Today, our new midrange server got delivered: an IBM p570 with an initial configuration of 6 Power 5+ CPUs (2.2 GHz) and 128 GB of RAM. (Play back Tim Taylor grunting.) The storage unit will be delivered not until next week. Initial storage capacity will be 4 TB of production space (SCSI FC harddisks) and 6 TB of backup space (SATA). And there's still a lot of room to grow. (Click the picture for more photos.)

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A Skype client for mobile phones is eagerly awaited, especially since phones able to connect to UMTS (3G) and WiFi networks like my Nokia E61 are entering the market. But the only mobile version of Skype currently available is one for Windows Mobile, and even that isn't widely adopted. Skype announced a version of Skype for Symbian-based mobile phones a while ago now, but it seems we'll have to keep being patient for another while. According to CNet+most%2C+mobile+Skype+still+a+long+distance+away/2100-7352_3-6120610.html?tag=nefd.top, Niklas Zennstrom, Skype chief executive and co-founder, admitted unexpected difficulties implementing the mobile Skype client: When we began developing the mobile-phone version, we didn't realize the number of technical obstacles. It is challenging and is taking much longer than expected. We have no publicly available products yet to offer, and I can't give you a timetable. In the United States, where phones are tightly tied to mobile operators, there are additional political issues: no operator likes to see people switching from their cell network to cheap WiFi connections available at a growing number of hotspots. In Europe, where customers can get their mobile phone separately from the operator's SIM card, Skype may find it easier to push a cell/Skype hybrid solution to the market. Could it be that we old-worlders actually have an advantage here as an exception?

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Since I started listening to netcasts[1], they've been giving me a lot of fun as well as things to learn and think about. As always, it didn't take long until I wanted to give netcasting a try myself. Recording music and other audio content was one of the bigger reasons I bought the Mac, after all. So, after a week of fiddling with GarageBand, I now proudly present to you: Radio Perl, episode 1 It's a netcast in german language and directed towards Perl developers. I plan to pick one central topic that I'd like to talk about in every episode. Alternatively, I could invite someone else to do the talking here. So, if you'd like to be interviewed, contact me! Other fixed segments will be "Perl news" and "Interesting new Perl modules". I'd like to make Radio Perl a weekly netcast, but only time will tell if I really can go at that pace. At the same time, this is the premiere of IT-Dojo, my new website for IT know-how and training. Please tell me what you think about Radio Perl! You'll find the netcast's email address as well as a telephone number for audio comments on the page linked above. fn1. Since "podcast" seems to suggest that you need an iPod to listen to it and since Apple is starting to make suspicious legal moves regarding the word, I prefer to call them "netcasts".

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According to the article Mysterious Paypal Secure Storage on TechCrunch, Paypal is in the process of building a service that allows customers to safely transfer and store files on the payment provider's servers. So far, though, it's unclear to whom the service will be offered -- only to merchants or to all the users. What's remarkable is that files will be transferred via SFTP(Secure File Transfer Protocol), a protocol offered by the SSH(Secure Shell) software suite, even though Windows has no default SFTP application (of course there are offers from 3rd party vendors). SSH and SFTP are widely used on Unix systems where they are available as command line applications. As open source software, the SSH suite offers mature tools for secure data transfer. It's an interesting move for a payment provider to offer such a service, but maybe it'll be just the basis for future fulfilment services.

