No matter how well we communicate, a message may not always be understood as expected. I remember as a child the following discussion regarding Christmas and Angels. “Gabriel is the Angel that is associated with Christmas.”, said the teacher. “What about Harold the Angel?”, my friend asked. “Who?” “Harold. You know. Hark Harold, the Angel sings….”,… Continue reading Harold the Angel
Category: Plus ça Change, Plus c’est la Même Chose
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Silent Anarchy
When one is engaged with a new Client, you sometimes must ask; “How did they end up doing things this way?” I usually attribute it to bureaucratic inertia. Once something starts in an organization, inertia takes over and it does not stop. Obviously that is not true all the time. Errors are corrected, inertia halted,… Continue reading Silent Anarchy
Brrraaiiiins! Daaataaa!
For reasons not relevant here, I have been doing a lot of reading on “Big Data”. In essence, Big Data is an umbrella term that deals with the question ‘What to do with all this data we are creating/collecting?’. During my research what struck me is how much information concerning Big Data is just recycled… Continue reading Brrraaiiiins! Daaataaa!
Once more unto the breach
In the 15th century, the heavily armored knights and men-at-arms were the masters of the battlefield. Years of training and expensive equipment were required to be an effective soldier. As such, it was the domain of the nobility only. Ordinary people could not compete against their might nor did they have the resources acquire the… Continue reading Once more unto the breach
Digging for Metrics
My grandfather was a coal miner. At one point, the company paid the workers based on how far they progressed (dug) into a coal seam. The idea was to provide them an incentive to be more productive. As would happen, one day the “official” measuring stick had a legitimate (or so it was claimed) accident… Continue reading Digging for Metrics
The Past Ain’t What It Used to Be
“Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.” ― Marcus Tullius Cicero Or everyone is writing a blog (ahem). How often have you heard the lament that children no longer obey their parents? Apparently, things have been deteriorating since around 100 BC. There must have been some idyllic… Continue reading The Past Ain’t What It Used to Be