Dave Enjoys » other http://www.daveenjoys.com Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:23:19 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Re: An Arab Spring for IT. http://www.daveenjoys.com/2012/02/06/re-an-arab-spring-for-it/ http://www.daveenjoys.com/2012/02/06/re-an-arab-spring-for-it/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:22:13 +0000 davemackey http://www.daveenjoys.com/?p=3305 Alan Cohen, VP of Marketing for Nicira, a disruptive startup focusing on altering the IT networking landscape, recently wrote a guest post for TechCrunch suggesting that an “Arab Spring” of sorts is occurring within IT. Reader comments have indicated [...]]]> Pictograms of Olympic sports - Boxing. This is...

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The Article…

Alan Cohen, VP of Marketing for Nicira, a disruptive startup focusing on altering the IT networking landscape, recently wrote a guest post for TechCrunch suggesting that an “Arab Spring” of sorts is occurring within IT. Reader comments have indicated a significant distaste for the analogous use of Arab Spring in comparison to IT – the one involving the loss of human lives, the other changes in business structure and Mr. Cohen has apologized for the offense some feel at the branding. I don’t think it was the best title for the post – but there has already been rampant discussion of that fact – and I would like to focus more on the content of Mr. Cohen’s post.

Cohen suggests we are seeing a seismic shift in the IT sector – similar to that which occurred in the 1970′s with the advent of the personal computer. He notes early innovators like the iPhone (antecedent to smartphones), VMWare (virtualization), and Salesforce (SaaS). While I agree with his historical evaluation of the situation and also that a seismic shift is occurring within the IT sector – I do not share his optimism about the nature of this change.

Cohen states, “If IT providers do not supply what the end users want, the latter, like
the brave individuals who took the streets of Cairo, Tunis, and Tripoli,
will take matters into their own hands.” He deems this “shadow IT:” “Bring your own device is shadow IT. Most SaaS applications start by
bypassing IT and going directly to functional groups (managing sales
through Salesforce or sharing through Box.net).”

Now, working outside the box with one’s own devices/services concerns me enough (e.g. smartphones, file sharing), but Cohen then suggests that it is time for revolutionary employees to step things up a notch – implementing their own infrastructure: “If IT does not provide the end user with the infrastructure they need,
the latter can rent it, by the hour or month from companies like
Rackspace or Amazon. All you need is a credit card and no approval from
IT.”

Cohen concludes by challenging those within the IT industry, “But if you are in IT, you have to ask yourself: What side of history will you wind up on?”

Problems with the Article…

I do work in IT. I’ve been a geek practically since I was born and have worked full-time in the industry for the past six years. But this isn’t about my IT credentials…and it shouldn’t be about defending IT as IT. Truth is we have our weaknesses. Many of us who work in IT are a bit antisocial, introverted, ADD, OCD, or (append acronyms here). We aren’t always the most flexible folks to work with and there is certainly room for growth in our lives and skills…That said, I do think there are some serious problems with the sort of revolution Cohen is endorsing here…and I think his IT guys probably grimaced reading this article as I much as I am now.

Lets talk for a few minutes about the dangers inherent in this sort of “revolution:”

Reduced Productivity – While using a device familiar to the end user may be a pleasure and expedite that individual’s productivity, it may result in a decrease to organizational productivity. For example, if one finds an Apple iPhone easier to utilize than the company provided Android or Blackberry devices (or whatever might be the standard) it is very likely that generally you will not require IT support in utilizing your phone…but then there come those times when you do…

  • When the device craps out and refuses to boot.
  • When you can’t get the company email/calendaring software to sync with your phone.
  • When someone steals your phone and you really, really need to have that sensitive business data remote wiped.
  • When you sell your phone on eBay and someone pulls sensitive data off the storage because deleting data isn’t enough.

At these times stress goes up and productivity goes down – for you and for the IT department. In time that could have been spent deploying five new computer systems only one thing is now accomplished – getting a non-standard piece of hardware working again (or wiped or whatever).

Reduced Security – There is significant danger in the use of non-standard equipment and services for achieving business goals. It is hard enough for IT to maintain complex password requirements on the variety of internal systems any organization utilizes, let alone managing password requirements on non-standard devices. This is especially true of file sharing services. A handy example would be the recent takedown of MegaUpload. While largely used for illegal purposes, numerous individuals used that site for personal or business purposes – to manage their files. It seemed “safe” – and now it isn’t. Doesn’t matter how hard your IT department tries – if you put your files on a system that is raided by the feds, say goodbye to that data – even if it is important financial info. for the management of your institution.

