This has to be the weirdest and saddest crime-of-virtual-passion story I've come across.
Kimberly Jernigan--a 33-year-old woman from North Carolina--was apparently distraught after her online relationship with a 52-year-old man from Claymont, Del., came to an end.
The pair apparently met through the online community Second Life and began a virtual relationship. The two finally met in reality several months ago, and the alleged victim ended the relationship, sending Jernigan into a downward spiral.
Kimberly Jernigan met her virtual ex-boyfriend in Second Life.
(Credit: CBS3.com)In early August, Jernigan allegedly drove to the victim's Pennsylvania workplace and attempted to kidnap him at gunpoint, according to local news station CBS3.com. When she was unsuccessful, according to the report, she returned two weeks later to track down the victim's Delaware address, and posed as a postal worker to do so. After four days of searching, authorities said she found residence in the Whitney Presidential Towers on the 7100 block of Society Drive in Claymont.
On August 21, police said, Jernigan broke into the unnamed victim's apartment with a Taser, a pair of handcuffs, a BB gun, her dog, and a roll of duct tape. He wasn't there, so she waited. When the virtual ex arrived home he saw what looked like a laser beam projecting on his chest. He immediately fled the apartment and contacted the Newcastle County Police.
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The Yamaha YSP-3050 boasts a small--but important--upgrade to the YSP-3000
(Credit: Yamaaha)When CNET reviewed the Yamaha YSP-3000 Digital Sound Projector, we singled out its "limited video capabilities" as one of the main shortfalls of the virtual surround speaker system.
Yamaha must have listened, because the company has just unveiled an upgraded version that addresses that very issue. The YSP-3050 adds to the mix the conversion of analog to digital video, but it's essentially otherwise identical to its predecessor. That's not a bad thing, either: we've found that the Yamaha YSP line remains the best choice for delivering convincing virtual surround-effects from a single speaker, and its all-in-one design precludes the need to purchase a separate AV receiver.
According to the specs page on Yamaha's site, the YSP-3050 has a component and composite video input, in addition to its two HDMI ins.
... Read moreOn Sale Now: $792.00 - $1,199.99
View the latest prices for Yamaha YSP-3050
Microsoft did something that it rarely does last week when it announced availability of its Hyper-V server virtualization technology months ahead of schedule. Unlike Microsoft Virtual Server, which ran as an application, Hyper-V is a true hypervisor capable of hosting multiple instances of Windows and even Suse Linux.
OK, so Microsoft is in the game, but can it compete with server virtualization king VMware? Yup. According to ESG Research, 69 percent of organizations planning to adopt server virtualization are considering Microsoft technology, 59 percent are considering VMware, 10 percent are contemplating XenSource, and 4 percent are kicking the server virtualization tires with Virtual Iron.
Microsoft understands that server virtualization is a strategic IT initiative that has the potential to really disrupt the server-licensing landscape. In other words, server virtualization could take a bite out of Windows sales, if VMware wins in a landslide. Microsoft just won't let that happen.
As Hyper-V gains visibility, my colleague Mark Bowker expects Microsoft to:
- Throw money and programs at its OEMs
Microsoft will use its vast resources to run joint-marketing programs, educate customers, and generate leads with server vendors such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM. The goal? Maximize visibility of Hyper-V in a hurry. - Use management as a Hyper-V complement
Microsoft is currently in beta with its System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM), a management platform that controls Hyper-V and VMware ESX. As this becomes available, Microsoft can play a low-cost management card to introduce its hypervisor into VMware accounts. - Target the midmarket
VMware is surprisingly strong in the SMB space, along with feisty Virtual Iron. Nevertheless, Microsoft has an army of channel partners and Windows consultants, who should be able to quickly penetrate this Windows-centric market segment.VMware is way too ubiquitous and strong to be "Netscaped," but Microsoft will certainly make the server virtualization space more competitive--in a hurry.
Jon Oltsik is a senior analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group.
With the industry doing back flips about server virtualization, it is only natural to wonder what virtualization technology can do for desktops. Plenty! With desktop virtualization, organizations can manage desktop images in the data center and employ strict security policies without touching physical devices. Enterprises should be able to cut operating costs while bolstering security to boot.
