That’s what I told the Toggle team last Thursday at our weekly staff meeting.  You should have seen the blank stares and raised eyebrows looking back at me.  I know most of the team thinks I’ve already gone off the deep end, but this statement still managed to cause a stir.  Fortunately for them I followed up “Stop Cooperating!” with:

Start Collaborating!

I distinctly remember a half cocked expression smacked across Jered’s face and words uttering from his mouth saying “What’s the difference? They’re the same!”.  Jered was completely justified in his reaction, as any thesaurus will tell you cooperate and collaborate are synonyms of each other.  Sure their definitions in a dictionary are almost identical and both roughly mean “to work with others”.  But this is one of those times when the “real” world definition of certain words has come to mean something quite different.  Not so much for the word “collaborate”, but “cooperate” definitely has a different “real” world meaning when applied to most structured organizations where authority is exercised.  Toggle is no different, and I as its self-appointed leader have been asking people to cooperate with me for the last 6 years.  Think about it for a second…what does cooperate really mean.  How about…”do what I say or you’re fired!”…or…”I told you to cooperate with me!”…etc. 

We are taught how to cooperate when we are very young and I think it’s likely the dictionary’s definition is not consulted in this time honored educational right of passage.  It starts as children with our parents telling us to cooperate with them.  Not optionally I might add.  We are then told to cooperate throughout school by our teachers and parents again.  And finally into the business world as most organizations are structured top down with “cooperation” in mind.

So let’s ask ourselves the question, “What would happen if we stopped ‘cooperating’ and started ‘collaborating’ instead?”.  What does that mean?  What would happen to authoritative power?  Would anarchy ensue?  Will people wander aimlessly through the halls of institutions everywhere?  Well, in our organization for the last 3 business days I am happy to report that Chaos Theory hasn’t taken a hold of Toggle…yet.  We’ll have to see what happens in the coming weeks, but so far the idea of collaborating with one another has created a very positive change in our company.  It has generated a level of leadership, creativity and productivity seconded only to the day before a long weekend.  Which is this Friday I might add.  Who knows what will happen!

I’ll leave you with that for now and if I don’t have a mutiny on my hands in the next few days, maybe someone on the team will collaborate with me and post a blog on what it means to “Start Collaborating”.

I discovered a wasp nest in my yard yesterday.  As usual, it comes as a shock when you come across and disturb a wasp nest.  There were wasps’ flying everywhere, and me running into the house in record speed.  The nest that I discovered is actually underground.  I have battled many wasp nest’s in my day, but this is my first underground nest.  I pondered how to begin my “total annihilation” of this species from my yard.  My first attempt was not well thought out.  I decided to soak a towel, and lay it over the wasp area.  I then decided that I could drown the wasps, by turning on the hose over the towel, and soak the area.  What I didn’t count on was the number of wasps which were out of the nest at the time.  Within minutes, I had about 20 wasps in my area, trying to get into their blocked nest.  Time for a new plan.  I went and got some nest foam which I have used with great success in the past.  The problem for me is I don’t know if I will be able to access the entrance for the wasps.  I have tried to make my yard easy to maintain.  No grass at all in the backyard, and most of my gardens are covered in rock with plants interspersed throughout.  Under my rocks, I have placed a landscaping cloth.  My plan was to wait until either dusk or dawn, and pull on the landscape cloth, to expose the nest, and then hopefully see an entrance hole, and blast it with foam.  I attempted this procedure both last night and this morning, but as soon as I touched the cloth, the wasps came out.  I thought they were supposed to be dormant in the dark.  Perhaps it is because they are experiencing flood damage, that they have stayed awake all night.  My next attempt will be fire.  I have also burned many nests in the past also with great success.  I am hopeful that I can just burn right through my landscaping cloth.  I will have to test this first however.  I don’t want my whole back yard to go up in flames.  If all else fails, there is a frost in our near future.  I can always wait for Mother Nature to take care of the problem for me.

