I am currently engaged with mentoring some young technology start-up businesses.  What strikes me about these companies is that they spend the majority of their time utilising their skills to deliver their product.  They are agile, knowledgeable and very hungry to succeed and to create.

When do they find time to “learn” new emerging technologies?  They seem to have learnt it “on the fly” as they go along – such is the pace of technology at the moment.  With cloud computing, mobile computing and social media now becoming the current “bubble”, I realised just how easy it is for anyone in IT to become out of date quite rapidly.

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There is an old saying which says “use it or lose it” and I will add “use it, grow it and keep your eyes open to what is happening around you, always”.   In this process we must keep learning.

Stopping learning, even for a few months or a whole year can make a huge difference.  It is like being having a motor car – use it regularly and it works fine (sure it may need a little maintenance), but leave it parked outside for a year unused and the battery will be flat, tires a bit softer, oil a bit tired, the gas will have lost its vitality etc.  (Of course it does depend on where you park it – it may not even be there when you return!)

Learning is the same, especially in IT (and most other professions – like medicine, law, tax etc) we need to keep up to date, and even a few months “out of the game” will render us less sharp, and left with an uphill battle if we want to regain our status.

If “IT” is our career, then we need to learn on a regular basis, via personal learning, e-learning, books, attending classes, or as I am realising, by working with very sharp entrepreneurs who are leveraging the three technology areas listed above without even breaking into a sweat.

What are your experiences of keeping yourself in the best shape you can?

In line with its recent Firefox 8 update, Mozilla has rolled out version 8 of its open-source email platform. Thunderbird 8.0 follows the pattern of recent major version updates by not actually delivering much in the way of new features — understandable given the number of developers and testers working on Thunderbird are fewer than on Firefox.

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Like Firefox 8, Thunderbird is now based on the latest Mozilla Gecko 8 engine, while add-ons installed by third-party applications are now disabled by default for security reasons. There are also new Search and Find keyboard shortcuts alongside numerous security patches and bug fixes.

The new keyboard shortcuts have come about due to an ambiguity between using the [Ctrl] + [F] shortcut to both search using the Quick Filter and within individual messages depending on what was selected.  Now [Ctrl] + [F] is used specifically to search within selected messages; to search using the Quick Filter bar, use the brand new [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [K] shortcut instead.

Thunderbird 8 also includes what Mozilla describes as “improved accessibility of the attachment list” when composing emails. Changes include subtle alterations to the way attachments are displayed — the size of an attachment is now displayed to the right of the attachment name aligned right in grey, for example, while the overall look is designed to reflect the user’s own operating system, be it Windows, Mac or Linux. Attachments can now be navigated, opened, saved or deleted using keyboard shortcuts –- when selected using the arrow keys, press [Ctrl] + [S] to save the file, for example.

The most noticeable change to Thunderbird 8’s user interface is actually a feature that has gone missing — in previous versions of Thunderbird, the user could switch folder views between all folders, unified, unread, favorites and recent using a clickable bar at the top of the folder pane. This option, described as a “bug”, has been removed in Thunderbird 8, forcing the user to switch views using the View > Folders menu.

For those who cannot live without this feature, it can either be reactivated by tweaking theuserChrome.css file or — of more practical use to most – by installing the Folder Pane View Switcheradd-on.

Version 8 also includes a number of platform-specific fixes that squash bugs and improve stability, plus a number of security fixes. Expect Thunderbird 9 Beta and Earlybird 10 to follow in the next few days, again with minor changes the order of the day.

Thunderbird 8.0 Final is a free, open-source download for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Yesterday the company announced a new feature that not only informs users why targeted ads appear but also provides a little ammo to detonate an unsavory targeted ad. “You can also go to the Ads Preferences Manager to make changes that improve the ads that you’re seeing, including blocking specific advertisers you’re not interested in or turning off ads personalization entirely (of course, you can change your mind at any time),” explains Susan Wojcicki, SVP, Advertising on The Official Google Blog. Being “targeted,” these ads are kind of like mind-readers, showing what Google thinks we would want. “We try really hard to show you ads that are relevant,” explains lead software engineer, Diane Tang in Google’s promotional video. Sometimes, though, Google’s robots don’t quite get it right; certain targeted ads feel creepy and can even venture into hurtful territory. But now, Google’s giving the user a little revenge power, allowing users to delete certain targeted ads. Unfortunately, while the process provides a little catharsis, it doesn’t keep other, similar annoying ads from popping up.

