IBM Industry Models

What’s New in IBM

Industry  Models Version 8.1

IBM Industry Models version 8.1 feature enhanced industry content and tooling for the banking, insurance, and health plans models. These models accelerate business requirements, deployment and user acceptance of performance management solutions based on IBM Industry Models, IBM InfoSphere Information Server, InfoSphere Warehouse and IBM Cognos 8 BI.
Specifically, this new version contains:

• New banking process model content for trade finance, payments and corporate actions.
• New Rational Data Architect (RDA) native business glossary and logical models for Banking, Insurance, Health Plan and Financial Markets for tighter and streamlined InfoSphere Information Server, InfoSphere Business Glossary and Cognos 8 BI integration.
• Enhanced Enterprise Model Extender (EME) for RDA capabilities for multi-user and source control management integration, plus, scope management extensions to accelerate and simplify lifecycle management.

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The release enables new and existing clients, who have invested in the IBM Industry Data Models, to take greater advantage of the InfoSphere and Cognos portfolio to accelerate their industry specific, performance management solutions.
Here are some of the new capabilities in more detail:
Enhanced Content: banking process model content including:

• Trade Finance: Addition of Trade Finance content to Process and Service models that allows financial institutions to re-engineer and streamline their trade finance offerings from both a Business and IT perspective.
• Payments: IBM has extended the Payments Services models to support Payment Initiation (PAIN) messages in addition to the existing Payment, Clearing, and Settlement (PACS) messages. Each of these components are key aspects of the Single Euro Payments Area initiative.
• Corporate Actions: IBM has extended the Corporate Actions subject area by adding the Services models to the existing Process Models which were delivered in version 8.0.

Enhance Tooling: Tighter integration with InfoSphere Information Server with the Banking (BDW), Insurance (IIW), Health Plan Data Model (HPDM) and Financial Markets (FMDW) Data Models:

• IBM will deliver and support the Statement of Record, Summary, and Analysis models in native Rational Data Architect (RDA) logical data format.
• IBM has created RDA business glossary models based on the conceptual and requirements models from each of these industries, thus enabling the content to be delivered and integrated with InfoSphere Information Server (using InfoSphere Metadata Server) using the native meta-brokers available to RDA users. The glossary models will be linked to the logical data models enabling tighter linkage between business concepts and definitions and the downstream physical implementation.
• IBM has migrated version 8.0 of the Health Plan Data Models to the Enterprise Model Extender environment from MMM. With this migration, customers can now take advantage of a more robust and functional modeling environment, resulting in higher quality models and integration capabilities.
• Native Rational Data Architect (RDA) data models for Banking, Insurance, Financial Markets and Health Plan deliver simplified usage by InfoSphere Information Server (especially InfoSphere Business Glossary, InfoSphere Information Analyzer, InfoSphere FastTrack and IBM Cognos 8 BI)
• Enhanced data model tooling and additional support for IBM Health Plan Data Model. Native RDA format models: Data Models – Logical Data Models – System of Record, Summary and Analysis; Conceptual and Requirements. New Multi-user, source code control (SCCS) options and reporting capabilities.
• IBM Enterprise Model Extender for Rational Data Architect (new Base Tooling). Multi-user and source control management integration. Scope management extension.

 

The Power of the Green Screen

I recently saw James Cameron's new movie, Avatar.  It is a tour de force of computer animation and special effects.  Unlike many sci-fi and action films, this one actually had a decent (if predictable) story.  Movies like this really blur the lines between special effects and reality.

In quite a different way, the use of so-called Green Screen. (or more correctly, Chroma Keying) technology is doing much the same thing for movies set in actual locations.  It is getting so that you can hardly tell what has been shot in the studio and what is real.

Latest operating systems

Mac OS X is the world’s most advanced operating system. Built on a rock-solid UNIX foundation and designed to be simple and intuitive, it’s what makes the Mac innovative, highly secure, compatible, and easy to use. Quite simply, there is nothing else like it.

Power of UNIX. Simplicity of the Mac.

Mac OS X is both easy to use and incredibly powerful. Everything — from the desktop you see when you start up your Mac to the applications you use every day — is designed with simplicity and elegance in mind. So whether you’re browsing the web, checking your email, or video chatting with a friend on another continent,* getting things done is at once easy to learn, simple to perform, and fun to do. Of course, making amazing things simple takes seriously advanced technologies, and Mac OS X is loaded with them. Not only is it built on a rock-solid, time-tested UNIX foundation that provides unparalleled stability, it also delivers incredible performance, stunning graphics, and industry-leading support for Internet standards.

