The China problem Big markets look sexy. Big markets are a problem. Sitting at the vet today, I saw a brochure for an injectable chip that makes it easier to identify a lost dog. No doubt, the investor meetings all started with, “Well, there's a hundred million dogs in the United States, and if we… Continue reading The China problem

Microsoft’s Vista Debut Wasn’t Nearly So ‘Wow’. The Vista release did not generate anything close to the excitement created 12 years ago when Windows 95 was introduced. By LOUISE STORY. [NYT > Technology]

Productivity for Programmers, #1: Trusted Systems. By Bob Walsh and Matt Cornell (Note: Matt Cornell – programmer, personal productivity coach, blogger and all round good guy and I are teaming up for a weekly series of blog postings here and at Matt’s blog, http://ideamatt.blogspot.com on how programmers can be much more productive. Our goal is… Continue reading Productivity for Programmers, #1: Trusted Systems

Rivals Voice Complaints About Microsoft’s New System. Rivals of Microsoft are charging that the new Vista operating system is the company’s effort to extend its monopoly to the Internet. By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. [NYT > Technology]

A new Y2K bug?. From the IT person for my department: Congress changed Daylight Savings Time from the first Sunday of April (1st) to the second Sunday in March (11th). This is new, many computers, Palm Pilots, Blackberries, cell phones and  software may not yet be equipped to handle this change.  We are beginning to… Continue reading A new Y2K bug?

What we need is a new strategy …  In following the political debate over the Iraq debacle, it helps to take a step back from time to time and to re-focus on Iraq from a strategic vantage point. Our President isn't able to do that, and for the most part neither is the media nor… Continue reading What we need is a new strategy …

6-figure pay for care plan overseers. Employees of the new state agency established to provide health insurance to the state's low-income residents have been hired at an average salary of $111,000 a year, with 12 of the 22 staff members making more than $100,000 and six earning more than Governor Deval Patrick and his Cabinet… Continue reading 6-figure pay for care plan overseers

How To Process Credit Cards with Ruby, Rails, and Active Merchant. Mark A. McBride has put together a great article about processing credit cards with Ruby on Rails using the Active Merchant plugin.  [Ruby Inside]

On the “War on Terror” Rhetoric. Echoing what I said in my previous post, Sir Ken Macdonald — the UK's “director of public prosecutions” — has spoken out against the “war on terror”: He said: “London is not a battlefield. Those innocents who were murdered on July 7 2005 were not victims of war. And… Continue reading On the “War on Terror” Rhetoric

What makes a dream job situation?. In my opinion, the major factor is being able to make a difference! It is the basis of real job satisfaction. That phrase, being able to make a difference rarely appeared on the job descriptions I have seen and when it did appear, it was used as motivation when… Continue reading What makes a dream job situation?