IBM CEO Sam Palmisano had some questions of his own in response to a question by a Barrons writer about Google in the enterprise. The quote appears in a Barron's story about IBM's comeback. The actual story requires a subscription to view. Here is what Palmisano had to say: "Is Google going to become the computing platform for the enterprise? Is a bank going to run itself on Google? Is an airline going to run itself on Google? Is IBM going to run its supply chain on Google? Is Bharti Wireless going to run themselves on Google? Is the banking system of China that we've built going to be on Google? Is the Russian Central Bank that we're building going to be on Google? No." Sponsor It's often perceived that a threat really is a threat when a smaller competitor is acknowledged by a much bigger rival. Is that the case, here? Palmisano does appear to infer that Googe is not up to the task of handling the work required of major operations. By making the comment, it opens up questions about how much of a threat IBM sees in Google. There is no doubt that Google has made noteworthy strides in developing an enterprise suite of products. And why would a company like an airline not consider Google? Of course, Google does not offer the technology to perform core transactional task or much less in-flight software. But day-to-day office tasks can well be handled with Google applications. Google does not pose any threat to IBM. Google dominance is not at hand. But Palmisano does appear to acknowledge that Google has a place at the table. Discuss

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IBM CEO Dismisses Idea of Google Dominance

Who was the first person to follow you on Twitter? According to the app FirstFollower.com , mine was someone I never followed back until today! Chances are you're already following your first follower, but you probably don't remember who they are and it's interesting to find out. Built by Russian developer Victor Babichev , FirstFollower appears to perform a function that's relatively simple but in a much faster way than you can do manually. You could scroll back page by oddly numbered page through a person's Followers list, but now this handy little app will do it for you. It's also a very interesting way to find people who are close friends in real-life of Twitter users you admire. Sponsor It's hard to know for sure how accurate the service is, particularly since Twitter changed the way it displays followers earlier this year, but Twitter founder @ev is said to have been followed first by @dom, one of the handful of people credited with creating Twitter in the first place. The first person to follow @barackobama? Cori Schlegel , a contract web developer who's worked on several projects for tech journalist Steve Gillmor and probably a good guy to know. See also: The Inner Circles of 10 Geek Heroes on Twitter Did you know that Mary Hodder was the first follower of both chronic innovator Chris Messina's new Twitter account and our own Alex Williams ? That's enough to make you think that anyone Mary follows in the future deserves a close look. Fun and useful! What more could you ask for from a lightweight little Twitter app? This is just a small example of the kind of social graph analysis that's made possible by Twitter's relatively open user data. Discuss

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Fun: FirstFollower Identifies Any Twitter User's First Follower

Google is announcing a new contest for local would-be heroes. The Map Maker Global Competition , which challenges users to add high-quality data on universities, schools, hospitals and medical clinics in Google Map Maker , will run from December 15, 2009 to January 31, 2010. The grand prize for the user who adds the greatest quantity of data is a $50,000 UNICEF donation to the winner's home country. Sponsor The winning team or user will moreover receive a VIP tour from UNICEF officials of the local projects that will benefit from the donation as well as an all-expenses-paid trip to the Google Super Mappers 2010 conference. Top mapping contributors will appear on Google Map Maker and ultimately on Google Maps. Google's Map Maker shows users satellite images and asks them to add data to make actually useful maps. These "citizen cartographers" can add directions, streets, schools and more; data is subject to peer moderation. The app is available in English, Spanish, French, Russian, Romanian, and Vietnamese and in more than 170 countries. UNICEF rep Gerrit Beger told Google , "We know that mapping is a proven method to enhance community development. Google Map Maker is a powerful tool to create better situational awareness for both young people and communities at large. It will enable organizations like ours to better deliver services, respond to crises and adapt to change." Google has also just wrapped up a similar competition focusing on Latin America. In that event, more than 50 teams from all over the world participated, which led to a 500 percent increase in mapping activity for several Latin American countries. Discuss

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Google Announces Map Contest: $50K for Adding Schools, Hospitals & More