M3 Challenge

If you are a BMW junkie like myself, you are bound to like the M3 Challenge, a free racing game released by BMW as a promo for their current M3. It is in up-to-date quality, featuring the complete Nürburgring plus online multiplayer challenges.

HandyTicket rocks!

Just have to share my excitement about the new HandyTicket for public transport currently being tried out by Hamburg's HVV. It allows you to purchase public transport tickets via your mobile which are later charged to your credit card or bank account.

Have been using it for several days now and it works like a charm. No more fiddling with small change or grumpy bus drivers who can't change on a 20 Euro note, thereafter flooring the pedal, sending you flying down the bus aisle all the while holding on to the contents of your wallet and your newly purchased ticket. I love it!

Just curious how the first encounter with a ticket control will look like. "Handy Ticket? Nice try!" is a likely scenario. We will see :-)

Open Source OLAP...

...seems to be gaining momentum.

So far, I was only aware of Eclipse BIRT. Here are some more impressive projects:

Pentaho (with the Mondrian OLAP server and the ETL tool Kettle)

JPivot

Jaspersoft

Jedox

While these tools may not yet have an edge over their commercial pendants in regard to a TCO perspective, they certainly show that competition in the already highly competitve OLAP market is increasing.