Can they sweep?

one down, 3 to go. I'm thinking the Spurs had their best shot to steal home court and blew it big time. I originally thought Lakes in 6. But, now?

Did it!

Stepped up to the plate and let the Spirit do so good work. David just looking for some money for food or a movie. We'll see if he follows through and finds me for a refill.

Praise God!

New Style

So, with a little prodding from a colleague, I've updated both my blogs(!) with a little more sizzle. Also, I was able to "fix" a configuration so that certain content wouldn't show up in a certain place. So, all good there.

Now that the bug is fixed, I'll be posting back here more on the current Silly Season and the Good News.

Ciao.

I'm Splitting Up (with) My Blog

Wow.  Google really is taking over the world...

"Your blogs are now accessed with a Google Account..."

...funny how we used to think (fear?) that about Microsoft.  Or, maybe its just my blog! :-)

Also, please note that this blog will become exclusively for my non-Jive, Political, Religious views.  I've established a second blog for non-Jive, non-Political, non-Religious posts here.

Thanks.

Hoops Heaven This Weekend

Never in the history has there been the hoops we'll see this weekend. CBS @ 300 PM Saturday and see ya Wednesday...

http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/ncb/tournament - UCLA/Memphis and UNC/Kansas - woof
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/tournament - Stanford/UConn and LSU/Tennessee - dbl woof

I'm not sure which will better. We'll just have to watch all 6 games. :-)

(looks like espn is expecting a few hits for the Men's side, eh?)

Ciao.

Realistic Goals & What To Do When You Miss Them

My new commute has afforded me the opportunity to catch up on some reading. One book I'm running through right now is "Wars of Blood and Faith", a collection of articles by Ralph Peters.

WARNING: Mr Peters is retired Army so espouses a *very* pro-military viewpoint - you've been warned. I've included the link for context.

In the article "Plan B for Iraq", published in Armed Forces Journal, he says this:

"We must not only prepare for the worst, but calculate how to turn it to our advantage."

This struck a chord with me. I've heard the saying "Plan for the best and prepare for the worst" many times. However, in practice, I've mostly seen folks do the former and ignore the latter (cant? or wont?). Of course, in context, Peters' statement reflects the seriousness of the truly life and death decisions our military face in the field. In the software development world, we don't have quite the same consequences.

But, it seems this view can be quite useful - what happens after things didn't work out the way you wanted them to? Take the outcome and work it to your advantage. Seems easy. But, in practice...

Ciao.

More H4H Guatemala photos

Link from Karen Beck (she took tons of great pics) for the 2008 trip.
Link from Gerson Robboy for the 2007 trip.

Here's a good one showing the end result...

Things That Make Me Say "Huh?" - 2008-03-26

A new meaning of change.

Um, $300,000 for college... but the big tickets are giving it away and MIT is a bit less than that.

Speaking of "21" have you heard its opening this Friday...cool site tho.

The Giving Dilemma

(...finally figured out how to stick a title on these blog posts...)

One of the draws for jumping to Jive was the location downtown. I was/am excited to be in the middle of some action. The (perceived) downside is the number of FDOTL (Folks Down On Their Luck). To me, this a call to action....

But, what action. I've pondered for quite some time about how to spread His love without being too sappy or just handing out greenbacks. For a long time, my mentality has been "what they do with it they will answer for not me". However, I've felt that was simply "buying my way" out of any involvement.

So, time to put the faith to the test. Here's the plan:

1. Engage this *person* - ask for their name and story for prayer.
2. Pray! (this would be the key part)
3. Hand over a little encouragement (this would be the hard part)

Current thought: McDonald's "arch" card. For "repeat customers", I get the card back and throw some more cash on it. Concern(?) is that minimum increment is $5.00. Can buy remotely.

Option is to do the gift certificates. Didn't ask when I was there today (just got 4 arch cards). But, at the very least, they can be ordered online ($1.00 increments in book of 5).

Another option is Subway. Same deal as "arch" card. .50 fee to order online (if too lazy to go to a counter/store). Doesn't look like they do gift certificate.

Other options?

Working on building up some Good Dad Points. I didn't bring the camcorder but I should be able to take a pic w/the phone.
















And I'm skipping the UCLA and Lakers games to be here - plus points. But I'm blogging during the 4th Grade Musical - so minus points (rats).

