Best of the Data Center Blogs for July 30

Here’s a roundup of some interesting items we came across this week in our reading of data center industry blogs for July 30th:

A Brief History of Cloud Computing - Having become part of IBM, SoftLayer reflects on the legacy of the mainframe in the evolution of utility computing: "Believe it or not, “cloud computing” concepts date back to the 1950s when large-scale mainframes were made available to schools and corporations. The mainframe’s colossal hardware infrastructure was installed in what could literally be called a “server room” (since the room would generally only be able to hold a single mainframe), and multiple users were able to access the mainframe via “dumb terminals” – stations whose sole function was to facilitate access to the mainframes."

Call a Plumber…? There’s Water Dripping out of Electrical Conduits - At the Schneider Electroc blog, Barry Rimler looks at seasonal challenges: "With the arrival of the “dog days of summer” occasionally comes an unexpected and potentially dangerous byproduct of the weather.  The problem can show up as water dripping out of electrical conduits, right into critical data center “grey space” or “white space” equipment, that is clearly not designed to handle water.  This most likely is not a plumbing problem, rather a characteristic of the “changeable states” of water."

Bessemer Starts Cloud Company Index - From Jordan Novet at GigaOm: "As of this month, major cloud computing companies have a market cap of more than $100 billion, according to calculations from investors at Bessemer Venture Partners. And so, with all that money floating around, the firm has drawn up an index of the top 30 companies offering cloud services."

Video: Cognitive Computing with the SyNAPSE Project - From InsideHPC: "In this video, IBM’s Dharmendra Modha describes the SyNAPSE Project, a research effort to develop a computer chip inspired by the human brain."