Software Soapboxhttp://bbenz.typepad.com/softwaresoapbox/Business Casual Geeknessenhttp://creativecommons.org/images/public/somerights20.gifSoftware Soapboxhttp://bbenz.typepad.com/softwaresoapbox/Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:52:00 PSTTypePad http://www.typepad.com/http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/This is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site.Leonard Cohen plays Las Vegas this week!http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoftwareSoapbox/~3/QT2lmYeLWg4/leonard-cohen-plays-las-vegas-this-week.htmlYeah!Brian BenzFri, 06 Nov 2009 20:53:04 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341ff00f53ef0120a65f321b970bWho would have imagined I could ever type that title.  Every inch of my food drugged tree of blood will be enjoying Thursday night!

LEONARD COHEN [ TOUR ].
Nov 12, 2009 8:00pm Las Vegas, Nevada The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
]]>Who would have imagined I could ever type that title. Every inch of my food drugged tree of blood will be enjoying Thursday night! LEONARD COHEN [ TOUR ]. Nov 12, 2009 8:00pm Las Vegas, Nevada The Colosseum at Caesars...http://bbenz.typepad.com/softwaresoapbox/2009/11/leonard-cohen-plays-las-vegas-this-week.htmlSaturday Nov 7 - Las Vegas - American Heroes Challengehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoftwareSoapbox/~3/emhgJym0-dM/saturday-nov-7---las-vegas---american-heroes-challenge.htmlInterestingBrian BenzFri, 06 Nov 2009 20:40:55 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341ff00f53ef012875601068970cThey're setting this up not far from my house today....I think I'll check in tomorrow.

American Heroes Challenge.
20 teams of 4 consisting of military, law enforcement and security professionals from across the country will use innovative, problem-solving methods, teamwork, and their special skill sets to complete tasks in action packed scenarios that include a live fire obstacle course, combat search and rescue, low-light/night shooting, manual breeching, building searches, hostage rescue and rapid deployment skills. These scenarios are designed to push the limits of their abilities and determine which team is the Best of the Best in a tactical competition to benefit charity.
]]>They're setting this up not far from my house today....I think I'll check in tomorrow. American Heroes Challenge. 20 teams of 4 consisting of military, law enforcement and security professionals from across the country will use innovative, problem-solving methods, teamwork,...http://bbenz.typepad.com/softwaresoapbox/2009/11/saturday-nov-7---las-vegas---american-heroes-challenge.htmlIBM Opens Business Analytics Center in Bangalorehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoftwareSoapbox/~3/TSiJbpUep9c/ibm-opens-business-analytics-center-in-bangalore.htmlHuhBrian BenzFri, 06 Nov 2009 20:34:55 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341ff00f53ef0120a65f2c78970bIBM Opens Business Analytics Center -- InformationWeek.
The Bangalore facility will join a network of IBM Business Analytics Centers. IBM operates, or plans to operate, such centers in Berlin, Beijing, New York, Tokyo, London, and Washington, DC.
]]>IBM Opens Business Analytics Center -- InformationWeek. The Bangalore facility will join a network of IBM Business Analytics Centers. IBM operates, or plans to operate, such centers in Berlin, Beijing, New York, Tokyo, London, and Washington, DC.http://bbenz.typepad.com/softwaresoapbox/2009/11/ibm-opens-business-analytics-center-in-bangalore.html"Copy to Benz"http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoftwareSoapbox/~3/zXipaOI4qho/copy-to-benz.htmlWowBrian BenzTue, 03 Nov 2009 22:30:39 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341ff00f53ef0120a6518838970bA little bit of my family history.....My Father, who passed away in 2003, was in the Coast Guard and stationed at the Point Sur Lighthouse in the 60's.  I was born nearby and spent my first year of life there.  While going through some papers my Mother found the assignment document.  Assignment effective October 1 1962...Not much to do there...I was born about a year later :).  It says "Copy to Benz", so I guess I get the copy.....

(Click to Enlarge)