Reduced Effectiveness – Cohen greatly oversimplifies the simplicity of the services currently available to perform complex functions. Amazon, Rackspace, nor even Salesforce are “insert your credit card get your DVD rental” simple services. For the last few days I’ve been spending a decent number of hours pouring over books and documentation on Salesforce – and it isn’t a piece of cake. Do you want to set up Users? Roles? Profiles? Groups of Settings? Are you sure that the way you setup the permission inheritance will prevent Sally Jane from seeing everyone else’s social security numbers? Do you want to use Salesforce? Force? Heroku?

Valid Pain Points…

I understand there are real pain points for end users in organizations. Not being able to share files in a simple and efficient manner is frustrating. Using outdated and clumsy software to manage customer relationships is frustrating. Learning new technologies and devices outside your comfort zone is time consuming. These are real issues and IT needs to pay better attention to them…but…and this is a big BUT…looping around IT will not decrease but instead increase these pain points.

Sure, you might be able to happily use an iPhone even though IT says no and never have a single problem…but then again…and as the complexity of the device/service increases the issues exponentially increase.

Finding a Road Forward…

Now the real question is, what is a workable way forward? How can end users and IT cooperate to achieve optimal effectiveness, productivity, and security? Well, it isn’t an easy or short road…but then again, real revolutions never are. I’d suggest that the consumerization of IT is a short-term bandaid fix for the real needed change. Too often we take the easy way out rather than working through the difficult decisions that really need to be made.

  • Communication - IT needs to get better at communicating what they are doing in their little forests of IT solitude and why we aren’t really just sitting around playing video games and watching youtube. On the other hand, we need end users to get better to actually listening to IT. So frequently folks ask me, “How did you do that?” But they usually don’t want me to tell them…b/c as soon as I open my mouth their eyes glaze over and their fingers drum impatiently on the desk. Now, I know I’m using some technical terms – but I’m willing to explain them if you are willing to ask questions and listen. Maybe with time you’ll learn more about the tech terms I use and I’ll get better at describing technology in clearer terms.
  • Prioritization – One of the biggest challenges facing everyone everywhere is the constant call to do more simultaneously and faster. Oftentimes the issue for IT is not lack of desire to improve a given service to the end user, but lack of time. This means the organization as a whole and its individual departments need to determine what projects are most important – and what projects (in spite of being so important) are less important.
  • Consideration – IT needs to consider not only what is the best technology but also what will have the greatest net positive effect for end users. Meanwhile, I’d recommend instead of bringing in new devices and services to circumvent IT folks ask IT, “what can I do to have the greatest net positive effect for you?” By focusing on those areas you reduce time IT has to spend in them and free IT to focus up on working on those devices and systems you really want.
  • Forgiveness – We can all be nasty at times…and if you haven’t personally been nasty to someone, I guarantee someone else in your department has. A lot of us walk around with a heavy bundle of war wounds. You walk into an IT person’s office (or vice versa, into an end user’s office) and a single word, your position, or what happened earlier today may cause that person to dive underneath their desk as if someone just shouted that mortars were incoming. Getting along means letting bygones be bygones and when new items come up, dealing with grace and humility – for both sides.

What do you think? What is your experience working with IT folks? Or working with end users? Is consumerization of IT really the way forward? If not, what is the alternative?

 

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]]> http://www.daveenjoys.com/2012/02/06/re-an-arab-spring-for-it/feed/ 0 Home and Small Business Access Control Systems. http://www.daveenjoys.com/2011/05/29/home-and-small-business-access-control-systems/ http://www.daveenjoys.com/2011/05/29/home-and-small-business-access-control-systems/#comments Mon, 30 May 2011 02:40:59 +0000 davemackey http://www.daveenjoys.com/?p=2382 Introduction:

In this article I’ll be sharing the fruits of my research on home and small business access control systems. I’ve been doing some research in this area recently and figured if I had to spend a bit of time researching it I might as well share the fruits of what I find. Feel free [...]]]> Introduction:

