Book Review - Stay Close by Harlan Coben
Sun, May 20th 2012 3:00p Thomas Duff I recently finished the latest book
from Harlan Coben titled Stay
Close. My favorite books
by Coben are the ones in the Myron Bolitar series, but the stand-alone
titles aren't too bad either. Stay Close is in the stand-alone category,
and I thought it was an enjoyable read. If I were headed on vacation
for a week or so, packing this book as reading material would have been
worth the weight...
The general story revolves around three
individuals who are all trying to figure out wh [read] Keywords:
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User group meetings... the technology may be different, but the feeling is the same...
Sat, May 19th 2012 8:30p Thomas Duff Today I attended my first SharePoint Saturday
event here in Portland. For those who don't know, SharePoint Saturday
is a concept started a few years back where a group of committed people
in the SharePoint community decided to hold a one-day user group meeting
on a Saturday, complete with multiple sessions and various vendors, all
at no cost to the attendees. This idea has spread world-wide, all
community-led and vendor-sponsored, targeted to share information among
professionals and/o [read] Keywords: domino
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Book Review - Squeezed: Rear-Ended by American Politics by J. C. Bourque
Sun, May 6th 2012 8:26p Thomas Duff I generally steer clear of political
books... mostly because I'm fed up with *both* sides. Political humor
is still OK, however. And if both sides are being skewered, so much
the better. I was asked if I was interested in reading and reviewing
Squeezed:
Rear-Ended by American Politics
by J. C. Bourque, and the premise was enough to get me hooked. And
the premise is? Ultra-conservatives and ultra-liberals are both the
same, in that they are convinced that they have all the answers, [read] Keywords: network
174
Book Review - The Developer's Code - What Real Programmers Do by Ka Wai Cheung
Sun, May 6th 2012 3:20p Thomas Duff I like books that gather a number of
essays and thoughts about technology (in this case, software development)
and bundle them in a single volume so I can contemplate what it is I do
as a profession. The
Developer's Code - What Real Programmers Do
by Ka Wai Cheung (published by Pragmatic Bookshelf) fits that description
perfectly. I've often said that one or two gems from a book like
this can make it an excellent buy. For me, this one met and surpassed
that criteria.
None of th [read] Keywords: application
development
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Book Review - Illusion by Frank Peretti
Sun, May 6th 2012 10:50a Thomas Duff Frank Peretti is an interesting author
who writes in a genre not overly populated... Christian supernatural thrillers.
Yeah, it's an odd combination, but Peretti makes it work, and very
well at that. Illusion
is his latest novel, and I forgot
how much I like getting lost in his books. Illusion mixes magic and
hi-tech science fiction with a touch of romance for a story that left me
wondering how everything was going to play out.
The basic story line... Dane and Mandy
Collins were [read] Keywords:
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Book Review - You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins
Sat, Apr 28th 2012 5:30p Thomas Duff It used to be that to become a writer,
you had to hope that you could convince the gatekeepers to let you pass.
Publishers held all the cards, and your only option was to play the game
their way (or not play at all).
Those days are gone...
Jeff Goins is a great example of someone
who has figured out the new rules and freedoms that exist when it comes
to being a writer. He shares his insights as well as dishing out
plenty of encouragement in his new e-book You
Are a Writer (So [read] Keywords: connections
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Book Review - V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
Sun, Apr 22nd 2012 4:11p Thomas Duff Seems like forever since Sue Grafton
published an installment in her alphabet series with Kinsey Millhone. That
wait ended when I picked up V
is for Vengeance from the library.
Actually, the gap between this and U is for Undertow was good, as
I was getting a bit burned out on Millhone. The stories weren't having
the same appeal as earlier efforts, and reading them seemed like more of
an effort to keep up instead of a pleasure. V revives some of that
pleasure once again, and this was [read] Keywords:
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Book Review - Presumed Guilty by Tess Gerritsen
Sun, Apr 22nd 2012 1:30p Thomas Duff Going back to catch an early novel in
a writer's career is always a gamble. What you expect from them now
isn't what you'll end up reading (in all likelihood). I saw that
Tess Gerritsen had a "new" novel that showed up at the library.
I picked up Presumed
Guilty expecting vintage Gerritsen,
but I got a bit of a surprise. This is actually a novel that was
written back in 1993 and published as a mass market paperback at that time.
It's now being re-released in hardback. In effe [read] Keywords: community
Book Review - Shock Wave by John Sandford
Sat, Apr 14th 2012 9:19p Thomas Duff While I've grown a little cold on the
John Sandford novels that feature Lucas Davenport, I'm finding I like the
Virgil Flowers novels a lot. Shock
Wave has Flowers tracking down
a serial bomber intent on stopping a large Walmart-like store from setting
up shop in a small town. Flowers is a nice mix of irreverence, vulnerability,
and persistence, all wrapped together in a mind that never stops running.
Sandford does a good job in capturing
the small town atmosphere where the ac [read] Keywords:
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Book Review - Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
Sat, Apr 14th 2012 8:08p Thomas Duff So we're up to #18 In the Stephanie
Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Explosive
Eighteen is the latest installment
in the love triangle between Plum, Ranger, and Morelli as Plum tries to
chase down bail jumpers in Trenton. Of course, with Plum that means
that something will burn down, at least one car will be disabled in some
way, and confusion will reign supreme. Unfortunately, that seems
to be the plot line of the last few stories, and it reinforces my feeling
that this series has ru [read] Keywords:
Book Review - Redemption Day by Steve O'Brien
Sun, Apr 1st 2012 7:01p Thomas Duff I know there are fringe groups such
as the Posse Comitatus throughout the country that have a far different
view of what the government is and what it should be allowed to do. But
other than the occasional mention in a news story, I'll admit I know very
little about their beliefs. Steve O'Brien uses this far right order
as the driving force behind his book Redemption
Day. As the action unfolds,
O'Brien takes the opportunity to reference many of the documents and concepts
that shape [read] Keywords: agent
132
Book Review - Oath of Office by Michael Palmer
Sun, Apr 1st 2012 12:20p Thomas Duff It's been awhile since I've read a novel
from Michael Palmer. While I like medical thrillers (which he does very
well), I tend to shy away from novels of any sort that appear to have an
agenda or opinion that the author wants to promote. All too often,
the plot ends up as an after-thought, a structure to argue the author's
viewpoint. I went in with that mindset for Palmer's Oath
of Office, expecting that there
would be some controversial topic that would be driving the action. Whil [read] Keywords: office
268
When you have a bounty system...
