Jeff Bezos Is But One Human Who Is Commercially Shaking Things Up on Earth

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Amazon's Dominance in e-commerce

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02. But, First Things First: Surveying the Bigger Picture of Planet Earth, Life on Earth, and the Entire Universe

Before proceeding with this Jeff Bezos' honor, I would like to pause momentarily. I would like to take a brief detour. I would like to acknowledge and pay homage to the bigger picture, which is the miracle of being. Given the daily bustle of going to school to get an education or going to work to earn a living, it is very important for humans not to lose sight of a seemingly inconsequential yet splendorous miracle known as Earth. It is even more important for humans not to lose sight of perhaps the greatest miracle of them all: Life on Earth.

The Universe is infinitely gargantuan. When viewed through the lenses of the broader Universe, even Earth and its human inhabitants are like a couple of immaterial grains of sand on a beach otherwise completely filled with kilometers or miles of sand. Humans—and all life—are bound together on planet Earth by the force of gravity. During their very brief life spans, the least that humans can do is to be civil to one another. Why opt for a daily existence of Hell when humans—and nations—just as easily can opt for a daily existence of Heaven on Earth? One would be inclined to think that the answer to this question would be an obvious no-brainer especially for a species who touts itself as being very wise, right?

Earth in Motion

A Peek at the Miracle of Life on Earth

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Weather on Earth

Temperature Scale

Weather Map Courtesy of MapBox, OpenStreetMap, and Openweathermap

Day and Night on Earth

A Peek at Some of the Best of Day-to-Day Human Life on Earth

Gravity on Earth

The next bloc of gravity-on-Earth images illustrates why leaving planet Earth and living in outer space will not be an easy feat for humans to accomplish. First of all, humans require oxygen, water, and food to survive. Where, in outer space, will humans find an abundant supply of oxygen, water, and food not to mention shelter and a place to dispose of their waste? Secondly, the human body clock and body weight will perform differently in outer space. The human body is accustomed to the 24/7/365 routine of life on Earth, which means 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week and 365 days in a year as dictated by Earth's daily revolution on its axis and Earth's yearly orbit of the Sun.

The human body also is accustomed to moving around in Earth's gravitational field. The human body becomes disoriented when placed in a different gravitational environment as the next video illustrates. Although a given human's body mass might be constant, say, for example, 45.5 kilograms or about 100 pounds, the very same human would have different weights on different heavenly bodies depending on the mass of the heavenly body. Additionally, Earth often is referred to as a "Goldilocks" planet because its climate is neither too hot nor too cold for life to thrive. The human body has adapted to Earth's "Goldilocks" climate. The human body is not suited for surviving in extremely cold climates such as Pluto's or extremely hot climates such as Venus'. To summarize, it would take quite an adjustment or adaptation and a few prerequisites (such as an abundant presence of air, water and food) for humans to leave planet Earth and start living and thriving in outer space. Life gets a little dicey for humans as they venture beyond Mother Earth's protective confines and venture into outer space. ⇒ Reality Check: As of the 21st century, Earth remains the only known habitable home where humans can live and thrive. This reality makes a very compelling case for humans to take very good care of Earth.

Watch (Astronauts Tripping on the Surface of the Moon)

1 of 7 - Gravity on Earth: Gravity Probe B orbiting the Earth

2 of 7 - Gravity on Earth: An Animation of Gravity at Work According to Albert Einstein

3 of 7 - Gravity on Earth According to Sir Isaac Newton

4 of 7 - Gravity on Earth: Newton's Law of Gravitation

5 of 7 - Gravity on Earth: The Weight Equation

Using the weight equation (that is, W = m * g) from the above graphic, the following table further illustrates the experience of weight on different heavenly bodies. To be somewhat consistent with the weight graphic below, the next table assumes that a human weighs roughly 45.5 kilograms or 100 pounds. It shows how much the same human would weigh if that human suddenly were transported to another heavenly body or planet. For instance, if a 45.5 kilogram or 100 pound human suddenly re-located to, say, the Moon, then he or she would weigh the equivalent of 17 pounds. Weight therefore is not absolute but rather it is relative to your location in space. These heavenly body measurements are derived from Sir Isaac Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation. The graphic immediately below shows how Albert Einstein's theory of relativity presents another view of gravity.

