Shree Computers
Biratnagar,Himalaya Road
Nepal
+977-21-525292,9842279499
shreecomputers@nns.com.np
Friday, May 6, 2011
Shree Computers
Shree Computers
Biratnagar,Himalaya Road
Nepal
+977-21-525292,9842279499
shreecomputers@nns.com.np
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
FTC may investigate Google in antitrust case
Google Said to Be Possible Target of FTC Search Industry Antitrust Probe
Google’s plan to acquire ITA Software may result in an antitrust probe by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), two sources speaking to Bloomberg said Tuesday. The FTC is currently waiting for the Justice Department to render a decision on whether or not the acquisition will stifle competition among firms competing for clicks in the travel search engine market. Both the FTC and the Justice Department are capable of executing an antitrust investigation, and some pundits believe the scale of this probe could match that of the Justice Department’s antitrust investigation of Microsoft during the 1990′s. The search engine giant “could fight the FTC, but that’s going to cost a lot of money and time,” Keith Hylton, an antitrust law professor at Boston University School of Law told Bloomberg. Google also faces an antitrust probes abroad. On March 31st Microsoft filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission in regards to Google’s search operations and practices in the European Union, alleging that Google has made it harder for other firms to compete in the search market there. Google announced that it had plans to acquire ITA Software, a firm that helps airlines manage flight times and sell tickets at the best prices, in July of 2010. Google hopes to use the acquisition to create new flight search tools that will allow consumers to find better flight options and prices.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-05/google-said-to-be-possible-target-of-antitrust-probe-after-ita-acquisition.html
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a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cbTxdi-2q8A/TZxRsh74YCI/AAAAAAAAAFI/KHpXchX5gRc/s1600/data.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em">
a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cbTxdi-2q8A/TZxRsh74YCI/AAAAAAAAAFI/KHpXchX5gRc/s1600/data.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em">
Google’s plan to acquire ITA Software may result in an antitrust probe by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), two sources speaking to Bloomberg said Tuesday. The FTC is currently waiting for the Justice Department to render a decision on whether or not the acquisition will stifle competition among firms competing for clicks in the travel search engine market. Both the FTC and the Justice Department are capable of executing an antitrust investigation, and some pundits believe the scale of this probe could match that of the Justice Department’s antitrust investigation of Microsoft during the 1990′s. The search engine giant “could fight the FTC, but that’s going to cost a lot of money and time,” Keith Hylton, an antitrust law professor at Boston University School of Law told Bloomberg. Google also faces an antitrust probes abroad. On March 31st Microsoft filed an antitrust complaint with the European Commission in regards to Google’s search operations and practices in the European Union, alleging that Google has made it harder for other firms to compete in the search market there. Google announced that it had plans to acquire ITA Software, a firm that helps airlines manage flight times and sell tickets at the best prices, in July of 2010. Google hopes to use the acquisition to create new flight search tools that will allow consumers to find better flight options and prices.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-05/google-said-to-be-possible-target-of-antitrust-probe-after-ita-acquisition.html
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The OCTG Inspection Industry's ONLY one-stop supplier!
The worldwide (OCTG) tubular inspection industry now has access to the most sophisticated computerized pipe inspection equipment technology available, at any price. New Tech Systems’ equipment is designed for tubing, casing, sucker rods, coiled tubing, drill collars, BHA, and drill pipe inspection applications.
EMI (Electromagnetic Induction) and UT (Ultrasonics) are the primary technologies utilized in our tubular, sucker rod, and drill pipe inspection equipment line. Reconditioned systems, inspection supplies and a full line of spare parts are also available.
New Tech Systems’ drill pipe and tubular inspection systems are operating in most worldwide oil producing regions and in over 50 countries with excellent success and customer satisfaction.
(Click Here to View List of Countries Where New Tech Has Equipment In Operation).
Most systems are manufactured to meet or exceed the most stringent requirements set forth by Major International Oil Companies and TH Hill and Associates DS-1 and OCTG Proctor pipe inspection specifications.
New Tech Systems is the company to call for all of your EMI or Ultrasonic tubular inspection equipment and supply needs.
“New Tech Systems offers classroom style training as well as custom training at our training facilities or in any aproved location.
MAJOR PRODUCTS OFFERED ARE:
• TubePRO™ Computer-Based (Virtual EMI Data Acquisition)
Multi-Function EMI Tubing and Casing Tubular
Inspection System .
• TechSonic EZ-II™ ULTRASONIC Drill Pipe End Area
Inspection System (with computer option)
• TechScope EZW-II™ Computerized EMI Drill Pipe Inspection™ Portable (Buggy) Unit
• VEDAQ-2000™ (Computer Based Virtual EMI Data Acquisition)
Drill Pipe and Tubing Portable Inspection System (Buggy).
• VEDAQ-P™ Computer-Based (Virtual EMI Data-Acquisition) Stationary
EMI Drill Pipe Inspection System.
• A-SCAN 2000™ (FLUT) Computerized Full-Length ULTRASONIC Pipe
Inspection Systems for drill pipe, tubing and casing.
• ULTRAWALL Ultrasonic Wall Measurement Systems (replaces gamma systems on
NDT Systems™, Wilson, & other brands)
• WellTech-IV™ Computerized EMI Rig Floor Tubing Inspection System
(No Radiation).
• WellTech-CT™ Computerized EMI Coiled Tubing Unit .
• RAM-01 Pipe Straighteners, Portable & Stationary for Drill pipe, Tubing & Casing
Hydraulic press type.
• Pipe Cleaning Machines, stationary 2" to 13 3/8", new and rebuilt
• DAQ-Tech™ Computer Data Acquisition Upgrade for all EMI and
ULTRASONIC Systems (Replaces paper chart recorders).
• Quality Spare Parts for NDT Systems Equipment
• Inspection Supplies and Accessories ( Blacklights, Magnetizing Coils,
Yokes, Cleaning Equipment, Gauges, Power Tools, etc.).
• Used and Rebuilt Pipe Inspection Systems (when available).
EMI (Electromagnetic Induction) and UT (Ultrasonics) are the primary technologies utilized in our tubular, sucker rod, and drill pipe inspection equipment line. Reconditioned systems, inspection supplies and a full line of spare parts are also available.
New Tech Systems’ drill pipe and tubular inspection systems are operating in most worldwide oil producing regions and in over 50 countries with excellent success and customer satisfaction.
(Click Here to View List of Countries Where New Tech Has Equipment In Operation).
Most systems are manufactured to meet or exceed the most stringent requirements set forth by Major International Oil Companies and TH Hill and Associates DS-1 and OCTG Proctor pipe inspection specifications.
New Tech Systems is the company to call for all of your EMI or Ultrasonic tubular inspection equipment and supply needs.
“New Tech Systems offers classroom style training as well as custom training at our training facilities or in any aproved location.
MAJOR PRODUCTS OFFERED ARE:
• TubePRO™ Computer-Based (Virtual EMI Data Acquisition)
Multi-Function EMI Tubing and Casing Tubular
Inspection System .
• TechSonic EZ-II™ ULTRASONIC Drill Pipe End Area
Inspection System (with computer option)
• TechScope EZW-II™ Computerized EMI Drill Pipe Inspection™ Portable (Buggy) Unit
• VEDAQ-2000™ (Computer Based Virtual EMI Data Acquisition)
Drill Pipe and Tubing Portable Inspection System (Buggy).
• VEDAQ-P™ Computer-Based (Virtual EMI Data-Acquisition) Stationary
EMI Drill Pipe Inspection System.
• A-SCAN 2000™ (FLUT) Computerized Full-Length ULTRASONIC Pipe
Inspection Systems for drill pipe, tubing and casing.
• ULTRAWALL Ultrasonic Wall Measurement Systems (replaces gamma systems on
NDT Systems™, Wilson, & other brands)
• WellTech-IV™ Computerized EMI Rig Floor Tubing Inspection System
(No Radiation).
• WellTech-CT™ Computerized EMI Coiled Tubing Unit .
• RAM-01 Pipe Straighteners, Portable & Stationary for Drill pipe, Tubing & Casing
Hydraulic press type.
• Pipe Cleaning Machines, stationary 2" to 13 3/8", new and rebuilt
• DAQ-Tech™ Computer Data Acquisition Upgrade for all EMI and
ULTRASONIC Systems (Replaces paper chart recorders).
• Quality Spare Parts for NDT Systems Equipment
• Inspection Supplies and Accessories ( Blacklights, Magnetizing Coils,
Yokes, Cleaning Equipment, Gauges, Power Tools, etc.).
• Used and Rebuilt Pipe Inspection Systems (when available).
World of Goo Corporation tells them to contact tech support in the ....
World of Goo is a physics-based puzzle game by 2D Boy, an independent game developer consisting of Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel, both former Electronic Arts employees,[7][9] released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS and WiiWare.[10] It was nominated for the Seumas McNally grand prize, Design Innovation Award, and Technical Excellence at the Independent Games Festival,[11] and has gone on to win several other gaming awards since its release.
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/world-of-goo#ixzz1IeWyK4WT
The game is built around the idea of creating large structures using balls of goo.[12] The game is divided into five chapters, each containing several levels. Each level has its own graphic and musical theme, giving it unique atmosphere,[9] similar in style to Tim Burton's film designs.[13] There is also a bonus meta-game called World of Goo Corporation, where the objective is to build the highest tower using goo balls which the player collected through the course of the game. Players from all over the world can compete, as the height of the tower and number of goo balls used are being constantly uploaded to the 2D Boy server.
Objective
The main objective of the game is to get a requisite number of goo balls to a pipe representing the exit. In order to do so, the player must use the goo balls to construct bridges, towers, and other structures to overcome gravity and various terrain difficulties such as chasms, hills, spikes, or cliffs. There are several types of goo balls in the game, each of which has unique properties. The player must exploit combinations of these goo balls in order to complete each level. Extra goos recovered in the pipe are pumped through to the World of Goo Corporation, a sandbox area where the objective is to compete with other players worldwide by building the tallest tower possible.[14] Players can also try to achieve the "Obsessive Completion Distinction Flag" for each level by completing the level under more stringent criteria,[15] such as collecting a larger number of Goo balls, finishing under a set amount of time or using as few moves as possible.
Levels and chapters in the game are interspersed with cut scenes.
The WiiWare version includes multiplayer with up to four people on the same Wii. This facility is also available, albeit unsupported, in the Linux port.[16]
Levels
World of Goo is split up into five chapters, each containing a number of levels. The chapters are set over the course of one year in the World of Goo. Each chapter takes place over one season, beginning in the start of summer, and ending at the end of spring the next year.[note 1] The 4th chapter is seasonless, and is set in a virtual world.
An additional 'chapter' selectable from the main menu is the World Of Goo Corporation. Goos collected above and beyond the required amount to pass a level are piped out of each of the played levels to here. Starting from just a single triangle of Goo, the aim is to build the highest possible tower. The Goos in the World of Goo Corporation are unique in that they can be repositioned like Ivy Goos but are black and can only form two connections at once like Common Goos.
In the World of Goo Corporation, towers built by other players of the game are represented by clouds bearing the player's name, nationality and height of the tower, including details on the total number of balls collected by the player and how many were used in constructing their tower. The altitude of each cloud represents the height of that player's tower. An online leaderboard charts the heights of the top 50 towers, as well as the top 10 players for each level of the game.
There are a total of 48 levels in the game, including World of Goo Corporation.
In an interview the developers stated that the retail version released in Europe would receive an additional sixth chapter, set on the Moon.[17] Few details were disclosed, but reportedly this chapter would have featured a freeform sandbox mode, similar to that of the World of Goo Corporation. This addition was, however, canceled for Wii when 2D Boy announced they were releasing the game on WiiWare in Europe.[18]
Plot
The story is told primarily through the aforementioned cut scenes and signs encountered throughout the game, which were left by a mysterious figure known as the Sign Painter.
Initially, pipes appear throughout the land, waking up many sleeping Goo Balls who have gone undisturbed until this, as they are filled with a childlike sense of curiosity and naivety they build themselves towards the pipes. Upon reaching the pipe entrance, the Goo Balls are sucked by the pipe system into the "World of Goo Corporation" main building where they are processed into many products, most prominently a drink. The excess Goo Balls are left outside the Corporation headquarters where they begin to build a giant tower. At the end of the first chapter, some Goo Balls escape from a Corporation building by attaching themselves to eyeballs which have the ability to float. The chapter ends with the Goo Balls "seeing far away new lands".
In the second chapter, more pipes appear in a very windy desert where a giant power plant is located. However, the location and appearance of the plant was hidden, and its energy output slowed down.[note 2] A new Goo Ball is introduced, which is ground up by the Corporation into a beauty cream. Near the end of the chapter, the power plant, which looks like a giant woman, is discovered. It turns out that the power plant "ran on beauty" which is (according to the game) a highly reactive chemical like gasoline or turpentine. After some of the Beautiful Goo Balls are injected into it, it becomes operational again, allowing the Corporation to open up a new factory in the south.