Wondering what the distinction between "internal" and "external" blogs are (or should be)? Seems like many folks have two views to share - 1 that is relevant to "the company" and 1 that is relevant to "the self". Since the Jive-ing has started, I've noticed the line between these two views is blurring. Should it be so easy to "merge" these views? I expect the Legal Dept to be shaking at the thought of words and images "getting inside" with a chance to offend.

A link to a blog with interesting points/URLs about Waterfall.

Ciao.

Been meaning to post about Guate2008. Once again, a life-altering experience (how many of those can yo have??) and *highly* recommended for ANYONE. I've flickr'd some pix. Just got a ton (1800 is close to 2000, right?) and will update the flickr site with references.

In sum, helping other folks is simply the right thing to do. Going to Guatemala to do it is a stretch (mostly $$wise). Chances are pretty good I'll go again. Maybe Honduras or Costa Rica? But, also, why not Hillsboro, Eastside, New Orleans...?

I hope to post a longer thread on this mental discussion I'm having. For now, though, the Habitat trip is one of the best things I've done. Each time I feel closer to Him and isn't that the point?

Ciao

In the midst of "Day One @ Jive". But, I wanted to followup the "Last Day @ Serena". It was a bit surreal - I needed to inform HR of my departure. I'd thought a bit about the Going Away Lunch. As it turned out, it was quite neat. Its always interesting to find out what folks think about you when "politics" aren't in play.

Email worked until 600 PM. So, I managed to get some email best wishes and such. No one said good riddance...all good. I definitely felt an "he's old news" vibe from the management team. My thoughts are still with the good folks stuck there. I hope it works as well as possible there. Clearly, He has opened this path for me. (I pray I don't screw it up.)

Ciao

Haven't posted in awhile...went to Guatemala (will post on that later) but have been working on "the jump". Leaving Serena today to move to Jive Software. It's all good and I'll try and post through the process.

Currently, I'm sitting here waiting for an exit interview with Serena HR. Not sure if I need to book that or not. We'll see. But, for now, I'll work on some Java code. :-)

Just got back from Washington. It was pure joy to know that I could assist the folks in King County pay off their shiny new stadia.

Sales tax ... 8.90%
Airport Recovery Fee ... 11.10%
Rental Car Tax ... 9.70%
Consolidated Facility Charge ... $4.00 per day (12.5%)

Paying an additional 50% for the privilege of sitting in traffic for an hour ... priceless.

Ciao

So, I took the plunge. I'm now iPhone enabled.

Mostly [update -Totally] all good. The touch screen is phenomenal. The "user centric" default application array pretty much nails it. [iTunes (when I have WiFi) is great. YouTube is very cool. Stocks has *exactly* what I need/want. Maps is a life-saver - how did I ever travel without it?] The display is magnificent. The initial activation and firmware upgrades went smoothly. And, it makes phone calls!!

Some problems.

Web connection took some finagling and 4 phone calls (2 to AT&T "front line" support, 1 to My iPhone and 1 to AT&T "back line"). The key seems to be rebooting the device until you see the "E" icon. Getting on my home WiFi was a snap.
[UPDATE - 2007-12-26] installed new WiFi router. Re-connecting iPhone was a snap.

Email from an Exchange server - got to find out if/when our server will be IMAP enabled. That'll be fun.
[UPDATE - 2007-11-26] Go here...now. Just do it. Make sure to get the full URL of your web access site (after the login page finishes loading).
[UPDATE - 2007-12-26] unable to logon to the server :-( Anyone have the same problem?

Also, unable to use Visual Voicemail. Currently getting "Visual Voicemail is currently availble".
[UPDATE - 2007-11-26] Just started working today. Maybe the multiple calls to support got my account "worked out". But, whatever, it was a pleasant surprise and pretty much meets my expectations...totally cool.

Also, unable to use "Manual Sync" for iTunes. I've already become dependent on this feature. The workaround is to manually sync specific playlists. A kludge but it works. Just highlights that this is not really an iPod.
[UPDATE - 22007-12-26] the workaround isn't all that great. I had to blow away the tunes from my laptop when I synched with the iMac. Ultimately, this is Ok since the iMac holds more of what I want to hear on the iPhone. Need to "tweak" this process a bit to get exactly what I want - playlists from both iMac and Laptop.