Heavenly Body	Surface Gravity (m/s²) = g	Mass = m	Weight (Newtons) = W	Conversion Factor (Newtons per Pound)	Weight (Pounds) = W
Sun	274	45.5	12467	4.448222	2,803
Mercury	3.7	45.5	168.35	4.448222	38
Venus	8.87	45.5	403.585	4.448222	91
Earth	9.80665	45.5	446.202575	4.448222	100
Moon	1.6	45.5	72.8	4.448222	16
Mars	3.71	45.5	168.805	4.448222	38
Jupiter	24.79	45.5	1127.945	4.448222	254
Saturn	10.4	45.5	473.2	4.448222	106
Uranus	8.87	45.5	403.585	4.448222	91
Neptune	11.15	45.5	507.325	4.448222	114
Pluto	0.66	45.5	30.03	4.448222	7
Ceres (a dwarf planet)	0.28	45.5	12.74	4.448222	3
Europa (a Jupiter moon)	1.315	45.5	59.8325	4.448222	13
Titan (a Saturn moon)	1.354	45.5	61.607	4.448222	14
Data source for surface gravity: NASA

6 of 7 - Gravity on Earth: Weight of the Same Human on Different Heavenly Bodies

7 of 7 - Gravity on Earth According to Albert Einstein: Hubble, Two Stars and Light Paths

Beyond Planet Earth: Solar System to Scale Ordered by Planet Size

Foreground Model of the Solar System in Motion Superimposed Against the Background Universe

Solar System Pictured: 0. Sun > 1. Mercury > 2. Venus > 3. Earth/Moon > 4. Mars > 5. Asteroid Belt >
6. Jupiter > 7. Saturn > 8. Uranus > 9. Neptune > 10. Pluto

• Sun
• Mercury
• Venus
• Earth & Moon
• Mars
• Asteroids & Meteoroids
• Jupiter
• Saturn & Ring
• Uranus
• Neptune
• Pluto

Solar System Temperatures

NASA's Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 Space Probes Reach the Interstellar Medium: Leaving the Solar System and Heading for the Stars

Earth's Milky Way Galaxy with a Super Miniature View of the Solar System

A Broader View of Earth's Place in the Universe: The Bigger Picture

Listening for Radio Signals from Intelligent Life in Outer Space: The Five-Hundred-Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST)

03. The Birth of Cloud Computing: A Synopsis from the Ethernet to the Internet Computing Paradigm

And, now, it is time to get back to the main subject at hand. It is time to proceed with this 2018 Jeff Bezos' honor. To grasp the full significance of Jeff Bezos' contributions to present-day business computing, a brief trip down memory lane is required. Prior to the advent of cloud computing and Amazon Web Services (AWS), there existed a process throughout the broader business community known as the network computing model or paradigm. Depending on the size of a given business entity, typical network configurations encompassed either a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). The next bloc of images depicts a typical LAN ethernet arrangement.

From a software perspective, Microsoft has always played a pivotal role in enabling the network computing paradigm to flourish. Microsoft's Windows NT (New Technology) server operating system and its subsequent Windows 20xx Server operating systems coupled with its office and email productivity software suites were customized to accommodate the requirements of the network-computing paradigm. During the 1980's through the 2000's, both Microsoft and the networked computing paradigm dominated the business computing space. They were intimately interwoven.

When graphical web browsers were introduced during the 1990's, the most common way of connecting to the World Wide Web was through a dial-up analog modem connection via an Internet Service Provider or ISP. Dial-up connections typically were slower ways to connect to the Internet and the World Wide Web. Gradually, analog connections gave way to faster methods of connecting to the World Wide Web. These faster methods included ISDN (integrated services digital network), DSL (digital subscriber line), cable modem, broadband wireless, and satellite connections.

Ethernet Network: 1990's Old Way of Business Computing

A Peek behind the Scenes of Wikimedia Foundation's IT (Information Technology) Room: An Ethernet Framework

2015 APG GEMS, 1 of 2 [Ethernet Network Connected Computing]

2015 APG GEMS, 2 of 2 [Ethernet Network Connected Computing]

With the advent of faster methods of connecting to the World Wide Web and with the commercialization of the World Wide Web, there was an explosion in the numbers of both websites and World Wide Web users during the 1990's. The graphics below illustrate how the internet computing paradigm emerged alongside the ethernet network computing paradigm.

Also, as depicted by the first map graphic below, use of the Internet, in general, and the World Wide Web, in particular, remains a far cry from being a universal human experience. There remain millions of humans who cannot access the World Wide Web due to a lack of connectivity resources. Where Internet access is available on Earth, for better or worse, the second map graphic below indicates that there also exist varying levels of government censorship, surveillance, and control over access to certain websites on the World Wide Web from country to country. The information visitors get to view and read on the World Wide Web can be censored or severely restricted depending on the country where they reside.

