The 4.2 EarthQuake - Simon Crosskill and Neville Bell are Children of Fire Mountain

When the candles are out all women are fair.

Plutarch, Conjugal Precepts

This morning Friday May 6^th 2011AD at approximately 4:29am, Simon Crosskill of Smile Jamaica fame on Television Jamaica, was “awoken” and “shaken” by the 4.2 Earthquake, possibly at the fear of being killed. So too did Neville Bell, apparently of the same Smile Jamaica fame on Television Jamaica, who allegedly “heard” the earthquake in his sleep.

Most likely Simone “Tigerbone” Clarke-Cooper and Carlette “Pet Tales” Deleon, both of Smile Jamaica fame on Television Jamaica were being rocked by other earthquakes of greater magnitudes and deeper (or longer!?) focal depths at about that time of the morning to even notice. Nothing naughty to say; interpret it as you wish, if tongue-in-cheek be your raison de vivre when the candles are out!

Interesting comments too were uttered by Beauty Queen Regina Beavers (Telecom Engineers!! Skirt on deck!! Low catcalls!!) on CVM at Sunrise, possibly the sexe chaud chaton on CVM TV with her Cruella de Ville twist of the White-and-Black hairdo that made Dodie Smith’s 101 Dalmations (1996) a must read!

Again raison de vivre also when the candles are out!

There was also her co-hosts comment, but alas, her athletic Amazonian rippling muscled beauty had me so entranced, that I fear I forgot whatever he said.

Who was he again?

Be their comments as amusing as they are on this approaching sunset on Friday May 6^th 2011AD, I must quickly trot out The Jamaica Observer article which stands as documented evidence of the earthquake as stated in article entitled “UPDATE: UWI Earthquake Unit issues confirmation”, published Friday, May 06, 2011, The Jamaica Observer.

Interestingly enough, the 4.2 earthquake, with its epicenter located in north-east of Chestervale, St Andrew in the Blue Mountains as reported by the UWI (University of West Indies) Mona Earthquake Unit, is located a decent five (5) kilometers down, roughly about the same depth one would expect to find Oil!

I mention this odd coincidence in the statistical numbers as being a statistics aficionado myself (“geek” is now getting a tad worn, I’m afraid!!), as Sagres Energy is now looking for a partner after it has gotten a nine (9) month extension of its Oil Exploration license as stated in the article “Sagres Energy seeking joint-venture partner to explore for Jamaican Oil”, published Wednesday April 27, 2011, The Jamaica Gleaner and the article “Firm searching for Oil gets 9-month extension”, published Wednesday, April 27, 2011, The Jamaica Observer.

Private Sector companies to invest in Oil Drilling, anyone?

Sagres Energy is the parent of Canadian firm Rainville Energy that had drilling rights in Jamaica since Thursday June 15^th 2006 AD, announced their discovery of a prospective find off the Pedro Banks on Friday August 27^th 2010 AD and reported it in detail on Wednesday September 1^st 2010 in The Jamaica Observer.

For those who came to my blog late, I had written two decent pieces about Jamaica Oil prospects, what Jamaica should so if this Oil discovery proves true. These two (2) blog articles entitled “Alternative Energy and Jamaica's Oil Prospects - Carletta DeLeon, The Spy who loved me” and “Alternative Energy an the Recent Oil Discovery in Jamaica - The Merchant of Venice” were spliced in a day; so excited I was that I wrote them both that August 31^st 2010 AD, the Independence Day of Trinidad and Tobago.

One (1) article I wrote speculated on what to do should Jamaica truly find Oil (not to mention how to get some Trinidadians girls!), the other focusing somewhat loosely on its connection to comments about the Energy Sector in Jamaica and its connection to a prediction I had made back in April 2009 to a bunch of Shurpower Engineers as to where to find Oil, even mentioning Sagres by name and its location in the Pedro area.

But how did I know this, you ask? Simple.

I would have; while working at C&W (2001 to 2004) I met a lot of foreign contractors, mainly Canadians working on the Nortel DMS 100/200 Supernode upgrades. It was via them I had learnt of various contractors and had recorded their names into my notebook.

Good job, Lindsworth Deer in the past!!

Recording and preserving all that info is helping me Lindsworth Deer in the future, now with Audia Granston gone to the grave and no one to hold me down and give me a 4am good earthquake shake like, Beauty Queen Regina Beavers of CVM TV Style!

But where is the connection? Again, how did I know back then in 2009?

Because that is the depth the seismology readings using active 30W radio that Oil was probably found by the Sagres Energy Team, who are now on the prowl for a financial partner. I say this with confidence, as were it closer to the surface, they should have found a partner by now.

Pedro Banks is not shallow water.

The “seismic bump” found that indicates the possible presence of Oil and Gas may be about a kilometer down, but the Dome of the Reserve may be about five (5) kilometers down.

At that depth, the Oil would act as a super lubricant under pressure, being as liquid as viscous as water, constantly setting off small earthquakes as it greases the main Caribbean plate that runs through the center of Jamaica. Evidence of this can be seen from a history of Earthquakes in Jamaica, most of which have occurred on land, with a rare few, most notably the Port Royal Earthquake on June 7, 1962 at 11:43 am occurring at sea.

Jamaica is not as unlucky as our Japanese counterparts to have had an earthquake occur at sea and trigger a tsunami and the resulting Nuclear Disaster as stated in the article “As death toll mounts, nuclear scare widens evacuation”, published March 12, 2011 12:31 PM PST by Elizabeth Armstrong Moore, Health Tech - CNET News and in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Japan Nuclear Reactor Meltdown is the Asian Tiger Chernobyl”.

