Homepages Go Missing
This past weekend was a bit confusing for many Google enthusiasts in Saudi Arabia. Google users with customized homepages became extremely upset when they discovered that their customized content had gone missing. The problem was actually discovered in the US on Thursday morning but due to time differences, the situation didn’t become apparent in the Kingdom until Thursday night.
Most local Google enthusiasts, confident in the high service level of the online provider, immediately believed that the homepage meltdown had been cause by their computers, pets, local ISP, KACST or some other individual stupidity. The situation was complicated by the fact that re-personalizing the homepages did not work and for some inexplicable reason, Google did not post a notice of the homepage mayhem in a prominent location where ordinary non-geek users could be made aware of the problem.
Google claims it has now restored the missing customized content, however no clear reason for the problem was provided to those affected.
The entire affair demonstrates worrisome behavior from a company that would like us all to turn over our applications and data to its management.
Acer Battery Recall
As a precautionary measure, Acer Incorporated is recalling a number of Sony-made Lithium-Ion laptop batteries from the US and Canadian market used in certain Acer notebook computers. The affected models were sold in Canada and the US from May 2004 through November 2006.
The recall is a precautionary measure as there have been 16 reports of notebook batteries overheating. These reports were associated with earlier recalls by other notebook computer manufacturers of batteries containing these Sony cells. These previous reports involved only minor property damage and two minor burns. None of these reports involved batteries in Acer notebook computers.
None of the affected models were released for sale in Saudi Arabia.
However, if an Acer computer was purchased on the gray market in the Kingdom (not through an authorized distributor), it is possible that the computer may have one of the affected batteries. To ensure that your battery is safe, simply click to http://www.acerbatteryrecall.com/AcerWeb/. In any case, please note that only the described battery packs are subject to this replacement program and not the notebook computers themselves.
Unified HIS Launched
Kerfi Arabia is to implement a total solution to unify the hospital information systems (HIS) in all Ministry of Defense hospitals. This system connects 20 hospitals and 68 clinics throughout five regions in the Kingdom. In the past, thousands of Ministry of Defense staff were troubled with having inconsistent medical records at different hospitals and clinics throughout the Kingdom due to their constant and unforeseen relocations. The new HIS makes it possible for any medical record to be viewed at any MOD medical facility.
Kerfi Arabia led a group of major international vendors in the execution of this project, namely: Nexus for the HIS, IFS for the ERP and back office, and Oracle and Sun Microsystems for the infrastructure. Kerfi Arabia is the systems integrator. Phase 1 will cover Patient Registration, ADT and Outpatient Management to be installed in all of the regional hospitals at the newly acquired Sun servers. Other medical services will be covered in future phases.
