Finished my first Harry Potter audio book

I haven't read any of the Harry Potter books although I've seen (and own) all the movies. When the sixth book came out I thought it would be a good time to read them. I decided to listen to them on tape instead since I travel to and from the office alone, I figured it would be a great way to pass an hour a day.

I finished the audio’s today and I must admit the book is a lot different than the movie. Sure the plot line is basically the same, but I like the nuances that J.K. Rowling adds to each of the characters. On the screen you see them as facial expressions or passing glanced. And in many cases you miss the little things all together because there is just too much happening on the screen. That is where the book makes a big difference.

I liked the book and the narrator and I have my hands on book 2, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Filed under: books

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Iraq war, is it still a war?

As a former Marine, stories like this make me sick and mad.

I'm a supporter of our troops. Not the war, or so called war. I was for the removal of a dictator who clearly harboured terrorist that were making more plans to attack the US. I also believe that the Iraqi dictators were making and or selling weapons technology to other terrorist countries.

But I feel it's time to step out of that area. Let the people of Iraq defend their country. If they really want freedom then they will have to fight for it. Take a stand.

Filed under: military

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How do you file your thoughts?

I read this in a newsgroup today. Someone trying to be technical without really knowing what they are talking about.

"What happens next time the logorythems change in Google?" ... logorythems?

Seeing how I needed to post about something today, I recall a conversation my wife and I had the other day. She really hates it when she starts to tell me something and I say "oh yeah, I heard that, or oh yeah I read that..." It drives her crazy. I have really been trying hard to let her tell me things she learns. It's important that she know things before I do. Anyway, what I was thinking was why is it that I know these things and how can I recall them? I mean I'm no Ken Jennings, but I do know a lot of current events and like staying on top of things. I guess the reason I know so much about current events it the fact that I interface with a computer all day. I have access to news and weblogs when ever I want.

But the conversation we had was how each of us store things we see, hear, smell, tast, everything. Somethings are stored in short term memory and we don't have to think very hard to recall them. Others are stored long term and take more of an effort remember them. Here is what I do. Everything piece of information I come across that I may want to remember I associate it with a picture or phrase. Things I want to remember frequently I try and store a hyperlink to it in my short term memory.

Why I am able to remember these things? I think comes from years of reading technical books and developing software. But I really think it's just that I see it all the time, every day, every where.

Filed in: technology

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TiVo and Vonage working at last

I finally got my TiVo DVR to dial out using Vonage after trying several options. Admittedly it's because my brother has the same setup and he spent two hours figuring it out. So thanks little brother.

Here is what ended up working for me:

Phone line from back of TiVo DVR to Linksys Vonage Router (Phone 1)

RJ45 cable running from back of Linksys router to Belkin Wireless Router which is hooked to my Comcast DSL Cable Modem.

Using 2122773895

Dialing prefix of *99,,#019,,

Selected Tone

Check for phone line in use off

Check for dial tone off

Save and test. Viola! It worked.

Not sure why this is cool other than I don't have to run a phone line to the TiVo where there isn't one. Thanks again Bro!

Filed in: tivo | technology

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Chiming in on Performance Appraisals

I've been told and have read numerous accounts of prospective employers seeking out a candidates weblog to determine their personality, character and communication ability. I hope that never happens to me, but it could. This might be one of those posts that could get me into trouble but I feel the need to chime in.

I was reading a great post on Talking Story about abolishing the Annual Performance Review. There are many reasons I agree with this movement and hope more people push their companies to stop using them against their employees.

Depending on the type of work you do, performance may be easy to measure. If you work on an assembly line and you put together widgets, and your quota is 100 widgets a day, then you can measure how many you build in a day and measure performance. But what if your job performance is subjective? If you're a writer your deliverables may be the total number of stories, the total number of words, deadlines and so on. But in the end, is actual delivery the best way to measure performance? I say no, and here's why.

I believe quality goes hand in hand with performance. You can't just throw 100 widgets in the box and ship them. They need to be checked for completeness and meeting design criteria. Anything less is a failure of the product and the person building it. The same can be said for a writer. Just because I make a deadline or produce 5 stories with eight hundred to a thousnad words each a week doesn't mean they have any value to the reader. How do you measure those things?

I know I have strayed off the performance review thought, but it's all tied together. The one thing most companies miss with performance reviews is the coaching or mentoring that should come with them. If for instance you and an employee agree on a set of tasks that they will be measured against, you, as a manager, need to make sure they have all the tools and skills necessary to accomplish the tasks. Please don't use the lame excuse that "they should be motivated enough to learn the skills on their own." It won't happen. Why? Because most people need help reaching the next level. They don't want goals or tasks that are menial. They want something challenging. If you are letting your employees get away with menial tasks then that's your fault as well.

The reason I would say the annual performance review should be abolished is because it's counter productive. Whether you like it or not people need to be praised. They need slaps on the back in front of their peers. They need to know you appreciate their efforts. They also need to know in private when they aren't reaching their potential. Having charge over other brings a responsibility to improve their abilities, not just point out flaws. Work with them, help them be the best they can. If you can't, then managing people isn't your cup of tea and you should hand it off to someone else.

Please read this article and the other links that are on that page. Join the movement.

Filed in: job | management

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