Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Paul Rudd are reportedly up for the 'tiny' role.
By Alex Zalben
An appliance designed for Web 2.0 companies may take them back to the future with tape storage.
Tape has been around since the dawn of electronic computers and is still used for many types of long-term storage, but it hasn't played much of a role in modern Web-based applications. When consumers go to check out old photos on social media sites, it's likely those images will be stored on low-cost spinning disks, though Facebook is now looking to flash for this type of data.
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Now tape specialist Spectra Logic is introducing a software interface and an appliance to help companies with huge amounts of less-used data shift it over to tape libraries. Tape is the cheapest way to store files for a long time that don't need to be used frequently, said Molly Rector, Spectra's executive vice president of product management and worldwide marketing.
Spectra Logic is jumping on what some industry analysts call a growing role for tape in some organizations with big data. Overall sales of tape systems are falling, but individual deployments are getting bigger, analysts say. Low cost and energy demands are among tape's calling cards.
On Thursday, Spectra Logic introduced the BlackPearl Deep Storage Appliance, which uses the company's recently announced DS3 interface. The appliance can work with special software clients for Hadoop and other big-data environments or with clients that enterprises and software vendors write themselves, according to Spectra.
Until now, Web and cloud data have had no direct interfaces to tape storage systems, Rector said. Tape libraries have special requirements, including the need to find the correct cartridge and retrieve it. "You have to know how to talk to robots," she said. That has meant complicated middleware that Web and cloud companies don't want to deal with, according to Rector.
DS3 and the BlackPearl provide the missing link, using REST (Representational State Transfer), an architectural approach that's commonly used in Web and cloud environments, Rector said: "Now they can just write a normal REST application and they don't have to know anything else beyond that." The appliance does all the rest, including managing the data transfer process and assigning object metadata, according to Spectra. For now, the BlackPearl is designed for use only with Spectra Logic tape libraries.
Behind the appliance, a tape storage system can scale up from 15 terabytes to multiple petabytes, Spectra said. That suits the needs of enterprises in entertainment, life sciences, oil and gas exploration, government, finance and social media, as well as cloud storage providers, according to the company. Yahoo has already started using the technology to archive Hadoop data, Rector said.
When users want to retrieve a piece of data in tape storage, it will typically take about 60 seconds, though a smaller version such as a thumbnail of a photo may arrive sooner, Rector said. The big advantage of tape is its low cost, according to Spectra: A Black Pearl with a tape library ranges from $0.09 to $0.14 per gigabyte for typical configurations, and even less for very large systems of 10 petabytes or more.
That's cheaper than long-term storage based on hard drives or cloud storage services, and users can access the data as often as they want at no extra cost, which isn't always the case with cloud storage, Rector said. Tape is also the most space-efficient storage technology and has a typical shelf life of 30 years, according to the company.
The BlackPearl is available for beta testing now and set to go on sale in December. The Hadoop DS3 client and the Spectra Logic Developer Program for enterprises and software vendors are available now.
Stephen Lawson covers mobile, storage and networking technologies for The IDG News Service. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @sdlawsonmedia. Stephen's email address is stephen_lawson@idg.com.
Taking some time away from their kiddos, Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson caught a flight at LAX International Airport on Sunday evening (October 13).
The betrothed couple seemed to be in good spirits as they walked arm-in-arm past a few shutterbugs, with Eric sporting a fatherly beard while Jessica toted an oversized black handbag.
Meanwhile, rumor has it that Jessica is in a bit of a skirmish with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen over their respective fashion empires.
According to an insider, “Mary-Kate and Ashley believe Jessica’s fashions are ‘low rent.’ They think she has little fashion sense and caters to the lowest common denominator just to make a buck.”
“Mary-Kate and Ashley are regulars at all the fashion shows in New York, Paris, London and Milan, and dress way ahead of the curve. To them Jessica is flogging flannel and burlap to banjo pickers. They think her Daisy Duke view of fashion is anything that will bring in a dollar. On the other hand, they have their fingers on the pulse of fashion worldwide and work hard at creating sophisticated designs.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Security Agency has been sifting through millions of contact lists from personal email and instant messaging accounts around the world — including those of Americans — in its effort to find possible links to terrorism or other criminal activity, according to a published report.
The Washington Post reported late Monday that the spy agency intercepts hundreds of thousands of email address books every day from private accounts on Yahoo, Gmail, Facebook and Hotmail that move though global data links. The NSA also collects about a half million buddy lists from live chat services and email accounts.
The Post said it learned about the collection tactics from secret documents provided by NSA leaker Edward Snowden and confirmed by senior intelligence officials. It was the latest revelation of the spy agency's practices to be disclosed by Snowden, the former NSA systems analyst who fled the U.S. and now resides in Russia.
The newspaper said the NSA analyzes the contacts to map relationships and connections among various foreign intelligence targets. During a typical day last year, the NSA's Special Source Operations branch collected more than 440,000 email address books, the Post said. That would correspond to a rate of more than 250 million a year.
A spokesman for the national intelligence director's office, which oversees the NSA, told the Post that the agency was seeking intelligence on valid targets and was not interested in personal information from ordinary Americans.