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Seit dreißig Jahren begleitet mich "Laudato Si" durch Jugendgottesdienste und Agape-Feiern. Und ja, es ist nett, aber auch seeeeehr abgedroschen. Als ich letztens einen Ausschnitt aus Mickie Krauses Ballermann-Version des Lieds hörte ("Sei gepriesen für zwei- und dreimal Niesen", "Sei gepriesen für Poldi und für Schweini"), war ich hin- und hergerissen zwischen "Oh nee, jetzt verwursten sie schon Kirchenlieder!" und "Interessant, dass sowas offenbar einen Markt hat." Ich war umso mehr erstaunt, als ich auf ein Interview mit Mickie Krause stieß, in dem er sich als ehemaliger Jugendleiter outete und Ansichten wiedergab, die sich mit meinen in weiten Zügen decken. Wir brauchen Menschen, die Kirche machen, Kirche bewegen und verändern! Deshalb habe ich früher jahrelang Jugendarbeit gemacht und kann behaupten, Kirche bewegt zu haben. Wer Kirche verändern will, muss Mitanpacken und nicht darauf warten, dass andere dieses erledigen. Ich möchte aber zum Schluss auch noch erwähnen, dass es viele tolle Leute in der Kirche gibt. Unser Pastor zum Beispiel ist der absolute Hammer. Er gehört zu den Priestern, die es verstehen, ihre Gemeinde zu begeistern und zu bewegen. Mit ihm werde ich übrigens bei der Taufe meiner dritten Tochter Laudato Si singen, allerdings dann die Originalstrophen. Ich hätte nie gedacht, dass ich sowas mal sage: Respekt, Herr Krause! :-)

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Weird Al Yankovic did it again: White and Nerdy Hey, what's so bad about admiring M.C. Escher as a great artist, reading Stephen Hawking and being really good at Pascal? You're all just jealous, that's what you are!

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I couldn't resist any longer. All those hip people around me with their desktop widgets, their drop shadows and reflections -- and I didn't belong to them. But now I do. Yesterday, I received my new and shiny Mac Mini. </p> I immediately rearranged my desk so I got a complete workstation consisting of the Mini, TFT display, Logitech S530 keyboard and mouse, CME UF7 MIDI master keyboard and Logitech USB headset for doing programming, music composition and podcasting all from my chair. Mac OS X is a really easy to handle operating system and it's fun to use. OS X and the iLife 06 package already contain most of the applications I need, and since I moved many common tasks on to the web, I didn't have to install much software so far. Until now, I added Adium for IM, Seashore for picture manipulation, jEdit for editing text files, and of course Firefox and Skype. I guess the next few days will be days of adventurous exploration.

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At CTIA Fall 2006, Nokia released version 2.0 of their web browser for S60 phones I've already been amazed how well the browser works, and now Nokia has improved it even more: The browser now integrates WAP functions, so there are no more two separate applications. Browser pages can be saved for offline viewing. Clicking on empty space displays a context menu (for example with a list of recently visited pages). Auto-detection of RSS and ATOM feeds has been added. Feed contents are displayed with the site's favicon and images included in the entry. Intervals can be specified for automatic feed updates. Two of the few things that are bugging me in the current version are that the browser lacks form autocompletion and storing of access credentials. Version 2.0 removes those flaws, too. Seems like Nokia is becoming a provider of great mobile phone software, additional to their already successful cell phone hardware business.

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As I found in this forum entry&id=2314977&articleid=2314977#2314977 on OpenBC, the two german companies Enterprise Consulting GmbH and OTRS GmbH started working on a joint venture in February that aims at extending the free ticket system OTRS to an extensive ITIL tool. For 2006, they plan on doing first steps towards ITIL certification. Among other features, OTRS is getting role-based access control, transactions and interfaces to 3rd party applications. Early next year, OTRS GmbH is going to implement the ITIL processes "change management" and "configuration management" based on a central integrated data model, the "configuration management database" (CMDB). Implementation of release management and service delivery processes are following goals. It's always good to see free software targetting the professional IT management tools market. OTRS had a successful start as a trouble ticket system and has every chance to be a good contender in IT process and service level management.

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Most of my friends and colleagues like flying to holiday places, some even are frequent business flyers. Folks, you better watch your tongue and behaviour in the future. According to the British Telegraph", soon "Passengers' chat will be recorded to foil hijackers Currently, researchers are developing computer systems that can monitor the whole plane, of course including the lavatory, with cameras and microphones. And if you tend to get nervous before lift-off or even have a bit of fear of flying, well, you better don't show it. "It would pick passengers who are behaving oddly or in an unruly manner," she said. "They may appear nervous, or could be getting up while the plane is taxiing. If someone looks as if they are praying, the microphones would be able to tell if they were by picking up key words." Just imagine what will happen when you sit on the toilet, constipated, muttering to yourself "Oh my god, I think I'm gonna explode..."

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