Koozie Notes

How NOT to Run IT as a Business

I really enjoyed Bob Lewis's article from InfoWorld titled, "Run IT as a business -- why that's a train wreck waiting to happen."  Some of my favorites quotes include:

1. Fawaz also sees the damage that comes from limiting IT's role to delivering software to internal
   customers. "I've spent so much time arbitrating between 'business,' which won't put anything in
   writing as a requirement, and my IT team, which have been slammed so often for not delivering
   'exactly what is needed' that they insist on receiving complete requirements before they make a
   move."
2. "Relationships matter. A lot. I've seen it a lot in my daily work. When people have built a good relationship there is trust and it's easy to get things done. And it's very difficult to get things done when there is not a relationship built, with the lack of trust that causes."
3. Nobody in IT should ever say, "You're my customer and my job is to make sure you're satisfied," or ask, "What do you want me to do?"  Instead, they should say, "My job is to help you and the company succeed," followed by "Show me how you do things now," and "Let's figure out a better way of getting this done."
4. Instead of asking what the software should do, they start by asking how their business
   counterparts run their operations now, what are their biggest problems, and how they want to
   run things differently and better in the future.  IT's job is to recommend better ways to operate, using technical capabilities business managers might not even know are possible.
5. These enlightened companies don't have IT projects -- they have business change projects that aren't done until the planned business change has been accomplished, and users are trained, not in how to operate software, but in how to do their redesigned jobs using the new software.

--Chris

Let Me Google That For You: URL Builder

Ever google something for someone because it was easier to do it yourself.  No longer. 

Now you can use LetMeGoogleThatForYou, which should build a URL showing a user how to use Google. :-)

Question: Where can I download Ubuntu?
 

Answer: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=ubuntu+download

--Chris

Books Read in 2010

For 2010, I have finished reading reading the following books on my Kindle, which I received on 29 APR 2008.

1. Under the Dome by Stephen King (2 JAN 2010)
2. Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton (15 JAN 2010)
3. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (19 JAN 2010)
4. White Night (Book 9) by Jim Butcher (31 JAN 2010)
5. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (5 FEB 2010)
6. Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov (14 FEB 2010)
7. Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov (21 FEB 2010)
8. Jack Wakes Up by Seth Harwood (26 FEB 2010)
9. Orphan's Alliance by Robert Buettner (3 MAR 2010)
10. Orphan's Triumph by Robert Buettner (9 MAR 2010)
11. The Mote in God's Eye by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven (20 MAR 2010)
12. The Brethern by John Grisham (26 MAR 2010)
13. Playing for Pizza by John Grisham (30 MAR 2010)
14. Small Favor (Book 10) by Jim Butcher (5 APR 2010)
15. The Gunslinger (Book 1) by Stephen King (23 APR 2010)
16. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (28 APR 2010)
17. The Drawing of the Three (Book 2) by Stephen King (7 MAY 2010)
18. Sheet Music by Dr. Kevin Leeman (30 MAY 2010)
19. The Philosophical Programmer by Daniel Kohanski (6 JUN 2010) (DTV)
20. Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card (13 JUN 2010)
21. Turn Coat (Book 11) by Jim Butcher (20 JUN 2010)
22. The Waste Lands (Book 3)by Stephen King (11 JUL 2010)
23. Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern(12 JUL 2010)
24. Wizard and Glass (Book 4) by Stephen King (2 AUG 2010)
25. Deception Point by Dan Brown (14 AUG 2010)
26. ReWork by Jason Fried and David Hansson (22 AUG 2010)
27. A Galaxy Unknown by Thomas DePrima (30 AUG 2010)
28. Pro Git by Scott Chacon (12 SEP 2010) (DTV)
29. Hunger Games (Book 1) by Suzanne Collins (14 SEP 2010)
30. Catching Fire (Book 2) by Suzanne Collins (19 SEP 2010)
31. Mockingjay (Book 3) by Suzanne Collins (26 SEP 2010)
32. Replay by Ken Grimwood (5 OCT 2010)
33. Where Wizards Stay Up Late by Matthew Lyon and Katie Hafner (12 OCT 2010)
34. Changes (Book 12) by Jim Butcher (22 OCT 2010)
35. Side Jobs by Jim Butcher (20 NOV 2010)
36. The Confession by John Grisham (25 NOV 2010)
37. Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (23 DEC 2010)

-Chris

Books 2009

Books 2008