Spokesman Shawn Turner said the NSA was guided by rules that require the agency to "minimize the acquisition, use and dissemination" of information that identifies U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
While the collection was taking place overseas, the Post said it encompassed the contact lists of many American users. The spy agency obtains the contact lists through secret arrangements with foreign telecommunications companies or other services that control Internet traffic, the Post reported.
Earlier this year, Snowden gave documents to the Post and Britain's Guardian newspaper disclosing U.S. surveillance programs that collect vast amounts of phone records and online data in the name of foreign intelligence, often sweeping up information on American citizens.
The collection of contact lists in bulk would be illegal if done in the United States, but the Post said the agency can get around that restriction by intercepting lists from access points around the world.
The newspaper quoted a senior intelligence official as saying NSA analysts may not search or distribute information from the contacts database unless they can "make the case that something in there is a valid foreign intelligence target in and of itself."
Commenting on the Post story, Alex Abdo, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said in an emailed statement: "This revelation further confirms that the NSA has relied on the pretense of 'foreign intelligence gathering' to sweep up an extraordinary amount of information about everyday Americans. The NSA's indiscriminate collection of information about innocent people can't be justified on security grounds, and it presents a serious threat to civil liberties."
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-10-14-NSA%20Surveillance/id-4be5b64434e34ef39d721dc6e40b8058
Remember the robot that walks a bunch of dogs in the movie I, Robot? How awesome would that be—for both the owner and the dogs? I mean, we do have iOS apps for animals now, but Hollywood has trained me to expect more.
Just because dog-walking robots don’t yet exist, there’s no reason pets should be underdogs when it comes to technology. Naturally, I went looking for some cool pet tech and doggonit, I found some! (Now, if only iRobot made a Roomba-like automatic pooper scooper.)
For humans, there’s Fitbit. For dogs, there’s Whistle, a sleek fitness monitor that attaches to your canine’s collar.
Whistle tracks activities like walks, playtime, sleep and even swims (yes, it’s waterproof). Whistle can even track who your dog has been hanging out with (friends or family, for instance).
As with human activity trackers, you can set goals and easily view activity in a sleek dashboard. If your dog exhibits any behavioral changes, Whistle can alert you so you can check it out. Another great feature? The ability to auto-generate reports for your vet.
Petcube, currently a Kickstarter project that looks to have an excellent chance of reaching its funding goal, consists of three awesome components: a wide-angle HD camera, a microphone and speakers and, of course, a laser pointer. This means that while the cat—in this case, the human, meaning you—is away, the mice (your cats or dogs) will play. So will the cat. I mean, you.
Unlike that previous paragraph, the Petcube makes a lot of sense. I'm always curious what my pets do when I’m gone. Now I can see for myself and share the best photos and videos of my pet’s shenanigans online.
PetziConnect, which blew past its own crowdfunding goal on Indiegogo, has many similarities to the Petcube. It can take HD photos and videos of your animals and it will let you have a conversation (inasmuch as that is possible) with your pet via two-way audio.
The biggest difference here is that the PetziConnect forgoes a laser pointer for a treat dispenser. Additionally, the PetziConnect plugs directly into a wall outlet, so it isn’t as mobile as the Petcube. Which one is the best fit for you may depend on what excites your pet the most: chasing a red dot or receiving a treat.
If you are still using a regular old “dumb” pet tag, it’s time to get with the times. The PetHub embeds a QR code on the back of a normal metal engraved dog tag that others can scan should they find your lost pet.
Here’s what’s cool: when a person scans your pet’s tag with their phone, it will display your pet's profile and information—plus, and this is the great part, it'll immediately notify you, too. Perhaps this will help cut down on pet piracy (finding someone’s lost pet and not returning it). I mean, who can resist scanning a QR code on a pet tag to see what you might learn?
DogVacay is like Airbnb, but for dogs. Next time you leave town and need someone to watch your pooch for awhile, don’t just drop Fido off at the nearest kennel. Instead, browse hosts online, read reviews, pick the perfect place, schedule it andhit the road with peace of mind.
That last part is important, and DogVacay takes it seriously by hand-approving all sitters (because even humans need to get vetted) and offering comprehensive protection. Additionally, each host must pass an online training course, for what it's worth. Does your usual boarding location offer a 100% guarantee?
Lead image via Flickr user WB - CMH
The leaks from Ducati keep coming in, and now we have our first photos of the Ducati 1199 Panigale R Superleggera, or “Project 1201″ as Ducati is calling it for now, and its tasty details. Stripped of its carbon fiber fairings, we can see where all those magnesium, titanium, and carbon pieces reside on the Superleggera’s rolling chassis. Continuing our extensive coverage of this machine’s debut, Asphalt & Rubber has gotten its hands on 16 detail photos of the new Ducati Superleggera, and they are waiting for you after the jump.
