Sunday, December 26, 2010

Project Management Made Simple

Other than the Charter, lessons learned is probably the other most neglected part of a project. It is reasonable to think that since projects are new there will be unanticipated obstacles that you run into. Those obstacles, no matter how small, will somehow be resolved. Lessons learned is your opportunity to capture what the Subject Matter Experts learned to resolve or look out for when working on the project. These should be documented and given to management, as well as kept for yourself. From a reasonableness perspective, you may manage a project in the future that has similar characteristics of the project you just finished. How inefficient would it be to drive a project team into the same issues and obstacles that you already encountered and make the new team come up with their own resolutions? Lessons learned becomes the project FYI that can help a new project team plan better and be more efficient because they are aware and have planned for certain obstacles ahead of time. All this because you were wise enough to capture this information from past experience.
In conclusion, while there is much more to formal project management and the memorization and application of proven methodologies, it is the author’s hope that this will benefit you to some degree and that maybe you will even have a take away to apply to your own project. I wish you all the best in your project management endeavors.

Read full article at:
Project Management Made Simple - PM Hut

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Ten Ways to Stop Scope Creep in Your Web Design Project - PM Hut

Let’s face it, web design is not a very predictable service. Sure, the extent of the service is to furnish a working web site (one would hope) along with any hosting and maintenance needed to keep it going. The issue is that the specifics of the project change with almost every client interaction.
Keep in mind this isn’t a problem. Web design must be a flexible and fluid service that changes to the varying needs of the client as well as the quick pace of the internet. What is a problem is scope creep.
Scope creep occurs when a client keeps piling on requests for additions or changes to their project that are outside the scope of the project. Some clients are mindful of this and will explicitly ask if it will cost more. Others, unfortunately, are not this considerate or knowledgeable enough to know when they’re pushing it.
How can you combat scope creep? I don’t think you’ll ever get rid of it completely, but there are some ways to prevent and reduce it.
Read full article by Chris LeCompte for PM Hut:
Ten Ways to Stop Scope Creep in Your Web Design Project - PM Hut

Enterprise Risk Management and the PMBOK - PM Hut

Enterprise Risk Management is a term used to describe a holistic approach to managing the risks and opportunities that the organization must manage intelligently in order to create maximum value for their shareholders. The foundation for the approach is the alignment of the organization’s management of risks and opportunities to their goals and objectives. One of the keys to this alignment is the “Risk Appetite” statement which is a statement encapsulating the direction the Board gives management to guide their risk management methods. The statement should describe in general terms what kinds of risk the organization can tolerate and which it can’t. This statement plus the organization’s goals and objectives guides management in the selection of projects the organization undertakes. The statement also guides management in setting risk tolerance levels and determining which risks are acceptable and which must be mitigated.

Read full article by Dave Nielsen for PM Hut:
Enterprise Risk Management and the PMBOK - PM Hut

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Project Support Office and Risk and Issues Administration - PM Hut

The Project Support Office and Risk and Issues Administration
By Richard Morreale
Risk and Issues management is one of those things that we know we need to do but in a lot of cases we don’t seem to have the time to do it well. So what do a lot of Project Managers do? They give lip service to it. They put a Risk and Issues list together and every now and then they update it but in between the updates they really don’t have the time to manage the list.
As an aside, another thing I find is that there is usually a big discussion about whether something is a Risk or an Issue. From a Project Management standpoint, who cares? Some action is going to have to be taken whether it is a Risk or an Issue and you just need to make sure that the action is taken. How do I do it to make sure that it gets done?
I assign administration of the Risk and Issues Management System to my Project Support Office.
The Risk and Issues Management Systems must cater for:
  1. The initial identification of the Projects Risks and Issues. This is usually done in a workshop attended by all of the applicable stakeholders and facilitated by the Project Support Officer.
  2. The analysis of each Risk and Issue. Each Risk is analyzed in terms of its impact and the probability of it happening. Each Issue is analyzed in terms of its impact on the Project if not taken care of and its urgency. I like to use a scale of 1 to 4 in both evaluations with 1 being low and 4 being high. Both numbers are multiplied and you come out with a single score for each Risk and Issue. I then pay particular attention to any Risks or Issues that score 8 or over.
  3. A discussion and agreement of what actions must be taken to mitigate the Risk and handle the Issue and by when the actions must be taken.
  4. Monitoring of the actions by the Project Support Office to ensure that the actions are taken.
  5. Reporting to the Project Manager and the Project Team on the Risk and Issues status for review at each Achievement Meeting.
  6. Continued identification, analysis, etc. of Risks and Issues during the life of the Project.
Assigning the Risk and Issues administration to the Project Support Office will be a big help to you and you can be assured that someone is focusing on the management of them.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

John Isaac: The Passion of a U.N. Photographer

How this former photojournalist went from shooting the dark side of humanity to capturing the radiance of the world's wildlife.

John Isaac: The Passion of a U.N. Photographer | Photography - PopPhoto.com Offers Camera Reviews and Exclusive Photo Tips

The Impact of Energy on Projects

A very interesting article by Christie Dowling, Alexandra Gerbasi, and Vic Gulas

It’s no surprise that success in project-based organizations is driven by how well project teams perform. The quality of performance depends not only on the demands of the project but on the team makeup and dynamics. In fact, those human factors can have a much greater impact on results than the challenges of complexity and scope. Collaboration, communication, leadership, and effective knowledge sharing are vital to success, and the “spirit” of teams matters at least as much as their technical skill.

the-impact-of-energy-on-projects

7 Things you need to pass the PMP exam

The Project Management Institute (PMI) has developed a set of criteria and credentials for recognizing Project Management Professionals (PMPs) worldwide. The credentialing process is fairly rigorous, including: three to five documented years of work experience in project management, 35 hours of project management related training, and successful completion of the multiple-choice PMP Exam. The amount of material on the PMP Exam is vast and can seem overwhelming, but don’t be intimidated! Having and using the 7 items in this article will ensure you are prepared to meet the exam head-on and achieve optimal results both on exam day and in your future career.

