinions on. These Blogs in most cases are able to be viewed by anyone with access to the internet. It is for this reason that you may want to consider a Blog policy for your business.

Blogs have even become a part of the underground news media, especially since the last election in the United States. They are even getting the attention of the large global news media that now on occasion report on what the bloggers are saying. The point is, like it or not, it appears Blogs are here to stay.

The best thing a business can do to protect themselves and the interest of the employee is to create a Blog policy for all employees. This policy should include specific topics that employees should not mention within the Blogs on a business website. Employers should also have policies for people that have their own weblog that they control and run themselves as well. It is essential that these policies be created so that there will be no confusion as to what the employer deems as inappropriate for its employees to post on the Internet. This policy will also protect the employer from possible future lawsuits that may arise from the publishing of Weblogs as well.

If you are considering implementing a Blog policy for your business, please be sure to consult with an attorney as to what exactly you should place in your policy. This policy should include any topics that the employer deems as inappropriate, proprietary, secretive and in conjunction with any confidentiality agreements and “blackout periods”.

People who choose to blog on their own personal Weblogs should be sure in the very least that they include some type of disclaimer on the Website that is easily visible to all of the people who visit your Website. The disclaimer does not have to appear on every page of your Website but, should be displayed in such a way as to be seen by the people who visit, such as on the home page or the about me page. The disclaimer should say something along the lines of:

The views expressed on this site or Weblog are mine alone and are not necessarily that of my employers.

Along with this make every effort not to disclose information that would violate any confidentiality clause of your employer. Also take the time to review this clause if you have one before you post to avoid any confusion as to what this clause states.

The use of a Blog policy by businesses will go a long way to prevent any problems on either side of the issue if and when one should arise because the policy will clearly define what cannot be posted on a Weblog.
Happy Blogging!

© Keith Erwood, Dynamic Network Technologies, 2005 All Rights Reserved