Perfect integration of hardware and software.

Since the software on every Mac is created by the same company that makes the Mac itself, you get an integrated system in which everything works together perfectly. The advanced technologies in the operating system take full advantage of the 64-bit, multicore processors and GPUs to deliver the greatest possible performance. The built-in iSight camera works seamlessly with the iChat software so you can start a video chat with a click. Your Mac notebook includes a Multi-Touch trackpad that supports pinching, swiping, and other gestures. And the OS communicates with the hardware to deliver incredible battery life by spinning down the hard drive when it’s inactive, by intelligently deciding whether the CPU or GPU is best for a task, and by automatically dimming the screen in low-light conditions.

Elegant interface and stunning graphics.

The most striking feature of a Mac is its elegant user interface, made possible by graphics technologies that are built to leverage the advanced graphics processor in your Mac. These technologies provide the power for things like multiway chatting, real-time reflections, and smooth animations. Fonts on the screen look beautiful and extremely readable. A soft drop shadow makes it clear at a glance which window is active and which ones are in the background. You can preview just about any type of file using Quick Look and because the previews are high resolution, you can actually read the text. Built-in support for the PDF format means you can view or create PDFs from almost any application in the system.

LINUX

Linux is a clone of the operating system Unix, written from scratch by Linus Torvalds with assistance from a loosely-knit team of hackers across the Net. It aims towards POSIX and Single UNIX Specification compliance.
It has all the features you would expect in a modern fully-fledged Unix, including true multitasking, virtual memory, shared libraries, demand loading, shared copy-on-write executables, proper memory management, and multistack networking including IPv4 and IPv6.
Although originally developed first for 32-bit x86-based PCs (386 or higher), today Linux also runs on (at least) the Alpha AXP, Sun SPARC, Motorola 68000, PowerPC, ARM, Hitachi SuperH, IBM S/390, MIPS, HP PA-RISC, Intel IA-64, AMD x86-64, AXIS CRIS, Renesas M32R, Atmel AVR32, Renesas H8/300, NEC V850, Tensilica Xtensa, and Analog Devices Blackfin architectures; for many of these architectures in both 32- and 64-bit variants.
Linux is easily portable to most general-purpose 32- or 64-bit architectures as long as they have a paged memory management unit (PMMU) and a port of the GNU C compiler (gcc) (part of The GNU Compiler Collection, GCC). Linux has also been ported to a number of architectures without a PMMU, although functionality is then obviously somewhat limited. See the µClinux project for more info.

New to Linux?

If you're new to Linux, you don't want to download the kernel, which is just a component in a working Linux system. Instead, you want what is called a distribution of Linux, which is a complete Linux system. There are numerous distributions available for download on the Internet as well as for purchase from various vendors; some are general-purpose, and some are optimized for specific uses. We currently have mirrors of several distributions available at mirrors.kernel.org, as well as a small collection of special-purpose distributions at
Note, however, that most distributions are very large (several gigabytes), so unless you have a fast Internet link you may want to save yourself some hassle and purchase a CD-ROM with a distribution; such CD-ROMs are available from a number of vendors.
The Linux Installation HOWTO has more information how to set up your first Linux system.

Latest gadgets

HSTi Wireless Media Stick nixes the need for dedicated storage drives

The banners aren't even officially up in Vegas yet, and already we're catching a drift of what all will be unveiled in the days to come. Take this Wireless Media Stick for example, which is HSTi's way of telling you that a dedicated storage drive beside your Blu-ray player or media player is completely unnecessary. Put simply, this device (and the accompanying software, we presume) plugs directly into any USB-enabled disc player or media streamer that's connected to your television; from there, you can easily stream media that's already shacked up within your main PC to your TV-connected device(s), which cures the problem of having your media fragmented between varying drives. We're still waiting to hear exactly what kind of technology this thing relies on (we're guessing 2.4GHz), but hopefully we'll find out more (along with a price and ship date) real soon.

