August 2011

There were 42 posts published in August 2011 (this is page 2 of 5).

Never ask for business cards. Ever.

In spite of yesterday’s misfortune, I couldn’t help but note a bit of dark humor. Years ago I was promoted to technical marketing manager at Raritan. I was full of optimism and bursting with ideas of new features and directions for the CCNOC product I was responsible for. I was at the top of my career. Then three weeks into my new role, I asked my manager for an updated set of business cards reflecting my new title. Days later Raritan pulled the plug on the CCNOC product, sending the team and me to the unemployment line (I never got the business cards).

Yesterday morning, I approved my very first order of business cards since I’d been with Monolith. Look at how that turned out!

In the future I believe I will dispense with business cards altogether. It’s just safer that way!

Roger Ebert: obsessive blogger

I was taken by this excerpt from movie critic Roger Ebert‘s memoirs, discussing how profoundly becoming a blogger affected him. I’ve always admired Ebert’s writing and to hear him praise blogging in this way means a lot to me.

My blog became my voice, my outlet, my “social media” in a way I couldn’t have dreamed of. Into it I poured my regrets, desires, and memories. Some days I became possessed. The comments were a form of feedback I’d never had before, and I gained a better and deeper understanding of my readers. I made “online friends,” a concept I’d scoffed at. Most people choose to write a blog. I needed to. I didn’t intend for it to drift into autobiography, but in blogging there is a tidal drift that pushes you that way. Getting such quick feedback may be one reason; the Internet encourages first-person writing, and I’ve always written that way. How can a movie review be written in the third person, as if it were an account of facts? If it isn’t subjective, there’s something false about it.

via I was born inside the movie of my life – Roger Ebert’s Journal.

Business ideas

I’ve got a few business ideas I’ve been kicking around. Some of them might have some legs and I’m now free to pursue them. If you’re interested in pitching in, drop me an email and let’s chat.

Moving on

Monolith Software, the small startup company for which I worked, and I parted ways today. I work in sales, though, and there’s not always much job security in sales. I think the tough economy finally caught up with my little over-achieving former employer. It’s a shame, though: I loved the job, the people, and the product so I’m sorry to see my time with Monolith end.

Fortunately, I’ve been consistently harassed by recruiters for the past few months, so I’m certain to land on my feet. If you’re looking for a top-notch sales engineer, check out my resume (on my About page) and give me a shout.

Earthquake in Virginia!

We just had an earthquake hit us on the East Coast. It was a 5.9 magnitude quake centered 9 miles south of Mineral, VA, about halfway between Richmond and Charlottesville.

I was at my desk in the upstairs office when I realized my desk was shaking back and forth. In a mild panic the dog came racing up the stairs.

Thinking the kids were playing with dynamite again, I yelled down stairs. “Why is the house shaking?” I yelled, getting angry.

“I don’t know!” came the reply from my daughter, Hallie.

Then I remembered that a builder had moved a house onto the lot at the end of the street. I had been talking to him this morning when he reassured me the home was in no danger of toppling over from the approaching Hurricane Irene. It weighs 100,000 pounds, he said. So if it wasn’t the kids tearing our house apart, my next thought was that the 100,000 pound house had just come toppling down.

It was when I watched the trees outside swaying rhythmically that I decided what I was feeling must be a mild earthquake. A trip to Twitter confirmed it for me (social media wins again).

It was the first earthquake I’ve ever felt, in spite of the three years I was stationed in San Diego. It was quite unsettling, to say the least. These things just don’t happen on the East Coast. What’s next? A plague? Will we see Godzilla next?

Anyone have video? Send it in and I’ll post it!

Hurricane Irene approaches

Hurricane Irene


For the past few days I’ve kept my eye on Hurricane Irene as it’s approached the Carolinas. The 8 AM models had it aiming directly at Raleigh but the models have trended east every cycle. The 11 AM models show it coming ashore at the Outer Banks and heading almost due north.

Though the folks at OBX should be concerned, it seems like Raleigh may have dodged a bullet with Irene. I still have to clean out my gutters, though, as we will likely get dumped with (much-needed) rain.

I look forward to using my FTA satellite dish to tune in all those hapless reporters as they struggle to stand on the beach!

DVD download kiosk

Movie Booth DVD download kiosk

On our way through the Seattle-Tacoma (SEATAC) airport, I spied this intriguing kiosk on Concourse B. It purports to offer DVD downloads directly to one’s laptop for $3 and up per movie. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to test this machine and now I wish I had, because I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

I’ve poked around today and can’t seem to definitively identify this kiosk. There’s a kiosk outfit called Movie Booth that has DVD vending machines all around the UK and Ireland. This box is different, though, as there is apparently no physical media dispensed: just a CAT5 Ethernet cable where one would presumably download the movie.

So does anyone have any hints about this machine? Is it some kind of joke, or a legitimate service? I got nothing.

Southwest bungles our lost bags issue

Update: Southwest listened! See below.

An open letter to Southwest Airlines:

I had a disappointing experience with Southwest’s RDU lost baggage staff today. We had a tight, 35-minute connection at Midway whittled down even further by our later-than-expected arrival so I didn’t expect our baggage to make it on the plane with us. However, I left multiple messages with RDU’s lost baggage desk and none were returned until an hour after I had already schlepped back to the airport and picked up my bags.

The rep in the office this morning never left her seat, never told me “sorry for the inconvenience,” never checked my ID, never checked my claim tickets against the bags I picked up. To top it off, she never interrupted her personal cell phone conversation the whole time I was there. So, while she may not be capable of returning a voicemail, at least I know she is capable of using a telephone.

Frankly, I am shocked.
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Back (but bagless) in Raleigh

We arrived in Raleigh this evening but our bags did not. Our flight from Seattle was delayed considerably and by the time we made it to Chicago Midway our brief layover was whittled down to nothing. We literally had time to check the departure board for our gate and walk over to join our boarding line.

Though we just made it on our Raleigh-bound flight, we wound up waiting with our plane at the gate as the crew waited for additional luggage to be loaded. We of course thought our luggage from our late-arriving Seattle flight would be loaded during this 40 minute window but apparently not. Several passengers from Seattle were disappointed to arrive in Raleigh with no bags.
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Last night on Orcas

I see now why shipbuilder and philanthropist Robert Moran chose Orcas Island to live out what he thought was his last days. I also now see why Moran lived decades longer than his doctor predicted: this place is good for your soul. Though I’m exhausted tonight from the whirlwind of activity with which we’ve managed to fill our days here, I will leave tomorrow with a smile on my face and memories that will tide me over until we arrive again.
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