Libby Says...
I've just started using Categories on this site and have been trying to remember to do some categorizing each day as catch up, but they're a bit "under construction" -- please forgive. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, the trip back from Belize had a bit more adventure than was strictly necessary, including an extra night in Dallas, due to a mechanical difficulty with our plane. Not really that big a deal, but it made for a long day and an unplanned hotel night. So, I'm in Houston for one day and then we fly back to SD tomorrow. Lots of quick turnarounds. Lots of plane time, too. The rest of the Belize trip was pretty good. Other than the damned sand fleas who just loooooved to munch on me, everything was good. The day after the aborted snorkle trip, it rained. Some of the ladies we were traveling with and I spent the day lunching, shopping, and playing cards (Hearts and Spades, if you're curious). The next day, a few of us took the big adventure to the mainland, and inland, to see the Mayan temple ruins at Lamanai... Well, it rained again. And so there was an hour water-taxi ride from Caye Caulker to Belize City (this part was ok -- no rain yet). Then there was the hour plus taxi ride. Then there was the hour-long trip in the open boat up the river to the ruins. That part was where the problems really started. It was pouring rain. And of course none of us had planned for rain or cold -- we were going to the beach for gosh sakes. So, we got wet. And I mean really wet, with the kind of rain that starts to feel like a bad acupuncture session -- all over. And we were moving at about 25 knots, so factor in the cold wind, too. Not a pleasant hour. The ruins, however, were darn cool. Luckily, for some reason after we got to the site, the sun came out just in time for us to climb the 130 foot main temple, which has been mostly reconstructed. While were at the very top, looking out over the jungle (btw, anyone want to discuss the difference between a jungle and a tropical forest?), a plane buzzed us (small, four-seater or so, about the size we took from BZE to Caye Caulker) -- it was maybe, maybe 25 feet above us and to our west. The pilot (commercial plane, no less) had the gall/good humour to wave. Trip back was less wet, and included sightings of some howler monkeys, crocodiles, herons, and other assorted birdlife. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, here we are the day after Christmas. It was, to say the least, a different kind of Christmas. I missed my family, but enjoyed being with these friends. Brian and I opened Christmas presents very early, as he then went and spent the day getting scuba certified. I spent some time walking the island (about 2 miles all together) and then planted myself quite comfortably on a chair in the shade of an umbrella with a book and a frothy cold drink. Everyone else went on a snorkeling trip, out to the marine park and some other areas. I was a little lonely, but quite enjoyed having some time to myself to think and read and nap. When everyone got back, around 3 or 4, we played a game of Scrabble and then went out to dinner. Everyone was pretty tired, so it was a fairly early night. Today was the first scuba day for the gang, and I went along. One of our friends and I were going to snorkle while they dived. Well, I got soooooo seasick. I was fine on the ride out to the site, but when we stopped and sat in the water with the boat rocking back and forth, and no wind, and everyone walking around getting their scuba gear on and getting out of the boat... Well. I tried, I really did. I got into the water and did a little bit of snorkleing, but the problem is that salt water is not the cure for seasickness in any way, shape, or form. So, it just got worse. Luckily, after the first dive, we stopped on a neighboring island (Ambergris Caye) for lunch. The minute the boat started going again, with the wind in my face, and a friend's electric shock thingy (I'll have to look that up and tell you what the heck it is, but it goes on the wrist and sends little shocks down to your hand and up your arm to try to control motion sickness), I started to improve. Instead of going back out to suffer through two more dives, I did some shopping and took a water taxi back to Caye Caulker. So, clearly, the whole scuba thing is not going to be a thing for me, as much as I might like to look at the cute fishies. Ah well. I like skiing trips better anyway. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
