Meat Cast If an analyst's brain is vacuumed in a forest, does it make a noise? We answer that very question in Episode 6 - code-named Toe-Tapping Senator - of Semi-Coherent Computing.

This week's show has me pulling down a direct feed of server data and virtualization philosophy from Gabriel Consulting Group analyst Dan Olds. We talk about HP's surging blade server business, Dell's x86 server struggles and successes and the trend toward larger x86 boxes. Oh yeah, we discuss Microsoft maybe buying Citrix, different approaches to virtualization software and the future of computing too.

Along the way, Olds dishes out some of his research to help provide an idea as to where HP, Dell, Sun and IBM fail and aid their customers.

You must listen to this show if you like x86 servers and/or virtualization technology and/or want to maintain your self-respect.

Semi-Coherent Computing - Episode Six - Toe-Tapping Senator (http://go.theregister.com/podcast/2007/09/07/scc_episode6_danolds.mp3)

You can also grab the show off iTunes here (http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=261007462) or subscribe to the show via this feed (http://www.theregister.co.uk/hardware/semi_coherent/podcast.rss).

You'll find Dan Olds here (http://www.gabrielconsultinggroup.com/).

As always, special thanks go out to legend in the making Todd Phelps for letting us use his song "You Can Call Me Daddy Tonight." You'll find Phelps's web site here (http://www.toddphelps.com/) and his MySpace page here (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=98494248).®

Related stories

Part II: How a pair of American spies created the Soviet Silicon Valley (9 May 2008)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/09/scc_16_usdin_two/
How a pair of American spies created the Soviet Silicon Valley (15 April 2008)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/15/scc_15_usdin/
A Shaolin monk, Warren Buffett and a Russian mobster walk into a bar . . . (10 March 2008)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/10/scc_14_patrick_byrne/
Prince Opteron unloads on AMD, Intel and the future of memory (8 February 2008)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/08/fred_weber_scc13/
From water wheels to the Google brain (18 January 2008)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/18/scc_12_nick_carr/
Remembering the browser wars with Netscape's ex-CEO (19 December 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/19/scc11_jim_barksdale/
Is the world ready for a 1TB iPod? (13 November 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/13/scc_10_storage/
Citrix kicks off XenSource era by going bandwagon mad (22 October 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/22/citrix_iforum_xensource/
Are PCs doomed to banality? Let's ask legend Dave Patterson (19 October 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/19/scc9_dave_patterson/
Google, Intel and Sun save the world! (11 October 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/11/scc_episode_sun_climate_savers/
Dell's new blade server takes M1000e moniker (9 October 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/09/dell_m1000e_blade_server/
IBM attacks HP's dwarf blade with muffler (4 October 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/04/ibm_muffled_bladecenters/
It's time to pay attention to Sun's x86 server biz (26 September 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/26/sun_x86_play/
Chip pioneer David Ditzel talks Transmeta, Sun and Bell Labs (21 September 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/21/scc_episode7_david_ditzel/
Sun to virtualize boxes, storage and NICs with 'Project Virginia' (18 September 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/18/virtualization_project_virginia_sun/
Virtualization standards becoming a reality (13 September 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/13/dmtf_drafts_virtualization_standards/
High protein diet good for boxen gurus and open sourcerers (10 September 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/10/scc_openseason_feeds/
Sun launches Eco Innovation Initiative (10 September 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/10/sun_eco_innovation_intitiative/
Data center efficiency - the good, the bad and the way too hot (24 August 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/24/scc5_rumsey_engineers/
Dissecting penguins for fun and profit (10 August 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/10/scc4_linuxworld/
Supercomputer Wars: IBM vs. Sun vs. Google vs. Quantum Boxes (20 July 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/20/woodlands_scc_episodetwo/
Blade servers as told by the master (10 July 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/07/10/scc_episodeone_bladeboy/