Cloud Storage

Cloud Storage published on 1 Comment on Cloud Storage

Kiss your IT geeks goodbye.

If you read tech news regularly, you will know that “The Cloud” is the next great destination for all of your treasured computer files.
If you are unsure what it is I will put it in simple terms here.

Basically, you put your files into a network of computers, rather than one single location, so that the data and applications can then be accessed remotely when you need it. When you here the term “The Cloud”, it actually refers to the internet.

This provides an immense amount of benefits, especially to businesses, as it means their data is securely held offsite from their physical offices. All the data is on a convenient, on-demand network, with access to a shared pool of computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released.
And soon, nearly anyone will be able to handle the uploads and downloads with infinite ease!
This is awesome and shows that we are living on the edge of a marvelous new future.

But I think we should stop and ask ourselves one question:
“What is to become of our Sys Admins and IT Managers?”

In the future, when we are all cloud computing and loving our lives, where will these people be?
If you don’t need them to help maintain server storage, find archived data files and make recommendations on what new hardware you need for the office, then what happens to them?

If these hardworking individuals are not needed to defrag a drive or resurrect a server, where will they fit in modern society?

Well, I will tell you – They will form roaming mobile LAN parties and create confusion on the streets by speaking l33t or Klingon to innocent pedestrians.

But we have a chance to stop this horrific vision of the future from coming true.
And it is such a very simple solution.
(No, it does not involve boycotting cloud computing or storage, because that stuff is going to be f#@king fantastic!)

The solution is this :
Tomorrow, when you see someone who works in IT, just walk up and give them a hug.
Keep in mind that you will need to hold on, so they know it is for real. About 15 seconds will be enough.

Sure, they may flinch now, but if we don’t start to heal the rift BEFORE it begins, then all is lost……..

Failed online gaming

Failed online gaming published on 2 Comments on Failed online gaming

When World Of Warcraft & Nintendo join forces, it can only end badly.

The collaboration shown in my comic has not happened, of course – but if it did, it would be sure to fail miserably.
I think that trying to have the Wii users and WOW users work togethor on a common platform would be harder to orchestrate than world peace.

Unfortunately, this collaboration could well be something that is on a gaming marketing executive’s “brainstorm” list somewhere.

Lets face it, worse ideas have been pitched by marketers of games – and some have actually been followed up on!

Some recent failed gaming marketing ploys include  Sony’s Failed PSP Viral Marketing Stunt and recently, EA’s “Sin to Win” contest for Dante’s Inferno

There are also too many examples of cross-promotional merchandise that marketers have pushed onto the consumer public.
Check out these 6 Crappy Items Marketed Towards Gamers, such as :

– Caffeinated Soap
– Video Game Champion Glove
– Game Fuel (which was Mountain Dews attempt to cash in on Halo 3)

Crosspromotion and co-branding is a way of life in marketing and many online games (I am looking at you, Second Life) even include branding opportunities within them.

This can sometimes be very successful.
But in my view, even when they succeed, it still feels like a sell-out.

Indiana Jones & the big box of nothing

Indiana Jones & the big box of nothing published on 9 Comments on Indiana Jones & the big box of nothing

Here is the scenario –
You find a map that tantalizingly promises a treasure of untold wealth.
You follow the clues, battle through the obstacles and finally reach your goal!

Only to find that the prize is of no worth!
DAMN!

I find the story of Friendster both funny and educational.
It was first to market in the now popular social media space, but squandered the opportunity by not being a reliable service and not engaging it’s users enough to keep them. Read more about this here

Friendster let it’s position slip and MySpace took over.

Ahhh, MySpace.  Remember that site?

Unfollowed by employment

Unfollowed by employment published on 1 Comment on Unfollowed by employment

This comic originally appeared as a guest submission on Bearman Cartoon’s website.
He did a great writeup for me and his regular site visitors even seemed to like what I did.

I am re-posting the comic here to give people an alternative place to view it.

Now that you have seen it, why not head on over to the Bearman cartoons site, have a look at his work and say “Hi” from me while you are there. Enjoy!