If anything, this earthquake and the series of smaller earthquakes prior indicates that Oil is not only present in Jamaica, but the Oil Reserves lie under extreme pressure and extend possibly from the Pedro Banks to well under the Jamaica Archipelago (we do have some small islands, you know!!)

For the uninformed, Jamaica, according to my Trinidadian counterparts in the Department of Geology, is a volcanic Island, the Blue Mountains and in fact the entire Island being made of Volcanic Rock thrown up by the clashing of the Caribbean Plate and the Gonave MicroPlate as stated in the website entitled “Earthquakes in Jamaica”, viewed Friday May 6th 2011, Earthquake Unit, The University of the West Indies.

The map produced by the Earthquake Unit from The University of the West Indies entitled “Earthquakes in Jamaica”, viewed Friday May 6th 2011, Earthquake Unit, The University of the West Indies shows that the frequency of occurrence of earthquakes in Jamaica as being mostly on land and centered about the Blue Mountain Region.

Volcanic rocks combined with decent, cool unspoilt tranquil climate great for growing coffee. Hence our Blue Mountain Coffee’s unique taste!

Using one’s imagination, the Oil Field possibly extends below the Island of Jamaica outwards from the Pedro Banks about five (5) kilometers down to as far as beneath the Blue Mountains Range. I make this assumption as all the two hundred (200) plus Earthquakes thus far have had an average focal depth of between four (4) to eight (8) kilometers.

So despite Simon Crosskill of Smile Jamaica fame on Television Jamaica being rudely awoke from his sleep by Mother Nature or Neville Bell hearing the earthquake (or maybe it was his stomach!!?) rumble, rest assured this is a good thing.

It means that the as-yet-be-discovered Oil and Gas Field may be so large, that its lubricating properties due to seepage between the cracks and fissures in the rocks located in and about the fault zones are setting mini-quakes that gently release built up pressure, delaying the coming of the Big One as prognosticated in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Japan Nuclear Disaster - Implications for Jamaica and the Consumer Electronics World”.

An Earthquake and Tsunami Early Warning System as was in the works when by Local Government Minister, Dean Peart of the PNP (People’s National Party) signed that MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the US of A back in 2007 is being recommended to be revived by the JLP (Jamaica Labour Party) as according to the article “Jamaica Tsunami alert centre on Fast track” published Wednesday January 24, 2007, The Jamaica Gleaner.

This Earthquake and Tsunami Early Warning System would be based on SMS (Short Messaging Service) or text Messages for which customer could be billed JA$10 in the event of an Earthquake or Tsunami.

This as being suggested by the Mayor of Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard as stated in the article “Mexico Mayor eyes new mobile earth quake alerts this year”, published Friday May 6 2011, By Cyntia Barrera Diaz Cyntia Reuters, Yahoo News could be easily implemented with American help.

Ironically, I had suggested the very same low-tech Warning System with assistance from the big Three (3) Telecom Providers here in Jamaica in my blog article entitled “Tsunami watch needed urgently for real this time”.

So the next the hosts of either Smile Jamaica on Television Jamaica or CVM at Sunrise or CVM TV are awoken by earthquakes, “man”-made or courtesy of Mother Nature, rest assured that unlike the hapless victims of the Port Royal Earthquake that occurred nearly three hundred and nineteen (319) years ago at 11:43 am on June 7, 1962, they may be informed via SMS a good twelve (12) minutes before their coming demise.

Only fair!

After all, they, hosts of Smile Jamaica on Television Jamaica or CVM at Sunrise or CVM TV  and residents of Kingston, St .Andrew and Portmore, living near to the Blue Mountains and drinking the coffee namesake from their named earthenware mugs, are the “Children of Fire Mountain (TV Series 1979)”.

Intel & Poison Ivy Bridge Processors - 22nm in an Iso-Linear of Their Own

The mighty pyramids of stone

That wedge-like cleave the desert airs,

When nearer seen, and better known,

Are but gigantic flights of Stairs

Longfellow, The Ladder of St. Augustine

Today is a very historic day in the Chip fabrication world. This Thursday May 5^th 2011AD Intel announced the development of the first Iso-Linear chip, Star Trek: The Next Generation style.

Intel has unveiled the development of a new type of Microchip architecture combined with a 22nm process called Ivy Bridge to put them back on top of the Chip technology game by at least a year. It has been almost ten (10) years worth of Research and Development since 2002AD and its clever name is a testament to American ingenuity.

Intel hopes with this successor to Sandy Bridge (already? Guess I must be getting old Intel!) that their new chips poisonous charms as described above will woo smartphone and Tablet makers with a chip that is 37% more efficient than the 32nm chips. Ivy Bridge is expected in products at the end of 2011.

This as smartphones are a rapidly growing market as PC and Laptop sales plummet based on statistically evidence proffered in the Geezam Blog article entitled “Are we witnessing Laptop and PC Extinction?” as well as my blog article entitled “Tablets and the Future of the PC - Jurassic Park and License to Kill”.

Along with the debut of LightPeak, renamed ThunderBolt, not to mention having McAfee antivirus baked into the Chip as stated in my blog article entitled “Intel and LightPeak - Race toward the Sun” and the article  “MacBook Pro and Intel LightPeak - Thunderbolt and the Fantastic Mr. Fox”, 2011 is truly Intel’s year!

Today is almost as historic as coming development of Racetrack Memory by IBM (International Business Machines) as stated in the article “IBM's RaceTrack memory moves closer to the checkered flag” published December 23, 2010 06:41 PM ET By Robert McMillan. ComputerWorld and corroborated by the official IBM Press Release in the article “Made in IBM Labs: Scientific Moves Racetrack Memory closer to Reality”, published December 23 2011, IBM.

