joshuacork.com http://joshuacork.com a side of awesomesauce from mr.cork Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:26:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 My thoughts on enterprise office computing http://joshuacork.com/2012/04/12/my-thoughts-on-enterprise-office-computing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-thoughts-on-enterprise-office-computing http://joshuacork.com/2012/04/12/my-thoughts-on-enterprise-office-computing/#comments Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:26:01 +0000 JoshCork http://leanncork.com/joshuacork/?p=249 Microsoft Cloud Computing SlideI was recently asked by someone to give my thoughts on enterprise office computing.  The general context was around what my perspective was on an “any device, anywhere” type capability inside the enterprise. She was looking to understand what would make organizations more effective and productive?

Below are my inputs on specific questions in the context above:

Q: What are today’s pain points to being productive and effective with today’s office computing hardware and software in the enterprise?

  1. Hardware is lacking in power and performance for our developers and analysts because the enterprise hardware refresh rate is not keeping pace with the big data needs. Enabling these folks to have a yearly stipend towards purchasing their own hardware and self-supporting it would bolster their productivity. Give them an easy way to partition off their work login from their personal login and easy way of migrating their data between machines (see point 2 below) and you’ll have happier employees with a much faster refresh rate.
  2. Keeping the content, settings, and application virtualization in the cloud and prevalent on any device they log into w/int the 4 walls of the enterprise or via virtual walls created by VPN would be critical.
  3. Having a common ‘cloud based’ content enterprise storage across all devices (like Dropbox, evernote, or Google Docs) would increase productivity.
  4. For ease of collaboration it’s painful today having multiple different ‘standard’ laptops in the environment. If a development team has a collaboration lab / bullpen where they do the pair programming development from and they need a different dock for each machine… the docking stations aren’t even standardized across the business class HP and Lenovo machines deployed at many enterprises today. This is painful. —> doesn’t get any better with a BYO model, but probably a tradeoff the developers and analysts would be willing to make and no worse than what we have today.
  5. Software (sorry, this one probably went way off track and out of the scope of the general context, but I’ll leave the rant here)–> I think large enterprises often times spend too much money and time trying to build a better (or equivalent) mousetrap themselves. When in fact they are so far behind the technology curve it seems like it would make a lot more sense to just outsource the software as a service and jump back on the technology curve.

Question: As a customer of IT, what do you care about in perspective to hardware, form factor, operating systems and all?

  1. Hardware –> User experience, thin and light are going to be the new norm in the consumer space, folks are going to expect the same at work or be dissatisfied. I think once users experience touch screen ultra books things will feel slow not using touch at work, this is a hunch… I know when I used my iMac or Macbook at home after getting an iPad on more than one occasion I tried to move or open things on the screen using my finger (which made me feel silly) but it just comes across as natural after you’ve done it for a little while.
  2. Hardware –> I don’t want a laptop that feels like it’s built with cheap materials. The first enterprise class HP machines that I saw deployed in the environment felt cheap and broke more often than the Lenovo machines…. Which makes people picky about which machine they get when they show up at their IT service center for refresh. Employees want to feel good about the devices they are carrying around.
  3. Support –> For the analysts, developers, power users there should be an easy process for upgrading components like memory and disk space.
  4. OS –> It needs to be stable and secure.
  5. OS –> I care about it integrating to the “cloud” –> I’m okay with that being an internal cloud but give me a Dropbox like capability w/in the enterprise and I’d be so much happier and maybe just a little more productive.
  6. OS –> I want to be able to do things efficiently and I want to have software that just works on it. This is small and picky… but when I click on shut down I don’t want to be notified that the OS is installing a patch and that I shouldn’t disconnect it from power or shut it down until it’s done, that’s stupid.
  7. OS –> I like my workspaces in Mac OSX, I also like using my trackpad to swipe through workspaces and full screen applications.
  8. OS –> I like the app store in MacOSX and 99cent apps that make my life just a bit easier. I’m now loving an app called “Day One” for keeping track of my daily progress and wins. I could do the same thing in Word, or OneNote but it’s just always there, always on, always organized, and super easy to use. I like Apps like this.
  9. OS –> I care about my browser experience. I use Chrome exclusively, the only reason I open IE is because there are poorly coded web apps here in the enterprise that don’t work based on standards.
So that’s my little list for what I want from hardware and software inside the enterprise.
image courtesy of image courtesy of @rafaeldesigner
]]> http://joshuacork.com/2012/04/12/my-thoughts-on-enterprise-office-computing/feed/ 0 Grading my 2011 Goals http://joshuacork.com/2011/12/29/grading-my-2011-goals/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=grading-my-2011-goals http://joshuacork.com/2011/12/29/grading-my-2011-goals/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:55:44 +0000 JoshCork http://joshuacork.com/?p=239 Another year has gone by and I’ve just spent some time reviewing my goals and grading my progress against them.  I failed.  2011 was a rough year and as I write this having looked back on the year I don’t feel good about the progress I made against these goals.  I feel stronger and more healthy than I have in years and I but with respect to the expectations I had set for myself in January of last year I’ve failed. These are my expectations and will be my goals again in 2012… now I just need to figure out how to execute.

