So I am reading the big announcement about Amazon’s DynamoDB and I literally find myself getting excited…seriously!!! When I hear things like, “tables can also grow without limits as their users store increasing amounts of data” and “DynamoDB automatically spreads the data and traffic for a table over a sufficient number of servers to meet the request capacity specified by the customer,” my geek-heart begins to sing! Come on people…isn’t scalability the key to life!

According to Amazon, DynamoDB "provides fast and predictable performance with seamless scalability!"  Fast and scalable...these are usually the first two words spoken by any customer building an enterprise software system!  According to Werner Vogels, CTO of Amazon, "You tell the service the number of requests it has to handle per second, and it does the rest automatically. So we spread the data across enough hardware to provide consistent performance, which also protects against downtime. Before DynamoDB, this was something developers actually had to manage themselves."  He had me at "automatically"...which translated into non-tech speak is "automagically"!

Sounds too good to be true...right?  So of course the question always looming in the room is...how much do I have to PAY to play???  The million dollar answer, according to Amazon is..."request capacity is priced at cost-efficiently hourly rates as low as $.01 per hour for 10 units of Write Capacity or 50 strongly consistent units of Read Capacity (if you use eventually consistent reads you can get twice the throughput at the same cost, or the same read throughput at half the cost) Also, replicated solid state disk (SSD) storage is $1 per GB per month. Our low request pricing is designed to meet the needs of typical database workloads that perform large numbers of reads and writes against every GB of data stored."   In non-tech language, according to  SimpleRNA it's about $15/month for a "small" app (10 units of Write, 50 units of Read, and 1 GB of Indexed data).  Basically, "you only pay for  the database capacity provisioned (number of reads and writes per second, size of items) and the usage."  Bottom line..the more you read and write, the more you pay!  Didn't our parents say that the more we read and write the more WE get paid?  I guess this does not apply to technology!

I am still thrilled to the see what the Amazon DynamoDB service has to offer up to the world of software development.  Although still in beta it has addressed the core problems of database management, performance, scalability, and reliability and I am sure many a software developer is thrilled by the potential of NoSQL product! So the question is...who wants to go first?

Tonight the Margaret Hunt Hill (MHH) Bridge will light up the Dallas skyline and will remain lit for the next two weeks. The MHH Bridge, which connects West Dallas and North Oak Cliff with Downtown Dallas, is one of five bridges that are to be built across the Trinity River Corridor. The bridge is set to open in March with a weekend long celebration including, fireworks, art booths, and other entertainment. The total estimated cost of the bridge is $115 million. The Hunt Petroleum Company of Dallas contributed $12 million to the overall Trinity River project and was given naming rights. Some interesting facts about the bridge:

• It will feature six lanes for traffic
• The “signature” portion of the bridge will span 1,200-feet in length
• Steel used in the construction of the bridge was manufactured in Italy and the designer is world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava
• A 400-foot central transverse will hold the structure upright
• You can see a live updates every minute here

Two more bridges that are currently in design phase are, the IH-30 and IH-35E bridge. The IH-35E NAFTA highway bridge could potentially impact over 40 million travelers per year!

Those traveling in Dallas tonight let me know how the bridge looks and your thoughts on the Trinity River project!

If you work at Microsoft, you might be admiring the bunnies all over campus on this lovely Friday afternoon. These cute little creatures are frolicking all over Microsoft’s Corporate Campus. Some of them have been spayed and neutered to keep the population under control. The bunnies have even made their way to the other nearby office of Nintendo and Eddie Bauer.

Over at Google’s campus you might think you have stumbled onto a farm. While not as cute as the Microsoft bunnies, Google has its own campus animals. Google uses goats as environment friendly lawn keepers who eat the grass and weeds.

Although not a real animal, Apple’s Dogcow could be seen in the Cario font on the Macintosh. Her “moof” sound, nickname Dogcow, and given name Clarus, have all been trademarked by Apple. If you see happen to see any interesting animals at your workplace let us know. Happy Friday everyone!

Howdy everyone! Sorry for the delay, Our Town Tuesday comes to you on Thursday. Enjoy!

As if Starbucks isn’t already expensive, they announced they will be raising prices in Dallas, among other places, on their beverages. The smallest size (12oz) will see a 10 cent increase while the next biggest size, the Grande will not change. The only states that will not see a price hike are Florida and California. If you are looking for a place to de-stress from the extra money you will be paying for your morning cup-of-Joe, Lone Star Park is the place to be.

