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The Name Game and Spam Connections: The “Jaweed Scenario”

I have an unusual name. I like my name, but I admit that it’s unusual. I often get people that I don’t know me try to fudge by using my middle name – and often get it wrong. While my middle name is Michel, I can understand why people (non-francophones, obviously) will call it “Michael.” But I don’t go by my middle …

Rant on “Gurus” and “Experts”

I gotta vent. I just gotta. I’ve long been annoyed as hell by those people who call themselves “experts” or “gurus” on any particular subject, simply because they have an obsession that they wish to rationalize. Among those I think have carved out their own special corner of hell: Life Coaches Motivational Speakers Personal Shoppers Change Agents Feng Shui Experts …

Alcohol and the Tech Industry

An article on Alcohol and the Tech Industry, written by Kara Sowles, came through my twitter stream today, followed by a few enthusiastic virtual thumbs up. I’ve written before about the Tech industry and inappropriate behavior (often as a result of overindulgence of alcohol), and I don’t have any problems with the suggestions Ms. Sowles makes about how to improve the …

Yet Another Social Media Misunderstanding

Today I saw an article float by in the Twitter river: “Why do only 7% of managers consider social media skills most important for employees?” Go ahead and read the article, because the attitudes are pretty interesting. The author, however, conflates a couple of things and winds up 180 degrees from the direction he should be facing. First, “social media” …

Open Letter to Continental Airlines

I need to write to describe my increasing displeasure with Continental’s merger with United as it relates to declining customer experience. For years I have promoted Continental’s exemplary customer service and stellar commitment to rewarding loyalty, and have deliberately shifted all of my business to Continental. In 3 of the past 4 years I have achieved Silver or Gold Elite, and …

Infosmack Goodness

Just a short post today to promote the Infosmack podcast that I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate. I’ve been a fan of the podcast for a while and when Greg Knierieman asked me to join I was honored and excited. Along with Greg and Marc Farley from 3Par, I was invited along with Doug Hazelman from Veeam. …

M-A-M™: The Art (and Work) of Blogging

Scott Lowe, a highly respected technical blogger, wrote a really good, short piece on “Blogging for the Right Reasons.” His sentiments echoed my own when people asked me about providing advice for job seekers when it came to blogging. Like Scott, I believe that if you are blogging solely to get hired, you are blogging for all the wrong reasons. …

No More (Apple) Kool-Aid For Me, Thanks

I watched the WWDC feeds and paid close attention to the claims that were made by Jobs/Apple and felt that, despite the technological magic that Apple produces, it couldn’t outshine the deep-seated emotional anger that my intelligence was being insulted, blatantly and deliberately. The “reality distortion field” didn’t work for me, not this time.

M-A-M™: Understanding Presentation Media

Recently I went to a technical conference and, as was to be expected, found myself subjected to the classic “Death By Powerpoint.” I found myself getting frustrated and insulted by the lack of respect the presenters – and by extension, their presentations – showed their audience. There are a lot of places on the Intarwebs that can give you directions …