Archive for October, 2003

So you think YOU”RE tough

Now I know what Shane wants for Christmas this year….hmm or maybe Halloween. He is totally stoked about all the new features. Apparently a lot of the things that were listed on his old site, photoshopwishlist.com are there. Looks like Adobe does a good job of listening to its community. I love seeing that. I have always been a big fan of Adobe but then again I think that comes from being with a graphic guru for 6-7 years. I know their products have served him well over the years.

The Longhorn Pillars

Some of my favorite items discussed:

“New services for migration from one machine to another. Aim is to reduce the work necessary to rebuild a machine or copy settings from one place to another.”

“Most importantly, we have moved to a “declarative programming model”. XAML is a markup language that enables you to separate code from content. With XAML, you build up the UI design as an XML file, with code-behind partial classes implementing the underlying functionality. The XAML gets compiled into a partial class too, and together they make up an executable.”

“WinFS provides a schema-based structure that allows for metadata to be created and searched in an arbitrary order. No longer are you limited to a hierarchical file system structure – you can drill down according to dynamically-chosen properties. Longhorn will include some standard schemas (for example, people, calendars and documents); you can extend these schemas or build your own.”

Longhorn Developer Center is open for business. Well its open anyways. Lots of good reading material to get you started.

Also don’t forget to keep up to date on developments at the PDC. For those of us poor smucks who had to stay home and work.
Plus you can always check out the RSS Feed for PDC bloggers.

But everyone knows that Scoble’s the man to keep us posted on the PDC.

GotDotNet Blogs has a new listing page. Much better guys – great work!

Google Said to Consider Online Auction of I.P.O. Shares

“Where am I and what am I actually doing here?”

That has been a question that I have been asking myself quite frequently lately. One might think this means that I am a deep person – seeking an answer to an eternal question that has puzzled man for many years.

Perhaps one would even conclude that I am at a critical stage in my life (at the ripe ol’ age of 26) where I am comparing my current position in life to my overall roadmap for success. That all sounds pretty good…doesn’t it. Too bad that’s not the context I have been asking it in.

For the past 3-4 weeks I am constantly finding myself driving the car and going….dude where the heck am I and how did I get here? My mind is constantly spinning between work and other things going on. Pretty dangerous really. I start wondering…did I run any lights? Quick check in rear view for flashing lights or angry pedestrians….nope all looks good.

Luckily for me no matter how frantic things get, I got a wonderful guy that will keep me smiling. Whether its picking me up from work with the trunk loaded up to go have a picnic and relax near a pond or just sending me links like this when he knows I need a laugh. He’s the best and I thank God every day for him.

Ok now that whatever was wrong with the XBox is fixed – I can say the Live setup was a breeze (minus entering in all the contact/billing info to start). I don’t know what happened when we tried to configure it before but no wonder the people on the phone didn’t know what to tell us. There is literally nothing to it. Put cd in…auto update…auto restart…enter info…done. Now I just need to load up on some games.

If anyone wants to suggest a good game or play one drop me a line. I am generally a sucker for sports, racing or shooting games.

Yup today is Election Day. The turnout this year seems higher than the last few elections. This pleases me since I don’t think there is anything sadder than people not utilizing their right to vote. There are too many people in this world suffering because they don’t have the rights/means to make a change.

I would rather see someone spoil a ballot in protest than sit on their butt and do nothing. On the same note everyone should take the time to understand their choices and make good decisions. I guess that goes for all aspects of life doesn’t it?

I installed Newsgator today and have to say I really like it so far. I had been using Sharpreader for past 6 months or so and didn’t have any real problem with it. But as soon as I was told that you could forward blog entries as email I was intrigued. I like the UI better too. Not to mention I have Outlook open pretty much 24/7 so it just makes sense to me.