As you read this, I'm in Belize. I know, rough life. Considering the number of life complications that the universe has thrown at me in the past few weeks, it's not what I would've chosen to do for this Christmas, given my druthers. On the other hand I'm hoping to spend some of the time in Belize curled up in a hammock, doing some reading, thinking, and soul-replenishing. Whatever you're doing today and this holiday season, and whatever holiday you celebrate, I hope that you're healthy, happy, and having a good life. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Miami airport -- there were some cool tidbits from this airport that I guess I've never been in before. First, while walking from the C gates to the A gates, there was a sign saying "A gates, 16 minutes" and then, a little while later, "A gates, 12 minutes." Apparently, I walk faster than the average person, as my total time was more like 10 to 12 minutes from before the first sign. Still, a kind of neat feature. In one spot, there were floor to ceiling, wall to wall windows as you walked between terminals. They were covered by rainbow-colored glass shaped like xylophone pegs -- looked completely cool. The cooler part, however, was that as you stepped on the moving walkway in that hallway, they were playing music over the loudspeakers that actually sounded like someone could've been playing those glass pegs like said xylophone. Neat. As we flew out of Miami, I noticed quite a few very big, very even "squares" of water. I'm not sure what they were -- maybe fish farming or.... I dunno. As we were flying into Belize (I'm not sure, really, how far out we are, maybe 20 minutes?), my first view of land was lots of stubby brown growth on land, surrounded by lots of very clear light blue water. It reminds me of flying into Hawaii, or when we flew into St. Maarten, in that you can see the bottom through the water. We were too high to see fish on the jet, but later, on the 4-seater plane from BZE to Caye Caulker, you could see sand, the ocean grasses, some rays and sharks, and the line of wavelets where the water breaks over the barrier reef. Yes, I did say a 4-seater plane. I'm so glad it was only a 10-minute flight and that he had the windows open for part of the flight. Some other impressions as we flew in -- places where the water gathers inland, pools that look like splotches of fungus, not blue or white or brown or green, but some color that suggest all those colors. Under the light water, there were dark sand splotches that look like giant bird footprints or the half-erased remainders of an etchasketch drawing. We passed over an island that seemed to grow up out of the shallow water. You can see the land rise up under the water until it stands up slowly toward the trees. Landed first in Belize (near Belize City, on the mainland)... yay, another passport stamp! We went through immigration and customs and then waited about 45 minutes before hopping on the tiny four-seater. When we landed in Caye (pronounced "key") Caulker, it was clearly another world. No cars. No pavement. Golf carts and bikes are the transportation options when you're tired of feet. We're clearly in the nicest room in the nicest hotel on the island. I can recommend the Iguana Reef Inn with no compunctions. Be aware, however, that unless you snorkle or scuba dive, your other options on Caye Caulker are pretty limited. Drinking foofy drinks while sitting in a hammock is pretty much the size of it. Works for me, quite frankly. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Taking off from Houston's IAH in the early dawn on Christmas eve showed the sky a mix of light blues, pinks, and that glowing gold color that clouds sometimes turn when they are lit from below by the rising sun. The sky showed the range of colors from that palest blue that's almost white on the east to the still dark night on the west as we took off to the south. Just as the wheels lifted, we were perpendicular to the oncoming landing lights of three planes. They lined up neatly, spaced out in the blue distance. One of the things I have enjoyed about flying this year is that I've been noticing flight patterns more and more. I love to look at the lines of inbound planes, something that is particularly easy in certain cities. In LAX, for example, I often fly into and out of United's commuter terminal, necessitating a bus ride down the runway. Sitting on that bus I've seen some of the most beautiful sunsets, dusks, days, and dawns, and in those varying colors of light, staggered lines of approaching planes. Flying into or out of Houston in the early dawn reminds me of being a kid there, flying places with my parents. We flew fairly often, since my dad worked for the airline, so the actual process of flying was never daunting, but somehow always remained exciting. One morning, when I was about eight, I was standing in the driveway, waiting for my parents to come out of the house, and looking at the same early dawn colors and clouds. I'm not a hugely religious person, but I can clearly remember being so affected by seeing what I swear to this day was the figure of god in his throne --- cast in clouds and illuminated by the golds and roses of dawn. By the time I was un-awed enough to turn away to call my parents, the clouds had blurred just enough that they couldn't quite see what I meant, but every time I fly in Houston early in the day, I think of that morning. The other thing about flying into and out of IAH is that you get a completely different perspective on what Houston looks like. At the ground level, Houston is a true concrete jungle, with more billboards than trees covering the sides of the many freeways. From the air, at the moment, I can see a pink mist covering a myriad of small lakes and ponds and a landscape not so much dotted as mottled with trees and bisected with more waterways than