Web Site Redesign
I have spent the last year or so thinking about redesigning our corporate website. I'll be the first to admit our company's website is dated and the content is a bit stale. It has been kind of the story of the shoemaker and his kids… too busy working on other people's stuff.
I could just take the existing content, update it a bit and put a new front on it. But that didn't really feel right.
Sure there are lots of static and dynamic brochure style websites out there to emulate. This is who we are, these are our products, these […]
Tar Sands – Dirty Oil
I recently read "Tar Sands – Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent" by Andrew Nikiforuk. I found the book to be both dry (lots of statistics and numbers) and disturbing at the same time.
Now to be sure, the book is really about all the negative aspects of the exploitation of Alberta's oil sands. However, I do think it is important to see both sides of the story and welcomed a chance to understand some of the issues better.
Most of the book was about the socio, economic, political and environmental issues. There was one chapter at the […]
Good Business Coaches
An Example – ProCoach
I went to a seminar put on by Andrew Barber-Starkey of ProCoach Success Systems a number of years ago here in Calgary. The information presented in the seminar was decent, and of course it ended with limited time options to enter their program for a special price.
A few years later, I am still receiving newsletters from them. Sometimes there is a good pearl of wisdom in them. Recently, Andrew has started interviewing well-known authors and posting those interviews on his site.
Superficially, he appears to share a number of common business success principles […]
101st Post
Still working on the visualization and goal attainment. Even when I achieve it I will probably still be doing something entrepreneurial with my spare time. The big difference is I will also have more freedom of choice for my time.
Well it's April 1st and at least I didn't fire anyone this year. Yes, a number of years ago our staff played a nasty one on management while we were at a lunch seminar with the CEO of Dell. Since then we changed the rules to exclude jokes about operational matters, too dangerous to get out of hand.
Happy April Fools Day […]
100th and Last Post
This is my 100th post. I've enjoyed sharing my thoughts, experiences and lessons over the past year.
One of the recurring themes of my posts and my motivational reading is the power of visualizing the end goal.
Well, the power of visualization and alignment has paid off.
I've reached my goals and I have decided to retire from business and writing. Yup, nothing but beaches and sailing on sparkling blue water for me.
As the dolphins said as they left Earth in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy:
"So long and thanks for all the fish!"
Nothing else to say… bye.
Intel’s New Nehalem Zeon Processor
Just read some reviews on Intel's newest Zeon processor. Looks like the increase in processing power over prior versions and the competition is a very substantial jump… like double. Just as big is the increased support for virtualization to take advantage of features in Windows Server 2008.
Doubling the processing power while reducing or keeping steady the power consumption is significant.
We are hosting some client applications at Q9 Networks. They charge for power and bandwidth. If I can cut my power consumption in half to get the same work done, that would give us a substantial power […]
Long Winter – Spring on It’s Way
It has been a long winter here in Calgary… lots of lingering snow, recent snow and below average temperatures. The trees and plants are showing little sign of rebirth, though there are small signs that nature is waking up if you take the time to look.
On a personal note my business partner and I recently received recent news of deaths in our extended families. Families and friends are gathering from far and wide to pay their respects and show support for the living.
My uncle ran a small business doing survey work out near Brooks for the oil and gas companies, etc. […]
The Show Must Go On
I think I've mentioned that I like to play Celtic and Maritime music as well as do Canadian step-dancing.
Well recently the band I am in (Get Reel) had two gigs scheduled, one at a church hall on Saturday and one Wednesday evening at a senior's residence with our step dancing class as well. We currently have three members in our band (Greg Black, Deborah Mandzuk and myself).
We worked up a really nice set with all of us playing our multiple roles.
Just before the weekend, Greg called up and told us that because of a tear in his retina and his laser […]
Caught a Worm, Gone Phishing?
I was watching the news this evening and lo and behold, Stuart Crawford from BulletproofIT is talking about a worm that is set to wreak havoc worldwide.
Shows you the importance of keeping on top of patches and security best practices.
The three founders of Sunwapta Solutions (Doug, Al and Glen) all came from an enterprise technical support background at a big information technology (IT) consulting firm (that just got bought by HP).
From day one we have tried to run our own IT like we are a big company. We take it seriously. That doesn't guarantee anything, but it does […]
UI Design – The Hard Part
I finally understand something that has been nagging me for years.
It's the answer to "Why do the majority of software developers shun user interface design."
The user interface is the part the customer usually sees. It should be the glamorous or satisfying part of software development.
It is like building a car without caring what the interior, dashboard or exterior look like. Sure the motor and wheels are important, but who wants to drive or buy a chassis with motor on it? Judging by what I see on the road, very few people.
The reality is that the user interface design is:
- Part art […]