Wed, Mar 21st 2012 5:48p Thomas Duff When you have a bounty system, you get
aggressive defensive players.
When you get aggressive defensive players,
they injure offensive players.
When they injure offensive players,
they get paid.
When they get paid, someone talks.
When someone talks, the league finds
out.
When the league finds out, the league
gets angry.
When the league gets angry, you lose
your job for a season.
Don't lose your job for a season. Play
within the rules. [read] Keywords:
147
Book Review - To the Cloud: Cloud Powering an Enterprise by Pankaj Arora, Raj Biyani, and Salil Dave
Mon, Mar 19th 2012 9:00p Thomas Duff Working in IT, I don't go a day without
hearing something about "The Cloud". Either people want you to
move to it, stay away from it, or don't have a clue as to what it actually
means. Couple that with all the vendor hype and jargon, and I quickly
find that most discussions end up with both parties using the same words
while meaning completely different things. To
the Cloud: Cloud Powering an Enterprise
by Pankaj Arora, Raj Biyani, and Salil Dave was recently sent to me for
review, [read] Keywords: application
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Book Review - Celebrity In Death by J. D. Robb
Sat, Mar 17th 2012 3:30p Thomas Duff It seems like I'm not getting much time
to read lately, but when J. D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) releases a new novel
in the "In Death" series, I make time. Celebrity
In Death is the latest installment
that follows the life of Lieutenant Eve Dallas as she kicks butt and solves
murder cases in the 2060 version of New York. In Celebrity, Dallas
has to figure out who murdered a video star at a party she was attending.
While all the potential suspects are known, the clues as to which one d [read] Keywords:
108
Book Review - Pineapple Grenade by Tim Dorsey
Sat, Mar 17th 2012 12:33p Thomas Duff I love reading Tim Dorsey novels, but
I really struggle to review them. How do you describe a story where a murder
victim is found with no internal organs, fishermen are wandering around
Miami with a dead shark, one of the main characters is using a prosthetic
leg found on the beach as a bong, and two vigilantes dressed as superheros
are ridding the world (or at least Miami) of car-jackers? And that's
in the first 15 minutes of reading... Dorsey's latest,
Pineapple Grenade, follows the [read] Keywords: network
security
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Book Review - Heat Rises by Richard Castle
Sun, Feb 26th 2012 9:25p Thomas Duff Yeah, it's still a guilty pleasure of
mine. I love the series Castle on TV, and the Nikki Heat novels by "Richard
Castle" are just as fun to read as the series is fun to watch. Heat
Rises is the third in the series
of spin-off novels based on the background of the series. In the series,
Richard Castle is a writer who hangs around the NYPD with Detective Kate
Beckett as "research" for his next novel. He writes a series
of novels centered around a detective named Nikki Heat who seems t [read] Keywords:
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Book Review - Personal Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life by Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria Barry
Mon, Feb 20th 2012 5:46p Thomas Duff To do lists... Getting Things Done...
Time Management... Usually they're all focused on complex methodologies
or the amount of things you can accomplish in a given timeframe (usually
a day). But instead of being busy, what if you focused on how effective
you were in getting the necessary things done? Heck... what if it was also
pretty simple? That's what you get in the book Personal
Kanban: Mapping Work | Navigating Life
by Jim Benson and Tonianne DeMaria Barry. To me, this was a boo [read] Keywords: notes
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Book Revew - The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption by Clay A. Johnson
Mon, Feb 20th 2012 10:30a Thomas Duff The
Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption
by Clay A. Johnson is one of those books I'd like to give to a number of
people I know, and then sit down and make sure they read it. So many
of the points he brings forth in the book are, in my opinion, the exact
reasons why we as a society are in such a mess. We've traded information
for affirmation and entertainment, and we've lost the ability to think
about issues for ourselves. Of course, by viewing this book as I
did, I' [read] Keywords: email
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215
Book Review - 11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King
Sun, Feb 12th 2012 8:41p Thomas Duff While I end up liking most of the books
that I read by Stephen King, he isn't an author that I salivate over when
something new comes out. I'm not sure why, as I like the genre and the
style of writing. Perhaps I'll chalk it up to having too many other things
to read. :) Anyway, 11/22/63:
A Novel caught my interest in
terms of what it might be like to go back and prevent an event in history
that changed the world. Once I started reading, I was pretty much hooked.
King put a slant on [read] Keywords:
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The Companion
Sun, Feb 12th 2012 3:50p Thomas Duff The Companion
Never far way, the companion follows.
An unwelcome traveler, tracking my steps.
I know the shadow is there, but I never
know where.
I run fast, but not always fast enough.
I'm caught, and the shadow surrounds
me.
All is darkness, direction is lost.
I know light exists outside the shadow,
but how deep is the darkness?
Will I break out into light with the
next step,
or will the journey out of the dark
be long?