Well, actually almost as defining as the development of Thunderbolt and CPU/GPU Sandy Bridge Processors and its February 24, 2011AD debut on Apple MacBook Pro line, with PC’s later this 2011AD as stated in my blog article entitled “MacBook Pro and Intel LightPeak - Thunderbolt and the Fantastic Mr. Fox”.

Or even the introduction of a Cloud-Based CR-48 smartbook powered by Google Chrome OS and made with Intel, Samsung and Acer hardware as stated in my blog article entitled “Google Chrome OS and Open Source - Star Wars A New Hope”.

The development codenamed Ivy Bridge and is reported in so many articles, that I felt compelled to list them all, as they all make for interesting reading:

1. “For computer chip builders, only one way to go: up”, published Wednesday May 4, 2011 7:32 pm ET By JORDAN ROBERTSON, Associated Press, Yahoo News
2. “Intel unveils 22nm 3D Ivy Bridge processor”, published 4 May 2011 Last updated at 16:31 GMT, BBC News
3. “Intel's Ivy Bridge chip technology may drive mobile push”, published Wednesday May 4, 2011 4:23 pm ET By Noel Randewich and Paul Sandle, Reuters, Yahoo News
4. “Intel unveils new 3D transistor Structure”, published MAY 4, 2011 9:49 AM PDT by Erica Ogg, Circuit Breaker - CNET News
5. “Intel sticks to Moore's Law with 3D Transistors”, published May 5, 2011 By Geoff Duncan, DigitalTrends

Moore’s Law is validated yet again, folks. At 22nm, a huge leap over the current 32nm process, Intel can cram more transistors into the same space and still keep moving on up, The Jefferson’s (TV Series 1975 - 1985) Style!

But now with the development of Ivy League Chip Architecture that enabled the design of 3D transistors, Intel can build Chips that have connections that stack in interconnected layers on top of each other. Effectively, Intel is on the brink of Developing Iso-linear chips as often seen in “Star trek: The Next Generation”.

Much in the same way that you have skyscrapers that make more efficient use of land by allowing more dwellings and office spaces to be built on a piece of land.

This is the concept behind Ivy Bridge is so named due to the fact that like Poison Ivy Plant, more scientifically known as Toxicodendron Radicans, Intel’s seductive 3D Architecture epiphyte will cling to potential suitors in the smartphone and Tablet world, the only areas Intel’s 80% market dominance does not extend.

To wit, combining a 22nm process and a 3D architecture on the chip substrate with so called Tri-Gate Transistors that enable layers upon layers of transistors to be built, Intel achieves:

1. Higher transistor density, both planar (2D) and vertically (3D)
2. Lower power usage as a 3D chip core means more performance without additional power due to the smaller transistor size and higher packing density.
3. Better heat dissipation with a 3D core, thermal heat is more easily extracted due to better conduction through a 3D core.

Intel is now at least two years ahead of its fellow chip competitors, effectively in A League of their Own (1992).

The Video by PCWorld in the article “Intel 3D Transistors promises Faster, more Efficient Devices”, published May 5, 2011 12:30 PM By IDG News Service, PCWorld and on YouTube video entitled “Video Animation: Mark Bohr Gets small: 22nm Explained” are worth watching on this historic day, Thursday May 5^th 2011AD. Quotes cannot suffice for the full Press court

This time it is Intel’s Day, Thursday May 5^th 2011AD, The Sun Salutes You Style!

Nintendo Wii vs Microsoft Kinect - War of the Worlds in Jodine Spark's BattleField

My belief is that to have no wants is divine

Socrates (Xenophone, Memorabilia)

The international news is getting interesting again. As I has suspected, thee was more to the news about Osama Bin Laden’s Death which from the get-go, seemed a tad suspicious to me.

For starters, he was found inside of Pakistan, not hiding in caves in Afghanistan. In a residential area, hiding in a house that was guarded and thickly walled! Hiding, to be cliché like the US Media, in “plain sight”!

Then it gets stranger. US President Barack Obama is refusing to release the pictures of the body of Osama Bin Laden as stated in the article “Obama will not release photo of Bin Laden”, published Wednesday, May 04, 2011, The Jamaica Observer.

This is corroborated by the article “Obama decided not to release Bin Laden photos”, published Wednesday April 4 2011 by Jeremy Pelofsky and Kamran Haider, Reuters Yahoo News, fearing it will incite retaliatory attacks as quote: “We don't trot out this stuff as trophies”.

BBC News also reports on this oddity of the Americans In their article “No release of Bin Laden Photos”, published 4 May 2011 Last updated at 21:22 GMT, BBC News. As we Jamaicans say, “a soh me se’et a soh me tell it to yu”!

Rational explanation, though, as when the Navy Seals in their covert Operation returned to the Aircraft Carrier, the identified and buried at sea the body of the fifty three (53) year most Wanted Man, Master mind behind the Twin Towers Bombing.

Meanwhile here in Jamaica, the JLP (Jamaica Labour Party) who would be otherwise oblivious to a poll conducted by Statistician and Pollster Dr. Ian Boxhill in collaboration with Television Jamaica that indicated that much love has been lost after the Manatt Inquiry as stated in the article “Golding, JLP ministers Damaged by Manatt - Poll”, published Monday, May 02, 2011, The Jamaica Observer.

But they are not.

