Technology Toolkit

Come, easy, easy go, vigorous major adjustment in international commodity markets actually ended dramatically in favor of commodity prices over the past two weeks, the Jedi counterattack, the strongest financial attributes of gold, copper and crude oil varieties once again walk in the the head of a large force. This wave of rapid rebound in crude oil increases, and Copper & up to 12% over the same period of rising international price of gold has more than 6%. At press time, the international price of gold and the three-month LME copper price has exceeded $ 1,425, respectively, the highest / oz and $ 9,000 / ton, refresh the historic highs. Main crude oil contract for the United States on the disk wear 90 U.S. dollars / barrel, reaching a new high stage in two years.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke issued may continue to \”print money\” remarks stirred the market on inflation concerns. December 5, Bernanke has been cautious to the CBS said the U.S. economy \”not likely\” be second bottom, he did not promise to expand the bond purchase plan, but does not rule out its possibilities. He said the Fed may \”when necessary\” bond purchase 600 billion U.S. dollars to expand the scale in order to prevent the U.S. economy back into recession.

Obviously the big words out of investors by surprise, because both had a number of economic data showed the U.S. economy is gradually recovering the right track. Many people even expected, as the U.S. economy relative to Europe\’s turn for the better, the Fed on the QE2 (the second round of quantitative easing) the demand has become less urgent, and perhaps do not need QE3 out. But on Friday\’s U.S. payrolls figures investors awoke unexpectedly weak U.S. employment rate of economic recovery is still a lack of support, the so-called strong dollar is also not stable. Industry experts said Bernanke\’s comments could mean the market will be more liquidity, which means that some commodities will continue to rise, or the dollar to decline further.

Among them, copper and crude oil rose from investors in commodity market liquidity, increased expectations, investors believe the central bank will continue to help stimulate the fragile U.S. economic recovery to support the demand for raw materials. In addition, parts of Europe and the U.S. this year, the cold weather, stock and other fundamentals of the tension of copper were also boosted their prices. Meanwhile, gold hit record highs to avoid the risk of inflation or because of funding large-scale presence, Barclays Capital, the data show that the global gold stock ETF\’s holdings have increased to a record high of 2151.3 tons, showing that the upsurge in investor risk aversion. In addition to these three commodities, the measure of 19 kinds of major commodities in the CRB index rose to 10 November the highest level since, as most commodity prices. Industry sources said the rapid recovery from the part of the international commodity to the level before the November crash, and even the case of high courage, the U.S. policy of quantitative easing is still firmly controlled by the movements of the general direction of commodity markets, a number of strong financial attributes The varieties may be more wide open up space.

Asterisk phone systems is in a software program. The benefit of the software is that it replaces large expensive phone systems. These expensive phone systems have many extensions. The asterisk would replace those extensions. For the residential user it would save money on the long distance calls. Because of this, it is in software the system is versatile, customizable, and can be extended.

So why would you need this system? The main reason is to do away with all the extensions on your current system. Especially if you\’re using a PBX. A PBX is expensive, even a moderate size can cost around $100,000. A PBX is also limited on its flexibility. A PBX will offer voice mail but is difficult to integrate into existing systems. However, with the Asterisk there are benefits to changing to the system.

There are multiple reasons to use this system. The most important for a business is the all software approach, which means it manipulates and routes voice over Internet Protocol packets, instead of switching analog lines. The business using this software would receive voice mail, support for multiple lines, and call routing. In addition, there is an interface to the OS and extreme power form the programming language.

Your company can add web-based admin interface, SQL databases, a detailed call log to the database and additional features. Some features are optional some come with the system. So what can you expect with this package? It comes with the ability to service digital and analog phones, call routing logic, route incoming and outgoing calls, voice mail, and teleconferencing.

The call routing logic is amazing as the program will route the calls in the most least expensive way, this save the company money. The incoming and outgoing routing does this by detecting standard voice lines, or the Internet. A company can use the detailed logging of information to analyze and billing methods. There are complex and simple menus that are interactive. Allows prerecorded messages to be played on peoples cell phones.

