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Gosh, I think I am in desparate need for some new empty bookshelves ... <-- Click this pic to see a higher resolution for even more details. ...and you havent even seen my other bookshelves containing my other interest, which I wont share for now ... (c) William Tay 2000-2008 | Solution Architect Consultant http://www.softwaremaker.net/blog Read More...
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I am left speechless at this. Really. Simply astounding ... (c) William Tay 2000-2008 | Solution Architect Consultant http://www.softwaremaker.net/blog Read More...
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Lumbar Spine Report (13 February 2008): The lumbar spine has a mild lateral curve convex to the right. There is minimal slipping forwards of L5 on S1 which is lumbarised on the left side. Moderate osteoarthritis is seen in the apophyseal joints beween L5 and S1 segments. The bodies of L1, L2 and L4 are slightly wedged anteriorly. These changes may be secondary to the prevous trauma. The lumbar discs spaces have average heights. Conclusion: Unilateral lumbarisation of S1 segment. Lower lumbar spondylosis. From playing a lot of competitive basketball back in my varsity days in Canada in the late-80s/early-90s as a point-man to getting the above report in my envelope is somewhat depressing, I am getting old ... (c) William Tay 2000-2008 | Solution Architect Consultant http://www.softwaremaker.net/blog Read More...
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This one got me laughing in stiches. Not so much about how ridiculous it seems, but with the latest acquisition Google has made , who knows - maybe they will value and acquire MSFT Corp at USD120 billion. I would probably put money on them that they would also probably be the first to be able to value the Internet. Well worth a read. (c) William Tay 2000-2006 | Solution Architect Consultant http://www.softwaremaker.net/blog Read More...
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W T F ? I spotted this advertisement across many major lamposts outlining the major roads to the WorldBank/IMF Bankers and Governors meeting held in Singapore this month . While the entire country prepares itself to welcome about 22,000 delegates with security precautions, road closures, road re-paving and tons of marketing dollars and campaigns to showcase itself to the world such as this , I felt that the poster above is done in an amateurish way. One glance at it and I bet my last dollar the instinctive reaction is that Savvy Bankers use Intellectual Property . While I agree with the context and meaning of the message, I would question how its targetted. In any case, I, and the rest of the world, would be wrong. A closer look at the icon on the bottom right corner reveals a Cisco, Inc logo: which effectively means, Savvy Bankers use Internet Protocol !!! That would explain why there portray of an image of a person trying to surf (wirelessly). I would suspect that Cisco, itself, is supplying the networking equipment and infrastructure to make sure anyone and everyone can surf wirelessly around the meetings and events. That, however, would not explain the obscurity of the advertisment and its message. Gosh, I would think TCP/IP is an obscure abstract now that no one else would need to know of it even though it is the major underlying internet transport protocol. In fact, I would argue - the more savvy you are, the less you need to know about about the plumbings. How many people would (want to) know how their household plumbings work and the standards involved other than that they can turn on the tap and do wonderful things with it ? In the same context, I am betting that the SOAP protocol would be obscure one day as well and just be known as " Web Services " or whatever flavour rule the day. Now, which would be a better advertisment ? Great agile applications use SOAP ? OR Great agile applications use Web Services ? I rest my case - the marketing people who came out with the image shown above should be canned. No questions needed. (c) William Tay 2000-2006 | Architect Consultant http://www.softwaremaker.net/blog Read More...
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W T F ? I spotted this advertisement across many major lamposts outlining the major roads to the WorldBank/IMF Bankers and Governors meeting held in Singapore this month . While the entire country prepares itself to welcome about 22,000 delegates with security precautions, road closures, road re-paving and tons of marketing dollars and campaigns to showcase itself to the world such as this , I felt that the poster above is done in an amateurish way. One glance at it and I bet my last dollar the instinctive reaction is that Savvy Bankers use Intellectual Property . While I agree with the context and meaning of the message, I would question how its targetted. In any case, I, and the rest of the world, would be wrong. A closer look at the icon on the bottom right corner reveals a Cisco, Inc logo: which effectively means, Savvy Bankers use Internet Protocol !?!? That would explain why there portray of an image of a person trying to surf (wirelessly). I would suspect that Cisco, itself, is supplying the networking equipment and infrastructure to make sure anyone and everyone can surf wirelessly around the meetings and events. That, however, would not explain the obscurity of the advertisment and its message. Gosh, I would think TCP/IP is an obscure abstract now that no one else would need to know of it even though it is the major underlying internet transport protocol. In fact, I would argue - the more savvy you are, the less you need to know about about the plumbings. How many people would (want to) know how their household plumbings work and the standards involved other than that they can turn on the tap and do wonderful things with it ? In the same context, I am betting that the SOAP protocol would be obscure one day as well and just be known as " Web Services " or whatever flavour rule the day. Now, which would be a better advertisment ? Great agile applications use SOAP ? OR Great agile applications use Web Services ? I rest my case - the marketing people who came out with the image shown above should be canned. No questions needed. Read More...
