Texas customer is buying HP Containers, Active Power announces deal for HP POD 240a

Here is a press release on Active Power supplying power infrastructure for HP containers.

ACTIVE POWER : Receives Multiple Powerhouse Order from HP

Active Power (NASDAQ: ACPW), manufacturer of continuous power and infrastructure solutions, has received an order from HP for two containerized continuous power systems which will be deployed to support the HP POD 240a at a datacenter facility in Texas. The two PowerHouse^TM systems are part of a complete modular datacenter and infrastructure deployment and one of the most innovative and efficient IT solution packages available on the market today. Both systems will ship by the end of the year.

The two PowerHouse systems valued at nearly $2 million are each rated at 960 kW and will contain Active Power's high efficiency flywheel based CleanSource® UPS (uninterruptible power supply) system; switchgear; and monitoring and controls software. These systems will provide power conditioning and protection to the HP POD 240a, the world's most energy efficient modular datacenter, housing servers, storage, networking equipment, and other resources.

Who has more Water Rights a Data Center or a Farmer?

MSNBC covers the worsening drought conditions for Texas Farmers.

Drought so far cost Texas farms record $5.2 billion

'I think it's going to get bigger' once harvest is in, official says

Jae C. Hong  /  AP

Ranch owner Myron Calley loads empty bags in the back of his truck after feeding his cattle near Snyder, Texas on Aug. 12.

msnbc.com news services

LUBBOCK, Texas — The blistering drought in Texas has caused an estimated $5.2 billion in crop and livestock losses so far this agricultural season, a record figure likely to rise further, state officials said Wednesday.

1. Field surveys from November 2010 to Aug. 1 this year indicate livestock losses of $2.1 billion and crop losses of $3.1 billion in Texas.

So here is question for you in drought conditions who has more water rights the Farmer or data center operator?  I would say the Farmer does.

If your issues are within state then you may have this view.

Under the prior appropriation doctrine, water rights are "first in time, first in right." That is, the older, or senior, water right may operate to the exclusion of junior water rights. The concept of "priority date" is significant. The priority date is generally associated with the date that water was first put to beneficial use, or the date that a successful application for a water right was submitted, and indicates the relative status of seniority among competing users. Older rights are senior. More recent rights are junior.

I think most people and a judge could understand beneficial use of water for crops and livestock.  Try explaining them water use for a data center cooling system.

And, it is quite possible you may have Interstate Water Conflicts.

Resolution of Interstate Water Conflicts

Because water bodies may cross political and jurisdictional boundaries, conflicts may arise. In the United States, three basic approaches are used to settle such conflicts: 1) Litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States; 2) Legislative resolution by the Congress of the United States; and 3) Negotiation and ratification of interstate compacts between states. ^[3] In the western United States, for example, the 1922 Colorado River Compact divides the Colorado River basin into two areas, the Upper Division (comprising Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) and the Lower Division (Nevada, Arizona and California). A comprehensive review of existing interstate water compacts has been published by the Model Interstate Water Compact Project at the University of New Mexico School of Law's Utton Transboundary Resource Center.^[4]

Think Different switch back to the Mac from Windows

I worked at Apple from 1985 to 1992.  The Mac was introduced in 1985 and 1991 Apple shipped System 7. I spent much of time working on Mac OS 6.0.x and System 7 was years of being immersed in Mac development.  When I moved to Microsoft to work on Win3.1 my coworkers and I spent much of time using Macs as we were working TrueType and the vast majority of tools where on the Mac.

Even though many of my friends used Macs I didn't take the time to switch.  But, yesterday I switched to a 3rd generation MacBook Air and the Lion OS.

Switching from Windows to Mac is an interesting experience for me as it is bringing back a bunch of memories working on OS design.

The main reason I switched to the Mac were:

1. I needed a more powerful content creation laptop.  My Lenovo X200T was good, but not a good performer.  The MacBook Air i5 processor is much better with Sandy Bridge and SSD.
2. My main tools are Blogging, Photo Imaging, e-mail, Word, Excel and Powerpoint, so moving to the Mac is not a problem.
3. The Lenovo was light, but the MacBook Air is hard to beat for weight.

The funny thing is when I started using the Mac again, it brought back a bunch of memories of working at Apple and the way I used to work.  It's kind of old, 20 year old neurons were reconnecting on how the Mac has different priorities.

I have written a few blog entries with MarsEdit.  Downloaded photos from my Canon 7D.  Installed Office, Aperture, Lightroom as well.

I was much faster writing with Windows Live Writer, but it's only my  second day switching back to the Mac after almost 19 years.

AWS launches US Government Region - GovCloud

AWS announced GovCloud a new AWS region specifically designed for the US gov't users.

AWS GovCloud (US)

AWS GovCloud is an AWS Region designed to allow U.S. government agencies and contractors to move more sensitive workloads into the cloud by addressing their specific regulatory and compliance requirements. Previously, government agencies with data subject to compliance regulations such as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which governs how organizations manage and store defense-related data, were unable to process and store data in the cloud that the federal government mandated be accessible only by U.S. persons.

Part of what AWS has done is isolate the Region to have only US citizens.

Because AWS GovCloud is physically and logically accessible by U.S. persons only, government agencies can now manage more heavily regulated data in AWS while remaining compliant with strict federal requirements. The new Region offers the same high level of security as other AWS Regions and supports existing AWS security controls and certifications such as FISMA, SAS-70, ISO 27001, FIPS 140-2 compliant end points, and PCI DSS Level 1. AWS also provides an environment that enables agencies to comply with HIPAA regulations.

How many patents does Google gain by acquiring Motorola Mobility? 24,500 granted and pending

A good question to ask is how many patents does Google get from Motorola Mobility?

The press release announcing Motorola Mobility is here.

Motorola Mobility is comprised of two industry-leading global technology businesses. The Mobile Devices business is an innovative provider of smartphone devices designed to fit every lifestyle. In 2010, the Mobile Devices business launched 23 smartphones globally, including the highly successful family of DROID™ by Motorola devices as well as BRAVO™, DEFY™, FLIPSIDE™, MILESTONE™ and others. The Home business is one of the largest providers of digital set-top boxes and end-to-end video solutions. Motorola Mobility will leverage the capabilities of both the Mobile Devices and Home businesses to deliver innovative smartphones, tablets, set-tops and other converged devices – as well as content delivery and management, and interactive cloud-based services to consumers in the home and on the go.

And the same press release says what the patent portfolio is.

“With more than 20,000 employees globally, 24,500 patents granted and pending, and a highly recognizable brand, we are able to deliver cutting-edge devices with differentiated software experiences. In addition, we will continue to work aggressively to capitalize on the next generation of converged devices and experiences to provide consumers with more intuitive and personalized services,” Jha added.