They are taking it quite seriously acknowledging that they have to do some serious damage control as stated in the article “JLP plans Manatt Recovery operation”, published Wednesday, May 04, 2011 by Ingrid Brown, Observer Senior Reporter, The Jamaica Observer.

To quote Senator Daryl Vaz, Minister of Information at Tuesday April 3^rd 2010 Weekly post-Cabinet Press Briefing: “There is no denying that the Manatt affair has had a negative impact on the perception of the prime minister and by extension the party and the government”.

Suspicious burial at Sea from an Aircraft Carrier! Islamic Law, however, dictates quick burial when the person dies on land. With the Sea a good thirty (30km) away, it seems a tad odd not to contact the Pakistani authorities and hand over his body for identification.

Apparently from the Media reports, the US do not trust the Pakistanis and withholding his pictures are part of damage control and avoiding the incitement of violence. Locally in Jamaica, JLP scrambling to patch up its Manatt Inquiry-battered image!

Yep, its Election time again folks as I had speculated out in my blog article entitled “Apple and the WWDC in June 2011 - Space Above and Beyond Android”!

Pull up your lounge chairs for the other greatest spectacle aside from the London Olympics 2012 coming to a Local Free-to-air Broadcaster, Cable Television Provider or Newspapers, if you are a lot like myself this Summer of 2012AD!

Also coming by 2012AD is a new Nintendo Wii as stated in the article “Nintendo: Wii successor coming in 2012”, published April 25, 2011 1:18 AM PDT by Daniel Terdiman, CNET News - Geek Gestalt and in the Geezam Blog article by Kelroy entitled “Nintendo Wii Successor coming in 2012”.

Nintendo will debut the new Console at E3 (Electronics Entertainment Expo) Conference this June of 2011AD.

This too can be seen as Nintendo’s attempt to save face against the coming onslaught of 3D-Motion Capture Enabled Consoles. A more sure sign of the coming upgrade is the price drop of the Nintendo Wii Bundle to US$149 from a price of US$199 as stated in the article “Nintendo drops Wii to US$149”, published May 4, 2011 12:36 AM PDT by Daniel Terdiman, CNET News - Geek Gestalt.

Best of all, the coming sale, to be held on Sunday April 15^th 2011AD, will allow lucky customers to purchase four (4) Greatest Hits Nintendo Games, namely:

1. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
2. Mario Super Sluggers
3. Animal Crossing: City Folk
4. Wii Sports (first time being sold a opposed to being bundled!)

This as further explained in the article “Wii price cut confirmed, Nintendo Selects Greatest Hits series launches”, published May 4, 2011 By Adam Rosenberg, Digital Trends and in the article “Wii price drop to US$150 confirmed, New "Select" Value Line launched”, published May 4, 2011 5:47 AM By Matt Peckham, PCWorld.

Nintendo has good reason to be clearing out stock: a new Nintendo Wii is on the horizon in 2012, just in time for the London Olympics 2012, about which even Television Jamaica is obviously excited.

And like the image sprucing being done by the Obama Administration and the JLP, most likely the rumours of larger SSD (Solid State Drive) Hard-Drive storage, Game Discs and onboard RAM as stated in the May 3 2011 Digital Trends article entitled “Rumor: Nintendo Wii 2 to have 8GB storage, 25GB Discs”, published May 3, 2011 By Jeffrey Van Camp, Digital Trends as true.

These heralds improved Graphics to complement the already awesome and addictive gameplay that made it a “Revolution” when it launched on November 19^th 2006 as stated in my blog article entitled “Apple iPad in the Summer of 2010 - The Death of the Video Game Consoles”.

The Full history can be perused here: Nintendo Wii

Good thing Nintendo changed the rather drab sounding code name; the Revolution sounded like a call to the BattleField, Jodine Sparks Style, as opposed to the weird yet charming Wii, which united the sexes in ways which most males can appreciate.

Females with no game playing experience made many a geek get their game on. Even Audia Granston, my SDA Princess, like the Nintendo Wii, was pining for me to buy her one for her birthday.

Not to mention being the name I suggested while being interviewed back in the Fourth Quarter of 2003 by Nurse Gunning while I was still a Network Maintenance Technician at C&W.

Now that is a gadget worth having!

Since then, the Nintendo Wii with its unique Motion Controlled gameplay, has romped its way to a new plateau of eighty six million, ten thousand (86,010,000) as stated in the article “Nintendo: Wii successor coming in 2012”, published April 25, 2011 1:18 AM PDT by Daniel Terdiman, CNET News - Geek Gestalt

Plus the new design, slated to debut at E3 this June 2011, it is an all too necessary upgrade. Sony PlayStation and its Move bundles is slowly making waves, selling eight million (8,000,000) over the past seven (7) months since its debut.

The PlayStation sales figures globally stand at fifty million (50,000,000) as stated in the article “Sony PlayStation 3 Sales Hit 50M Worldwide”, published April 17, 2011 12:08pm EST by Leslie Horn, PC Magazine since launch some five (5) years ago.

Nintendo Wii’s eighty six million, ten thousand (86,010,000), however, is still behind the Sony PlayStation 2, shy of the one hundred and fifty million (150,000,000) racked up by the Sony PlayStation 2 in seven (7) years since its debuts in 2004 by about sixty three million, nine hundred and ninety nine thousand (63,990,000) units as stated in the article “PlayStation 2 Sales reach 150 Million Units Worldwide”, published February 14 2011, Sony Entertainment.

The Guinness World Record Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Kinect bundle, however, outpaced the Sony PlayStation Move as stated in the article “10 million a magic number for Microsoft's Kinect”, published March 9, 2011 12:09 PM PST by Don Reisinger, The Digital Home - CNET News, selling the same eight million (8,000,000) Kinect bundle in two (2) months time.

