I was just reading this article from Priyank Mohan’s Semantic Technology Blog. He draws parallels between it and the movement to automated online B2B transactions from years ago and linked data on the web, and what lessons we should learn from the (mostly) failure of B2B. Priyank focuses mostly on the similarities of the benefits, which is useful, but I think both movements didn’t have the impact they were supposed to have for the same basic reason; They both require incredible amounts of work that will only pay off if enough other companies follow suit. As much as I would love to see it happen in the near future, I don’t think it will
Read on…
First, a little fun. I found this survey asking just that question, but in a humorous way. Here are the results, which were presented at the Agile 2008 conference in Toronto. I also found (through LinkedIn) a post on Peter DeYoe’s blog with a humorous job posting for a Scrum Master.
Now for a real live case study. In my job hunting, I discovered this article by Damon Pool on Litle & Co. The reason I like this story so much is that not only did the push for Agile come from the top, but they started out that way. They didn’t adopt Agile, they were born with it. That eliminates a lot of problems that come along with trying to adopt Agile later on:
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Many problems have been caused throughout history due to lack of information flow from subordinates to superiors. This post discusses some examples. some reasons why this might be the case, and asks how we can move forward.
On 09/30, I was part of a layoff at my employer. I am on the hunt again.
I am looking for a full-time hands-on Team Lead/Manager, Architect, or Principal Software Engineer position in the Greater Boston area. I prefer to work in Java and other cross-platform technologies, but I’m fluent in many others. I would also prefer an Agile/Scrum environment, but that’s not a requirement.
If you hear of anything, my resume and portfolio are available here.
How about a toaster… with a countdown timer? This toaster counts down the time as your slices of bread are gently transmogrified into toast.
Finally, a toaster that tells you exactly how much time is left before your toast will be ready. No more guessing when it will be done—and coming back to find it cold.Hectic mornings? This is the toaster for you! Unique digital toaster counts down the time until your toast is done on a backlit LCD screen, eliminating guesswork and making it easier to multitask amidst the morning hustle and bustle.
Large capacity and special features make this the ultimate household toaster.Four-slice toaster has 3 indicator lights and easy-touch control buttons that let you toast frozen goods like waffles, stop toasting mid-cycle, and reheat cold toast without overbrowning. Plus, the bagel function with “set and forget” slide control toasts the cut side of the bagel and warms the outer crust. Electronic sensor ensures consistent browning, every time.
This toaster is also perfect for people with CDO, which is a very serious condition. CDO is
OCD, but with the letters in alphabetical order, the way they should be.
For the type B people out there, how about a hammer with a built-in bottle opener?
Disclaimers: This is not a new book, nor have I read it. I have read reviews of it, and am recommending its concept here, but can’t honestly recommend the book, not having read it. OK, that probably sounds awkward, but there you have it.
I found this review of the book The Art of War for Women: Sun Tzu’s Ancient Strategies and Wisdom for Winning at Work, which is a modern interpretation an application of the original The Ar Of War by Sun Tzu, now thousands of years old, yet still relevant. The reason I am promoting this book’s view of the original work is simple: It points out that The Art Of War is not just relevant to war. It is relevant in any situation where you are facing one or more parties with conflicting goals, or competing for the same resource. It could be at work, or dating, or politics, or even dealing with your relatives. It’s mostly about finding your strengths and the others’ weaknesses and using both to your advantage. It’s about looking for things in your environment that can help you. It’s about focus and balance.
Read on…
I found this trolling various blogs on wordpress.com. You know, the way we geezers used to surf the internet before Google indexed everything? Anyway, here is the National Post’s round-up of The Best Financial Jokes Of 2009 So far. In this case, the nation is Canada and the section is Financial.
Here are some of my favorites from the list:
- Bank of America-Merrill Lynch has adjusted its investment portfolio: 50% cash and 50% canned goods
- The courts allowed the bankruptcy proceedings for Chrysler to go forward. The bankruptcy was approved after the judge told Chrysler to sit in a room for a few minutes while the judge went to talk to his manager.
- How many stockbrokers does it take to change a light bulb?
Two. One to take out the bulb and drop it, and the other to try and sell it before it crashes (knowing that it’s already burned out).
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USA Today has this post in their blog: Dealer offers AK-47 with each new truck purchase. Well, they get a voucher for an AK-47. They still need to be legally allowed to get a rifle, and go through the waiting period (no loopholes that I can see), but this is some brilliant marketing. By the way, the civillian AK-47 is only semi-automatic, and not super-accurate.
But first, a rant about silver bullets. CEOs love them. Shareholders love them. Politicians love them. It’s too bad they are hardly ever real. The world has a way of keeping itself in balance by using opposing forces and feedback loops (you know, like our government used to). Sure, we find disruptive advancements in technology, math, and even anthropology, but even these usually have some sort of cost or downside. While you keep trying to make alchemy work, we’ll just keep on finding significant, but incremental, improvements, and we’ll see who wins.
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Red Hat (RHAT) is to be included in the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index next week!!! That’s just so cool. While I switched to Ubuntu a while ago myself, Red Hat is a great company with great products, and they contribute very heavily to the Linux kernel, drivers, and software.
Read on…