I'll keep moving, keep hoping that the
n [read] Keywords: traveler
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Book Review - Curse of The Narrows: The Halifax Disaster of 1917 by Laura M. Mac Donald
Sun, Feb 12th 2012 1:31p Thomas Duff I'm always amazed when I run across
a major event or disaster that I've never heard about before. That happened
last year when I was on a cruise that had a stop in Halifax. It was there
that I learned about the 1917 Halifax explosion that nearly leveled the
town. To get more information (and based on the recommendation of a friend),
I went to the library and picked up Curse
of The Narrows: The Halifax Disaster of 1917 by
Laura M. Mac Donald. It's not an easy read due to the overwhelmi [read] Keywords: mac
179
Book Review - How Do You Kill 11 Million People?: Why the Truth Matters More Than You Think by Andy Andrews
Sun, Feb 12th 2012 10:50a Thomas Duff How
Do You Kill 11 Million People
by Andy Andrews is one of those books that, on the surface, has a title
that seemingly begs to get people riled up. The mind quickly goes
to politics, ethics, religion, or a myriad of other issues that cause instant
controversy and division in today's society. But if you take a step back
and clear your mind, the message here is one that is true and transcends
labels that we place on people and groups. In short... how do you
kill 11 million people?
[read] Keywords:
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Would you like to win a free copy of the IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Administration Guide?
Mon, Feb 6th 2012 6:08a Thomas Duff Do you like to win a free copy of the
IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Administration Guide?
Well, all you need to do is visit IBM
Sametime 8.5.2 Administration Guide
and tell us the one feature that makes you want to own this book in the
comments section below. Make sure to enter your email address, so that
I can in touch with you. Two individuals who have mentioned the best reasons
will be provided with an e-copy each.
This drawing will run through February 19th, and we'll select two winner [read] Keywords: administration
ibm
lotus
sametime
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Managing your message at a social conference by deleting comments... Really?
Mon, Jan 16th 2012 11:27a Thomas Duff So I'm out on PlanetLotus, looking over
the blogs for today's OGS and such, when I find this blog entry from Avabiz
and ReduceMail: Come
talk to ReduceMail Booth 320: IBM’s Showcase Customer Went to Outlook.
I find that a little odd that a vendor
at Lotusphere would be taking that particular angle as a blog entry to
promote their product. But looking at all their blog entries, I see
the same pattern. People are defecting from Notes, so come talk to
us about our mail prod [read] Keywords: ibm
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Book Review - 1,000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, and Change Your Life by Linda Cohen
Mon, Jan 9th 2012 7:00a Thomas Duff One of my goals/resolutions for 2012
is to incorporate intentional acts of kindness as a regular part of my
daily life. About the same time I committed to that, I ran across this
title that became available at our library... 1,000
Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, and Change Your
Life by Linda Cohen. What perfect
timing... This gave me some ideas and inspiration for things I could do
above and beyond the "say something nice to someone" efforts.
It also caused me t [read] Keywords:
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Book Review - Stories From Jewish Portland by Polina Olsen
Sun, Jan 8th 2012 8:27a Thomas Duff Portland has a colorful past, with varied
influences from multiple ethnic groups and cultures shaping the city over
the years. One group I hadn't seen covered much from that angle is the
Jewish community. How did they make it to Portland? What role did they
play in the city? What struggles and triumphs did they have? Polina Olsen
helps to answer some of those questions in her book Stories
From Jewish Portland. Olsen writes
a column called "Looking Back" for the Jewish Review, and here
[read] Keywords: community
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Book Review - Micro: A Novel by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston
Mon, Jan 2nd 2012 5:35a Thomas Duff It's been a while since I've picked
up a novel by Michael Crichton. When our library put Micro
by Crichton and Richard Preston
into circulation, I grabbed a copy in order to try and catch up a bit.
I was a bit surprised when I read the intro and found that Crichton had
died and Preston took over to finish the novel. I think I probably heard
or knew about his death at one point, but I certainly hadn't remembered.
So how does this Crichton/Preston novel fare? I'll be honest... to
try [read] Keywords:
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Book Review - The Wettest County in the World: A Novel Based on a True Story by Matt Bondurant
Sun, Jan 1st 2012 9:10p Thomas Duff The stereotype of the hillbilly making
moonshine is one that runs deep in American culture. But with all stereotypes,
you need to separate fiction from fact to truly understand reality. Matt
Bondurant uses the history of his own family to tell the story of moonshining
during the 20's and 30's in his book The
Wettest County in the World: A Novel Based on a True Story.
Bondurant does an excellent job painting a picture of the hardscrabble
lives of people in Virginia's Franklin county. I [read] Keywords:
176
So... in 2012, what do I want to do/be/accomplish?
Sat, Dec 31st 2011 2:23p Thomas Duff There are arguments for and against making
New Year's resolutions, and I know that logically January 1st is an arbitrary
date to start something that could/should have been started last month
or next March. But emotionally it feels right to pick January 1st
as a launch point... a time to reset and recommit to things. And
if that's the case, then what kind of things do I want to become or accomplish
in the upcoming year?
Health - I've been working on losing
weight, and that will [read] Keywords: lotus
notes
microsoft
sharepoint
182
I lost a most excellent pet today... Good-bye, Snoogie
Fri, Dec 30th 2011 10:20p Thomas Duff Today I had to go through that event that
every pet owner dreads, but eventually has to deal with... the loss
of your loved furry friend. Snoogie, our cat of 16 years, lost his
battle with kidney disease, and we decided it was time to let him go and
put him to sleep. Losing a pet has never hurt as much as this one
did...
Snoogie came to us in a way we didn't
really plan. We had gotten rid of our puppy Keshi, as we found that
puppies and very young children didn't mix very well. [read] Keywords: administration
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Book Review - When Cancer Hits: Your Complete Guide To Taking Care of YOU Through Treatment by Britta Aragon
Tue, Dec 27th 2011 6:16a Thomas Duff I was approached by the publicist for
When
Cancer Hits: Your Complete Guide To Taking Care of YOU Through Treatment
by Britta Aragon recently. While I haven't been a direct caregiver
for anyone undergoing chemotherapy for cancer treatment, I do have some
friends who are. That was enough to pique my interest and so I accepted
the offer to read and review the book. I feel I now have a much better
"book knowledge" of what a person faces during chemo, and it's
(obviously!) not an easy [read] Keywords:
128
Book Review - The End of the Computer by Andre Mikhailovich Solonitsyn
Mon, Dec 26th 2011 10:18a Thomas Duff This was a unique ride, to say the least...
