Seth's Blog: Clarifications

Seth's Blog: Clarifications: " In Small Is the New Big, I'm not saying that only small companies will thrive moving forward. Instead, I'm saying that any organization that acts small has an advantage over those that insist on acting big, regardless of size."

Seth's Blog: Yes Substitutions

Seth's Blog: Yes Substitutions: "There's a line out the door of the Pump every day at lunch. Why? Because people who love substitutions (the picky ones) go blocks out of their way to eat here. Is there anyone clamoring to get into the 'no substitutions' place?"

Dell 2407WFP 24" LCD Display Reviewed (Verdict: Nearly Perfect) - Gizmodo

Dell 2407WFP 24" LCD Display Reviewed (Verdict: Nearly Perfect) - Gizmodo: "The geeks at Digital Video Editing took a close look at the Dell 2407WFP 24' LCD display, and were pretty much blown away by how much widescreen monitor you can get for $799. Heck, for that price you can get two of them and stretch your video editing timeline from here to Palookaville."

Joel on Software

Joel on Software: "To be an Identity Method manager, you have to summon all the social skills you have to make your employees identify with the goals of the organization, so that they are highly motivated, then you need to give them the information they need to steer in the right direction.To be an Identity Method manager, you have to summon all the social skills you have to make your employees identify with the goals of the organization, so that they are highly motivated, then you need to give them the information they need to steer in the right direction."

Zaky Infant Pillow: Child Neglect Accomplice - Gizmodo

Zaky Infant Pillow: Child Neglect Accomplice - Gizmodo: "We're sure none of the offspring of our brilliant Gizmodo reading audience would be fooled by The Zaky, an ergonomic pillow that simulates the weight, touch and feel of the hands of a caring parent. But this is such a cute picture nonetheless, we couldn't resist showing it to you. Aww."

O'Reilly Radar > Open Communities vs. Open Source

O'Reilly Radar > Open Communities vs. Open Source: "Dain made a really interesting distinction. We need to recognize, he pointed out, that open source doesn't guarantee open community. Some projects (JBoss was what he had in mind) are open source, but have a closed community, controlled by a corporate sponsor."

Seth's Blog: Marketers and money

Seth's Blog: Marketers and money: "First rule: great product development and marketing almost always comes from organizations that don't have enough money. Having less money keeps you from trying to buy your way out of trouble.
Second rule: learning to live with less money means you will develop skills and resources instead of buying them. And it means that when you have less money (again), you'll be prepared.
Third rule: When you need money for something specific, go get it. But just for that. With good terms. As soon as you spend money to protect your money or leverage your money or account for your money or send a message about your money, the money is not only wasted, it hurts you."

All Things Distributed: You Guard it with Your Life

All Things Distributed: You Guard it with Your Life: "I won't tell you exactly how we implement our schemes but to get to Amazon customer credit cards you will need a small army of Marines. Although recently we have been discussing to place physical and electronic booby-traps such that the servers will self-destruct when compromised, to deal with such full physically attack ...I won't tell you exactly how we implement our schemes but to get to Amazon customer credit cards you will need a small army of Marines. Although recently we have been discussing to place physical and electronic booby-traps such that the servers will self-destruct when compromised, to deal with such full physically attack ..."

I am a technical writer, and I am using FOSS | Free Software Magazine

I am a technical writer, and I am using FOSS | Free Software Magazine: "At MySQL, where I am a member of the documentation team, we use DocBook XML to build the documentation that you see on the website, or that’s available through the PDFs that can be downloaded. In fact, you can even download the XML source we use."

Slow Leadership: Time for Innovation

Slow Leadership: Time for Innovation: "To spark innovation,slow down, find the point of balance between need for results and space to think, and hold things there long enough to allow minds to work freely. Above all, reduce the pressure and level of distractions. No one can follow a creative idea and deal with constant phone calls, e-mails, demands for information and threats for not “meeting the numbers” at the same time. It’s a plain choice: more innovation or longer hours and greater short-term output. You cannot have both."

Jasbone :: Movies, Music and Technoloy

Jasbone :: Movies, Music and Technoloy: "You may be amazed that the leader in digital media in the home is Microsoft, as was I when I started this
journey toward digital media nirvana. Yes, there are a few down sides to all this (expense, the Music
interface in Media Center SUCKS - something I'm working on now with a Jinzora interface, time to get the entire system setup, time to rip all your content, etc) but in the end it is an incredibly powerful system that gives me on-demand access to all my media from all my interface points anytime I want it. Now it's time to actually go enjoy some of my media!You may be amazed that the leader in digital media in the home is Microsoft, as was I when I started this
journey toward digital media nirvana. Yes, there are a few down sides to all this (expense, the Music
interface in Media Center SUCKS - something I'm working on now with a Jinzora interface, time to get the entire system setup, time to rip all your content, etc) but in the end it is an incredibly powerful system that gives me on-demand access to all my media from all my interface points anytime I want it. Now it's time to actually go enjoy some of my media!"

ideas are just a multiplier of execution - O'Reilly ONLamp Blog

ideas are just a multiplier of execution - O'Reilly ONLamp Blog: "It’s so funny when I hear people being so protective of ideas. (People who want me to sign an NDA to tell me the simplest idea.)
To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions."