Internet Connectivity Distribution & Core: A New Way of Computing for the 2000's [Internet Computing]

Internet Users As a Percentage of a Country's Population (as of 2013)

Internet Censorship and Surveillance by Country (as of 2017)

04. From the Internet to Cloud Computing and the Genesis of Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Due to the growing popularity of the World Wide Web across the globe, during the 2000's, a shift emerged in how computing was performed. The new buzz word became the internet area network (IAN). IAN emerged as an alternative business computing model compared to the pre-existing and more dominant LAN/WAN networking computing model. Cloud computing, in turn, emerged from this shift to the broader IAN computing framework. Broadly speaking, the chief service components of the cloud computing model include Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) as summarized in the cloud-related images below. Notably, cloud computing also is a core computer science profiency, and it falls under the auspices of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curricula in schools and colleges across the globe.

The 2010's witnessed some dramatic shifts in the field of computing. One such shift was more applicable to households, and the other shift was more applicable to businesses. For households, there was a shift from exclusively using desktop and laptop computers to using tablet computers, hand-held devices (such as personal digital assistants and smart eReaders), and smartphones. For businesses, there was a shift from exclusively using networked desktop and laptop computers to using the so-called "cloud" to host, implement, and manage business processes. The LAN/WAN network computing paradigm began to give way to the IAN computing paradigm. In turn, the IAN computing paradigm has enabled cloud computing to germinate and grow.

Cloud Computing: The 2010's New Way of Business Computing

Cloud Computing Types

Cloud Computing Layers

According to the NIST (U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology) cloud computing is defined as "a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models." The following three graphics depict the components of cloud computing paradigm as defined by NIST.

Five Essential Cloud Characteristics

1. On-demand self-service
2. Broad network access
3. Resource pooling
4. Rapid elasticity
5. Measured service

Three Service Models [Note: See Dotted Lines and Arrows for the Distinction]

1. Software as a Service (SaaS)
2. Platform as a Service (PaaS)
3. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

Four Deployment Models

1. Private cloud
2. Community cloud
3. Public cloud
4. Hybrid cloud

Before the advent of cloud computing, shrink-wrapped software packages were the norm. Cloud computing makes it possible to render shrink-wrapped software packages obsolete. Some of the biggest software vendors have begun migrating their software offerings to the cloud computing model. Here are some examples of high-profile corporations to have migrated their office productivity suites to the public cloud:

• Microsoft Office 365
• G Suite by Google Cloud
• Apple iCloud
• Zoho Office Suite
• Thinkfree Office Online
• IBM Connections Cloud
• Netffice24
• Collabora Online
• Adobe Creative Cloud

Inherit in the old-school, shrink-wrapped computing paradigm is the one-time, purchase-to-own relationship between the software consumer and the software producer/merchant. Inherit in the newer cloud computing model is the perpetual, rent-to-use relationship between the software consumer and software producer/merchant. Given the current cloud computing trend, is the handwriting on the wall for shrink-wrapped software applications? Will shrink-wrapped software applications gradually be phased out of existence as more and more software producers migrate to the cloud? Realistically, the shrink-wrapped-into-extinction scenario is not likely to occur so long as the desktop and laptop computer markets continue to thrive. So long as the desktop and laptop computer markets remain vibrant, there always will be a demand for shrink-wrapped and downloadable versions of software products as opposed to consuming those products exclusively in the cloud.

If household consumers would like to experience computing exclusively in the cloud by way of a web browser anyplace on Earth using any type of hardware device, then a viable, sustainable, up-to-date, and fully self-contained desktop web operating system remains elusive (also known variously as a WebOS and Desktop as a Service). Numerous prototypes desktop web operating systems have appeared only to fade into oblivion possibly due to a lack of profitability. A desktop web operating system works somewhat similarly to the way the older online web portals worked such as CompuServe, AOL, EarthLink, and MSN of the 1990's. One distinction between the online web portals and desktop web operating systems is the deeper breath of capabilities offered by desktop web operating systems. One rare, still-existing, subscription-based, self-contained web or cloud operating systems is the following one:

• Windows Virtual Desktop

Another example of a cloud desktop is the following one:

• Webtop.com

Several scaled-down examples of cloud-based operating systems for households include:

• AstraNOS
• CloudTop

Several implement-it-yourself, works-in-progress cloud operating systems for households include the following ones, but each requires a degree of technical proficiency to set up and implement:

• Apache Guacamole
• OS.js

It should be noted that using a self-contained, desktop web operating system presupposes some type of available connection to the World Wide Web along with use of a modern web browser. Again, as of 2018, the advent of self-contained desktop web operating systems remains a field in flux. "Desktop as a Service" or the fully functional and broadly adopted cloud operating system for households remains an elusive computing paradigm, and it is yet to find solid footing in the marketplace.

