WRITING: One of my “pithy” gooferment comments slips into a good resource

Sunday, April 1, 2007

RISKS-LIST: Risks-Forum Digest Saturday 31 March 2007 Volume 24 : Issue 61
ACM FORUM ON RISKS TO THE PUBLIC IN COMPUTERS AND RELATED SYSTEMS (comp.risks)
Peter G. Neumann, moderator, chmn ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy

This issue is archived at <http://www.risks.org> as
<http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/24.61.html>

***Begin Quote***

Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2007 14:49:52 PDT
From: “Peter G. Neumann”
Subject: Alaska Government worker formats wrong disks, backups unreadable

A computer technician accidentally wiped out Alaska’s huge data file (and the backup disk) containing nine months worth of information on the annual payout from the state fund (reportedly worth \$38 billion) that pays dividends to Alaskans out of the oil revenues. Seventy people had to work overtime for six weeks to re-enter the lost data from 300 boxes of paper. The error cost the state \$220,000 in overtime and consultants. [Source: CNN, 20 Mar 2007; PGN-ed, with thanks to Lauren Weinstein.]

[F. John Reinke also spotted this one (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17702021/) and commented:

Gooferment IT at its best. Great design and architecture. How come the only two copies of the data were in the same time zone? Where was security that one “custodian” could access both copies? Where was IT Leadership that had processes and procedures that could fail so miserably? An interesting object lesson. In business, there would be terminations for all involved. FJR

PGN]

***End Quote***

Makes my day when I get included in RISKS. Peter is a fussy editor (Sorry, Peter.) And, he rejects or ignores some of my submissions. But every once in a while, I slip one by the “catcher”.

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WRITING: Updated by blogroll with what I’m looking at

Thursday, March 29, 2007

I added true links to the blogroll and move my whiz dumb to a separate section.

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WRITING: I am now accepting nominations

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Leadership — aka Management — by Movie Line
© ferdinand j. reinke 2007 all rights reserved.

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WRITING: Many a true word is said in jest

Friday, March 23, 2007

*****LANEC sent me:*****

On a lighter note:

Mr. Turkey,

The other day I took your line (ok Yoda’s line) about “Trying” and explained it to my 9 year old and a few of his friends. Since then every time anyone says “try” (even their mothers or teachers) they reply “there is only DO or NOT DO, we never try!”

So by proxy, you’re now influencing a whole new generation! Kinda creeped me out.

LaneC

*****AND I REPLIED JOKINGLY:*****

ROFL!

https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2006/09/21/fun-i-think-i-made-a-funny/

Be careful if they start to gobble and talk about UVP, USP, and UxP! Then you should really be afraid.

UVP, or UVP not, there is no UVPing!

On a serious note, it has to be one of the most-memorable most-significant movie lines I can remember.

Maybe I’ll create a book?

“Leadership aka Management by Movie Line” © ferdinand j. reinke 2007 all rights reserved.

I can extract my favorite movie lines and write a one minute manager – who moved my cheese and sell a grazillion copies and retire to aruba.

?-|

Fjohn
The Big Fat Old Turkey hisself
http://tinyurl.com/lxu93
http://tinyurl.com/2lo4hw

********************************

Which upon later reflection, may not be a half-bad idea. Especially after I read this:

http://irisheagle.blogspot.com/2007/03/price-of-irish-land.html

Friday, March 23, 2007
Price of Irish “land”

There are always loads of stories about Ireland/the Irish – in Ireland, in America, everywhere – in the papers around St. Patrick’s Day. This year my favorite is one that just has me shaking my head and asking how I didn’t think of this golden idea.

The Auld Sod Export Company, founded by 27-year-old Pat Burke, sells Irish dirt to Irish emigrants and Irish-Americans. 12 ounce bags of dirt go for $15 a bag, although there’s a sale during March – 4 bags for $20. They’ve shipped $2m worth of dirt since November.

****************************

2M$!!!

So maybe I should start that book!

Remember the “pet rock”?

