The Internet, Choice And Comparing

The Internet, Choice And Comparing

Nov 22, 2016

The internet is a powerful tool. It basically puts the bulk of human knowledge at our fingertips at all times. By doing this, we can obviously become better informed, entertained and engaged. This power has certainly improved the consumer experience, from the ability to shop online to comparing products, services, reviews and prices all at the touch of finger.

Companies are often bragging about how they will put their competitors’ rates side by side with their rates so that you can make an informed choice. This is the power of the modern world. Companies know that you can easily use a search engine to find comparisons, so using this power can keep a customer on their site and improve the chances they will convert a sale.

You can even compare companies that compare. If this doesn’t sound too repetitive, know that companies like Progressive auto Insurance advertise that they show shoppers a comparison, while Compare.com does something similar and puts it right in their name. This allows you to make an informed decision without the hassle of going from office to office or even picking up the phone.

Companies like Consumer Solutions give you the same power within the world of credit and particularly mortgages. On their site you can find a list of lenders to compare and find the best credit options. This includes credit repair as well as credit cards, home mortgages and other forms of personal finance. This is a great way to get information, educate yourself about your borrowing potential before buying a home or securing financing.

Another comparison innovation that has exciting entertainment value. One of my favorite aspects of going to the movies is watching the trailers. They are often better than the movies. Because they don’t have to deliver a full movie experience, merely the promise, they are often thrilling and cause as much discussion after the movie than the feature film. You can now eye-guzzle movie trailers online at sites like IMDB or Movie Tube, which can help you choose which movie you want to see as well simply entertain you.

And for those who are impatient about watching trailers, Movie Tube doesn’t merely limit you to new releases. You can watch trailers from older movies, as far back as 1992, or some movies that won’t be released for a couple of years. Additionally, you can choose the genre of movies you get to watch the trailers for.

At the theater, you watch what they play before your featured film. These trailers are typically shown to audiences whose movie choices would probably appreciate them based on comparative analytics. But the power of the internet allows you now to actually make the choice.

The internet is powerful and it is putting the power in all of our hands. Now we can compare with ease and choose with information which creates confidence. We can navigate towards our interests and avoid those things we don’t enjoy. Some of this may seem simple and obvious, but we are in an age of truly amazing choice and tools to provide for our choices.

Thanks For The Memories

Thanks For The Memories

Nov 20, 2016

by Jerry Mooney

We are no longer tethered to our living rooms, eating sub-standard frozen food because we don’t want to cook while our show is on.  No longer must we watch the six o’clock news at six.  We can watch at seven, or seven ten or whenever.  The broadcast industry has found a way to get entertainment to consumers faster, easier, more conveniently and on-demand.  

The landscape of broadcasting has changed.  The TV Guide is a relic.  Most broadcasts are now uploaded to a site where they can be watched or rewatched at the consumer’s leisure.  By doing  this,  though, the storage requirements of broadcasters has become the  new, big deal.  People now expect broadcasts to be available around the clock.  But this new world has new challenges.  On-demand viewing necessitates enormous data memory demands on broadcasters.  

With this constant evolution in broadcasting, cost and flexibility remain the cornerstones of how companies, and certainly broadcasting companies, must adapt.  This is where AIC and the JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) solution has become so vital.  While ever-expanding memory can be expensive, going cheap can be even more costly.  Losing data, corrupting hardware and a lack of flexibility can cost more than money.  Content and all of  the work involved to create it can be lost.  

Fortunately, at AIC, we have created our own, original JBOD technology that optimizes the flexibility and scalability sought after.  AIC’s JBOD servers are not merely re-purposed antiquated hardware.  Our products are designed, maintained and manufactured in-house.  They are manufactured specifically with the understanding that scalable, nimble and effective storage is required to accommodate the huge and growing needs of the broadcast industry.

By manufacturing our own JBODs we can ensure they are modular and components are compatible with each other.  This provides the highest level of flexibility and reliability.  Corrupt disks can be swapped out without having to replace entire servers.  Damaged spots don’t threaten entire works.  At AIC, our JBODs help manage the costs of the ever-expanding needs of the broadcasting world.  

  • AIC JBODs don’t force you to buy more than you need at any time.
  • AIC JBODs allow you to easily expand without interruption in service, loss of data or complicated and risky migration.
  • AIC JBODs eases the challenges inherent in data migration and capacity expansion.
  • AIC JBODs simplify the process of media transfers while reducing the system needs.