To recapitulate, cloud computing emerged after there was a shift away from the older LAN/WAN network computing paradigm for performing business computing chores and towards the newly emerging internet area network (IAN) computing paradigm. Amazon Web Services (AWS), in turn, has emerged as a leading provider of cloud-related computing services. The above cloud-related images summarily illustrate how cloud computing works. In essence, cloud computing represents a new and alternative way of performing business computing chores. In the case of cloud providers such AWS, they primarily are intended for business use; however, some of their features can be adapted for personal, household-level uses. Whereby cloud-based operating systems for househods gradually are becoming extinct, the prospects look much brighter for business-oriented cloud computing. These brighter prospects undoubtedly are due to greater opportunities to earn profits by servicing businesses.

A good analogy for the advent of cloud computing would be the telephone answering device. During the 1980's, it was commonplace for many USA households to have a telephone answering device in the home. The device would sit on a table alongside the telephone. It would answer calls with a recorded message and would capture and save recorded messages from callers. By the 2000's, a newer technology known as voicemail came along to replace the telephone answering device. The advent of voicemail was equivalent to the advent of cloud computing. With voicemail, home telephones were answered in the cloud if not physically answered by someone in the home. Telephone messages were stored in the cloud on the telephone companies' computers.

05. From Amazon.com to the Birth and Growth of Amazon Web Services (AWS): A Synopsis

Legend has it that the birth of AWS happened purely as a coincidence—and I do emphasize the word legend. Legend has it that AWS emerged when Jeff Bezos commissioned the building of a computing infrastructure to efficiently operate all aspects of his very profitable and rapidly growing Amazon.com website. At the same time, Jeff Bezos was planning to launch an e-commerce platform whereby other businesses could use the platform (for a fee) to run their unique online stores. It turned out that the resultant data centers held a lot of excess infrastructure capacity. The infrastructure Jeff Bezos built vastly exceeded his data-processing needs. I imagine that Jeff Bezos must have pondered, "What in the world am I going to do with all of this idle, excess computer-processing capacity?" Suddenly, after consulting with his management team, a light bulb lit in his head. I imagine that Jeff Bezos must have reasoned to himself, "It is time to pivot. This e-commerce infrastructure can be used to service not only online stores but also an array of business needs. It is time for a paradigm shift." Much like a landlord rents out excess office space, Jeff Bezos decided to rent out this excess data center space to whoever can utilize it. From what began as an effort to expand the capabilities of Amazon.com ultimately led to a data-center-leasing type of arrangement. And, as the saying goes, the rest is cloud computing history. This leasing arrangement burgeoned into what is now known as AWS. This leasing arrangement, with its attendant set of unique hardware and software enabling tools, seemed to have worked out spectacularly well for Jeff Bezos. No, Jeff Bezos did not invent cloud computing; however, much like his resounding success at selling books over the World Wide Web under the auspices of Amazon.com, he took the lead in leveraging, exploiting, and ultimately revolutionizing the cloud computing potential.

Since the advent of AWS, other cloud service providers have joined the competitive fray. These other cloud service providers vigorously have been running to catch up to AWS. The race to the top of the cloud-computing mountain is not nearly over. The ongoing cloud-provider competitive race to the finish line can be characterized as a marathon rather than as a sprint. The ultimate goal of the race is to become both world renown as the best-in-class for cloud computing and the most profitable cloud service provider in the industry. In a certain respect, the cloud computing competition of the 2010's looks very similar to the web browser wars of the 1990's. As of 2018, Google Chrome has move to the front of the pack in the ongoing browser competition. As of 2030, who will emerge as the cloud provider leader? Will it continue to be AWS?

AWS made its public debut with the March 2006 releases of its Simple Storage Service (S3) service. It soon followed S3 with the July 2006 public release of its Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) service. Shortly after the release of SQS, in August 2006, AWS publicly released its Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) service. From there, AWS was off to the races, so to speak. Today, as of 2018, AWS stands on the precipice of pioneering a brand new way of implementing business computing chores. Under this new business computing paradigm, gone are the exclusive days of LAN/WAN-based business computing. Newly emerging on the horizon is a new way of business computing residing in the cloud. This new way of business computing is an outgrowth of the IAN-based business computing paradigm.

Currently, as of 2018, AWS continues to dominate the cloud computing business space in much the same manner as Google continues to dominate the World Wide Web search business space.