If your personal are traveling on the road they can call in to check their voice mail from a web browser. When a customer is placed on hold, the system will announce hold time to the caller. There are many components to the system. With a Linux PC, the entire package is functioning free.

The package even has a server to assist the company. You can use hard phones with the asterisk by using a Wi-Fi network. It uses the SIP protocol over an Ethernet system. Even a soft phone can be used by implementing a microphone or earpiece. The microphone would be attached to a PC. This is generally the method used for all soft phones.

Asterisk is a digital phone system, so older phones would use the ATA to hook them together. With this software package in place at a business, it will enhance the calling procedures. It can save money and time and do away with large expensive phone packages. With a little research, a company can find a way to switch their current large expensive telephone structure to an Asterisk.

At the cusp of finally to the Wall Street WikiLeaks formal \”declaration of war\”: the founder Julian Assange WikiLeaks recently claimed that the site\’s next goal will be a large U.S. bank. With Bank of America suspect that the bank executives this sternly denied. But experts point out that the face of the growing \”leak\” wind, Wall Street seems a bit helpless.

Bank of America into the leak goals?

WikiLeaks site recently leaked to accept the \”Forbes\” magazine interview, said the United States will be published within a large bank of sensitive materials. A Sangqi that will include tens of thousands of copies of these materials revealed that the bank documents some unethical behavior, but he did not further disclose the bank\’s name and the type of unethical behavior.

This on the news to the recent \”turmoil\” on Wall Street even more frightened, but the A Sangqi in October 2009 to accept the \”Computer World\” said in an interview with a passage quickly to get people\’s attention to focus on Wall Street giant – the United States banks.

\”For example, we are currently being compiled from the U.S. bank, a senior computer\’s hard drive 5 gigabytes of information.\” He said, \”Now how do we publish it out? This is a very difficult problems. we can put this information compressed into a huge file, but we know, it is so out of limited release. To have an impact, so people have to research, search and dug up dirt from the form of release. \”

As the market speculation that Bank of America will be the next high-profile WikiLeaks targets, once Bank of America shares fell 3% that day.

But the bank is responsible for global strategy and marketing executives Annifennu Kane (Anne Finucane) that day said there was no evidence that Bank of America is the next target WikiLeaks, \”We do not know what is the next target WikiLeaks and did not have any contact with them. \”The next day the bank shares recovered lost ground in early trading in part.

During the financial crisis almost forced to accept the collapse of 45 billion U.S. dollars of U.S. government relief funds banks have accepted numerous federal and state investigators, and involved a large number of class action lawsuits. Investors are worried that a possible leak will result in the further investigation of the line.

Wall Street\’s frustration

Although this is the first time WikiLeaks \”prove safety,\” Wall Street, but this is not the first time, the site for private companies, including some well-known banks.

In 2009, Britain\’s Barclays Bank has received court approval to stop the British \”The Guardian\” published on its Web site associated with the line a series of tax documents, and shall not disclose such information can still be in the WikiLeaks site on the acquisition.

In 2008, the Swiss private bank Switzerland Boom Group (Julius Baer) demanded the closure of proceedings WikiLeaks Web site. Prior to this, WikiLeaks announced Boom Group, an executive leaked documents related to customer account information.

This time, for Wall Street\’s \”leak\” is not only for individual actions of a bank, is likely to involve a number of financial institutions. A Sangqi of \”Forbes\” reporter Andy Greenber said that apart from a major bank involved in the \”large number of disclosure materials\”, he had involving a number of financial institutions, and has yet to be announced \” potentially lethal, \”the document.

Some lawyers believe that these cases show that, once the reputation of the commercial or sensitive information or the like in the Secret WikiLeaks website out of the company to stop the online dissemination of such information would be very difficult, especially in the United States.

Can sue WikiLeaks theft information, but once the information dissemination and re-reproduced, this effect is difficult to control. This means that the accused is almost useless WikiLeaks.