Read full article:

7 Things you need to pass the PMP exam

Monday, December 13, 2010

How to create a Project Charter

The purpose of a Project Charter is to document the vision, objectives, scope, deliverables, organization and the implementation plan. It is important to set the direction and ensure that you obtain the buy in from all the stakeholders. The project charter will also help with managing the project scope.
To create a project charter, you need to follow the following four steps:
  1. Project vision, objectives, scope and deliverables The first step is to define the vision. This states the purpose of the project and defines the end goal of the project.
    Based on the vision, you must document the objectives of the project. These objectives describe what must be achieved by the project. You can use the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound) way to describe them.
    When you have documented the vision and objectives, you can then document the scope. The scope will describe the boundaries of the project by describing how the business environment will be changed when delivering the project. This must include what is in and what is out on the project.
    Once you have documented the scope, you can then document the deliverables that will be deliver.
  2. Project organization
    In the organization section, you will identify how the project will be structured by describing who the customers are, the stakeholders and there different roles, everyone’s responsibilities and reporting lines.
    The customer is the person or entity that is responsible for agreeing the deliverables and signing of and accepting the deliverables when they are completed.
    A stakeholder is the person or entity who may have a specific interest in the project. This could be people or entities directly involved in the project, such as the project owner, project manager and team members, internal to the organization such as the CEO, Financial Director who needs to provide financial resources or external entities such as other organizations or governmental departments.
    You then list every key role involved. These may be the Project Owner, Project Sponsor, Project Board and Project Manager. You must also provide a short summary on the responsibility of each.
    Once you have documented the full project organization you can then include a diagram depicting all the different project stakeholders and the links and reporting lines between them using a Project Organization Chart.
  3. Project implementation
    You should now be in a position to describe the implementation. This must include the implementation plan, milestones, any key dependencies and a resource plan.
    The implementation plan will include all the phases, steps and activities of the project and can be created in an Implementation Plan. This may provide the Stakeholders with confidence that the project has been thought through thoroughly.
    Now you should be able to create a detailed resource plan for the project, which must include all resources, including people, finances, equipment and materials.
  4. Risks and Issues
    As a final step in the project charter you must also document the risks and issues that are know at that specific time of the project. You can also include any constraints and assumptions for the project.
And there you have your project charter. The benefit from creating a project charter is that it will help you manage the scope and ensure that you deliver consistently on time and within budget.

Article written by Petrus Keyter

Thursday, December 9, 2010

You need a Translator on your Project Team

Translators have a unique role during projects. Many project leaders try to satisfy this role themselves or allocate it to a less than capable person. This is not a good idea as it’s not about just knowing the langue of both parties. Understanding both environments and noticing the spoken and un-spoken components of a message are equally important. Plus, the bigger the communication gap the more experience at translating is required.

Read full article at:
You need a translator on your project team

Monday, December 6, 2010

Functional Managers acting as Scrum Masters: Not a good idea

By Johanna Rothman

I often meet people who are transitioning to agile, and they decided to pick Scrum, because it’s a helpful project management framework. Ok, that makes sense. But then they decide that they no longer need project managers, and that the development manager can act as the Scrum Master.
The Scrum Master is not a management position. The Scrum Master protects the team’s process and removes the team’s obstacles. For me, the Scrum Master is analogous to the project manager. (I’ve never believed in command-and-control Project Managers.)
There is still a need for managers, but a little differently. I don’t see the need for functional managers. The agile team needs a manager who champions that whole team. That means that the champion managers need to understand all the functional parts in the team, so they can help each team member.
But the real issue is that it’s a bad idea to have a manager be a Scrum Master. Here’s why:
  1. The Scrum Master is a part of the team, and the manager, because of his/her titular authority can never be a part of the team.
  2. People are reluctant to take a risk in front of their managers. (Bob Sutton in Weird Ideas That Work: How to Build a Creative Company cites data about this.)
  3. Managers set direction, which is more strategic work. They do this with managing the project portfolio, looking at the makeup of the teams, seeing if they need more people. Scrum Master work is tactical, about the day-to-day work of the project team. If you have to choose between strategic work and tactical work, which one will win? (Tactical, all the time.)
So what does happen to the managers when an organization transitions to agile? They help teams self-organize. They manage the project portfolio. They provide feedback and coaching. They champion the team. They take the lead on hiring.
Managers, do your management job. Project teams, including the Scrum Master, do your project work. The two types of work intersect above the project, not in it.

A Complete Guide to Closing Projects

Why ‘Close’?

By definition, a project has a start and an end. So it’s vital that each of those key milestones is properly planned and managed to achieve optimum success. With the project management industry growing rapidly and on a steep learning curve, it’s more important than ever to pay attention to how assignments end. Many organizations don’t manage closures well. It’s usually because they don’t include the process in the initial plan.

Key Elements of Project Closure

There are a number of key elements to project closure. The level of detail and sophistication of each depend on the organization’s size and the assignment’s complexity.
The key actions involved in close-out are:
  • Identify lessons learned
  • Review and document
  • Archive records
  • Recognize outstanding achievement
  • Disburse resources
Read full article by Michael L Young:

Closing projects

Thursday, November 25, 2010

How to Get Strategic About SaaS: 5 Key Considerations

Over the first half of 2010, Forrester's IT clients asked more than 350 questions about Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Buyers are no longer just asking "What is SaaS?" "Who offers SaaS?" and "Is SaaS secure?" Rather, we're hearing more sophisticated questions about how to incorporate SaaS into the overall application footprint, best practices for implementing SaaS, how to build governance and due diligence around purchases, and where to invest in organization skill sets as firms make greater use of the service.

To better understand current concerns around SaaS implementation, here's an idea of the types of questions we've received and suggestions for sourcing professionals to achieve a successful SaaS strategies.

Read article at:

How_to_Get_Strategic_About_SaaS_5_Key_Considerations

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

13 Transformation Success Factors for Program Managers

Rob Llewellyn shares 13 program transformation success factors which could, if taken into consideration when approaching a program of work, increase the chances of success. It’s a fact that most programs fail – and most projects fail too. That needn’t be the case for you.
  1. Set high standards and realistic expectations.
  2. Establish a clear vision and communicate it well.
  3. Remove obstacles from the path of the new vision.
  4. Lead by example.
  5. Establish board-level support.
  6. Optimise stakeholder engagement.
  7. Focus on benefits realisation.
  8. Don’t declare victory too soon – but systematically plan for, and create, short-term wins.
  9. Put the right managers in place and give them real power.
  10. Focus on results, not an elaborate change process.
  11. Change quickly – tackle issues in parallel, not in sequence.
  12. Establish a great enough sense of urgency – execute speedily.
  13. Anchor Changes in the Company’s Culture.

Why Use International Teams for Projects?

Simply put, many nations where complex projects would typically have been executed in are now both too expensive and incapable of fielding teams large enough to undertake the volumes of work they would a few years ago, to remain competitive and simply to perform the work, organisations based in these countries are now having to look to other countries where the numbers of, and cost per person are more conducive to delivering the volume of work required, this is then driving personnel in countries on both sides of the equation to need to become better at understanding one another and working cooperatively, they now need each other equally so the days of one dictating terms and cultures to another are, in my opinion, well and truly gone.