New Issue: "Could not activate EDGE". This message could very well cause the collapse of the universe. See here and here. At the moment, I have the EDGE back. But, I don't expect it to last.
[UPDATE - 2007-12-26] EDGE network seems to behaving mostly ok now. Of course, iTunes doesn't work via EDGE so that's a bummer. But, in most cases I've been able to show-off...er, use the wireless connections everywhere I've been lately (portland, seattle). We'll have a chance in SoCal over New year's!! {GO TROJANS!}

New Issue: maybe the first (true) chink I've found in the armor. I can't send any results from Maps. My dad was looking for a Costco close to Burbank airport. My first reaction (wait for it...) was to grab the iPhone and search Maps! I found exactly what he wanted in seconds (YES!) and could *show* him. But, I couldn't forward the results - either the map query or the contact information (address, phone) for the target. That blows. I *could* save this result to my Contacts list. But, that doesn't solve *this* problem. So, (gasp) he had to write the address down on a piece of paper!

New [can't believe its an] Issue: what do I do with my Nano? I took both along for the ride in Seattle. I was afraid to hook up iPhone to the AC Adapter/Transmitter in the car. So, I used Nano for that. But, on the ride back to Seatac, I found that built-in speakers on the iPhone (missing in Nano!) were quite serviceable and weren't subjected to local radio interference. On the plane, it was a slam dunk - "Airplane Mode" is the first option on Settings. In two "clicks", I was ready for the jaunt home. And, with the microphone in the ear plugs - I didn't have to switch anything to tell the honey I was coming home early. So, any suggestions for the Nano are welcome - current Plan A is to give him to one of the kids. (shrug)

More later. With solutions as I get/hear them.

What is Progress?

dictionary.com says...

1. a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage: the progress of a student toward a degree.
2. developmental activity in science, technology, etc., esp. with reference to the commercial opportunities created thereby or to the promotion of the material well-being of the public through the goods, techniques, or facilities created.
3. advancement in general.
4. growth or development; continuous improvement: He shows progress in his muscular coordination.
5. the development of an individual or society in a direction considered more beneficial than and superior to the previous level.
6. Biology. increasing differentiation and perfection in the course of ontogeny or phylogeny.
7. forward or onward movement: the progress of the planets.
8. the forward course of action, events, time, etc.
9. an official journey or tour, as by a sovereign or dignitary.
–verb (used without object) progress 10. to go forward or onward in space or time: The wagon train progressed through the valley. As the play progressed, the leading man grew more inaudible.
11. to grow or develop, as in complexity, scope, or severity; advance: Are you progressing in your piano studies? The disease progressed slowly.
—Idiom12. in progress, going on; under way; being done; happening: The meeting was already in progress.

I don't see "Spin your wheels by restating the same thing multiple times." I just sat down to "log" what I did today. I used 3 tools to do this. I'm not sure if this is good or bad. And, even then, I still should set my facebook status. Yikes.

I'm finally getting the hang of this mashup thing. Of course, it could be that the software is finally stable enough to publish and deploy without fearing the worst. I do like that I can spend time figuring out where the pieces are in the new editor. Watch out world!

Otherwise, we're looking forward to A Championship Football game. Kind of exciting when you think about having one of your kids playing in a championship anything situation. Of course, we're really just blessed by God with healthy children. Having them participate in sports is a wonderful thing. And, a bit of success with the team is icing on the cake.

Off to prep the poncho for the expected downpour...

An old favorite topic of mine (spurred by the Blancmange buzzing in my ear) is "change" versus "stay the course". Had a professor way back when who said (paraphrasing Tip O'Neill) "Congress works because it's always worked this way". Of course, I didn't understand how such a conservative view (from a Dem) could justify the "B" I got.

But, back to the future, is it "comfort" with our current ways? Or are people simply so afraid of change that they hang on to what doesn't work (the devil I know...) in the face of all evidence to the contrary?

A useful buzzword that has lost its meaning is "change agent". How can we truly be subversive without being obvious? That's my challenge. Still thinking...

It's been awhile and apparently there is a new Web out there. Of interest to note is whether The Company will allow its employees to Web 2.0 - social networking, rich interactive web clients, blah blah. Best point I heard so far is that The Company will be hiring kids that don't know a world without Social Networking, so best to be there for them.

Guess I'm glad to be working at a progressive institution for money-making.