August, 2008

Motivational Posters and Demotivators

Is your office full of motivational posters that aim to encourage and cajole you to higher productivity? Perhaps you’ve joked about their themes and taken a cynical view of all the PR (public relations) positive thinking gets. Given the increasing amount of interaction of IT with business the Demotivators posters by Despair.com give me hope that I am not alone in recognizing we are far from perfection in the workplace.

I keep my desk happy with a custom calendar of my favorite Demotivators I bought during a blackout sale.  Despair.com restricts access to give their customers special sale prices. Today’s sale is under the username manifest and password despair.) Calendars start with the month you choose and you can add unlimited custom dates for free. So if you celebrate National Mole Day, Pi Day, or Captain Kirk’s birthday it can be printed on your calendar for free.

I hope you take the time to check out Despair.com. It’s been a great source for fun t-shirts, coffee mugs, and my favorite calendar that put life in perspective on a bay day. Humor will always be a magic elixir for keeping my spirits up!

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Casemods & Casemodding Inspiration

This is the latest report of casemodding excellence I’ve seen in some time. Granted I’m not a huge follower, but I have been wanting to do my own casemod for over a year now. My problem is, what’s my inspiration?

Just to brainstorm, let’s see what sources for creativity there are for a casemod:
Fictional characters; animals; everyday objects; old tech machines remastered; beer kegs; books; briefcases; video games???

This leads me nowhere. If you could do an ultimate casemod, what would it be? I’m scraping for ideas, here. Please share yours in a comment below!

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Wireless Network Identity Crisis

Jason Tramer has an excellent point about maintaining and securing wireless networks that I must bring attention to. Net Stumbler is a tool he recommends for sorting out your wireless connections that I can’t wait to put to good use. He also mentions a lack of name assignment for wireless networks.

Why don’t people bother to change the name of their wireless network? It’s an identifying factor that’s broadcast out to anyone who can sniff a signal. Mine is “Mad Scientists Local #317″ and though I need to kill my WEP now I hope the name at least makes people wary of hacking my connection.

So what do you call your wireless network?

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IT Certifications Cost and Considerations

Recently I answered a question about how to get money for IT certifications and since I got two thumbs up I thought it might worth sharing here. First, I must disclose that I am entirely biased towards Western Governors University because its the school I currently attend.

Western Governors University has IT degrees that include your certification exams in the cost of tuition. It’s 100% accredited, meaning you can get Federal Student Loans. The basic IT certs you get are CIW Professional, CIW Associates, Microsoft Certified Professional (based on MS 70-270 Windows XP Exam), Sun Certified Associate for the Java Platform, CompTIA Network+, CompTIA Security+, CompTIA Project+, CompTIA A+ IT Technician. Depending on the program focus you choose, the certs change. This even includes 1 free retake per exam.

Tuition is on a 6-month term basis but there is no limit to the number of classes you can take per term. That means you can finish as fast as you want with no extra charge for taking additional classes! As a current student I can give referrals for a free application. It will save you $60.

As you decide how important certifications are to your resume be sure to read Why Entry-Level Certs Aren’t Enough to Get You a Job from Ed Tittel. It’s the best treatment of the subject I’ve seen and from a trusted source. Ed is such a skilled and knowledgeable professional just reading his bio makes me tired!

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IT Business Alignment Geek Style

Geek and Poke reminded me today what my true focus is.

As we move closer to true IT and business alignment it’s often good to poke a little fun at our shortcomings. When we recognize that our current work is off track from the intended path we form the opportunity for change and improvement. Even when we aim for the ideal outcome, sometimes our best just missed the mark. We may act as if IT and business alignment is the ultimate goal but it’s much more useful to admit the truth.

So business folks- I’ll do my thing and you do yours. Let’s keep this dance alive and keep the cycle of spending going so neither of us is out of work. It’s an uphill battle to change well-rooted ways of working. Why try?

Disclaimer: This piece is humor. Any resemblance to actual or fictional
people, places, or things is entirely coincidental. I saw nothing.

Dual Citizenship and the US

Ever wonder what is involved in becoming a US citizen? Wonder if the rumors of having to renounce all former national ties are true? Try this Dual Citizenship FAQ list by Rich Wales. It addresses concerns such as taxes, marriage, children, voting, military service and ethics of being a dual citizen.

Citizenship is such an interesting concept to me because I have always taken it for granted. I am a US citizen. Since I was a child growing up on the US-Canadian border I wanted to become a dual citizen. But what does that really mean? In our global economy lines between nations can blur as we work together for a better future. We are giving new meaning to the idea of the “global citizen”. How do you feel about your citizenship?

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Gender Issues - Women Entering IT Field Drops

I love gender issues. Feel free to as me if my sex is male or female. Ask me my gender and dem’s fightin’ words!

It seems us tech geeks are not immune to arguing amongst ourselves when it comes to the difference between men and women. Toni Bowers reported on the number of women entering IT field drops and the comments have come rolling in. There’s the opinion that the interests of men and women differ, women are too smart to put up with the demands of IT, and some claim their departments are a majority of women already. If you enjoy watching a group of adults try to intelligently discuss an emotionally (not to mention hormonally) charged topic, I highly suggest this read. You may even want to skip the article and head straight to the comments.

My opinion is, “I am what I am.” Your perception will vary, but feel free to ask for clarification. After all, we’re all searching for the means to better communication, aren’t we?

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