Network Ops

When I was twenty years old I got a summer internship at a little software company named Data Connection, where I worked on their “MeetingServer” product. This basically had the same features as Zoom but 20 years earlier, and with more of an emphasis on collaboration (screen-sharing and whiteboards) rather than video chat. Data Connection… Continue Reading

Good customer service is an opportunity to strengthen a relationship with a customer despite an initial problem. On the other hand, bad customer service can turn a minor frustration into raging fury… as I discovered recently. Hopefully we can all learn some lessons from my pain. If you’re worried about catching a virus, then there’s… Continue Reading

I just registered to run a 50K (31 mile) race in the mountains of central Oregon – in celebration of my vaccination and a hoped-for return to normal life. I have 4 months to prepare, and a pretty good idea of what will be required in terms of training, and yet… I’m considering the idea… Continue Reading

In the very first Sherlock Holmes short story, A Scandal in Bohemia, the great detective creates a small fire (and plenty of smoke) in order to reveal a secret. He’s trying to find a scandalous photograph, and in the panic of the apparent fire, his adversary runs to retrieve the photograph – thereby giving up… Continue Reading

In December my family moved into a new home – a newly built house where we had to wait a couple of months for the developers to finish building it. Buying a brand new house has some downsides. We currently live next to a construction site where they start work at 6am. Every day. Also… Continue Reading

Every morning I make a task list. During the day, I check some items off, and new items get added. The next morning, I make a new task list – at least as long as the previous one. And so the cycle continues. This isn’t good or bad – running out of work would be… Continue Reading