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WRITING: Copyright symbol

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

ALT169 (Hold the ALT key and tap 1 6 9 on the numeric keypad) gives you the little copyright symbol. (If it’s defined in the font your using) 

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WRITING: Trying to “claim” my blog

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

To whom it may concern:

I’ve been trying to claim my wordpressblog reinkefaceslife. I’ve been able to do it on Technoratti. I’m pretty tech, but I can’t just seem to make it click on bloglines. What am I missing?

As an IT exec, I’d say that the process is flawed. If you have diagnostics, they aren’t apparent to me. So for example, if there is a two step check, then there should be two distinct red / green lights would be a good start. The site really should have a diagnostic mode that reports or journalize the steps that it is “seeing”.

Then, maybe I’d have a clue what is wrong.

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WRITING: Having a _(blank)_ doesn’t make me a _(blank)_!

Friday, March 2, 2007

Interesting “finding” yesterday. I wanted to find a good sample of “concepts” to steal.

It was all around the meme: Having a _(blank)_ doesn’t make me a _(blank)_!

A friend (Yes, I have one! TYVM) said “You’re a writer, my friend”.

So I want to write a jaunty response like:

Having a book makes me no more a writer than … …

To which I drew a blank! All I could come up with was some lame ones.

> Having sold three copies doesn’t make me a writer.
> Having some Gold coins doesn’t makes me rich
> It’s as if having a Degree doesn’t makes me a Professional
> Having a Computer doesn’t makes me an Expert
> Having a Friend doesn’t makes me feel like I have a life.

I tried Google, but didn’t come up with any pithy witty rejoinders.

After I slept on it, I can add:

Having a child doesn’t make me a parent.
Having a kid doesn’t make me a goat.
Having a car doesn’t make me a driver.

Having a blog doesn’t make me any smarter, but it does expose my ignorance to 200 of my closest “friends” and spammers.

:-)

 

 

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WRITING: BLOG2BOOK project – 2006 “Beauty Queen” winner blog posts

Thursday, March 1, 2007

https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/odd-pages-of-interest/2006-winners/

A reader of my 2006 tome,

(Yes, I am astonished that I have one. And, I can’t believe that I have sold THREE copies. I wish I knew who the three fools are. I have swampland in Florida, a bridge to Brooklyn, and some great “growth” stocks for them.),

suggested that I should have a fast way to get to the 2006 “Beauty Queen” winners.

I’d have thought they’d have wanted a fast way to the egress … or exit. ;-)

Always, wishing to please my adoring public, (What is the singular of a one-person public? A publican!), here it is!

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WRITING: Weird dream

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Woke up this morning with a weird dream. Almost a nightmare. Any interpretations?

I got a lucrative consulting contract in the city for which I needed a room like an extended stay. It was in Downtown. Around the corner from the Fiftieth Precient (which isn’t in downtown), where someone I know practices out of. And, I had to go give cash deposit (huh?). It was snowing. So I went in with an envelope stuffed with money and the application. AND after I had slipped it into the tiny slot. Some one came and told me it was a terrible place and I should look around. I didn’t care it was a lucrative contract. So to humor him I walked around the corner and realized it was a nursing home. With dogs and cats. So I left, wondering how I’d get my money back and what I’d tell people. After all it was a lucrative contract.

I woke up as I got back in the car. Thankfully.

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WRITING: Lessons Learned?

Saturday, February 24, 2007

1. Why Letters Why Unknown Letters Why Collect Thoughts

2. Lessons Learned

3. The Shouldas, Wouldas, and Couldas

4. You Only Get One Life

5. “Start with the end in mind”

6. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

7. “By their fruits, so shall ye know them.”

8. The “monopoly money” dream

9. Diagnose the “hidden rules”

10. Trends versus Fads versus Enduring Values versus Principles

11. “Fun”

12. Habbits — ruts or grooves

13. Happiness, as well as success, is the state of a process aot a destination or a quality

14. Primitive “self reliance” & Robinson Crusoe

15. Data, Information, Knowledge, & Wisdom — Knowing what you don’t know

16. Cars & other depreciating assets

17. The habits you create today will be with you the rest of your life.

18. Follow DiVinci’s advice.

19. Do something with your other hand.

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