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Have anyone of you signed in to Mobile Passport on your PPC ? The above screenshot is what I see on mine . Some people would argue that so it is to make it easier to get right typing it in multitap the first time or that it is easier to prevent people from prying eyes on a PDA. I beg to disagree. Isnt that one of the reasons why there is " Remember Credentials " ? It is like saying - If you cannot type and you have a sucky memory, please dont type . In fact, there is a new option called - " Always ask for my username and password " in the defacto Passport mode for the security conscious :) I just find it too much of a drastic change to remove all these options (in the mobile mode) and NOT use masked passwords instead. It gives the sense that the teams creating these logins are so disparate and so different in thinking and there is not a single philosophical approach. Arent we talking about People, Technology, Integration and Seamless Experience recently ? i-wink The worst thing is that - the Masked Passwords (*) are so commonly accepted these days that it is becoming some sort of "self-imposed" standard. Thousands of sites, mobile or not, are using this "standard". Why is Microsoft one of the first (if not, the first) to change that ? I hardly think making it correct the first time typing is a good enough reason to change that and this cannot be categorized as innovation. MSN and Hotmail are all social sites which means that it is catered for people like my parents and grandparents and such and not for the geekiness. The bulk of the people dont really know what the S in HTTPS stands for and dont really care and would never want to care how it works . To them - The masked passwords is really part of the secure experience although we know that it is more of a placebo more than anything else. I wonder how will the masses react when they see that their passwords are not masked anymore, even though there is still an S in HTTPS. I remember running a test before on a workshop on consistency, standards I conducted a while back. In this test, I reversed the order of the username passwords inputs of the (HTTPS) Login screen to the effect of this: Password: ________________ Username: ________________ Login Button The strange thing about the whole result is that: Most people will stop after entering the first character in the Username field. They will rub their eyes to make sure they are NOT seeing things. Besides the fact that they realized they are prompted for their Read More...
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To add to this , I am recently in the market looking to upgrade my current ADSL package running at 1500kbps and I came across an ad saying this ISP will give a free ADSL2+ Wireless modem if I sign up for a 10mbps package. Sounds good. I proceeded to call. Pleasantries exchanged... Me: "So, you are giving me a free wireless modem, correct ?" She: "Yes" Me: "Is it just plain wireless ? I mean is there a wired option ?" She : " The 10mbps ADSL Transmission speed will only work with a wireless modem... " Me: "huh ?" She: " Yes, because the speed is too fast, we can only use this wireless modem. " Me: "What has the ADSL Upload/Download speed gotta do with how I connect the modem to my router?" She : "I am sorry, Sir - you *HAVE* to use the wireless modem ONLY" Me: "Wait - I dont think I am getting this. I know I need a ADSL2+ modem for the blazing speed of 10mbps, but if it only comes with a wireless option, how do I connect to an existing network of computers, routers that are NOT wireless-enabled" She: "In that case, I recommend you to get a Wi-fi card. These are cards that ... ... ..." Me: "Wait, I dont need an education in Wi-fi. I just need to know what do you tell your calling and interested customers who wants this blazing 10mbps speed and accepts they need a new ADSL2+ modem BUT has no Wi-fi network, equipment to play with or tap-on" She: "I told them - Sorry Sir/Madam. Our advanced ADSL speed requires a wireless option. If you dont have one, it wont work at all and you have to go for a slower ADSL speed. Sorry. " ... I decided to check the ADSL modem brand that is given to subscribers and went into the manufacturer's site to look at the specs ... "...All our ADSL2+ modems comes with a wireless option PLUS 4- Ethernet enabled RJ45 Ports ..." Gosh. I wonder how many customers has she turned away with her knowledge that the ADSL Upload/Download speed is directly tied to the mode at which data is being transmitted from the modem to the connecting machines. Polite as she can be, I admit, BUT if I have a sales force of people like that, I will NOT be able to make any money at all to pay them. <sigh /> End of rant. (c) William Tay 2000-2006 | Architect Consultant http://www.softwaremaker.net/blog Read More...
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