Having been recently bought by Global Gaming Solutions, Lone Star Park has undergone some significant upgrades to start attracting a more diverse crowd. You can now relax in their recently renovated VIP lounge and bar, while watching your favorite sport on their high-definition TV’s. One customer said about his betting strategy, “Right now I’m even… So that’s winning.” Sounds good to me! And if horse betting doesn’t suit your fancy, how about getting in a game at the local tennis court?

Around Richland Hills recreational areas, visitors can now expect to see white stop-sign shaped signs with a QR (or quick response) code on it. When scanned with a smartphone or similar device the user is directed to the city’s website for reserving tennis courts. QR codes like these can now be seen in places throughout the Dallas Ft. Worth area. Cities such as, Euless, Hurst, Colleyville, and North Richland Hills, are using them in a variety of ways to communicate information to the public in more efficient and cost-saving manner. Arlington has decided to use Microsoft Tags in Richard Greene Linear Park, which essentially provide the same function as a QR code but look more aesthetically pleasing. Mobile solutions, such as QR Codes, are just one of the ways companies are becoming more efficient. Building a mobile application can empower any company with the tools and information that will enable them drive additional productivity!

Today we look back at some of the best and worst in 2011 (lists one though four come from TIME.com and the last one comes from CNN). We will be out all next week, so this will be my last post in 2011. Sad I know. We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a happy new year! And as always, feedback is appreciated and welcomed!

Top 10 Best Movies in 2011:
1. The Artist
2. Hugo
3. Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
4. The Tree of Life
5. War Horse
6. Super 8
7. Cave of Forgotten Dreams
8. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
9. Rango
10. Fast Five – Does someone want to defend this? I will admit I haven’t seen it but with all the other movies out there I was surprised to see this make the list.

Top 10 Worst Movies in 2011:
1. Jack and Jill – Never heard of this movie until now and I am huge Adam Sandler fan so I was sad to see this.
2. Sucker Punch
3. Red Riding Hood
4. Your Highness
5. Zookeeper
6. Trespass
7. The Future
8. I Melt with You
9. Miral
10. Breaking Dawn – I know someone out there HAS to have an opinion about this one…

Top 10 Memes of 2011:
1. We Are the 99 Percent – Did anyone participate in this movement?
2. Planking – Guy died doing this, let’s hope this fad has come and gone.
3. Princess Beatrice’s Fascinator
4. #Winning by Charlie Sheen
5. Tebowing
6. Hipster Ariel
7. Ted Williams’ Golden Voice
8. Paula Deen Riding Things – Umm yea it’s exactly what you think.
9. Bronies – Any professed Bronies out there?
10. Chuck Testa

Top 10 Best Tweets:
1. @keithurbahn “So I’m told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. Hot damn.”
2. @rep_giffords “The #Capitol looks beautiful and I am honored to be at work tonight.”
3. @Ghonim “Mission accomplished. Thanks to all the brave young Egyptians.”
4. @BillGates “For those of us lucky enough to get to work with Steve, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.”
5. @ReallyVirtual “Uh oh, now I’m the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it.”
6. @whitehouse “in order to reduce the deficit, what costs would you cut and what investments would you keep – bo”
7. @JonnieMarbLes “It is a far better thing that I do now than I have ever done before #splat”
8. @news_va_en “Dear Friends, I just launched News.va Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI”
9. @whitehouse “@wiggsd Sorry to hear that. Fiscal policy is important, but can be dry sometimes. Here’s something more fun: tinyurl.com/y8ufsnp #WHChat”
10. @charliesheen “#winning”

And now onto my favorite category…*drumroll* Top 10 Video Games of 2011! CNN’s Larry Frum writes, “Enough already about “Angry Birds” — there were plenty of great console video games in 2011.” Larry, I couldn’t agree more! Here we go:
10. “Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception”
9. “LA Noire” – Very cool game.
8. “Little Big Planet 2”
7. “Deus Ex: Human Revolution”
6. “NBA 2K11”
5. “Saints Row the Third”
4. “Bastion”
3. “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”
2. “Batman: Arkham City”
1. “Portal 2” – “Most people emerge from suspension terribly undernourished. I want to congratulate you on beating the odds and somehow managing to pack on a few pounds.” – GLaDOS

Thought prison time could keep this woman down? Not a chance. Martha Stewart is the woman who can do it all. Best-selling books, T.V. shows, retail goods, and homes – these are just a few of the things Stewart has in her portfolio. Adding to that, Plano based JCPenney has recently bought minority stake in Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. Plans to launch its store-within-a-store model and a joint website, are set to take off in 2013. And here is a fun fact; Martha Stewart’s prison nickname was M.Diddy. M. Diddy & JCP, catchy right?

