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My technology week in review ending 2010.03.21

Tue, 03/23/2010 - 08:35 — DavidSky

My summary of interesting URLs from the last couple of weeks, including stories related to:

  • SQL and DB2
  • Data Visualization
  • Software development
  • Podcasts
  • TED talks

And for those of you on Twitter, the stories relate to: @Grant27 @dabbledb @Josh @srhayes @dan_roam @SoquelCreek @infosthetics @DanielPink

(As always, most of the text is lifted directly from the related websites and isn't my own text.)

SQL and DB2

Links related to SQL or more specifically IBM DB2, as well as other database systems including NoSQL.

Apache Hadoop offical page

The Apache Hadoop project develops open-source software for reliable, scalable, distributed computing, including sub-projects on data serialization, data collection, distributed file system, data warehouse infrastructure, and so on...

Delicious tags: distributed software opensource scalability programming database cloud mapreduce apache hadoop

Dabble DB - an Online Database - Collect, report, and share your data

Dabble DB is a web-based application that lets you work with data on your own terms. Instead of downloading an application, you upload your data and then build your own database application. Screenshot of a table view You can import existing data or just start from scratch. Extend it or change it as you go. Restructure and redefine how you organize your data on a whim.

Delicious tags: database web2.0 tools collaboration software web spreadsheet ajax
Associated Twitter users: @dabbledb

SCALE 8x: Relational vs. non-relational [LWN.net]

PostgreSQL hacker Josh Berkus set out to do some "mythbusting" about differences in database technologies in his talk at SCALE 8x. While there are plenty of differences between the various approaches taken by database systems, those are not really the ones that are being highlighted by the technical press. In particular, the so-called "NoSQL movement" makes for a great soundbite, but is "not very informative or accurate". Berkus went on to survey the current database landscape while giving advice on how to approach choosing a database for a particular application.

Delicious tags: nosql database scalability sql db programming development mysql PostreSQL Berkus relational
Associated Twitter users: @Josh

DB2 LUW Performance Diagnostics and Tuning Lab at IDUG 2010
In this lab, you will receive dozens and dozens and dozens of SQL Snapshot commands (on CDROM) to analyze your database's performance data, you will learn what the numbers and metrics mean, and you will graduate fully equipped to conquer amazing performance tuning miracles for your organization.

Delicious tags: DB2 SQL performance database
Associated Twitter users: @srhayes

Data Visualization

The art and science of representing data in graphs and charts, and beyond. Telling the story behind the numbers.

Prezi - The zooming presentation editor

'Simultaneous view' presentation tool to help break out of the linear PowerPoint model and enable presenters to dig down into parts of their presentations.

Delicious tags: presentation tools visualization software tool design web powerpoint infovis

Creekside Chat: What Does the Obama Job Chart Really Mean?

A well thought out response to the Obama Job Chart, drawing attention to the fact that the original chart focuses on number of jobs LOST, not total unemployment.

Delicious tags: jobs visualization Obama infovis
Associated Twitter users: @SoquelCreek

Obama Loves Infographic Movies (and Edward Tufte) - information aesthetics
Asked the question of whether the snazzy looking infographic was just showing a world trend, or if it really was specific to the US job creation efforts.

Delicious tags: commented-on economy Obama Tufte infovis visualization
Associated Twitter users: @infosthetics

Software development

Programs and processes used to streamline and self-document the development of software. Agile, Object-Oriented, Online, etc...:

SCALE 8x: Relational vs. non-relational [LWN.net]

PostgreSQL hacker Josh Berkus set out to do some "mythbusting" about differences in database technologies in his talk at SCALE 8x. While there are plenty of differences between the various approaches taken by database systems, those are not really the ones that are being highlighted by the technical press. In particular, the so-called "NoSQL movement" makes for a great soundbite, but is "not very informative or accurate". Berkus went on to survey the current database landscape while giving advice on how to approach choosing a database for a particular application.

Delicious tags: nosql database scalability sql db programming development mysql PostreSQL Berkus relational
Associated Twitter users: @Josh

Dan Roam on Solving Complex Problems with Simple Pictures | Tech Nation

Dr. Moira Gunn sits down with author and CEO, Dan Roam, to learn how he is teaching people to solve complex problems using simple pictures, from the pages of his new book, Unfolding the Napkin ... the Hands-On Method for Solving Complex Problems with Simple Pictures.