Francis Norman for PM Hut.

Why-use-international-teams-for-projects

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Understanding Project Structure

Realization of project goals need the understanding and commitment of all the project stakeholders, particularly the project team. Larger more complex projects may require more project team members which requires and understanding of the overall objectives and goals of the project, which may result in conflict in process ownership etc.

What can be done to reduce this conflict and bring all relevant stakeholders on the same page? Michael Stanleigh writes, "Review the Scope Statement document to ensure a common understanding of project scope among all project resources. If one hasn’t been completed, this is a great opportunity to develop it with the team. This will give everyone an opportunity to discuss and agree on clear project parameters and boundaries including the management of time, budget and resources."

Read article at:

Understanding Project Structure

The Four Primary Audits in Project Management

There are four primary audits which may be used: Project management audit, Project performance audit, Pre-project (planning phase) audit, or Post-project (close out phase) audit.

Project Management Audit

A Project Management Audit provides a comprehensive examination of project management performance. This is accomplished through discussions and interviews with the project manager, technical leaders, and a sampling of project team members. You can also use reviews and examinations of project documents. Typically, this is used with larger and long duration projects. This type of audit should be performed quarterly until the project is completed. It is best when performed by an impartial auditor, but may be performed by the project manager or project team.
This audit includes examination of:
  • Project work plan and support plans created to guide the project management effort
  • Effectiveness of project work plan and support plan implementation
  • Oversight of project resource management and task performance
  • Oversight of project vendor/contractor management and task performance
  • Fulfillment of customer contractual obligations

Project Performance Audit

A Project Performance Audit shows a detailed examination of the financial and business aspects of the project. Emphasis is on evaluating and confirming the ability of the project to achieve specified objectives. During this audit, earned value analysis is applied, business case elements are reviewed, and project risk management plan is evaluated. This may be done independently or in conjunction with a project management audit.
This audit includes examination of:
  • The business case used to manage selection and continuation of the project
  • Cost specified in the project work plan
  • Schedule specified in the project work plan
  • Resource utilization specified in the project work plan
  • The project risk management plan

Pre-Project Audit

The Pre-Project, or Planning Phase, Audit validates project readiness for implementation. It transitions from the planning phase to the execution phase and is usually performed by the project manager and project team. It is applicable to all projects.
This audit includes examination of:
  • Initial project management documents
  • Initial technical documents
  • Initial project management planning documents
  • Initial project team documents
  • Initial vendor and contractor documents
  • Initial customer documents

Post-Project Audit

The Post-Project, or Closing Phase, Audit confirms project readiness for closure. It is performed when all project activities have been completed, deliverables have been accepted, and the project is ready for closure. It is usually performed by the project manager and project team and is applicable to all projects.
This audit includes examination of:
  • Customer acceptance of project deliverables
  • Project lessons learned
  • Vendor/contractor close out activities
Any of these audits will be beneficial to your project. Knowing how your project is operating, if it is on time and on budget, is an area in which many organizations are failing. Being proactive in monitoring projects will save your company valuable time and money.

Written by Keith Mathis, 18 November 2010

Slew of New Business Tools Coming to Ubuntu - Yahoo! News

Katherine Noyes writes, if you use Ubuntu in your company, you're already familiar with its many advantages for businesses. But guess what? You ain't seen nothin' yet, as they say.

Particularly in the wake of the release last month of Canonical's user-friendly Ubuntu 10.10, or Maverick Meerkat, partners have been virtually lining up outside the company's door to help deliver business tools with high-level commercial support.
Boxed Ice, Opsview, Riptano, Unoware, Vladster, Wavemaker, and Zend all joined as Canonical Software Partners in the last few weeks, for example, and will work closely with the development teams that deliver Ubuntu to ensure that installation and operation are of the highest quality.

Slew of New Business Tools Coming to Ubuntu - Yahoo! News

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Shooting Landscapes by Guest Contributor Carolyn Fox

It's always good to read the reviews to gain a better understanding on how to become a better photographer. I just love reading these articles. It makes absolute sense. It also helps to get an idea of what type of lens to use for different types of photography.

Shooting Landscapes by Guest Contributor Carolyn Fox

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Why Ubuntu Linux Is a Good Business Choice | Bina-web.com - Web Tips

Nice Article!...Good reasons why Ubuntu is a good business choice. The explanations are put in layman's terms which can be fully understood most computer users.

Why Ubuntu Linux Is a Good Business Choice | Bina-web.com - Web Tips

Monday, October 4, 2010

Things to do after installing Ubuntu 10.10 aka Maverick Meerkat | Multimedia Boom

This is a great help if you are planning to install Ubuntu 10.10 .

Things to do after installing Ubuntu 10.10 aka Maverick Meerkat | Multimedia Boom

10 Uncommon Job Hunt Tactics that Work | New Grad Life

This is an excellent article. It's very frustrating to me, to send an online application, that absolutely fits my profile, to never receive a response back. Is getting back to the old ways of physically handing in an application or mailing it by post the way to go? Others believe that is the way to go, and I do too!

10 Uncommon Job Hunt Tactics that Work | New Grad Life

Friday, October 1, 2010

Taking time-out from facebook

Now I've heard this before. In the lunchrooms, on the radio, etc. I decided to take some time out from facebook to have more time for lots of things I have missed and neglected to do. Being on facebook does not really add any value to me anymore other than having this urge to see what is going on and be disappointed over and over that nothing out of the ordinary is going on. I have decided keep my facebook deactivited until I have written my PMI project management certification exam which is a priority at the moment. I miss blogging, something I have neglected entirely for the past couple of months. Blogging gives me great satisfaction even though I don't have schools of followers. The satisfaction, for me, lies in the sharing part, even though I don't have schools of followers I am happy if my blog posts gets read even without a comment. It's great to have a bit of time to catch up on some leisure reading, much more relaxing and gratifying than clicking around on facebook. So for now I am enjoying my freedom from facebook, I may even extend my freedom beyond the expected return date.

Monday, August 9, 2010

SAAS fighting through Adolescence

Security, Integration, and Data Migration are concerns that will not be easily done away with. I guess SAAS will be playing second fiddle to the proprietary ERP's for a little longer. Financial capital layout is a major criteria to adopt change and it will be for SAAS to prove that integration and data migration will be a smooth process to ensure that endless tapping of financial resources to ensure success does not take place. The article paints a picture that SAAS will have to do more to gain market acceptance. Targeting existing corporates may be more of a challenge to accept SAAS than meets the eye.