Teaching Engineers to Write?

Teaching Engineers to Write?: "I worked at Bell Labs after college, and a critical piece of required training was a writing course. I don't remember who ran it, probably some outside teaching firm, but it was really really valuable to me. A couple of the critical lessons
Write like a newspaper reporter, not a grad student.
Your objective is clear communication to the reader, not beauty or eruditeness or narration of your discoveries and reasoning process. Don't waste their time, or at least don't waste it up front.

Hit the important conclusions in the first few sentences so your reader will read them. If you'd like to wrap up with them at the end of your memo, that's fine too, in case anybody's still reading by then, but conclusions come first.

If you're trying to express something complex, simplify your writing so it doesn't get in the way. For something simple, 10th grade language structures will do, but if it's really hairy stuff, back down to 8th grade or so.
(Yes! Now the engineers get to play with grammatical analysis tools and run them on their documents, which was a really cool thing back in the just-after-punchcards days :-)
Think about what your audience knows and doesn't know, and what they want and don't want. Express things in terms of what they know and want, not what _you_ know.

If you want somebody to do something, tell them specifically. The passive voice indicates that things will or should be or were done, and may optionally refer to who they might be or have been done by - in business, it's perfectly ok to tell people that you want them to do stuff, and politely expressing the valuableness of the acheivement of doneness of stuff not only doesn't tell the person you want to do stuff to do it, it often leads to later arguments about responsibili"

Paul Kedrosky's Infectious Greed: Rules for Bootstrappers

Paul Kedrosky's Infectious Greed: Rules for Bootstrappers: "Greg Gianforte of RightNow did a useful presentation at the recent MySQL conference on rules for boostrapping your business. It is, welcomingly, not just some anti-VC diatribe, nor is it some up-with-Web-2.0 moonshine. Instead, the presentation is a fair, reasoned, and practical look at the implications for companies that decide to go it financially alone -- alone, that is, except for check-writing customers."

Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing: Why The Next Big Thing doesn't usually come from market leaders

Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing: Why The Next Big Thing doesn't usually come from market leaders: "Clayton Christensen from Harvard wrote The Innovator's Dilemma back in 1997. I have read the book several times and always discover something new. Great book with lots of lessons for business leaders."

Official Google Blog: Avoiding RSI

Official Google Blog: Avoiding RSI: "Here are a few tips:
-- Breaks should be taken every 30-45 minutes for at least 5 minutes. If you need assistance there are free downloadable timers that will help remind you to do so.
-- Stretch your arms, hands, neck, and back during breaks. This yoga site demonstrates some exercises. Other sites are listed below.
-- Maintain posture alignment. Don't slouch on the couch with the laptop.
-- Work stations should be reviewed initially and with each office move. Adjust your chair, monitor, keyboard, mouse, laptop. Alternate keyboards and mice periodically.
--Shift your gaze from the computer screen to the distance. And don't forget to blink!
--Limit non-essential computer use. This may be heresy -- but do give the surfing, gaming, emailing, and text messaging a rest.
-- If pain occurs or persists, see your doctor, who may recommend wrist brace, ice packs, anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen, cortisone injections, physical therapy, and most importantly, rest to allow healing. Don't procrastinate in addressing your symptoms -- the sooner you tend to them, the better off you are.Here are a few tips:
-- Breaks should be taken every 30-45 minutes for at least 5 minutes. If you need assistance there are free downloadable timers that will help remind you to do so.
-- Stretch your arms, hands, neck, and back during breaks. This yoga site demonstrates some exercises. Other sites are listed below.
-- Maintain posture alignment. Don't slouch on the couch with the laptop.
-- Work stations should be reviewed initially and with each office move. Adjust your chair, monitor, keyboard, mouse, laptop. Alternate keyboards and mice periodically.
--Shift your gaze from the computer screen to the distance. And don't forget to blink!
--Lim"

Humility: True Greatness by CJ Mahaney

"True joy transcends circumstances & exists in the midst of severe suffering. ... our suffering is never as great or as serious as our sin."

Control Engineering - Honeywell acquires Tridium

Control Engineering - Honeywell acquires Tridium: "Honeywell acquires Tridium

Control Engineering December 27, 2005

Minneapolis, MN�Honeywell has finalized its purchase of Tridium Inc., a privately held software development firm. The Richmond, VA-based company, which has subsidiaries in London and Singapore, will continue to operate as a separate business entity within Honeywell�s Environmental and Combustion Controls (ECC) business. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Tridium is the developer of Niagara Framework, which integrates diverse systems and devices�regardless of manufacturer, communication standard, or software�into a unified platform that is managed and controlled in real time over the Internet or intranet using a standard Web browser. System integrators use the program to provide solutions without regard for specific protocols, products, or technologies. Manufacturers adopt the technology to move products to the Web, reduce development time, migrate legacy systems, develop new offerings, and enter new customer bases. Current applications include energy management, building automation, telecommunications, security automation, maintenance repair operations, and total facilities management. "

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