Next in local news… If you think the Texas drivers are crazy, let’s talk about the roads! Just about every commute I take goes through construction of some kind. If you live or have driven anywhere near 121/183 in the Mid-Cities, you know the construction in this area is ever-changing to make way for the Northeast Tarrant Express project. Nearly every business in the area is being affected, and many have moved to other locations within their communities. In this article published by the Star-Telegram you can see the breakdown of different cities’ struggle to keep their businesses thriving. The project is expected to span 13.5 miles and cost nearly $2.5 billion. The North Tarrant Express website is a good source of information on closures and up-to-date activity of the construction. I, for one, will be happy when the construction ends. There have been several times I have almost gotten into accidents because of the uneven lanes. I wonder if there is anyone out there who has gotten into an accident because of the construction?

I am going to start another weekly segment! These posts will be about our local DFW news and happenings. Enjoy!

Who would like to admit they text while driving? In Arlington a city wide ordinance was passed in September that bans texting while behind the wheel. Drivers can still talk on their cell phone which prompts me to wonder, if an officer sees someone dialing a number how will they know if they are texting or calling someone. Btw did you know in 2010 DFW ranked second in cities with the worst road rage, who would like to guess which city was first?

There are so many wonderful small/medium sized business here in DFW, and here at Ayoka we are a fan of supporting and helping local business. Here is an example of a small Plano based business, using Facebook to promote her gift basket business and just in time for the holidays! What other small businesses do you know of that utilize social media to promote their products or services here in DFW?

I couldn’t resist posting this from NPR’s The Picture Show. Willy the polar bear is so adorable! And this blog showcases some really interesting photos – if you have time you should check it out.

Now onto something I have been wondering about for a while now – when is Google+ going to take off? Maybe it has and I missed the memo. I do have a Google+ account but don’t really know what to do with it. Farhad Manjoo, Slate‘s technology columnist and the author of the article, thinks Google+ has already missed its chance to compete with Facebook. Manjoo points out that even Google+’s executives were not using the site and only to returned when bloggers noticed their absence. So, what is to become of Google+? My thought is that it will pick up with early adopters, social media enthusiasts, and SEO experts looking to try something new. However, I think consumers will be slow to use it and start conversations. If you have a Google+ account do you use it? Do you find your friends use it? How do you think it differs from Facebook? I would love to hear some feedback on this.

*Side note: I have switched all my Gmail account to the “new look” but I don’t really like it. The scroll bar for my labels is not visible until hovering over it, and everything has this almost opaque look to it which makes things hard for me to see. Any feedback about the “new look”?

Happy Friday to everyone! Stay warm!

So as you all sit at the dinner table this Thanksgiving and drool over the Turkey…Let’s talk technology!

Yes, I said technology…What technology are you grateful for this Thanksgiving??? Inquiring minds want to know…Ok I am curious!

Here is a random sample from our office on this lovely day before Thanksgiving:

The technology that Patrick is thankful for this Thanksgiving is: Facebook!!

Why? “Otherwise I would be out of the loop!”

The technology that Cara is thankful for this Thanksgiving is: Hulu!!!
Hulu
Why? “Otherwise I wouldn’t watch any TV!”

The technology that Troy is thankful for this Thanksgiving is: WinAmp!!!
Winamp
Why? “It stays at the top of the screen and doesn’t cover my windows…and it’s free!”

The technology that Tien is thankful for this Thanksgiving is: Google maps!!!
Google Maps
Why? “Because it’s awesome…I don’t even need to know an address, I just have to know the name of the business and it finds it!”

The technology that Steven is thankful for this Thanksgiving is: Netflix!!!
Netflix
Why? “Went from spending $100/mth on TV to $12/mth!”

The technology that Robin is thankful for this Thanksgiving is: Open Source!!!
Open Source
Why? “It’s the hippy movement of software development!”

Well there you have it…random bits of technology that some of the folks here at Ayoka are thankful for this Thanksgiving! Thank goodness they will have plenty of time to enjoy them on the break!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

P.S. So thankful for my iPhone!!

This is a short week for us, so here is my Friday post on Wednesday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone and enjoy!

Is it just me or are crazy things always happening in Florida? Two men working at a Dominos Pizza were arrested for burning down a Papa John’s in close proximity to their store. The men hoped it would drive more sales toward Dominos. A bit competitive are we?

What was a million dollar piece of art in a German museum is now just a wooden structure with a bowl underneath. A janitor mistakenly cleaned what she thought was just dirty water in the bowl, thus ruining the art piece. That is one good janitor; I need to see if she will come clean my house!