Delicious tags: podcast technation Roam problem-solving diagrams creativity development
Associated Twitter users: @dan_roam

Podcasts

The various podcasts I listened to this week
Robin Li, Baidu - Lessons From China: The Evolution of The Globe's Largest Search Engine | Stanford's Entrepreneurship Corner
Robin Li, CEO of Baidu, speaks in detail about the launch and growth of the company and the search engine. He discusses how its intimate understanding of Chinese language and culture - and a unique social approach to search - have allowed it to succeed where many North American search giants have faltered.

Delicious tags: podcast video Baidu Li search Stanford

Anthropologist Grant McCraken discusses culture's effect on business | Tech Nation

Dr. Moira Gunn analyzes the changing face of corporate culture with Grant McCraken, author of Chief Culture Officer, where he combines a mastery of marketing, culture, anthropology, and modern business practice. See his blog at http://cultureby.com/

Delicious tags: podcast technation culture McCraken
Associated Twitter users: @Grant27

Dan Roam on Solving Complex Problems with Simple Pictures | Tech Nation

Dr. Moira Gunn sits down with author and CEO, Dan Roam, to learn how he is teaching people to solve complex problems using simple pictures, from the pages of his new book, Unfolding the Napkin ... the Hands-On Method for Solving Complex Problems with Simple Pictures.

Delicious tags: podcast technation Roam problem-solving diagrams creativity development
Associated Twitter users: @dan_roam

Anna Bernasek discusses Rebuilding Trust at Toyota | Harvard Business IdeaCast 182

Anna Bernasek, financial journalist and author of The Economics of Integrity: From Dairy Farmers to Toyota, How Wealth Is Built on Trust and What That Means for Our Future.

Delicious tags: podcast Harvard HBR Toyota trust economy Bernasek

Daniel Pink discusses 'What Motivates Us?' | Harvard Business IdeaCast 183

Author of 'Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us', Daniel Pink, discusses how the nature of modern work lends itself to very different sorts of motivations than in the past. The carrot and stick model worked well for basic, repetitive tasks, but creative work will most likely suffer from such attempts at motivation.

Delicious tags: harvard podcast motivation HBR Pink
Associated Twitter users: @DanielPink

TED talks

The TED talks I watched this week. They are all highly recommended
Romulus Whitaker: The real danger lurking in the water | Video on TED.com
The gharial and king cobra are two of India's most iconic reptiles, and they're endangered because of polluted waterways. Conservationist Romulus Whitaker shows rare footage of these magnificent animals and urges us to save the rivers that sustain their lives and our own.

Delicious tags: ted video india Whitaker Cobra snake environment river water

Bertrand Piccard's solar-powered adventure | Video on TED.com
For the dawn of a new decade, adventurer Bertrand Piccard offers us a challenge: Find motivation in what seems impossible. He shares his own plans to do what many say can't be done -- to fly around the world, day and night, in a solar-powered aircraft. More details at his website: http://www.bertrandpiccard.com

Delicious tags: ted video solar ballon Piccard environment SolarImpulse

Asher Hasan's message of peace from Pakistan | Video on TED.com
One of a dozen Pakistanis who came to TEDIndia despite security hassles entering the country, TED Fellow Asher Hasan shows photos of ordinary Pakistanis that drive home a profound message for citizens of all nations: look beyond disputes, and see the humanity we share.

Delicious tags: ted video peace Hasan Pakistan photography

Charles Anderson discovers dragonflies that cross oceans | Video on TED.com
While living and working as a marine biologist in Maldives, Charles Anderson noticed sudden explosions of dragonflies at certain times of year. He explains how he carefully tracked the path of a plain, little dragonfly called the globe skimmer, only to discover that it had the longest migratory journey of any insect in the world.

Delicious tags: ted video Anderson Maldives dragonfly India Asia migration discovery

Alexis Ohanian: How to make a splash in social media | Video on TED.com
In a funny, rapid-fire 4 minutes, Alexis Ohanian of Reddit tells the real-life fable of one humpback whale's rise to Web stardom. The lesson of Mister Splashy Pants is a shoo-in classic for meme-makers and marketers in the Facebook age.

Delicious tags: web2.0 socialmedia ted video reddit greenpeace Ohanian

Ryan Lobo: Photographing the hidden story | Video on TED.com
Ryan Lobo has traveled the world, taking photographs that tell stories of unusual human lives. In this haunting talk, he reframes controversial subjects with empathy, so that we see the pain of a Liberian war criminal, the quiet strength of UN women peacekeepers and the perseverance of Delhi's underappreciated firefighters. See his website at http://www.ryanlobo.net/user/home.aspx

Delicious tags: culture photography TED video Lobo India