Google Does the Math

Google spotlights data center inner workings

It is fascinating to see how how Google can use logic instead of "industry standards" to design and maintain such a robust system. Where most companies will use conventional wisdom, Google does the math.

Their systems do not use off-the-shelf software, and they use mostly custom hardware. And they understand how it all works together, because they designed it that way.

Most outfits use the "nobody gets fired for buying IBM" mentality. They go with a conventional and safe choice rather than risk an analysis they will be responsible for.

Related material:

• Reality Check: What does Gartner really DO?
• IT Wars: When we fight over IT, nobody wins.

Astronomers trade CPU cycles to beat physical/financial constraints

Press Releases August 2007

Here is another case of the creative application of technology to a vexing problem. Rather than use a brute force solution, the astronomers have taken advantage of cheap CPU cycles and good, old fashion luck to produce excellent results on a budget available to amateurs.

In this case to produce better images than a space-based telescope that avoids atmospheric interference, they take multiple images and use computers to select the best images or areas of images.

Excellent!

Governement Finally Using Technology to Do a Better Job

CBC News In Depth: Technology: Data mining

It actually frustrates me to understand this type of thing is still not commonly being done. I do not know why our various systems and technologies are developed in vacuums. These data silos do not seem to take into account the other related systems and data.

We have massive amounts of data, and we have the technology to deal with it, but we do not put it all together.