{"id":1354,"date":"2008-05-14T18:04:35","date_gmt":"2008-05-15T00:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.redmonk.com\/cote\/?p=1354"},"modified":"2008-05-14T18:04:35","modified_gmt":"2008-05-15T00:04:35","slug":"wunderkammer-20-blue-cloud-brazil-and-real-id","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redmonk.com\/cote\/2008\/05\/14\/wunderkammer-20-blue-cloud-brazil-and-real-id\/","title":{"rendered":"Wunderkammer 2.0 – Blue Cloud, Brazil, and Real ID"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just some miscellany for you today, dear readers:<\/p>\n

Blue Cloud<\/h2>\n

John Willis posted the below a little while ago<\/a>. It’s sort of worth watching if only to see what the top brass on polar opposites of the tech world do when they’re on the same stage, crushing on each other:<\/p>\n

\n

More coverage of the event here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also, I like finding (relatively) clear statements like the below from one from IBM’s Blue Cloud press release last year<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\nCloud computing is an emerging approach to shared infrastructure in which large pools of systems are linked together to provide IT services.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I get the feeling that “cloud” really means “middleware for SaaS,” which essentially means “stuff you sell to enterprises and ISVs.” How’s that one run up the pole?<\/p>\n

Also of note: it sounds like IBM runs Google’s pay-roll or some part of GOOG’s ERP. Oooo! Burn!<\/p>\n

Brazil launching its own sovereign wealth fund (read: has money to burn)<\/h2>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

Today’s Wall Street Journal<\/i> had a page one story on how Brazil is all rich and wealthy now<\/a>. Good for them. Slightly more coverage here as well<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Why’s this matter for IT-land? Companies like Sun<\/a> and others<\/a> are gambling on emerging “leap-frogging” economies like Brazil to fuel their sales. Countries that sudden find themselves rich need IT junk and they need it fast.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, there’s a chance to completely leap-frog the need for infrastructure and just go wireless with SaaS\/cloud stuff. I honestly have no idea what that means, but my gut tells me it means something. Insert now cliché story of cellphone use in the third-world here<\/a> for more pondering.<\/p>\n

The Emperor carries no ID<\/h2>\n

Lastly, Ars brings this delightful tale<\/a> about all of the US states ignoring a federal mandate to consolidate ID cards. In the States, for those who don’t know, each of the 50 states (and also territories and military IDs, no doubt) issues a drivers license and these are used as the primary means of identification (along with your federally issues social security number and, arguably, email addresses in the consumer space).<\/p>\n

I don’t know the specifics, but the states were supposed to do something to make all these 50+ IDs more similar, compatible, if not the same. The 50 states completely ignored the mandate, and did nothing.<\/p>\n

There are several take-aways here:<\/p>\n