roadways. Flying in the first few times as a kid, I remember being amazed, wondering where all those trees went when we landed. If you've ever driven or flown east from Houston, you know that there's a lot of water involved, whether it's the ship channel, the Gulf of Mexico, or the bayou and swamp land between Texas and Louisiana. Flying over this water today, there was a pale mist and a few very small, incandescently bright white, almost crisp line of small clouds between me and the water, where you could, howeve,r see the trails of boats in the surf, not unlike contrails in the clouds reflected into the water. As we flew further east, the quantity and quality of those clouds changed. First, they stayed of the same type but went from dotted lines like birds migrating from north to south to a more full coverage, like snowy bushes. Further east still, they blurred into fluff and fur before dissipating into thin strips, echoing the beaches visible below as we neared Miami. We were upgraded on the flight from Houston to Miami, courtesy of an old friend of my dad's (thanks Kitty at AA). While on the flight, I've been comparing some time comparing my seat here with the many (many!) flights I've upgraded on United. I must say, I'm pretty impressed with AA. Food -- American Seats -- United Staff -- Tie Power Ports -- American Magazine -- Fairly close, but American, I think The food was actually much better than United's has been recently (it used to be much better, but it has fallen off quite a bit lately), even though it was only a cheese omelette. They weren't quite as attentive in the air than UA's flight attendants, although the ground staff was fabulous.The seats, despite being in first class were slightly less cushy, but wider and further away from the seat in front. And there was, although I didn't use it, a (seemingly working) power port both in my first class seat and in my coach seat. I wrote this entry longhand on the flight from Houston to Miami and am now on the flight from Miami to Belize, transcribing it and editing as I go. We've been flying over water, but are starting to approach land again to our west. I've always loved how the water seems to change color as it gets closer to shore -- I know it's a depth thing, but the ribbon of sand mimicked by the ribbon of lighter aquamarine blue before dropping off to the darker azure (or greyish brown if you're talking about the Gulf of Mexico) has always been one of my favorite in-flight sights. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Today's NYTimes has an article in the Arts & Leisure section called "Are Women Just Bored of the Rings," by Caryn James, that had me arguing, ranting, and huffy before I even got past the pullquotes. The article is critical of the entire LoTR trilogy, including RoTK, for being "an FX extravaganza tailored to an adolescent male's fear of sentiment and love of high-tech wizardry." Her argument is essentially that the films don't make you care about the characters, but are only about the special effects. The only thing she sees that these films offer to women is the (admittedly) attractive Viggo Mortenson. It's not clear from her article whether Ms. James feels this way about the movies only (as a comparison to the books, for example), of if she would relegate the books to the same limited audience -- adolescent men. I suspect that she either hasn't read the books or is lumping the books and movies together. In either case, I can't agree with her argument. First of all, I like good special effects and adventure at least as much as (ok, and probably more than) the next person, and I don't think that enjoyment of those elements of a movie is necessarily an all-male characteristic. In fact, I think her entire treatment of the issues with the movies is a bit sexist. If she has some disagreements with the treatment of the characters or story in the film (with which I might be able to agree), I think she could describe those issues (as I do below) without necessarily resorting to a rabble-rousing sexist argument. While I'm happy to admit that I may not be your typical woman in many ways, I think that the films, as an outgrowth of the books, offer more to women (and viewers in general) than simply special effects. The epic nature of the story, for example, includes a coming-of-age/journey to greatness (and in this case, I think that greatness means "selflessness") theme on multiple levels -- Aragorn learns to become the man and king that the people of Middle Earth need, including learning about himself, facing his demons, serving others, potentially giving up the love of his life, and earning through deeds the accolades/stature that is due him by birth; Frodo and Sam and Merry and Pippin learn to become adults (in the most true sense of the word), and heroes, who care for more than themselves and gain an appreciation of the wider world around them. They all learn that sometimes a task requires you to put what you love on the line to succeed. In fact, in the end, Frodo admits that while the goal, which was to save the peace and joys of the Shire, was achieved, part of what it took to achieve it was his giving it up -- (paraphrasing) sometimes it can't be saved for everyone. ***Remember: I'm a HUGE fan of both the books and the movies -- I can be critical of some elements and continue to be a huge fan. So please, don't flame me.