There is a lot of talk these days about sports being added and deleted to the Olympic games.  The sports which are on the chopping block for the 2012 games in London are softball, baseball and the modern pentathlon.  The IOC President Jacques Rogge, has stipulated on a go forward basis if any new sports are to be added to the games, the same number of sports have to be removed.  Some of the sports that are being considered as additions for 2012 include golf, rugby, karate, squash and “roller sports.”  I don’t even want to begin a discussion on “Roller Sports”, because I have visions of “roller derby” being entered as an Olympic Sport.  What I am interested in blogging, is what sports do you think should be removed?  I think I live in the greatest country in the world, Canada.  Our summer Olympic medal tally is however quite weak.  We didn’t have our first medal until Day 8 in Beijing, but this 2nd week of competition has been much better for the Canadian Athletes.  My first choice for removal from the Olympics has changed.  It initially was Trampoline, but Canada has now received 2 medals for this sport, so it is now my favorite sport.  I say keep Trampoline, but let’s turf Ping Pong or Table Tennis.  Let’s remember that this is a game that is best played with friends and beer.  My next choice would be Rhythmic Gymnastics.  I may have to change my mind about this one too, because Canada has done well with this sport in the past, and we may get a coveted medal in this sport.    I would have even said Equestrian events last week, but now it is another favorite sport of mine due to the shiny silver medal we got.  I just don’t understand why we don’t give the medals to the horses.  Don’t they do all the work?  We need to find a sport where Canada has little chance of winning.  It is pitiful that I have to think along these terms to get a sport removed, but we are truly not a threat in the summer games.  My final choice would be to remove Tennis.  Some of these players make a “gazillion” dollars a year, and do not fit my idea of an Olympian, plus, what chance has Canada of ever getting a medal in this sport.  Let’s bring back to the Olympics the sport of Lacrosse.  It was in 4 past Olympics, 1904,1928, 1932 and 1948.  I know we would do well in this sport again.  Can you believe that even Tug-Of-War was in 6 Olympic games.  In the end all I can do is cheer “Go Canada Go”, and wait for the winter games to come to Vancouver.  As the home team, I am hopeful for our best medal count to date.  Go Canada Go!

Most of us have some form of data backup in place. Unfortunately, this tends to lull us into a false sense of security and that keeps us from addressing how well it is doing the job or from upgrading or changing to better, more reliable, automated systems such as TrueVault the “state of the art” solution from the company I work for Toggle Networks Inc.

(This is not a sales pitch, however I do want you to understand that I am totally committed to the belief that TrueVault is the best data protection system in the world and that bias affects the degree of passion that I bring to this subject.)

Here is the problem:

Any data backup system that relies on human action is automatically less reliable and more expensive than a 100% automated “set it and forget it” solution such as TrueVault.

What happens if one of the dozens of possible disasters occur that causes the loss your data and:

• You attempt to reinstall from tape and the data isn’t there?
• Only part of your data is there?
• You find out that the data recovery will take days or perhaps weeks to accomplish?

These are the hidden dangers. What can they do to you?

What are the hidden costs?

 
 Labour is expensive and the typical tape backup systems that is currently the most common method of backup is way too labour intensive. “Someone” (usually a fairly expensive “someone”) has to change the tape and check the logs daily. They usually then have to transport the tape to an offsite location, swap it for the next rotation and bring the next tape back. Occasionally they should test that the data is there and that the  reinstall does work. In the typical installation the total labour involved averages 23 minutes a day. At today’s cost of labour for “someone” , including fringe benefits labor costs $39 per hour so that amounts to $14.82 a day or over $315 a month plus tapes and depreciation of the tape backup system. We are talking over $4,000 dollars a year in hidden costs!     

Maybe it is time to reconsider how you are backing up your data.

Roberts G. Keeling

I certainly don’t need any illegal and pricey drugs? My drug of choice is caffeine. I really didn’t think much about it until my Doctor recently told me that I should go without caffeine. I thought it would be easy. Well, let me tell you that it isn’t. This is my 10th day of being caffeine free, but it is definately my toughest day so far. Last week, I was on holidays, and didn’t even think of coffee until I drove past a Tim Horton’s. Today is my first day back to work, after my vacation. I sit within smelling distance of the coffee machine here. When the fresh pots are being brewed, I start salivating. I try to convince myself that I would rather have water, but who am I kidding. I want coffee. Let me rephrase that: I NEED COFFEE. It is now a force that is controling my life. With my web research, I have discovered that there is no such thing as caffeine free. All of these so called decaffeinated products still contain small amounts of caffeine in their contents. Tim Horton’s has an easy to read listing of caffeine content, so at least I can chose the lesser of the evils. I have decided that it is unhealthy for me to quit caffeine cold turkey, and have decided on the decaf route. I can easily forgo the other caffeine laced treats like sodas, chocolate and teas. Some prescription drugs even contain caffeine. In the end, all is can say is make mine a “Large Decaf with 1 milk & 1/2 a sugar“.