For a gander at the Microsoft Kinect Guinness World Record, check out the Geezam Blog article by Kelroy entitled “Microsoft Kinect - Fastest-selling Consumer Electronics Device”.

My blog article entitled “Internet, Apple iTV and Cable - Pirates of the Caribbean” examined the device further and divines the future of the 3D Motion Capture Device from Israeli-based PrimeSense: a Remote-less world where gadgets are controlled by body movements and gestures.

Google made a joke of it on April Fools Day 2011 as state in the Geezam Blog article by Kelroy entitled “Gmail Motion and a few other Tech related April Fools Jokes”

But my blog article entitled “Gmail Motion is SLOOW & other April Fool's Jokes - Armstrong's Firefly” exposed the fact that it has a Medical related practical application for Operating Theatre Surgeons who have to check emailed medical charts during an operation and hospital patients who wish to use computers, both without the risk of spreading contagion via touching surfaces with the germ-laden hands.

Sony is now in the news for a completely different reason!

Their PSN (PlayStation Network) was the target of a hack of unknown origin which resulted in the theft of nearly seventy million (70,000,000) Credit Cards, ten million (10,000,000) of which were confirmed as stated in my blog article entitled “AWC Fail, PSN Hack and Nokia Layoff - Murphy Law in a Clash of The Titans” and updated in the article “VISA and Jack Dorsey's Square - Leena's TechCrunch of SME's Mad Money”.

So it is hoped come June 2011AD at the E3 Conference, Nintendo, aside from the obvious boost to the Nintendo hardware with better Graphics (specs to satisfy the techies!!) plus a more robust Internet Gaming Platform with support for Video and Audio Streaming (like duh-uh!?), will also have the balls to license PrimeSense’s Motion Capture Technology for its Console.

After all, if you can’t beat ‘em [Microsoft Xbox 360], then join em, as the Americans say in their colourful language!

Especially as Console Game sales have been slowing as stated in my blog article entitled “Apple iPad and Video Game Piracy - The Saint” and the follow-up article “Facebook Credits and Online Gaming - The Pied Piper's Revenge in the Age of Empire”.

Thus it will be The War of the Worlds (1953) between the Microsoft Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, with lucrative sales riding on the gravitational tug of the coming four (4) year comet named the London Olympics 2012!

Asus Transformer vs Apple iPad 2 - X-Men First Class for Ludacris' Numba' One Spot

Fortune Favours the bold

(Audentis Fortuna juvat)

Virgil, Aeneid, X

Today is World Press Freedom Day and the United States of America is an example of Freedom of the Press – and my freedom to email American, French, German and Caribbean Newspapers my articles for publication from my headquarters here in Rest Square, Milk River, Clarendon in the Despot called Jamaica!

It seems that the US Media is all a-gaggle with the supposed death of Osama Bin Laden as initially reported in the two local Jamaican dailies: “Osama Bin Laden Killed”, published Monday, May 02, 2011, AFP, The Jamaica Observer and the article  “Obama Gets Bin Laden”, published Monday May 2, 2011, AP, The Jamaica Gleaner.

And like every major bit of news in the Real World, we who are the trained Engineers, IT people and Telecoms Technicians (Level 2) such as myself, heard of this FIRST via Twitter.

Hence the break from blogging activities as writing for two (2) separate Blogs, mine and Geezam as well as running a PC Repair and computer ordering Service that is expanding rapidly is no mean feat!

Hence also the technology slant and the mere reason for mentioning the event above with the articles “News agencies don't race Twitter on Bin Laden”, published May 2, 2011 5:36 PM PDT by Greg Sandoval, Media Maverick - CNET News and “How tweets helped document Bin Laden's Demise”, published May 2, 2011 1:32 PM PDT, CNET News as evidence.

Still not buying this story, though, as this is an Election Year, or least a lead up to the London Olympics 2012 as I had pointed out prior when Senator Barack Obama declared his desire to run for a Second Term in Office as stated in my blog article entitled “Obama and Dr. Pell's Moon Express - Fly Me To The Moon, I'll Drink To That”.

More comments on Osama Bin Laden alleged death when news becomes available.

Either way, the activities of the Obama Administration and the Government of Jamaica are definitely indicative of coming push for General Elections, BOTH countries having theirs, coincidentally in 2012AD as my blog article entitled “Bruce Golding and the JDIP - 2 Fast 2 Furious” opines.

But another Election of greater importance looms and that is the choice us tech-centric lot in Society will have to make when in the Electronics Section of the Department Store: should I buy a Tablet or a PC?

That is relatively simple if the statistical finding of my Geezam Blog article entitled “Are we Witnessing Laptop and PC Extinction?” hold true: Tablet.

Why a Tablet?

Because one can chose to get an optional Docking Cradle, such as sported by the HP Slate 500 as described in my Geezam Blog entitled “HP Slate 500 and Microsoft Windows 7 Experiment - Oh Ye of Little Faith, HP”.

Even the Apple iPad both First Gen and Apple iPad 2 has a plethora of makers of Docking Cradles that work with Apple’s Proprietary 30-Pin Connector, the means of killing the PC eventually as stated in my blog article entitled “Tablets and the Future of the PC - Jurassic Park and License to Kill”.

But the next question that looms is: should I get an Apple iPad or an Alternative Tablet, such as the 10.1” Motorola Xoom. Or even the RIM Playbook to fit with my Blackberry.

So it is nice to know that Asus, the Taiwanese Tablet maker, is bringing in the goods when it comes to the Alternative Tablets category, filed under using “Google Android 3.0 aka Honeycomb” or “Windows 7 OS”.