*** On the other hand, as a close (and avid) reader of the books, I'm also willing to admit that while Peter Jackson and the cast have done an admirable job of turning the epic story into film, I definitely have areas where I quibbled with Jackson's treatment of the characters or themes. In this way, my viewing of the movie may be too much informed by my reading of the books -- I may be attributing to the movies things that I know about the characters from the books. Some examples of places where I don't think the treatment in the movies matched what was in the books: Elrond was much less... gentle and human in the movies; Faramir was much less heroic -- taking the hobbits back toward Gondor rather than coming to the conclusion that he needed to let them go because it was the right thing to do was a choice I don't understand, other than that it came with much talking in the book and the movie couldn't afford that much time; the relationship between Legolas and Gimli, while it eventually got to the friendship in the books, was much less pronounced throughout the story and didn't develop as deeply; Frodo didn't become the insightful, strong, gentle character of the end of RoTK in the movie; the Ents didn't get roused to action by the story of Merry and Pippin, and don't display their deep and abiding loves and joys, making them a much less impactful element of the story; the closeness and gentle love between Theoden and Merry is missing, again, making Merry's defense of the the fallen king a much less poignant moment; leaving out the Scouring of the Shire was a travesty -- it was one of the places where the growth of the hobbits and the thematic movement of the story comes full circle... Most of these choices, however, can clearly be argued as being about limitations of the medium -- limited time, limited audience attention for dialog without action, the need not to have two climax points in a story -- rather than as limitations of the stories themselves or direction of the movies. Anyway, I would say that although the movies aren't a perfect representation of the amazing story in the books, I don't think you can call what Peter Jackson has done "soulless," as she does, but must rather see them as a heart-soaring and awe-inspiring event, especially considering the limitations that movies offer. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Doesn't that *sound* like a long way? It surely felt like a long way, but I did it. I ran 11 miles on Saturday. (If you're curious, and know the San Diego area at all, I ran from just south of downtown Del Mar -- south of Del Mar Heights road -- to my house in Carlsbad, straight up the 101.) It took me a bit longer than I'd hoped -- about 2 hours and 15 minutes (10 minute miles would've gotten me there in 1 hr, 50 minutes, so clearly I slowed down a bit; perhaps I can blame it on the bathroom and gatorade stops...). I have one more week of increasing my mileage (to 12 miles) and then I taper down for a few weeks leading up to the 1/2 marathon itself on January 18th. Something I realized as I was running today -- I have talked about running as being a good time to think, which it is. There are a lot of things going on in my life at the moment, moving being only the least of them, and so I have a lot to think about. What I realized today, though, was that running is also a good time *not* to think. I'm one of those people who gets inside my head a bit -- thinking over things well past when I've made a decision about them or examined all the angles. Sometimes this is good -- I see something more that I'd missed previously or understand something more clearly -- but sometimes, all this serves to do is put my brain in a whirl. So, it can also be good to be able to focus so deeply on something else that there's no room left in your brain to stress over whatever else is going on. For me, lately, excercie in general, but especially running, has been that release. I don't feel guilty about spending time running (the way I do if I'm just spending time reading or sitting in front of the fire, knowing I have about a million other tasks I should be doing) and I am blissfully focused on the tasks of breathing and moving, aware of how my body works and feels, and enjoying my surroundings (ocean, people-watching, other runners). I have never been one of those people addicted to excercise. I didn't mind doing excercise, and I quite liked some of the specific forms of excercise I might do -- dancing, rowing, swimming, weight lifting, but now, I've finally learned to feel the rush of joy that comes not from the competing or finishing (although that's there too), but merely from the act itself. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Over the past two days, I've been speaking at the southern California user group meetings in Orange County and here in San Diego (yes, I shared the stage with Ed). Since I moved here almost four years ago, I've been fairly involved in these user groups, attending meetings, speaking, sharing rides to events, and etc. Both groups have a lot of great folks in them and since I'm moving, well, this was sort of my swan song appearance with the group. I'm going to miss you all. Thanks for everything and happy holidays! Other than that, things have continued being pretty busy here, although I didmake time on Weds night to see the movie... I was very jealous of John and Chris and whomever else got to see it before me. I've read the books approximately every summer since I was, oh, in fourth or fifth grade, so you can see that this is serious stuff for me! And yes, it was wonderful. I'm ready to queue up another showing, just to wallow in its wonderfulness. I'm pretty picky, and the movie version of the Two Towers originally disappointed in the number of places it veered away from the books, but I also rented the version of that movie with the extended scenes as a set-up to the RoTK movie -- much improved. And so, when you look at all three movies together -- a fabulous telling of the tale. They did have to make some sacrifices (or what I think are sacrifices) due to time, but most of the time, I think they finessed those very well and made good choices. This is especially true, I think, in the 3rd movie. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
I saw a link from one of the baseball blogs in my referrers the other day, so here's some of my current baseball thoughts: One of the brightest points about moving back to Houston is once again being able to see my beloved Astros in person, regularly. Now, I'm not really thrilled at some of their winter trades, while others have me bouncing up and down like a schoolgirl. First off, the news that the Astros traded Billy Wagner had me snarling and spitting. Nothing against Brandon Duckworth, and we really could use some additional solid starting pitching, but sheesh! Free agent signings and releasings were so-so, meaning I don't think Orlando Merced, Ron Villone, Rick White, and Brian Moehler will be that worely missed, despite Merced being a pretty reliable pinch-hitter. I was thrilled to hear that they had re-signed Brad Ausmus, since despite his not-so-stellar batting average, I like having him around. I think he's good for the team. The trade of Geoff Blum seems a fairly reasonable switch -- Ensberg should be able to take care of third base, and another mid-reliever (along with Lidge and Miceli) will be useful to have now that we don't have the closer of doom anymore. I'm thrilled to have Andy Pettitte join the Astros. I think he'll be a great starter for us. Thank goodness for the "family factor" (he lives in Houston) otherwise, I think he'd've stayed in NYC. Of course, the rumors that the Astros might successfully lure Roger Clemens out of retirement would make the Astros serious contenders in my book. Now I just have to see if I can get some of my season tickets back! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Via Justin -- this is just too cool, especially since I have a thing for tapestries! (updated -- made this a bit smaller... sorry!) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
 Which Historical Lunatic Are You? From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.Well, I guess I'm a sucker for silly quizzes. This one, via Bob Congdon thinks that I'm a bit like Caligula, apparently. Scary. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Via vowe.net: Guess I'm not quite as girlie as I like to think! The Gender Genie tested my writing and guessed male in over 10 tries. I used a couple of blog entries and a couple of columns,and even some fiction... I tried marking blog entries as fiction, non-fiction, and blogs... All came out the same. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Okay, okay, I know it's very green. And hey, it's not easy being green. But in honor of the spirit of Christmas, well, I had to do it. Your regularly scheduled colors will resume in a few weeks. (christmas lights via honeybrook graphics) Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
The sun may run from East to West in the sky, but sometimes in southern California, the clouds and fog run from North to South and back again. When I started my run today, there was a clear line of demarkation between the blue version of the sky and the ocean and the contrasting grey, clouded sky with dark waters. As I ran, I kept up with the movement of the line for the first mile, which made me feel like I was pulling a big blue paintbrush behind me and pushing the grey away with my running. The clouds ran south before me and outstripped me before mile 5, so that I was running in a perfectly blue day, skies and seas both reflecting pure blue. As I got to mile 9, however, the clouds came back up from the south and passed back over me, so that by the time I finished, all was grey and shrouded once again. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, amazingly, through all the travel and the moving work, I've continued training for my half marathon. This past Sunday, I ran 9 miles, and I did 4 Wednesday (with my friend Julieana) and Friday on the treadmill at the gym. Today is another long run -- 10 miles. Each Sunday for the next few weeks, I go up a mile --- 10, 11, 12 -- before I start tapering off for th race itself. Since I started training, I've logged at least 170 miles (give or take) in various places, including San Diego (along the Pacific ocean), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Amsterdam (along the Amstel river), Monaco (along the Mediterranean), Frankfurt (along the Main river), and Houston. The marathon is January 18th, and while I've signed up for the San Diego half marathon, it has just dawned on me that I'll actually be living in Houston by that time. And the Houston half marathon is actually the same day... Might decide to stay in Houston and run here, we'll have to see... Depends on who I can get to be my gatorade-brigade here in SD, which is where I'd really like to run. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Boy is LS04 ever coming up fast! I just realized that we only have a few weeks left before the show -- eek! Guess maybe I'd better buy some plane tickets and reserve a hotel room, hunh? Sessions are now posted. I'm doing two sessions and a BOF. Hope to see you there! Putting on my work hat for a moment: would anyone be interested in a reader lunch, where I buy the lunch and you tell me what you like, don't like, want to read about, etc.? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Considering the fact that we're in the process of packing up and selling the house and the fact that we're actually spending the holidays themselves in Houston and Belize, we're not doing what you'd call a lot of holiday decorating around our house this year. Nor have I yet done any shopping, other than one or two things online, since I've basically been out of town since 11 October. So, it's taken *much* longer than usual for me (usually known as the spirit of Christmas personified) to get into the Christmas spirit. Seeing this story on Cnn.com helped though: "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "It's a Wonderful Life" are back. Few programs -- and, despite "Wonderful Life's" film pedigree, it was only through endless showings on television that it really became a cultural touchstone -- have expressed the hopes and spirit of the season so well. Both have genuine moments of despair. Whose heart doesn't sink when Charlie Brown puts the ornament on the little tree, and then -- watching it perilously bend -- cries, "I killed it!" Who doesn't weep when Jimmy Stewart, as George Bailey, hears from Clarence that Mary is "an old maid"? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
For the record, since Jake brought it up: when you fill in the Comments form on this site, if you fill in your URL or your e-mail address, both are available on the site as hotlinks. I'll ask our favorite template developer to put some kind of a warning into the Comments form itself. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Thanks to the sharp-eyed Rita-Lyn (of course, that's her job!): IBM plans to hold a world-wide IBM developer conference that integrates its international developerWorks Live! Technical Conference with the Rational Software Development User Conference at the Garylord Conference Center in Grapevine, Texas, July 18-22. The unified conference is intended to give developers an opportunity to grow their skills and learn how IBM is integrating its technology and tools with its latest brand offerings. Not really sure about this. Garland, TX? (i.e., Dallas?). In July? July? Who's up for it? Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
 You are Morpheus, from "The Matrix." You have strong faith in yourself and those around you. A true leader, you are relentless in your pursuit. What Matrix Persona Are You? brought to you by Quizilla Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Rocky, don't be offended, I'm not trying to vilify you or anything, but I really am interested to talk about this with our community. There was an article on Rocky's site today on Wireless -- very good and informative. Someone pointed out that it had a lot in common (as would any informative article on wireless) with two of the Web articles we ran in December's e-Pro Magazine (here and here). I think each of the three articles have value and interesting things to say... and slightly different perspectives. In the discussion however, Rocky mentioned that he doesn't read e-Pro Magazine. I'm pretty confused about this and am wondering how many of you are also not readers of the magazine or e-mail newsletters or Website (clearly, I'm talking to those of you in the Lotus/WebSphere/IBM technology industry, not to my other readers...). In Rocky's case, I know he has an affiliation with another magazine; however, I don't see this as a reason *not* to read e-Pro Magazine. I read all of the magazines and Websites in our industry, I think, or at least try to, every month/week/day etc. So. Do *you* read e-Pro Magazine? If not, would you mind telling me why? I'm not really trying to be an advertisement, but I do think that we're a pretty good value for the cost (uh, that would be free -- even overseas, if you subscribe to the digital edition) and if there are some of you who disagree with that, I'd like to hear about it. Please feel free to e-mail me privately if you don't want to talk about it publicly. Mostly, I want to make the publication more what you want it to be, if it isn't currently meeting your needs and this gave me a good opportunity to talk about it. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