Being in an IT related job generally tends to be rather stressful.  People tend to think that because us IT people don’t have to do any physically demanding work and just sit at a desk, that the work must not be that hard.  The truth is that nothing could be further from the truth!  Being a developer is very stressful and the further you move up the chain (project management, client management, etc), the more stress compounds.  Obviously, as one who has survived mountains of stress with some level of sanity, I have learned tactics to keep my stress levels at a minimum.  Since I have seen one too many developer and IT person crack terribly under the stress of their job, I figured I would share some of the things that have helped me in the past to tolerate obscene amounts of stress.

1) Clean Up

There is something strangely satisfying about cleaning.  You can clean your house, your car, your work station; whatever needs to be tidied around you.  Not only will you feel immense satisfaction at having solved a problem, you will also take pride in whatever it is you have just spic and spanned.  Working and living in a clean environment that you can be proud of makes you feel in less of a slump and therefore less stressed.

2) Exercise

I cannot emphasize this enough.  If you expect to have a sound mind, you will need a sound body.  Exercise is an excellent outlet for stress relief and contains many, many benefits.  Besides allowing you to clear your mind and escape the stress for a while, exercise allows you to focus and refine your body so that you feel better about yourself.  You will also sleep like a baby if you are getting enough exercise as your body will be tired and relaxed.

3) Vacation

Yes, you should take a vacation once and a while.  I have never seen anyone that could work continuously forever without eventually burning out without taking a break.  I have seen some incredibly strong people go for incredibly long times but in the end everyone needs a break.  I recommend taking at least two weeks a year and it is probably best to not do them together but to stagger them.  I also recommend taking the odd day off.  If you are hyper stressed and you keep working, you will not do very good work.  However, if you take a day off you will likely feel refreshed and motivated and come back and do more work than you ever would have while you were stressed.  Don’t be afraid to take a break.

4) Cut out Caffeine / Alcohol

These two substances can cause lots of issues for their own reasons.  Caffeine will make you wired and keep you going but will ultimately cause you to be jittery, paranoid, nervous and stressed.  Now granted, a little caffeine won’t hurt and is actually good for you, but pounding back a pot to yourself will only irritate you in the long run.  I recommend a good cup of green tea.

Alcohol is on a whole level in itself.  The deadly thing about alcohol is that it self sustains itself.  The deadly circle is to come home and have a drink because you had a hard day.  This can quickly become a cycle where you get through the day just to see that glass of booze at the end of the day.  It is strange in that booze seems like a solution but in actuality your days will begin to get hard simply because of the booze the night before thus sustaining the vicious cycle.  A drink every so often is not bad for you but try to keep it to a minimum when possible and do not use it for stress relief on a regular basis.

5) Get things done

Sounds simple doesn’t it?  The truth of the matter is, when we have a seemingly impossible stack of work to finish, it is easy to get overwhelmed and fuss and fret and get nothing done.  The best thing to do in a situation like this is to simply pick a project, ignore everything else, and get it done!  You will find that as you finish things, you will feel better and better and become more motivated to get things done.  In a worst case scenario, pick the smallest and / or easiest projects and at least get them done.  That way you can still be productive without sitting there worrying about the massive stack of work.

6) Put things in perspective

Note to self.  The world isn’t going to end if a project does not complete on time.  This is a really tough one to get around for people with a high work ethic.  If you have done your best and things have happened that are outside of your area of control, don’t be so hard on yourself.  The world will not end!  Sure, people might get upset (as people tend to do), but if you explain how hard you are working, apologize for the inconvenience and do everything in your power to rectify the situation, most people will be pretty reasonable.  And, if they are not, you have to accept that some things are beyond your control and you should feel proud of yourself for trying as hard as you possibly can.  Remember, you need to take care of yourself so that you can take care of your clients.

The kids and I are off to West Edmonton Mall this weekend.  My kids have seen so much of the world, but I find it funny that I have never taken them to Edmonton.  My daughter who is 13 years old, is a dedicated shopper, and is anxious to visit every single store in the mall.  My son however, who is 18, has little desire to shop, so he will no doubt hang out in the amusement park or the water park.  I know we will all eventually meet up.  With over 800 stores, I had better wear comfy shoes.  There are all sorts of activities that we can do while we are they also.  We can play ”glow in the dark mini-golf” or just regular mini golf if we desire.  We can even swim with the Sea Lions.  I have done the “Dolphin Swim” in the past, so I will most likely fore go this event, but we will definitely have a look at it.  Sea Lions have really big teeth, which makes this far less appealing to me. 