During the third chapter it is said that the Corporation develops a mysterious "Product Z". It eventually turns out that the mysterious Product Z is actually the third dimension (Product Z is the Z axis in mathematics). This causes much commotion amongst the general population who cannot see where anything is now. World of Goo Corporation tells them to contact tech support in the Information Superhighway after being rendered "incompatible with the world".
In the fourth chapter the Goo Balls set out to find the mysterious "MOM" program amongst a vector style environment. Shortly after the beginning the Goo Balls find the object responsible for rendering the graphics. After pumping many of their own kind into the object the graphics render improves, creating a more realistic environment (and the Square Goo Balls). Near the end they encounter the MOM program who/which turns out to be a spam bot. The Goo Balls decide to overload Product Z by sending every message in the history of spam to everyone at the World of Goo Corporation. After venturing to the recycle bin and un-deleting everything, the Corporation headquarters explodes, shutting down Product Z while creating a massive layer of smog that envelops the entire world.
In the final chapter, the remaining "scientifically pure" Goo Balls are sucked away to the ruins of the Corporation's Headquarters. The final level of the game reveals that the Goo Balls are now completely extinct, all the remaining having been sucked away to the remains of the World of Goo Corporation and added to the tower, and the massive telescope at the site has been rendered useless as it cannot see past the layer of smog. The Sign Painter reveals in his final sign that he has now become the Telescope Operator. Some balloon-like fish in the water connect to the telescope and pull it out of the ground, where it passes the layer of smog and sees the tower of goo that has been built at the former World of Goo Corporation Headquarters, which can also see past the smog. The telescope falls back to the ground before it can see what the Goo Balls were building towards. However, the camera pans up into space to reveal that the Goo Balls that escaped at the end of chapter one have managed to reach a far-off planet populated entirely by Goo Balls.
An additional chapter was initially planned for the European retail version of the game, located on the Moon; however such plans have been abandoned because 2D Boy did not increase the price of the game for some, to make available the new chapter at the same time for all.[19] It may be released later.
Development
Ron Carmel and Kyle Gabler, founders of 2D Boy and creators of World of Goo
World of Goo was imagined by two ex-Electronic Arts developers, Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel. Their game studio, 2D Boy, was essentially based out of whatever Wi-Fi enabled coffee shop they could find. The developers estimate spending about $10,000 of their personal savings to develop World of Goo which includes rent, food, and minimal equipment. The two developers attribute the game's success to their blog and early web presence, as well as the awards it won at the Independent Games Festival at the Game Developers Conference in 2007, causing publishers who did not respond to their requests to take notice.[20]
On March 3, 2009, 2D Boy announced that users who pre-ordered World of Goo would get a "Profanity Pack" at some point after release, which would "[replace] the normal voices in the game with naughty words." [21] The Profanity Pack has not yet surfaced.
The developers used many open-source technologies such as Simple DirectMedia Layer, Open Dynamics Engine for physics simulation, and TinyXML for configuration files. Subversion and Mantis Bug Tracker were used for work coordination.[7] The proprietary PopCap Games Framework is used for font generation. The game was created by a very small team, with only three members at its peak.[22]
The developers depended upon the community to translate the game into Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish for the EU release in December 2008.[23] It is also available in Polish in Poland. In a post on 2D Boy's blog, the game's developer estimated that due to piracy, between one in five and one in ten copies of the PC version of World of Goo had been legitimately purchased.[24]
World of Goo was released for the Wii's WiiWare service in North America on 13 October 2008.[25] On 11 November 2008, 2D Boy announced that World of Goo would be released as WiiWare in Europe in lieu of a retail release.[26] During the 2009 D.I.C.E. Summit, Nintendo announced that it would publish World of Goo in Japan during the second quarter of 2009;[27] the game was released on 21 April 2009 under the title Planet of Goo (グーの惑星, Gū no Wakusei?).[28] On 24 March 2009, it was announced that World of Goo would be part of the MacHeist III bundle. On 13 October 2009, the first anniversary of the game's release, 2D Boy announced a one-week offer (which was later extended until 25 October 2009) on their blog where people could pay whatever amount they liked to buy the game. They also posted the results of this sale on their blog where 22% of buyers paid primarily to support the Pay-What-You-Want model.[29] A demo version of the WiiWare version was released on November 20, 2009. After celebrating World of Goo's first birthday, they announced on their blog that an iOS version was in the works.
A Games for Windows – Live version of World of Goo was released on April 15, 2009 that is available exclusively through Microsoft's Windows Games on Demand marketplace.[30][31]
The Goo Ball from the game appears in both non-Steam and Steam PC version of Super Meat Boy.[32]
On November 21, 2010, 2D Boy announced that World of Goo would be coming to the iPad.[5] 2D Boy later announced a release date of December 16, 2010.[6]
Soundtrack
The World of Goo soundtrack was created by Kyle Gabler, who also designed, wrote and illustrated the game. It was released as a free download on 20 January 2009.[33]
The song "World of Goo Beginning" was created with the intention of resembling Libertango by Ástor Piazzolla.[33] "Regurgitation Pumping Station" was originally written for a friend's short film about going on a date with the devil.[33] "Threadcutter" was originally written for a game called Blow which Gabler made available on his site.[33] "Rain Rain Windy Windy" was originally written for the soundtrack for a short children's film, commenting that writing children's music is difficult.[33] "Jelly" was originally written for a short film about a virtual reality world.[33] "Burning Man" was written for a friend's drama/mystery series. He made it by recording two friends singing single notes, and then using a keyboard to make it sound like a choir.[33] "Cog in the Machine" was originally written for another game of his called Robot and the Cities who Built Him.[33]
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/world-of-goo#ixzz1IeXU9zPo
Track listing
1. "World of Goo Beginning" − 1:09
* This is the main theme of World of Goo, and the first chunk of music that was written for the game, specifically for the first trailer. The developer wanted the theme of the game to somehow reflect the song "Libertango" by Ástor Piazzolla, which was the track they used in the original Tower of Goo prototype.
2. "The Goo Filled Hills" − 0:25
3. "Brave Adventurers" − 1:07
* This was intended to be a livelier version of "Ode to the Bridge Builder".
4. "Another Mysterious Pipe Appeared" − 1:18
5. "World of Goo Corporation" − 0:17
6. "Regurgitation Pumping Station" − 3:40
* This was from a soundtrack that was written for a short film about going on a date with the devil.
7. "Threadcutter" − 0:55
* This was from one of the developer's small games, Blow.
8. "Rain Rain Windy Windy" − 2:45
* This is from a soundtrack that was written for a short kid's movie.
9. "Jelly" − 2:38
* Music that was written for a virtual reality world.
10. "Tumbler" − 1:52
11. "Screamer" − 1:36
* This was almost un-included, but a friend convinced the developer a few days before they finished.
12. "Burning Man" − 1:49
* The theme that was written for a drama/mystery series. It was recorded with two friends singing single notes, and then played back on a keyboard to get a "choir". This became the theme for "progress" in the game. A variation is used for "MOM's theme".
13. "Cog in the Machine" − 4:03
* There is a clip in this track from one of the developer's other small games Robot and the Cities Who Built Him.
14. "Happy New Year (tm) Brought to You by Product Z" − 0:54
* This was recorded with some singers from Carnegie Mellon. This is the first time the "what's up there anyway" theme can be heard. You can hear the same theme in the tracks "Years of Work" and "The Last of the Goo Balls".
15. "Welcome to the Information Superhighway" − 1:56
* This was written by the developer when he was in high school. Only the second half of this clip is used in the game.
16. "Graphic Processing Unit" − 1:06
17. "Years of Work" − 3:39
18. "My Virtual World of Goo Corporation" − 1:05
* This was originally written for Dikki Painguin, a homebrew NES game.
19. "Hello, MOM" − 0:06
20. "Inside the Big Computer" − 2:21
21. "Are You Coming Home, Love MOM" − 3:02
22. "Ode to the Bridge Builder" − 1:25
* This was the second track written for the game. The goal was to make a variation on "Amazing Grace", in the style of those old western soundtracks by Ennio Morricone.
23. "The Last of the Goo Balls and the Telescope Operator" − 1:00
24. "Best of Times" − 3:41
* This has become the unofficial second theme to World of Goo, after it was used in the second trailer. This was originally written for an animated short film.
25. "Red Carpet Extend-o-matic" − 4:04
* This was written in 2001 as a joke for the developer's music class. Only the beginning of this song is used in the game, and for only one level, but it has become one of the most requested pieces of music.
26. "World of Goo Corporation's Valued Customers" − 0:13
27. "World of Goo Ending" − 1:09
* Main theme to World of Goo, and used in the third and final trailer.
Reception
Both Wii and Windows versions of World of Goo received critical acclaim, holding an aggregate score from Metacritic of 94/100[34] and 91/100[35] respectively. On GameRankings, it holds an aggregate score of 91% for the PC.[36] Eurogamer called World of Goo "Physics' latest, purest, and most brilliant gift."[37] IGN said of the Wii version "World of Goo is an amazing WiiWare game that you simply must buy for this is exactly the type of software that needs both recognition and support", finding only minor fault with the camera controls and lack of a level editor.[22] WiiWare World gave the game 10/10, saying "Not only is World of Goo easily the best WiiWare release to date, it's also proof that you don't need a large development team or millions of dollars to create an outstanding video game."[38] 1UP.com said "World of Goo isn't "just" anything—except, that is, one of just a handful of truly excellent original games for the Wii."[39] Nintendo World Report criticized the "slow start" of the game, but otherwise praised it as "easily the best WiiWare game to date and, perhaps, one of the best this generation."[40] Resolution Magazine referred to it as "an instant classic," awarding it 90%.[41] Official Nintendo Magazine awarded the Wii version a score of 95%, claiming it to be "Virtually flawless".[42]
World of Goo has won many awards. It won Best Independent Game from the Spike TV Video Game Awards show,[43] and won six Wii-specific awards and one for the PC, including Best Puzzle Game (for both Wii[44] and PC[45]), Best Artistic Design,[46] Best WiiWare Game,[47] Best New IP,[48] Most Innovative Design,[49] and Game of the Year from IGN.[50] GameSpot awarded it as the Best Game No One Played.[51] It was featured in Eurogamer's top 50 games of 2008 in the tenth slot.[52] Peter Moore, the head of EA Sports, in a rant about FIFA 09 being missing from Eurogamer's list, commented that he was surprised World of Goo was included up so high in the list, despite not having played it.[53] 2D Boy responded by saying they were honored that World of Goo had this much mainstream awareness, and that it derives sick pleasure from the "industry big-wig's indignant, self-righteous incredulity".[54]
Expansion
2D Boy initially stated that they will not be producing a sequel.[55] In a November 2010 entry on the World of Goo blog Kyle Gabler stated that "a second World of Goo is a possibility, and something we would enjoy working on."[56] In addition, the community has already developed tools to expand the game, with a number of new levels and modules released on GooFans.com.[57]
Notes
1. ^ The last winter level, Product Launcher, has "happy new year" as its tagline. This is similar to Northern Hemisphere seasons.
2. ^ "Lately, its output has been less than satisfactory." -- Fly Away Little Ones, Little Miss World of Goo, World of Goo
References
1. ^ http://www.worldofgoo.com/dl2.php?lk=patch
2. ^ a b http://www.worldofgoo.com/dl2.php?lk=demo
3. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/world-of-goo-hd/id401301276?mt=8
4. ^ "World of Goo Linux Version is Ready!". http://2dboy.com/2009/02/12/world-of-goo-linux-version-is-ready/.
5. ^ a b "World of Goo on iPad Releasing Soon". http://2dboy.com/2010/11/21/world-of-goo-on-ipad-releasing-soon/.
6. ^ a b "World of Goo on iPad December 16!". http://2dboy.com/2010/12/08/world-of-goo-on-ipad-december-16//.
7. ^ a b c Murphy, Patrick (2007-12-31). "Road To The IGF: World Of Goo's 'Suggested Emotional Journey' To Wii". http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16749. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
8. ^ Macarthy, Andrew (2008-04-01). "World of Goo switches from Wii to WiiWare". Nintendic. http://www.nintendic.com/news/2113.
9. ^ a b Gillen, Kieron (2008-01-16). "World of Goo First Impressions". EuroGamer. Eurogamer Network. http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=90750.
10. ^ http://2dboy.com/forum/index.php?topic=1432.0
11. ^ "2008 Independent Games Festival Winners". Independent Games Festival. Think Services. http://www.igf.com/02finalists.html.
12. ^ Bardinelli, John (2007-03-05). "Tower of Goo evolves into World of Goo, 2D Boy is born". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/05/tower-of-goo-evolves-into-world-of-goo-2d-boy-is-born/.
13. ^ Blyth, Jon (2008-10-02). "World of Goo". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/world-of-goo-review. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
14. ^ Shea, Cam (2008-01-22). "World of Goo Preview". IGN PC. IGN Entertainment. http://pc.ign.com/articles/846/846912p1.html.