The specifics:Read More: (2011 Grade: 4/5)

  1. Read one fiction book every three months: Grade 4
  2. Read one non-fiction book every 2 months: Grade: 2

My 2011 Progress

In 2011 I finished reading 3 fiction books (“A Galaxy Unknown“, “Rainbows End“, and “Wired“) and there’s a 50/50 shot that I’ll finish reading “Abraham Lincoln – Vampire Hunter” by the end of the year. In 2011 I finished reading 2 non-fiction books: (“The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman” and “Delivering Happiness“); I started, but did not finish, 3 other fiction books (“The perfect gene diet“, “The Power (the secret)“, and “The Shift: Taking Your Life from Ambition to Meaning“).

My 2012 Plan

In 2012 I’ll set aside more dedicated for reading non-fiction books and continue my binge reading of non-fiction on business trips.  I’ll spend less time on Google Reader and more time in my Kindle.  I’ll also make more notes/highlights and share them through my Amazon.com account.

Make $5K / month as side income by September : (2011 Grade: 1/5)

The specifics:

  1. The title says it all.

My 2011 Progress

While 2011 saw one of my blogs blow up with a feature on Lifehacker.com not much else has panned out.  I’ve got lots of ideas but not enough time to execute on them.   I’m making ~$40/Month from adsense but that’s nothing compared to my goal.

My 2012 Plan

Focus more.  In 2012 I’ll spend more time working on my goal here.  I’ll set aside two lunch hours per week to work on side income projects and hold firm to that goal.  I’ll also be going back through my ideas and taking at least one from start to finish over the next 3 months.  I will have a drop shipping business set up by April 1st.

Spend more quality time with my boys: (2011 Grade: 3/5)

The specifics:

  1. One hour of Daddy/Ethan time per week.
  2. One hour of Daddy/Kal time per week.

My 2011 Progress

In 2011 I spent lots of time with the boys, however, in context of the specific goals I set out I didn’t do very well.  I spent very little individualized time with them individually.  I do feel like I spent more quality time with them as a whole (hence my 3/5 grading) but I didn’t adhere to the specifics outlined in this goal.

My 2012 Plan

Execute.  I’ll pull each of them aside for a 1:1 activity every week.