The
End of the Computer by Andre Mikhailovich
Solonitsyn. Normally, anything deemed "green" lowers my
interest and expectations a couple notches right from the start. I
definitely don't qualify as an "environmentalist." But, balance
that against a sci-fi novel involving the demise of the computer, and my
interest is right back up there. Solonitsyn (the "author")
takes the reader into a near-future scenario where the accidental creatio [read] Keywords:
155
Book Review - How's That Underling Thing Working Out for You? by Scott Adams
Sat, Dec 24th 2011 12:40p Thomas Duff There's really not a whole lot you can
say about a Dilbert compilation. The latest installment, How's
That Underling Thing Working Out for You?
by Scott Adams covers the comic strips from May 3rd, 2010 through February
12th, 2011. If you're used to seeing the strip in the newspaper,
it's a bonus to get the full-color versions here. As a regular reader,
I've seen the material before, but it's fun to re-read as various strips
take on different meanings based on your day-to-day work [read] Keywords:
145
Book Review - Pan American World Airways: Images of a Great Airline by James Patrick Baldwin
Sat, Dec 24th 2011 10:10a Thomas Duff For some reason, going back in time
in aviation history fascinates me. It used to be that air travel was an
adventure, one where you were expected to dress and behave with class.
Planes came with actual tables for meals, and you had sleeping bunks
much like trains. Now, it's mostly a cattle car experience, seen
as a necessary evil to get from one point to another in a reasonable amount
of time. Given that mindset, I looked forward to reading
Pan American World Airways: Images of a Gre [read] Keywords:
128
Book Review - Throwaway Players: Concussion Crisis From Pee Wee Football to the NFL by Gay Culverhouse
Thu, Dec 22nd 2011 6:54a Thomas Duff If you watch sports (the National Football
League in particular), you know there's been a greater focus of late on
concussions and how players should be treated if a concussion is suspected.
Unfortunately, the pervasive attitude still seems to be "just
sit for a couple of minutes, shake it off, and get back out there."
The mentality is "win at all costs," both for the player
and the team management, not to mention the fans. But will this lack
of regard for the cumulative effects o [read] Keywords: profile
171
The IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Adminstration Guide book is now on Facebook...
Wed, Dec 14th 2011 4:25a Thomas Duff The IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Administration
Guide book written by Marie
Scott, Gab
Davis, and myself now has its
own Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sametime-Administration-Guide/326666937348851.
We'll be posting updated information,
reviews of the book, pictures of the book "in the wild", and
anything else that we think will help you be successful in your Sametime
administration efforts.
Head on over and Like us there if you'd
like to follow and stay current on what [read] Keywords: administration
ibm
sametime
facebook
Book Review - The Skinny on Time Management: How to Maximize Your 24-Hour Gift by Jim Randel
Sun, Dec 4th 2011 3:20p Thomas Duff There's no real way to "save"
time... it passes by whether you do something productive with it or not.
Once gone, it can't be regained. The best you can do is "manage"
your time and what you choose to do with it. Jim Randel covers this
topic in his book The
Skinny on Time Management: How to Maximize Your 24-Hour Gift.
The Skinny series is great in condensing the essential information
on a topic, and this volume is no different. It's 134 pages of stick
figure cartoon panels tha [read] Keywords: email
87
Book Review - Get Off Your "But": How to End Self-Sabotage and Stand Up for Yourself by Sean Stephenson
Sun, Dec 4th 2011 11:20a Thomas Duff Another one of the personal improvement
books I just finished was one I got at the library... Get
Off Your "But": How to End Self-Sabotage and Stand Up for Yourself
by Sean Stephenson. I had never heard of the author before, and it
was the creative title that snared me. But after reading this book
and checking out the author's story and videos on Youtube, I came away
with a huge appreciation and respect for what he's done and the message
he has here. He definitely qualifies as some [read] Keywords:
60
Book Review - Creating the Perfect Lifestyle by Oli Hille
Sat, Dec 3rd 2011 5:40p Thomas Duff I was contacted by Oli Hille, asking
if I'd be interested in reading and reviewing his ebook Creating
the Perfect Lifestyle. I'm
always open to learning and exploring ways to improve the life I live,
so I accepted. His book is an interesting collection of ideas and
principles that he's applied to give himself an opportunity to break out
of the 8 to 5 routine that most people seem to accept as normal. Not
all of them are applicable to everyone, such as finding your soul mate
or havi [read] Keywords:
109
Book Review - Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales by Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson
Sat, Dec 3rd 2011 1:30p Thomas Duff With shows such as CSI and novels by
Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs, it's hard to remember that forensic
analysis of dead bodies used to be non-existent. No one was able to look
at a decomposed body and tease out the story that it told. That all
changed with the Body Farm, the forensics laboratory created by Dr. Bill
Bass. With the help of Jon Jefferson, Bass tells the story of how
the Body Farm came to be in the book Death's
Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm W [read] Keywords: collaboration
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78
Depression and suicide... you may never see it coming.
Sun, Nov 27th 2011 12:27p Thomas Duff Wales
manager Gary Speed found dead
- Former Wales international Robbie Savage wrote on Twitter: "He was
upbeat on phone yesterday we were laughing together, talking football and
dancing he was a great teammate and a great friend #RIP."
This news hit the sports pages today,
another victim of suicide likely brought on by depression. I had
never heard of this guy before today, so it doesn't hit me at the level
of someone close to me deciding to take his or her life. But the
part [read] Keywords: email
twitter
71
Book Review - 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done by Peter Bregman
Sat, Nov 26th 2011 6:14p Thomas Duff All too often, we seem to live our days
on auto-pilot. The hours, days, and months fly by, and we look back
and wonder what we accomplished. Worse, we might be living our days
in reaction mode, responding to the loudest noises in an attempt to gain
some sanity and get work done. Of course, that never happens, as
your agenda rarely is the same as those who want and need your time and
resources.
