September, 2008

How’s Your BMI? Study Shows IT Pros Eat More

How’s your BMI? I’m referring to Body Mass Index and you can use this handy BMI calculator to check yours.

Toni Bowers at TechRepublic.com found a story about a Laval University in Quebec City study that says we eat more after doing mental work then when we’re couch potatoes.

This is precisely what I need to back me up when I come home exhausted from staring at a computer screen all day!

If you enjoyed this post and want to see further insights on People in IT
please subscribe to the RSS Feed using the link below.

Universal Proportions

Sometimes we all need to readjust our perspective to better get our point across. Randall Munroe’s comic strip at xkcd.com recently presented “The Height of the Universe”. If you’re having trouble meeting eye-to-eye with a client or coworker, take a moment to realize how small our differences really are. In a vast universe two human beings have much more in common than not.

If you enjoyed this post and want to see further insights on People in IT
please subscribe to the RSS Feed using the link below.

Converse One Custom Design Chucks

Geek fashion is an understatement of practical, durable clothing and shoes. I love my Chuck Taylor All Star shoes. My feet stay comfortable and make no more statement than that I value traditional design. Now Converse allows anyone to design their own shoes through the Converse One store.

I’ve never had a thing for shoes, even though I have 2 X-chromosomes. Now that Converse offers custom shoes, I think I could start my own collection. My happy geek feet wouldn’t think of wearing anything else!

If you enjoyed this post and want to see further insights on People in IT
please subscribe to the RSS Feed using the link below.

How to be a Difficult Person

The flip side of how to deal with a difficult person is to be one yourself! Do you need a refresher on how to be utterly miserable at work? This sarcastic look at work attitudes may be just what you need to turn the day around!

If you enjoyed this post and want to see further insights on People in IT
please subscribe to the RSS Feed using the link below.

Deal with Difficult People

It seems there’s always one person we can’t quite get along with at work. Sometimes it seems like we can’t get away from them. Michael Miles of Effortless Abundance has great advice on how to
deal with difficult people. Give yourself a moment to view his techniques. It just might make the difference you need to stay content at work.

If you enjoyed this post and want to see further insights on People in IT
please subscribe to the RSS Feed using the link below.

Demand for SAP Skills Keeps Rising

Looking for that next new technology to be one of the first to learn? Stop looking and focus on what is needed today. CIO.com has been covering the labor shortage for SAP Skills. Granted that experienced workers have the advantage, now is a great time to start learning. Anything SAP added to your resume (legitimately, of course) is going to be a boost towards gainful employment.

If you’re new to SAP, like I am, check out SAP Education to get your feet wet on this vast software suite. It’s an investment worth making.

If you enjoyed this post and want to see further insights on People in IT
please subscribe to the RSS Feed using the link below.

Caffeine versus Ritalin: Part 2

Every day at 11:00 AM my MS Outlook reminds me it’s “Drink Time”. That’s my euphemism for taking methyphenidate, or Ritalin, as it’s more commonly known. I started taking this months ago to keep me from nodding off at my keyboard in the morning. So how does this compare to caffeine?

I must say I still need my morning coffee or tea to feel like my proper self. Ritalin gives me staying power but without my initial caffeine I start off groggy and my mind feels fuzzy. Caffeine definitely makes a difference to sharpen my concentration and keep my mind at peak performance. The 11:00 a.m. dose of Ritalin staves off sleepiness from mid-day on to keep me on an even keel.

That’s all well and good, but what about the side effects? Thankfully, I have little to report. Adding Ritalin to my routine has made me feel like my normal self. Caffeine withdrawal will give me a minor headache but that’s rare since my staple beverage is unsweetened iced tea.

Next time you see someone overreact about an empty coffee pot, give them some slack. They may be one dose short of the usual.

If you enjoyed this post and want to see further insights on People in IT
please subscribe to the RSS Feed using the link below.

Caffeine versus Ritalin: Part 1

IT jobs can require a large amount of concentration. Combined with 24hr on-call status and late night installs & maintenance, being alert in the morning can be a challenge for the best of us. The most common drug we turn to is caffeine. The number of delivery methods and easy access to it make it my drug of choice to stay balanced. There is evidence that caffeine improves performance and has no dehydrating effect.

Caffeine Content of Food & Drugs can be found at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Jolt cola still tops the soft drinks but a cup of coffee actually has about twice the caffeine.

A few months ago I couldn’t keep from nodding off at my keyboard in the morning. I could be reading contest announcements at the ITKE Community Blog and I would still find my head drooping. So, on my next visit to my psychiatrist I told him what was happening. He gave me a new medication and to my surprise it turned out to be Ritalin. So how does this compare to caffeine? Stay tuned for Part 2 of this stimulating report!

If you enjoyed this post and want to see further insights on People in IT
please subscribe to the RSS Feed using the link below.

IT Helpdesk for the Family

Do you serve the function of an IT helpdesk for your family and friends? For some of us in technology careers it gets tiring to have everyone treat you like their personal service technician. How do you deal with apropos tech help requests? I have a few friends who quote their hourly rate, or an inflated version, in response to computer questions. There’s even a friend of mine who refuses to have any computers at home, just a game console. I take a softer touch with tech requests, and it’s a good thing, too.

This week my parents hosted out of town relatives and casually mentioned I worked with computers. Now I’m helping a startup with their website to increase traffic and functionality. This is definitely not the kind of help I’m used to providing. It’s nice, though, to have skills that benefit others. It certainly makes for interesting family reunions.

Google Seach Found Me on Naymz.com

I love a good mystery, but not the kind I have to pay for to solve. Naymz.com is a social networking site for professionals who want to put their good name to use. It offers a free 30-day trial to the URL of your domain name like your.name.name. I didn’t even know .name was a new domain! So the catch is my profile was viewed twice today. The link was this Google search for which I can purchase the visitor date,IP address, city, state & country, and name (if available).

Okay, I admit it, I’m curious. I sign up for a free month of extras. So who looked me up? No names, but two IPs from the town I work in. Oh, well. So the results weren’t that exciting. Maybe I’ll get a new blog subscriber out of it. Or more likely, life will continue as before. Now I just have to find that unsubscribe button so I don’t have to pay!

If you enjoyed this post and want to see further insights on People in IT
please subscribe to the RSS Feed using the link below.