Asus, a relative expert in the computing space, is sporting Tablets that come with an optional Docking Cradle.

Case to point: the 12.1” Asus Eee Slate EP121, a Windows 7 OS Tablet.

They also have an optional Keyboard Dock, as is the case with the Asus Eee Pad Transformer as note by Kelroy, Administrator of the Geezam Blog in his seminal spec-laden piece entitled “ASUS Eee Pad Transformer is a Winner”.

Point to note: Asus is also the ONLY Tablet maker currently sticking with Windows 7 OS for Tablets as stated in the article “Asus Sticking with Windows 7 Tablets against iPad, Android army”, published March 31, 2011 7:52 AM By Melanie Pinola, PC World.

Curiously, the other Tablets in Asus’ lineup are somewhat reminiscent of Dell Inspiron Duo, another Windows 7 Tablet as noted in my blog article entitled “Dell Inspiron Duo and Solid State Drives - Charles Darwin and the Survival of the Fittest”.

Like the Dell Inspiron Duo, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Asus Eee Pad Memo and Asus Eee Pad Slider, they all have Detachable QWERTY Keyboards as stated in the article ‘New Asus Eee Pads offer QWERTY keypads, detachable Laptop Bases, 1080p playback”, published January 4, 2011 by Nick Mokey, DigitalTrends.

I guess I will have to summarize their Tablet offerings as thus in the following list:

1.      Asus Eee Slate EP121 – 12.1”, Windows 7, Detachable QWERTY Keyboard

2.      Asus Eee Pad Transformer – 10.1”, Honeycomb, Detachable QWERTY Keyboard

3.      Asus Eee Pad Memo – 7”, Honeycomb, Regular Tablet

4.      Asus Eee Pad Slider - 10.1”, Honeycomb, Detachable QWERTY Keyboards

For those who came late to my blog, this concept of a Detachable QWERTY Keyboard was in the early outing from No. 1 PC maker Dell which sported a horizontal flip screen take on a Tablet.

With the Detachable QWERTY Keyboard, it was effectively a Netbook as noted in my blog article entitled “Dell Inspiron Duo and Solid State Drives - Charles Darwin and the Survival of the Fittest”.

Thus, Asus is playing it smart and clever, chipping the balls bowled their way by the Apple iPad 2 along the ground towards extra cover for easy 4’s, West Indies Cricket Style.

Rather than let Apple define the Tablet as a Netbook killer ONLY, Asus is going for the Number One Spot, Ludacris Style, by redefined their product as a Laptop as well as PC Killer, with a choice of three (3) Ecosystems:

1.      Google Android 3.0 aka Honeycomb

2.      Windows 7 OS

3.      Chrome OS

If that last one is true, as currently there are no Tablets out yet sporting Chrome OS, then Asus would be the first Tablet maker to make a Cloud-centric Tablet!

I’m not one for specs; performance matters most in my book, with specs for those Techies obsessed with numbers that relate little to actual performance. Performance relates more to:

1.      Battery Life

2.      Speed of Loading Web Pages

3.      Rendering of Web Page

4.      Ergonomics and Weight

5.      Pricing

Albeit in my opinion Asus offerings are NOT those of a true Tablet, the option to detach the Screen and walk with it about the House or Office and its NVIDIA 1 GHz Tegra 2 Processor plus the usual bells and whistles makes this a must-review on CNET News!

Throw in its support for Google Android OS 3.0 aka Honeycomb and its lower price point of US$399 than the Apple iPad 2 as stated in the article “ASUS Eee Pad Transformer arrives in the US, sells out almost immediately”, published April 26, 2011 by Adam Rosenberg, DigitalTrends, and it would explain why the Asus Eee Pad Transformer is now completely sold out on arrival.

Statistically significant, as this phenomenon is only peculiar to Apple and its line of products!

Thus after gaffes by Honeycomb powered Motorola Zoom as stated in the Geezam Blog article entitled “Motorola Xoom - 101 on How to Beat the Apple iPad” or in my reference laden blog article entitled “Motorola Xoom vs the Apple iPad 2 - Elizabeth Taylor, All's Well that ends Well”.

Ditto too for the RIM PlayBook, with its tiny hard-to-use volume and power controls! RIM has its work cut out for it too in the smartphone market against the uncanny and seemingly endless Google Android Armada as stated in my blog article entitled “RIM Decline and Android Ascendancy - No Country for Old Men”.

But a pattern is now slowly forming since 2010AD debut of the Apple iPad in these early days of the Tablet Wars.

It would seem that having a pedigree in making Laptops and PCs is the key. This as thus far the best Tablets have been coming from Laptop and PC Makers, namely HP and the HP Touchpad as chronicled in my Geezam Blog article entitled “HP and WebOS - 2011 is the Year of the Linux on PC” and in my blog article entitled “HP and the TouchPad - Book of Revelations and The Spy Who Shagged Me”.

A follow-up, detailed article is coming on the Geezam Blog examining these products from Asus. This as we may be witness to history: a true-to-billing Apple iPad Killer in this offering from Asus that is X-Men: First Class (2011)!

VISA and Jack Dorsey's Square - Leena's TechCrunch of SME's Mad Money

Up and Down the city Road, in and out the Eagle

That’s the way the money goes – pop goes the weasel

W.T. Mandale, Pop Goes The Weasel

It looks like the Sony PSN (Play Station Network) hack, the so called Crime of the Century was a bit overplayed as my blog article entitled “AWC Fail, PSN Hack and Nokia Layoff - Murphy Law in a Clash of The Titans” tacitly suggests.