Peter Bregman aims to help you get off
that treadmill with his book 18
Minutes: Find Yo [read] Keywords: collaboration
pearl
53
Book Review - Executive by Leslie Wolfe
Thu, Nov 24th 2011 11:26a Thomas Duff You own a high-tech company and you
want to retire. Nearly all your work is for the Defense Department,
and the company is worth a fortune. But every time a selling window
opens up, it seems like a news leak or rumor gets out that causes the stock
to dip badly, thereby postponing your plans for another three months. Even
worse, you suspect that these leaks and rumors are coming from your own
management staff, and you're not sure who it might be.
What do you do?
That's the [read] Keywords: application
leak
65
A way to say "thank you" to a blogger via Amazon purchases...
Wed, Nov 23rd 2011 6:32a Thomas Duff As you've possibly noticed, occasionally
I review a book or two here on my blog.
In each review, there's a link back
to Amazon where the book is listed. And if you look at the URL format,
you'll see the string "duffbertsrand-20" at the end. Chris
Miller has (I think) a string
of "idonotes-20" at the end. So what's that mean, and why
do I do that?
Well, I'm enrolled in the Amazon
Associate program. It's
a free referral program run by Amazon whereby I get a smal [read] Keywords: blogger
ipod
47
Book Review - We Are All Weird by Seth Godin
Sun, Nov 20th 2011 4:10p Thomas Duff I recently had the chance to read Seth
Godin's latest work We
Are All Weird, a small book on
his view that mass marketing and mass production is dead. The replacement
is "markets of one", small communities of people who are focused
and passionate about things that don't fall in the center of the bell curve.
The flattening of that curve means that companies have to give up
the one-size-fits-all approach to their products, as normal is an illusion.
Contents:
Introduction - The [read] Keywords:
Book #2 is born! The IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Administration Guide is now available for purchase...
Thu, Nov 17th 2011 5:06a Thomas Duff I'm thrilled to say that the last 12 months
of work has culminated in the release of our latest book:
IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Administration Guide.
The ebook and paper versions are available
on the Packt site, and I'm sure Amazon will show it as available very shortly.
Many thanks to my co-authors Marie
Scott and Gab
Davis, along with all of our reviewers
and others who contributed their words, eyes, ears, and encouragement along
the way.
Now go buy one! :)
And plea [read] Keywords: administration
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sametime
46
Book Review - Heat Wave by Richard Castle
Sun, Nov 13th 2011 7:41p Thomas Duff After reading Naked Heat, the novel
tie-in for the TV series Castle, I found that whoever writes them does
a pretty good job. To pick up the thread from the start, I got a
copy of Heat
Wave from the library. It's
not a long read, and it feels like an episode of Castle (which I'm sure
it's supposed to). But like Naked Heat, it's good for what it is...
a few hours of escape and mind candy.
Heat and her team (along with Rook who
is researching his next article) get tagged for a [read] Keywords: enterprise
126
Book Review - New York To Dallas by J. D. Robb
Sat, Nov 12th 2011 9:26p Thomas Duff Happy days once again! Nora Roberts
delivers another J. D. Robb novel in the In Death series. New
York to Dallas may be a slight
deviation from the normal titles that contain the phrase "In Death",
but she doesn't deviate from the chemistry that makes me enjoy this series
so much. In fact, this installment (is this really the 33rd?) is
more intense than normal, as Dallas is forced to confront her inner demons
that she thought had been buried away.
Dallas catches a case set up espe [read] Keywords:
Product Review - AmazonBasics Stylus
Sun, Nov 6th 2011 4:21p Thomas Duff The major complaint I have with my iPad
(and "major" is a relative term, as I love my iPad) is the lack
of a decent stylus. What I want is something with a pointed end so I can
easily write in drawing applications without making it look like I'm using
crayons with two inch tips. The Amazon Vine review program recently
had the AmazonBasics
Stylus as one of their items,
so I decided to give it a chance. To be honest, I really didn't expect
much, as the end looks like a rounded eraser [read] Keywords: notes
applications
44
Book Review - The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
Sun, Nov 6th 2011 2:11p Thomas Duff I picked up The
Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
by Jon Ronson at the library a short time back. What I was hoping
for was a look into the history of psychopathy and how it affects people
in today's society. I got a bit of that, but the material bounced
around from topic to topic. I also didn't care for the role of the
author in the narrative.
Contents:
The Missing Part of the Puzzle Revealed;
The Man Who Faked Madness; Psychopaths Dream in Black-and-W [read] Keywords: notes
50
Product Review - Philips DLP2277 Attachable Battery Pack and Charging Base for iPhone and iPod
Sun, Nov 6th 2011 11:33a Thomas Duff Generally speaking, I don't have a problem
getting through the day with the battery power on my iPhone. However,
if I'm traveling, it's a bit more dicey. Through the Amazon Vine
review program, I got the
Philips DLP2277 Attachable Battery Pack and Charging Base for iPhone and
iPod to see if it would fill that
gap when I'm on the road. I'm happy to say it works very well, and
it has some nice ease-of-use benefits when charging your battery and iPhone.