You will find more infographics at Statista

AWS, however, is a far cry from being alone in the cloud computing space. If you should determine that AWS is not the right cloud computing fit for your company, then the good news is that alternatives do exist. Other providers of cloud computing services—and AWS's chief competitors—include business entities such as these:

Cloud Competition

For all of the fanfare, buzz, and hype surrounding cloud computing, the reader might be tempted to conclude that cloud computing is sweeping the globe by storm. As of 2018, the truth of the matter is this: The broader business community has not exactly run out to embrace and adopt cloud computing with open and welcoming arms. Whereas technology-orientated companies within the broader business sector have achieved market success by adopting and utilizing the cloud computing way of conducting business, adoption of the cloud by the broader business community has been tepid, haphazard, lukewarm, and cautious. One the biggest merits or pros in favor of cloud computing is the low cost of entry to use the cloud. No longer do businesses have to invest heavily in the hardware and software aspects of running a business. These facilities are provided by the cloud service provider. Users of these cloud computing facilities, in turn, pay a monthly rental or subscription fee to the cloud service provider.

Some of the biggest potential drawbacks, weaknesses, pitfalls, or cons against cloud computing include the following ones:

1. Data security (front the standpoint of corporate governance, i.e., is the cloud provider's hardware impenetrable from hackers?)
2. Data privacy (from the standpoint of customer privacy, i.e., if the hardware is compromised, breached, or hacked, is there an extra layer of security protecting customer and corporate records from being accessed by unauthorized parties?)
3. Cloud availability, i.e., the World Wide Web is one of most popular means for accessing the cloud. Not only is a speedy web connection required for a satisfactory customer experience but also the cloud provider's data centers must constantly remain up and running. No availability means no work gets done, and time down translates into a loss of sales and ultimately a loss of money.
4. Adaptive efficiency in terms of the service being easy and simple to use
5. Migration ease, i.e., how difficult would it be for you to move your portfolio of cloud goods and/or services from one cloud provider to another competing one in a very swift and smooth manner with complete customer transparency of the migration?

In other words, what structure or regimen exists to guarantee the highest level of user security, privacy, availability, and efficiency?

Another potential weakness in cloud computing is that not only are these cloud services meant for business deployment (as opposed to household deployment) but also their use require the presence of IT (Information Technology) or computer science experts to get them set up, configured, and operating smoothly and efficiently. Of course, a great many books and videos exist to help the layperson get acquainted with the varied technical aspects of cloud computing, in general, and AWS cloud computing, in particular. As related specifically to AWS, several introductory resources to consult include the following ones:

It should be noted that AWS's product line does undergo frequent updates. While books about AWS are great for background knowledge, older editions of books might not reflect the most updated, step-by-step procedures for successfully initiating and implementing various AWS services. Unlike, say, Windows, there is no single starting point for using AWS. Your starting point generally would be contingent upon what you wish to accomplish.

A service level agreement (SLA) is an essential part of cloud computing. The agreement spells out the terms of service. For example, what happens if the cloud service provider suddenly goes out of business? What happens if the cloud provider is purchased by another company, and the new company abruptly engages in price gouging as if access to your portfolio of cloud goods and services were being held for ransom in the provider's data center. Recall the infamous case of Martin Shkreli who, in 2015 as the executive in charge of running Turing Pharmaceuticals, bought the drug Daraprim. He then proceeded to exhorbitantly raise its price from $13.50 to $750 a pill. What were consumers to do who medically needed the Daraprim drug but could no longer afford to purchase it? Similarly, when it comes to cloud computing, a SLA is meant to safeguard cloud consumers against these kinds of unanticipated developments and abuses? What contractual safeguards are in place to ensure that your business will continue to function if your products are maintained in the cloud and the provider suddenly goes out of business? What contractual guarantees exist to ensure a reasonable level of price stability in the event the cloud provider is purchased by another business with a reputation for engaging in unethical practices such as price gouging?

To be sure, perhaps the biggest obstacles to cloud computing is linked to the fact that large corporation have numerous proprietary applications and trade secrets. There are enormous risks and liabilities to be had if the corporations's cloud provider is hacked. Mainly due to security reasons alone, for some corporations, wholly embracing cloud computing poses too much risk and potential liability. Some of these businesses have opted to adopt a private cloud whereby the business entity can enjoy the benefits of the cloud while maintaining full control over cloud resources to safeguard against their cloud facilities being blackmailed and/or held hostage for ransom by a (some) unsavory hacker(s).

One unique feature of cloud computing is the aforementioned subscription or rental pricing paradigm. Under the rental pricing paradigm, you do not outirght purchase cloud access the way you would purchase a desktop computer and related software applications. Instead, you rent access to cloud hardware and software. A key benefit of subscription is the hardware and software are expected to be up to date and free of virus and malware.

Another unique feature of cloud computing is its operating system independence. Many cloud application tasks can be completed simply by using a modern web browser.

