Category: Popular
-
Freedom
The technology we use daily isn’t truly free. Yet, we often associate much of the experience of using technology with freedom. As a lone developer or member of an open source team, I’m free to develop and contribute any way I wish. I don’t need to prove my worthiness to get started. I’m free to…
-
The Evolution of Recommendations
For centuries, recommendations were a simple exchange of knowledge from one person to another. You could take it or leave it. Filtering the signal from the noise wasn’t a skill that was helpful to have yet for most humans. Industrialization and the printing press made it possible to spread the recommendation of one person to…
-
Algorithmic Trust
People today entrust decisions to algorithms more than ever before. We could ask for a recommendation or do our own research, but it’s almost always easier to pick from a list of suggestions. If those suggestions work out, we build trust in that source of those suggestions over time. Unlike a genuine recommendations from a…
-
Friends
A good friend is one that wants to spend time with you and be there for you. You’ll likely have many people in your lifetime that will fit this description. A great friend is one that wants to spend time with you and be there for you as often as you would like to be…
-
Where is the struggle?
Making a sandwich is something most of us can do and (at least in the US) is within reach. We gather bread, fillings, a knife and go to work. It’s a skill most of us learned at a young age. We don’t often struggle to make a PB&J. Now imagine you’re staring at a blank…
-
We bought a house in 2021. I have no regrets yet.
Each morning, I’m awaken by the sound of a lowered, grey 2001 BMW 325 starting up around 6AM. I suspect the owner is proud of their investment. It’s was once a respectable car – but this one is illegally modified. It has an exhaust system designed to draw attention via a droning hum that penetrates…
-
The First Experience
Ask any craftsperson how they got into what they do. They’ll likely tell you a story that includes a moment where they spent some time with the craft hands-on and fell in love with some aspect of it. One of my favorite memories early in my tech career was completing the ‘Hello World’ exercises for scripting…
-
Platform Indifference
In 25 years, I’ve used a lot of technology. In fact, more than I can remember without really sitting down to think about it. It’s curious, then, when the rare and obsolete question of “Mac or PC” comes up. In these many years, I’ve seen a lot of different operating systems for different computer systems.…
-
Migrating File Servers to Dropbox, Box, Google Drive or any other Cloud Storage Service
Some of my customers love their Dropbox/Box/Sharefile/Sharepoint/OneDrive as a file server replacement. Others, not so much and have gone back to their trusty file servers after a failed leap. Many would like to have it, if it weren’t for the other issues that it introduces in more complex environments. It’s easy to believe the hype that…
-
The Data Silos are Back
Ten years ago in AEC technology, we were talking about trying to find ways to get data out of ‘silos’ – that is, storage and dissemination systems that didn’t integrate with each other. Files and data were strewn about in different formats and couldn’t be easily told to play nice. Over a very short period…
-
But what does it cost?
You can look at a carton of eggs and do the math – $3 for a carton divided by 12 is a quarter per egg. Better yet, eggs are sold by the dozen. The math is already done for you. Your effort effort as a consumer to decide which carton to pick comes down to just…
-
Caught in the Middle: Subscription Software
Software Subscriptions can feel like a vampire. They lurk on your OpEx ledger, claiming a value proposition for each month, hour or mile you use them. Gone are the opportunities to squeeze extra value beyond the design intent of the software. You can’t stop paying for them in a slow cash-flow month if you still need…
-
Business Technology
Yesterday, we called it “Information Technology.” It was a department of talented engineers and managers that could get the infrastructure in place and got really good at procuring the tools to ride on top of that infrastructure. Today, IT is still important in larger organizations and industries who aren’t well served by mobile and consumerist…
-
Organization in a Google World
In the era of Google Searches, Minimalism, Social Media and Apps-for-Everything, folks are less inclined to implement good old organizational skills with their data. Why bother? After all, we can Google anything we need. We can re-download that app when we get a replacement phone. I can go on Instagram and see my photos. Organization,…
-
The Innovation via Automation Cycle
Technological innovation is often described as happening in “leaps and bounds.” As cliche as it sounds, it remains accurate through a significant cross section of technological advancements. Beyond the simplicity of this cliche exists an opportunity for businesses to get ahead in their objectives using automation. Innovations are temporary solutions Innovations in computing are making their way into the mainstream at…
-
Security needs a plan B
Passwords are a pain. Even when armed with a great password manager like LastPass, you still have to manage sometimes hundreds of passwords at a time. While infrequent, there are occasions where you need a Plan B to get into your account in case something goes wrong. LastPass has an Emergency Access feature that, after a…
-
Removing the Performance Bottleneck in Desktop and Laptop Computers
A performance bottleneck slows down even the most capable computer. If you are experiencing a slow computer, going through some or all of these exercises will speed things back up. Don’t run out and buy a new computer. You’ll run into the same slow computer blues you are experiencing now in a matter of months. Speeding up…
-
Get it Done: Project Management Tools for Everyday Use
There are a plethora of tools to manage the different types of projects, each having its own unique set of niche features and approaches. Choosing the right solution plays a significant part in project success: using a poorly matched tool can create more burden than benefit.
-
Uber Fail: Two days in the driver seat below minimum wage
We’ve all heard of Uber. Perhaps you’ve even used the ride sharing company, recently declared to be worth $50 billion (that’s billion with a ‘b’). But what is it really like to be a driver using the Uber system? In my experience, it’s a risky job in terms of financial risk and wage earning. I’ll…
-
Disney World: Walt would be pissed
I had the opportunity to spend the day at Disney World today at the Magic Kingdom. My experience at Disney World today undoubtedly would have Walt himself rolling in his grave. Overall, we were disappointed in the details of our experience. That’s not to say it was a completely bad experience. It wasn’t, not really.…
-
The Cat Trap
I love animals of all varieties. I’ve played host to many animals over the years – mostly cats, but also guinea pigs, fish and even a dog. That’s why writing this is article has proven difficult at best. What follows is my attempt to convince you to never adopt or take in another pet –…
-
7 Simple Rules for Sending Me an Email
We all have a love and hate relationship with our email. Technology requires a balanced approach and careful management to be the positive thing it can be. Here are my rules to help keep email from becoming an out of control beast: One request per message It seems simple enough, but how often to you…
-
Share a Dropbox account with multiple Windows users
Dropbox is by far one of the most accessible and easy to use file sharing services out there. But, I can’t share that paid-for space with anyone else. We’re going to fix this. We are going to make Dropbox run as a Service in the background and sync to a single folder that’s not tied…
-
Vision is not a Democracy
What is a vision? We spend a lot of time listening to a lot of hot air from a lot of different people about their “visions for the future”, “vision for Iraq”, whatever. Before we start to talk about vision, we need to talk about a few other topics. Consensus. Awful word, huh? That word…