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Related: Do We Lie to Google?
If a user sees an add that doesn’t sit well with them, clicking the “Why this ad?” link in the ad will give a pseudo explanation of why you got the ad: it can be based on search, a combination of search terms, Web history, or the contents of the e-mail or inbox, for Gmail-related ads.

Related: Why Are the Major Networks Afraid of Google TV?
Related: Mixed Buzz Over Google Buzz
The explanations aren’t too satisfying, as you can see above. But, Google also gives the option to block certain advertisers from showing up, in the Ads Preferences Manager. It will show recent ads that came up on Google search or G-mail, there you can block away the annoying advertisement forever — unless for some reason you change your mind.
Related: Five Tips for Larry Page, Google’s New CEO

Related: Facebook and Google Join Forces to Oppose Privacy Bill
The problem with this, is that it doesn’t change the way Google picks ads. It will still rely on the same algorithm that reads Gmail and remembers Web history, which wouldn’t work for some, like an anonymous friend of The Atlantic’s Rebecca Rosen. Said friend didn’t appreciate Google’s “Save Your Relationship” and “Is He Lying?” ads after a bad break-up with her boyfriend. “This snarky little message in my face really pissed me off!,” the friend told Rosen. And simply blocking the ad wouldn’t really make this problem go away, because another related ad would pop up, too.
The only refuge Google offers is to entirely opt-out of personalized ads completely. But that makes everything spammier. Those who opt in for personalized ads get 10 percent fewer ads than those who receive random advertisements, according to Google. These people are also more likely to click, which is why Google prefers the personalization. But for the recently separated, more unrelated ads might be less harsh than a stream of heartbreak.

Microsoft’s share of the global browser market fell 0.92 percent in September in comparison with the prior month. What’s more, Internet Explorer’s market share has declined 7.5 percentage points since the same time last year, according to the latest data from Net Applications.

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On the other hand, 22.1 percent of all Windows 7 machines accessing the Internet worldwide were running Microsoft’s latestIE9 browser at the end of September, the web metrics firm said Saturday. The other top browsers running on Windows 7 machines were IE8 (31.6 percent), Firefox 6 (13.7 percent), Chrome 13 (13.1 percent) and Chrome 14 (5.9 percent).

Microsoft specifically designed IE9 to take advantage of the advanced graphics capabilities of the latest desktop PCs, laptops, netbooks and media tablets running Windows 7. As a result, IE9 on Windows 7 machines accounted for a 31 percent market share of the browser market in the United States last month.

“Microsoft has been pushing IE9 and Windows 7 as the best browsing experience on Windows 7 because of IE9′s use of hardware acceleration and its integration with the Windows 7 user interface,” said Net Applications, which is based in Aliso Viejo, Calif.

Leveraging Windows 7 Machines
Given that most people never change the browser that ships with their new machines, IE9′s market share will inevitably continue to rise as more people upgrade to new hardware. According to Net Applications, machines running Windows 7 accounted for 30.4 percent of all browser users worldwide at the end of September.
However, IE9′s emphasis on advanced hardware characteristics made it impossible for Microsoft to offer IE9 support on older machines running Windows XP, which was introduced in August 2001. Microsoft reports that IE6 still held a 9 percent share of the global browser market in September.

In China, for example, IE6 held a 28.7 percent market share and also continues to post significant numbers in South Korea (11.9 percent), Japan (7.1 percent), India (7.1 percent) and Taiwan (6.6 percent). Asia as a whole currently accounts for more than 42 percent of the world’s Internet usage, according to Internet World Stats.
Elsewhere in the world, however, IE6 is tottering on the edge of extinction. In the United States last month, for example, IE6 held a mere 1.4 percent share of the browser market and also posted similar low share numbers throughout Europe, Africa and South America.

