I’m coining a new term, fomplicated, to describe a product that requires deliberate intervention and expertise from a customer beyond what any sane human being would consider reasonable. The word is a contraction of a well-known English expletive rhyming with firetrucking and the word “complicated.” Although it’s applicable to a variety of things, I’ve been […]
My soon-to-be-former* work laptop is perpetually bogged down each day by the impossible trinity+ of software applications: eTrust anti-virus, Outlook, and Instant Messenger. I knew I had a meeting in 20 minutes, but couldn’t remember where. Twenty minutes is just long enough to let the machine get its morning regimen of disk-thrashing, cpu-spinning calisthenics, after
Elvis is about to leave the building Read More »
My birthday’s coming up this week and, for the first time in a decade, I’m in moderately neutral spirits, which is actually a substantial improvement. I’ve considered this relative to my life/age milestones:
Last December I was lamenting the industry analyst forecasts were all over the map. One particular analyst, Analyst Bravo, had unbelievabily optimistic numbers. Here’s a better chart depicting the market predictions of four analysts for hard-boiled eggs (HBE), soft-boiled eggs (SBE) and Jewel-encrusted eggs. Everyone acknowledges the hard- and soft-boiled eggs market is declining while
You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth! Read More »
I was in “The Greater Houston Area” during the holiday to visit my parents. Although I have previously lived in Texas (twelve years in Houston, four in Austin), I lack a discernable accent and, when I’m away from it long enough, a full appreciation for the Texas mystique. The name Texas is a derivative of
Texas wants you anyway. Read More »
My dad was cranking up the stove to cook us breakfast this morning when, suddenly, there was a boom outside and the electricity went out. The fuse on the transformer outside blew for the second time in two weeks. It’s very cold (temperatures in the 20s) and all the homes have electric heat. The combination
The screaming wheel gets three trucks Read More »
One motivation for the exercise last week in reviewing 10-Q/Ks was to come up with some forecasts on the marketplace. We also use an array of industry analysts who are ostensibly better connected and do this stuff all day, but the numbers I’ve seen are all over the place. Consider the following chart:
Magic Quadrant Me, Baby Read More »
Map During Labour Day week, we took a rare vacation, spending four days in Tofino and two days in Victoria. Tofino’s on the west coast of Vancouver Island, just north of Pacific Rim National Park, where we’d be making day trips. It’s not very far as the crow flies, but the trip takes all day
Tofino and Victoria, British Columbia Read More »