SaaS

Danske julesalmer og sange - Musica Ficta
$8.99
I must agree with my Danish friend in Minnesota, this is a wonderful cd. Musica Ficta's performances are consistently enchanting and beautiful. The mostly Romantic and post-Romantic repetoire (by Hartmann, Nielsen and others) is consistently melodic and engaging. There is a magic to this recording that makes it truly special. This makes a wonderful addition to your holiday music collection, but it was quite lovely when I first listened to it in September.

As in Heaven (S��� som i himmelen) [Imported] [Region 2 DVD]
$25.01
Film Review SAGF-1


(This review was originally published in the Swedish American Geneologist, December, 2008)



S��� som i Himmelen (As It Is in Heaven), 2004, directed by Kay Pollak, DVD non-USA format, Swedish with English subtitles, Amazon.com $25.99 plus shipping.

Almost unknown in the US, this beautiful and heartwarming film from Sweden has been described by critics as one of the best Swedish films made in recent years and has been nominated for several awards in Europe. It was recently shown at the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia after our annual Semlor gathering. I quickly rushed to find a copy for myself to share with others. Regrettably, I will have to try and convert it to US format, or find a European format DVD player, to show it other than at the Museum. So unlike the popular fare being churned out by Hollywood, the film deserves much wider acclaim in the US among all moviegoers, not just Swedish Americans.

Taking place in a small village, Ljus���ker, in the far northern province of Norrland, the story is about a small boy (Daniel Dareus) raised by a single mother, who has a talent for the violin but is bullied by local boys. He grows up to become a world-famous musician and conductor, driven by his talent and desire for perfection, to ill health and exhaustion. He returns alone to his little village to recover and rest, buying the now vacant old village schoolhouse to live in. The local people do not remember him as a child but know of his reputation as a conductor. Members of the small village church choir ask him to help them with their music, and he reluctantly agrees. His methods are unorthodox but the choir members come to love him. Others, including the Pastor, question his motives and methods.

The story unfolds to reveal how he affects all those in the village not only in their music but also to grow in their personal lives. All Daniel (played by Michael Nyqvist) ever wanted to do in life was to help people find their own voice, and he is immensely successful in doing so. The Choir, the Church, and the village are all transformed as a result of his presence. It is the rare film that is so moving that it can give one a lump in the throat almost from beginning to end.

Along the way, the Pastor has an epiphany, a battered wife gains confidence as a star soloist, a developmentally disabled boy is discovered to have a great bass voice, and many others face up to their talents and to the issues in their lives. And they create music to stir the heart and evoke God's grace in fraternity and mutual love. Especially moving is the song that Daniel writes for Gabriela (Gabriela's song), in which she gains confidence over her fears to sing in a Village concert. (Gabriela is played by Helen Sj���holm, who was the voice of Kristina in the Opera, Kristina fran Duvem���la). Other fine Swedish singers including Frida Hallgren, Andre Sj���berg, Ingela Olsson, and Lennart J���hkel, who perform as members of the choir. You will also hear other familiar songs beautifully sung, including "Amazing Grace" sung in English, and "Beautiful Saviour", sung wonderfully in Swedish.

Try and find a way to see this memorable film. If you do not know Swedish, the subtitles will let you enjoy the film just as well. You will also see splendid photography of the village and the landscape in Norrland and a glimpse of village life in Sweden in modern times. As is common in Swedish films there are a few minor nude scenes, but not lascivious or offensive and certainly acceptable for teenagers and up. The Swedish habit of always portraying the clergy as flawed and hypocritical is also present in this film, but the overriding story of the power of love and grace in people's lives more than makes up for this Pastor's human failing.

Dennis L. Johnson
February 2009

Application Service Provider and Software as a Service Agreements Line by Line: A Detailed Look at ASP and Saas Agreements and How to Change Them to Meet Your Needs
$125.00
Written by two seasoned practitioners nationally known for their work across the breadth of information technology issues, Application Service Provider and Software as a Service Agreements Line by Line arguably provides the most up-to-date coverage of the current trends in this rapidly expanding area. Offering in-depth explanations of concepts, practical advice on negotiations, and suggestions for best practices, this book covers topics such as required scope of the license grant, definition of end-users, audit rights, escrow/release rights, service level requirements, and business continuity issues, as well as payment and dispute resolution issues for business critical applications contracted to third party vendors. This book also provides readers with crucial information surrounding issues that commonly effect integration of third party provider services within the workflow of the organization, such as implementation requirements, training/knowledge transfer, confidentiality/security of corporate information, compliance with corporate polices, and metrics for user satisfaction. Furthermore, by applying business-centric concepts to the negotiation process, the authors provide a systematic approach to effective risk allocation for both providers and users of ASP and SaaS, as well as alternative positions to resolve negotiation "log jams." Application Service Provider and Software as a Service Agreements Line by Line is a comprehensive and integrated book on this evolving and critical area of business process outsourcing and is truly an indispensable resource for both practitioners and would-be practitioners alike.

Cloud Application Architectures: Building Applications and Infrastructure in the Cloud (Theory in Practice (O'Reilly))
$29.99
This book tries to cover a wide set of audience. It does a good job - but touching the surface. Reading the first couple of chapters will reveal the general challenges and what to consider - when you starting thinking about clouds from a decision making perspective. Beyond that, it makes more sense to audience more interested in moving their applications to a cloud environment.