Chrome Uptake Climbs
Mozilla notified its browser developer community last April that Firefox would be moving to a shorter development cycle with respect to future releases. Under the new system, Mozilla can in theory issue a Firefox browser refresh at six-week intervals from now on. Nevertheless, Firefox’s 22.5 percent share of the global market at the end of September was slightly down from where the browser stood in April.

The shorter development cycles are great for individual users, but corporations take a while to accept and implement a new browser throughout their workforce, said Net Applications Executive Vice President Vincent Vizzaccaro.
“This factor alone can put a ceiling on what non-IE browsers can hope to achieve in terms of usage market share,” Vizzaccaro said. “Mozilla may be backing off of a rapid development cycle and [I] would guess that the reason [would be] to bring corporations back into their mix of users.”

By contrast, Chrome’s share of the global browser market leaped from 12.5 percent in April to 16.2 percent in September. Apple’s Safari browser uptake also rose in September as is generally the case at the start of the annual back-to-school shopping season.

“This year, Mac share rose 0.42 percent to reach 6.45 percent of worldwide desktop usage and 13.7 percent in the United States,” Net Applications said.

Vendors and IT departments alike let inertia guide their actions to noncompetitive results — and often reinforce each other’s inertia in the process

Simon Wardley has written an interesting post claiming that Microsoft’s biggest enemy is not Google, Facebook, or Apple — it’s Microsoft. Wardley’s research suggests that inertia makes it easy for Microsoft to continue doing what it’s done in the past with great success. Inertia is also an important force within IT departments. IT leaders seeking to help their businesses differentiate from the competition should guard against technology inertia.

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As Bill Gates said, success is a lousy teacher
Wardley spoke at Oscon 2010 about how open source vendors could disrupt market incumbents by taking advantage of the incumbent’s existing business model. In his blog post, he quotes Bill Gates, who once noted “success is a lousy teacher.” Wardley explains:

That’s one of those basic lessons that often gets forgotten in business. In this world of competition, there are two fronts to fight on. The external front includes those competitors who attempt to either gain a creative leadership position or to disrupt your existing model. The other front is internal and against your own past success.

[ IT is changing, and Bob Lewis's Advice Line newsletter is your guide to riding that change. | Get the key insights on open source news and trends from InfoWorld's Technology: Open Source newsletter. ]

Vendors often focus on external competition, but the ability to compete effectively externally is directly impacted by how the degree a vendor’s corporate culture can allow it to look beyond past success. Historical success in a given product area creates sacred products which must be protected and definitely not commoditized when considering new opportunities or new competitors.

Wardley claims that Microsoft’s recent cloud moves, while admirable, aren’t enough to compete in a services-based marketplace built around open source:

While Microsoft has made much of a fanfare about its recent moves into the cloud, it was a probably a significant internal battle for Microsoft just to make the change from products to services. However, this new world is likely to be rapidly commoditized to marketplaces based around open source and hence the real question becomes whether Microsoft will be able to make the further change necessary to survive in that world?

Microsoft’s future business should be intertwined with open source in the domain of utility services. Unfortunately, the last group of people who are usually willing to accept such a change are those who have built careers in the previous domain; that is, products.

Sharing What You Hide
Wikipedia calls steganography the “art and science of writing hidden messages in such a way that no one, apart from the sender and intended recipient, suspects the existence of the message.” For our purposes, it is a way of hiding data—for example, embedding a Word document inside a JPG image—so that you can send it to people, and if intercepted, no one would suspect that the carrier file contains obscured data. It’s easy to crack if not encrypted, but the file could be just as secure by not calling attention to its self.