After we are done with Edmonton, we are going to do a loop back to our home in Calgary and visit a few more places.  We are going to spend a few days in beautiful Jasper Alberta.  My kids have never been here before either.  It amazes me that they have traveled all over North America, but have seen so little of Alberta.  Well, it is time I change this.  There is so much to see in this beautiful province, that I am sure we will enjoy our little “stomp” around Alberta.

Application Service Providers (ASP) are represented by a growing number of IT businesses delivering computer services from a central datacenter.  ASP solutions are very effective at reducing and in some cases eliminating the need for complex computer systems at the customers’ site.  A well run ASP service caters to businesses with niche computing needs or streamlined industry computer practices. 

The costs for an ASP service may seem high at first until factoring in the total cost of ownership associated with building and managing a complex computer system onsite.  Many businesses shy away from not “owning” their computer system and look unfavourably on ASP’s.  This will change in the future as computer systems become more centralized and monthly computer services become the accepted norm.  It is typically not in the best interest for businesses that do not specialize in IT to be responsible for an IT solution.  It doesn’t make sense to have an IT guy diagnose and illness, so why should a doctors be responsible for the health of their computer systems.

ASP’s are becoming more prevalent, however there are still many questions that must be asked before jumping on the ASP bandwagon.  A complete ASP solution will only require “dumb” terminals at the customers’ site, which begs the question what if there are other needs like accounting, email, pictures, peripherals, etc. not supported by the ASP.  Maybe there is equipment onsite like x-ray or manufacturing machines that need to communicate with a “smart” terminal or server.  I would say the most prevalent concerns one should have with an ASP is stability, security and disaster recovery.   ASP solutions rely completely on the quality of the Internet connection at the customer and service providers’ site.  Your service will only be as good as quality and security of computer infrastructure provided by the ASP.  And most importantly all your eggs are in one basket, so you must be absolutely confident that the ASP has a comprehensive disaster avoidance, disaster response and disaster recovery solution in place.

When considering an ASP, make sure you get a rock solid Service Level Agreement (SLA).  Ensure the ASP is backed by a proven disaster recovery solution and has taken every possible security precaution.  Consult with an IT professional who understands the ins and outs of ASP services to see if it is right for you in both the short and long term.

Don’t be too quick to assume that ASP’s are the one-stop miracle IT solution you’ve always dreamed about.   Be aware and proceed with caution.

I was away camping on the weekend, and suffered my first ever “Vertigo” attack.  It was a strange feeling, not being able to walk a straight line while completely sober.  We were sitting around the campfire on Sunday evening when I first noticed the vertigo.  It hit me just as I stood up after sitting for about 1/2 an hour.  I just about fell into the fire.  I thought I had just tripped, but then found I couldn’t walk without weaving.  At this point I started feeling nauseous and thought I should just go lie down in bed.  Everything is great when I am horizontal, and I have no symptoms whatsoever.  But the moment I stand or sit up, my world starts spinning.  I knew that I had to improve, as I was in no shape to drive the 4 hours home yesterday.  I decided to leave my tent trailer at Wasa Lake, and have my friends 16 year old son drive me home.  It was fun hanging out with him, and he did a great job of driving.  Today I am pleased to say, my symptoms are less, but still evident.  Hopefully this will be a short lived event.

It’ been a long time coming.  I finally joined the ranks of ultimate dork-dom and bought myself a pocket protector…oops, I mean Bluetooth headset.  Yes, I have now completely integrated myself into the digital world of communications by attaching technology to my body.  It’s already bad enough that I’m walking around with my BlackBerry hanging off my hip at all times.  Now I feel like I just had an implant inserted into my brain…which will likely be the next step after my new Bluetooth headset.

Why Ryan would ever do such a thing?  Like pocket protectors, it definitely isn’t to make a fashion statement.  It comes from my need for function and the desire to decrease the odds of getting brain cancer from excessive cell phone usage.  There is much debate over cell phones causing harm to our bodies.   Even if it is false and they are totally safe, why take the risk.  I can’t get rid of my phone and want to live a long and healthy life; so if I can take some preventative measures, why not?

The only problem I’ve had so far with the new Bluetooth headset is the overwhelming insecurity I feel wearing it in public.  I’m told by fellow super dork Lee that my insecurities will pass once I embrace the true dork that lies within all of us!

Even if my cell phone won’t kill me, the car accident I may one day have while driving with my knees, with a phone in one hand and a drink in the other will probably get the job done much quicker!