When Apple CEO Steve Jobs in January this year began to show a revolutionary tablet PC called the iPad, people on the ARM chip\’s discussion began more and more, iPad and iPhone4 A4 chips used in PC chips to simplify some of the functions at the same time, so that greatly reduced power consumption, allowing the use of time of up iPad more than ten hours, so that consumers in droves.

These apples A4 ARM chips provide all the chips from the core intellectual property (IP), and by Apple\’s engineers to develop products for Apple, and finally Samsung semiconductor foundry factory, and Foxconn\’s factory in Shenzhen, China in the assembly into the iPhone and iPad, and sold around the world.

When the Apple iPhone for each one sold or when the iPad, ARM will be charged a few cents from the copyright fees. This and the \”Intel inside\” type of product sold strategy sounds completely different. People like the competition between ARM and Intel, called the competition between the ants and elephants – Intel is still so powerful, but ARM is rapidly rising, and the microprocessor in the mobile market has an absolute advantage.

In the smart phone market, more than 90% of mobile phone use ARM chips, in addition to the well-known Apple iPhone, in fact HTC, Samsung, Motorola\’s smart phone, all with a large number of ARM chips. Just broke out in the tablet PC market, ARM also occupies a prominent market share.

As the mobile Internet era, ARM With smart phones, the rapid popularity of powerful Tablet PC, and become one of Intel\’s competitors, most headaches.

The war is inevitable and Intel

In recent years, Intel\’s leading PC and smart phone integration increasingly demonstrated a trend. One manifestation of this trend is all the so-called war between Intel and ARM. Intel and ARM not interfere with each era is over, PC and mobile phones in the middle ground, ARM, and Intel\’s war inevitable.

However, both Braun and his company seem to have more reason to be proud, both the latest in a middle ground – the field of competition Tablet PC, ARM With the rapid rise of Apple iPad upper hand, but based on Intel and other flat products in the troubled high-power has not been much improvement in the next.

Always wanted to create lower power consumption of Intel chips, and ARM also hope that more powerful chips, this is not very new thing, so laptops get smaller, while the size of smart phones based on ARM may be raised. The last few years the Internet this is another product of the convergence of two trends.

But the Internet did not reach the ultimate PC makers, as previously advocated a high degree of revolutionary. Braun appears in both, due to battery problems do not improve, the Internet is still the small size of the final analysis One of the PC.

The ARM is another founders Hermann Hauser said that Intel\’s mobile processor business will be \”doomed to failure\” because of Intel\’s business model is tantamount to an enemy of all semiconductor manufacturers.

This has caused some degree of dissatisfaction Intel, the Intel executives had previously sneered one, ARM recent \”talks too much\” of the.

ARM is still in the future will be Intel\’s product line in the current \”low end\” deployed, that is, those functions is not powerful, but low power consumption, cheaper chips.

Speaking of things the two sides in the field of chip competition, things were a fairly large market, Intel can not provide a competitive product.

ARM-based microprocessor prices are as low as $ 1 in many less, which is a lot of things in need, in the applications processor market, Intel and ARM is the cost to do the same difficulty, the current Intel chip is the chip sector, high-end products, but they are too expensive.

Concept advocated by Intel, but is hidden embedded PC, such as the display at the airport, boarding pass for voting machines behind a computer are hidden. These devices do not need such a powerful processor, only features the Intel ATOM simpler ARM chips or chips on it, the chip embedded in the washing machines, cars and electronics products, will be a huge market, which will than the PC chip market to be much greater.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hinted that it might start the third time quantitative monetary policy, there are signs that the EU is also secretly follow-up. United States and Europe to \”loose\”, but in emerging market countries, \”tighten.\” The spread of the expansion of hot money in China in 2011, the pressure may be greater than this year. There are heating up inflation expectations, outside eyeing hot money, which will test the wisdom of monetary policy makers.