15. ^ Gabler, Kyle (2008-08-14). "Leipzig! And some mini-goo updates". 2D Boy Blog. 2D Boy. http://2dboy.com/2008/08/14/leipzig-and-some-mini-goo-updates. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
16. ^ "How do I use more than one mouse?". http://goofans.com/faq/world-goo/technical-questions/how-do-i-use-more-one-mouse. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
17. ^ Calvert, Darrent. "2D Boy Interview - World Of Goo". WiiWare World. http://www.wiiware-world.com/news/2008/08/2d_boy_interview_world_of_goo.
18. ^ "world of goo coming to wiiware in europe!". 2D Boy Blog. 2D Boy. 2008-11-11. http://2dboy.com/2008/11/11/world-of-goo-coming-to-wiiware-in-europe.
19. ^ "2D Boy Interview – Part One". The Reticule. 2008-12-24. http://thereticule.com/2008/12/2d-boy-interview-part-one/. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
20. ^ "How the World of Goo became one of the indie video game hits of 2008". Venture Beat. 2009-01-02. http://venturebeat.com/2009/01/02/the-world-of-goo-became-one-of-the-indie-hits-of-2008/. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
21. ^ "World of Goo preorders give you taste of game, "profanity pack"". arsTechnica. 2010-08-08. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2008/03/world-of-goo-preorders-give-you-taste-of-game-profanity-pack.ars. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
22. ^ a b Casamassina, Matt (2008-10-10). "World of Goo Review". IGN Wii. IGN Entertainment. http://wii.ign.com/articles/918/918954p1.html. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
23. ^ Gabler, Kyle (2008-12-01). "World of Goo translation for EU release". 2D Boy. http://2dboy.com/forum/index.php/topic,924.0.html. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
24. ^ "90%". 2D Boy Blog. 2D Boy. 2008-11-13. http://2dboy.com/2008/11/13/90/. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
25. ^ "Two WiiWare Games and Two Virtual Console Games Added to Wii Shop Channel". Nintendo. 2008-10-13. http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/fvAWxg18x4_UYTIcsfyyt8d9vwa6KuSo. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
26. ^ "World of Goo Coming to WiiWare in Europe!". WiiWare World. 2008-11-11. http://www.wiiware-world.com/news/2008/11/world_of_goo_coming_to_wiiware_in_europe. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
27. ^ Harris, Craig (2009-02-20). "DICE 2009: Nintendo to Publish World of Goo". IGN Wii. IGN Entertainment. http://wii.ign.com/articles/956/956075p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
28. ^ http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/wiiware/list.html
29. ^ "2DBoy's Pay What You Want Experiment Results". http://2dboy.com/2009/10/19/birthday-sale-results/.
30. ^ Microsoft. "World of Goo". http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/Games/Pages/worldofgoo.aspx.
31. ^ "Games on Demand...meet Games for Windows – LIVE!". http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/community/newsarticles/pages/gamesondemandcomingsoon.aspx.
32. ^ http://supermeatboy.com/59/You_ve_got_Headcrabs_/
33. ^ a b c d e f g h "Music from World of Goo". Kyle Gabler. http://kylegabler.com/WorldOfGooSoundtrack/. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
34. ^ "Metacritic: World of Goo for Wii". 2008-12-11. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/wii/worldofgoo. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
35. ^ "Metacritic: World of Goo for PC". 2008-12-11. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/worldofgoo. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
36. ^ "World of Goo Reviews". 2008-10-25. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/954312.asp?q=World%20of%20Goo.
37. ^ Blyth, Jon (2008-10-02). "World of Goo Review". Eurogamer. Eurogamer Network Ltd.. http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=249671&page=1. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
38. ^ Dillard, Corbie (2008-10-13). "World of Goo (WiiWare) Review". WiiWare World. http://www.wiiware-world.com/reviews/2008/10/world_of_goo. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
39. ^ Hayward, Andrew (2008-10-16). "World of Goo Review". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3170710&p=44. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
40. ^ DiMola, Nick (2008-10-17). "Wii Review: World of Goo". Nintendo World Report. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewArt.cfm?artid=17003. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
41. ^ Jones, Graham (2009-02-02). "WiiWare Review: World of Goo". Resolution Magazine. http://resolution-magazine.co.uk/issue3/review_worldofgoo.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
42. ^ Official Nintendo Magazine, Issue 38, p.95
43. ^ "Best Independent Game Fueled by Dew". SpikeTV.com. http://www.chiff.com/recreation/video-game-awards.htm/. Retrieved 2008-12-18. [dead link]
44. ^ "IGN Wii: Best Puzzle Game 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/5.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
45. ^ "IGN PC: Best Puzzle Game 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/pc/6.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
46. ^ "IGN Wii: Best Artistic Design 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/12.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
47. ^ "IGN Wii: Best WiiWare Game 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/20.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
48. ^ "IGN Wii: Best New IP 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/21.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
49. ^ "IGN Wii: Most Innovative Design 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/24.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
50. ^ "IGN Wii: Game of the Year 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/25.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
51. ^ "Best Game No One Played". Best of 2008. GameSpot. 2008-12-23. http://www.gamespot.com/best-of/dubious-honors/index.html?page=6. Retrieved 2008-12-28. [not in citation given (See discussion.)]
52. ^ "Eurogamer's Top 50 Games of 2008: 10-1". Eurogamer. 2008-12-30. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/eurogamers-top-50-games-of-2008-10-1-article. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
53. ^ Moore, Peter (2008-12-31). "WTF? (Where The hell is FIFA 09?)". Peter Moore's Official Blog. Electronic Arts. http://itsinthegame.ea.com/archive/2009/01/01/wtf-where-the-hell-is-fifa-09.aspx. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
54. ^ "peter moore hasn’t played world of goo, looks down at it anyway". 2D Boy Blog. 2D Boy. 2009-01-05. http://2dboy.com/2009/01/05/peter-moore-hasnt-played-world-of-goo-looks-down-at-it-anyway/. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
55. ^ Hinkle, David (2008-11-12). "Wii Fanboy interviews 2D Boy (World of Goo)". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2008/11/12/wii-fanboy-interviews-2d-boy-world-of-goo/.
56. ^ Gabler, Kyle (2010-11-21). "World of Goo on iPad Releasing Soon". 2DBoy. 2DBoy. http://2dboy.com/2010/11/21/world-of-goo-on-ipad-releasing-soon/.
57. ^ "GooFans: Levels and mods for World of Goo". http://goofans.com/. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
External links
* Official website
* 2D Boy's World of Goo page
* World of Goo on Steam
* World of Goo Game Soundtrack
* GooFans, Levels and support for World of Goo
* Analisys of World of Goo (Spanish)
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/world-of-goo#ixzz1IeXpcv6O
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/world-of-goo#ixzz1IeWyK4WT
The game is built around the idea of creating large structures using balls of goo.[12] The game is divided into five chapters, each containing several levels. Each level has its own graphic and musical theme, giving it unique atmosphere,[9] similar in style to Tim Burton's film designs.[13] There is also a bonus meta-game called World of Goo Corporation, where the objective is to build the highest tower using goo balls which the player collected through the course of the game. Players from all over the world can compete, as the height of the tower and number of goo balls used are being constantly uploaded to the 2D Boy server.
Objective
The main objective of the game is to get a requisite number of goo balls to a pipe representing the exit. In order to do so, the player must use the goo balls to construct bridges, towers, and other structures to overcome gravity and various terrain difficulties such as chasms, hills, spikes, or cliffs. There are several types of goo balls in the game, each of which has unique properties. The player must exploit combinations of these goo balls in order to complete each level. Extra goos recovered in the pipe are pumped through to the World of Goo Corporation, a sandbox area where the objective is to compete with other players worldwide by building the tallest tower possible.[14] Players can also try to achieve the "Obsessive Completion Distinction Flag" for each level by completing the level under more stringent criteria,[15] such as collecting a larger number of Goo balls, finishing under a set amount of time or using as few moves as possible.
Levels and chapters in the game are interspersed with cut scenes.
The WiiWare version includes multiplayer with up to four people on the same Wii. This facility is also available, albeit unsupported, in the Linux port.[16]
Levels
World of Goo is split up into five chapters, each containing a number of levels. The chapters are set over the course of one year in the World of Goo. Each chapter takes place over one season, beginning in the start of summer, and ending at the end of spring the next year.[note 1] The 4th chapter is seasonless, and is set in a virtual world.
An additional 'chapter' selectable from the main menu is the World Of Goo Corporation. Goos collected above and beyond the required amount to pass a level are piped out of each of the played levels to here. Starting from just a single triangle of Goo, the aim is to build the highest possible tower. The Goos in the World of Goo Corporation are unique in that they can be repositioned like Ivy Goos but are black and can only form two connections at once like Common Goos.
In the World of Goo Corporation, towers built by other players of the game are represented by clouds bearing the player's name, nationality and height of the tower, including details on the total number of balls collected by the player and how many were used in constructing their tower. The altitude of each cloud represents the height of that player's tower. An online leaderboard charts the heights of the top 50 towers, as well as the top 10 players for each level of the game.
There are a total of 48 levels in the game, including World of Goo Corporation.
In an interview the developers stated that the retail version released in Europe would receive an additional sixth chapter, set on the Moon.[17] Few details were disclosed, but reportedly this chapter would have featured a freeform sandbox mode, similar to that of the World of Goo Corporation. This addition was, however, canceled for Wii when 2D Boy announced they were releasing the game on WiiWare in Europe.[18]
Plot
The story is told primarily through the aforementioned cut scenes and signs encountered throughout the game, which were left by a mysterious figure known as the Sign Painter.
Initially, pipes appear throughout the land, waking up many sleeping Goo Balls who have gone undisturbed until this, as they are filled with a childlike sense of curiosity and naivety they build themselves towards the pipes. Upon reaching the pipe entrance, the Goo Balls are sucked by the pipe system into the "World of Goo Corporation" main building where they are processed into many products, most prominently a drink. The excess Goo Balls are left outside the Corporation headquarters where they begin to build a giant tower. At the end of the first chapter, some Goo Balls escape from a Corporation building by attaching themselves to eyeballs which have the ability to float. The chapter ends with the Goo Balls "seeing far away new lands".
In the second chapter, more pipes appear in a very windy desert where a giant power plant is located. However, the location and appearance of the plant was hidden, and its energy output slowed down.[note 2] A new Goo Ball is introduced, which is ground up by the Corporation into a beauty cream. Near the end of the chapter, the power plant, which looks like a giant woman, is discovered. It turns out that the power plant "ran on beauty" which is (according to the game) a highly reactive chemical like gasoline or turpentine. After some of the Beautiful Goo Balls are injected into it, it becomes operational again, allowing the Corporation to open up a new factory in the south.
During the third chapter it is said that the Corporation develops a mysterious "Product Z". It eventually turns out that the mysterious Product Z is actually the third dimension (Product Z is the Z axis in mathematics). This causes much commotion amongst the general population who cannot see where anything is now. World of Goo Corporation tells them to contact tech support in the Information Superhighway after being rendered "incompatible with the world".
In the fourth chapter the Goo Balls set out to find the mysterious "MOM" program amongst a vector style environment. Shortly after the beginning the Goo Balls find the object responsible for rendering the graphics. After pumping many of their own kind into the object the graphics render improves, creating a more realistic environment (and the Square Goo Balls). Near the end they encounter the MOM program who/which turns out to be a spam bot. The Goo Balls decide to overload Product Z by sending every message in the history of spam to everyone at the World of Goo Corporation. After venturing to the recycle bin and un-deleting everything, the Corporation headquarters explodes, shutting down Product Z while creating a massive layer of smog that envelops the entire world.
In the final chapter, the remaining "scientifically pure" Goo Balls are sucked away to the ruins of the Corporation's Headquarters. The final level of the game reveals that the Goo Balls are now completely extinct, all the remaining having been sucked away to the remains of the World of Goo Corporation and added to the tower, and the massive telescope at the site has been rendered useless as it cannot see past the layer of smog. The Sign Painter reveals in his final sign that he has now become the Telescope Operator. Some balloon-like fish in the water connect to the telescope and pull it out of the ground, where it passes the layer of smog and sees the tower of goo that has been built at the former World of Goo Corporation Headquarters, which can also see past the smog. The telescope falls back to the ground before it can see what the Goo Balls were building towards. However, the camera pans up into space to reveal that the Goo Balls that escaped at the end of chapter one have managed to reach a far-off planet populated entirely by Goo Balls.
An additional chapter was initially planned for the European retail version of the game, located on the Moon; however such plans have been abandoned because 2D Boy did not increase the price of the game for some, to make available the new chapter at the same time for all.[19] It may be released later.
Development
Ron Carmel and Kyle Gabler, founders of 2D Boy and creators of World of Goo
World of Goo was imagined by two ex-Electronic Arts developers, Kyle Gabler and Ron Carmel. Their game studio, 2D Boy, was essentially based out of whatever Wi-Fi enabled coffee shop they could find. The developers estimate spending about $10,000 of their personal savings to develop World of Goo which includes rent, food, and minimal equipment. The two developers attribute the game's success to their blog and early web presence, as well as the awards it won at the Independent Games Festival at the Game Developers Conference in 2007, causing publishers who did not respond to their requests to take notice.[20]
On March 3, 2009, 2D Boy announced that users who pre-ordered World of Goo would get a "Profanity Pack" at some point after release, which would "[replace] the normal voices in the game with naughty words." [21] The Profanity Pack has not yet surfaced.
