Balderdash

What is the worth of one US Dollar?

I went to a great roundtable discussion about cloud services this morning. Microsoft hosted the talk along with Sentri that highlighted some very straight forward steps an organization can take to prepare for a hybrid implementation model. Many of the concerns from fellow IT professionals were concerning both cost and security. The cost piece really should be considered in the context of a switch from a capital to direct cost model. With the Azure Platform as a Service PaaS there are several ways that companies might save. The most obvious is the reinvestment costs of replacing out of warrantee machines and holding the depreciating capital within budgets. The cost of patching and maintenance is a bit of a light green saving since smaller corporations might not trim enough work to eliminate in house staffing. Reduction of software subscription/renewal costs like physical equipment start to add up. Really though it is the realization that business continuity can be realized without additional resources. All of agreed that start-up companies are going to gain a competitive advantage since they will be poised to start their organizations on a cloud path from the beginning. Existing organizations will have to make thoughtful choices about which pieces can be moved into the cloud and at what point. Although previous investments (unless they account for pieces actively depreciating) should not be taken into account when looking into new projects (idea of sunk costs), yet there is an emotional cost. No one likes to look at something expensive and throw it out even if the item replacing it is superior.

Alessia just keeps getting bigger and so too do our worries now and again. She is super cute and really a joy every day. So too am I occupied by the changes and challenges at work. Currently we’ve got a Microsoft Lync Project going on for 160 CX600 phones.

I just purchased a Roku XD | S and after a bit of wireless network tussle was excited to get going. I teamed up, Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, and Pandora which was really easy. I like the menus and the easy setup of the box. If you’re going to setup a Roku have your laptop right there and things will work seamlessly.
My honeymoon period with Roku didn’t last long; as soon as I tried Netflix the audio came in choppy. I only got every 10th word which makes a test drive on Netflix pretty awful. After some further testing I checked the user forums on Roku. Low and behold they have had HDMI output audio issues since 2009. I have a JVC LT-32J300 which is a great TV with full HD 1080p but the HDMI audio in from the Roku is terrible. The picture from the Roku is great, but the audio which only works through the component cables is disappointing. The JVC model is not alone in the audio issue either, there have been reports of some Sony, Samsung, and Panasonic as well. Check the Roku forums http://forums.roku.com/viewtopic.php to see if your TV is mentioned in anyway before you buy an XD | S as I did. I’m going to return this to the vendor I got it from and not waste time with their tech support. If they haven’t fixed an obvious issue in the last two and some years of operation then well then they don’t care.

I’m enjoying my week off while the office is closed. I’ve only had two calls which is pretty good for the shut down week. The worst problem was the security system wasn’t setup to lock down the office correctly. I fixed that while looking after a screaming child so it really wasn’t hard.
I laid down a nice topcoat of concrete in one part of the basement and I hope to get a couple of other household things banged out while I’m relaxing. We’re taking the girl to town tomorrow to run some errands.

Alessia Kirkpatrick was born on November 2nd, at 2:25 am. She is now about 7 Lbs and some (back up to birth-weight), and is 19 inches long. Mom and dad are so very pleased.

I haven’t been stuck on a book like this for a long time. I think I’ve read it through about three time (it is a quick read). McCarthy weaves a compelling and tragic vision of a world broken, without hope of a future, yet sets two hopeful characters against the bleakness. The father and the boy each the only thing left to hold onto. This is definately making it’s way to the top of my distopic future list. This book was a grisly, horrific, tender, and tragic story.

“Maybe he understood for the first time that to the boy he was himself an alien. A being from a planet that no longer existed.”

Dis-topic future top ten:

1. The Road
2. 1984
3. Brave New World
4. Handmaid’s Tale
5. A Clockwork Orange
6. Farenheit 451
7. Riddley Walker
8. A Canticle for Leibowitz
9. Neuromancer
10. The Children of Men

Got a nightmare, dystopian book I should read let me know. I’m settling into ‘Under the Volcano’ for the next few weeks but I’ll need something for August.