Comments for TheInnerLayer -- where SL'ers come to rant

Comment on Response to On Site Development by Daniel

Daniel — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:17:30 +0000

That seems like a big concern at first, but that’s why SoftLayer offers redundancy in every configuration imaginable. You can have a database in Dallas replicate to Seattle and backed up in Washington DC. With a properly configured backup system, downtime can be minimized and be far less than downtime resulting from performing upgrades on multiple client machines.

For a scenario where there are only 20 employees it may not be beneficial to use a centralized system, but anything higher than that deserves it, I think. The argument can be made analogous to the current trend of desktop applications moving to the web. I write my blog posts in google documents, despite having Word available 3 clicks away. I do that because I can then edit them from home, and because I know I will always have access to the newest features if I use google docs.

Comment on Response to On Site Development by Chong Lee

Chong Lee — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:02:22 +0000

I agree on Jeff’s concern.

Our good friend Google thought of this issue and announced this Google Docs + Google Gear (http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2008/03/bringing-cloud-with-you.html) in March to let you edit a Google Doc on line or off line.

I thought a Google Gear-enabled(or supported) Web App can be a solution.

Comment on Response to On Site Development by jeffatrackaid

jeffatrackaid — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:12:25 +0000

I agree that centralizing internal business functions via a SaaS model is compelling; however, an oft-overlooked issue is disaster recovery. One advantage of a PC sitting on each desk is that you end up with a distributed type of computing platform.

Consider this … you are a mortgage broker with 20 employees using a intranet web portal with a centralized application tool. The tool crashes. All 20 employees are idle. Compare this to having 20 desktops with their own independent software. If one of them crashes, only 19 employees are idle.

I am a supporter of SaaS approaches but the risks of centralized business functions must also be considered.

Comment on The Great Debate Rebuttal by skinman

skinman — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:33:34 +0000

Boy, this is a tough one. I can see both sides. A Grizzly would be right at home in 4 feet of water but so would a shark. They can attach in as little as 2 feet of water. Just ask those surfers that tangled with a shark. You have seen the satellite photos of Florida beaches and they are almost ON the beach. So you have to call the 4 feet of water a draw. Now, the bear does have massice paws and claws but unless he knew to go for the eyes of the shark then that might not be that big of an advantage. The shark would only have a shot at the bottom half of the bear and would love to sink his teeth into an artery in the leg. Shearks are extremely fast and agile when attacking and the bear would be too slow in this instance. The shark has very tough skin and could retreat faster than the bear if it felt the need to. So on “attack vs defense” advantage I would have to say Sharky. Once the shark punctures the artery in the bears leg it would be a swift kill at that point. I think the shark wins in round one. Sorry Daniel, I was rooting for ya!

Comment on The Great Debate by Timothy Lira

Timothy Lira — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:39:41 +0000

BEST… BLOG… EVER!!!!

Shark FTW!

Comment on Money, Money, Money, Money…Money! by jeffatrackaid

jeffatrackaid — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:36:10 +0000

Financial success is just one measure. I have helped many clients move out of failing dedicated server providers and into SL. Though they may not have grown from 1 to 30 servers, they have enjoyed far fewer issues. This either has freed up their time to work on other projects or lets them eat dinner without a pager buzzing. When you couple good infrastructure with a good support team, you can really reap the benefits of outsourcing your IT.

By putting someone into the right solution, you can eliminate many headaches. We’ve seen some of our clients go from having technical issues on a daily/weekly basis to having problems only 2-3 times a year.

Too often, I think people inside the industry look at server counts as a measure of success. We have a client that has 1 server. I doubt they will ever need another one. However, since they have an IT solution that fits their needs, they have few issues. This has allowed them to grow their business in other areas.

Comment on The Art Of Ramen by Timothy Lira

Timothy Lira — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:20:58 +0000

Are you speaking of the great Sriracha??

This stuff is great on everything!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Sriracha_hot_chili_sauce.jpg

Comment on The Art Of Ramen by Michael Miller

Michael Miller — Fri, 02 May 2008 16:35:04 +0000

Man I really want some Ramen right now…and I thought I had enough in college to last me for the rest of my LIFE…

Comment on The Art Of Ramen by William J Francis

William J Francis — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:45:04 +0000

I spent a year stationed in Korea. The people of Korea are yet another culture that is in love with their Ramen noodles. Right off all the bases there were “Ramen Houses” that catered to drunkenly soldiers trying to find their way back to the post after a long night on the town. The RHs didn’t even open until about midnight and they remained open until the trumpet blasted on the post signalling first formation sometime around O-Dark-Thirty. These noodle houses had Americanized names, the two most popular and competitive near Camp Red Cloud, the post where I was stationed, were not coincidentally the nearest in proximity to the front gate of the base. These two shining examples of the free market alive and well in South Korea were geographically located across the street from one another. One was called “Pop’s” and the other was, you guessed it, “Mom’s”. They both spoke of the other like he or she was the devil. Pop was famous for making his Ramen extra spicy and throwing some chicken in the mix while Mom, well Mom had three cute-twenty-something “daughters” who brought out the bowls and set them on the table giggling the whole time. Both Mom and Pop for whatever reason unwrapped a slice of the packaged cheese we sell here for sandwiches and dropped it on top of the steaming noodles. I am told this was only done in the noodle houses that catered to Americans so perhaps sometime in the last 60 or so years that the US has had troops present in Korea a rumor was started that Americans like cheese on everything. At any rate, the charge for this tasty treat was a buck fifty or 1200 won. For two more quarters or 400 more won you could get a bottle of “cider”, which tasted exactly like 7-up and worked wonders at preventing hangovers. Before I left Korea I went to Pop’s and got him to give me an unopened brick of the Ramen he used (I was interested in the cider too but Pop assured me it would never make it through US customs). I have been able since to find the Ramen here in Texas at some of the Asian groceries (am still searching for the cider). The noodles are my favorite and while a little more expensive than the standard Ramen fair if you ever want a treat you should give it a try. I promise no “Korean Ketchup”, (which is actually Vietnamese but that is a very clever name!), will be needed to spice it up. The included silver package of “flavoring” will be more than enough to make your eyes water. Check it out some time. http://www.koamart.com/shop/1-1028-ramen_bags-shin_ramen_spicy_noodles.asp

Comment on The Art Of Ramen by Daniel McAloon

Daniel McAloon — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:47:23 +0000

First of all, what are the odds of the “Korean Ketchup” tag ever being used again?

I cook ramen by boiling the brick whole, pouring out MOST of the water, and then stirring in the seasoning.

I had a friend who made hers by boiling the brick whole, pouring out all the water, and smothering it in butter and salt. This left her brother with 2 packets of flavoring per brick, so he always had ramen breath.

I don’t know if this is a localized phenomenon, but I would commonly see kids gnawing on dry bricks of ramen in class back at RPI.