In this article I’ll be sharing the fruits of my research on home and small business access control systems. I’ve been doing some research in this area recently and figured if I had to spend a bit of time researching it I might as well share the fruits of what I find. Feel free to raise questions, comments, and suggestions. I’m always open to hearing about new products and services! Enjoy. :)

Home Automation Protocols:

While we will be examining access control systems in particular we need to first discuss home automation protocols in general. Access Control Systems are part of a move within homes and businesses towards automation and as such these ACS systems oftentimes use various communication protocols specifically designed for this purpose.[1]

  • ZigBee – Based on the IEEE 802.15.4-2003 standard, similar to Bluetooth. It utilizes wireless mesh networking and is an open standard.[2] It operates in the 900 Mhz range.
  • Z-Wave – A proprietary protocol[3] licensed to various manufacturers by Zensys. Operates in the 900 MHz range[4], utilizes mesh networking techniques.
  • Insteon – A replacement for X10, operates over powerlines and via RF frequencies.
  • LonWorks.
  • X10 - The oldest automatic protocol (since the 1970′s), widely utilized, operates mainly over powerlines, and has issues with reliability due to powerline usage in some cases.
  • BACnet.

Access Control System Options:

Company Product Users Look Price Software Audit Web
Sunnect AP501 21 ++ $300 N N N
LockState Multiple* 800 ++ $400 Y** Y N
TimePilot Multiple* 1k ++ $250 Y** Y N
Schlage Multiple* 19 ++ $200 Y** Y Y
Alarm Lock DL3200* 2k + $725 Y Y N

*When there are numerous options, I’m generally going with the least expensive most feature-ful option. In other words, I’m not looking just at the cheapest price but I’m also not just going for the highest priced…I’m trying to find the reasonable balance in the middle. See the manufacturer website for more product options.

** The software is an extra expense, in the case of LockState, $150. In the case of TimePilot, $150. Meanwhile, Schlage charges a low-monthly recurring fee for remote management functionality.

Other Access Control Options:

Open Source?

Unfortunately there appears to be a sad lack of open source access control systems for physical entry. One option for the very adventurous is cerberus-prox.

I Don’t Need No Automation!
It is true that we don’t need many forms of home automation, but before you are too quick to dismiss home automation as something for techies and/or the wealthy, consider that your home is already an example of many instances of automation. For example, your heating/cooling system provides automatic mechanisms to provide for a comfortable environment, your boiler provides hot water to your bathtubs and sinks, a dishwasher automates the process of cleaning dishes, and a refrigerator/freezer provides the ability to keep food edible over long periods of time without laying it out on ice or seasoning it.

Bibliography:

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  1. [1] Not all devices utilize communications protocols, some are stand-alone. We will look at some of these products/services as well, but our emphasis will be on ACS systems which provide some scope for scalability and interoperability. ↩
  2. [2] Unfortunately, this is still hobbled by a requirement to join the Zigbee Alliance if manufacturing products, thus diminishing the open nature of the standard. ↩
  3. [3] This is a major negative, imho, for Z-Wave. Any protocol which is proprietary is a turn-off to me immediately. There is too much likelihood that the protocol will eventually die and that when this happens devices programmed on Z-Wave will be rendered obsolete. ↩
  4. [4] This allows the network to avoid interference from WiFi and other traffic, but puts it on a frequency that conflicts with some cordless phones. ↩
]]> http://www.daveenjoys.com/2011/05/29/home-and-small-business-access-control-systems/feed/ 0 The Best of Amazon’s Free eBooks http://www.daveenjoys.com/2011/01/31/the-best-of-amazons-free-ebooks/ http://www.daveenjoys.com/2011/01/31/the-best-of-amazons-free-ebooks/#comments Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:04:01 +0000 davemackey http://www.daveenjoys.com/?p=2011 Image via CrunchBase

Here are the latest selections of the most interesting amongst Amazon’s currently available free eBooks. While they are optimized for the Kindle ereader, you can read these ebooks on Windows and Mac PCs as well as the Apple iPhone and

Image representing Amazon Kindle as depicted i...
Image via CrunchBase

Here are the latest selections of the most interesting amongst Amazon’s currently available free eBooks. While they are optimized for the Kindle ereader, you can read these ebooks on Windows and Mac PCs as well as the Apple iPhone and Google Android.

