Pleased to announce Late Night Health on Radio, a unique show that features radio and television industry veteran Mark Alyn who addresses the health and wellness concerns of America's growing upscale Baby Boomer market. Stay tuned for more information.

Russia Embraces Social Media

We are in the middle of a very interesting report that highlights the growth of social media in Russia. Stay tuned.

IBM Intends To Own The Cloud and Wear The Crown

The Cloud is prime real estate by any definition. Even Apple with its recent announcement about iCloud enhancements, which will make movies available for the new Apple TV, has a "heads up" position.

That being said, IBM NYSE: (IBM) intends to dominate cloud computing with its "silver bullet" that is capable of streaming the entire contents of a PC - software and all - over the Web. Known as the "Secure Enterprise Desktop," a USB key provides instructions for assessing an entire system from the cloud with a direct connection to a remove server as it bypasses the PC, or Linus computer into which it's been inserted. Oh, and forget the local software...not needed. Pretty neat!

The concept is derived from the Swiss banking software called the Zone Trusted Information Channel (ZTIC) used to secure sensitive electronic transaction information. 

A virtual machine, known as a hypervisor, then comes into play as a host similar to a dumb terminal accepting changes from a mainframe. The changes, which are synchronized on the cloud, appear to be occurring on the desktop. 

This is a major game changer!! Get ready for the new King...Big Blue.

 

The New Look of Retail

As more and more people shop online, the retail environment is changing to attract more brick and mortar customers.

As we reported last week, a number of companies exhibited at the National Retail Federation's (NRF) convention in New York City. It was evident at the convention that retailers are making positive changes.

Ignoring technology can be a very expensive mistake, and retailers are addressing this by introducing interactive technology into the store environment combined with a more personal shopping experience.

Expect to see the introduction of digital checkout, health/wellness centers and cozy environments...think Starbucks.

There's also a clear sign that Big Box is on its way out.