This as it is now coming to light that, despite the six (6) days of delays by Sony in reporting the breach, only ten million (10,000,000) of the reportedly seventy seven million (77,000,000) accounts that were compromised, had credit card information attached to them as stated in the article “Sony: PSN Services return this week, compensating for customers”, published April 30, 2011 10:52 PM PDT by Erica Ogg, Circuit Breaker - CNET News.

Great!

Now all I have to do is be vigilant for email spam both in my letter box as well as in my email, as if the hackers did not get Cash, the got something more valuable from all of the seventy seven million (77,000,000) accounts: personal information. So the jury is still out on what fellow bloggers and techies may be calling the The Great Train Robbery (1979) of the IT and Gaming World – in my lifetime!

Apparently Sony PSN does NOT heavily encrypt their Member Data stored on the Servers that power their Cloud-Based Services or ALLOW the use of Credit Card or Virtual VISA Debit Card go-between Payment Services such as Paypal Accounts or other means of protecting your valuable sixteen (16) Digit Card number and the associated Three (3) Digit CVV Code such as that on my Virtual VISA Debit Card from theft!

Sony, Really!?

Very handy, Debit and Credit Cards! Ditto too for online Banking in Jamaica on offer from the Big Three (3) Banks. These are modern day conveniences, up to the point when they are stolen from you as stated in the Geezam Blog article “NFC and M2M - Cashless Society and the Internet of Things”.

It will take some time before Techies and Geeks who live on Sony PSN trust plastic ever again in what is now The Great Train Robbery (1979) of the IT and Gaming World as opined in my blog article entitled “Yahoo Mail and Verizon LTE Failure - The Great Train Robbery with a Chance of Meatballs”.

So despite the bad Press surrounding online transactions and Credit and Debit Cards, it is good to find some news Internationals can look forward to in the future, especially SME’s (Small and Medium Enterprises) who wish to take advantage of Debit and Credit Card Transactions.

Square, the Silicon Valley Start up headed by Twitter co-founder and Chairman Jack Dorsey as stated in the article as stated in the article “Twitter co-founder launches new venture: Square”, published May 16^th 2010, Physorg, has ponied up what amounts to a show of confidence by Credit Card Giant VISA.

VISA has decided to play their angelic harp and pump US$37.5 million into Square’s coffers. This as reported by TechCrunch Reporter Leena Rao in the article “VISA makes a Strategic investment in Disruptive Mobile Payment Startup Square”, published April 27, 2011 by Leena Rao, TechCrunch.

This is an interesting development that comes on the heels of a major endorsement by CEO Steve Jobs of Apple Inc, in which he has allowed for the retail of the Square Card Reader in their Retail Stores in on Monday April 2011AD, with the App already free for download on the Apple App Store as stated in the article “Square's Disruptive Payment Service about to get a huge retail boost from Apple”, published April 16, 2011 by Leena Rao, TechCrunch.

Looks like TechCrunch Reporter Leena Rao, like a good bloodhound, has been fascinated, following Square progress, making me realize that I have to add TechCrunch to my RSS Feed!

For those who came late, I had done my blog article on Square entitled “CLARO and Square - The App of Year 2010 and CLARO's Saviour” in which I suggested Telecom Provider CLARO should partner with all of the Big Three (3) Banks in Jamaica, namely BNS (Bank of Nova Scotia), NCB (National Commercial Bank) and RBTT (Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago) to offer this service.

I even sent a copy of my proposal to entitled “CLARO and Square - The App of Year 2010 and CLARO's Saviour” to Telecom Provider CLARO that even suggested a way that it could be implemented even on regular feature phones, thus making the SME or even Street Vendor with a basic Mobile Phone and the Square Card Reader be capable of making Debit and Credit Card Transactions.

To date, not even a peep from Telecom Provider CLARO. Oh well!

Hence I have posted it on my blog, hoping someone search about on the InterWebs via the Internet will find my blog article on Square entitled “CLARO and Square - The App of Year 2010 and CLARO's Saviour”.

Hopefully these entrepreneurs working with the help of VC’s (Venture Capitalists), should attempt to implement it for Mobile Feature Phones such a the lowly Flashlight “Go-Go” phone as my deceased beloved Audia Granston used to call the Nokia 1208.

Implementation on smartphones, now pushing 50% of all phones in the US of A according to analyst Nielsen as stated in the Kevin C. Tofel of  GigaOM article entitled 1 in 2 Americans will Have a smartphone by Christmas 2011, published March 26, 2010, 10:41am PT By Kevin C. Tofel, GigaOM should be an easy one-two combo knockout, Wray and Nephew Contender Style.

It would make POS (Point of Sale) Platform more widely available by reducing the cost of ownership by virtue of using the Customer’s Mobile phone as the Equipment Platform in what effectively would be a Cloud-Based Service.

Already, the Bank of Nova Scotia has launched their Mobile Banking Platform based around smartphones and powered by Telecom Provider Digicel since November 2010 as stated in the article “Digicel, Scotiabank Partner on Mobile Banking Product”, published Wednesday November 24, 2010 by Mark Titus, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Bank of Nova Scotia Mobile Banking Platform allows for Mobile Banking by the Customer i.e. checking your Bank Account on the go, Inter- and Intra-Branch Bank Account Transfers etc.

It DOES NOT allow the user to accept Credit and Debit Card transactions on the device from a Customer in much the same way a POS or ATM. In such has hypothetical transaction, Square would work as follows:

1.      Customer A gives Customer B his Debit or Credit Card, Virtual VISA Debit Card via a Paypal Accounts to do the transaction on their smartphone using Bank of Nova Scotia Mobile Banking Platform.