The developers used many open-source technologies such as Simple DirectMedia Layer, Open Dynamics Engine for physics simulation, and TinyXML for configuration files. Subversion and Mantis Bug Tracker were used for work coordination.[7] The proprietary PopCap Games Framework is used for font generation. The game was created by a very small team, with only three members at its peak.[22]
The developers depended upon the community to translate the game into Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish for the EU release in December 2008.[23] It is also available in Polish in Poland. In a post on 2D Boy's blog, the game's developer estimated that due to piracy, between one in five and one in ten copies of the PC version of World of Goo had been legitimately purchased.[24]
World of Goo was released for the Wii's WiiWare service in North America on 13 October 2008.[25] On 11 November 2008, 2D Boy announced that World of Goo would be released as WiiWare in Europe in lieu of a retail release.[26] During the 2009 D.I.C.E. Summit, Nintendo announced that it would publish World of Goo in Japan during the second quarter of 2009;[27] the game was released on 21 April 2009 under the title Planet of Goo (グーの惑星, Gū no Wakusei?).[28] On 24 March 2009, it was announced that World of Goo would be part of the MacHeist III bundle. On 13 October 2009, the first anniversary of the game's release, 2D Boy announced a one-week offer (which was later extended until 25 October 2009) on their blog where people could pay whatever amount they liked to buy the game. They also posted the results of this sale on their blog where 22% of buyers paid primarily to support the Pay-What-You-Want model.[29] A demo version of the WiiWare version was released on November 20, 2009. After celebrating World of Goo's first birthday, they announced on their blog that an iOS version was in the works.
A Games for Windows – Live version of World of Goo was released on April 15, 2009 that is available exclusively through Microsoft's Windows Games on Demand marketplace.[30][31]
The Goo Ball from the game appears in both non-Steam and Steam PC version of Super Meat Boy.[32]
On November 21, 2010, 2D Boy announced that World of Goo would be coming to the iPad.[5] 2D Boy later announced a release date of December 16, 2010.[6]
Soundtrack
The World of Goo soundtrack was created by Kyle Gabler, who also designed, wrote and illustrated the game. It was released as a free download on 20 January 2009.[33]
The song "World of Goo Beginning" was created with the intention of resembling Libertango by Ástor Piazzolla.[33] "Regurgitation Pumping Station" was originally written for a friend's short film about going on a date with the devil.[33] "Threadcutter" was originally written for a game called Blow which Gabler made available on his site.[33] "Rain Rain Windy Windy" was originally written for the soundtrack for a short children's film, commenting that writing children's music is difficult.[33] "Jelly" was originally written for a short film about a virtual reality world.[33] "Burning Man" was written for a friend's drama/mystery series. He made it by recording two friends singing single notes, and then using a keyboard to make it sound like a choir.[33] "Cog in the Machine" was originally written for another game of his called Robot and the Cities who Built Him.[33]
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/world-of-goo#ixzz1IeXU9zPo
Track listing
1. "World of Goo Beginning" − 1:09
* This is the main theme of World of Goo, and the first chunk of music that was written for the game, specifically for the first trailer. The developer wanted the theme of the game to somehow reflect the song "Libertango" by Ástor Piazzolla, which was the track they used in the original Tower of Goo prototype.
2. "The Goo Filled Hills" − 0:25
3. "Brave Adventurers" − 1:07
* This was intended to be a livelier version of "Ode to the Bridge Builder".
4. "Another Mysterious Pipe Appeared" − 1:18
5. "World of Goo Corporation" − 0:17
6. "Regurgitation Pumping Station" − 3:40
* This was from a soundtrack that was written for a short film about going on a date with the devil.
7. "Threadcutter" − 0:55
* This was from one of the developer's small games, Blow.
8. "Rain Rain Windy Windy" − 2:45
* This is from a soundtrack that was written for a short kid's movie.
9. "Jelly" − 2:38
* Music that was written for a virtual reality world.
10. "Tumbler" − 1:52
11. "Screamer" − 1:36
* This was almost un-included, but a friend convinced the developer a few days before they finished.
12. "Burning Man" − 1:49
* The theme that was written for a drama/mystery series. It was recorded with two friends singing single notes, and then played back on a keyboard to get a "choir". This became the theme for "progress" in the game. A variation is used for "MOM's theme".
13. "Cog in the Machine" − 4:03
* There is a clip in this track from one of the developer's other small games Robot and the Cities Who Built Him.
14. "Happy New Year (tm) Brought to You by Product Z" − 0:54
* This was recorded with some singers from Carnegie Mellon. This is the first time the "what's up there anyway" theme can be heard. You can hear the same theme in the tracks "Years of Work" and "The Last of the Goo Balls".
15. "Welcome to the Information Superhighway" − 1:56
* This was written by the developer when he was in high school. Only the second half of this clip is used in the game.
16. "Graphic Processing Unit" − 1:06
17. "Years of Work" − 3:39
18. "My Virtual World of Goo Corporation" − 1:05
* This was originally written for Dikki Painguin, a homebrew NES game.
19. "Hello, MOM" − 0:06
20. "Inside the Big Computer" − 2:21
21. "Are You Coming Home, Love MOM" − 3:02
22. "Ode to the Bridge Builder" − 1:25
* This was the second track written for the game. The goal was to make a variation on "Amazing Grace", in the style of those old western soundtracks by Ennio Morricone.
23. "The Last of the Goo Balls and the Telescope Operator" − 1:00
24. "Best of Times" − 3:41
* This has become the unofficial second theme to World of Goo, after it was used in the second trailer. This was originally written for an animated short film.
25. "Red Carpet Extend-o-matic" − 4:04
* This was written in 2001 as a joke for the developer's music class. Only the beginning of this song is used in the game, and for only one level, but it has become one of the most requested pieces of music.
26. "World of Goo Corporation's Valued Customers" − 0:13
27. "World of Goo Ending" − 1:09
* Main theme to World of Goo, and used in the third and final trailer.
Reception
Both Wii and Windows versions of World of Goo received critical acclaim, holding an aggregate score from Metacritic of 94/100[34] and 91/100[35] respectively. On GameRankings, it holds an aggregate score of 91% for the PC.[36] Eurogamer called World of Goo "Physics' latest, purest, and most brilliant gift."[37] IGN said of the Wii version "World of Goo is an amazing WiiWare game that you simply must buy for this is exactly the type of software that needs both recognition and support", finding only minor fault with the camera controls and lack of a level editor.[22] WiiWare World gave the game 10/10, saying "Not only is World of Goo easily the best WiiWare release to date, it's also proof that you don't need a large development team or millions of dollars to create an outstanding video game."[38] 1UP.com said "World of Goo isn't "just" anything—except, that is, one of just a handful of truly excellent original games for the Wii."[39] Nintendo World Report criticized the "slow start" of the game, but otherwise praised it as "easily the best WiiWare game to date and, perhaps, one of the best this generation."[40] Resolution Magazine referred to it as "an instant classic," awarding it 90%.[41] Official Nintendo Magazine awarded the Wii version a score of 95%, claiming it to be "Virtually flawless".[42]
World of Goo has won many awards. It won Best Independent Game from the Spike TV Video Game Awards show,[43] and won six Wii-specific awards and one for the PC, including Best Puzzle Game (for both Wii[44] and PC[45]), Best Artistic Design,[46] Best WiiWare Game,[47] Best New IP,[48] Most Innovative Design,[49] and Game of the Year from IGN.[50] GameSpot awarded it as the Best Game No One Played.[51] It was featured in Eurogamer's top 50 games of 2008 in the tenth slot.[52] Peter Moore, the head of EA Sports, in a rant about FIFA 09 being missing from Eurogamer's list, commented that he was surprised World of Goo was included up so high in the list, despite not having played it.[53] 2D Boy responded by saying they were honored that World of Goo had this much mainstream awareness, and that it derives sick pleasure from the "industry big-wig's indignant, self-righteous incredulity".[54]
Expansion
2D Boy initially stated that they will not be producing a sequel.[55] In a November 2010 entry on the World of Goo blog Kyle Gabler stated that "a second World of Goo is a possibility, and something we would enjoy working on."[56] In addition, the community has already developed tools to expand the game, with a number of new levels and modules released on GooFans.com.[57]
Notes
1. ^ The last winter level, Product Launcher, has "happy new year" as its tagline. This is similar to Northern Hemisphere seasons.
2. ^ "Lately, its output has been less than satisfactory." -- Fly Away Little Ones, Little Miss World of Goo, World of Goo
References
1. ^ http://www.worldofgoo.com/dl2.php?lk=patch
2. ^ a b http://www.worldofgoo.com/dl2.php?lk=demo
3. ^ http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/world-of-goo-hd/id401301276?mt=8
4. ^ "World of Goo Linux Version is Ready!". http://2dboy.com/2009/02/12/world-of-goo-linux-version-is-ready/.
5. ^ a b "World of Goo on iPad Releasing Soon". http://2dboy.com/2010/11/21/world-of-goo-on-ipad-releasing-soon/.
6. ^ a b "World of Goo on iPad December 16!". http://2dboy.com/2010/12/08/world-of-goo-on-ipad-december-16//.
7. ^ a b c Murphy, Patrick (2007-12-31). "Road To The IGF: World Of Goo's 'Suggested Emotional Journey' To Wii". http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16749. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
8. ^ Macarthy, Andrew (2008-04-01). "World of Goo switches from Wii to WiiWare". Nintendic. http://www.nintendic.com/news/2113.
9. ^ a b Gillen, Kieron (2008-01-16). "World of Goo First Impressions". EuroGamer. Eurogamer Network. http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=90750.
10. ^ http://2dboy.com/forum/index.php?topic=1432.0
11. ^ "2008 Independent Games Festival Winners". Independent Games Festival. Think Services. http://www.igf.com/02finalists.html.
12. ^ Bardinelli, John (2007-03-05). "Tower of Goo evolves into World of Goo, 2D Boy is born". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/05/tower-of-goo-evolves-into-world-of-goo-2d-boy-is-born/.
13. ^ Blyth, Jon (2008-10-02). "World of Goo". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/world-of-goo-review. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
14. ^ Shea, Cam (2008-01-22). "World of Goo Preview". IGN PC. IGN Entertainment. http://pc.ign.com/articles/846/846912p1.html.
15. ^ Gabler, Kyle (2008-08-14). "Leipzig! And some mini-goo updates". 2D Boy Blog. 2D Boy. http://2dboy.com/2008/08/14/leipzig-and-some-mini-goo-updates. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
16. ^ "How do I use more than one mouse?". http://goofans.com/faq/world-goo/technical-questions/how-do-i-use-more-one-mouse. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
17. ^ Calvert, Darrent. "2D Boy Interview - World Of Goo". WiiWare World. http://www.wiiware-world.com/news/2008/08/2d_boy_interview_world_of_goo.
18. ^ "world of goo coming to wiiware in europe!". 2D Boy Blog. 2D Boy. 2008-11-11. http://2dboy.com/2008/11/11/world-of-goo-coming-to-wiiware-in-europe.
19. ^ "2D Boy Interview – Part One". The Reticule. 2008-12-24. http://thereticule.com/2008/12/2d-boy-interview-part-one/. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
20. ^ "How the World of Goo became one of the indie video game hits of 2008". Venture Beat. 2009-01-02. http://venturebeat.com/2009/01/02/the-world-of-goo-became-one-of-the-indie-hits-of-2008/. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
21. ^ "World of Goo preorders give you taste of game, "profanity pack"". arsTechnica. 2010-08-08. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2008/03/world-of-goo-preorders-give-you-taste-of-game-profanity-pack.ars. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
22. ^ a b Casamassina, Matt (2008-10-10). "World of Goo Review". IGN Wii. IGN Entertainment. http://wii.ign.com/articles/918/918954p1.html. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
23. ^ Gabler, Kyle (2008-12-01). "World of Goo translation for EU release". 2D Boy. http://2dboy.com/forum/index.php/topic,924.0.html. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
24. ^ "90%". 2D Boy Blog. 2D Boy. 2008-11-13. http://2dboy.com/2008/11/13/90/. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
25. ^ "Two WiiWare Games and Two Virtual Console Games Added to Wii Shop Channel". Nintendo. 2008-10-13. http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/fvAWxg18x4_UYTIcsfyyt8d9vwa6KuSo. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
26. ^ "World of Goo Coming to WiiWare in Europe!". WiiWare World. 2008-11-11. http://www.wiiware-world.com/news/2008/11/world_of_goo_coming_to_wiiware_in_europe. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
27. ^ Harris, Craig (2009-02-20). "DICE 2009: Nintendo to Publish World of Goo". IGN Wii. IGN Entertainment. http://wii.ign.com/articles/956/956075p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-27.