On the Nature of the Intangible: A Dialogue

OK this put me in the knots

Panther is coming in just 4 more days

I am looking forward to it. I tried a really yucky Beta version and it was a pretty bad scene but I think it was a bad install to start with. Now that I think of it – we installed it on our Gros Morne trip one afternoon in our tent.

We have been trying to limit our spending to stuff for a new house but is so darn cheap to upgrade. Who knows?

Monster even uses the MBTI Test Its a pretty lame scaled down version though.

Apparently one of these would be my perfect career:

Intellectual property attorney
News analyst
Design engineer
Biomedical researcher
Network integration specialist
Software developer
Psychiatrist
Cardiologist
Freelance writer
Inventor
Media planner
Chief Financial Officer
Webmaster
Architect
Desktop publishing specialist

All the none geeky ones look boring. Also I can’t help but think of Homer Simpson when I see the word “inventor”.

“For the last week its been my life long dream to be an inventor”

The online version of the MBTI test is more fun and pretty spot on.

Office Developer Center
Pretty sweet. Check it out.

My Boss is getting a new Acer C300. I am trying very hard not to be jealous. The worst part is I doubt he will let me play with it since the last time he lent me a tablet, I never gave it back. Guess I really can’t complain now can I?

Actually I am looking forward (as apparently are many others) to hearing his review. Being a heavyweight user he will be able to give us an accurate reading of the new tablet’s power as a complete laptop replacement.

A good article on OneNote for anyone who isn’t familiar with OneNote. As well, if anyone has any questions or would like some tips on using OneNote, drop me a line.

I have finally perfected my OneNote setup. When I was first started using the Beta I was also just getting used to the tablet. Therefore I never really took the time to set things up properly. I liked the program (after the technical refresh) but never truly embraced it.

Last week when I installed the final release, I took a very important 30 minutes and reorganized everything by making better use of the concept of folders and sections.

Now OneNote makes all the sense in the world for me. I can keep all my client, project and internal work perfectly organized and easily accessible. Plus the publishing power is excellent and that is very important in a collaborative environment.

Plus I like how you can specify a network location for the backup file. I didn’t realize that until I got everything organized and started to feel paranoid about how I could keep all my info safe.

So I was watching the ballgame last night, top of the 7th, bases loaded, tied game…

Digital cable receiver shuts off. I jump up thinking I accidentally hit remote but find the remote sitting on the table. I pick it up, go to turn on cable box. Nothing. At this point I am thinking, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.

So I screw around with things a bit and manage to manually get game back on by going directly through TV. Yankees lost. *groan*

After the game, I start messing around with the cable again but to no avail so I just gave up and assumed that it would be working in morning.

It wasn’t working today either so Shane called in this evening to find out that apparently I had cancelled our digital cable bundle yesterday. The funny thing is…I didn’t. The girl said there was a message on our account saying that I cancelled our bundle package because I wanted the sports package. Real weird. Of course she also tried to tell Shane that he was born in a different year than he was too because it said so on our account.

I really pitied the girl because she had to be thinking WE were nuts. I mean I am sure it probably did say whatever she was reading on our account. I guess that someone must have entered information in on the wrong account. Anyhow all is well again now and game 7 is coming on in a couple of hours.

October 14, 2003
————————–
We have received your Xbox at our service center. It is our priority to process your Xbox in a timely manner and to get it back to you as good as new.

October 15, 2003
————————-
Your Xbox Video Game system is ready for return shipment. We will e-mail you again with all of the shipping details once it is on the way!

A half an hour later…..
————————–
Your Xbox Video Game system has been shipped! You can expect to receive it in 2-5 days. Thank you for your patience and get ready to get back into the action! Your shipping information is provided below for your reference:

Good communication has an excellent correlation with a customer’s sense of good service. When I originally ran into a problem with the Xbox (about a month ago I guess), I spoke to many different tech reps on the phone, received very little information back and started lose faith in the level of service I was receiving.

