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Out of the Cloud

Unlike coming out of the closet I think it is time that people came out of the cloud.  Today in the valley and perhaps in certain elitist organizations the buzz is about getting their shit in to the cloud.  What it refers to is the act of using a shared resource so that the per capita (or per business) total cost for operating or using the product or service is lowered compared to owning said product outright.

All the erstwhile large software shops started down the path of offering SaaS to their customers (not the in-law kind or the one you hold when it stinks - not the in-law but the ambient which may or may not contain a saas) which is defined as - Software as a Service.  So you don't buy multi user license for a large business rather pay for what you use like a utility and not worry about upgrades and such.

That model then got copied and relabeled to peddle everything from HaaS (hardware) to IaaS (Infrastructure - large servers, networks etc. or PaaS - Platform as a service) to crowd sourcing to shared cars (zip car) as a regular way of life.

Clearly the pendulum swung from me for myself and my large limo to let us share our germs every chance we get.  Partly it may be a manifestation that a large chunk of society now finds themselves broke and cannot afford their first Honda or Studio rental (think communal kitchens where we can cook).

There was a time when the phrase 'getting in on the ground floor' was all the rage and being 'grounded' a virtue.  Now if you are not all the way 'into the cloud' you are screwed.

Thence the reference to the pendulum which has swung all the way from the perigee to its apogee and the coming gong is going to be loud.

Hate to be the one to burst the bubble (formed in the cloud nine) but with all the web site hacking and data losses from the cloud(s) more frequent than the times we send our thoughts and prayers to those affected by certain tragedies; is leading to ultimate ruin and loss of identity (in some cases it may not be a bad idea).

It appears that storing your own photos (naked or otherwise) along with personal details, financial details, and other critical information on your own computer might be the safer way to go.  Until of course that dormant virus rears its ugly head and wipes it out.

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