28. ^ http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/wiiware/list.html
29. ^ "2DBoy's Pay What You Want Experiment Results". http://2dboy.com/2009/10/19/birthday-sale-results/.
30. ^ Microsoft. "World of Goo". http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/Games/Pages/worldofgoo.aspx.
31. ^ "Games on Demand...meet Games for Windows – LIVE!". http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/community/newsarticles/pages/gamesondemandcomingsoon.aspx.
32. ^ http://supermeatboy.com/59/You_ve_got_Headcrabs_/
33. ^ a b c d e f g h "Music from World of Goo". Kyle Gabler. http://kylegabler.com/WorldOfGooSoundtrack/. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
34. ^ "Metacritic: World of Goo for Wii". 2008-12-11. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/wii/worldofgoo. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
35. ^ "Metacritic: World of Goo for PC". 2008-12-11. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/worldofgoo. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
36. ^ "World of Goo Reviews". 2008-10-25. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/954312.asp?q=World%20of%20Goo.
37. ^ Blyth, Jon (2008-10-02). "World of Goo Review". Eurogamer. Eurogamer Network Ltd.. http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=249671&page=1. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
38. ^ Dillard, Corbie (2008-10-13). "World of Goo (WiiWare) Review". WiiWare World. http://www.wiiware-world.com/reviews/2008/10/world_of_goo. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
39. ^ Hayward, Andrew (2008-10-16). "World of Goo Review". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3170710&p=44. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
40. ^ DiMola, Nick (2008-10-17). "Wii Review: World of Goo". Nintendo World Report. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/reviewArt.cfm?artid=17003. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
41. ^ Jones, Graham (2009-02-02). "WiiWare Review: World of Goo". Resolution Magazine. http://resolution-magazine.co.uk/issue3/review_worldofgoo.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
42. ^ Official Nintendo Magazine, Issue 38, p.95
43. ^ "Best Independent Game Fueled by Dew". SpikeTV.com. http://www.chiff.com/recreation/video-game-awards.htm/. Retrieved 2008-12-18. [dead link]
44. ^ "IGN Wii: Best Puzzle Game 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/5.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
45. ^ "IGN PC: Best Puzzle Game 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/pc/6.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
46. ^ "IGN Wii: Best Artistic Design 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/12.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
47. ^ "IGN Wii: Best WiiWare Game 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/20.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
48. ^ "IGN Wii: Best New IP 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/21.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
49. ^ "IGN Wii: Most Innovative Design 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/24.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
50. ^ "IGN Wii: Game of the Year 2008". Best of 2008 Awards. IGN Entertainment. 2008-12-18. http://bestof.ign.com/2008/wii/25.html. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
51. ^ "Best Game No One Played". Best of 2008. GameSpot. 2008-12-23. http://www.gamespot.com/best-of/dubious-honors/index.html?page=6. Retrieved 2008-12-28. [not in citation given (See discussion.)]
52. ^ "Eurogamer's Top 50 Games of 2008: 10-1". Eurogamer. 2008-12-30. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/eurogamers-top-50-games-of-2008-10-1-article. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
53. ^ Moore, Peter (2008-12-31). "WTF? (Where The hell is FIFA 09?)". Peter Moore's Official Blog. Electronic Arts. http://itsinthegame.ea.com/archive/2009/01/01/wtf-where-the-hell-is-fifa-09.aspx. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
54. ^ "peter moore hasn’t played world of goo, looks down at it anyway". 2D Boy Blog. 2D Boy. 2009-01-05. http://2dboy.com/2009/01/05/peter-moore-hasnt-played-world-of-goo-looks-down-at-it-anyway/. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
55. ^ Hinkle, David (2008-11-12). "Wii Fanboy interviews 2D Boy (World of Goo)". Joystiq. Weblogs, Inc. http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2008/11/12/wii-fanboy-interviews-2d-boy-world-of-goo/.
56. ^ Gabler, Kyle (2010-11-21). "World of Goo on iPad Releasing Soon". 2DBoy. 2DBoy. http://2dboy.com/2010/11/21/world-of-goo-on-ipad-releasing-soon/.
57. ^ "GooFans: Levels and mods for World of Goo". http://goofans.com/. Retrieved 2009-05-02.
External links
* Official website
* 2D Boy's World of Goo page
* World of Goo on Steam
* World of Goo Game Soundtrack
* GooFans, Levels and support for World of Goo
* Analisys of World of Goo (Spanish)
Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/world-of-goo#ixzz1IeXpcv6O
Monday, April 4, 2011
Leaked Pics Show New Windows 8 Interface...
Microsoft's released a preview build of Windows 8 to some of its partners - and several of those partners have helpfully released it to the press, revealing a new ribbon interface. (tgdaily.com)
* Google profile in China shrinking...
* Swiss: Google Street View must guarantee anonymity...
* Click to read: 5 challenges for Google in the Larry Page era.
* Google TV topping for Android Ice Cream?
* Yahoo! Has Your Invitation to the Royal Wedding...
* Promoting science, and Google, to students...
* Hillary Clinton's Senior Tech Advisor Talks "Radical" Global Citizenship...
* IBM Research: The Semiconductor Industry's Nanotechnology Can Be
Nanomedicine...
* Bootup: Larry Page becomes Google CEO...
* Best Technology Website of 2011 to be Named by Web Marketing Association in 15th Annual WebAward Competition...
* Reasons Why Google's Android OS is Better Than Apple's iOS...
* Rosetta Genomics Reports 2010 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Financial Results...
* Pieces of 8: Microsoft borrows from itself for the next version of Windows...
* Is Google moving forward the release of its Ice Cream operating system?...
* Wills and Kate Royal Wedding: Win a Nokia N8 smartphone...
* Tech in Movies: The Boombox From 'Do The Right Thing'...
* M&C Saatchi wins Nokia's global Vertu project...
* Google's CEO Larry Page on Innovation...
* Vodafone's SFR Stake: Morning Tech Bytes...
* Vodafone tidies up with $11 bln SFR sale to Vivendi...
* Vodafone Qatar raised at Rasmala; Mobily is top pick...
* Today in Tech: Windows 8 peek, the iOS 5 wishlist...
* Software piracy in Kuwait over 60 pct, highest in Gulf area - Microsoft...
* Tech'ed up surfing splashes down...
* Tech Data and Brightstar Announce U.S. Joint Venture: ActivateIT...
* Nexidia Invited to Present New Technologies for Asset Monetization at National Association of Broadcasters' Event...
* Turning the Page at Google...
* Marina Biotech Presents Long Term Toxicology Data for CEQ508 FAP Drug Candidate...
* Champions Biotechnology Changes Name to Champions Oncology...
* Hi-Tech Pharmacal to Present at the 10th Annual Needham Healthcare Conference...
"http://tech.einnews.com/"
The future of email is here today (April 1) through Gmail Motion
Remember technologies like the PlayStation Move or the ever-so-popular Kinect for the Xbox 360? Then take a look at this, Google has unveiled what seemed to be the latest innovation in email interactivity through Gmail Motion. So what is Gmail Motion? From the name itself, it uses gestures that the user does and is captured by your PCs webcam to navigate your Gmail, producing an all new experience you’ve probably never had before. Google says that it uses their patented “Spatial Tracking Technology” that does the translation of your movements to commands and characters you can use to compose your mail. Excited? Head on to Gmail Motion BETA today,
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Hurt by the Algorithm Change? Do the Google Rain Dance
Where we went wrong was in planting seeds without nurturing them at all. Had we done it right the first time, a day's worth of time would have been dedicated to each page. Had we done that, we'd probably have one of the better resource bases on the Net. Instead, we created the pages, then got caught up in running a business, got traffic from some of those poorly fertilized pages -- then Google kicked us where it hurt.
If you are a victim of the latest Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) algorithm change and experienced an 85 percent traffic drop like the disgruntled fellow penning this article, you may be feeling the heat right now.
It's easy to blame others and point out competitors who are "getting away with worse," but what all of those wounded really need to do is look into the the mirror and figure out how to get better.
Here is a quick guide on how to right the ship if you've keeled over -- or, if you're just starting your website, how to avoid disaster to begin with.
Plant the Seed When It Is Ready to Grow
There is a ton of thinking and planning ahead when it comes to developing a website. In our case, the website was ready before the company officially formed. Oftentimes, this happens in reverse, but the business side of things had to be sorted out.
This led to creating pages ahead of time, with certain "plans" that were to be accomplished soon in regard to content. Most of the pages had some original content, but it was largely generic.
At the same time, we provided consistent updates to our blogs to help the site along for when the business end would be good to go. Google has (or had) a way of rewarding websites that consistently updated their blogs, because it showed fresh content was being added to the mix.
We never copied content, but many of our updates were shallow in terms of coverage. In addition, the blogs were named for the search terms we wanted to rank them for. Not all of them, but many of them were named this way. At the time, it seemed like a good common-sense strategy. Now it looks like a big mistake. We did not monetize off of the traffic at all, and it still backfired.
In sum, create the pages offsite or don't publish them until they are absolutely ready and valuable to readers.
Attacking the Problem
As soon as we realized how Google's algorithm change was affecting our rankings, we went through a checklist of products we wanted to feature and what was still on the back burner in terms of content and resources that could eventually be provided. After that, we went on to delete half of the "resource" pages that had been created.
We then went back to the blog updates and deleted nearly half of those. On Day 1, we deleted probably about 100 pages that were of no real use. Some of those pages were linked to from the home page, yet they offered no real value.
All remaining page guides for the different model phones already had -- or will have -- the proper content and resources in the next few days. After that, we can think about expanding in the never-ending quest to add quality content.
Where we went wrong was in planting seeds without nurturing them at all. Had we done it right the first time, a day's worth of time would have been dedicated to each page. Had we done that, we'd probably have one of the better resource bases on the Net.
Instead, we created the pages, then got caught up in running a business, got traffic from some of those poorly fertilized pages -- then Google kicked us where it hurt.
This is not to say that our competition does not do some lame things that apparently have been overlooked or that Google's system is completely, ahem, fair.
How Long Do We Live in Purgatory?
Right now, we don't even show up for the important local terms, and we don't even have local storefront competition. Many of the websites that clearly don't provide anything of value and fill up the Web with pointless "state pages" rank higher for our local searches.
We still are found on Google, though, and my assumption is that once we have completed many of our resource updates over the next couple of weeks, the new algorithm will reward our efforts.
The obvious question is how long will this take? Our assumption is that it could take one-to-three months. Google is forcing us to go old school, think local and make the website better.
Still, when will it give us the "get out of jail free" card we feel entitled to? After all, if the banks get a bailout surely Google can feel for the plight of a few young and eager repair techs.
Special Treatment
Reports have come out that some website complained and got its rankings back immediately. We don't pretend to think Google master Matt Cutts or the rest of Google give a darn about our 85 percent drop.
Unlike many others who are upset about the crash, though, we understand why we lost favor with Google, and the problem is being corrected.
This is America -- our get-out-of-jail-free card will come. All we have to do is the Google dance, and the search giant will make it rain with rankings, once we've done our penance. With that in mind, maybe we can all start to sleep comfortably
If you are a victim of the latest Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) algorithm change and experienced an 85 percent traffic drop like the disgruntled fellow penning this article, you may be feeling the heat right now.
It's easy to blame others and point out competitors who are "getting away with worse," but what all of those wounded really need to do is look into the the mirror and figure out how to get better.
Here is a quick guide on how to right the ship if you've keeled over -- or, if you're just starting your website, how to avoid disaster to begin with.
Plant the Seed When It Is Ready to Grow
There is a ton of thinking and planning ahead when it comes to developing a website. In our case, the website was ready before the company officially formed. Oftentimes, this happens in reverse, but the business side of things had to be sorted out.
This led to creating pages ahead of time, with certain "plans" that were to be accomplished soon in regard to content. Most of the pages had some original content, but it was largely generic.
At the same time, we provided consistent updates to our blogs to help the site along for when the business end would be good to go. Google has (or had) a way of rewarding websites that consistently updated their blogs, because it showed fresh content was being added to the mix.
We never copied content, but many of our updates were shallow in terms of coverage. In addition, the blogs were named for the search terms we wanted to rank them for. Not all of them, but many of them were named this way. At the time, it seemed like a good common-sense strategy. Now it looks like a big mistake. We did not monetize off of the traffic at all, and it still backfired.
In sum, create the pages offsite or don't publish them until they are absolutely ready and valuable to readers.
Attacking the Problem
As soon as we realized how Google's algorithm change was affecting our rankings, we went through a checklist of products we wanted to feature and what was still on the back burner in terms of content and resources that could eventually be provided. After that, we went on to delete half of the "resource" pages that had been created.
We then went back to the blog updates and deleted nearly half of those. On Day 1, we deleted probably about 100 pages that were of no real use. Some of those pages were linked to from the home page, yet they offered no real value.
All remaining page guides for the different model phones already had -- or will have -- the proper content and resources in the next few days. After that, we can think about expanding in the never-ending quest to add quality content.
Where we went wrong was in planting seeds without nurturing them at all. Had we done it right the first time, a day's worth of time would have been dedicated to each page. Had we done that, we'd probably have one of the better resource bases on the Net.