Since the tier 2 technical staff contacted us, we received a phone call to tell us they were sending a box for us to ship the Xbox back. Then received another to confirm that it was sent. Received box, packed it up, dropped it off at courier and then received the above 3 email messages to advise us of its receipt, resolution and return.

At no point did we even have time to think; gee I wonder what ever happened to our Xbox. Good Service!

Oh and thanks John for looking into my screenshot comment for me.

I wish that gaming sites (xbox.com for example) would let your click a next button to browse through screenshots of games rather than close window, click link, close window, click link etc…

A lot of sites don’t do this. I guess there is a reason for this but I can’t see why they don’t.

When I was a kid…

Ok I am not going to start a story like that but things have changed a lot from when we were kids. When I was growing up, I played on a lot of sports teams. This meant going door to door selling thousands of chocolate bars, raising money for walk-a-thon, wake-a-thons, etc.. I really hated it and growing up in a small town where 1/3 of the population was kids that all went to the same school, demand was often extremely low. In the end, my parents were usually left with the bundle of the investment.

My niece and bestest little buddy, Samantha is selling chocolates for school. When talking to my brother tonight about it, he tells me that she came home from school on Friday and hit everyone on MSN Messenger list. By the time she was done, all her chocolates were sold and she hadn’t left the house.

Not bad really.

Being a long weekend, I have decided to take some time to kick back and catch up on some reading and relaxation time. I also watched “Hockey Night in Canada” for first time this season. Unfortunately the Leafs got womped by the Canadiens but I can?t say I am too upset. The season is still only starting and I am more a Rangers fan anyhow. The good news was a young Newfoundlander scored his first goal in the NHL.

In thinking about it, I have come to realize that an efficient small company is quite similar to a good hockey team.

Consider the company’s sales & marketing teams (centre), business development division (wing), and finance department (wing) as the forwards. While each group has its own unique strengths and responsibilities, they can feed off each other’s plays to produce winning products and great scoring results. A good lead or move by one can really benefit the entire team?s offensive strategy and performance. The forwards are also always watching over their shoulder to make sure there is someone back on the line for defense. Effective spotting of a hole in the defense line, allows for quick communication or a temporary replacement before any damage can be done.

Similar to a hockey team, the sales and marketing divisions may be the most visible on the score sheet but can be easily overwhelmed if left on their own with no support. Sometimes a good feed from one may lead to a fast break and quick goal, but a more dependable offense is more strategic and requires steady input from all players.

The defense team is the operations team in my opinion. These guys are feeding everyone on the team and are the primary source of the stability for the company. The defensive line can step up and deliver some offense occasionally but are primarily there to act as the foundation of defense for the team. By effectively performing their roles in a timely and effective fashion, they defend the team against opposition and become a symbol for dependability and strength that their fans (clients) grow to depend on. Everyone loves a good defensive team. A good defense team improves the confidence level of the forwards to go out and do what they are best at. Score.

The goalie is a representation of the management team. These are the program managers, product managers, technical leads etc? These players are constantly watching the game and monitoring everything that happens. They are ready to block off adversity and transform it into an offensive strategy, kick it off to side, or sometimes when the going gets tough they will stop the play just to give everyone a chance to catch their focus again. While often viewed as the strength of a team, these players are only as good as those around them. A poor skating team with an amazing goalie is still going to be a losing team. A good goalie learns to love and respect his/her team and depends on them tremendously.

As in hockey, the absence of one player may be handled for short amounts of time but places a great deal of strain on remaining players. When a team is shorthanded, they are vulnerable to adversity and can be worn down very easily. For that reason, all team members should do their best to keep themselves on the ice at all times. Sometimes an innocent slip up can really hurt the entire team.