SaaS's Troubled Adolescence: 3 Signs of Immaturity

Sunday, August 8, 2010

No need for unnecessary headaches in Ubuntu Linux


From the onset I will admit that changing from proprietary software (MS Windows) to Open Source (Ubuntu Linux) was not without a couple of knocks and doubt. Maybe I'm over exaggerating on the knocks which have been much smoother that I ever expected. I ran against my first brick-wall when I tried to install the huge and very popular software repository Ubuntu Tweak. Getting my first message of a corrupted file was a bit disheartening. I fooled around with the message to rectify the problem, but the way I structured the command line did not solve my problem. I sourced some help from the Ubuntu website and came across this help link that should be a bookmark for every Ubuntu user:
http://ubuntu.stackexchange.com/questions .

It is an awesome resource that gives immediate answers to posted questions. All posts and answers can be viewed. I got a quick crash course on the use of command line in Ubuntu and successfully executed my first command in Ubuntu:
Applications>Accessories>Terminal>sudo dpkg --configure -a

The interactivity and feedback in stack exchange is timeous and pretty amazing. Any problem encountered can be fixed in a jiffy.I installed Ubuntu Tweak without any hassle. The Compiz application in Tweak allows the user to build up an awesome desktop. An amazing feature. For now I am continuing my exploring into the wonderful world of Ubuntu Linux.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

My leap of faith to Open source: Ubuntu 10.4 LTS



About a year ago there was no way I could be convinced to try open-source software. An ex-colleague of my wife used to talk about how he would never pay for proprietary software again after experiencing the value of open-source software. I would rant on about Windows based applications and all the nice things that I could do. I just failed to understand how he could not consider proprietary software at all.

At the time I was so chaffed with my Windows Explorer and all the automatic share buttons in the info bar. It was just so easy to share any article to my blog , or Facebook, or Twitter. I was also not prepared to make that change from Windows Office to Open Office. What could Open Office offer me in terms of MS Projects and MS Visio. I had downloaded the Open Office program and was not at all impressed with the Open Office Writer program. It just looked so dull, I thought.

My mind was about to change. I struggled with relatively slow processing speeds. I defragmented and scan my hard drive regularly but it did not do much the processing speed of my laptop. I knew it was important to install updates and got fed-up with the massive files of Windows updates that Vista had. No wonder the reaction time on my laptop was suffering. Norton Antivirus was another huge file that needed constant attention even with yearly subscriptions. Granted, it is an excellent software package. The final straw came a couple of months ago when I experienced my second system crash in a year. One of them required a new hard drive.

I made a choice. What could be worse than to look into an open-source operating system. After floating some ideas with a couple of friends, well versed in the Open-source environment, three major options came up. OpenSUSE, Ubuntu and Mandriva, with my final decision on Ubuntu Linux.

I backed up all information onto a separate hard drive in case Murphy's Law would catch up to me. Cleared my laptop's hard drive, accept for the Windows files. Downloaded the Ubuntu software online and burnt the ISO image onto a DVD. It was a struggle at first to burn the ISO image onto a DVD but managed easily with ISO downloader(Linux based) which I found online. The windows based CD/DVD burners did not offer the option to download the ISO image.

The installation was pretty easy by restarting with the ISO Image DVD inserted. The installation process was a breeze. Shock took hold of me at first realizing the once nice screen with icons was replaced with a purple screen with a couple of icons. What have I done was the only thought occupying my mind. Remove of Ubuntu immediately was my first thought, but after a bit of exploring I realized that everything I needed was there:




  1. Firefox Browser



  2. Evolution Mail and Calender



  3. OpenOffice Presentation



  4. OpenOffice Spreadsheet



  5. OpenOffice Word Processor



  6. Many other applications

Firefox is an amazing browser and less virus prone. The setting up of mail was very easy. Changed the server option from IMAP to POP and received emails from local provider. I had concerns about printer drivers but Ubuntu picked up my printer immediately. The media player plays all of my music and video files, so no conversion of files required. Skype has a Linux application which works perfectly.

The biggest benefit derived is my laptop processing speed has increase many many fold. It is fast on all levels, for eg. start-up, interaction between different applications, web-page opening etc. Ubuntu Linux offers almost everything, at least of what I use, that Windows Vista offers. It is not as flashy, but it works, and it works fast. Ubuntu runs regular updates to keep the system updated similar to Windows. The big difference is that the updates are not megabytes and megabytes of files that lead to unnecessary virus infections.

I have broadened my perspective on possibilities on both the proprietary and open-source end. This is the beginning of my relationship with the Open-source family. I have been using Ubuntu Linux for 3 weeks and I am happy with the results. I am never going to pay for software again.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The iPad is worth all the hype!




I visited a local mall earlier today with my son to buy him running shoes. I was instantly attracted to the hustle and bustle in the Apple store. It was just busier than normal and my curiosity took over. Not that I found it hard to believe with all the hype going on with the iPad and new iPhone 4G. Maybe it was because I saw this gentleman having lunch at the food-court watching what I believe was a movie on his iPad. I thought that was pretty cool.

I tread on the more traditional side of computers and software, hence PC's and laptops. I have read many articles on the iPad, and the many applications associated with it. It did not really appeal to me other than the fact that this was another cool gadget. What was anybody going to do with all these apps, I said to myself.

I entered the store and was met by the iPad displays. I found one spot open and quickly grabbed it. I wanted to find out for myself what this hype was all about. From the onset I was pleasantly surprised that the iPad was a perfect size. It was not to big or to small and it just felt totally cool to hold it. I played around it and accessing my blog etc. The other feature that I found amazing was the on-screen keyboard was just the right size. I found it very easy to to type on it.

The were a whole bunch of pretty cool apps uploaded already. I came to the realization that the new generation wants cool gadgets with all types applications. Who cares if I am going to use any of them. I need to have access to these in case my friends talk about it and find it cool. Again, to me, it all boils down to having access. All of us want to be in the loop.

Through all typing and dragging on the iPad I was thinking that with the right protective iPad cover I could take this anywhere/everywhere. It was lighter than my laptop, and easier to carry around. I was very impressed with the iPad. It was really worth all the hype! As matter of fact I found myself wanting one. Now, that is a different story. I will try my usual wait for 3 days and then see how you feel about it.

My son, 11years, found spot next to me and was having a ball as well. I looked around and saw that all of the 20 iPad's on display were occupied by people of all ages, and everyone was, what seemed to me, as interested and excited as I was. I thought to myself Apple has outdone itself again. Here I was having something in my hands that could be the norm for mobile computers in a couple of years. The iPad is the perfect intermediate for computers and smartphones, and it looks and feels damn good!

