pointing out the obvious

This is a fantastic analogy for a development approach. I totally understand, and completely agree. I’ve been on my share of jackhammer projects, and although I understand why the business selected the jackhammer, it almost* never makes things better. It just seems to make people (clients, stakeholders) feel better - as if we are doing more to solve the problem.

The spoon can be carefully sold to a client as the right approach, with lasting results, but it’s tricky. This business typically demands results yesterday, and want an approach that has a chance of making the deadline, no matter how unreasonable.

Unfortunately, with tight timelines, both approaches fail. The jackhammer is messy, expensive and produces a Frankenstein-ish result. The spoon is smooth, calculated and efficient, but takes time to produce results.

Knowing what I know, I would always push timelines for quality/cost - those two factors always end up biting you in the end.

* Rarely, projects finish ahead of or on schedule using this approach, but there are usually many casualties as a result. So it is effectively a net loss.

I’m conducting a little SEO experiment. I’ve posted links to the ATG 2006.3 Platform Documentation from the ATG site, and a local copy of the ATG 2006.3 Platform Documentation and am interested in seeing if search engines pick them up. I want to see if Google (for example) finds the docs, and then ranks them highly in search results.

It has always driven me nuts that ATG doesn’t post their documentation in a place that search engines can index. It also drives me nuts that the ATG search applet doesn’t like the back button - you have to re-search.

So, lets see what happens given the sorta-unprotected-atg-documentation-link-i-found-on-the-atg-site-this-morning and the copy of the docs I downloaded. I’m sure ATG will plug the unprotected docs at some point, and possibly complain that I’ve posted them online, but it really will make life better for ATG developers everywhere. Really.

The Nabble ATG Dynamo Forum actually generates posts and is indexed - which is a refreshing change, welcome to Web 1.0… let the good times roll.

Update - I changed the local link back to ATG.  The traffic was killing me!

It’s amazing how the workforce changes over 10 years or so. This post discusses how the workforce is shifting to small business and which groups are the most influential in that shift.

I’m happiest when supporting the little guy. More and more frequently, I will go out of my way to purchase from the entrepreneur than the chain or corporation.

I figure I’ll be one of those starving entrepreneurs one day, so what goes around comes around.

Everyone noticed when Swiss Chalet moved from those funky metal take-out containers to plastic. But will you notice when your local take-out is wrapped in potato starch? This isn’t meant as a carb alternative.

Given the option, I would support a business that used green take-out containers. I’ll be checking the NaturoPack site for businesses that sign up.

If they have a Shirley Temple take-out container, I’m bringing it with me to swiss the next time I go.. which, just happens to be lunch today.

awesome.

This is where things start getting interesting. Google applies for a Kiosk patent, with diagrams showing a ‘Google Kiosk’ application that will search for products within a shopping mall. The results indicate which stores sell said product, and any relevant coupons you might use to purchase said product.

This is when the rules of brick and mortar shopping start to change. You will no longer have to walk to a store, only to find the product not in stock. If you don’t have to walk down to visit a store, you won’t be tempted to pickup a dozen other unrelated items while you window shop your way down the mall. If you don’t buy things you don’t need, the mall loses revenue, and stores close.

Or, this brings more people into the mall, knowing they can find things more easily. Lets not forget Google will be advertising related products from related stores based on your search. This might be the most interesting part - it could be a completely sealed system - only mall stores and merchandise would be listed and used in the Google ads. You search for a reebok hockey bag, which is available at sportchek but Google Ads note a hockey blowout sale is happening at The Bay, where bags start from $39.

Another interesting twist would be to expose that interface to the net, so I can figure out if that $79 reebok hockey bag is carried at, and instock at sportchek before even visiting the Eaton Center. Who wants to go to the mall if you can’t get what you want?

Checkout the review of the Google Kiosk patent details, or the actual application for yourself.

Cell contracts suck.  Virgin Mobile knows this and offers no-strings-attached plans.  For those of us using other carriers, you can get out of that nonsense contract through Cellswapper (if you’re in the US).  Great idea, I just have to move to the US to use it - yikes.

There are similar sites out there for all sorts of contract jumping, including ReLeaseMe, which helps you get out of the lease you were pressured into by the sales guy.  However, there is a gap in Cellswapper idea - someone needs to build a tool that will tell you exactly how much you will pay given a rate plan.  This tool would be invaluable - you input your local minutes, long distance minutes, and options you want, and it spits out your monthly cost for various rate plans with various providers.

Everyone would use something like this every so often, wouldn’t they?  I would..  I should build one..  I’ll let you know if I do.