No one would argue that these benefits are worth exploring, but there are a few caveats here. First off, not all desktops are good candidates for virtualization. Anyone who needs massive endpoint compute power, like engineers and designers, would not be a good candidate for desktop virtualization. Road warriors who need to work remotely are also off limits at this point. Finally, employees anchored to local or remote desktop tower computers may be better served by application virtualization (a la Citrix XenApp or Symantec AppStream) or file virtualization (a la F5 or Cisco Systems) rather than a desktop virtualization play.
When the virtualization smoke clears, large enterprises will deploy a number of virtualization technologies best suited for different types of users. Like everything else in the IT world, desktop virtualization isn't black and white but many shades of gray. Alas, as promising as desktop virtualization is, it is not a panacea and never will be.
I didn't pay much attention to VirtualBox when Sun Microsystems first acquired Innotek, but RedMonk's Michael Coté just posted an interview and demo of the software, and it's very cool.
In a few clicks, you can see VirtualBox create a Vista instance and run it on the Mac. There are many options for virtualization at this point, but I would expect Sun to make this its weapon of choice (versus Xen), since it owns it and can tweak it for Solaris.
On the Mac, I'm not sure it's any better than Parallels, but it is open-source, which should be very appealing for many users.
VirtualBox is a free download available under the General Public License, or GPL.
There is a general paranoia about server virtualization in the security community that goes something like this. The server virtualization hypervisor acts as a resource switch enabling multiple virtual hosts to share a single physical system. In theory, if you compromise the hypervisor, you gain access to every virtual host along for the ride. Imagine an instance where 50 hosts live on a single Intel server and you can see that a hypervisor attack could have extremely serious ramifications.
Yes, this is theoretically possible, but virtualization vendors understand this threat and are pretty conscientious about protection. Starting with IBM and virtual machines on the mainframe, there hasn't been a single compromise at the virtualization operations layer that I know of. Of course software is always vulnerable, but a hypervisor attack seems like something out of a Michael Crichton novel rather than an everyday concern.
So what is it about server virtualization that should really keep chief information security officers up at night? A more pedestrian worry--lack of control. In a virtual server world, IT administrators can clone virtual hosts, move them around, or turn them on and off by accident or with malicious intent. What happens when an IT administrator moves a critical database server instance without re-configuring application servers or the network? How about when someone mistakenly adds a test server to the production network? The security "uh-oh" possibilities are endless.
The real threat here is that server virtualization takes on a life of its own without proper management and security controls. This is why VMware is investing in its virtual infrastructure, Citrix is keen on its Citrix Delivery Center, and Microsoft is pushing its System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) architecture. Systems and operations management vendors like BMC Software, CA, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM are also paying close attention and adding virtualization capabilities to tools, processes, and services. Given its 30-plus years with mainframe virtualization, IBM for one has seen this movie before.
In the security world, there are theoretical threats and there are everyday threats. The server virtualization crowd is constantly dragged through the mud about theoretical threats but it's the everyday threats that tend to bite us all in the butt. If users focus on sound server virtualization policies, controls, operations, and safeguards, rather than the virtual security bogey man, they should be able to reap the benefits of server virtualization without a substantial increase in risk.
VMware said on Wednesday that it plans to acquire B-hive, a small company specializing in performance management tools for applications running on virtual machine-based systems.
B-hive, based in San Mateo, Calif. with a research and development center in Israel, was founded in 2005. VMware said that it will use B-hive's technology to offer performance management and service-level reporting for applications running on VMware virtual machines.
VMware will transition B-hive's R&D facility and team into a new development center in Israel. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The deal, expected to close in the third quarter.
Everyone in the IT industry is doing back flips over server virtualization, begging the obvious question: What about the desktop?
There is already a lot of tire kicking going on. According to ESG Research, 8 percent of large organizations have already deployed desktop virtualization, 9 percent are piloting desktop virtualization, and 32 percent are currently evaluating desktop virtualization.
Yup, the industry is about to go ga-ga over virtualization again. Desktop virtualization makes a ton of sense because of:
1. Complexity
Since the introduction of the IBM PC in the 1980s, we've yet to figure out how to manage thousands of distributed PCs, let alone mobile laptops. Desktop virtualization could make this a heck of a lot easier when administrators manage desktop images in a data center rather than chase physical devices around the globe.