The following NIST diagram encapsulates or summarizes all of these potential cloud computing concerns, pitfalls, reservations, risks, and weaknesses, that is, if they are not properly identified, taken into account, and precautionary measures are not enacted to address them.

06. AWS Offers All Kinds of Cloud Services 24/7/365

Fast forward from 2006 to 2018. AWS continues to expand and refine the goods and services it offers. It should be noted that, in conjunction with cloud computing, there are other developments emerging within the field of business computing. Some of these other developments include:

• Big data and the corresponding use of NoSQL databases
• The Internet of Things (IoT)
• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Machine learning (ML)

Big Data

One example of big-data crunching in action would be Splunk.

Internet of Things (IoT)

A popular example of the Internet of Things in action would be Samsung's Family Hub Refrigerator.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Example of Artificial Intelligence's Musio, the A.I. Robot

Popular examples of artificial intelligence in action would be Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Google's Gnome.

Example of Machine Learning - Lukas Mandrake's DOGO (Data Optimization via Genetic Ordering) System

Perhaps one of the most prominent and popular examples of machine learning in action would be IBM's famous and world renown Watson computer. More importantly, suffice it to say that these new business developments have not escaped AWS's attention or tentacles. That is to say, AWS is playing an important role in spurring the advancement of all of these newly emerging business computing technologies such as big data, IoT, AI, and ML.

Again, for those who are not familiar with the vernacular, 24/7/365 means 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. In other words, AWS never closes or is always working around the clock. Here is a quick survey of some of AWS's capabilities and implementation scenarios which are contingent upon what you wish to accomplish.

A Quick Look at Some AWS Capabilities and Implementation Scenarios

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See also: 10 ways to optimize costs and innovate with AWS

08. Getting Down to Business with Jeff Bezos: A Tree Graph Overview

Jeff Bezos primarily was selected as the 2018 winner of the Annual Bruessard Award for being a trailblazer, pacesetter, and innovator in the field of cloud computing. By way of his AWS cloud computing service, Jeff Bezos has emerged as the chief architect responsible for the birthing of a brand new approach for completing business computing chores. The significance of AWS's ascension is this: The business computing universe no longer revolves around Microsoft as its dominant player—albeit Microsoft is still very much vigorously competing with the creation of its Azure cloud computing service.

Jeff Bezos' ascension to the top of the business world also holds a lesson for those humans who seem to be stuck in a Cold War mindset or who seem to be trapped in a Cold War time warp. The Cold War lesson of Jeff Bezos' 21st century ascension is this: Societies change, and humans evolve. It is a brand new world out there on Earth as of 2018, and this brand new world is evidenced by Jeff Bezos' brand new business computing paradigm known as AWS. Dating back to 1945 when the first nuclear bomb was created and detonated by the USA, nuclear bombs, the East-West conflict, and the subsequent nuclear arms race are akin to ancient relics of a Cold War past. The emergence of AWS vividly illustrates that the world has since moved on to bigger and better things. The emergence of AWS insinuates that now is time for humans to start preparing for 22nd century living. It is time for humans to abandon the old Cold War rhetoric. It is time for humans to permanently get rid of all nuclear bombs. It is time for the whole of humanity to step away from a mindset of fighting, war, and killing. Such a mindset is no good for the long-term survival of the species. It is time for the whole of humanity to embrace a peace and prosperity mindset. It is time for the whole of humanity to start living in peace both with their fellow humans and with their fellow nations.

It is noteworthy to add that Jeff Bezos' acute business insights and "Vision" extend far beyond AWS. He also is astute enough to diversify his business holdings or to not place all of his eggs in one business basket, so to speak. Truly, Jeff Bezos is casting a very impressive commercial footprint or impact on Earth. The next two graphics outline the full range, breath, and depth of Jeff Bezos' business versatility.

Exploring Jeff Bezos' Business Tentacles

Tree Graph Note: Click the black circles to expand the graph. Click the white circles to contract the graph. Click the ending link to visit the website.

The Jeff Bezos Empire in One Giant Chart

When the above-illustrated business endeavors are taken together, is there any wonder why Jeff Bezos has emerged as the wealthiest human on Earth according to the 2018 edition of Forbes magazine? His Amazon business ecosystem alone is a vast one. Not only by way of the AWS arm of his business empire but also Jeff Bezos has proven to be a trailblazer, pacesetter, and innovator in other business arenas such as his Amazon Go self-service store, Amazon Locker order pick-up, Amazon Prime, Amazon Inspire, and Amazon Studios to cite several of Jeff Bezos' other trailblazing Amazon-related initiatives. Overall, when it comes to business ventures, I think it is accurate to say that Jeff Bezos is all over the map.

