september 2008

This post is from from my other blog here

Aide-mémoire

This post is from from my other blog here

Aide-mémoire

This post is from from my other blog here

This is a really good presentation from Oracle that helps to translate geek speak and culture ...Aide-mémoire

This post is from from my other blog here

Here is a copy of my slides from seminars in Taree and Coffs Harbour for small business owners:Aide-mémoire

This post is from from my other blog here

Aide-mémoire

This post is from from my other blog here

One of the best critical analyses of learning organisations is John Nagl's book comparing the British and US armies in Asia post World War 2. The specifics of each organisation in its particular context are interesting from a historical perspective. However, of more importance are the general principles of learning organisations. It is interesting that Nagl identifies socio-cultural factors as important in both the ability of the British army to adapt to the situation in Malaya and in the failure of the American army to adapt to the situation in Vietnam.Nagl brings real life military experience to his analysis (having served in the Gulf War & Iraq). But it is his understanding of the 'soft' issues that really stands out for me. For example, the British class structure - where everyone knew their relative position - is seen as freeing people up to accept new information. It is typical of the challenges we face in the workplace today.Those of us who wish to democratise and empower the workplace are fighting against the forces of coercion and control. This kind of change is all about 'soft' issues and this book is worth a read in that light.By Carruthers via Aide-mémoire

This post is from from my other blog here

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This post is from from my other blog here

Aide-mémoire

This post is from from my other blog here

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This post is from from my other blog here

A conversation with Simon Sharwood at Tech.Ed Sydney regarding his recent article on small business technology really helped to crystallise some thinking for me. Because most of my working life has been inside large organisations like GE, AMP, Citigroup or government the problems of technology pricing had never really impinged on my consciousness. However, now that I am running several small businesses this issue is top of mind.Decisions about spending even small amounts like $1,000 are critical to a small business. We cannot afford to spend our cash unwisely. Also many small business people do not have many technical skills that would enable them to do a lot of work themselves. Thus a decision to acquire technology is coupled with the need for assistance in setting up and running that technology - there are few IT departments available in small business land. With entry level pricing for many technology solutions at $10,000 plus the barriers for small business in Australia are enormous. This makes SaaS solutions coupled with decent broadband access utterly critical to small business growth in Australia. The first companies that get this right and understand the right price-points for small business will be able to own the niche. It is a niche that is totally under serviced at present, but which has great need for help. But that help must come at the right price.By Carruthers via Aide-mémoire

This post is from from my other blog here

Aide-mémoire

This post is from from my other blog here

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This post is from from my other blog here

Aide-mémoire

This post is from from my other blog here

We are seeing a fluidity in the way techies interact with different technologies today. This topic came up in a conversation with @ceibner at Microsoft Tech Ed earlier today. In the past people focused on a very narrow (often proprietary) technology stack, such as Java or .NET. However, now with web 2.0 most people in the technology world interact with a broad range of different technologies. We might use open source tools like Blogger, Wordpress, Media Wiki, or Wikispaces to quickly put together a blog or a wiki, while still using the corporate platforms like .NET or Java at work. At home we might use PHP, Joomla or Drupal to put together a website for our friends or community. Out of curiosity we download and experiment with Photosynth or AIR.This diversity and richness in the technology available to us now really drives creativity. It is only possible because of the philosophical breath of fresh air from web 2.0 that has begun to break down the barriers between languages and platforms. This ability to understand, use and mashup many diverse technologies has really liberated us from the old locked-in mentality of the past.It was quite refreshing to talk to people at a Microsoft event today and to realise that these practitioners are using a wide range of tools to meet business and personal needs. The barriers in our own minds about these technologies is dropping away and enabling some real creativity.By Carruthers via Aide-mémoire

This post is from from my other blog here

Had some fun today with @ceibner and @alegrya at Microsoft TechEd, also ran into @rog42 and @nickhodge - a few pics are up on FlickrAlso was on panel session for high school students at TechEd this morning with @nazzer and Dorothea and Ms Megabyte talking about ICT careers for women (we were in the affirmative on this topic)By Carruthers via Aide-mémoire