Be in the best shape of my life by 2012: (2011 Grade: 2/5)

The specifics:

  1. Sleep 7 hours / night
  2. Daily workout routine
  3. Weekly workout routine
  4. Stick with the slow carb diet
  5. Take progress photos of myself
  6. Keep a food photo journal
  7. Measure my body fat monthly
  8. Public Goal Setting and Results
  9. 12,000 Steps / Day
  10. Lose 60 pounds by 4/1/11

My 2011 Progress

  1. Sleep 7 hours / night: Fail – My average sleep 6.85 Hours
  2. Daily workout routine: Fail – I didn’t do anything daily.
  3. Weekly workout routine: Success – I worked out weekly.
  4. Stick with the slow carb diet: Failure – I cheated too often (damn you goldfish crackers!)
  5. Take progress photos of myself: Meh – I have progress photos that I took probably twice this year.
  6. Keep a food photo journal: Meh – I did this ~75% of the time.
  7. Measure my body fat monthly: Fail – (Data for Jan, Feb, April, May, and August)
  8. Public Goal Setting and Results: Success
  9. 12,000 Steps / Day: Fail – Average steps / day ~6,420
  10. Lose 60 pounds by 4/1/11: Fail (big time) – I lost ~25lbs of fat.

My 2012 Plan

In 2012 I’ll be more disciplined.  My health coach gave me some good advice and helped me thing through things.  I believe I have more of an all or nothing mentality which means I need to find something and stick with it for a defined time.  My biggest weakness here is in justifying a little cheat here or there.  I’ll get home and grab a handful of goldfish crackers that are on the table for the kids or have organic peanut butter by the spoonful instead of a single spoonful of almond butter.  As an example when I forget to bring my lunch I’ll then justify not telling the cook in the cafe to take the cheese off the salad.  In 2012 I’ll be time boxing an all or nothing goal.  I’m not sure of the specifics here yet but I’ll have those lined up by 1/1 and publish here shortly.  Right now I think I’ll set a time box of three months with no cheating at all.  I’ll define success as having prepared meals each day and eating those meals only.  I’ll have a military like discipline and not cheat for 3 months outside of my dedicated cheat day.  Also I’ll put more time into cardio at they gym or at home with some routine.

Begin my shift towards self actualization: (2011 Grade: 1/5)

The specifics:

  1. Be independent of the good opinion of other people
  2. I am detached from the outcome of my decisions, my actions are instead determined because of who I am.
  3. I have no investment in power over others. Let others be who they want to be.

My 2011 Progress

In general I lost site of this goal.  It’s funny looking back at these specific bullet points above.  Especially number two.  In the last 4 months of this year I spent so much time grappling with the outcome of my decisions at work and how they would be interpreted, how others would be affected, and playing out those consequences.  Should I have just focused more on this goal alone I think I would have slept better, had less stress, and be generally happier.

My 2012 Plan

  1. Be independent of the good opinion of other people: Today I spend too much time worrying about how others will interpret my actions and playing out the scenarios against my choice of words and actions.  This year I’ll overcome this hinderance and actively dismiss these thoughts. I’ll enlist some of my closest friends to help keep me in check. I’ll thank people for their unsolicited opinions and treat them as such.  I’ll trust in myself and learn from my mistakes and success independent of other people’s opinions.
  2. I am detached from the outcome of my decisions, my actions are instead determined instead because of who I am.  - In 2012 I’ll make faster decisions and learn from my success and failure.  I’ll celebrate my failures based on poor decisions as the learning opportunities they are.  I’ll have more confidence in my decision making ability and do things for me, not because of how others perceive my actions.
  3. I have no investment in power over others. Let others be who they want to be: In 2011 I spent too much time trying to improve other people, trying to advise/improve them (even when unsolicited) wasn’t the most efficient use of my time.  In 2012 I’ll not invest my time in actively trying to change other people.

Value experiences over material things: (2011 Grade: 4/5)

The specifics:

  1. Travel with friends and family
  2. More lunches / dinners with friends
  3. Actively seek opportunities to have experiences with other people

My 2011 Progress

I did pretty well against this goal for 2011.  We traveled with family to Hawaii, California, and Flagstaff, we did day trips to the Mogollon Rim and around the valley.  We had lots of friends over for dinner and I did many lunches with friends and family.

My 2012 Plan

Step up our game a bit and do some more advanced planning.  Also clean the house a for 10 minutes before every night before bed so we stop using a dirty house as an excuse for not having folks over.