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Luckily, there are some software tools that can help you steganographize data. Hide in Picture, QuickStego, or the Mac-only Pict Encrypt let you do exactly that by embedding data into an image file (the receiver will need the same software to decode it). Hide in Pictures goes an extra step, letting you embed entire files. There are other apps that will hide data inside MP3 files and in text, HTML, and PDF files. StegoStick is a freebie that promises it can do almost all of the above, hiding files within files and password protecting the carrier file.

If you want to avoid software altogether, there’s at least one Web service you can use. Ostensibly, Mozaiq is for building photo mosaics. That said, you can go to moaziq.com/encrypt, place a message into a password-protected image, and then have the carrier file’s receiver get the message by visiting moaziq.com/decrypt MCITP Training.

Note: If you or anyone else adjust the file other than renaming it—for example, resize, crop, or edit a JPG image containing hidden data—your covert efforts are likely toast.

Welcome to this morning’s edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. We’re keeping our eyes on four particular stories of interest today.

Apple Unveils iCloud, iOS 5 & More

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At its developer conference Monday, Apple announced its much-anticipated iCloud service; that the next version of Mac OS X, Lion, will be out in July for $29.99; that its next-generation mobile software, iOS 5, will be deeply integrated with Twitter, offer wireless syncing, its own messaging service and Newsstand, and more.

Rep. Weiner Admits to Tweeting Lewd Picture

Admitting that he had “not been honest with myself, my family and my constituents,” Rep. Anthony Weiner confessed at a press conference Monday that he sent a lewd photo via Twitter and that he had since lied about his account being hacked.

HTC Reports Strong May Sales

HTC says it generated $1.42 billion in sales in May, which is more than double than the same month in 2010 and a solid improvement from April’s $1.35 billion.

Xbox Live Getting Live TV, YouTube & Voice Search

Microsoft unveiled a redesigned version of Xbox Live at E3 Monday, one that includes more voice commands, YouTube integration and live television.

Further News

* Tuesday is World IPv6 Day, and Google is leading the charge to test and adopt the new Internet Protocol.
* As expected, former CBS Evening News anchor Kate Couric has signed a multiyear contract with Disney/ABC Television Group to host her own nationally syndicated talk show and join the ABC News team.
* Sony’s next-generation handheld gaming system, the PlayStation Vita, made its official debut at E3 Monday.
* Microsoft has released a trailer for Halo 4.
* Note-taking platform Evernote now has more than 10 million registered users, up 67% from January.

Time to start your wrist exercises: IGN has gotten its hands on new details about Nintendo’s upcoming Wii 2 console, codenamed “Project Café,” and the system’s specs look pretty beefy on paper. But we should preface this all by saying that Wii 2 is just a nickname for Nintendo’s Wii successor. According to IGN, Nintendo is floating around alternate names for the platform, including “Stream.”

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That name is itself interesting, as the Wii 2 will finally have the power to be able to output high-definition video–1080P content–but it’s still not expected to have a physical way to read HD content like Blu-ray discs.

The 1080P compatibility will be partially thanks to the custom-built tri-core IBM PowerPC chipset that’ll serve as the Wii 2′s brains. It’s going to be the same kind of setup that you’ll find on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console. Only, Nintendo will allegedly up the clock speeds to beat out the three 64-bit, 3.2-Ghz processors of Microsoft’s competing device, among other enhancements.

To dispel previous rumors, Nintendo is not expected to switch up to AMD’s fusion platform. An AMD GPU will still power the graphics for the device, but it’ll come from a juiced-up version of the company’s R700 architecture.

And like its console peers, Nintendo might very mix a few features from AMD’s successor platform into the mix as well—R800, for those keeping track at home. The GPU should be able to tap into 512 megabytes of memory, which shouldn’t be confused with the undisclosed amount of physical RAM that the console itself will have.

In total, the specs should be enough to put the Wii 2 in direct graphical competition with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. That’ll be a welcome relief for gamers that prefer better-looking titles: A common criticism of Nintendo’s predecessor platform was that the look and feel of the Wii’s games was a step back from the more realistic environments found in games for the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Nintendo’s console also lacked high-definition support in the form of a physical HD-DVD or Blu-ray reader, and that’s not expected to change for the Wii 2.