The coaching staff is representative of a company?s executive management team. These are the people who are constantly seeing the big picture and drawing up the plays that optimize the strengths of each line. No matter how good a team is, they need strategic direction. This isn?t always easy to see when viewing the game from the ice and that is why it is important to have an executive team that knows where they are needed most. Absence of a good coaching staff can result in a bunch of players all performing their best but going nowhere since they are not performing with a common goal in mind or do not have a proper roadmap or playbook to get there. A good executive team is aware of the performance of every division and should be able to adjust lines and build plays that will deliver both a solid offense and bulletproof defense.

I was reading this post from Diane R. and I found it quite interesting. For starters, I am a huge advocate of the “less is more” philosophy. The problem I find often is getting away with it.

In most meetings, I generally play an active role. Sometimes too much in my opinion and therefore I feel I miss out a lot on what Diane is suggesting. However the unfortunate part is that on those occasions when I do sit back and just listen, I feel that my silence is interpreted as distraction or lack of agreement. Quite simply sometimes I just want to make sure I can fully see where my team is coming from. Knowing (or thinking I know) the answer is not enough, I need to see the whole problem from as many angles as possible before I am confident. That’s why I always preferred math in school over other study subjects, I had to derive the answer, not memorize it.

Being silent more would also have its other benefits, as Diane discussed:

“I wonder if using silence more in meetings – being intentional about letting words hang and sit – would cause me to land on the ones that will net the most?”

The lady has certainly got a point.

She also mentioned the concept of less is more in advertising:

“It’s like Apple – less is more. I saw an ad today on a bus. All it said was ‘I pod’. And showed a picture of the product.”

In most ads that I have ever designed/developed, it has been a struggle to get that agreement with others on the perfect cutoff for content. An ad should spark awareness and/or elicit an emotional response that will later trigger a desired reaction. I don’t believe that an ad should be a fact sheet or a price list. (Unless I guess your company’s name has discount or bargain in it) I have always envied the Apple’s of the marketing world for their ample brand recognition and therefore flexibility in marketing. But then again, they had to start from somewhere didn?t they?

Probably my only remaining addiction (other than cool geek toys) is coffee. But today, for about the first time in I expect 10 years, I didn’t have a coffee…till now. My day went something like this:

*** Wake up to silence…hmm strange no alarm went off. Must be early…nope not early, must be Saturday….AHHH #*&@ its not Saturday either, we just slept in. And I have a 9:00am meeting.

*** Trip over dog sleeping outside our door. Mutter some comments under breath.

*** Let dog out

*** Need coffee! Must make some. Only takes 2.5 minutes to brew. Hmm tap filter is broken. Must use water from water cooler. Ahh excellent its empty.

*** Fight with dog to come back in house

*** Crazy mad rush to get ready for work. Funny how it hurts so much to move yet I am moving so slooooooow. Hairdryer goes on…hairdryer gives off weird groan…hairdryer goes off. More grumbling and not so lady like comments.

*** Need Coffee! Check pace across town to see if we can drive thru Tims.

*** Pace bad – no time for coffee – meeting starts in 10 minutes

*** Get to work barely on time. Open Outlook to discover that meeting was rescheduled. More grumbling.

And that pretty much set the pace for the day. I didn’t have one coffee all day and by the time I left the office this evening my head was POUNDING. We get home (after stopping by grocery store and picking up some things for a bbq this evening) and realize we forgot to get more water. Argh. But no wait…silly me there is a bottle of water here in the fridge. Sweet I think to myself as I run to coffee brewer. I reach in cupboard and grab our coffee canister. Not a bean to be seen. No wait, there is some yucky old ground up stuff here that is several weeks old. Not much but enough to make 2 pathetic servings. That will do just fine.

So now I sit here with a cup of coffee that I would never normally even look at and I have to say it?s the most beautiful thing I have seen all day.

This was sent to me from a co-worker. Really funny. I hope I don’t need to put a disclaimer on this entry in order to share.

Mmmmmmm new acer tablet This tablet would make a great laptop/tablet combo for most users. I’d add it to my Christmas list but I think Santa would slap me for being greedy given all the other things I have already on my list. Oh well…to dream.

