I once heard an economist speak about concerns about outsourcing in the United States. The economist said that the strength of the American economy, and any of the world’s premier economies, is that the key components of the economy ten years in the future will be based on technologies that don’t even exist today. Outsourcing, though an inconvenience in the moment for those who may lose their employment because of it, therefore does not possess the potential to deliver a death blow to a premier economy because the jobs that are lost will simply be replaced by jobs in newly created markets.

The advances in computing technology demonstrate this ability of modern economies to create new and important markets within the short span of years. With new, market-altering technologies emerging rapidly, it is important to maintain an understanding of how the latest technologies offer opportunities for increasing productivity. One of the newest developments in computing is virtualization, which allows for the virtual creation of hardware or multiple operating systems within a single computing unit. Dell virtualization allows for servers to run all necessary processes smoothly, without the complication of using separate machines and separate programs operating independently. It is important to acknowledge that virtualization differs from running several software programs on the same operating system; virtualization uses several operating systems on the same machine. Dell Vmware partnership has produced virtualization solutions that consolidate server space and reduce costs. By working together to improve the efficiency of virtualization processes, Dell and Vmware have continued to improve the capacity of new computing technology.

By utilizing virtualization, a company could reduce the number of servers needed to service computing needs by partitioning a smaller number of machines so that each machine can host several contained systems that each specialize on creating an environment in which a certain function can be performed. Partitioning a server or a hard drive also allows one to test out applications or software that is being developed or is for some reason questionable so that if the application or software causes problems because of errors within it then the problems won’t spread to the entire server or hard drive because it will be contained within the partition that is allotted to it. This makes it possible to quarantine programs until they can be trusted to run without serious error within larger sections of the server or the hard drive.

Virtualization allows individuals and organizations to make full use of the computing power at their disposal. So much of the memory and space in servers goes to waste because of inefficient processes, and through virtualization solutions, individuals and organizations are able to use a greater portion of the resources they have. Wasted resources are inexcusable in a time when it becomes increasingly important to make use of available resources to produce more goods and services out of available raw materials. The increased computing power from virtualization processes will allow for technology to continue advancing as we become capable of greater computing power.

Moral of the story? Bring a regular map along. Or, if you’re not one for regular maps, at least check out your route to those massages in Orange county out on a regular map prior to driving it, and commit the bigger roads and highway routes to memory. Or, do like I do, and stash your three year old Garmin GPS system in your car’s glove compartment.

Anyway! So both of our children have an iPad 2. Each iPad is in a protective case, and has a snazzy ZAGG InvisibleShield screen protector. Recently I’ve been asked by more than one person if I plan on upgrading their iPad 2s for iPad 3s – Apple’s new iPad. My answer? HELL FREAKING NO. iPads are expensive, and to be honest, there is absolutely nothing about the iPad 3 that could justify purchasing one, when both kids have perfectly functional and snazzy iPad 2s.

How about you? If you own an iPad 2, will you be upgrading to an iPad 3? Why or why not?

And that leads me to StyleSeat. StyleSeat is your must-visit online destination for the ultimate convenience in finding beauty salons, finding out what all they offer, checking out reviews (called recommendations) of them, and then book your appointment online, right from the website. You can also view and take advantage of promotions and special events; and if you’d like, buy a gift card – either for yourself, or someone else.

For you or another fashionista in your life, a visit to and perhaps a gift card from StyleSeat is a must-have!

Yes, it’s the little things that make me happy. :) Being sparkly, having a nice lip balm, and right now, enjoying the convenience of having a mobile wifi hotspot in the form of a cellphone! Thank you technology.

For the most part, the remote works well. But I swear, it hates me. Half the time I’ll aim it at our entertainment center and hit “Watch TV”, and the remote will turn on the PS3 instead. And, depending on whether or not the other components are behaving, they’ll turn on and configure themselves accordingly for the PS3, instead of the TV. So then I have to get up and grab 2-3 remotes to set everything to right again…which kind of eliminates the need for a “specialized” remote to handle it all, don’t you think?

Sometimes I really take it for granted how easy it is to access the internet from so many devices at any time, from any location. It wasn’t all that long ago that I could only do so at home! Now the internet goes wherever I do. ♥

• securely holds the iPad 2
• cover
• access to all ports
• pocket/flap somewhere on it that I can put things in

Ideally, Belkin would offer their Access Folio Stand in pink, because that’s really what I’m looking for!