Just like rogue employees in the 1990s forced instant messaging into corporations, the new Google Apps Team Edition being launched on Thursday offers a way for workers to slip a hosted apps service into the enterprise.

This could help Google in its efforts to lure more people off desktop applications sold by Microsoft and onto the mostly free Web-based apps Google offers.

Google Apps Team Edition is a free service that lets people within the same e-mail domain collaborate easily with Google Apps, a package that includes Docs, Calendar, Talk, and Start Page.

Unlike IM applications, which open communication to anyone on the Web using a compatible IM app, Google Apps Team Edition lets you share with people only in your same organization.

Google’s stand-alone hosted apps for consumers haven’t really made a splash in the corporate world, largely because of the security threats posed by how easy they make it to share sensitive work data with people outside the company.

So Google created Google Apps, a free Standard Edition and a Premier Edition that has a fee. These editions give an administrator control over how the apps are used, allowing for services to be disabled, new services like Gmail to be added, and integration with apps for things like single sign-on. Google offers security and government regulation compliance services for those editions 9789901 through its Postini acquisition.

“People are already using the consumer (hosted Google) apps in the workplace, like they did IM a decade ago,” said Jeremy Milo, senior marketing manager for Google Apps. “We’re trying to bring more security by introducing the notion of domain awareness.”

The Team Edition offers a compromise for workers who want to use the apps in a company that isn’t already using Google Apps or if the company lacks an IT administrator. An administrator can always step in and switch from Team Edition to Standard or Premier if they want. And a new domain can be acquired through the Standard Edition for $10 for those who need a uniform e-mail domain.

(Credit: Google)

With Team Edition anyone can open an account and start using the apps with anyone within the organization. For instance, a group working on a team project could use Google Apps Team Edition and be able to access the shared documents from any computer over the Internet.

“Google Apps Team Edition is another on ramp” to Web-hosted apps, Milo said. “They are one more way for businesses to get comfortable with computing in the cloud and anywhere, any time access to critical information.”

Now we are in 2008, a new date has begun, and it should begin with a new stories. I’m sorry couldn’t write so much in the past few months due to heavy works and simultaneous tasks that I have to complete.

2007 has left me some significant issues and events. I can only summarize what have come across my mind at this moment:

1. The year when Manchester United win Premier Leagues title and fail to beat Chelsea in FA Cup final and lost to AC Milan in CL semifinal.

2. When a rookie made a major headlines in Formula One with Louis Hamilton of McLaren consistently make a podium finish, but failed to win the title when it goes to Kimi of Ferrari. McLaren has been fined USD 100 million on spying Ferrari’s setting and Alonso is the scapegoat! BMW Sauber Petronas grab the runner-up.

3. Dr SMS of Malaysian made it to the space, harbouring with another astronouts at Russian Space Station.

4. Fuel and Cigarettes price extremely increase. It’s all about political issues in this country.

5. Swisscash left thousands of people kaput.

6. Get involved in Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market.

7. Can’t make it to the Sepang for the first time since Formula 1 live at Malaysia.

8. Finding new business opportunity in fertigasi agriculture.

9. Lost USD 2k in forex within few minutes when Tony Blair (UK Prime Minister) is ready to announce his resignation.

10. Selling of my second car.

11. Settle down at my own apartment. 15 years loan, i think that’s enough. 11 years to go!

Well, that’s all I can figure it out at this moment, maybe there are some left behind, and of course the are some significant events that I think better for me to keep it myself.

See ya 2008!

WidgetBucks, who until today were featured quite prominently on my blogs, have just changed their payment policy.

Now, ad networks changes their terms and conditions all the time, but the WidgetBucks change is the most mindblowingly stupid idea I’ve ever heard:

From now on, publishers will only be paid for trafffic from the US and Canada.

For many publishers, that will completely wipe out their earnings, and they may not even be aware of the change. Meanwhile, WidgetBucks are continuing to accept clicks from outside the US and redirect them to their own affiliates. (I just checked – one of my links was redirected to Amazon via mpire.com)

In short, they’re generating money from your traffic, while refusing to pay you for it.

Now, there’s a possibility that this is just a really, really bad attempt to try to stamp out fraud and not a ’scam’, but the consequence for publishers is exactly the same – WidgetBucks is stealing your traffic and not paying you.

I’m not sure whether to remove or not all WidgetBucks widgets from my sites, but I will closely monitor their progress and statements. My personal recommendation is that you should do the same but obviously, the decision as to whether or not to remove WidgetBucks is yours at the end of the day.

Look at the picture, and we know that is Klang River, in the middle of Kuala Lumpur. For the past few years, many programs and projects had been taken to re-construct the river, but it seems that nothing much can be changed at this moment. Luckily, there’s no more spot for illegal drug addict to park under the bridge along the river.

But, some day, can it turned to be something like this …

or something like this too…

Everybody want to have their own home, whether small or big. But when you live in this metropolitan like Kuala Lumpur, and you are just another tiny little person who earn less than 100k per annum, buying a house is more appropriate terms to use rather than building it. Only those who earns millions can afford to buy a land and build their own designed bungalow as planned inside the city area. For me, build a house at my hometown is rather a better solution. Here, I just bought whatever unit that I can afford.

Whether you are building, buying or renovating, here are ten tips to consider with creating a more sustainable home.

1. Water conservation

Use water efficient appliances and fittings, such as 3-star (or AAA-rated) showerheads and water pressure-limiting devices, and include a rainwater tanks to supply water for use with gardens, toilets and laundry.

2. Natural heating and cooling (passive solar design)

Good passive solar design allows your home to respond to its local climate through natural heating in winter and cooling in summer e.g. good orientation and room zoning, capturing breezes for cross-ventilation, appropriate insulation, shading (e.g. sufficient eaves), building materials (lightweight construction/thermal mass), and fixtures and finishes (e.g. skylights and window treatment). Incorporation of passive design reduces the need to rely on air conditioners/heaters. It can also indirectly promote natural daylighting and improve indoor air quality with circulating breezes providing fresh air inside the home.

3. Energy and green house efficient water heating

Install a solar, natural gas or electric heat pump hot water system to lower energy bills and reduce the single largest source of greenhouse emissions in the household.

4. Future-proof

The living area and at least one bedroom and toilet on the entry level should be readily accessible from the front boundary or car space to accommodate your changing housing needs as you get older.

5. Safe floors

Design floors and showers to be step-free (hobless). Use floor surfaces that are slip resistant to guard against injuries.

6. Address the street

An easy to read house number at the front of your property makes it easy to find. Good external lighting and separated driveway and pedestrian entries also makes it safer.

7. Casual surveillance

Design your home to have easy surveillance to play areas and the street from the main living area and kitchen for better security.

8. Long-term maintenance

Reduce the repair and ongoing maintenance costs of your home by using low maintenance materials.

9. Indoor air quality

Avoid materials that contain volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), such as paints/finishes and adhesives, which can cause irritation and allergies, and impact poorly on your health.

10. Outdoor living

Include permanently covered outdoor play and entertainment areas with a good relationship to indoor spaces to maximise your home’s access to Queensland’s favorable lifestyle and climate.

Remember to check with your local council for any specific design requirement regulations, such as set backs and plumbing standards for rainwater tanks. Do not override their rules!