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]]> http://www.daveenjoys.com/2011/01/31/the-best-of-amazons-free-ebooks/feed/ 1 Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg on Women in the Workplace. http://www.daveenjoys.com/2011/01/25/facebook-coo-sheryl-sandberg-on-women-in-the-workplace/ http://www.daveenjoys.com/2011/01/25/facebook-coo-sheryl-sandberg-on-women-in-the-workplace/#comments Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:46:20 +0000 davemackey http://www.daveenjoys.com/?p=1990 This is a informative, challenging, and (at times) humorous video about women in the workplace. Sandberg manages a neat balance that brings issues to the fore along with proposed solutions while at the same time not boxing anyone’s ears.

]]> This is a informative, challenging, and (at times) humorous video about women in the workplace. Sandberg manages a neat balance that brings issues to the fore along with proposed solutions while at the same time not boxing anyone’s ears.

]]> http://www.daveenjoys.com/2011/01/25/facebook-coo-sheryl-sandberg-on-women-in-the-workplace/feed/ 2 Thinking Well: Christianity and Singularity (Part 1: Why it Matters) http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/12/26/thinking-well-christianity-and-singularity-part-1-why-it-matters/ http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/12/26/thinking-well-christianity-and-singularity-part-1-why-it-matters/#comments Mon, 27 Dec 2010 01:28:24 +0000 davemackey http://www.daveenjoys.com/?p=1880 Image via Wikipedia

Introduction:

I still do not know how to answer the question, “Who am I?” When pressed, one method is to describe some of my salient characteristics or interests – and, there are certain ones I am not eager to share. In my life two of the salient characteristics/interests/values are [...]]]>

Christ the Saviour (Pantokrator), a 6th-centur...
Image via Wikipedia

Introduction:

I still do not know how to answer the question, “Who am I?” When pressed, one method is to describe some of my salient characteristics or interests – and, there are certain ones I am not eager to share. In my life two of the salient characteristics/interests/values are my faith (in Christ) and my technological inclinations.

Today, I’d like to talk a little bit about the intersection of Christianity and the Technological Singularity. There is much that has been said and is being said about the Technological Singularity – but very little (that I am aware of) being said about how Christianity and the Technological Singularity can, should, or cannot coexist.

Let me close my introduction by simply acknowledging my feebleness in approaching this task. While my knowledge on this topic may be significantly more than many, it is also significantly less than all who work within this realm. I apologize for any misrepresentations or misunderstandings that I may make or propagate in this article and look forward to the opportunity to refine this article and (more importantly) my thinking through ongoing discussion and learning.

To the Christian (or Why the Technological Singularity Matters):

I am sure I have already lost a significant percentage of those who visited this posting. Technological Singularity? What is that? There Dave goes talking his geek-speak again. I see it every day when I try to explain technological concepts to others – their eyes immediately gloss over. If you have read this far, please bear with me for a few moments more as I explain why the technological singularity is applicable to the non-geek.

Simply put, the technology singularity (in theory or actual existence) may become the single largest challenge to Christianity in the near-term future.

The technological singularity will allow for the self-improvement of mankind to the point of perfection. Tom Foremski, a technology journalist writes perceptively on this topic in his article, “Is ‘The Singularity’ The Elite Geeks’ Version of ‘The Rapture’?”[1]

Christianity revolves around the central tenets that (a) man is irretrievably broken and (b) Christ is God’s way of fixing the irretrievably broken. Yet, the Technological Singularity offers an alternative. Salvation (fixing) is available not (only?) through God’s grace but also through technological progress. This removes the necessity of a other-natural[2] process for redemption.

Other religions – as we traditionally conceive them – will not be our greatest challenge. Rather, we now face a challenge which will provide a secular alternative to redemption which seems provable and actually occurring[3]

To the Technologist (Or Why This Isn’t an Anti-Tech Rant):

At this juncture I am sure many of my technological readers are also beginning to close this page and navigate to some other, less spiritually adventurous blog posting – I would ask you to bear with me as well.

While I view the technological singularity as one of the largest challenges to the Christian faith this does not mean that I am opposed to idea or the pursuit of a technological singularity (necessarily). Rather, I am attempting to discuss in what framework (if any) the singularity may be discussed without abandoning a theological context. I hope (in part) to demonstrate that Christians are not and need not be Luddites, but rather should be amongst the foremost advocates of technological advances – when placed within a correct framework.

Does Anyone Really Believe in the Singularity?