]]> http://joshuacork.com/2011/12/29/grading-my-2011-goals/feed/ 0 We may have gone overboard. #Christmas #Gifts #Giving http://joshuacork.com/2011/12/22/we-may-have-gone-overboard-christmas-gifts-giving/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=we-may-have-gone-overboard-christmas-gifts-giving http://joshuacork.com/2011/12/22/we-may-have-gone-overboard-christmas-gifts-giving/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:21:29 +0000 JoshCork http://joshuacork.com/2011/12/22/we-may-have-gone-overboard-christmas-gifts-giving/
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]]> http://joshuacork.com/2011/12/17/zoolights/feed/ 0 Winter wonderland @Intel – with my little Kings (we told Kal to put on his happy face) http://joshuacork.com/2011/12/03/winter-wonderland-intel-with-my-little-kings-we-told-kal-to-put-on-his-happy-face/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=winter-wonderland-intel-with-my-little-kings-we-told-kal-to-put-on-his-happy-face http://joshuacork.com/2011/12/03/winter-wonderland-intel-with-my-little-kings-we-told-kal-to-put-on-his-happy-face/#comments Sat, 03 Dec 2011 17:59:39 +0000 JoshCork http://joshuacork.com/2011/12/03/winter-wonderland-intel-with-my-little-kings-we-told-kal-to-put-on-his-happy-face/

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Taken at Intel Chandler – CH7 ]]> http://joshuacork.com/2011/12/03/winter-wonderland-intel-with-my-little-kings-we-told-kal-to-put-on-his-happy-face/feed/ 0 Playing starwars… http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/30/playing-starwars/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=playing-starwars http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/30/playing-starwars/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:08:21 +0000 JoshCork http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/30/playing-starwars/

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]]> http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/30/playing-starwars/feed/ 0 @girlxc making “music” with the kids http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/30/girlxc-making-music-with-the-kids/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=girlxc-making-music-with-the-kids http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/30/girlxc-making-music-with-the-kids/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 02:06:13 +0000 JoshCork http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/30/girlxc-making-music-with-the-kids/

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]]> http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/30/girlxc-making-music-with-the-kids/feed/ 0 Sitting by the fire after dinner http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/26/sitting-by-the-fire-after-dinner/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sitting-by-the-fire-after-dinner http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/26/sitting-by-the-fire-after-dinner/#comments Sun, 27 Nov 2011 01:50:20 +0000 JoshCork http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/26/sitting-by-the-fire-after-dinner/

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Taken at Gordon Biersch ]]> http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/26/sitting-by-the-fire-after-dinner/feed/ 0 Downtown Seattle http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/08/downtown-seattle/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=downtown-seattle http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/08/downtown-seattle/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:43:58 +0000 JoshCork http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/08/downtown-seattle/

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]]> http://joshuacork.com/2011/11/08/downtown-seattle/feed/ 0 Jawbone Up Bracelet – Yes please. http://joshuacork.com/2011/10/13/jawbone-up-bracelet-yes-please/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=jawbone-up-bracelet-yes-please http://joshuacork.com/2011/10/13/jawbone-up-bracelet-yes-please/#comments Thu, 13 Oct 2011 22:23:02 +0000 JoshCork http://leanncork.com/joshuacork/?p=226 A screenshot of ATT's UP by Jawbone page.

Two please!

My latest obsession is the UP bracelet by Jawbone!  Similar to the Fitbit this device will help you track activity levels, sleep, and food consumption.  I’m so excited about this product and I can’t wait to use it.  I’m pulling hard to try to get a review model and post a review over on iUpgrade.me and my YouTube channel. If I get the opportunity to do so I’ll drop you all a line when I’m done through Facebook, twitter, and here on JoshuaCork.com.

So should you have any control over who gets review models (I’m looking at you Jawbone product marketing team) and are reading this pretty please drop me a line or give me a call I’m certain I can create a very objective and fun to watch video review of your product and I can get the word out to my social media peeps and other Fitness geeks like me!

 

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