tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72794502024-09-05T02:46:13.538-05:00Thoughts on technology, technology management and leadership, systems, and java development.Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-3775947359647056852009-03-05T08:46:00.005-06:002009-03-05T09:10:28.106-06:00

Let me start by saying I don't own a Kindle. I've thought about purchasing one, but the $359 price tag seems a little steep. Last year I purchased a Sony Reader PRS505 as part of an inventory liquidation...meaning I got it cheap. While I've enjoyed the Reader, I must admit I've experienced Kindle envy with regards to available titles and wireless capabilities.Yesterday Amazon released the

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-61354144071216130832008-10-07T06:35:00.004-05:002008-10-07T06:42:04.343-05:00

It seems that pictures of the new Kindle 2.0 device, the one that Amazon is denying exists, are leaking out across the web. Here's the link on BoyGenuisReport.com.

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-68903194872330560302008-10-03T08:23:00.003-05:002008-10-03T09:12:24.395-05:00

In case you haven't heard, Sony just introduced their new reader, the PRS-700. The big difference between it and the PRS-505, is a 6 inch touchscreen, faster processor, expanded memory, and a built in side-lighting. The biggest feature that is lacking: no wireless capability. That being said, the touchscreen should be an improvement as it allows for note taking and finger swipping for page

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-59368441242187431422008-10-01T20:37:00.001-05:002008-10-02T10:29:58.400-05:00

Recently there's been a lot in the news about people recovering their stolen laptops through remote tracking (i.e. NY victim uses remote to nab theft suspect). Several companies provide commercial products for tracking lost laptops including products like Computrace Lojack for Laptops and CyberAngel. There are also open source solutions such as Adeona, created by the University of Washington.

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-40939947181915025262008-09-30T22:24:00.005-05:002008-09-30T22:46:50.449-05:00

Here are some articles I forwarded to my team earlier today. The first is an interview with Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer. Mr. Mundie talks about composite computing and how the cloud becomes one aspect of it. The best quote: "People who started out and said, 'Hey, all software should just become a service,' started out with the misconception that the computing

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-56585509611568138172008-09-23T21:09:00.002-05:002008-09-23T21:12:29.639-05:00

The Moron Brothers on YouTube...and no I didn't make up the name. They are self proclaimed morons:

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-88622839109898108262008-09-22T21:41:00.003-05:002008-09-22T21:49:15.385-05:00

If you haven't seen this article on Slashdot, you should read it: Stanford Teaching MBAs How To Fight Open Source. Maybe B schools should spend more time teaching their MBA's how to embrace open source software instead of proprietary software? My favorite quote: "Glad to see that $48,921 that Stanford MBAs pay being put to good use. Having said that, such research is perhaps a great,

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-65614549975054044542008-09-22T11:21:00.002-05:002008-09-22T11:30:27.442-05:00

Here's some more information on the Sony/Target partnership to sell Reader Digital Book products: cnetPC Magazine

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-9086895497269945232008-09-22T11:06:00.006-05:002008-09-22T11:16:45.367-05:00

Recently there have been some developments in building alternatives to the traditional data center. Google has filed for a patent of its floating data center. Intel is running a proof-of-concept data center using outside air. Now, we learn that Microsoft has been running a rack of servers in a tent outside one of their data centers...something that those of us involved in Boy Scouts can

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-6668242908025812832008-09-19T21:33:00.005-05:002008-09-21T15:13:42.647-05:00

Tonight, after waiting in line at Costco for 30 minutes for gas, my youngest son and I headed to a nearby Target. While wondering around Target, I say a Sony Reader display in electronics. Target is selling the Reader for $299. They also have several accessories, including prepaid eBook cards for the Sony eBook store. I picked up a cover with a built in light for mine. I think it's very

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-71887274732728741002008-09-18T21:13:00.003-05:002008-09-23T08:43:46.296-05:00

I thought you might enjoy the following video from the 1940's that shows the process of making a book. Printing a Book, Old School from Armin Vit.

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-10159766610814158332008-09-18T11:51:00.004-05:002008-09-18T12:15:30.995-05:00

By now you've already seen or at least read about Esquire Magazine's 75th Anniversary cover with flexible e-Ink technology. If you're interested in this technology, here are some other eReader devices you should also be watching: Plastic Logic eReader. This device is supposed to launch in January. Polymer Vision Readius. A flexible pocket eReader. One of the big differences between these

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-36156425698940110072008-09-17T21:23:00.004-05:002008-09-17T21:29:30.339-05:00

As my development teams move to more toward Agile development methodologies, they found dotProject to be less than adequate. After a some research, they found and started using Mingle, an Agile Project Management tool. So far the reviews have been very positive.