Milestone multitouch browser ported to the Droid by a user-made patch (video)

This little nugget of software is itself still in beta, but if you can't wait for the full Milestone firmware portto climb out of alpha development, it's a good alternate route to getting your Droid dancing in the "pinch to zoom" party. Once again produced by the good folks over at AllDroid, the patch substitutes the Droid's default browser with the Milestone's multitouch capable one -- and from the feedback we're seeing it does so very cleanly and painlessly, whether you're running Android 2.0.1 or 2.1. You'll still need to root your device first, and some background reading is advisable before jumping in, but then you should be clear for take-off into the world of multitouch browsing. Video evidence after the break.

Intel's Arrandale and Clarkdale CPUs get benchmarked for your enjoyment

Whoa, Nelly! Just weeks after Intel came clean with its new Pine Trial nettop and netbook platform, the company is today cutting loose with a few more. This go 'round, we've got the 32nm Arrandale (which consists of the Core i5 Mobile and Core i3 Mobile) heading for the laptops and the 32nm Clarkdale chips over on the desktop front. Starting with the former, most reviews found the CPU + GPU solution to be faster than rivaling Core 2 Duo + integrated GPU options, with the Core i5 being particularly potent in highly threaded applications. Better still, battery life didn't seem to take a hit even with the extra performance, though high-end, high-res gaming was still a lesson in futility when working without a discrete graphics card. Overall, the chip was a welcome addition to the fold, but we got the feeling that the first wave was priced too high and offered too little of a performance increase on the gaming side to really warrant a wholehearted recommendation. As for the Clarkdale? The Core i5 661 that everyone seemed to snag was found to be blisteringly fast, with most folks deeming it the outright champion in the dual-core realm. Unfortunately, the integrated GPU was -- again -- not awesome for hardcore gaming, and the questionable pricing didn't exactly thrill some critics. Do yourself a favor and dig into the benchmarks below -- we get the feeling we'll be seeing oodles of machines hit the wires this week with these chips within.

HTC testing out 'touch tablets' for Android and Chrome OS?

What good would the rumor mill be if it didn't voice our innermost desires? Apparently not content with giving us the roomy 4.3-inch HD2, HTC is now said to be actively testing out fully fledged tablet devices. Slated (get it?) to be driven by Google's Android and minimalist Chrome OS, multiple varieties are currently being run through their paces and there's even word that "core HTC customers" will get to check them out at CES. Who these doyens are and whether they'll be so kind as to leak us a few photos is unknown, but word is that Qualcomm and Adobe are engaged to provide their hardware and software knowhow -- making for an impressive corporate combo if nothing else. This is still strictly uncorroborated, one-source rumormongering, but ain't it fun?

Microsoft Research patents controller-free computer input via EMG muscle sensors

We've seen plenty of far-fetched EMG-based input methods, like the concentration-demanding, head-based NeuroSky controller, but Microsoft Research is asking for a patent that involves much simpler gestures -- and might actually make a bit of sense. As demonstrated in the video after the break, Microsoft's connecting EMG sensors to arm muscles and then detecting finger gestures based on the muscle movement picked up by those sensors. It does away for the need of a pesky camera (or Power Glove) to read complicated hand gestures, and can even sense modified versions of the gestures to be performed while your hands are full. Microsoft's developing a wireless EMG sensor module that could be placed all over the body, and while like all Microsoft Research projects this seems pretty far from market, there's a small, optimistic part of us that could see some of the benefits here for controlling mobile devices. And boy do we love controlling mobile devices.

Samsung NX10 made official -- APS-C sensor and AMOLED screen crammed into hybrid DSLR body

Breaking News

Samsung has just announced its NX10 "hybrid DSLR," which aims to give you all the uncompromising image quality of a full digital SLR within a somewhat more pocketable body. A 14.6 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor is a good start on that road, while "fast and decisive" contrast AF and a snazzy 3-inch AMOLED display keep the momentum going. There's 720p H.264-encoded video recording as well, but naturally you do have to make some tradeoffs for the reduced size. The mirror box is gone -- leaving you with only an electronic viewfinder -- and the brand new NX lens mounting system means you'll have to purchase your favorite lenses all over again. We'll wait and see whether the NX10 shows any appreciable advantages (such as price!) over the slightly smaller Micro Four Thirds shooters out there, but with a spring 2010 release date and a CESappearance on the cards, that wait shouldn't be too long. Go past the break for the full PR and spec sheet.

Update: DPReview has an in-depth breakdown and a hands-on preview of the new shooter.

Samsung NX10