Thursday, January 10, 2008

Retail Configurations Of Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is available in three standard variants the "Xbox 360 Arcade", the "Xbox 360", and the "Xbox 360 Elite". The “Xbox 360 Arcade” replaced a discontinued SKU, the “Xbox 360 Core”, in October 2007.
At launch, the Xbox 360 was available in two configurations: the "Xbox 360" package, priced at US$399, and the "Xbox 360 Core", priced at US$299. The Elite package was launched later at US$479, and the "Xbox 360 Arcade" replaced the "Xbox 360 Core" in October 2007 at US$279.
  • The Xbox 360 Core was an entry level Xbox 360 priced at US$279.99. The "Core" is no longer being sold, being replaced by the Xbox 360 Arcade. It was not originally available in Japan, but was later released on November 2, 2006. The Core system comes bundled with composite video cables, capable of only SDTV resolutions, but newer models with lot number 0728 or greater have an HDMI 1.2 output. The Core may output HD signals up to 1080p when connected to separately sold HDMI, Component, or VGA cables. It may also utilize a separately sold 20 or 120 GB hard drives.
  • The Xbox 360 Arcade, priced at US$279.99, is the replacement for the "Xbox 360 Core". It was publicly revealed (though it was available in stores far earlier) by Microsoft's president of Entertainment Devices division Robbie Bach to the Financial Times on October 18, 2007, and officially announced on October 22, 2007. It includes a wireless controller, 256 MB memory unit, composite AV cable, HDMI 1.2 output, and 5 Xbox Live Arcade titles. Holiday 2007 consoles, with packaging labeled "Go Play!” are bundled with Boom Boom Rocket, Feeding Frenzy, Luxor 2, Pac-Man Championship Edition, and Uno on a single disk, which also includes a "Welcome Video" and several game trailers/demos.
  • The Xbox 360, commonly called the Premium or Pro, priced at US$349.99, includes all the features of the Xbox 360 Core and includes a hybrid composite and component cable with optional optical out instead of a composite cable. The Xbox 360 also includes a detachable 20 GB Hard Disc Drive to store downloaded content, provide compatibility with original Xbox games, and store game data. The included hard drive comes with game demos, video clips and a free Live Arcade game, Hexic HD. In July 2007, this version of the Xbox 360 began appearing with the Zephyr motherboard (the motherboard used in the Elite) which features HDMI 1.2 output and an improved GPU heatsink. Although the Premium package does include an HDMI 1.2 output, it does not come with HDMI 1.2 cables. Starting at the end of September, the newest systems were shipped with the new "Falcon" motherboard. This motherboard includes the new 65-nm CPUs, making them quieter and cooler than the older systems. Holiday 2007 consoles, with packaging labeled "Go Pro", are bundled with Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Forza Motorsport 2.
  • The Xbox 360 Elite is the fourth and most expensive variation of the console. It is priced at US$449.99 and includes a 120GB hard drive and a matte black finish. The Elite retail package also includes an HDMI 1.2 cable and a controller and headset that match the system's black finish. The initial release price was US$479.99, C$549.99, £299.99, and AU$729.95. The Elite was released in Europe on August 24, 2007, and Australia on August 30, 2007. Holiday 2007 consoles, with packaging labeled "Go Big", are bundled with Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Forza Motorsport 2.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Enterprise Relationship Management

Enterprise relationship management or ERM is a business method in relationship management beyond customer relationship management. Enterprise Relationship Management is basically a business strategy for value creation that is not based on cost containment, but rather on the leveraging of network-enabled processes and activities to transform the relationships between the organization and all its internal and external constituencies in order to maximize current and future opportunities."

The art of relationship management is not an entirely new one. In fact, it has taken on many forms, addressing specific organizational constituencies (customers, channel partners, specialized service providers, employees, suppliers, etc). The most obvious being CRM (customer relationship management) that focuses on improving top-line growth by maximizing an organization's ability to identify sales and business opportunities with its customers. CRM's little brother PRM (partner relationship management), focuses on optimizing opportunity and downstream order management for an organization's channel partners (e.g. CISCO and its partner lead and referral management process) On the back end, we have ERP (enterprise resource planning) to manage internal operations including manufacturing, finance, HR, sales and distribution, etc. Specialized HRM (human resource management) solutions exist to manage employee benefits, collective agreements, performance reviews and so forth. And lastly, SCM (supply chain management, either as an ERP module or as a stand-alone application) to manage the product flow up and down a firm's value chain, with external partners/suppliers.