2.      The Customer A on completion of the transaction would sign on the smartphone of Customer B to indicate the completion of the transaction.

3.      Customer A would then receive a receipt in their email to indicate the transaction took place, which they could check on there smartphone, should they have one connected to their email Account

The YouTube video ad from Square entitled “Welcome to Square” illustrates this best with the Apple iPhone.

Effectively, the above transaction, which would take place on Customer B’s smartphone would effectively involve transferring funds from Customer A Bank Account to Customer B’s Bank Account via the Mobile Phone Platform from Account to Account via the smartphone, effectively a M2M (Machine-to-Machine) Transaction as stated in the Geezam Blog article “NFC and M2M - Cashless Society and the Internet of Things”.

Or even accept cheques, a task easily achievable via an app that could take a picture of the front and back of the cheque and its security code and signature of the issues of the cheque to verify the validity of the cheque.

Telecom Provider CLARO and the Big Three (3) Banks in Jamaica are missing out on a slice of a very lucrative market in Jamaica as it relates Debit and Credit Card Transactions, which if  implemented for SME’s and Street Vendors, would spur a rapid adoption of the use of Merchant Accounts with Debit and Credit Cards.

This as more people would realize that instead of walking with Cash when visiting their favorite Street side Vendor, they instead could walk with a Debit or Credit Card, which would be safer than walking with live Cash.

Thus the Local Banks here in Jamaica would be able to make more Debit or Credit Card with lower overheads for maintaining POS Devices, as the SME’s and Street Vendors feature phone or smartphone would be the POS using the Square Card Reader.

The Square Card Reader and app for smartphones does this quite well in the United States of America. So well in fact, that according to the article “VISA makes a Strategic investment in Disruptive Mobile Payment Startup Square”, published April 27, 2011 by Leena Rao, TechCrunch, Square is on target to make a cool US$60 million this First Quarter of 2011.

This is up from a projected US$40 million in Credit and Debit Card Transactions in this First Quarter of 2011 as stated in the article “Square raises US$27.5 million from Sequoia and Khosla, on track to process US$40M in Q1 Payments”, published January 10, 2011 by Leena Rao, TechCrunch.

They have also received US$27.5 million in Venture Capital Funding from Khosla and Sequoia VC Investors. The Second Quarter of 2011 set to see a tripling of business, despite any public qualms about Credit Card security in Cloud-Based Services.

Not bad for a company that is barely a year old that started in May of 2010!

One can thus logically conclude that Credit Card Giant VISA paltry US$37.5 million for a company that clearly is doing well is merely an endorsement with bigger implications that may result in the above idea for Jamaicans and Internationals coming to pass.

This as, more importantly than money, the partnership (May I call it that, VISA and Square?) would result in VISA breaking into the still untapped Mobile payment business for SME’s in the USA and Internationally. This partnership would enable SME’s and Street Vendors with the ability to process VISA Credit Cards or Virtual VISA Debit Card  as described.

These are the same SME’s and Street Vendors who can’t afford to have a dedicated Credit Card Reader or the foot traffic in terms of customers but have a smartphone or feature phone handy.

Thus making the idea of “payment anywhere” a reality!

Square benefits by having the endorsement and approval of a fifty three (53) year old company VISA with contacts worldwide and would thus help to spread Square’s business internationally, inclusive of Jamaica.

Not surprising, as Supreme Ventures Ltd CEO Brian George has plans to upgrade their Wireless Gaming Network to utilize the GSM (Global Systems Mobile) Network of the Big Three (3) Telecom Providers to make Mobile Gaming a reality in Jamaica in the next five (5) years as stated in my blog article entitled “Supreme Ventures and Blackberry Gambling - Rihanna S&M on the Dark Side of the Moon”.

Possibly by the end of 2011, Square, in partnership with VISA, via Local Big Three (3) Banks and powered by Telecom Provider Digicel et al, which by then should have gobbled up Telecom Provider CLARO as reported in my blog article entitled “Digicel buys CLARO Jamaica - Jumanji Exchange is no Robbery” as most likely will go through as speculate in my blog article entitled “AT&T - T-Mobile and Digicel-CLARO Comparisons - Alice Through the Looking Glass The Day After” will be doing business in Jamaica.

After all, Credit and Debit Card fraud in Jamaica at an all time low.

National Commercial Bank has reported a reduction in write-offs for stolen Credit Cards in the Fourth Quarter of 2010 of JA$2.58 million, a reduction of 68% when compared to the corresponding Fourth Quarter of 2009, which saw JA$8.2 million in write-offs as stated in the article “Credit Card Fraud dips”, published Wednesday February 9, 2011 by Dionne Rose, Gleaner Reporter, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Hence these numbers can be seen as an indication of returning consumer confidence in Debit and Credit Card usage. They are a also a result of the removal of the Card Readers at the ATM Machines and the Public Relations Campaign by the Big Three (3) Banks to make Credit and Credit Card Holder more aware of how to protect their Credit Card and Debit Card from theft and cloning.

And there has been the recent arrest of people involved in Credit and Debit Cloning and Fraud as stated in the article ‘Credit Card Racket Busted”, published Friday, January 07, 2011, The Jamaica Observer.

If Square, VISA, the Big Three (3) Banks and Telecom Providers do as prescribed above, they could make some Mad Money (2008) come this Fourth Quarter of 2011 in Jamaica and Internationally and beyond in London, England as the London Olympics 2012 slated to commence on July 27^th 2012AD, comes up on the radar.