Earlier today, I was thinking of writing a story that would be titled “The Four Obvious Bikes that BMW is about to Debut” or something like that. While that list would include the spied water-cooled BMW R1200RT, BMW S1000R, and BMW NineT machines, at the top of that list would be the BMW R1200GS Adventure, which is predictable extension of the new GS, which debuted last year. BMW, it would seem, has beaten me to the punch. Officially official, the 2014 BMW R1200GS Adventure has broken cover now, and is ready for you to ADV on until your heart is content.
A&R broke the news last week about the upcoming Ducati 1199 Panigale R Superleggera, and we have already seen spy photos of the Ducati Scrambler (said to be a 2015 model, if it gets the production nod), and a liquid-cooled Ducati Monster 1200. Turning our attention to the latter in that list, what you see above is a photo of what greeted Ducati dealers when Ducati North America debuted its 2014 line to them last week in New Orleans, and from the look of things, the machine in question appears to be a street-ready roadster. What we for now will call the 2014 Ducati Monster 1200, this new motorcycle features a water-cooled Testastretta 11° engine, and is supposed to be along the same vein as the Monster S4 and its progeny.
Ducati has gone to great lengths so that you won’t know this, but our sources have confirmed to us that in about a month’s time, the Bologna Brand will debut perhaps the most ostentatious machine ever to come from the Borgo Panigale factory, the Ducati 1199 Panigale R Superleggera. An ultra-exclusive version of the Ducati 1199 Panigale R, the Superleggera edition is exactly what its Italian name suggests, a super-light version of the Panigale R. It’s ok if you need to take a minute to readjust yourself in your chair before reading further — we’ll wait.
With the advent of cheap wearable cameras, the internet has become awash with road rage videos, which unsurprisingly sometimes feature motorcyclists. That brings us to our latest edition, where a large group of motorcyclists in New York are caught on film having an altercation with a Range Rover Sport. We come into the incident after it begins, with a pack of motorcycles enveloped around the SUV on the West Side Highway, and a couple riders already gesticulating with the driver, Alexian Lien. One motorcyclist pulls in front of the Range Rover, brake-checks the four-wheeler, and is subsequently rear-ended…things then spiral out of control from there.
At the EICMA show last year, BMW Motorrad announced that it would make another air-cooled model, in order to commemorate the 90 years that the German OEM has been producing two-wheelers. Expected to be the production version of the company’s LoRider concept, we got our first taste of what BMW had in store for us with the BMW Concept Ninety — which had its retro goodness co-developed with America’s own Roland Sands. Now seemingly ready for a true production model, BMW Motorrad has been caught testing the BMW NineT street bike inside the Lake Garda region in Italy. Obviously fitted with the 1,200cc air-cooled boxer twin that has made the GS and RT such steady steeds, the NineT uses classic motorcycle aesthetics, mated to classic BMW design pieces.
Rider aids like traction control and ABS continue to prove the notion that electronics are the new horsepower, and with the US debut of the KTM 1190 Adventure R just a couple months away, we learn that the hot new adventure-touring machine will debut the new Bosch Motorcycle Stability Control (MSC) system. An extension of the venerable Bosch 9+ME ABS package, whose dual-channel setup has become the benchmark for OEM-equipped ABS units, the Bosch MSC is the next iteration of that standard. Integrating the ability for riders to brake into corners with a reduced risk of low-sliding, the Bosch MSC system is the next evolution in braking with its anti-lowside technology.
Valentino Rossi is to back a Moto3 team showcasing Italian talent from next season. The Italian will work with Sky Italia, the broadcaster who will be taking over the broadcast rights for MotoGP from next season, to field a pair of riders including current FMI Italia rider Romano Fenati on KTM machines. Sky Italia will be the main sponsor, while Rossi’s VR46 clothing and merchandise brand will provide support and backing for the project.The confirmation that Rossi will back the Sky Moto3 team comes after weeks of intense speculation that the nine-times World Champion was preparing to get involved in Moto3. Rossi had denied reports that he would manage a team, a denial which is strictly true. Rossi’s involvement will be at a greater remove.
Since its concept debut at the 2012 INTERMOT show, details of the 2014 Suzuki V-Strom 1000 adventure-touring bike have slowly dribbled from the Japanese manufacturer’s lips. Giving us today a healthy dose of technical specifications and photos, Suzuki seems all but ready to debut its new V-Strom 1000. Featuring a 1,037cc v-twin engine, which makes a peak 99hp at 8,000 rpm and 76 lbs•ft at 4,000 rpm, Suzuki has added a traction control system (a first for Suzuki) and ABS into the mix as well. Once again, Suzuki TL1000S & Suzuki TL1000R owners will recognize the 90° v-twin engine beneath the V-Strom’s fairings, though Suzuki has bored the cylinders out by 2mm, brining them to a full 100mm bore.
Time-lapse build videos are always fascinating, and since it’s well into Friday afternoon now, we are of course padding the post count here at A&R with this installment from the Monster Energy Graves Yamaha AMA Pro Superbike team. In five hours the Graves crew built this Yamaha YZF-R1 race bike from the ground up, but you can see them put it together in just over a minute’s time. If you look close enough, you can even spot the reasons why Josh Herrin & Josh Hayes are running away with the 2013 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship.