Instead, we created the pages, then got caught up in running a business, got traffic from some of those poorly fertilized pages -- then Google kicked us where it hurt.
This is not to say that our competition does not do some lame things that apparently have been overlooked or that Google's system is completely, ahem, fair.
How Long Do We Live in Purgatory?
Right now, we don't even show up for the important local terms, and we don't even have local storefront competition. Many of the websites that clearly don't provide anything of value and fill up the Web with pointless "state pages" rank higher for our local searches.
We still are found on Google, though, and my assumption is that once we have completed many of our resource updates over the next couple of weeks, the new algorithm will reward our efforts.
The obvious question is how long will this take? Our assumption is that it could take one-to-three months. Google is forcing us to go old school, think local and make the website better.
Still, when will it give us the "get out of jail free" card we feel entitled to? After all, if the banks get a bailout surely Google can feel for the plight of a few young and eager repair techs.
Special Treatment
Reports have come out that some website complained and got its rankings back immediately. We don't pretend to think Google master Matt Cutts or the rest of Google give a darn about our 85 percent drop.
Unlike many others who are upset about the crash, though, we understand why we lost favor with Google, and the problem is being corrected.
This is America -- our get-out-of-jail-free card will come. All we have to do is the Google dance, and the search giant will make it rain with rankings, once we've done our penance. With that in mind, maybe we can all start to sleep comfortably
Using network management tools to catch mistakes of non-engineers
Whenever someone other than a network engineer plugs a cable into an Ethernet port, bad things can happen. A good set of network management tools becomes essential for network engineers who have to sort through someone else's mess.
When the performance of the Extreme Networks switches in his campus network degraded recently, network engineer Brian Saunier looked at his network monitoring tool, Ipswitch’s WhatsUp Gold, to see what was happening.
"When we started looking at it, we could see that the CPU usage was getting high on certain ports and bandwidth was just through the roof," said Saunier, who manages the network at Cobb EMC, a not-for-profit electric utility based in Marietta, Ga.
Using the WhatsUp Gold network monitoring tool, Saunier traced the problem to two specific ports on a core switch. He realized he was seeing the telltale signs of a network loop, with the CPU usage on both ports sky high. A quick visit to the core switch and a little detective work revealed the problem. A help desk technician had plugged a cable into two ports on the same switch, creating a loop. One port on the switch had been pulled to an Ethernet port mounted on a nearby wall. Apparently the help desk tech thought he had found a cable that had been unplugged from the wall, and he simply plugged it back in. A network engineer would have known that the wall port was an extension of one of the ports on the core switch.
Is your portfolio of network management tools complete?
Learn about the network management capabilities of Netflow v9
What network management tools are engineers using on their smartphones?
Asset management is a key element of a network management plan.
Saunier uses several Ipswitch network management tools to keep an eye on what's happening in his network. In addition to the networking monitoring tool, he uses the WhatsConnected network discovery tool and the WhatsConfigured network configuration management tool.
WhatsConnected is a simple network discovery tool that automatically creates a network topology map, offering details on all switches and routers, along with what devices are plugged into each port. By cross-referencing results of that topology map with the records Saunier has of where each port is physically located on Cobb's campus, he can quickly find the physical location of a device. This capability is essential when looking for devices that are plugged in where they shouldn’t be. WhatsConnected has come in handy for Saunier as he prepares his network for a new network access control installation.
"We did a discovery of printers because we were doing a NAC project where we're trying to lock down the network with 802.1x," he said. "We were trying to locate where all the non-authenticated devices were. Printers were our main problem. We did it once or twice during that early phase, and we'll probably have to do it again to make sure nothing else has been plugged in recently."
Ultimately Saunier will apply this knowledge to use Unified Access Control from Juniper Networks to lock down every port that is supporting a printer. .
"We [will] lock down those ports according to the MAC address of the printer so that no other network device could be plugged in there," he said. "If someone came up and said, 'I want to unplug this printer and plug in my laptop,' their laptop is not going to work."
WhatsConnected originally had some trouble with the switches in Saunier's network. Extreme Networks' method for forwarding SNMP information on multi-link aggregation came through garbled, he said.
"Extreme switches do some funky things with their forwarding database, and they didn't release some information through SNMP that Ipswitch needed. It didn't reveal information for [Extreme's] link aggregation groups. When we would run [WhatsConnected], it would look like we had links going everywhere."
Ipswitch provided some quick software customization to deal with the bug, Saunier said. His topology maps have been accurate ever since.
Even network admins can make network configuration mistakes
End users aren't the only ones who can threaten a network by doing something they shouldn't. Even a network administrator can cause trouble by making a network configuration mistake on a switch.
Saunier uses WhatsConnected to audit network configuration changes on his network. If he detects a problem on the network, he can use those audits to track down whether a network configuration change caused the problem.
"It's on a schedule to download configs from all my switches daily," he said. "I can audit it to make sure certain lines are in the configs in a certain way. We're auditing to make sure the RADIUS servers are set on every switch and that the NTP [network time protocol] server is set right on every switch."
WhatsConfigured alerts Saunier if a major configuration change happens or if some other configuration change failed. For instance, if a NTP server configuration change didn't take on a certain switch, he'll hear about it. However, Saunier is careful not to let WhatsConnected overload him with alerts.
“We don't go down into the very granular stuff, like if someone logs in and deletes a port off a certain VLAN,” he said. “I'm not auditing for that because those changes happen so often. When you have a 100-switch network, stuff changes hourly, and I don't really want alerts when every little thing changes."
When the performance of the Extreme Networks switches in his campus network degraded recently, network engineer Brian Saunier looked at his network monitoring tool, Ipswitch’s WhatsUp Gold, to see what was happening.
"When we started looking at it, we could see that the CPU usage was getting high on certain ports and bandwidth was just through the roof," said Saunier, who manages the network at Cobb EMC, a not-for-profit electric utility based in Marietta, Ga.
Using the WhatsUp Gold network monitoring tool, Saunier traced the problem to two specific ports on a core switch. He realized he was seeing the telltale signs of a network loop, with the CPU usage on both ports sky high. A quick visit to the core switch and a little detective work revealed the problem. A help desk technician had plugged a cable into two ports on the same switch, creating a loop. One port on the switch had been pulled to an Ethernet port mounted on a nearby wall. Apparently the help desk tech thought he had found a cable that had been unplugged from the wall, and he simply plugged it back in. A network engineer would have known that the wall port was an extension of one of the ports on the core switch.
Is your portfolio of network management tools complete?
Learn about the network management capabilities of Netflow v9
What network management tools are engineers using on their smartphones?
Asset management is a key element of a network management plan.
Saunier uses several Ipswitch network management tools to keep an eye on what's happening in his network. In addition to the networking monitoring tool, he uses the WhatsConnected network discovery tool and the WhatsConfigured network configuration management tool.
WhatsConnected is a simple network discovery tool that automatically creates a network topology map, offering details on all switches and routers, along with what devices are plugged into each port. By cross-referencing results of that topology map with the records Saunier has of where each port is physically located on Cobb's campus, he can quickly find the physical location of a device. This capability is essential when looking for devices that are plugged in where they shouldn’t be. WhatsConnected has come in handy for Saunier as he prepares his network for a new network access control installation.
"We did a discovery of printers because we were doing a NAC project where we're trying to lock down the network with 802.1x," he said. "We were trying to locate where all the non-authenticated devices were. Printers were our main problem. We did it once or twice during that early phase, and we'll probably have to do it again to make sure nothing else has been plugged in recently."
Ultimately Saunier will apply this knowledge to use Unified Access Control from Juniper Networks to lock down every port that is supporting a printer. .
"We [will] lock down those ports according to the MAC address of the printer so that no other network device could be plugged in there," he said. "If someone came up and said, 'I want to unplug this printer and plug in my laptop,' their laptop is not going to work."
WhatsConnected originally had some trouble with the switches in Saunier's network. Extreme Networks' method for forwarding SNMP information on multi-link aggregation came through garbled, he said.
"Extreme switches do some funky things with their forwarding database, and they didn't release some information through SNMP that Ipswitch needed. It didn't reveal information for [Extreme's] link aggregation groups. When we would run [WhatsConnected], it would look like we had links going everywhere."
Ipswitch provided some quick software customization to deal with the bug, Saunier said. His topology maps have been accurate ever since.
Even network admins can make network configuration mistakes
End users aren't the only ones who can threaten a network by doing something they shouldn't. Even a network administrator can cause trouble by making a network configuration mistake on a switch.
Saunier uses WhatsConnected to audit network configuration changes on his network. If he detects a problem on the network, he can use those audits to track down whether a network configuration change caused the problem.
"It's on a schedule to download configs from all my switches daily," he said. "I can audit it to make sure certain lines are in the configs in a certain way. We're auditing to make sure the RADIUS servers are set on every switch and that the NTP [network time protocol] server is set right on every switch."
WhatsConfigured alerts Saunier if a major configuration change happens or if some other configuration change failed. For instance, if a NTP server configuration change didn't take on a certain switch, he'll hear about it. However, Saunier is careful not to let WhatsConnected overload him with alerts.
“We don't go down into the very granular stuff, like if someone logs in and deletes a port off a certain VLAN,” he said. “I'm not auditing for that because those changes happen so often. When you have a 100-switch network, stuff changes hourly, and I don't really want alerts when every little thing changes."
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Verizon Wireless aims to boost sales with updated retail systems
Whether they're rushing in to buy the long-awaited Verizon iPhone or just stopping by to check out new accessories for their old phones, shoppers at Verizon Wireless stores can expect fast and relatively straightforward transactions, thanks largely to Craig Young and team, who spent most of 2010 working on projects designed to simplify and improve the shopping experience.
"As a company, we are focused on three key IT imperatives: simplifying the customer experience, promoting self-service and reducing costs," says Young, the carrier's CIO for the Northeast area. To meet that goal, Young and his team designed and implemented a new Internet shopping portal and a new self-service feature for retail stores that has the same look as the online shopping portal. These tools help drive shoppers in busy Verizon Wireless retail stores toward the self service-option, he says.
"Three to five years ago, it was a lot like it was at an airline terminal when you were trying to buy a ticket and there was a lot of typing going on and you had no idea what the clerk was doing," he says. "Today, we're very focused on shortening the input cycle, which also makes for a better customer experience."
Each of the store's digital touch points are interconnected, allowing clerks to view customers' shopping behaviors so they can customize product offerings, Young explains.
"For the customer, we are focused on making sure we put the right offer in front of them, calling out targeted actions every time they check in at one of our retail greeter stations," he says. "We have a powerful data warehouse and are constantly doing a lot of modeling" of customers' behaviors and preferences both in stores and online.
To cut costs, Young's team continually looks for ways to simplify sales processes. For example, redesigning the refund/returns process shortened the length of those transactions by nearly three minutes. "I'm very focused from the retail perspective on productivity. So we have the same size retail workforce [as in 2009], but it is 40% more productive," Young says.
"Craig has shown tremendous leadership with his focus on using IT to deliver a great experience for our customers," says Verizon Wireless CIO Ajay Waghray. "He has led his team to find ways to make our online and in-store experiences better every year. Everything he does, he makes sure to look through the eyes of our customers."
"As a company, we are focused on three key IT imperatives: simplifying the customer experience, promoting self-service and reducing costs," says Young, the carrier's CIO for the Northeast area. To meet that goal, Young and his team designed and implemented a new Internet shopping portal and a new self-service feature for retail stores that has the same look as the online shopping portal. These tools help drive shoppers in busy Verizon Wireless retail stores toward the self service-option, he says.
"Three to five years ago, it was a lot like it was at an airline terminal when you were trying to buy a ticket and there was a lot of typing going on and you had no idea what the clerk was doing," he says. "Today, we're very focused on shortening the input cycle, which also makes for a better customer experience."
Each of the store's digital touch points are interconnected, allowing clerks to view customers' shopping behaviors so they can customize product offerings, Young explains.
"For the customer, we are focused on making sure we put the right offer in front of them, calling out targeted actions every time they check in at one of our retail greeter stations," he says. "We have a powerful data warehouse and are constantly doing a lot of modeling" of customers' behaviors and preferences both in stores and online.
To cut costs, Young's team continually looks for ways to simplify sales processes. For example, redesigning the refund/returns process shortened the length of those transactions by nearly three minutes. "I'm very focused from the retail perspective on productivity. So we have the same size retail workforce [as in 2009], but it is 40% more productive," Young says.
"Craig has shown tremendous leadership with his focus on using IT to deliver a great experience for our customers," says Verizon Wireless CIO Ajay Waghray. "He has led his team to find ways to make our online and in-store experiences better every year. Everything he does, he makes sure to look through the eyes of our customers."
IT's A-listers: Recharged and ready for business growth and speed
All security projects undertaken at Kodak in the past two years have supported very specific business needs. For example, when the business needed a streamlined process for provisioning third-party contractors, Jones' team implemented a server log monitoring application for that purpose.