The US finally catch on to the beauty of coloured money. Still a far cry from our Canadian currency but at least its worth more.

Had a hard day at the office? Imagine coming home to this. Now if they could come up with a way to play Xbox too.

It took some looking…but Shane and I finally found the perfect new home that matched our budget. Check it out!!

Beware the blogger! Well not really in my opinion. It kind of sounds like the “Rock Music is Evil” craze really. The way I see things, don’t post anything on a blog that you don’t expect or want everyone in the world to see. You are publishing it on the Internet and we all know that Google does a lovely job at favoring bloggers.

Weblogs are great tools for sharing opinions and gaining information on new technology or products. But like any communication method, it has to be used responsibly. Consider a blog like a chainsaw. It’s a tool. Use it how it is meant to be used and you will be satisfied. Be aggressive and reckless and you may discover yourself or someone around you sporting a nasty injury.

In other words, don’t trash your boss in your blog Saturday evening and act surprised when you get questioned about it on Monday morning. Likewise don’t release information about confidential projects or products your company may be working on. Also I doubt your company’s management will come shake your hand for feeding competitors information about your company’s strategies for entering new markets. Sounds silly really doesn’t it? Like Scoble said “The golden rule is, don’t talk about a product until management does”. A little common sense can go a long way most times.

It reminds me of a prof I had a few years ago that said to always remember that no matter how far away you may be from a boardroom, your actions in public may affect the closing of a deal. Basically what he meant is that, there is no sense pouring the charm on a client in a sales presentation if you are going to walk out an hour later and ignorantly slam the door in their face while you are chatting on your cell phone. Maybe you cut a guy off in the parking lot, say a few choice words and then walk into a boardroom to see him sitting across the table. Again sounds far fetched but it?s all about maintaining a healthy and consistent image as a representative of your company. Besides, a little self control and courtesy can go a long way in living a healthy lifestyle regardless of who you work for.

I do admit that it must be harder for bloggers who work for companies such as Microsoft or Apple to express themselves compared to a smaller sized software development company like the one I work for. A simple rant could be construed into an ambitious corporate strategy. But then again, these guys do create a buzz in their own right. I mean who isn’t excited about Longhorn or PDC.

Overall I think blogging is great but like all communication tools it DOES have to be used responsibly. In my opinion, if you apply a little common sense to how you act in public and what you write in private – many embarrassments and conflicts can be avoided.

This is pretty cool! Its short little stories about some of the world’s greatest mistakes.

Makes me wonder if the person that came up with peanut butter and banana sandwiches meant to do something else

Ok after months of watching him say everyone else’s name but mine, he has finally said it. He DID say it once when we were camping about a month ago (Thanks Sam) but hasn’t since so I had written the moment off as a fluke.

This past Saturday, he spent the day with me and Shane as we drove to Clarenville behind his dad in his work truck. It was fun. Might I add Shane seemed to be having lots of fun playing dad. *snicker* He is great with kids though which I find very cool.

On the way back, Arnold said my name at least 15 times. It was awesome. I did choke up a bit I admit the first time he said it. But the best part was how apparently he was walking around his house yesterday calling out my name and looking for me. Sweet!!

I downloaded the new ShareKMC yesterday and installed it this morning. What a great update! Its extremely faster when using the mouse this time around. This software is a must have for anyone who uses a tablet and another machine on a regular basis.

Loren is doing exactly what more coders need to be doing, and that is coming up with some very useful apps for the Tablet. Sometimes I wish I was a coder. Naaaaaaahhhh!!!

As someone who is constantly seeking self-improvement and better ways to become more efficient (I admit to a fault at times), I have to say John Porcaro has written an excellent entry on the difficult balance between perfection and compromise. I have to admit I personally find it very hard to let certain things go that I don’t feel are done “just perfect”, but its also something I have been focusing on improving over past year or so. So this entry really hit home for me.