On leaving the store one of the Apple staff was standing in the entrance with an iPad in his hands. I thought to myself, this guy must feel pretty good to be part of a company that is leading the pack in its field of consumer electronic products. Apple is the leader in its field at the moment and all the rest are playing catch-up.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Project Management: 4 Steps to Get Flagging Projects Back on Track

An interesting article that proves that continuous scrutiny by project management team is vital to ensure that all project deliverables are achieved in accordance with the project plan, therefore keeping projects from moving off track.

Project Management: 4 Steps to Get Flagging Projects Back on Track

Monday, June 14, 2010

How I learned to stop worrying about privacy and love Facebook | Privacy - InfoWorld

This is scary but true, or is it a matter of who cares.

Paul Venezia writes, think for a second of what Facebook knows about you. I can't say this for certain, but I think it's safe to assume that Facebook keeps everything you've ever typed into the site, whether or not you've subsequently deleted that information. If it was stored once, assume it's stored forever, even if it's no longer visible to you. This extends to photos you've untagged and anything else tied to your account.

In addition, assume all your Facebook chats are saved and archived. Your IP address is stored for every action and every time you log in. If you're using a mobile app, your exact location may be logged, and if not, your IP address is used to locate you geographically. Cross-referencing all that information gives Facebook a surprisingly clear picture of exactly who you are. Facebook can probably build a very complete profile of users who fail to enter anything other than name, rank, and serial number; the usage patterns are enough.

Read Paul Venezia's full article
How I learned to stop worrying about privacy and love Facebook Privacy - InfoWorld

Selecting an Open Source Operating System

Open Source may not be ready to be rolled out as an independent ERP system yet. It is clear that many critical considerations need to be made such as usage, community, compatibility, and support. But these considerations are not only compulsary for open source software, but for commercial software as well. These concerns may be dealt with an inclusion of open source in an RFP, which will provide a level playing field to all intersted parties.

In my opinion Open Source lacks the acceptable buy-in from most stakeholders, especially non-IT personnel, which puts in into a position of playing catch-up to the well-known commercial packages. The bulk of the end-users are non-IT personnel. The learning curve to adapt to a new open source operating system may just pose to be a bridge to far. Although commercially acquired operating systems requires some learning as well, it is more acceptable to the end-users. It may be wise to use an open source operating system as a backup system to gain experience in the workplace. Gradually train selected employees as super-users, which in turn takes away the rude awakening of new system but also adds some level of acceptability to normal end-users.

Read the full article:
Selecting an Open Source Operating System

How to Convince Your Manager to Use Open Source Software

This is smart article by Stormy Peters which addresses many of the questions and myths regarding Open Source Software. I, for one, have my own reservations on open source support, security and legality. These reservations of mine are somewhat laid to rest in this article. The article rightfully acknowledges some of the concerns surrounding Open Source in the workplace, and otherwise, and makes suggestions on how to address some of those fears. I still believe the biggest challenge for Open Source acceptability is lack of knowledge of the full impact, positive that is, it can have in the workplace.

Full article available:
How to Convince Your Manager to Use Open Source Software

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Why watermark your photo's

A friend recently alerted me to watermark my photos that I post on facebook, needless to say, on all interactions I have through all my webpages. Facebook hit me by storm. My initial intention in posting photos of my family and myself was to keep our family and friends informed in certain parts of our lives. My friends base has grown with leaps and bounds on facebook. Never did the thought dawn on me that I may be exposing myself to piracy and invasion of my privacy. With all the tagging that goes on in facebook in particular the thought of my photo' being exposed to piracy is haunting me to say the least. I know that facebook does allow for privacy settings to "friends only", but I'm not at ease at all. Facebook has a responsibility to add a photo watermarking application.

We start with posting one or two photo albums on facebook profiles,  not thinking of watermarking our photos. Who would want our photos anyway. I have 44 photo albums on my facebook profile at the moment that needs a watermark. Many of us may don't dwell on the thought of watermarking our photos. No need to, we believe.  Identity fraud is taking place everyday and I want to protect myself against that possibility. Professional photographer Gregory Taylor talks about the pros and cons of watermarking in the next article:

Monday, May 31, 2010

3 PMO Pitfalls that jeopardizes every project

The PMO office coordinates and advises on project activities, project schedule, and project changes etc. It is plays a huge part in the all phases of a project except for pre-establishment phase of a project. The PMO in my opinion serves the project which requires acute awareness on the soft issues as well which include the communication strategy. Communication is super important on all levels.

Read the following article:
http://www.cio.com/article/595311/3_PMO_Pitfalls_That_Jeopardize_Every_Project?page=1&taxonomyId=3198

Thursday, May 27, 2010

HowStuffWorks "Has Science Explained Life After Death?"

I believe that people do experience out of body experiences. Not every phenomonon need to be explained by science in order for it to be true.

HowStuffWorks "Has Science Explained Life After Death?"

Monday, May 24, 2010

How to Gain Stakeholder Engagement - stakeholder engagement, project management, leadership, business process management - CIO

How to Gain Stakeholder Engagement - stakeholder engagement, project management, leadership, business process management - CIO

Inspirational quotes to live by

“The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.” – Bill Copeland

“If what you’re doing is not your passion, you have nothing to lose.”

“The person who says something is impossible should not interrupt the person who is doing it.”

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot

“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.” – Seneca

“Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

“Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.” -Albert Einstein.

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” -Milton Berle

“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” – Life’s Little Instruction Book, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

“First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.” – Albert Ellis

“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs

Courtesy of PicktheBrain.com, May 22nd, 2010 by Celestine Chua

Jim Richardson on Travel Photography and Camera Equipment Advice

This is an great article for beginner photograhers like me. It gives valuable information on lenses to use in different settings for eg. cultural travel, wildlife expedition, going creative and experimental etc. I was really exited when I read this aricle because it gave me a wider perspective on the use of the different lenses. Jim Richardson draws on real life experiences and gives great info. It's a must read.

Jim Richardson on Travel Photography and Camera Equipment Advice -- National Geographic

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Camera Test: Canon EOS Rebel T2i

The video recording capabilities of the Canon T2i is just unbelievable. I am just stunned with the clarity and detail captured in video. Needless to say that the pictures captured are just awesome as well.