U.S. and European economies cool

United States or the implementation of QE3

Hemispheric economic imbalance growing cold. Strongly rejected the United States prior to quantitative monetary policy of the European Union has quietly joined the camp of quantitative monetary policy, the United States is likely to begin their third round of the quantitative monetary policy; and Brazil, China and other countries, inflationary pressures, have continued to tighten monetary policy. Countries in the eastern hemisphere, spreads widen, the exchange rate long-term outlook for the East West case, international hot money will continue to hurt, led by China\’s emerging market countries.

A month ago, when the Fed launched the second round of the quantitative easing policy (QE2), the criticism against the policy of voices, but Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke put down 5 \”relentless,\” said the QE2 more than the original plan can not be excluded the possibility of the scale of 600 billion U.S. dollars.

Although the Fed has launched QE2, the U.S. unemployment rate rise, not fall. U.S. Labor Department data released on the 3rd of this year in November, the nation\’s unemployment rate of non-agricultural sector increased by 0.2 percentage points in October to 9.8%; this point, the U.S. unemployment rate has been 19 consecutive months, 9% of the horizontal line at the top. Combined with published mid-November U.S. consumer price index in October rose only 0.2% qoq, 0.3% lower than expected, the Fed is moving away from quantitative easing inflation and employment objectives become a reality. Market speculation, and if further weak economic data, the U.S. is likely to implement the third round of the quantitative monetary policy.

EU issuance costs soar

Meanwhile, the EU\’s economic crisis worsening. International rating agency Standard & Poor\’s said Dec. 3, has been Greece\’s \”BB +\” long-term sovereign debt rating placed on negative watch list, the future may again cut the country\’s sovereign credit rating. Another rating agency Moody\’s said in a report on the 3rd, the Irish high-quality mortgage securities (RMBS) in the default rate will continue to rise.

Ireland need 113 billion U.S. dollars in aid, despite the economic crisis aid the Irish commitment of funds, but because of investor confidence suffered a serious setback, Portugal, Italy and Spain continued difficult to sell bonds last week, the cost of borrowing for 10 years, Spain has increased 144 basis points to 5.42%, while the figure in Portugal rose 70% to 7.01%. Belgian 10-year Treasury bond yields in Germany worse than the comparable 17-year rose to a new high. Poland and the Slovak market is expected to cost about the rapid increase in bond issuance.

In a grim situation, according to market sources, despite the European Central Bank in the \”verbal\” firmly rejected the possibility of the quantitative easing policy, but has actually taken a step up efforts and other measures to buy bonds. According to market sources, late last week, the European Central Bank bought in batches of Portugal and Ireland bonds, purchased for the regular size of 5 times the size of a substantial reduction in the Ireland, Portugal, financing costs, and stimulate a strong rebound in the euro exchange rate.

Hot Asian inflation

Many countries will continue to raise interest rates

Economic weakness in Europe and America for the emerging market countries, rising inflation, tightening monetary policy step.

Data show that Australia\’s November inflation index rose 3 months straight. Analysts said the Fed can not be excluded in Australia, the first quarter of 2011 interest rates by 25 basis points to 5% chance.

3, the Brazilian central bank\’s decision, from the 13th of this month, the bank required reserve ratio from 15% to 20%. This year in October, Brazil\’s consumer price index up 5.2%. Industry insiders estimate that Brazil will continue to raise benchmark interest rates in 2011, it is possible from the current 10.75% to 12.25%.

China, in October consumer price index rose 4.4%, reaching a 25-month high, and analysts predict the forecast CPI in November increased by 4.7% in value. Last weekend, the tone of monetary policy in China has been officially changed from the original sound relatively relaxed, the market next year China will raise interest rates several times.

Changes in East-West economic situation, exacerbated by China\’s economic policy-making difficult. Monetary Policy Committee members prior to Fan Gang said yesterday that China\’s inflation rate is unlikely to rise again from 2006 to 2008 appear high, but the quantitative easing policy of the Federal Reserve may continue to impact on the Chinese economy.