Offtopic

Thanks for coming here

I do see all you i people coming here and I do thank you. While this may not be the most popular blog on ITKE, it has some passion behind it and make sure you tell your friends I am here and blogging my little heart out.

Again THANKS!

Anyone out there messing with ANDROID from Google?

I have started to tinker, and I mean tinker with ANDROID from Google. Is anyone else out there tinkering or doing anything we all should know about.

The iPhone is cool, I think the SDK for ANDROID is a tick better and a bit more open? Anyone have any more ideas or thoughts. i am really just shaking the tree right now and see what falls out?

MacOSX Server :: Top Ten Myths and Misconceptions About Mac OS X Server

So what is the IBM i guy doing talking about MacOSX, when I happen to like MacOSX and I happen to think that OSX Server is rock’n!

Link :: Top Ten Myths and Misconceptions About Mac OS X Server

Breaking into the Japanese Market : Jim Grisanzio

As some of you may know I lived in Japan from 1993 - 1996. It was a scary time of my life and a very exciting time of my life. It shaped me into the person I am today. I still long to go back to Japan and wanted to share a link with you I enjoyed reading. It’s short and sweet but packed with information.

LINK :: Breaking into the Japanese Market : Jim Grisanzio

Workplace Blackberry’s are considered overtime even if you are on a salary

I have worked in places before that every notice, email, and phone call came in on my Blackberry and I was expected to get up at 2AM and answer emails. I argued then that this is overtime and even thought I am a salary employee I thought I deserved some compensation. With one particular company, who shall remain nameless, they told me to stuff it and be happy I have a job. That was the pep talk I needed that day. The sun set on that company and I moved on to better things.

Now I am starting to see people & companies get smart about after hours work. I don’t think the time after I leave the office is anyplace for a company to barge in and call you , unless something crazy is going on. I think there needs to be a line drawn in the sand and when I leave work for the day, if you call me and expect me to work you need to compensate me. Know saying this I have exceptions in my own life right now. I don’t get called all that much and the after hours work is small and far between so I am pretty darned happy with my current situation, but I know some of you out there are not and are doing what I used to do. Every time that Blackberry goes off you wake up or run to it because something could be failing or needing your attention.

To cure this companies need to either tell employees that if you spend over 40 hours a week working, then we need to bonus you or compensate you somehow. It is the companies responsibility to come to the employee, not the other way around. If the employee has to ask then we might as well unionize IT and start demanding things. Employers need to make the first move to fixing this problem, either pay for the hours worked or figure out a way to cover the after hours problems with more staff.

“As employers hand out electronic devices to their employees at a greater pace, there are growing concerns that workers eligible for overtime pay, known as non-exempt employees, could begin suing their employers for overtime hours earned while tapping on their devices during after-work hours. As a result, lawyers are advising their corporate clients to update their policies and handbooks related to BlackBerry use and reconsider who gets a device.”

To let this fall by the wayside is foolish and eventually companies will lose valuable employees. I know some people who have been with companies for over 10 to 15 years. They hold the keys to the IT universe and sadly even though everything is documented, when it breaks or needs a checkup the best way is to asked the seasoned veterans. These veterans are also getting older and expecting to take it easy and are not as willing as they were in their youth to wake up and start debugging at 3 Am because the Blackberry woke them up. So companies who need round the clock support need to think about it and start addressing the situation. It just is the right thing to do.

“Another option is for employers to ask non-exempt workers to leave the device at the office at the end of their work day, says Howard Lavin a partner at Stroock and Stroock and Lavan who has advised his clients on these types of policies.”

Link to Article

UGA VI- We will miss you - Go DAWGS!

I didn’t cry this week when George Carlin died, I just wondered if he got his chance to meet God and God got to tell him he was wrong. I didn’t get upset when Bo Diddley died either, but I made me listen to his music for a few days. I felt bad when Tim Russert passed away all of a sudden and really just thought that was sad, but I didn’t get really upset. In the past few weeks we have seemed to lose someone important in America and this weekend one of the most important icons to me passed away.

Kelly read it to me out of the paper and I think we both cried a little, and I was heart broken. See here is the issue, UGA holds a special place for anyone who grew up in Georgia. I still have the collectors Coke glasses my grandfather purchased went The Bulldogs had the greatest season ever. I still think Hershal Walker is a magical person, and that name alone makes me warm inside. But when you say UGA, meaning the bulldogs that Sonny Seiler owned UGA and lived in Savannah, GA, then and only then do you get my true and undivided attention.

UGA VI you will be missed.

If they would have had an open public funeral I would have packed up Peaches and been off to Athens. I know he and all the other UGA’s before him will be happy in that special place watching those special games, being the most admired mascot in all of college football. Not only is UGA a Bulldog, an icon, be he is also like me and Peaches a Savannian! and a great one at that!

I am a little wet around the eyes now thinking about it all, farewell to a great DAWG, I think this year UGA needs to romp and stomp like a Bulldog does and show UGA VII what college football like played the UGA way! While UGA VI may have been the winninnest UGA, I want UGA VII to help inspire Bulldog Football to be the most impacting and hard football the SEC has ever seen. I want to them have another 1981 all over again. I want to watch good Georgia Bulldog SEC football and I want the LSU Tigers to know, you don’t bring a Tiger to a DAWG fight, cause your going to get Bulldogged all afternoon. UGA VII the weight of the Bulldog nation is upon you and I stand up proud, never have been to Athens, never have seen a Georgia Game in person, knowing I am from Georgia, I am from Savannah, and I own a Bulldog and I love UGA Football! Go DAWGS!

Damon Evans, the university’s athletic director, called it a “sad day for the entire Bulldog nation.”

Link 1: Link 2 : Link 3

Do you come to ITKE, aka HERE, on the weekends?

I was thinking after not posting much this week, not because I didn’t want to but because I just didn’t have much time….Do you come here on the weekends?

Download Firefox today!

You have to download Firefox today, first because it’s a damn good browser and second to help them set a world record and give “You Know Who” the middle finger.

New Features - Firefox 3 sets the innovation bar very high with exciting new features, including one-click bookmarking, the smart location bar and lightning fast performance.

Security - Keeping you and your personal information safe is our top priority. Firefox 3 includes phishing and malware protection, plus our new instant site ID info.

Productivity - With features like built-in spell checking, session restore and full zoom, Firefox 3 makes it possible to work faster and more efficiently on the Web.

Custimization - Your taste and needs set you apart from the rest. With Firefox 3 you can choose from over 5,000 add-ons that help you customize your browsing experience.

Pledge Map for todays world record!

Firefox Versin 3 - Set a Guinness World Record

Set a Guinness World Record - Enjoy a Better Web

Sounds like a good deal, right? All you have to do is get Firefox 3 during Download Day to help set the record for most software downloads in 24 hours - it’s that easy. We’re not asking you to swallow a sword or to balance 30 spoons on your face, although that would be kind of awesome.

By the way, the official date for the launch of Firefox 3 will be posted here soon - so check back! Join our community and this effort by pledging today.

LinkedIn is a great Social Networking tool

I know this has nothing to do with the i or IBM but I am a huge fan of LinkedIN. It’s a great place to “network” with other like minded people. If you are looking for a job or just connecting with old friends then this is the place online to get linked up. It’s like facebook for grown ups.

LinkedIN