See the latest review:
http://www.popphoto.com/reviews/cameras/2010/05/camera-test-canon-eos-rebel-t2i

Monday, May 17, 2010

2010 Project Management Trends

2010 brings with it multiple trends for project management. It is not surprising that many of these trends will help mature the world of project management as we know it today. Just as businesses must be flexible with market conditions, project management professionals and organisations must also adapt accordingly.
In talking to industry leaders in project management, several trends stand out.
Economic conditions have changed. Companies are changing and project managers must understand these changes to be leaders.

More 2010 Project Management Trends

When to Give Customers What They Didn't Ask For

I appreciate the fact that to anticipate and be ahead of what customers may need is a humble idea. Salesforce.coms' Collins find the success of Apple's drive to bring about the iPad pretty impressive, and yes, it is very impressive indeed. Herein lies my concern. Steve Jobs' success with the iPad was a bold step which is capturing millions of users as we speak. The iPad, is a great product that came about because of a brilliant idea, backed up by superb market intelligence. But what if it went it went the other way for the iPad. To base your entire existence on building products that customers is not the way to go. Unless you are okay with the fact that many wasted hours of planning and development in all phases of a product will be flushed down the drain.


Richard Adhikari writes that over the years, Salesforce.com has gradually transformed itself from being a CRM company to a cloud services provider. Along the way, it partnered with leading-edge Web 2.0 companies such as Google and Facebook, and most recently, it teamed up with virtualization giant VMware to offer VMforce, a new platform for application developers.

Posted using ShareThis

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Getting the most out of LinkedIn

General-interest networks such as Facebook and Twitter take up so much of our attention that more focused sites sometimes take a back seat. It’s a shame, really, because LinkedIn combines many of the best features of the more popular networks with a practical focus on career advancement. If you’ve been neglecting to sign up for LinkedIn or you want to catch up on the latest best practices,here’s a roundup of LinkedIn stories that made it into our e-mail newsletter, SmartBrief on Social Media.

SmartBrief on: Getting the most out of LinkedIn

How to use LinkedIn with business savvy


LinkedIn can be an extremely powerful business networking tool with endless potential—but only when done right. Check out this great Smart Blog article on how to use LinkedIn with business savvy. See a few hints below:
  • Use it aggressively every day and tweak your profile to see what works for you.
  • Use keywords and searchable phrases in your profile.
  • Make sure your summary answers: who you are, how you want to help, and how you’re going to help.
View full article:
SMSS: How to use LinkedIn with business savvy

Monday, May 3, 2010

Project Management: 5 Steps for Onboarding New Resources

Jason Westland on Fri, April 30, 2010 writes, it's always painful to lose resources during a project. Just when the momentum is building and the entire project team seems to be operating as one unit, a more critical initiative comes up and management decides they need your technical lead and one of your key developers. Ouch! Talk about throwing a wrench in your finely-tuned project management machinery.

How do you deal with this problem? You really can't plan for it, other than to have some good processes in place for bringing new staff up to speed on your existing project. Here are five steps for onboarding new project resources quickly and smoothly.

Read full article at:
http://www.cio.com/article/592419/Project_Management_5_Steps_for_Onboarding_New_Resources_

Wilkinson to add more silverware to the cupboard

Jonny Wilkinson has no shortage of silverware in his cupboard, including the Rugby World Cup(not exactly, but he is a Rugby World Cup winner). It's good to see that he has not lost his competitive edge to win. He is a great sportsperson that does the talking where he does it best, on the rugby field. Wishing him well to add the Euro Rugby Final silverware to his collection.


Wilkinson set for first euro final Rugby Union Global Rugby News Scrum.com

Apple’s Steve Jobs: We've sold 1 million "magical" iPads

Apple iPad sales taking of with a big bang. 1 Million in 28 days. 12 Million apps already downloaded. This is really getting me interested. The way things are going now it seems that iPad's sales internationally is postponed indefinitely until the big demand in the US is taken care off. Will give Amazon a try to see what is available. On the other hand the 3G version will have more capablities. Will follow the reviews closely. Good job Apple. You have my attention!

Apple’s Steve Jobs: We've sold 1 million "magical" iPads

Monday, April 26, 2010

Blood sugar testing game and accessory coming for the Nintendo DS

I guess this is a matter of if you can't beat them, join them. It is certainly an interesting way to combine entertainment with the dreadful prospect of testing blood sugars. I actually like this idea of kids having a game challenge to unlock doors, through regular testing of their blood sugars. It puts fun into it and, in my opinion, fosters a sense of urgency with children to test regularly to beat the game. I have an eleven year old diabetic son and I'm fully aware of the challenges to keep blood sugars at te required level. I am not sure how this game is going to deal with the testing frequencies, because not all kids have the same testing frequency. On the other hand the game allows the kids to be aware of their blood sugar scores which can be treated accordingly. There is however still one constant factor that needs to be applied, constant supervision is still the name of the game. The game may help kids to test when it is required, but kids still need constant supervision to treat the acquired levels of blood sugar. Finally, Nintendo has cleverly tapped into the diabetes market with the introduction of this diabetes accessory, which I believe may be a very rewarding one.

Blood sugar testing game and accessory coming for the Nintendo DS

Posted using ShareThis

Thursday, April 22, 2010

5 Hot IT Certification Picks for 2010 - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership

Denise Dubie writes that industry organizations and vendors are broadening their IT certification training catalogs to address emerging technologies and market needs. Vendor-specific (Cisco, Microsoft) and technology-specific (network, security and open source) certifications can help advance IT careers.

Read full article at:

5 Hot IT Certification Picks for 2010 - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership

Inside Project Managers' Paychecks: PMI Salary Survey Results - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership

Meridith Levinson writes that despite the global recession, historic unemployment and massive corporate budget cuts, U.S. project managers are largely optimistic about their salaries in 2010, according to data from the Project Management Institute's (PMI) recently released 2009 Project Management Salary Survey.


Read full article at:

Inside Project Managers' Paychecks: PMI Salary Survey Results - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership

WhiteHouse.gov Open-Sources Its Code

Jolie O'Dell writes that the code WhiteHouse.gov is releasing into the wild deals with three main aspects: scalability, communication and accessibility. This move is part of the general move toward openness we’ve seen in a slew of recent government initiatives online, such as Data.gov(). WhiteHouse.gov’s opening of its platform means that more developers will get to use, review and modify WH code for their own applications, quite possibly expanding and improving the modules’ capabilities along the way.

Read the full article at:

WhiteHouse.gov Open-Sources Its Code

Why Project and Portfolio Management Matter More at Recession Time - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership

Meridith Levinson writes that IT departments are scrapping projects in response to tightening budgets and the ever-deteriorating economy. But this is no time to cut back on project management or portfolio management, experts say.