Nintendo’s release of its Wii 2–currently pegged for April of 2012–comes at a critical juncture for the company. Its Wii console leads the U.S. console market in sales (34.5 million units sold as of April 2011), and Nintendo’s rumored 2012 launch of the Wii 2 will give the company at least two years or so of exclusivity before new offerings from Microsoft or Sony pop onto shelves. Will that be enough for Nintendo to cement its new console as a comparable offering–hardware-wise–for what rivals both have and have yet to offer?

The retail price of the Wii 2 is currently expected to clock around $350 to $400, based on the costs of the console’s rumored parts.

1. Apple iBooks 1.1
Apple Inc., www.apple.com
Apple’s iBooks isn’t just an e-book reader; it’s also an excellent PDF reader. The app uses an attractive bookshelf metaphor to arrange your virtual books and PDFs, and Apple makes quite a few older books available for free through its online store. As with many Apple apps, iBooks becomes more useful if you have more Apple devices; you can sync your bookmarks and notations with your iPhones, iPod Touch, and iPad.

2. AT&T myWireless 1.3.2

2. AT&T myWireless 1.3.2
AT&T Services Inc., www.att.com
AT&T’s myWireless app tells you if you’re coming close to your monthly 200MB or 2GB data limit, how many minutes you’ve used, and when your next bill is due. It also allows you to upgrade your plan if you’re using your iPhone much more than you expected. Checking this app periodically is the best way to protect yourself from unexpected AT&T charges.

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3. Bing 1.2
Microsoft Corp., www.bing.com
On the desktop I prefer Google, but on the iPhone I prefer Bing. Why? Because Bing offers more than just simple search. This app provides a scrolling photo search, voice search, and local shopping searches; it even has a bar code scanner to look up prices on goods in stores. The Social tool lets you connect to Facebook and Twitter and search your results from friends. Search engines might be a matter of preference but Bing actually makes search look fun.

4. CNBC Real-Time 1.3

4. CNBC Real-Time 1.3
NBC Universal Inc., www.cnbc.com
One of the best business news sites has one of the best free business apps on the iPhone. CNBC’s app starts with business news alerts, but we really like it because of its detailed stock portfolio tracker. Plus, we dig its well-rendered graphics.

5. Cube Runner 1.5

5. Cube Runner 1.5
Andy Qua, andyqua.co.uk/CubeRunner/Welcome.html
This diabolically simple and addictive game lets you control an arrow that flies through rows of digital cubes. The point of the game is to avoid the cubes and fly for as long as you can. In the background, fun electronic music jams along as you pilot your arrow. Sure, the graphics look like a 1983-era arcade game, but that’s what you get for zero dollars, and some older iPhone users might enjoy the resemblance to the Atari games of yesteryear. Another decent free game in a similar vein is Alpha Runner.

6. Dragon Dictation 1.3.4

6. Dragon Dictation 1.3.4
Nuance Communications, Inc., www.nuance.com
Ever wanted to dictate a long series of notes and then e-mail or text them? Dragon Dictation can do that for you. Just load up the app, tap the red button, and dictate for a one minute at a time. One downside: Some users have complained that Nuance goes through your contacts to ensure accuracy when you speak names. It’s a breach of privacy, but is it any worse than Facebook? Probably not. And we’d rather have the names spelled correctly.

7. Dropbox 1.2.2

7. Dropbox 1.2.2
Evenflow, Inc., www.dropbox.com
I assume you have a lot of gadgets and computers. Dropbox lets you access your personal files on any of them. Dropbox gives you 2GB of file storage that can be accessed from any computer. On iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, the app allows you to view documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and some videos and photos that you’ve put into your personal file space. Occasionally, we’ve seen some instances where it simply won’t work, but it’s useful enough that we’re willing to overlook a few glitches.