"I view this relationship with the business as the most important part of the job," Jones says. "In the past, IT security was one of those organizations that sat in the corner and said no. I've challenged my organization to never go in and tell a business manager no, but help them by going in and figuring out a good solution."
Indeed, taking a proactive stance and heading the innovation efforts to achieve an overarching business vision is another defining characteristic of the 2011 class of Premier 100 IT Leaders.
At St. Louis-based bioMérieux Inc., for example, Global Senior Director of R&D Information Systems Haroon Taqi and his team were out in front in analyzing how the maker of diagnosis systems could improve its diagnostic software and its competitive positioning with customers.
"In the past, the norm was for marketing to come to us and tell us what they need. But instead, we [in IT] decided to work with marketing and our customers to determine the biggest hurdles to expanding our product and our market share," Taqi says.
"We drove the change we wanted to create," he notes. "IT did the competitive analysis, and I did some of the analysis myself."
Ultimately, the IT group conceived and developed a new software architecture and system that enables bioMérieux to automatically deliver software updates to customers without having to dispatch IT personnel to do so. BioMérieux's software is embedded in instruments used to identify new and evolving types of bacterial infections.
"What we've done is make it easy for customers to do updates themselves, much like installing patches," Taqi says. "Before, it could take as much as a year for us to have all of the delivery mechanisms in place to do installations for customers."
Quick Turnaround
Accretive Health, a provider of financial management services to the healthcare industry, also has a business goal of speeding its software products, services and updates to market. Cottey's challenge as CIO is to continually work with business managers to decide which updates and services are most critical. Last year, he and his IT team designed and implemented an agile development methodology to deliver new software capabilities that match and/or stay ahead of the flood of new and changing healthcare regulations that Accretive's clients must track.
"One of the ways we get things out quickly is we plan to get things out quickly," Cottey says, adding that all work IT undertakes is rated on a scale designed to measure its business impact.
"We're in constant touch with business owners to measure what impact a certain change might yield on our efficiency," he says. "It's not the time to invest in eye candy or gee-whiz things without a good bottom-line value. We focus on that 10% to 20% of capability that is worth delivering right now."
The Seeds of Future Growth
Many of the IT projects that delivered business value in 2010 will continue to yield big dividends going forward, especially at companies like JetBlue Inc. and Scottrade Inc., where IT leaders deployed new, foundational systems that transformed the business.
JetBlue CIO Joseph Eng says a new customer service system that his team rolled out last year enables the airline to quickly establish new partnerships with other airlines, and thereby helps it expand its global network.
"We're able to grow the number of destinations, routes, places and people who travel via JetBlue through these partnerships," Eng explains. "It's all very technologically based because you have to connect the two airlines' systems, sharing route, inventory and network information so you can also share itineraries."
Soon after the system went live in January 2010, JetBlue announced several new partnerships, giving travelers the ability to use a single system to make plans to fly from Tel Aviv through JFK Airport in New York and on to any of JetBlue's domestic locations. Eng says the airline will announce additional partnerships this year, extending its international network to London and Johannesburg, South Africa.
"We went to work on the customer service system with the knowledge that we wanted to enable these kinds of partnerships much more quickly," Eng says.
"Our leadership team has a fundamental belief that this is actually an opportune time, which is why we continue to invest in the business from a products, services and operations perspective. The idea is, let's drive through some of these tough times but also prepare ourselves so that when we do have an uptick, we can do even more to stimulate growth," he says.
At St. Louis-based Scottrade, IT completed building a brand-new secondary data center. The financial services company is initially using the facility as a fail-over data center, but it eventually plans to use it to geographically split up the systems that serve the independent investors who make up its customer base. The goal is to offer faster response times and better service by handling customers' needs in the data center located closest to them.
Also in the works is the launch of a new division of Scottrade Bank that will enable customers to move seamlessly between trading and banking transactions -- a setup that will give Scottrade an entirely new revenue stream.
"In the year ahead, we'll be focused on positioning ourselves for continued growth so that when the recession turns around and the economy begins to grow, we'll have the right applications in place," says Anne Coleman, director of trading applications.
The bottom line: Expect seamless leadership from these IT executives in 2011 and beyond, regardless of what happens with the economy, the unemployment rate or their corporate IT budgets. As long as the business vision is clear, Computerworld's Premier 100 IT Leaders will continue to deliver innovation and value.
"I view this relationship with the business as the most important part of the job," Jones says. "In the past, IT security was one of those organizations that sat in the corner and said no. I've challenged my organization to never go in and tell a business manager no, but help them by going in and figuring out a good solution."
Indeed, taking a proactive stance and heading the innovation efforts to achieve an overarching business vision is another defining characteristic of the 2011 class of Premier 100 IT Leaders.
At St. Louis-based bioMérieux Inc., for example, Global Senior Director of R&D Information Systems Haroon Taqi and his team were out in front in analyzing how the maker of diagnosis systems could improve its diagnostic software and its competitive positioning with customers.
"In the past, the norm was for marketing to come to us and tell us what they need. But instead, we [in IT] decided to work with marketing and our customers to determine the biggest hurdles to expanding our product and our market share," Taqi says.
"We drove the change we wanted to create," he notes. "IT did the competitive analysis, and I did some of the analysis myself."
Ultimately, the IT group conceived and developed a new software architecture and system that enables bioMérieux to automatically deliver software updates to customers without having to dispatch IT personnel to do so. BioMérieux's software is embedded in instruments used to identify new and evolving types of bacterial infections.
"What we've done is make it easy for customers to do updates themselves, much like installing patches," Taqi says. "Before, it could take as much as a year for us to have all of the delivery mechanisms in place to do installations for customers."
Quick Turnaround
Accretive Health, a provider of financial management services to the healthcare industry, also has a business goal of speeding its software products, services and updates to market. Cottey's challenge as CIO is to continually work with business managers to decide which updates and services are most critical. Last year, he and his IT team designed and implemented an agile development methodology to deliver new software capabilities that match and/or stay ahead of the flood of new and changing healthcare regulations that Accretive's clients must track.
"One of the ways we get things out quickly is we plan to get things out quickly," Cottey says, adding that all work IT undertakes is rated on a scale designed to measure its business impact.
"We're in constant touch with business owners to measure what impact a certain change might yield on our efficiency," he says. "It's not the time to invest in eye candy or gee-whiz things without a good bottom-line value. We focus on that 10% to 20% of capability that is worth delivering right now."
The Seeds of Future Growth
Many of the IT projects that delivered business value in 2010 will continue to yield big dividends going forward, especially at companies like JetBlue Inc. and Scottrade Inc., where IT leaders deployed new, foundational systems that transformed the business.
JetBlue CIO Joseph Eng says a new customer service system that his team rolled out last year enables the airline to quickly establish new partnerships with other airlines, and thereby helps it expand its global network.
"We're able to grow the number of destinations, routes, places and people who travel via JetBlue through these partnerships," Eng explains. "It's all very technologically based because you have to connect the two airlines' systems, sharing route, inventory and network information so you can also share itineraries."
Soon after the system went live in January 2010, JetBlue announced several new partnerships, giving travelers the ability to use a single system to make plans to fly from Tel Aviv through JFK Airport in New York and on to any of JetBlue's domestic locations. Eng says the airline will announce additional partnerships this year, extending its international network to London and Johannesburg, South Africa.
"We went to work on the customer service system with the knowledge that we wanted to enable these kinds of partnerships much more quickly," Eng says.
"Our leadership team has a fundamental belief that this is actually an opportune time, which is why we continue to invest in the business from a products, services and operations perspective. The idea is, let's drive through some of these tough times but also prepare ourselves so that when we do have an uptick, we can do even more to stimulate growth," he says.
At St. Louis-based Scottrade, IT completed building a brand-new secondary data center. The financial services company is initially using the facility as a fail-over data center, but it eventually plans to use it to geographically split up the systems that serve the independent investors who make up its customer base. The goal is to offer faster response times and better service by handling customers' needs in the data center located closest to them.
Also in the works is the launch of a new division of Scottrade Bank that will enable customers to move seamlessly between trading and banking transactions -- a setup that will give Scottrade an entirely new revenue stream.
"In the year ahead, we'll be focused on positioning ourselves for continued growth so that when the recession turns around and the economy begins to grow, we'll have the right applications in place," says Anne Coleman, director of trading applications.
The bottom line: Expect seamless leadership from these IT executives in 2011 and beyond, regardless of what happens with the economy, the unemployment rate or their corporate IT budgets. As long as the business vision is clear, Computerworld's Premier 100 IT Leaders will continue to deliver innovation and value.
Fast and Focused
For Avnet, growth was the primary business imperative in 2010, and it remains so today, as the Fortune 500 company continues to expand by acquisition. Since 2009, Avnet has purchased six companies, and it is in the process of finalizing three more acquisitions, including the largest such deal in its history. Phillips himself came from a company that Avnet acquired five years ago.
"These acquisitions are strategically important in terms of our long-term ability to be the leading value distributor," he notes. The faster Avnet can close an acquisition, the faster it can accrue the benefits of its larger scale and minimize disruptions to customers and employees. To streamline the integration process, Phillips and his team developed a step-by-step playbook of best practices for completing all technology integrations within 90 days of an acquisition. "We now have a set of repeatable tasks and responsibilities, and that allows us to move fast with a fair degree of competence," he says.
Another key strategic project for Phillips in 2010 was the design and creation of a consumer-like e-commerce site to expand Avnet's base of smaller-volume and specialty customers such as engineers and prototyping firms -- a key but previously untapped market for the distributor of electronic components and computer products. As the economic news worsened throughout the year, Phillips says, executives looked at expenses and considered where to continue investing and where to cut.
Ultimately, Avnet decided to preserve the e-commerce project. "We could see the need was still there, and it was an investment that would pay out beyond the economic cycle," Phillips says.
It was the right decision. "So far, we've seen a 75% annual increase in e-commerce revenue and a 50% annual increase in site visitors," says Phillips.
Delivering Return on Risk
Regardless of the economic climate, a key component of every IT leader's job is keeping the rest of the executive team apprised of the range of alternatives -- and their associated risks -- for meeting strategic business goals, according to Bruce Jones, head of global IT security and risk at Eastman Kodak Co. in Rochester, N.Y.
"At the end of the day, business managers are in charge of bringing in profits, so they're going to take risks," Jones says matter-of-factly. "Whether they are technology, security or business risks, there's a need to understand and manage [them]." As IT leaders, he says, "we have to be the educators, helping them to understand the risks and giving them alternatives that can reduce the risk but not cost more."
In 2010, Jones saw a reduction in both his budget and staff, yet "we still haven't found that it's been disabling," he says. "We've held true to our values and our process to work with the business" while keeping costs down.
This is largely the result of following a robust risk management program that Jones and his team developed as a way to map all security and compliance goals to specific business goals. As an added bonus, the program, which capitalizes on lean principles, has shaved costs by $500,000 a year. All risks are documented in terms of impact to the business, giving IT a way to demonstrate potential consequences, costs, effect on brand, legal and regulatory ramifications, downtime and liability.
Before the risk management program was established, "security was seen in terms of black vs. white and them vs. us and was not aligned with the business well," says Jones. "This risk management program is highly focused on actions that map back to specific business goals, objectives and potential impact to the business -- financially, legally and operationally. This has helped to consistently drive the right decisions as well as sales and revenues, brand value, customer and brand loyalty, and other business posture measures."
"These acquisitions are strategically important in terms of our long-term ability to be the leading value distributor," he notes. The faster Avnet can close an acquisition, the faster it can accrue the benefits of its larger scale and minimize disruptions to customers and employees. To streamline the integration process, Phillips and his team developed a step-by-step playbook of best practices for completing all technology integrations within 90 days of an acquisition. "We now have a set of repeatable tasks and responsibilities, and that allows us to move fast with a fair degree of competence," he says.
Another key strategic project for Phillips in 2010 was the design and creation of a consumer-like e-commerce site to expand Avnet's base of smaller-volume and specialty customers such as engineers and prototyping firms -- a key but previously untapped market for the distributor of electronic components and computer products. As the economic news worsened throughout the year, Phillips says, executives looked at expenses and considered where to continue investing and where to cut.
Ultimately, Avnet decided to preserve the e-commerce project. "We could see the need was still there, and it was an investment that would pay out beyond the economic cycle," Phillips says.
It was the right decision. "So far, we've seen a 75% annual increase in e-commerce revenue and a 50% annual increase in site visitors," says Phillips.
Delivering Return on Risk
Regardless of the economic climate, a key component of every IT leader's job is keeping the rest of the executive team apprised of the range of alternatives -- and their associated risks -- for meeting strategic business goals, according to Bruce Jones, head of global IT security and risk at Eastman Kodak Co. in Rochester, N.Y.
"At the end of the day, business managers are in charge of bringing in profits, so they're going to take risks," Jones says matter-of-factly. "Whether they are technology, security or business risks, there's a need to understand and manage [them]." As IT leaders, he says, "we have to be the educators, helping them to understand the risks and giving them alternatives that can reduce the risk but not cost more."
In 2010, Jones saw a reduction in both his budget and staff, yet "we still haven't found that it's been disabling," he says. "We've held true to our values and our process to work with the business" while keeping costs down.