I am not a fan of abstract debates[4], and am oftentimes frustrated when discussions move towards the theoretical too heavily or consistently. I try to be a person who lives in the “real world” and deals with the issues and dilemmas of today. I want to be more concerned about the issues of my own wickedness and apathy than about topics which I cannot do anything more than hypothesize about.

When I talk about the Singularity, for many this will be their first introduction to the topic. It seems like the stuff of science fiction (and surely, much has been written in this vein on the topic), but I firmly believe that it has a much more practical and present application – and is and will genuinely impact our lives.

Perhaps one of the easiest ways to demonstrate the importance of the Singularity is to note some of the individuals and organizations associated with the movement. This does not prove the theory correct, only that it has support and finances behind it – and is likely to garner a growing following in the near future.

The Singularity theory has a number of proponents, one of the most vocal and important is Ray Kurzweil, author of the massive work, The Singularity is Near. While best known for his ideas about the future (the singularity) he is not an ivory tower philosopher. Amongst his accomplishments were the invention (in high school!) of a “sophisticated pattern-recognition software program that analyzed the works of classical composers, and then synthesized its own songs in similar styles.”[5] He went on to invent a software application that matched high school students to colleges (while a sophmore at MIT), innovations in Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Text-to-Speech synthesization, musical synthesizers, and speech recognition. Seriously, Kurzweil has been involved with some of the most significant inventions of recent times – read the Wikipedia article for more information. Kurzweil co-founded The Singularity University which is located at NASA’s Ames Research Center. This University is backed by corporate funding from Google, ePlanet Ventures, Autodesk, Kauffman Foundation, Nokia, FIAP,  23andMe, Canon, LinkedIn, WordPress, X Prize Foundation, Cushing Academy, International Space University, amongst others!

If you want to find a list of some of the great intellects today in technological and scientific realms – take a look at the faculty and advisors page of the Singularity University: Neil Jacobstein (Stanford), Dan Barry (NASA), Jason Lohn (Carnegie Mellon),  Dharmendra Modha (IBM), Peter Norvig (Google, NASA, Sun Microsystems), Sebastian Thrun (Stanford), Raj Reddy (Carnegie), Daniel Kraft (Stanford), Jim Karkanias (Microsoft), Ralph Merkle (Institute for Molecular Manufacturing), Peter Diamandis (X Prize Foundation), George Smoot (2006 Nobel Prize in Physics), Pete Worden (NASA), Bob Metcalfe (Co-Founder, 3Com), Vint Cerf (Google), Will Wright (Electronic Arts), Brad Templeton (Electronic Frontier Foundation), Tim Ferriss (The 4-Hour Workweek), Matt Mullenweg (WordPress), and Dave Tosh (Elgg). Some of these are academic types you won’t be familiar with (neither was I…), some will be more familiar to those in the tech industry (see bolded), and some may be familiar either by name or affiliation to most readers (italicized). I only listed a few – and didn’t spend any significant amount of time picking out the most important or respected…

End of Part I:

I had hoped to write my entire article on this topic, but I have only introduced the reason this discussion is important…I hope to write some continuing articles on the topic in the near future…

I’ll close by suggesting some reading for those who are interested. The Wikipedia article on Technological Singularity is a good place to start for a brief introduction. The ‘definitive’ text on the topic (which I am currently plowing through) is Ray Kurzweil’s The Singularity is Near (Philadelphia Biblical University’s Library has a copy…though it is currently in my possession). Once one has a basic understanding of the technological singularity I’d recommend looking at some books that cover where this science fiction is becoming reality and the nature of feedback loops. These books are not about the singularity directly, rather they provide insight into the current and future state of technology and help provide concrete examples of how science fiction is becoming reality. Peter D. Kramer’s Against Depression is an excellent read on the biological and physiological nature of depression and mental illness (and worthwhile, even without its implications for singularity) and Fritjof Capra’s Web of Life is an excellent resource in understanding chaos theory, systems theory, feedback loops, and other concepts that play directly into the singularity philosophy.

