When the sales rep is giving you the specs on the steel pipes or the consulting services, challenge him. Ask hard questions. Figure out what he knows. If it’s worth you having him come over, it’s worth discovering what he knows.
When the sales call is over, tell the truth. Don’t say, “we’ll get back to [...]
Filed under: Work | 1 Comment »
I believe in local economic sustainablity even in a flattened world where your competition may be in Asia. I think that you can have both - locally sustainable economies that are also connected to global networks of partners and customers. That’s why I’m involved with the Atlantic Wildlife Institute, which is developing a regional wildlife [...]
Filed under: Communities | 7 Comments »
I’m currently developing an article for inclusion in a newsletter. As I go through the editing and re-write process, I have realised how limiting the print medium is, especially when transferring what was originally a series of blog posts to create the basis of the article. Added hyperlinks are now more natural to me than [...]
Filed under: Technology | No Comments »
A post in the Silicon Republic shows that Irish tiger has similar economic issues as many other Western nations, and that it cannot rest on its recent successes in information technology. The author states that the success of the IT sector stems from investments in education that were made in the 1960’s. Similar investments must [...]
Filed under: Learning, OpenSource, Technology | No Comments »
In 2004 I noted that Spikesource looked like a viable business model for open source development. The company now has a certified solutions program for 13 different open source applications.
“We have a few dozen paying customers today, which is in line with our business plan,” Halsey [VP] said. “It’s all about getting mass penetration and [...]
Filed under: OpenSource | No Comments »
I’m finally reading the book Nine Shift after subscribing to the blog for the past year. It’s one of my preferred reads and the book puts much more of the blog in perspective.
One reason it has taken so long for me to read the book is that my local bookstore gave me a price of [...]
Filed under: Learning, Work | 1 Comment »
Last night a number of fourth year veterinary medicine students from AVC visited us at the Atlantic Wildlife Institute. They were a very keen and motivated group, ready to embark on their new careers. This morning, faculty at the University of Prince Edward Island (where AVC is located) went on strike. Many of these students [...]
Filed under: Learning | No Comments »
Last week I mentioned a few communication tools that I learned how to use in the Army. One of these is the Estimate, which is a problem-solving tool. As young officers, we were constantly told to “estimate the situation and never situate the estimate”. In many cases, when training is prescribed for a work performance [...]
Filed under: Performance Improvement | 3 Comments »
The word is out that Windows XP can run on Intel-based MacIntosh computers and the software is now available for downloading. However, Apple doesn’t seem to understand its own customers:
An Apple spokeswoman declined comment on the contest. Apple officials have said they have no desire for Windows to run on their hardware.
Earth to Apple - [...]
Filed under: OpenSource, Technology | 6 Comments »
During my Army service I learned many things that I have already forgotten, such as the composition of a Soviet Motor Rifle Regiment, and a few things that I could never forget. Three tools that I used extensively during my military career were 1) the Estimate, 2) Battle Procedure and 3) the Orders Format. All [...]
Filed under: Performance Improvement, Work | 2 Comments »