The charger is a flat pla [read] Keywords: iphone
ipod
61
Book Review - Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds by Scott Berkun
Sat, Nov 5th 2011 8:20p Thomas Duff I've been a fan of Scott Berkun and
his writing for some time. I enjoy his books (especially Confessions
of a Public Speaker), but I'm somewhat of a relative newcomer to his blog
postings (surprising considering how many blogs I follow and read). His
latest book, Mindfire:
Big Ideas for Curious Minds, is
a compilation of 30 of his essays and postings from the last decade. I'm
normally a bit hesitant to read and review collections like these, as I've
been disappointed in the past w [read] Keywords: notes
75
Stepping Up My Game - Notepad++ (More Than Just A Text Editor)
Sun, Oct 30th 2011 8:29p Thomas Duff Lately I've started to go a bit "old
school" when I write shorter pieces. Rather than firing up Word
with all the associated overhead and formatting, I go with a simple text
editor to remain focused on what I'm writing. Normally, that text
editor was Notepad. It was there and did what I needed. But
I finally decided to take my own advice and upgrade to Notepad++. It's
clean and unobtrusive, but there is so much that you can do with it...
With straight text, it really doesn' [read] Keywords: xml
47
Book Review - Naked Heat by Richard Castle
Sat, Oct 29th 2011 8:11p Thomas Duff Yeah, I'm a fan of the TV show Castle.
I love the characters and the story lines, and I think the actors
have a great rapport with each other. Having said that, I'm still
somewhat embarrassed to admit I decided to read the Nikki Heat novels that
"Richard Castle" wrote. For those of you who haven't watched
the show, Richard Castle is the character who's a writer and hangs out
with the NYPD as "research" for his next novel. Detective
Kate Beckett is the lead, and she's the insp [read] Keywords:
Stepping Up My Game - IDoneThis.com (Keep A Daily Log Of What You Do)
Wed, Oct 26th 2011 7:29p Thomas Duff Over the last couple of weeks, I've become
motivated to start "upping my game" when it comes to work-related
stuff. It's one thing to read about sites, software, and techniques
that will help you become a better tech geek, but often another to actually
start to incorporate it into your daily routine. At least that's
the way it ends up working for me... What I'm going to do over the next
few days/weeks is to share some of the things I'm doing to improve myself
in that area.
T [read] Keywords: notes
email
88
Book Review - The Affair: A Reacher Novel by Lee Child
Sun, Oct 23rd 2011 5:30p Thomas Duff Normally, a new Jack Reacher novel by
Lee Child has me counting the days before it comes in at the library. That
was the case with his latest novel, The
Affair, but unfortunately this
one didn't click for me. I don't really know what it was or why I
felt that way, but I couldn't get drawn in and absorbed like I normally
do.
The story moves back to his Army days,
the times when he still had a place he considered "home." He's
sent out to a small town near an Army base to inve [read] Keywords:
67
Book Review - The Undertaker by William Brown
Sun, Oct 23rd 2011 3:30p Thomas Duff This one was a lot of fun to read...
The
Undertaker by William Brown. I
hated when I had to recharge my iPad before going further. Brown
wrote a fast-paced thriller that pits a ordinary systems engineer against
the mob, corrupt government officials, a deranged doctor, and a few other
characters along the way. The premise was interesting, and Brown's
characters made this a joy to read.
Pete Talbott is going about life, minding
his own business and trying to get over the loss of h [read] Keywords:
56
Book Review - Code Blood by Kurt Kamm
Sun, Oct 23rd 2011 12:50p Thomas Duff Is it possible to mix together paramedics,
vampires, and bio-researchers and get a good novel? Actually, yes.
I was sent a copy of Code
Blood by Kurt Kamm for review,
and I'll admit it was more curiosity to see if a story like this would
work. Kamm does a good job of starting the novel out quickly and
drawing the reader in, as well as delving into a dark world of vampire
fetish behavior. I ended up reading this book more quickly than I
expected...
Colt Lewis is a new paramedic, [read] Keywords:
76
Book Review - End Malaria by Michael Bungay Stanier
Sun, Oct 23rd 2011 10:23a Thomas Duff If you look at the title of the book
End
Malaria by Michael Bungay Stanier,
you might think that you're looking at 240 pages of content on how malaria
affects millions each year and how it can be eradicated. But this
is a classic case of not being able to tell a book by its cover. Instead,
End Malaria is a book project designed to fund the purchase of mosquito
netting for those most in danger from the disease. $20 of every $25
book purchase goes to that end. What you get inside the [read] Keywords:
90
Our healthcare system is seriously broken...
Sat, Oct 22nd 2011 9:10p Thomas Duff This is one of those things that's been
eating away at me all week, so I'm going to vent here...
My two nieces were down at Disneyland
last week, having a magical time. They're in the 25 - 35 age range,
so we're not talking 7 and 10 with adult supervision. On Monday of
this week, it was hot, very crowded, and they had been going hard hitting
rides and attractions. While in the Haunted Mansion ride, Jess started
to feel light-headed. After they got out, they sat down on a bench [read] Keywords:
Book Review - I Am Maru by mugumogu
Thu, Oct 13th 2011 7:02a Thomas Duff As a cat lover (and a heavy Internet
user), I think I've watched every Maru YouTube video out there. I
love his "catitude", and rarely do I fail to laugh or smile when
watching his fascination with boxes. I got a copy of
I Am Maru by mugumogu from the
library when I was last over there, wondering if the online life of Maru
would translate well to print. Unfortunately, I was underwhelmed...
For Maru fans, the book is interesting.
It adds some background in terms of birth date, [read] Keywords:
38
Book Review - The Unseen Chronicles of Amelia Black by A. G. R. Moore
Wed, Oct 12th 2011 6:50a Thomas Duff There's a reason I stray outside of
my normal reading genres on occasion. By doing so, I find gems like
The
Unseen Chronicles of Amelia Black
by A. G. R. Moore. This book was brought to my attention by a friend
of the author, and I said I'd be happy to read and review it. Young
Adult/Children's fantasy isn't something I normally read, as my own kids
are well past that age. But Moore put together a delightful story
that should be appealing for kids, and added characters that made [read] Keywords:
Book Review - The Detachment by Barry Eisler
Sun, Oct 9th 2011 2:16p Thomas Duff Whenever a new Barry Eisler novel comes
out, I'm chomping at the bit to get my hands on it as soon as possible
at the library a block away from where I live. His latest novel,
The
Detachment, changed the rules
a bit, however. The ebook version on Amazon was available a month
before the dead tree version. Do I wait for the library stock to
come in, or do I buy the ebook early?