http://www.siliconvalleywatcher.com/mt/archives/2010/06/the_singularity.php
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  1. [1] Kudos to Foremski for choosing to place his punctuation (?) outside of his quotation marks. This is against traditional English grammar but evolving into acceptability due to technological requirements where punctuation can change the meaning of commands for input/output to a technological device. ↩
  2. [2] I prefer the term other-natural to super-natural. I find super-natural to be too closely identified with the ethereal and unbound, despised by the intellectual. Yet, the spirituality to which I refer and I believe that Christianity teaches is not an unreality but rather a greater or other reality. It is as real, more real, than our reality – it simply is beyond our current comprehension or scientific measurement in many facets and aspects. ↩
  3. [3] More on this later. ↩
  4. [4] This will come as a surprise to many, as I participate in discussion on what many would consider abstract topics… ↩
  5. [5] Wikipedia. Ray Kurzweil ↩
]]> http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/12/26/thinking-well-christianity-and-singularity-part-1-why-it-matters/feed/ 3 Eradicating Hunger? http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/11/28/eradicating-hunger/ http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/11/28/eradicating-hunger/#comments Sun, 28 Nov 2010 23:27:09 +0000 davemackey http://www.daveenjoys.com/?p=1768 DivineCaroline has written a guest post for Mint on the prospect of eliminating hunger. In this article she notes that we (Americans) spend $12 billion on perfume and cosmetics, $36 billion on pets, $540 billion on military, and $110 billion on fast food. In contrast, to stop the hunger epidemic around the world [...]]]> DivineCaroline has written a guest post for Mint on the prospect of eliminating hunger. In this article she notes that we (Americans) spend $12 billion on perfume and cosmetics, $36 billion on pets, $540 billion on military, and $110 billion on fast food. In contrast, to stop the hunger epidemic around the world and save 15 million children from death each year is estimated at a cost of $30 billion.

Eradicating hunger is within our grasp. Yes, yes, we may not ever be able to fully eliminate it (due to waste and war) but perhaps we could reduce it to such an extent that the number of dying is reduced into the thousands instead of the millions?

DivineCaroline points out that she isn’t arguing for socialism, just common sense. I’m going to reiterate that perspective. I’m not suggesting we should legislate the eradication of hunger, but rather that we as individuals and as churches have the ability to eliminate this problem – if we put our minds to it. I am confident that God has provided us with our abundance for just such a purpose – and not for our continued entertainment.

And yes, this business begins at home – by me tightening my belt.

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]]> http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/11/28/eradicating-hunger/feed/ 0 Operation Christmas Child. http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/11/15/operation-christmas-child/ http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/11/15/operation-christmas-child/#comments Tue, 16 Nov 2010 05:34:17 +0000 davemackey http://www.daveenjoys.com/?p=1684 Image via Wikipedia

Tonight at Nomads we continued our annual tradition of participating in Operation Christmas Child (OCC). OCC is organized and run by Samaritan‘s Purse, a non-profit Christian organization under the leadership [...]]]>

Franklin and Billy Graham, in Cleveland Stadiu...
Image via Wikipedia

Tonight at Nomads we continued our annual tradition of participating in Operation Christmas Child (OCC). OCC is organized and run by Samaritan‘s Purse, a non-profit Christian organization under the leadership of Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham.

Each year hundreds of thousands (millions?) of shoeboxes are filled with simple gifts – toothbrushes, soap, wash clothes, toys, candy, pens and pencils, notes. These boxes are then shipped to locations around the world where they are distributed to impoverished children.

For many of these children this is a significant gift that meets real needs. No longer are they using a shared tree branch to brush their teeth – which can result in bleeding and communication of diseases – they now have their own tooth brush. Even the boxes (sometimes we send plastic) are usable for carrying water or any of a number of other tasks.

It is a very small way, but a tangible way to be part of something good and to demonstrate love to those in need…so I love Operation Christmas Child. I love the opportunity to get together with the teenagers and spend a few hours stuffing boxes full of gifts. It is a great privilege and blessing to us – not just to those whom we have the opportunity to bless.

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]]> http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/11/15/operation-christmas-child/feed/ 0 Evernote: Getting Life in Order. http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/11/13/evernote-getting-life-in-order/ http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/11/13/evernote-getting-life-in-order/#comments Sun, 14 Nov 2010 03:18:34 +0000 davemackey http://www.daveenjoys.com/?p=1677 Image via CrunchBase

I think of myself as a fairly busy person. Whether I am or not one thing is certain – I have a horrible memory. I am always thinking of what I need to do at just the wrong moment, and forgetting what I need to do at just the [...]]]>

Image representing Evernote as depicted in Cru...
Image via CrunchBase

I think of myself as a fairly busy person. Whether I am or not one thing is certain – I have a horrible memory. I am always thinking of what I need to do at just the wrong moment, and forgetting what I need to do at just the right moment. How do I cope?