This is largely the result of following a robust risk management program that Jones and his team developed as a way to map all security and compliance goals to specific business goals. As an added bonus, the program, which capitalizes on lean principles, has shaved costs by $500,000 a year. All risks are documented in terms of impact to the business, giving IT a way to demonstrate potential consequences, costs, effect on brand, legal and regulatory ramifications, downtime and liability.
Before the risk management program was established, "security was seen in terms of black vs. white and them vs. us and was not aligned with the business well," says Jones. "This risk management program is highly focused on actions that map back to specific business goals, objectives and potential impact to the business -- financially, legally and operationally. This has helped to consistently drive the right decisions as well as sales and revenues, brand value, customer and brand loyalty, and other business posture measures."
Computer world
Computerworld - Editor's note: Each year, Computerworld's Premier 100 IT Leaders awards program honors the brightest talent in the IT industry. Even through economic turmoil that for many meant budget cuts and staff downsizing, these 100 men and women continued to deliver innovative projects and measurable business value.
Explore the full Premier 100 package by viewing the list of this year's honorees, along with their photos, predictions, cool projects and more. This year's class joins a fellowship of hundreds of Premier 100 alumni, listed here, each of whom has demonstrated leadership qualities throughout their careers.
To learn the secrets of successful IT leadership, check out the best management advice from Computerworld's editors and learn more about the 12th annual Premier 100 IT Leaders conference, which draws together these IT leader alumni and other top IT executives for three days of learning and networking.
Last year, CIO Steve Phillips and his team turned an 8% uptick in the IT budget into a 75% increase in Avnet Inc.'s e-commerce revenue with a new Web site aimed at a brand-new market segment and unique customer niche for the $19 billion, Phoenix-based electronics distributor.
IT's A-Listers
* IT's A-listers: Recharged and ready for business growth
* The Honorees: Predictions and projects from this year's IT leaders
* View Premier 100 IT Leader alumni from 2000 to 2011
* Editor's Picks. Read Computerworld's best stories on leadership
In a year that the national monthly unemployment rate hovered just under 10%, CIO Paul Cottey grew the IT staff at Accretive Health Inc. by almost 20%, and he set up an agile development process, enabling the delivery of new or enhanced business functionality to healthcare providers every 30 days.
And while most other companies were spending only about one-third of their IT budgets on new projects, Southwest Airlines Co. CIO Jan Marshall was investing a full 50% in new revenue-boosting services, including a new ticketing system, a new customer loyalty program and an entirely new Web site, which is the heart and soul of the airline's distribution channel.
"Whether it's a great or a terrible economic time, we take the same approach. We always focus on opportunities to grow our airline," says Marshall.
This kind of clear, unwavering business vision, bolstered by seamless leadership and integrated technology planning, is what best characterizes the success strategies of Computerworld's 2011 Premier 100 IT Leaders. Rather than pulling the plug on new or ongoing projects during tough times, these leaders instead continually readjust and recalibrate, seeking out new, imaginative and/or lower-cost ways to realize an abiding business vision. They cut costs not so much by narrowing or shifting their business focus or withdrawing investment dollars, but by coming up with creative systems and processes for enhancing services while streamlining operations.
Many of the honorees are heading into 2011 with more cash than they had last year. In fact, 51% of them said their IT budgets had increased in the past 12 months; in comparison, just 36% of the 2010 honorees reported a budget increase in a survey last year. And honorees' IT staffs are bulking up, too: 40% reported adding employees in the past 12 months; in our survey of last year's honorees, just 28% said they had expanded their IT departments.
Marshall says Southwest's IT operations may grow because the airline is expanding into new markets or because it's offering new products or services -- or for all those reasons simultaneously. "Instead of 100 parallel [IT] projects going on, we have some big projects that all relate to the 100 requests we have," she explains.
"We've learned how to synchronize our deliveries," she says of the airline's 1,200-person IT organization. "We've gone to a release-based strategy across our entire portfolio that's helping us manage multiple initiatives and delivery of those initiatives in a predictable way."
For example, in addition to highly visible, big-bang projects like the new Web site, "we also have an underlying thread of work that is aimed at foundation components," Marshall says. This includes things like upgrading the database environment or enhancing the ticketing system, which gives the airline continued flexibility. "We build a plan once a year and then adjust it monthly through a series of executive steering group meetings, to make sure we're prioritizing the right things," Marshall says.
She says the leadership skill she relies on most is the ability to help IT staffers understand how their work fits into the broader business vision. "Seamless leadership comes at all levels," she notes. "This recognition is for the great work the IT organization is doing and the leadership they're taking at every level."
Explore the full Premier 100 package by viewing the list of this year's honorees, along with their photos, predictions, cool projects and more. This year's class joins a fellowship of hundreds of Premier 100 alumni, listed here, each of whom has demonstrated leadership qualities throughout their careers.
To learn the secrets of successful IT leadership, check out the best management advice from Computerworld's editors and learn more about the 12th annual Premier 100 IT Leaders conference, which draws together these IT leader alumni and other top IT executives for three days of learning and networking.
Last year, CIO Steve Phillips and his team turned an 8% uptick in the IT budget into a 75% increase in Avnet Inc.'s e-commerce revenue with a new Web site aimed at a brand-new market segment and unique customer niche for the $19 billion, Phoenix-based electronics distributor.
IT's A-Listers
* IT's A-listers: Recharged and ready for business growth
* The Honorees: Predictions and projects from this year's IT leaders
* View Premier 100 IT Leader alumni from 2000 to 2011
* Editor's Picks. Read Computerworld's best stories on leadership
In a year that the national monthly unemployment rate hovered just under 10%, CIO Paul Cottey grew the IT staff at Accretive Health Inc. by almost 20%, and he set up an agile development process, enabling the delivery of new or enhanced business functionality to healthcare providers every 30 days.
And while most other companies were spending only about one-third of their IT budgets on new projects, Southwest Airlines Co. CIO Jan Marshall was investing a full 50% in new revenue-boosting services, including a new ticketing system, a new customer loyalty program and an entirely new Web site, which is the heart and soul of the airline's distribution channel.
"Whether it's a great or a terrible economic time, we take the same approach. We always focus on opportunities to grow our airline," says Marshall.
This kind of clear, unwavering business vision, bolstered by seamless leadership and integrated technology planning, is what best characterizes the success strategies of Computerworld's 2011 Premier 100 IT Leaders. Rather than pulling the plug on new or ongoing projects during tough times, these leaders instead continually readjust and recalibrate, seeking out new, imaginative and/or lower-cost ways to realize an abiding business vision. They cut costs not so much by narrowing or shifting their business focus or withdrawing investment dollars, but by coming up with creative systems and processes for enhancing services while streamlining operations.
Many of the honorees are heading into 2011 with more cash than they had last year. In fact, 51% of them said their IT budgets had increased in the past 12 months; in comparison, just 36% of the 2010 honorees reported a budget increase in a survey last year. And honorees' IT staffs are bulking up, too: 40% reported adding employees in the past 12 months; in our survey of last year's honorees, just 28% said they had expanded their IT departments.
Marshall says Southwest's IT operations may grow because the airline is expanding into new markets or because it's offering new products or services -- or for all those reasons simultaneously. "Instead of 100 parallel [IT] projects going on, we have some big projects that all relate to the 100 requests we have," she explains.
"We've learned how to synchronize our deliveries," she says of the airline's 1,200-person IT organization. "We've gone to a release-based strategy across our entire portfolio that's helping us manage multiple initiatives and delivery of those initiatives in a predictable way."
For example, in addition to highly visible, big-bang projects like the new Web site, "we also have an underlying thread of work that is aimed at foundation components," Marshall says. This includes things like upgrading the database environment or enhancing the ticketing system, which gives the airline continued flexibility. "We build a plan once a year and then adjust it monthly through a series of executive steering group meetings, to make sure we're prioritizing the right things," Marshall says.
She says the leadership skill she relies on most is the ability to help IT staffers understand how their work fits into the broader business vision. "Seamless leadership comes at all levels," she notes. "This recognition is for the great work the IT organization is doing and the leadership they're taking at every level."
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Google Launching Honeycomb On Feb 2
SAN FRANCISCO: Google Inc is getting closer to releasing a version of the Android software meant for tablet computers, one that will include a fresh look and updated Web browser and keyboard.
The online search leader said that it released a preview version of the software development kit for Honeycomb, also known as Android 3.0. It's for developers to test out their applications on the software and learn about its new capabilities.
In a post on Google's Android Developers blog, Xavier Ducrohet, the Android SDK tech lead, said a final version of the kit will be available "in the weeks ahead." That will enable developers to publish Honeycomb applications to Google's Android Market app store.
Tablet computers are expected to be popular this year, spurred by the release of Apple Inc's iPad last April. At the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month, companies including Motorola Mobility Inc. and AsusTek Computer Inc. showed off tablet computers that will run Honeycomb. Plenty are expected in the coming months as companies try to compete with the popular iPad.
Google, which is based in Mountain View, outlined a variety of Honeycomb's features on its Android Developers site, many of which were shown in presentations at CES.
They will include a "system bar" built into the bottom of the screen; it shows notifications and recently used apps and can be used to navigate the tablet.
Honeycomb will also have a redesigned on-screen keyboard to make it easier and quicker to type on a tablet's larger screen. Keys will still be arranged using the standard QWERTY system.
Tablets that use Honeycomb will also let users connect a full keyboard through a USB port — something the iPad cannot do — or wirelessly via Bluetooth.
Google said an updated Web browser will allow the use of tabs for browsing, so users wouldn't have to open individual browser windows for each Web page. That's a standard feature on desktop Web browsers these days. There will be an updated version of YouTube for Honeycomb as well, which includes a 3D-like wall for browsing videos.
The Android camera software will be updated, too, to make it quicker for users to control exposure, focus, flash, zoom and other options on a tablet's larger screen.
Showing off Honeycomb on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, said it will also include a feature that can create live translations of conversations. Schmidt will be stepping down from his post in April to become Google's executive chairman.
Honeycomb will work on smart phones, too, but apps will look differently on their smaller screens.
Google has described Honeycomb as allowing applications to have multiple views, depending on if they're running on a phone or a tablet. For example, Gmail on the tablet would show a list of e-mails in one column and the body of the one you're reading in a second column. One an Android phone, you'd only see one column at a time, as you do now.
Google first rolled out its free Android mobile software in 2008 on HTC Corp's G1 smart phone. It has since expanded to more than 170 phones and a number of tablet computers.
Read more: Google launching Android 3.0 soon - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/computing/Google-launching-Android-30-soon/articleshow/7377821.cms#ixzz1CWWPIUUe
The online search leader said that it released a preview version of the software development kit for Honeycomb, also known as Android 3.0. It's for developers to test out their applications on the software and learn about its new capabilities.
In a post on Google's Android Developers blog, Xavier Ducrohet, the Android SDK tech lead, said a final version of the kit will be available "in the weeks ahead." That will enable developers to publish Honeycomb applications to Google's Android Market app store.
Tablet computers are expected to be popular this year, spurred by the release of Apple Inc's iPad last April. At the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month, companies including Motorola Mobility Inc. and AsusTek Computer Inc. showed off tablet computers that will run Honeycomb. Plenty are expected in the coming months as companies try to compete with the popular iPad.
Google, which is based in Mountain View, outlined a variety of Honeycomb's features on its Android Developers site, many of which were shown in presentations at CES.
They will include a "system bar" built into the bottom of the screen; it shows notifications and recently used apps and can be used to navigate the tablet.
Honeycomb will also have a redesigned on-screen keyboard to make it easier and quicker to type on a tablet's larger screen. Keys will still be arranged using the standard QWERTY system.
Tablets that use Honeycomb will also let users connect a full keyboard through a USB port — something the iPad cannot do — or wirelessly via Bluetooth.
Google said an updated Web browser will allow the use of tabs for browsing, so users wouldn't have to open individual browser windows for each Web page. That's a standard feature on desktop Web browsers these days. There will be an updated version of YouTube for Honeycomb as well, which includes a 3D-like wall for browsing videos.
The Android camera software will be updated, too, to make it quicker for users to control exposure, focus, flash, zoom and other options on a tablet's larger screen.
Showing off Honeycomb on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, said it will also include a feature that can create live translations of conversations. Schmidt will be stepping down from his post in April to become Google's executive chairman.
Honeycomb will work on smart phones, too, but apps will look differently on their smaller screens.
Google has described Honeycomb as allowing applications to have multiple views, depending on if they're running on a phone or a tablet. For example, Gmail on the tablet would show a list of e-mails in one column and the body of the one you're reading in a second column. One an Android phone, you'd only see one column at a time, as you do now.
Google first rolled out its free Android mobile software in 2008 on HTC Corp's G1 smart phone. It has since expanded to more than 170 phones and a number of tablet computers.
Read more: Google launching Android 3.0 soon - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/computing/Google-launching-Android-30-soon/articleshow/7377821.cms#ixzz1CWWPIUUe
Saturday, January 22, 2011
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