8. eBay Mobile 1.7.0

8. eBay Mobile 1.7.0
eBay Inc., www.ebay.com
Have you been losing eBay auctions because you weren’t in front of your PC? Pick up eBay Mobile, and you’ll be able to swoop in at the last second from anywhere with an Internet connection. The app lets users search, bid on items, update their info, check bids on items being sold, and much more. Power sellers and frequent bidders should consider this an essential tool for keeping up with auctions.

9. eBuddy Messenger 3.6.0

9. eBuddy Messenger 3.6.0
eBuddy B.V., www.ebuddy.com
Instant messaging may not have the buzz of Twitter and Facebook, but many people (and businesses) rely on it. Nowadays, people use many instant-messaging clients, so it’s important to have a multiplatform solution. eBuddy is the best free app we’ve found on the iPhone. It lets you log in to multiple services at once, including AIM, Yahoo, Facebook, Google Talk, ICQ, MySpace, and MSN. It will push you notification of new instant messages even when it isn’t running, and you can tell it to log out automatically after a set period of time.

10. Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List 2.1

10. Epicurious Recipes & Shopping List 2.1
Condé Nast, www.epicurious.com
If you’re a foodie, you probably know about Epicurious and its more than 100,000 recipes. The site’s iPhone app lets you turn your favorite recipes into a shopping list that you check off. If you miss flipping through food-stained pages, you can turn your favorite recipes into a paginated cookbook. There are a few ads here that can be annoying, but we’re willing to put up with them for a free app. Epicurious is also a very good iPad app.

Are you tired of remembering 10 different passwords for all your online activity? Maybe you use the same password for everything? With data breaches and botnets dominating the news, are you concerned that your private data might end up in the hands of cyber criminals?

The White House on Friday outlined its plan for a secure online identification system intended to allow people to ditch the user ID/password setup for a “trusted identity” they would obtain from a private company that specializes in verifying identities.

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You would go to one of these companies, for example, and prove your identity much like you do when you obtain a driver’s license or a passport. The company would then provide you with a smart card, keychain fob, one-time password generator, or even a phone app. Plug the smart card or fob into your computer or fire up the app when accessing online banking, buying something on Amazon, filing your taxes, or anything else that requires personal data. All of your information is stored on the “trusted identity” you received, so you don’t have to enter anything or remember a password.

“The Internet has transformed how we do business, opening up markets and connecting our economy as never before. It has revolutionized the ways in which we communicate with one another, whether with a friend down the street or a colleague across the globe,” President Obama said in a statement. “And as we have seen in recent weeks, it has empowered people all over the world with tools to share information and speak their minds. In short, the growth of the internet has been one of the greatest forces for innovation and progress in history.”

The White House stressed that this system—known as the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC)—will primarily be a private-sector undertaking, though some government agencies, such as those that provide health care or other benefits, may provide trusted IDs directly. The government is not going to require Internet IDs and will not be setting up the online shopping equivalent of the DMV, the White House said.

“The government will not require that you get a trusted ID. If you want to get one, you will be able to choose among multiple identity providers—both private and public—and among multiple digital credentials,” according to a FAQ on the NSTIC Web site.

The president has stepped into this debate because “the role of the federal government is to facilitate and help jump start the private sector’s efforts by convening workshops and bringing together the many different stakeholders important for establishing the Identity Ecosystem,” the FAQ said.

Having a variety of private-sector options will ensure that “no single credential or centralized database can emerge,” the White House said. The administration also said that this approach protects online anonymity. “Even if you do choose to get a credential from an ID provider, you would still be able to surf the Web, write a blog, visit chat rooms, or do other things online anonymously or under a pseudonym,” the White House said.

The administration first discussed this undertaking in December, when the Commerce Department issued a report that made several recommendations, including a set of principles for how companies collect and use peoples’ data and privacy protection for cloud computing and location-based services.

At this point, this trusted ID idea is just that; an idea. As the White House notes, “the Identity Ecosystem, the system of technical and policy standards described by NSTIC, is not established yet.” It will likely be “some years” before this system is a reality, but the White House said it views this report as a jumping off point to help reduce cyber crime and create a new market for innovation.

An animated description of the system is below.