“Not Invented Here.” This is a popular corporate syndrome that was often mentioned as part of Microsoft’s organizational culture back in the late 90s/early 2000s. Being that it was org culture, it kept popping up in different ways. For example, in the early days of the Internet, Microsoft chose to keep the ‘Net at arm’s […]
Last week I was talking to someone about the sad realities of not having access to good backups. The example I talked about was the famous “NotPetya” attack on the worldwide shipping firm, Maersk. It’s fascinating reading (WIRED wrote a great story about it here)…the upshot was Maersk’s entire worldwide network was destroyed, necessitating a […]
It’s a fact: you run a business, you need a phone. And once you grow to the point where it’s more than just you, you need a phone system. It’s no secret that all the original telcos (Ma Bell and all the Baby Bells) have largely merged together again, and are seeking to get out […]
Counting backward, I realized that I’ve been using my tech skills to support nonprofits off and on for the last 15 years. That’s this time around * Since separating from the Tulsa Area United Way I’ve been doing some consulting and chatting with nonprofits in Tulsa — some who are partner nonprofits and some who […]
A colleague and I were chatting (okay…texting) this week about recruitment issues, and I was reminded of one of our challenges back in the Dot Com Era in Seattle. I was Director of IT during the mid-to-late 90s at a couple of higher ed institutions in the Pacific Northwest, and it was at this time […]
July 9, 2019 I’ve written a lot about my enthusiasm for smart homes. My two WiFi-enabled smart thermostats, the sensor that alerts me via App when my garage door goes up or down, etc. But the US Postal Service has an offering that makes one’s physical mail smart: their free Informed Delivery Service. In the […]
Lots going on lately — at the office we’ve been working on replacing staff vacancies, retool with new positions, etc. I’ve also been cleaning out and consolidating boxes, which means I find notes and documents from previous gigs. One folder contained info on an employee I had to let go. These things together make one […]
Sheldon and Rose had retired, and they were taking a well-deserved luxury vacation to Australia. But on their way across the Pacific, their plane encountered mechanical difficulties and was forced to crash-land on a deserted tropical island. They were blessed that they were able to land safely, but the pilot was unable to radio […]
December 29, 2017 Gather round, kiddies — we’re going to talk about business ethics. Wait! Don’t run away! When my wife worked at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, one of her coworkers used to ask interesting interview questions to get at the heart of the ethical dilemmas inherent in modern work. For example: “Would you […]
Every now and again, I have a technology-themed “Marcel Proust Moment”… In the first volume of Marcel Proust’s ‘Remembrance of Things Past,’ he dunks a cookie into his tea and immediately he’s transported back, into a reverie and remembrance of his life years before. That’s how I feel when I hear the latest news about Pine, […]