March 2004

The spin machine

March 26, 2004

I usually turn to NPR because I expect to get a balanced approach to stories. Certainly there will be people with agendas and times they will miss the mark. Unfortunately NPR proved this week they are no different when it comes to the spin machine. After more than 24 years of hosting Morning Edition Bob Edwards was tossed out by NPR this week. No reasons have been given other than wanting to take the show in a new direction. The NPR spin makes it sound like Edwards wanted to leave. Perhaps NPR should explore taking the show in a new direction - back to its roots.

On the phone with Qwest

March 25, 2004

I've been on the phone with Qwest for the last half an hour trying to get the phones fixed. Well, to be more correct I've been working with them for the last 60+ days. Each time I call it's the same routine.... "Yes Mr. Brauer we'll have that done within 3 business days..." Three days come and go and still no changes. Now that we're leaving town and I need to give the cell phone back to my employer it's a bigger deal. Dan in the CARE center said he saw why the orders didn't go through in the past. Why, oh why, would there not be something in the system to tell them to CALL me when the order didn't go through? Everyone has very good customer service skills at the Qwest center (professional, polite, controls the conversation well, listens).

Will micro payments lead to microactivism?

March 25, 2004

There has not been much coverage of the idea that I've seen yet. However, sites such as google charge by click throughs on ads. So if you do a search for gop several times and click on the top ad that appears (currently an ad for the RNC) one could drive up the cost of the ads while having little to no impact from them. Is it legal? Ethical? Should you only click on an ad once? Will it be the next wave of activism, people getting groups of their like-minded supporters to use up the advertising dollars of their opponents while s

Can blogs be useful in business

March 21, 2004

I'd read this article in the print copy of Fast Company and had been waiting for it to hit the web. The article hints at some ways blogs might be useful in business.

MySQL date format with correct sort

March 16, 2004

As a reminder (as much to myself as anyone in blogland) when using MySQL the formatting options for dates turn them in to strings and sort alphabetically instead of as a date. To correct this use the actual date field in the sort not the name assigned to the formatted field.

Freedberg steps down

March 16, 2004

After my earlier comments I received the following from Brad Freedberg today. It is refreshing to see someone put state and national interests above self interest.

Dear Friends:

As you may have heard, I've decided to end my campaign for the U.S.
Senate. At Saturday's annual meeting, I made the announcement to the
State Central Committee of the Democratic Party.

I have stopped campaigning exactly one year after I began this process,
having reached out to the party at last year's Jefferson-Jackson dinner.
At the time I began this effort, we were facing a popular and firmly
entrenched incumbent in Senator Campbell, and none of the senior leaders
of the party had seriously intended to mount a campaign.

The Myths of Open Source

March 16, 2004

CIO magazine has a great article debunking many myths about open source. The article debunks several myths including:

  • MYTH 1 - THE ATTRACTION IS THE PRICE TAG
  • MYTH 2 - THE SAVINGS AREN'T REAL
  • MYTH 3 - THERE'S NO SUPPORT
  • MYTH 4 - IT'S A LEGAL MINEFIELD
  • MYTH 5 - OPEN SOURCE ISN'T FOR MISSION-CRITICAL APPLICATIONS
  • MYTH 6 - OPEN SOURCE ISN'T READY FOR THE DESKTOP

There are many great examples of how open source is working for companies of all sizes.

Is Freedberg out?

March 16, 2004

According to a couple of reports on KUNC Brad Freedberg has quit the race for the democratic nomination for the US Senate seate vacated by Senator Campbell. There are no events, but also no mention of the withdrawal on Freedberg's website. I don't see a mention of it on Coyote Gulch either. Coyote Gulch does note that neither Shaffer nor Salazar have a blog going yet. It would be great to see them embrace the new media.

The new chapter

March 16, 2004

Today begins a new chapter. For the past few days I've been awaking earlier as the anticipation builds. In a few weeks I'll be leaving the Colorado spring behind. It will be replaced with the bloom of a desert spring. I'm leaving the place I've called home for the last decade to become the Director of Information Technology for the Boyd School of Law at UNLV. I have learned so many valuable lessons from the people I've had the opportunity to work with at StorageTek and EDS. I will miss greatly the great people who I've come to know on the Larimer County Search and Rescue team as well as the Larimer County Sheriff's Department and support team. Thank you all for helping make me ready for the next step.

It would be much harder to leave were it not for the wonderful group of people I'll be joining in Las Vegas. Each of my meetings with the people of the law school has shown me a kind of energy and enthusiasm that exists in few other places. It is a place, filled with distinguished people at all levels, that combines the energy, enthusiasm, and nothing can stop us attitude of a start-up company with the finest of academic scholarship and exploration.

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