Well, I’m never far from technology. If nothing else my Verizon Droid is always in my pocket. When I’m at work I’m at my computer and when I’m at home, I’m at my computer. See the common thread?

For a number of months now I’ve been using Evernote to facilitate my life organization skills – and it is a huge help. With the release of 4.0 I’ve become even more impressed. I haven’t quite reached SugarSync levels – where I’m paying for my account – but it is getting close.

Here is what I love about Evernote:

  • There are applications for just about every kind of computing device imaginable – Windows, Mac, iPhone (iPod, iTouch), Android, Blackberry, Palm (Pre / Pixi), and Windows Mobile – not to mention a web-based interface.
  • When you delete an item from Evernote it first gets thrown into a trash bin from whence you can undelete it.
  • It seemlessly synchronizes between all of my devices – my notes are the same whether I access them on my home or work computers, on my Android or via the web-based interface – it all just happens.
  • It allows for a number of advanced ways to search / filter / organize your notes – but I find tags is more than sufficient for my needs.
  • The note-taking interface isn’t just for text – you can make audio and photo notes as well.
  • The textual interface has a nice word processing feel offering a number of nice features such as fonts, textual alignment, bulleted lists, and so on.
  • The software is extensible. While I haven’t used any of the extensions I’m pretty excited about Dial2Do and find the LiveScribe smartpen pretty interesting.
  • The freemium account is more than adequate for my needs. I’m still using 0% of my storage!

When I think about products I always try to think, “but what could be better?” I’m not sure I can think of much for Evernote – other than perhaps a synergy between Evernote and SugarSync. The two should work out a deal – some way in which the features of Evernote are integrated into SugarSync. This really would be a coup for SugarSync. SugarSync is already the best file backup / syncing / archiving / sharing application around and integrating Evernote functionality would just level everything up a layer.

I look at the features Evernote offers for going premium ($5/mo.) and I really don’t see anything I need…but if I could get a combo SugarSync / Evernote package for $7/mo. – I’d jump on that. SugarSync would get a huge boost in features, Evernote would be pulling in $2/mo. right and left – and no, this need not include the premium features – charge the other $3 if people want not only SugarSync integration but also Evernote premium features.

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]]> http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/11/13/evernote-getting-life-in-order/feed/ 2 Thai Chef & Noodle Fusion (Penndel, PA) http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/11/07/thai-chef-noodle-fusion-penndel-pa/ http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/11/07/thai-chef-noodle-fusion-penndel-pa/#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 03:52:36 +0000 davemackey http://www.daveenjoys.com/?p=1657 Tonight the Planning Committee of Calvary Community Church decided to do something special. Usually we meet in the downstairs of the church on a regular basis to discuss operational planning for the church (e.g. service and ministry related functioning, the grunt work of ministry behind whatever happens), but this week we went to the [...]]]> Tonight the Planning Committee of Calvary Community Church decided to do something special. Usually we meet in the downstairs of the church on a regular basis to discuss operational planning for the church (e.g. service and ministry related functioning, the grunt work of ministry behind whatever happens), but this week we went to the Thai Chef & Noodle Fusion, a restaurant on Business Route 1 / Lincoln Highway in Penndel.

The parking lot was fairly empty. There was one table of customers when we entered. The building was split into two sections – a main dining area on the left and on the right was what appeared to be a place for larger parties. The register and an attendant were present as soon as we entered and behind these was the restrooms (always important to know).

The staff was very nice and helpful. The inside of the building was thoroughly decorated – the lights were low and multi-colored, pictures hung on the walls, and the tables were clean and well-spaced. I ordered a Thai Entree of Shrimp and Home Fried Rice. The food was delivered within ten to fifteen minutes – it seemed extremely fast. The servings were well-sized and the food tasted excellent. The waiters kept me adequately supplied with water (I drink a lot, so this is a real concern) and allowed us to talk long after we finished consuming our meals. They also were more than courteous in splitting our checks up for us. As we walked out they kindly wished us a good evening and thanked us for coming.

