April 21, 2022 “Scott Zarrow had a library.” So began Rabbi Marc Fitzerman’s eulogy of Scott Zarrow, a former client and philanthropist who became a friend, whom I think about often. Scott called me up one day after he finished an add-on to his house that was equal to or bigger than the original footprint […]
For the past 6 months or so, I’ve been riding shotgun for my daughter while she does her state-required 50 hours of behind-the-wheel driving practice before getting her license. Recently, when accelerating from a stop sign she said “Vrroom-vrrroom.” I asked: “Why do you do that?” “Why?” “Well, you’re in an electric car. There’s no […]
It’s no surprise to say that for most of their 30-year existence, IT departments have not been held in high regard. Organizations grow over time based on perceived need. Every startup or small business I’ve ever known added a bookkeeper of some kind in short order, then grew over time to require more than accounting. […]
Yesterday I attended a remembrance service for William Fosterr, whom I got to know and appreciate during my days as the sole IT contractor (2004 — 2011) for the Mental Health Association of Tulsa, now known statewide as MHAOK. I got to know William initially as one of the Front Desk people at their old […]
Recently I learned that one of my former employers was hit by ransomware, locking out access to a file and SQL server. They are one of a couple of higher education sites in the same state system that’s been hit by attacks over the last year, in a period when higher education domains have been […]
February 14, 2022 Amid the high price of used cars right now, we’ve been looking off and on for either my daughter’s first car or a car for me so she can take my Honda CR-V. At the same time, we’ve been thinking about gasoline costs and the costs to the planet, and do we […]
January 31, 2022 One of the traditions we honor from our daughter’s Chinese heritage is Lunar New Year, which starts today. It’s the Year of the Tiger, which happens to be the astrological birth year of my wife and me. Depending on what you read, it could be a good year or a bad year […]
In Asian cultures, there is a traditional event that takes place on a child’s one-year birthday that portends the child’s life choices going forward. Called Zhua Zhou in China, it’s literally “first birthday pick” or The Grabbing Game, where parents lay out a collection of items on a mat, and whichever item the child picks […]
December 10 2021 I often include links in these posts, which add detail to whatever point I’m making from other people. But this time, I have to go all Fanboy on how much I love this document from Claire Hughes Johnson, COO of Stripe since 2014. I’ve read Claire’s observations for a while on Twitter […]
Everything old is new again. In Technology management we’re always pushing that boulder up the hill. At the same time, the hill is changing, our methods of pushing are changing, and our goals once we get to the top also change. The core IT function of protecting the network from intrusion has morphed and changed […]