Scan0006

]]>A little bit of my family history.....My Father, who passed away in 2003, was in the Coast Guard and stationed at the Point Sur Lighthouse in the 60's. I was born nearby and spent my first year of life there....http://bbenz.typepad.com/softwaresoapbox/2009/11/copy-to-benz.htmlCirque du Soleil Elvis Show is coming along!http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoftwareSoapbox/~3/J45hyDRXDrI/cirque-du-soleil-elvis-show-is-coming-along.htmlHuhBrian BenzMon, 02 Nov 2009 19:20:48 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341ff00f53ef0120a64d25ad970bElvis | Cirque du Soleil.
Access the most recent behind-the-scene videos of the upcoming Cirque du Soleil show about Elvis. Meet some of the creators, and discover the creative challenges of this impressive production.
]]>Elvis | Cirque du Soleil. Access the most recent behind-the-scene videos of the upcoming Cirque du Soleil show about Elvis. Meet some of the creators, and discover the creative challenges of this impressive production.http://bbenz.typepad.com/softwaresoapbox/2009/11/cirque-du-soleil-elvis-show-is-coming-along.htmlThe Droid in personhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoftwareSoapbox/~3/gka64tbfE4I/the-droid-in-person.htmlHuhBrian BenzThu, 29 Oct 2009 14:03:27 PDTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341ff00f53ef0120a6372821970bvia Good Morning Silicon Valley.
First-day test drivers of the phone — made by Motorola, to go on sale Nov. 6 by Verizon — commented on its heft, solid without being bulky. The big, bright screen, 3.7 inches (or 480 by 854 pixels, compared with the iPhone’s 480 by 320), also won points. The keyboard, most indicated, would take some getting used to.
]]>via Good Morning Silicon Valley. First-day test drivers of the phone — made by Motorola, to go on sale Nov. 6 by Verizon — commented on its heft, solid without being bulky. The big, bright screen, 3.7 inches (or 480...http://bbenz.typepad.com/softwaresoapbox/2009/10/the-droid-in-person.htmlThe Geek Atlas: 128 Places Where Science and Technology Come Alive (9780596523206): John Graham-Cumming: Bookshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoftwareSoapbox/~3/CcROxZjtNuQ/amazoncom-the-geek-atlas-128-places-where-science-and-technology-come-alive-9780596523206-john-graham-cumming-books.htmlInterestingBrian BenzTue, 27 Oct 2009 17:54:31 PDTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341ff00f53ef0120a626b30d970bvia Amazon
The Geek Atlas is a list of sites to visit where science, mathematics, or technology happened or is happening. The book can be used as a true travel guide or as inspiration for the armchair traveler. Each place has its own chapter that includes a general introduction to the place's significance, a related technical subject covered in more detail, and practical visiting information.
]]>via Amazon The Geek Atlas is a list of sites to visit where science, mathematics, or technology happened or is happening. The book can be used as a true travel guide or as inspiration for the armchair traveler. Each place...http://bbenz.typepad.com/softwaresoapbox/2009/10/amazoncom-the-geek-atlas-128-places-where-science-and-technology-come-alive-9780596523206-john-graham-cumming-books.htmlAmazon Releases Relational Database As A Servicehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoftwareSoapbox/~3/wumRRvkXeo4/amazon-releases-relational-database-as-a-service.htmlInterestingBrian BenzTue, 27 Oct 2009 00:12:54 PDTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341ff00f53ef0120a67a9aae970cvia CloudAve.
Amazon RDS is nothing but a MySQL 5.1 database instance that is exclusively for a particular user and can be accessed via a single API call. The user gets all the capabilities of MySQL database with an additional ability to scale up based on the needs. It rids the customers of any need for time consuming database administration tasks. The patches are applied automatically with the database backed up automatically with a possibility for the user to set the retention period.
]]>via CloudAve. Amazon RDS is nothing but a MySQL 5.1 database instance that is exclusively for a particular user and can be accessed via a single API call. The user gets all the capabilities of MySQL database with an additional...http://bbenz.typepad.com/softwaresoapbox/2009/10/amazon-releases-relational-database-as-a-service.htmlImpressions from the Microsoft SharePoint Conference 2009 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SoftwareSoapbox/~3/NrvX9EgNvBg/impressions-from-the-microsoft-sharepoint-conference-2009-.htmlBrian BenzWed, 21 Oct 2009 13:40:07 PDTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341ff00f53ef0120a6667e89970cRandom Impressions so far:

7400 Attendees

160 Vendors

About 20 Vendors have Lotus Notes to SharePoint migration tools

5 of them specialize in primarily in Notes to SharePoint

The Groove client is now SharePoint WorkSpace.  Yes, it looks and acts a lot like the Notes Client WorkSpace.  But with cool new features and unencumbered by backward compatibility issues.

Excel PowerPivot is awesome.  Calling it Excel PowerPivot is misleading. It's powered by SQL Server and has amazing BI capabilities. It's making me rethink the DataVida analytics offerings. 

Example: 100 million rows in a spreadsheet?  Yeah, right.  Actually....yes, it works now.   

More later.

]]>Random Impressions so far: 7400 Attendees 160 Vendors About 20 Vendors have Lotus Notes to SharePoint migration tools 5 of them specialize in primarily in Notes to SharePoint The Groove client is now SharePoint WorkSpace. Yes, it looks and acts...http://bbenz.typepad.com/softwaresoapbox/2009/10/impressions-from-the-microsoft-sharepoint-conference-2009-.html