When IBM bought Rational, of course we had an internal pow-wow over what it would mean to Lotus and WebSphere users. My prediction at the time (shoulda written it down!) was that all the development tools, such as WSAD would be put under Rational's auspices. Love it when the crystal ball is working: From CRN:
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Something I've been saying in presentations and asking authors to write about is reconfirmed by people who are termed "tech visionaries." In this case, it's about the importance of IM and awareness (of course, IBM has also been saying it quite a bit). OTOH, I would probably never say that e-mail is dead, even though I'm ready to start playing with the reinvented e-mail client, regardless of what some of those people at Slashdot say. (both via Ed) Here's an excerpt from the VAR Business Insider article:
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I know, you thought I was gone, never to return. I couldn't even get my usual blogjackers to pop on and save my poor blog from oblivion. Good thing you're all using RSS feed readers so that you'll know that I'm back! I've been in Houston, doing house hunting for the move. I've also been promising various blog entries to various people for weeks now, so I've got a few things to share. I'll put them all in separate blogs for your ease of use, however, so... read on! Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Well, as you know, I've been travelling like a madwoman all year. And I was reminded on some flights recently why I actually enjoyed most of it. I like to go different places, of course, but I also like to fly. Yes, even with small seats, crappy or no food, amazingly intrusive security, and long lines... I like to fly. Top 4 Reasons I Like to Fly 1. You get to sit next to some interesting people. Some of them are characters that you're just as glad to be getting away from a few hours later, some of them become friends, some of them are already friends that you get the chance to really talk to, uninterrupted, and some are just interesting people that you'll probably never see again. 2. You're on an adventure of some kind! Promise. 3. You get some uninterrupted time to read to your heart's content, without feeling guilty. 4. Awesome views. For example, the entry below was written on the flight from Toronto to Chicago, Nov. 20th, about 4 p.m., about 49 mi NE of ORD: Flying toward Chicago today, from Toronto, as we passed out over the coast of the lake, it looked as though there were two or three horizon-like coastlines, instead of just one: the real coast, with its dual thin ribbons of froth and sand; the coastline between the gray land and the pinkish blue of the sunset sky; then, just above that, the pink runs into the darker gray of a night-touched stormcloud. Looking in the other direction, you see the crenellations of golden waves illuminated in the last bits of sunlight. The waves are so even and so perfectly lit that they look like the ridges of perfectly groomed snow first thing in the morning. As we go across the lake and it gets darker, we dip down so that the only view is of the water, and a few whitecaps, looking for all the world like the first stars twinkling in a dusky night sky. I love flying into a city. New cities are always a thrill for being new, but a city you've flown into before has its own joys. Some things are the same and you get the interest/small thrill of recognizing them and where you are; then, other things are different based on the time of day, weather, time of year... and no matter how often you may have flown in, something new strikes you, like a green ribbon through Chicago today, cluttered with toothpick-like power or phone lines and a tiny golf course that was an Ireland-like bright green and blue (the pond) as contrasted to the empty winter trees and the snarled traffic. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link
Just to prove that I actually did go to Germany to speak at DNUG, I've finally posted some of those pictures. I'm not nearly the talented photographer that Ed is, but I enjoyed playing with my new camera and seeing all the fall colors -- something we don't have either in San Diego or Houston. Other photos that may be of interest (or may not) are the pictures we took at the Texas Renaissance Festival. I used to work at TRF during and immediately after college, so I have all the costumes and know a lot of the people. Had a good time going back to visit the weekend of November 14th. The day after Thanksgiving, we spontaneously got up very early and drove to Mammoth with our neighbors for a few days of skiing. We had what they call "early" ski conditions -- the nice snow they had had a week earlier had melted a bit. It was still pretty fun and I had a fun time swishing down some blue (and even one black) runs. Permanent Link to this entry: Permanent Link |
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