I will be among the first to admit that I, too, have tapped into and leveraged a tiny part of the vast Amazon business ecosystem in the following two manners:

1. Self-Publisher: as illustrated by the book titled The Age of Homo Sapiens Sapiens: Heaven or Hell, which was written by Edward E. Bruessard (me), published by Amazon.com, and made available to the public for purchase on Amazon.com's e-commerce platform.

 

1. Self-Publisher on the Amazon.com Platform:

The Age of Homo Sapiens Sapiens: Heaven or Hell

2. Static Website: as illustrated by this Annual Bruesssard Award website (with me serving both as its writer and webmaster), which is being hosted on the AWS platform utilizing AWS's S3 and Route 53 services and is available for viewing for free by anyone connected to the World Wide Web.

 

2. Static Website Creator on the AWS Platform:

bruessard.org

Other more common ways in which anyone can leverage and personally profit from the Amazon ecosystem include the Amazon Associate, Amazon Seller, and Amazon Home & Business Services roles. A less popular way to leverage Amazon to make money would be to utilize its Mechanical Turk service in the worker role. Perhaps the best way to leverage Amazon to make money would be to become a direct employee of Amazon. The neat thing about Jeff Bezos' approach to business is this: Not only is it a good place to shop but also he makes it possible for others to tap into the Amazon ecosystem in various ways to personally earn money. Let there be no illusion about it: These various ways to personally earn money will not necessarily translate into making easy money.

09. Meet Jeff Bezos, the Philanthropist: The Bezos Day One Fund

Speaking of Jeff Bezos attaining the title of "richest human on Earth," inquiring minds have long ago wondered what on Earth could one human possibly do with so much money? After all, if managed properly, it only requires one or two million dollars (USD)—and certainly no more than five million dollars—to live a reasonably luxurious lifestyle. It is obvious that one human cannot spend a billion dollars in a lifetime on material comforts let alone spend $150 billion dollars on luxury products. This burning question becomes all the more poignant given all of the human desperation, depravation, hunger, disease, suffering, and need on Earth. Why not allocate some of those billions on projects designed to uplift the downtrodden, improve the human condition, and better the human species?

To put wealth on Earth and its disparities into perspective, in the 2017 edition of its Global Wealth Report, Credit Suisse developed a wealth pyramid. This wealth pyramid has been reproduced below. A companion summary table and bar-graph perspective also are presented below. The pyramid indicates that total world wealth as of 2017 was about $280.2 trillion USD. At the bottom of the pyramid, there were 3,474,000,000 (billion) adults who had a net worth of less than $10,000. These 3.5 billion adults collectively controlled 2.71% of the world's wealth or $7.6 trillion (USD).

In contrast, at the top of the pyramid, there were 36,000,000 (million) adults who had a net worth of more than $1,000,000. These 36 million adults collectively controlled 45.93% of the world's wealth or $128.7 trillion (USD). There are some who would exclaim, "Something is not right about this picture of extreme wealth controlled by a few (million humans) at the top of the pyramid and extreme depravation experienced by the many (billions of humans) at the bottom of the pyramid." Sitting at the very tip top of the world's wealth pyramid in the number one slot is none other than Jeff Bezos. His Number One position sort of makes him an easy and immediate target and object of scorn and disdain by the disgruntled, have-nots, and by some of those among the materially dispossessed.

The Global Wealth Pyramid

As of 2018, Bloomberg.com estimated Jeff Bezos' net worth to be at least $150 billion dollars. Inquiring minds began pondering what were Jeff Bezos' philantropic contributions? What were Jeff Bezos' contributions to the betterment of humanity? How has he chosen to dispose of his billions? Has he created a charitable foundation? Do any of his companies give generous bonuses to employees? Do any of his companies implement profit-sharing plans to spread more of the wealth among his rank-and-file employees? Has he joined the Giving Pledge club? Will he follow in the footsteps of celebrity humanitarians such as Matt Damon who is a co-founder of Water.org, a non-profit organization devoted "to bring safe water and sanitation to the world"? Will he follow in the footsteps of layman humanitarians such as Farhan Wilayat who, among his many humanitarian efforts, is the founder of the Pakistan Peacekeeping Mission, an organization dedicated "to create peace, unity and brotherhood among all Pakistanis, regardless of cultural, religious, sectarian and ethnic differences among them." In the final analysis, however, Jeff Bezos' companies are owned by him. Accordingly, he is free to run them however he sees fit to do. Likewise, he is free to spend/invest his billions in profits however he sees fit to do.