Monday, January 7, 2008

The Eviction Process of San Diego

This is only the overview of the eviction process of San Diego. This is useful for you if you are living in any San Diego apartment. If the tenant doesn't voluntarily move out after the landlord has properly given the required notice to the tenant, the landlord can evict the tenant. In order to evict the tenant, the landlord must file an unlawful detainer lawsuit in superior court.
In an eviction lawsuit, the landlord is called the "plaintiff" and the tenant is called the "defendant." An unlawful detainer lawsuit is a "summary" court procedure. This means that the court action moves forward very quickly, and that the time given the tenant to respond during the lawsuit is very short. For example, in most cases, the tenant has only five days to file a written response to the lawsuit after being served with a copy of the landlord's complaint. Normally, a judge will hear and decide the case within 20 days after the tenant files an answer. The court-administered eviction process assures the tenant of the right to a court hearing if the tenant believes that the landlord has no right to evict the tenant. The landlord must use this court process to evict the tenant; the landlord cannot use self-help measures to force the tenant to move. For example, the landlord cannot physically remove or lock out the tenant, cut off utilities such as water or electricity, remove outside windows or doors, or seize (take) the tenant's belongings in order to carry out the eviction. The landlord must use the court procedures.
If the landlord uses unlawful methods to evict a tenant, the landlord may be subject to liability for the tenant's damages, as well as penalties of up to $100 per day for the time that the landlord used the unlawful methods.

Friday, January 4, 2008

US Department Of Education Organization Act

The Department of Education Organization Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1980. Congress established the United States Department of Education (ED) on May 4, 1980, in the Department of Education Organization Act (Public Law 96-88 of October 1979). Under this law, ED's mission is to:

  • Strengthen the Federal commitment to assuring access to equal educational opportunity for every individual;
  • Supplement and complement the efforts of states, the local school systems and other instrumentalities of the states, the private sector, public and private nonprofit educational research institutions, community-based organizations, parents, and students to improve the quality of education;
  • Encourage the increased involvement of the public, parents, and students in Federal education programs;
  • Promote improvements in the quality and usefulness of education through federally supported research, evaluation, and sharing of information;
  • Improve the coordination of Federal education programs;
  • Improve the management of Federal education activities; and
  • Increase the accountability of Federal education programs to the President, the Congress, and the public.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Types Of Intrusion-Detection Systems

In a network-based intrusion-detection system (NIDS), the sensors are located at choke points in the network to be monitored, often in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) or at network borders. The sensor captures all network traffic and analyzes the content of individual packets for malicious traffic. In systems, PIDS and APIDS are used to monitor the transport and protocols illegal or inappropriate traffic or constructs of language (say SQL). In a host-based system, the sensor usually consists of a software agent, which monitors all activity of the host on which it is installed. Hybrids of these two systems also exist.
  • A network intrusion detection system is an independent platform, which identifies intrusions by examining network traffic and monitors multiple hosts. Network Intrusion Detection Systems gain access to network traffic by connecting to a hub, network switch configured for port mirroring, or network tap. An example of a NIDS is Snort.
  • A protocol-based intrusion detection system consists of a system or agent that would typically sit at the front end of a server, monitoring and analyzing the communication protocol between a connected device (a user/PC or system). For a web server this would typically monitor the HTTPS protocol stream and understand the HTTP protocol relative to the web server/system it is trying to protect. Where HTTPS is in use then this system would need to reside in the "shim" or interface between where HTTPS is un-encrypted and immediately prior to it entering the Web presentation layer.
  • An application protocol-based intrusion detection system consists of a system or agent that would typically sit within a group of servers, monitoring and analyzing the communication on application specific protocols. For example; in a web server with database this would monitor the SQL protocol specific to the middleware/business-login as it transacts with the database.
  • A host-based intrusion detection system consists of an agent on a host, which identifies intrusions by analyzing system calls, application logs, file-system modifications (binaries, password files, capability/acl databases) and other host activities and state. An example of a HIDS is OSSEC.
  • A hybrid intrusion detection system combines two or more approaches. Host agent data is combined with network information to form a comprehensive view of the network. An example of a Hybrid IDS is Prelude.