2. Security
Unless you work at some nouveau fascist organization, you can't go locking down endpoints or imposing draconian security rules on users. Desktop virtualization could solve this quandary. How? Users would have one virtual desktop image with certain policies and privileges for work and another for personal use. Want to take a look at the latest Beyonce video on YouTube from your office? No problem. Switch over to your personal desktop and go ahead.
3. Mobility
Pretty soon, I'm going to want the same desktop image on different PCs and other devices. Desktop virtualization is the best bet to deliver on this promise.
At the risk of sounding like an IT marketing cliche, desktop virtualization could be a win-win. IT gets operational simplicity and security while users get freedom of choice. With virtualization in place, users can bring in their familiar Macs and do their jobs without a hitch. Sure, the burden goes to the data center and the network, but aren't we headed in that direction anyway?
It's one thing to bang out a quick third-party program for a single phone model, and quite another to develop a mobile application that works as predicted on a battalion of cell phone models, each with their own set of finely cultured specs.
For numerous reasons, developers may not have all those phones at the ready, and when it comes time for final testing, emulators that live on the screen and mimic device behavior just aren't good enough.
(Credit:
Palm Software)
If you're Palm, a mobile platform and device manufacturer that's fighting for its slimmed-down market share, you'd want to encourage developers to get their applications out there. That could be one reason why, with the help of DeviceAnywhere, Palm is launching its Virtual Developer Lab. Simply put, developers will rent hourly remote access to Palm phones in the physical world to complete their tests and make tweaks. Software makers throughout the community will be able to collaborate on projects in real time or fly solo to finish their products and bring them to market.
It's Palm's undertaking, but DeviceAnywhere is running the show. Previously known as MobileComplete, the company, headed by CEO Faraz Syed, has established management systems for helping developers on all platforms port and monitor applications to shared hardware pools for over 1,000 cell phone models. The remote access software includes a built-in advanced reservation system for booking time on a device, and a first-come, first-served queue that alerts the next developer in line when it's his or her turn to test a program's mettle. When they're done, a clean-up script plucks out leftover artifacts.
For the Palm Virtual Developer Lab, data centers sprinkled across the globe will house the 13 Palm handsets, for which developers will pay $100 per month and $13 to $16 per hour to access. This system replaces Palm's previous invite-only lab for premium developing partners, said Syed, which shut out the majority of developers.
No doubt the initiative will spark discussion about Palm's attempts to steady its declining presence in the mobile industry even after some lift brought by the Centro device in late 2007. Interested developers can register for the Palm Virtual Developer Lab here.
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Virgin Mobile USA and Helio have confirmed that they are in early stages of talks to merge the companies.
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On Tuesday Virgin Mobile issued a statement that the two companies were in talks, and a Helio spokesman confirmed the news. The company has been rumored to be in talks over a merger since last week.
"These discussions are in early stages and there are no assurances that any transaction will result," Rick Heineman, a spokesman for Helio said in an email. "We will not have additional comments unless an agreement is reached."
Virgin Mobile USA and Helio, which is a joint venture owned by Korean carrier SK Telecom and EarthLink, are both MVNOs or mobile virtual network operators. They lease network capacity from Sprint Nextel and resell the service to customers.
Virgin Mobile, which offers a prepaid service targeted at teen-agers and people with poor credit, has a reputation for being hip. It also happens to be one of the most successful MVNOs on the market with some 5 million subscribers.
Helio, which also appeals to young hipsters, goes after a different segment of the population with high-end phones and a comprehensive post paid service package that includes voice as well as data services like Internet surfing, music downloads and video. Helio has a much smaller subscriber base of only 200,000 customers.
As the U.S. market surpasses 84 percent penetration, growth in the market is expected to slow over the next few years. And experts expect smaller carriers to consolidate. Already the wireless reseller market has struggled with operators such as Disney Mobile, Mobile ESPN, and Amp'd calling it quits.
A merger between Virgin Mobile USA and Helio makes sense since they compliment each other. And it could keep the companies afloat as they compete more aggressively with larger players AT&T and Verizon Wireless as well as regional players like Metro PCS and Leap Wireless.