Duh... Let's hear it for One-Click
purchasing of ebooks. :)
The Detachment was one of the best eb [read] Keywords:
39
Book Review - The Buried Sky by Keith Hartman
Sun, Oct 9th 2011 8:50a Thomas Duff I normally don't do young adult novels,
but on occasion I'll take up the offer from an author if the topic sounds
interesting. The
Buried Sky by Keith Hartman seemed
to fit that criteria. It's a short book at only 146 pages, but it
got going quickly and I found I really didn't want to put it down until
I was done. The setting and storyline was different enough to allow
for a number of twists and turns along the way.
Buried Sky takes place in an underground
city, home to a num [read] Keywords:
48
Notes/Domino job opportunities for 10/09/2011 (3 entries)
Sun, Oct 9th 2011 6:25a Thomas Duff Find
Jobs - Sr. Lotus Notes/Domino Administrator
Jobs in Atlanta ...
Required - Strong analytical / diagnostic skill set, as well as strong
design / architecture skills. Plus - Knowledge of IBM Lotus Traveler.
Plus - Knowledge of ...
www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?job...
Sr.
Lotus Notes Developer - CareerDFW
CareerDFW NEW Jobs Board. Information Technology.
www.careerdfw.org/J/new-jobs.html?sobi2Task...catid...
Lotus
Domino Developer at CyberCode [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotus
notes
traveler
google
linkedin
So what types of technical sessions would you like to see at Lotusphere?
Thu, Oct 6th 2011 8:23a Thomas Duff Hopefully sometime very soon, the call
for session abstracts will go out for Lotusphere 2012. There will
be a number of people who will submit numerous abstracts, but there are
far more people out there who will simply attend the conference and *hope*
that a topic they find interesting will be covered.
So, if you could ask for a specific
session to appear at Lotusphere, what would it be? Use the comments
to add your opinions and wishes... [read] Keywords: lotusphere
42
Book Review - Ship For Brains: Cruise Confidential, Book 2 by Brian David Bruns
Thu, Oct 6th 2011 6:00a Thomas Duff Ship for Brains by Brian David Bruns
is a follow-up to his first book where he told the story of being the first
American to complete a full contract in the dining services area on board
a cruise ship. It's an area that is normally thought to be "too hard"
for Americans due to the low pay and very long hours for weeks on end.
It's there that he found his true love Bianca, and he's been trying to
get on the same ship with her so that love can flourish (or so he hopes).
To do this, he [read] Keywords:
Notes/Domino job opportunities for 10/05/2011 (5 entries)
Wed, Oct 5th 2011 5:15a Thomas Duff Lotus
Notes Application Developer | Web Professional
Jobs
3. Proficient knowledge in the use and application of IBM Domino
Web… jobs by Indeed job search. Job Categories: Web Application Developer.
Job Types: ...
webprofessionaljobs.com/jobs/lotus-notes-application-developer
Lotus
Notes System Engineer Bank Brussels Brussels Contract
IT Job
Tasks: You will join the Email & Messaging Engineering and Support
Team that provides Lotus Notes support (2nd/3rd level) acros [read] Keywords: administration
domino
ibm
lotus
notes
application
applications
development
email
google
server
49
Book Review - What The Dog Saw: And Other Adventures by Malcolm Gladwell
Tue, Oct 4th 2011 6:27a Thomas Duff I first ran across What
the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures
by Malcolm Gladwell while killing time in a bookstore. The one chapter
I read there convinced me I needed to read the whole book. Gladwell
does an excellent job in taking a topic, looking at the conventional wisdom
surrounding it, and turning the subject matter on its head to view it in
a different light. Gladwell spends more time thinking about things than
the average person, and he comes up with insights and slants that make
fo [read] Keywords: network
reservation
Notes/Domino job opportunities for 10/03/2011 (3 entries)
Mon, Oct 3rd 2011 4:23a Thomas Duff Lotus
Notes Programmer (270654) - Technosoft Corporation ...
Lotus Notes Engineer We are currently seeking Lotus Notes Engineer
for a full- time position in... 10 years of experience with Lotus Domino
technologies. ...
planetlotus.org/profiles/indeed_95037
Contract
Jobs for Lotus Notes/Domino Skills in USA - Sep-28-2011 ...
FETCH your IT project today, 1000's of Lotus Notes/Domino Jobs available
today ... who can work with both IBM WCM and IBM Lotus Domino
Platforms. ...
ww [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotus
notes
application
google
planetlotus
planetlotus.org
74
Our cruise vacation in review...
Sun, Oct 2nd 2011 2:36p Thomas Duff On September 24th, my wife and I took a
cruise on the Royal Caribbean International ship Jewel of the Sea. It
was a NE/Canada cruise, with the thought that we'd see some of the fall
colors. We didn't see many leaves turning (actually, the weather
was incredibly good), but a good time was had by all. I don't expect
too many people to be interested in this journal of our trip, but it'll
help me remember it better down the road...
Day 1 - Off We Go
So today was our first day of [read] Keywords: bug
Notes/Domino job listings are taking a brief vacation...