"High project failure means you're wasting money, and there's even less tolerance for that in a down economy," says Margo Visitacion, a vice president with Forrester Research who covers project portfolio management and quality assurance.
Portfolio management can help you zero in on the projects that are most worth their effort and scant budget dollars, while project management can help you execute those projects most efficiently, IT managers and project management experts say.

Read the full article at:

Why Project and Portfolio Management Matter More at Recession Time - CIO.com - Business Technology Leadership

The Future of IT Project Management Software - Computerworld

Stacy A. Goff writes that today's information technology organizations are responding to the most treacherous recession in memory. Their actions range from classic belt-tightening to innovating and improving value-added services in their organizations. A primary value-adding strategy for the most effective organizations is to further improve project management.

In view of this strategy, the project management software industry's future looks especially promising. During the global recession, industrial countries around the world devoted billions in economic stimulus funds for infrastructure and other projects. This has created considerable demand for project management software.

Read the full article:

The Future of IT Project Management Software - Computerworld

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Friday, March 26, 2010

Will Facebook be the One Ring for Location?

It is difficult not to recognise the power of Facebook as a social network. Facebook is a place most people feel safe interacting. Maybe Facebook is the "One Ring for Location".

Will Facebook be the One Ring for Location?

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Waratahs hunt first kiwi "Grand Slam"


As an Auckland Blues supporter I can only say "Bring it on!" to the Waratahs. Hold your horses. You'll need to postpone those winning aspirations for another weekend. Go Blues Go!!!

Waratahs hunt first kiwi "Grand Slam" allblacks.com - official site of the All Blacks

Sir Clive Woodward ready to return to England helm | Mail Online

England to bolster their 2011 Rugby World Cup aspirations with the return of Sir Clive Woodword to the game. There is no doubt that Woodward is capable of being instrumental in a complete turn around to the bad fortunes of the English team. Although he says that he does not anticipate making any changes, it is inevitable that heads will role. Amongst those that may get the chop will be Rob Andrew, Elite Rugby Director. Woodward may retain Martin Johnson, his victorious 2003 Rugby World Cup captian. He certainly has everthing going for him to call the shots.

SPECIAL REPORT: Sir Clive Woodward ready to return to England helm Mail Online

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Google may announce China plans next Monday

Yea, right! I'll bet you my bottom dollar that Google will not pull out from China. Pulling out of the world's largest and emerging market seems ludicrous to me. To me it's more bark than bite from Google. I'll wait in anticipation(with a chuckle)!!

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62I05Y20100319?type=technologyNews

Monday, March 8, 2010

Namibia National Sport Fund


Having experienced the Vancouver Olympic Games and what it can do for the people made me realise what my country, Namibia, experienced when Frank Fredericks won his first Olympic medal. As a nation we experienced an indescribable exuberance, a togetherness, and so proud to be Namibian. That was the feeling I experienced in Vancouver. Everybody was involved, the federal government, business, the public, and most importantly the athletes. One of the things that stood out of me was the sponsorship drive that made for a successful 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Which brings me to my point:

Namibia needs a revised strategy in sponsorship of sport. This strategy can be made in the simplest way, focussing on the need for renewed government intervention and support, and more support from the corporate and big business(Banking, Insurance, etc) through tax laws that will put into place and support a National Sport Fund.

Businesses in Namibia, banking, insurance, breweries, telecommunications, etc are all doing well. There are notable sponsors who carried Namibia sport over the years and at the present moment still making valuable contributions to sport, for e.g. MTC, LEO, Namibia Breweries, Trustco, Coca-Cola. There are many others who are involved in sport. It goes without saying that these contributions are vital, but Namibia needs a secure, consistent sponsorship policy. Government can consider introducing a sport tax across the customer service industry. The Namibian insurance and banking industry is vibrant and healthy, with most of the profits benefiting causes outside the borders of the country. These businesses make huge profits and must be called upon to make substantial contributions to a National Sport Fund. It can be done. It is not something new. The rewards of such a venture can result in Namibia to be a competitor in the international sport arena, and winning medals.

Business involvement is not a new concept. We need to make it happen for us. We need government involvement to establish the sponsorship policy and to call for buy-in from industry and the public. It can be done!

http://olympic.ca/en/about/sponsors/sponsor-programs/

Canada Federal Government supports Olympic medal drive


Canada's federal goverment made a concerted effort to support the Olympic medal drive in support of the fundraising campaign, "Own the podium 2010". As an aftermath of the Vancouver Olympic games, this government support had it's fair share in the Canadian team's record breaking 14 Olympic gold medals in the 2010 event. Namibia needs to look into initiatives to produce Olympic greats such as Frank Fredericks. Namibia has produced sporting great's in numerous sporting disciplines like athletics, boxing, mountain biking, and some others. These achievements were realized through the dedication and hardwork of the athletes, but I dare say, through meagre sponsorships. If we as Namibians are happy with our sporting greats of the past and fail to actively seek ways to open up opportunities for new talent, which Namibia so richly has, it is and will just be sad. We need to seek for ways and means to support the National Sport Council's and influence the Namibian government to enact legislature to enable Namibia sport to add to our list of Olympic great's.

As a first step we can take a look at the latest success story:
http://elegacies.ca/userfiles/files/B6_1%20Federal%20Government%20Funding%20Supports%20Canadas%20Efforts%20to%20Top%20the%20Medal%20Count%20in%202010.pdf

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Canada vs. USA - 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics FINAL

The Sidney Crosby goal against USA in the men's ice hockey is by far my favorite moment in what has been for me an excellent, eventful Olympic event. The USA men's hockey team were valiant losers. The Canada/USA final was a final with thrilling moments from an Alfred Hitchcock novel. I could have not asked for anything better than that. I am/was ecstatic that Canada won. This games was as exciting, rating amongst my favorites, as in the time that my Namibian compatriot Frank Fredericks won his medals at previous Olympic events.

YouTube - Canada vs. USA - 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics FINAL

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Windows Phone 7 Series: Full List of Features

Just watch what Steve Jobs made Microsoft do. Not bad at all! I think that the iPhone is way ahead at the moment. One thing is for sure, Microsoft will be pulling out all the stops to capitalise on this new emerging market. What does this mean? More cool gadgets with tons of real cool features!

YouTube - Windows Phone 7 Series: Full List of Features

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Steve Jobs Is Reportedly Working on an Official Biography


This a book I must get my hands on when it hits the shelves. Despite the many challenges Steve Jobs faced, he has built Apple into a household brand. Not that I will be changing to Apple soon, at least not for the foreseeable future, but Apple has surpassed Microsoft in more ways than one. This book will also give some insight into the personal life of this genius. Can' wait!


