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Greetings and welcome to our Newsletter! I love to share the many photos I have taken of places, people and things throughout the country and beyond. Each month our headline photo will be something new and different. We hope you enjoy. Keep in mind, we don't want to waste your time. Articles will contain generally less than 250 words. Please have a look and give us your feedback. By all means, forward to a friend using the link at the bottom of the Newsletter. Thanks. Questions? Send me an email!

Global Entry

I have been interested in improving the travel experience for quite a long time. Since 9-11, travel via air has become a bit of a nightmare. Adding international travel only seems to compound problems. A few months ago, I applied for Global Entry from the US Customs and Border Patrol. It costs $100 and lasts for 5-years. Here is the process. You fill out an application on line at GOES (Global Online Enrollment System. The application is reviewed and you are invited to make an appointment at your nearest Global Entry Enrollment Center (Logan Airport, Terminal E). During the interview process, your past international travels will be verified, you will be finger printed and you will be required to prove your identity. After the interview and if approved, you will receive your Global Entry Card. You need to reference your Global Entry number when you make your airline reservations whether domestic or international.

More importantly, you will be added to the safe traveler program, allowed to use the Kiosks devoted to Global Entry safe travelers, added to the TSA PreCheck eligibility list (not guarenteed), expedited entry to the United States and some other countries. All of these things can help to make your travels less hectic.

In testing the new benefits, I was able to check in at Logan using the TSA Precheck line saving the time of a very long line, no need to remove shoes or belt or computer from bags. Just like the old days. Upon returning to the United States, we were able to fly through customs using our finger prints in an automated Global Entry Kiosk with no paperwork necessary. All in all, well worth the $100.

Cloud BigTable

We have been working with databases for 30 years. Data is the basis for all the software we write and without indexed access to data, everything we do would take longer to accomplish - much longer. Understanding how to store, find and manipulate data is a crucial at the simplest level. Adding millions of records in this indexed environment is made possible by harnessing a database engine like SQL Server.

But how do companies handle huge amounts of data, like Google for example? It is mind-boggling. SQL just would not work for Google, so what do they do? They built there own system. It's called BigTable. It is a database architecture that uses hundreds of thousands of computers and can add more as the need arises. It isn't a relational database like we use. Instead, it is like maps of giant spreadsheets of data with a trillion rows and a trillion columns broken up into smaller sections called tablets. It can scale to many petabytes of data (a petabyte is a million gigabytes) and it all operates within a Google File System. The map keeps track of the keys to a row, column and timestamp associated to that entry.

We can now harness the power of what Google has created since they released Google Cloud BigTable to the public last May. We are just learning about the advantages of using the Google architecture, but it looks to have applicability in managing huge stores of data with speed, security and reliability.

Upgrading to Windows 10? Not Yet!

Sure you can if you want, but I am not sure Edge (the new Microsoft browser) or Cortona (like Siri) is worth it just yet. I would always hold off until I get a new PC and I would not do that until Windows 10 has been fully tested and the first or second release has been issued. Operating systems can make or break your productivity. It is like upgrading your Office products. You never know how everything you have been running will run under the new operating system.

So it is always best to wait for that new computer when you know you will need to spend time upgrading devices, printers, drivers, software, applications, connectivity, and everything else that goes along with installing a new computer.

If you must upgrade, check the compatibility report for Windows 10 first before you begin the upgrade!