Category: longform
Essays, articles, and other original content.
-
OpenStack vs. Amazon
The differentiation [between Amazon and OpenStack] is that OpenStack technology is driving an initiative, throughout the world, which can be adopted and molded in a non-proprietary way. If you, as a user, want to integrate some proprietary technology into OpenStack, you can do that very easily. It’s basically an open system. The companies and brand…
-
Maybe this Internet of Things bit isn’t bonkers after all
A new study from Rackspace titled "The Human Cloud: Wearable Technology from Novelty to Productivity" reports that 18 percent of the population in the United States and United Kingdom are using wearable technology, and the majority of those users (82 percent of Americans and 71 percent of Brits) say these devices are making their lives…
-
Amazon Staff Meetings: “No PowerPoint”
The traditional kind of corporate meeting starts with a presentation. Somebody gets up in front of the room and presents with a powerpoint presentation, some type of slide show. In our view you get very little information, you get bullet points. This is easy for the presenter, but difficult for the audience. And so instead,…
-
The 100 person limit
Size and internal vs. external coordination costs matter a lot. North of 100 people in a company, employees don’t all know each other. Politics become important. Incentives change. Signaling that work is being done may become more important than actually doing work. These costs are almost always underestimated. Yet they are so prevalent that professional…
-
Upcoming talk on Dell’s New Cloud Strategy
I’ll have a little cameo on a webinar tomorrow, speaking broadly to Dell’s cloud strategy. It’d a good chance to see what we’re up to now-a-days and how we think about it. This will be one of the first, public overviews of our cloud approach since we announced we were no longer building and running…
-
Microsoft keeps fast following to the cloud
In addition to Azure, Microsoft is offering other cloud services through Intune, its Internet-based computer management service. Developed for small offices with limited IT help, Intune provides a set of automated updating and management functionality for keeping Windows-based business computers in operating order. A quiet success for Microsoft, Intune now is used by more than…
-
Building a Great Team (Dell buys Enstratius)
With the Enstratius acquisition, Dell is getting a group of people with deep influence in the community. Founder George Reese is an O’Reilly author and a cloud pioneer. He is supported by James Urquhart, Bernard Golden and John Willis, all recognized as influencers in the cloud community. —Alex Williams, TechCruch cloud strength.Welcome @botchagalupe @davidajbagley @georgereese…
-
Sputnik launches as the Dell XPS 13 Laptop
Today is an exciting day for me: Dell is launching a product that I’ve helped put together and create along with a team of people across the company and, of course, the leader of the project, Barton George. We’ve been calling it Project Sputnik, and it’s got a real name now, “XPS 13 developer edition.”…
-
You’ll never believe what I’m calling on!
I often tell people, “you’ll never believe what I’m calling from!” and they don’t seem to know what I’m saying. Also, the old “Bula Vinaka, Beachside!” AT&T commercial. I was talking with Barton George the other day about these two “cultural items” and it made me realize (a.) I watched a lot of TV when…
-
Lowlands Trip Photos, 1
We’re back from a trip to The Netherlands and Belgium. I’ve got all the photos I took (and some I stole from Kim), but here’s a first batch of a selection of them, working backwards chronologically. See more in the full set, and Kim will have a whole lot more some day (and not just…
-
Coming to Austin? Here’s what I recommend – Things to do in Austin
Folks coming to Austin often ask me for recommendations of things to do and eat. Here’s my most recent write up. Feel free to leave comments and additions, someday I’ll polish it up real good like. There’s two foods you need to eat, of course: BBQ and Tex-Mex. Austin has it’s own type of Tex-Mex…
-
Enterprise Gold at SXSW
(Cross posted from my work blog.) It’s panel promotion time for SXSW 2010. This year, I’m going for a panel on selling to the enterprise, targeted at the SXSW crowd, of course. I thought this would be a fun contrast to the consumer-heavy, “free” stuff that the SXSW sessions and panels are usually full of.…
-
Maintaining Charm
Striving to protect that charm, town officials crafted an ordinance that bans “formula restaurants” from opening within the city limits. A group of eight investors challenged that ordinance, suing Springdale, 16 town officials and the town’s attorneys for what the plaintiffs say is their constitutional right to open a Subway restaurant franchise. —“Towns block chain…
-
Mason and Melissa’s Wedding
This past weekend, we all went out to California for our friends Mason and Melissa’s wedding. It was in a fantastic resort-y place just south of Yosemite. Also, it was Cormac’s first flight! Here are some photos: With the groom before the wedding. Next to a redwood in Yosemite. The wedding. Oath by mustache. First…
-
The Luxuries of Executive Platinum
Last year I finally qualified for American Airlines top frequent flyer status, Executive Platinum. It was really a “hack” due to special programs AA had out. Over the summer and fall, there were several ways to double up on qualifying points. If it weren’t for those programs, I wouldn’t have made it. Having been at…
-
Taming the backyard jungle
We’d been away from the house for a few weeks, and it rained plenty. The result was a “jungle” in the backyard which required some weed-whacking and high mowing:
-
Kim’s big SXSW 2010 show recommendations list
While we can’t go this year, my wife Kim and I usually find all sorts of exciting music at SXSW each year. The secret is, she’s the one who finds all the good stuff – I’m just lucky enough to tag along. Several people have asked for her SXSW 2010 recommendations, so here they are…
-
Voting, Texas-style – Austin’s Very Own #51
After voting in the Texas Primaries, Kim and I discuss the fun of the voting process. A loud motor-scooter goes by and launches us into a conversation of impolite noises. Click here for episode MP3 To listen to the episode, subscribe to the podcast feed in iTunes or whatever, download the episode directly, or click…
You must be logged in to post a comment.