Thursday, February 11, 2010

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Canon 550D Canon Rebel T2i announced — Photo Accessories The Phottix Journal#more-1171


The Canon Rebel 2Ti (550D) is an impressive camera. I am glad that I did not purchase the T1i yet. This is without a doubt a welcome surprise. I'm looking forward to purchase the T2i as soon as it hits our stores.

Canon 550D Canon Rebel T2i announced — Photo Accessories The Phottix Journal#more-1171

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Blues team for pre-season game against Crusaders


The long wait is over. The Super 14 kicks off on February 12th. Taking on the Canterbury Crusaders in a pre-season game is a good way to start off the season. The team looks good on paper, hope that it will do it justice on the pitch as well. As a former prop I am particularly happy with the front row. I am ecstatic that Tony Woodcock has joined the Blues camp this year. Woodcock, Mealamu, and Afoa, could not ask for more. Hope Toeava will get back to his former brilliance. Surprised to see Rudi Wulf on the bench. I guess I`ll have to wait and see. Other than that, `BRING IT ON!!!`.

Blues rugby team official website, Auckland Rugby Union

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Digital Photography Tutorials and Techniques

This is a great tutorial for beginner photographers like me. Gives basic tips on photography techniques. Gives valuable information on taking photo's of animals, builings and fireworks.

Digital Photography Tutorials and Techniques

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Project-Spotting

Project Management Institute (PMI)

PMI continues its four decades of advocating project management within organizations.

Today, projects are becoming more complex, dynamic, and global, and they are continuously increasing in number. With these new developments come the demand for “credentialed” talent and skilled project professionals.

Forty years ago, the Project Management Institute (PMI) was established to become the “voice” of the profession through its standards for project management and credentialing programs. Today, with more than 500,000 members and credential holders in over 185 countries,
is an advocate for project management among organizations throughout the world. It currently has 250 chapters, with 45% of its membership outside the United States.

Read full article at: http://www.pmi.org/PDF/MS%20Asia%20Project%20Spotting.pdf

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Italy to regain FIFA World Cup title in SA

Holders may feel underdogs' bite

At first glance, world champions Italy look to be clear favourites to take top spot in Group F, though the race for second place promises to be wide open with Paraguay and Slovakia the probable contenders. Paraguay have the benefit of previous experience at football’s top table while the Slovakians were impressive in qualifying. As for New Zealand, Ricki Herbert's men have nothing to lose and will be doing their very best to upset the apple cart.
The favourites Italy: The reigning champions and four-time FIFA World Cup™ winners are heading into their 17th finals campaign. Although their squad has changed since their 2006 triumph in Berlin, I Nazionale still depend on stalwarts such as keeper Gianluigi Buffon and veteran centre-back Fabio Cannavaro, as well as Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso in midfield and Alberto Gilardino in attack. The Italians will be hoping that they can live up to their billing in South Africa and win consecutive world crowns for the second time in their history.
Ready full article at:

Facebook App Devs Can See Your Private Parts


Facebook has insisted its members review their privacy settings to control what other Facebook members can see about them. However, the site has done little to address the issue of privacy in terms of what Facebook application developers can know. In fact, one option that allowed users to not share info with app devs seems to have disappeared.


You may have taken time out from playing "Mafia Wars," "FarmVille" or answering that "Which Muppet Are You?" quiz to update your privacy settings on Facebook this week. However, when you were clicking on your choices for who could see your updates and personal data, did you happen to notice any mention of those third-party applications involving games, quizzes and other outside software linking up to the world's largest social media network? How much access to your personal info do the developers of these apps have?
Read full article:

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

3D TV coming to our living rooms

Sony confirms 3D TV channel plans
By James Sherwood • 6th January 2010 14:50 GMT

Sony has confirmed plans to launch a 3D TV channel in North America, as expected, in partnership with Imax and Discovery Communications - the firm behind The Discovery Channel.

The channel opens for business in 2011 and will broadcast 24/7 a diet of science and technology, natural history, space, adventure and kid’s shows.

Sony, Imax and Discovery Communications are equal partners in the venture, which is designed to drive “consumer adoption of 3D televisions”.

At time of writing it is unclear if the channel will appear in the UK, though the trio is considering international distribution in unnamed selected markets.

ESPN yesterday announced its own plan to launch a US-based 3D TV channel in April. The broadcaster will limit the service to targeted live sports events, such as World Cup football matches.

Meanwhile, the British satellite broadcaster Sky has promised that its 3D TV channel – which launches later this year - will work with all the latest 3D TV models expected to be demoed by Panasonic, LG, Samsung and Sony at CES in Las Vegas this week.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Skype Brings Video Chat to Flat-Screen TVs


Skype's new strategy for 2010: Your flat-screen TV in your living room can now be your phone. Or, if your tastes run more toward "The Twilight Zone," think of it as your TV watching you -- as you watch TV. The makers of popular software that allows users to make free phone and video calls via the Internet announced new deals Tuesday with LG and Panasonic that put Skype inside new Web-connected versions of their HDTVs. Read full article at: http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Skype-Brings-Video-Chat-to-Flat-Screen-TVs-69031.html


Monday, January 4, 2010

SAP and ORACLE no longer the first option

I was wondering when new players would enter the ERP market. Suddenly, 5 new vendors are named, to top it all ahead of SAP and Oracle. The cat has entered the pidgeon cage. I guess it is the way its going to be in the future.

Read full article at:
http://www.cio.com/article/511423/5_ERP_Vendors_Not_Named_SAP_or_Oracle

Has my sense of hot gadgets been overtaken?

What's hot in 2010!

HOT: Blu-ray discs and digital downloads
NOT: DVDs

HOT: Pocket-sized, high-definition video recorders
NOT: Any other type of video recorder

HOT: Wireless for everything
NOT: Wires

Read full report in: http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Gadgets+2010+What+what/2388975/story.html

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Wikieducator continues to widen its access

Free access to information is becoming a buzzword. This notion is becoming more and more acceptable. Acceptability, however, does not necessarily relate to the number of people who wants make free access to information a reality. Wikieducator, is a blackboard, ready for anyone who offers to make a contribution to free access to information. A first step would be to register online for a Learning4Content course at:

http://www.wikieducator.org/Learning4Content/Registration

Also read up on progress of Wikieducator by founder, Dr. Wayne Mackintosh:

http://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/magazine/84632/making-connections