Thu, Sep 22nd 2011 5:18a Thomas Duff Hi, everyone... Just a short note
to let you know that I'm going to be away for a bit and won't be in a situation
where I can do the daily job postings. Expect to see the next one
during the first week of October. Until then, happy job hunting! [read] Keywords: domino
notes
Notes/Domino job opportunities for 09/20/2011 (8 entries)
Tue, Sep 20th 2011 5:19a Thomas Duff SEEK
- Lotus Notes Messaging Engineer Job in Sydney
Networks & Systems Administration, Australian Owned Market Leader Lotus
/ Exchange Messaging Engineer.
www.seek.com.au/Job/lotus-notes-messaging.../20674982
Lotus
Notes Jobs
Find lotus notes jobs at SAIC.
jobs.saic.com/key/lotus-notes-jobs.html
Domino
Database ArchitectRef 269943 job in Harrisburg PA 17101
Domino Database Architect (Ref: 269943) job in Harrisburg, PA,
17101 : domino, lotus notes, product special [read] Keywords: administration
domino
lotus
lotusscript
notes
database
db2
exchange
exchange
google
server
40
Notes/Domino job opportunities for 09/19/2011 (2 entries)
Mon, Sep 19th 2011 4:32a Thomas Duff Lotus
Notes Administrator Jobs, Employment in California | Indeed
...
Jobs 1 - 10 of 56 ... 56 Lotus Notes Administrator Jobs available
in California on Indeed.com. one search. all jobs.
www.indeed.com/jobs/Lotus-Notes-Administrator-in-California
Domino
Administrator Copenhagen Contract IT Job
Our blue chip client in Copenhagen is looking for a Domino Administrator
to configure and manage test environment for both Domino and Notes.
Our client ...
www.jobserve.com/Domino-Admi [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
notes
google
60
Book Review - Metasploit: The Penetration Tester's Guide by David Kennedy, Jim O'Gorman, Devon Kerns, and Mati Aharoni
Sun, Sep 18th 2011 8:26p Thomas Duff It's nice when a book not only delivers
on its stated objective, but it also opens my eyes to a better understanding
of a related subject. Metasploit:
The Penetration Tester's Guide
by David Kennedy, Jim O'Gorman, Devon Kerns, and Mati Aharoni falls solidly
into that class. In addition to learning how I can use Metasploit
for network penetration testing, I also saw just how easy it is for someone
to compromise a system with very little effort or knowledge. You
can never rest when i [read] Keywords: network
security
69
Notes/Domino job opportunities for 09/18/2011 (6 entries)
Sun, Sep 18th 2011 5:53a Thomas Duff Senior
Lotus Notes Administrator - Hertfordshire - 6 Months -200
...
Real Staffing are looking for a Senior Lotus Notes Administrator
to join the Global ... To provide guidance to Lotus Notes
personnel in the deployment of Dominio ...
www.realstaffing.com/us/job/Senior-Lotus.../318906/
Lotus
Notes Admin jobs Dicecom
Experience with backend Lotus Domino technology. Experience responding
to customers and troubleshooting issues with Lotus Notes and responding
to Lotus ...
www. [read] Keywords: admin
domino
ibm
lotus
notes
quickr
sametime
applications
bes
development
enterprise
google
81
Sat, Sep 17th 2011 8:20p Thomas Duff Every time I read an Ed Lynskey novel,
I end up using the word "gritty" in my review. Lake
Charles is no exception to that
trend. The back cover describes this as "Tennessee noir",
and that seems as apt a description of the setting and mood than anything
else. Dark and violent, with the backstory catching up to the current
action as it unfolds. This novel was hard to put down.
The story revolves around Brendan Fishback,
a young guy who is currently out on bail, facing a charg [read] Keywords:
59
Book Review - Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error by Kathryn Schulz
Sat, Sep 17th 2011 1:50p Thomas Duff I recently caught a TEDx talk by Kathryn
Schulz on the reasons why we need to get over our fear of being wrong.
That's an interesting mindset, and usually not one that people readily
accept. To investigate her ideas more thoroughly, I picked up her
book Being
Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error.
It's a deep and heavy read, but her humor and irreverent attitude
keep it from being a sleeping aid. Having finished it, I think I
can now look at my many errors and mistakes in a much [read] Keywords: notes
Notes/Domino job opportunities for 09/16/2011 (5 entries)
Fri, Sep 16th 2011 5:53a Thomas Duff Senior
Lotus Notes Administrator - Hertfordshire - 6 Months - |
Real ...
My client a leading global manufacturer of motion and control technologies
and systems are looking for a Senior Lotus Notes Administrator to
join there global ...
www.realstaffing.com/us/job/Senior-Lotus...6.../318697/
Lotus
Notes Administrator - Sallie Mae - Newton, MA domino lotus
notes
Senior Lotus Notes Developer with Security Clearance - NORTHROP
... is seeking a Lotus Notes developer with experienc [read] Keywords: domino
lotus
notes
google
planetlotus
planetlotus.org
security
64
Notes/Domino job opportunities for 09/15/2011 (4 entries)
Thu, Sep 15th 2011 4:59a Thomas Duff Lotus
Domino Administrator - Search / Recruitment Firm
Lotus Domino Administrator Kuala Lumpur - Cyberjaya. Responsibilities:
Install, support and upgrade Domino Servers; Maintenance, monitoring
and ...
www.jobstreet.com.my/jobs/2011/9/default/.../1424736.htm?fr...
SEEK
- Lotus Domino Developer Job in Auckland
Developers/Programmers, We're seeking an experienced Lotus Domino
Developer to join our client's Central-South Auckland based team.
www.seek.co.nz/Job/lotus-domino-de [read] Keywords: domino
ibm
lotus
notes
google
linkedin
74
Notes/Domino job opportunities for 09/14/2011 (5 entries)
Wed, Sep 14th 2011 5:43a Thomas Duff SEEK
Lotus NotesDomino Engineer Job in Wellington
Engineering - Network, Lotus Notes Engineer with an excellent employer.
Wellington based with loads of benefits.
www.seek.co.nz/Job/lotus-notes-domino.../in/.../20667234
SEEK
- Lotus Notes / Domino Administrator Job in
Melbourne
Engineering - Hardware, CBD - 6 month contract with view to Permanent!!
Excellent consultancy - Great environment - Great team!!!
www.seek.com.au/Job/lotus-notes-domino.../20605852
Lotus
Notes [read] Keywords: administration
domino
ibm
lotus
notes
google
network
server