I was impressed. If you are looking for a nice place to get dinner that offers a welcoming atmosphere, quick and efficient service, and reasonable prices – give Thai Chef and Noodle Fusion a try. Everyone knows that making it as a restaurant in Penndel is no easy task – we watch them come and go so frequently. I, for one, will be trying to spend a little more time in this (and other) local venues in the Penndel community.

Other Thoughts:

  • Some older gentlemen with us did have some issues reading the menu with the ambient lighting. This was not a problem for me.
  • There are some really good coupons in local mailers sent out weekly.
  • Pricing is around the same as what you would pay at say a Friendlys, Ruby Tuesdays, or Red Robin.
  • While they have ‘normal’ and fairly inexpensive dishes they also have some more extravagant and interesting dishes – such as alligator and wild boar.
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]]> http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/11/07/thai-chef-noodle-fusion-penndel-pa/feed/ 1 Self-Depreciating Humor. http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/09/14/self-depreciating-humor/ http://www.daveenjoys.com/2010/09/14/self-depreciating-humor/#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 01:32:16 +0000 davemackey http://www.daveenjoys.com/?p=1463 I’m a big fan of self-depreciating humor. Why? Because it allows one to have a good hardy laugh – but not at the expense of another. You understand the tone and attitude in which the jest is made and since it is about yourself by yourself – you are able to handle it well…meanwhile everyone [...]]]> I’m a big fan of self-depreciating humor. Why? Because it allows one to have a good hardy laugh – but not at the expense of another. You understand the tone and attitude in which the jest is made and since it is about yourself by yourself – you are able to handle it well…meanwhile everyone else gets to enjoy themselves as well.

Tonight I’m going to share one of those humorous stories – or at least I think it is humorous…though it was not so when it occurred to me earlier this evening.

I was working a late shift at Philadelphia Biblical University and performing some standard security patches and software updates. Earlier that day I had removed a chunk of unused space from a database server virtual machine. Everything had continued operating normally and I’d thought nothing of it…

Imagine my surprise when, upon rebooting to complete updates, I received a black screen with those tiny glowing white words, “Operating system could not be found.” These are not the words you desire to see – especially at 8:30 p.m. when you are thinking about going home and relaxing shortly. Visions of long-nights of yesteryear fill your mind.

It is at this moment that the first comical occurrence of the evening occurred. Microsoft decided that on this very night at this very moment it needed to give me an inescapable four minute count-down to reboot my system in order to complete windows updates! COME ON! I happened to be burning a new ISO of Windows Server 2008 EE R2 at that exact time and I watched in desperation as the four minutes chewed away more quickly than Windows was able to burn the new ISO to disc. Yes, at 99% Microsoft overrode my every whim and desire and rebooted the system – if I did need that disc I’d have to burn it all over again!

In any case, after the system came back, I did some googling – but it isn’t all that easy to google some topics. See, the problem is in making Google (or any search engine) understand what you want. For example, I really needed to information about the “Operating system could not be found” message where there was also information about VMWare‘s vSphere and information about deleting unused space. I found a few relevant articles – but none that exactly addressed my issue or provided a resolution.

I booted into Windows Server 2008 EE R2 recovery mode off the ISO and attempted to run a repair – but it didn’t see the drive. Great. I went into the command line just for kicks and giggles and typed in C:. Hmmm…That’s interesting. The C drive is showing all the databases which are not on the C: drive…

It was at this juncture I recognized the next humorous tidbit – VMWare seemed to have arbitrarily reorganized the drive letters. If the drives were supposed to be Drive 1 – C, Drive 2 – D, Drive 3 – E they now here more like Drive 1 – E, Drive 2 – C, Drive 3 – D. No, this doesn’t make sense to me either.<ref>That said, I think there probably is a logical reason, just one that I don’t understand. This didn’t seem like a bug in VMWare’s software, rather like a logical but obscure process that one doesn’t run into except in awkward situations such as this.</ref>

More anxious scrabbling. More googling. I booted into the BIOS and looked at the boot order. Ahh, yes, it was booting off of Drive 3, not Drive 1. I began slowly rotating the drives – each one in turn to be the primary. After a few tries Windows booted without issue.

My evening was redeemed! The moral of this story is that when you do something really stupid with computers – it oftentimes works. When you do something that seems mundane and simple – it oftentimes backfires. Woohoo!

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