I retired from personal blogging in July 2008 but you can find me over at blog.xero.com
Follow @roddrury
My Slashdot feed has been banned with the following message…
Due largely to the absolutely ridiculous amount of abuse we get on a daily basis from poorly implemented headline readers, we were forced to implement a much more liberal automated banning system on RSS/RDF headline reading applications. Our policy is to allow one request every 30 minutes. We’ll allow a few more before you will get banned, and we are more flexible still with proxy servers. However, in many cases, we have no choice but to ban abuse.
You should still be able to access the rest of the website, just not the .rss, .rdf, and .xml pages.
You have 2 options: First is to stop beating the crap out of our servers, and just wait a few days/hours. Depending on the severity of the abuse, you should be back in a couple of days. If, after 72 hours, you are still banned, please Email banned@slashdot.org and ask for help. Please include the approximate time of the ban, the MD5 that the ban message told you to tell us, and what you think your IP number is.
If you have reason to believe you’re connecting through a proxy server, please mention that too — and you might need to have your proxy server’s admin contact us instead of you.
My SharpReader settings were checking the feed every 30 minutes. I have changed it to daily.
On MSDN Finance For Geeks.
I met up with an old work mate today who had been working with Microsoft Class Server.
Class Server 3.0 is a powerful learning management platform for delivering assessments and lessons over the Web that enables school districts and teachers to track and improve student achievement against local curriculum standards. The new version includes:
- A portal that can be fully customized for schools and teachers. The ability to create auto-graded tests delivered over the Web.
- The ability to grade student work against local curriculum standards.
- Compliance with Instructional Management Standards (IMS) and Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) open standards for content.
- Compatibility with Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF) open standards for Enterprise Application Integration.
- New Teacher’s Guide—designed specifically for the way teachers work.
- Eligibility for Federal funding under EETT (Ed Tech program).
I hadn’t heard of this before. Looks interesting. MS CRM 1.2 just arrived on DVD’s as well so lots of things to play with coming up to Christmas.
From GeekZone, 2003 Vodafone NZ numbers …
- Total customers: 1,429,000
- 140,026 net additions from March 2003 when total customers numbered 1,289,000. In the past quarter net additions totalled 80,000. On Account customers accounted for 25,145 net additions over last six months (44% increase on the same time last year), while PrePay had 114,881 net additions over the last six months (165% increase on the same time last year).
- ARPU (12 months to September 03): 1% increase on the same period last year
- Average revenue prepay for same period last year - $324
- Average revenue on account for same period last year - $1855
- Total average - $655
- Market share 53% by customers numbers
- Data usage increased by 58% compared to same period last year
Vodafone total market share is 53% but over 70%+ in the active under 30’s according to some sources.
From news.com, consumer stand up: http://ipodsdirtysecret.com/
Wellington feels like Hollywood at the moment. The premier of the LOTR Return of the King happens Monday.
I was walking down Willis Street when Elijah Wood (Frodo) bumps into Seth Green who is here shooting a Burt Reynold’s flick. They are clearly excited to see each other on the other side of the world. So what to do.
a) Flip out, gush, run up to them, try to slime a photo. Then dine out on the ‘yeah I’ve met Seth’.
b) Hang back and think, its it cool that NZ is so relaxed that we don’t make a big fuss and the guys can relax.
So I choose option (b). Then a class of school kids walked past and flipped out.
At least by blogging I can do the (a) option virtually. A bit of name dropping while retaining the coolness of not making a big deal on the street.
BTW, they really are little when you see them in real life.
Audi signed an agreement with Real Madrid in July to become the club’s automobile partner for the next three seasons.
Audi choices of all the Real Madrid players …
Player / Model
Goalkeepers
1 - Iker Casillas: Audi A6 2.5 TDI quattro
13 - Carlos Sánchez: Audi A6 2.5 TDI quattro
25 - César: Audi S4 Avant quattro
Defenders
2 - MÃchel Salgado: Audi S4 Avant quattro
3 - Roberto Carlos: Audi S4 Avant quattro
4 - Rubén: Audi TT 3.2 quattro
6 - Iván Helguera: Audi S4 quattro
15 - Raúl Bravo: Audi S4 quattro
17 - Minambres: Audi A4 Cabriolet 3.0 quattro
22 - Pavón: Audi S4 quattro
26 - Borja: Audi S4 quattro
Midfielders
5 - Zidane: Audi S4 Avant quattro
10 - Figo: Audi A8 4.2 quattro
14 - Guti: Audi S4 Avant quattro
19 - Cambiasso: Audi A4 Cabriolet 3.0 quattro
21 - Solari: Audi S4 Avant quattro
23 - Beckham: Audi A4 Cabriolet 3.0 quattro
27 - Núnez: Audi S4 quattro
Forwards
7 - Raúl: Audi RS 6 quattro
9 - Ronaldo: Audi RS 6 quattro
11 - Portillo: Audi S4 quattro
Got TechPac’s first order in NZ. Though 30 are coming in for MS staff.
Imagine the games going on shuffling laptop entitlements! Beware of those offering their 6 month old 3500’s. There is an agenda!