There are not but a few humans who wish to witness a perpetual world of extreme wealth by the few and extreme poverty by the many. On the one hand, I support the notion of the world's wealth being shared more equitably among its billions of human inhabitants. On the other hand, I am a staunch proponent of the free enterprise system. When it comes to the allocation of the Earth's scarce resources, I adhere to the notion that the free market—or the so-called "invisible hand" of demand, supply, and price—is perhaps one of the most efficient approaches for accomplishing this task. Sometimes free-market outcomes enrich some entrepreneurs, and sometimes free markets do incentivize superfluous production. However, if consumer demand for a given good or service goes into the millions and an entrepreneur ends up making billions in profits in the process of supplying that demand, then so be it. Capitalism sometimes very generously rewards the successful entrepreneur or corporation. In other words, Jeff Bezos is not to be blamed if his goods and services are wildly popular with household consumers, governments, non-profit organizations, and businesses—and it causes him to become extremely wealthy in the process. Furthermore, it should be noted that the free enterprise system also has its share of risks. Not only do free-market outcomes sometimes enrich some entrepreneurs but they also sometimes drive other entrepreneurs into bankruptcy. The free enterprise system renders both gains and losses or winners and losers. The solution to the problem of global wealth inequality reduces to overcoming the challenge of unequal opportunities on Earth to allow all humans to equitably advance. ⇒ Reality Check: There are no quick and easy solutions to meeting the challenge of unequal opportunities given the diversity of nations, races, cultures, traditions (e.g., foods, dress, musical tastes, rituals, etc.), superstitions, languages, religions, philosophies, social statuses, living conditions, governmental systems, economic systems, educational systems, social institutions, development stages, access to resources, and so forth, on Earth. Although humans are one species, the multifarious differences between them from place to place across Earth make it all the more challenging for the peoples of the Earth to get on the same futuristic page, so to speak.

In 2018, Jeff Bezos provided answers to questions and ponderings about his philantropic efforts and employee relations in three ways. First of all, Jeff Bezos has close ties to the Bezos Family Foundation with its focus on fostering excellence in K-12 education (that is, kindergarten through 12th grade). Secondly, on 13-September-2018, Jeff Bezos tweeted that he would be creating the Bezos Day One Fund "…with the commitment of $2 billion and focus on two areas: funding existing non-profits that help homeless families, and creating a network of new, non-profit, tier-one preschools in low-income communities…" Thirdly, on 2-October-2018, Jeff Bezos announced that Amazon would be raising the minimum wage of all of its USA employees to $15 USD per hour albeit also while eliminating certain perks (namely, monthly bonuses and a chance to own Amazon stock) but the details of this new pay arrangement have not been finalized. To summarize, though some might argue that Jeff Bezos is not doing nearly enough, you have to give him credit for his genuine attempt at making a positive difference on Earth.

Jeff Bezos is one who sees the bigger picture. For, in the broader scheme of things, it turns out that Jeff Bezos possesses an even deeper, more profound, and long-range vision of future human life. His vision extends far beyond the confines of business. By far, Jeff Bezos seems to have decided to spend the bulk of his fortune—namely, via his Blue Origin venture—on projects in pursuit of both a quest to foster a pristine future Earth and to ensure survival of the human species. To fulfill his vision, Jeff Bezos thinks that human colonization of outer space could be one mechanism for accomplishing the dual feat of preserving both Earth and the human species. I cannot think of anything more nobler than preserving a pristine Earth and saving humankind from extinction. Even if Jeff Bezos opted to spend his entire fortune in pursuit of this deeper and more profound vision or dream, personally speaking, I would consider it to have been a fortune well spent. Such an endeavor alone can be viewed as the ultimate act of wealth sacrifice and philanthrophy for the benefit of humanity.

10. A Musical Tribute to Jeff Bezos As His Enduring Entrepreneurial Spirit Marches into the Future

Finally, as a tribute to his business accomplishments, I wish to close this 2018's winner page with a musical salute to Jeff Bezos. He ultimately achieved success just "The Way" (Abramasi) he had envisioned he would—notwithstanding his unfulfilled, longer term Blue Origin space colonization vision (but it's a start). Congratulations, Jeff Bezos, for your resounding success in business, for your philantropic work, for being a visionary, and for being selected as 2018's recipient of the Annual Bruessard Award. "Your time" (Gladys Knight & The Pips) has arrived. Hats off to you. Much like Hank Aaron dethroned the great Babe Ruth as baseball's homerun king, you have dethroned the great Bill Gates as the richest human on Earth. And, as I have noted elsewhere, I suppose humans records are set only to be broken.

Jeff Bezos at Amazon Spheres Grand Opening at Seattle, Washington (USA) on January 29, 2018