One of the concepts that often gets people interested in my work at SureTech.com is "The Cloud."  Usually people are interested in what it is and how to understand it. 

I usually draw a fluffy cloud shape and outline a couple computers and servers on a napkin and explain how the cloud describes the almost infinite wires and connections between computers that is called the internet.  And I describe how servers are designed to answer requests from thousands of clients.

In any case, people tend to like pen and napkins when explaining things and usually I get an aha or two.

The NY Times magazine today goes into some more detail, and goes so far as to call datacenters, the cloud, which is a slightly different focus I'll keep in mind on my next napkin session.

June 14, 2009 - via The New York Times

Much of the daily material of our lives is now dematerialized and outsourced to a far-flung, unseen network. The tilting CD tower gives way to the MP3-laden hard drive which itself yields to a service like Pandora, music that is always “there,” waiting to be heard.

But where is “there,” and what does it look like?

“There” is nowadays likely to be increasingly large, powerful, energy-intensive, always-on and essentially out-of-sight data centers.

One of the concepts that often gets people interested in my work at SureTech.com is "The Cloud."  Usually people are interested in what it is and how to understand it. 

I usually draw a fluffy cloud shape and outline a couple computers and servers on a napkin and explain how the cloud describes the almost infinite wires and connections between computers that is called the internet.  And I describe how servers are designed to answer requests from thousands of clients.

In any case, people tend to like pen and napkins when explaining things and usually I get an aha or two.

The NY Times magazine today goes into some more detail, and goes so far as to call datacenters, the cloud, which is a slightly different focus I'll keep in mind on my next napkin session...