I’ve been approached by a blue chip organisation to locate an exceptional .Net person to fulfil a key role. Before formally going out an an expensive recruitment exercise they were keen to see what good quality candidates might be around.
The role may be be modified depending on the person selected indicating that this is an exciting opportunity for someone to get in and make a difference. The things they are after include ….
- in depth knowledge of Microsoft technologies - in particular windows 2000 server, SQL server, Microsoft operations Manager, and BizTalk Server
- Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)
- Knowledge and awareness of Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF), or other best practice operations management frameworks
- experienced support / implementation engineer ideally encompassing both Microsoft and UNIX / LINUX environments
- Excellent customer facing skills - committed to excellent customer service and professional best practices
- Ability to work with and between Software Architects, BA’s / project managers, Developers to implement and support integration solutions
- Ideally have some programming / development experience or willing to develop these skills
- Able to produce professional documentation
- Wanting to develop themselves into a Integration Consultant / Architect (encompassing EAI, B2B and BPM technologies). Must want and be motivated to learn new skills and apply them
- Must be able to provide after hours on call (rostered) support services - shared among 2 other people
Development skills are important but as you can see from the above this is an opportunity to combine development and architecture skills with a broader role. An interest and/or experience in BizTalk will be an advantage.
If you’re interested please email me directly (rod@drury.net.nz) a brief CV by November 30. All responses will be treated as confidential. I’ll pass on the good ones.
Having the best garage (and garage toys) has always been a source of competion between myself and friends. Yesterday however I was well and truely humbled by garage greatness.
At the entrance way was a dive boat, a Yamaha 660 Raptor and an excavator. But inside the double height man paradise was …
- 4 different types of welding machines
- Plasma Cutter
- Car hoist
- and a forklift!
The bar has been raised.
I read that students are less likely to study Information Technology since the downturn a few years ago. They are concerned there are less jobs in the industry.
Here’s a few reasons why I recommend a career in IT.
- IT is a horizontal skill, used in almost any industry. There is real opportunity for being skilled in IT and some other domain that really interests you. Like IT and Design, IT and Music, IT and Politics, IT and Law.
- IT is fundamentally interesting and exciting. There are always new things you can do, new toys to play with etc.
- If you’re an Entrepreneur, there are countless new business opportunities. IT can be very low capex so you can get a start using your own sweat equity. The market is international. Being successful in a small way in a global market can be very lucrative.
- It is intellectually stimulating. You can interact with thought leaders anywhere in the world and become a thought leader yourself.
- It’s very humorous. There is an intrinsic sense of humour that runs through the entire industry.
IT lets you travel. I’ve worked in Australia, Malaysia, USA and the UK. - IT gives you lifestyle options. You can steer your career so you can work from home or from anywhere.
- There is no glass ceiling. IT doesn’t hold you back, It gives you the wings to fly as fast as you can.
And fiinally, pretty much all the jobs I’ve done in the last 10 years didn’t exist before I started doing them.
SQL Services, a company I’m an independent director of, announces its acquistion by Secure Data in Australia.
This is very exciting for Nelson based SQL Services, giving them great access into the Australian market.
I’ve been really impressed with the Secure Data people and look forward to working with them.
Had my first real life look at Whidbey and Longhorn at the Wellington .Net User Group.
Paul Andrew (MS) and Jeremy Boyd (Intergen) showed us some some of the PDC goodies.
Whidbey is fascinating from a commercial point of view because of the extent it rewards the lean experienced development team. Microsoft have clearly analyzed the common horizontal tasks that most developers use.
Personalization, Membership, Login Management are all there. Even the default page in ASP.Net is now default.aspx (instead of the always renamed webform1.aspx).
By providing these common building blocks the time/capital required to develop new software products will be substantially reduced, which in a capital starved country like New Zealand is very exciting.
Malcolm Fraser sent me a couple of good links on Portfolio Workers.
A worker who holds multiple jobs or contracts in multiple fields with multiple companies.
Also How to become a Portfolio Worker.
From TabletPCBuzz …
“Call it rock ‘n scroll. Toshiba Corp plans to launch a new tablet PC on Tuesday that allows users to tilt the clipboard-like computer up and down to scroll through Web pages. Users reading an electronic book or digital magazine can also turn the pages manually by tilting the tablet from left to right — similar to the real thing. The unique “dual axis accelerometer” is among several new features in the Toshiba Portege M200, the company said.
Toshiba’s tablet PC to feature new way of scrolling
Infragistics have released a technology demo of their UltraGrid component running over the new Longhorn display environment.
Download includes source.
Official specs on the much awaited Toshiba generation 2 tablet are just surfacing.
- 1.5Ghz Centrino
- 12.1″ 1400×1050
- 512MB Ram
- nVidia 32MB video
Looks like 14 inch model due soon after as well. 12.1″ looks like next toy!
Early review of Tablet PC refresh due Q1 2004.
http://kstati.com/tabula/posts/794.aspx
Link spotted on Richard’s site …
Single wheeled Segway like thing. Made by Bombardier (the jet ski, snow mobile and quad bike people).
Story at Forbes.com.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1382695,00.asp
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