Additionally, the AIC JBODs are the industry standard.  Old memory technology is not repurposed.  Instead, AIC manufactures, from start to finish, chassis as well as the internal components.  Each unit is designed and created with the understanding that the memory must integrate easily and allow for future flexibility.  By doing so, AIC JBODs create seamless unit compatibilities.  This also establishes more system reliability in an ever-expanding world of data.

At AIC, we ensure that no one will have to under-cook dinner in order to catch their shows.  And our JBODs will continue to provide state-of-the-art, flexible and cost-effective solutions for the increasing demands of entertainment.  

    

My Ramen Evolution

My Ramen Evolution

Nov 20, 2016

by Jerry Mooney

When I went to college, the earth was still flat, the internet was called a library and fossil fuels were leafy greens you fed your pet brontosaurus.  In addition to living during this curious time, I was poor.  Not like, I had no shoes poor, more like, stealing from the take-a-penny tray at the convenience store to pay for my emergency Tootsie Roll poor, but poor nonetheless and definitely one of the 14.5% percent under the federal poverty threshold.

Fortunately, I lived in a small community with a friendly local grocer.  And before I went off for my senior year, he had heard my rumbling about starving at school (mostly to try and pry a few more

bucks from the parents) and he magnanimously sold me four cases (192 total packages) of Smack Ramen for the generous price of four dollars.  

Image Courtesy of Facebook

I was ecstatic.  I knew, no matter how much I squandered my other resources, I would eat.

While at college, I happily began devouring my fortune of food.  After about a case, I grew tired of the included flavor packages (mostly MSG) and began dabbling in other, inexpensive additions.  I brought home ketchup (or was it catsup?) packages, soy sauce,  hot mustard, coffee creamers…anything to mask the ubiquitous flavor of my senior year.  

I began to look at the slowly diminishing stockpile of noodle packages with contempt.  My side-eyed glances did nothing, however, to make them taste better or replace them with better options.  I tried bartering them away, but  apparently, this ramen prank is played on too many college students and I was in a buyer’s market.  

Mercifully, my studies ended and so did my supply of instant textured sodium broth.  As I went out into the world I created a secret pact with myself to never eat ramen again.  I vowed I would stay enough above the poverty line to always be able to at least afford boxed Mac ‘n Cheese.  

I kept my internal promise for years.  I proudly announced my ramen abstinence whenever I witnessed someone with the audacity to make any rendition of this psyche damaging fare.  And even though I proudly trumpeted my freedom, internally I suffered pulses of PTSD at every encounter.  

So my friends and I visited Las Vegas and they dragged me to the mandatory buffet at the Rio Casino.  We waited in line for an hour to get into a restaurant and I was curious as to why.  There are approximately one jillion restaurants in Vegas, so waiting in line there seemed particularly stupid.  This better be good!  I kept thinking to myself.

Once we got in and seated I was underwhelmed.  The tables were reminiscent of a cafeteria.  The price to get in was no bargain.  As we were seated, I thought I saw the reason we were there: a giant pile of crab.  I was starting to warm up to this place.  I got up to grab a heaping pile of seafood, when my friend intercepted me.  “Don’t waste your time.  Follow me!” he insisted.

Courtesy of Ceasars Rio Las Vegas

Before I knew it, we were standing before a frenetically flailing woman, who was shaking collendars and dropping fry baskets into a series of mystery liquids.  She moved at cartoon speed and the order in which she did things was impossible to discern.  After a few minutes of watching this food tornado, she sprinkled some chopped green onion on top and handed me a bowl of what smelled like heaven.

We took our bowls back to the cafeteria, er…our table.  My friend, Brad, advised me to sit with it for while and just smell.  As the flavors wafted into my nose, I was overcome with a sense of serenity.  My mouth was watering and I impatiently waited for Brad to indicate that it was alright to begin.

He gave me the nod.  I spooned a sip of broth first.  When I slurped it in, my eyes crossed and my head shot back.  “What is this?  It’s the best friggin’ thing I’ve ever tasted!” I demanded.  Brad smiled and calmly said, “Ramen.”

Courtesy of Morgue File

“Nooooooooooo!”  Ramen is my enemy.  Ramen scarred me for life.  Ramen is the example of good intentions going too far!

“Yep.” he countered simply and nodded while blissfully enjoying this amazing bowl of flavor and texture.

Since that day, I have made peace with my Smack Ramen demons and about once a month I make a failed, but not entirely awful attempt at duplicating that magical bowl handed to me that fateful day in Vegas.  

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