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-51145597612280357572008-09-17T21:00:00.005-05:002008-09-17T21:14:36.120-05:00

I was researching my 1969 Gibson EM-150 mandolin on the web and found the following video on YouTube. This video shows Clint Searcy from Searcy String Works rebuilding a Katrina damaged P-90 mandolin pickup that I assume came from an EM-150 since it is the only Gibson that I'm aware of with this kind of pickup. Enjoy.

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-71195197622269317412008-09-14T21:16:00.000-05:002008-09-15T09:18:27.564-05:00

You're not a banjo player if you've never had something like this happen to you:

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-75075946934173598752008-09-03T16:27:00.006-05:002008-09-03T21:36:15.543-05:00

Last week I posted a video about a Mythbusters episode on RFID security that was supposedly stopped by corporate attorneys. Here's a follow up to that story fromcnet.com. Here's a clarification from Adam Savage. No matter what, my sons and I remain faithful Mythbusters watchers.

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-87808750544384066722008-08-30T15:44:00.003-05:002008-08-30T15:51:00.134-05:00

Considering RFID security. Here's a video of MythBusters' Adam Savage discussing some upcoming shows and why they aren't going to do an episode on RFID security.

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-29333923430014160732008-08-28T09:20:00.007-05:002008-08-28T14:51:27.412-05:00

Some interesting charts from John Soat's article: How Tomorrow's CIO Can Buck The Trend Of Waning Influence. The first concerns the most important attributes for a CIO: The second is about the major obstacles faced by today's CIOs:

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-16741091908707221632008-08-20T21:26:00.001-05:002008-08-21T09:30:41.880-05:00

I found the following graph on eBook dowloads by format: The source data comes from manybooks.net.

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-71332173449426026582008-08-17T09:36:00.002-05:002008-08-17T09:59:25.677-05:00

I've just finished an excellent book, Becoming a Coaching Leader, by Daniel Harkavy. Daniel is CEO of Building Champions, Inc., a company dedicated to building and improving leadership skills. Daniel's approach to coaching your team for the highest individual and group performance is excellent. I can't wait to start applying the material. To be fair, I need to let you know that Thomas Nelson, my

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-83837518980319391622008-07-30T22:29:00.004-05:002008-07-30T22:53:17.247-05:00

CIO Insight recently posted a slideshow titled Why IT Projects Get Killed. They listed 5 major reasons for killing IT projects: Business needs changed: 30%Does not deliver as promised: 23%No longer a priority: 14%Exceeds budget: 13%Does not support business strategy: 7%The data was based on a recent survey of 167 IT executives.In my career, I've experienced most of these reasons at one time or

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-23946153092381325712008-06-08T21:32:00.002-05:002008-06-08T21:41:01.433-05:00

From c/net Google gets serious about the Mac: "Google has long had a fondness for the Mac, with upwards of 6,000 of its 10,000 20,000 current employees opting to use the Mac over Windows." This is good news for people like me who use a mac as their primary development platform because it translates into more open source tools.

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-69069757859320207492008-06-01T21:12:00.000-05:002008-06-01T22:19:59.404-05:00

Just read the Engadget interview with Jonathan Schwartz, Sun's CEO, on porting Java to the Google Android platform, and mobile platforms in general. According to Mr. Schwartz, not only is he using an iPhone, Sun's committed to delivering Java for the device. When asked about Google's Android platform, Schwartz turned attention to the upcoming JavaOne conference. Anyone who's used some of Google's

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-81725254741752785142008-05-30T20:05:00.002-05:002008-05-30T20:19:54.671-05:00

I was recently reading a ComputerWorld interview of Byron Reeves, Revenge of the gamers: World of Warcraft is honing tomorrow's leaders. Reeves is the Paul C. Edwards Professor of Communication at Stanford University and a co-founder of Seriosity Inc. The article points to these reasons why business leaders should be playing online games: Why play games?Pace: Leaders often have to make

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7279450.post-5392820096341353742008-03-10T22:04:00.007-05:002008-03-19T14:04:27.864-05:00

Recently I read the following InformationWeek article: Hunting the Elusive CIO Dashboard. As I read my heart began to race and I felt some panic. I didn't have a dashboard. Were other technology management professionals leaving me behind? Was there something I was missing? Did I even have any Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)? What was wrong with my leadership that I didn't have a nifty tool to

Rickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17865649625925271265noreply@blogger.com5