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  1. 01/24/2004I got to speak at length with Ambuj Goyal tonight...Hey -- welcome to the first of my LotusSphere 2004 blog entries. I've been away from blogging for a few weeks. Here's what I've been up to: Adopted Eclipse as my java ide of choice. Re-wrote nctSerach as a multi-threaded java object set -- more details on ......
  2. 01/16/2004well, -15 degrees (f) makes for a hard time firefightingHi all; Sorry for not posting often right now -- I've been as busy as a one legged man at a butt kicking contest. With the conference getting close I'm working to get the first Java based enterprise version of NCTSearch out the door. Tonight at 2:30am my ......
  3. 01/06/2004What didn't make the story...Well, I got quoted today in CRN about Websphere & Brightline: http://www.crn.com/sections/BreakingNews/breakingnews.asp?ArticleID=47007 A few things didn't quite make the article though, that I figured it might be a good idea to post here. (a) Maybe most ......
  4. 01/02/2004This is all I have to say on this subject..... ......
  5. 12/22/2003A foray into Mac land, from the perspective of a Wintel guruIf you're wondering where I've been for a the last several days, it has been total immersion in this the eMac. I thought I'd share some thoughts on this, since usually we only hear about these machines from their faithful -- nearly cultlike -- followers. ......
  6. 12/16/2003The efficiency of this amazes meTracking my new eMac as it is finally shipped -- a long story involving bad weather and poor communication -- the ball is definitely not being dropped by Fed-Ex. At midnight they pick up a trailer loaded by a customer in Harrisburg. By 2:22am the trailer ......
  7. 12/15/2003Does your application platform scale........down?For years I’ve been reading reports of application scalability problems at the top end. In that time, the networks have gotten more robust, hard disks bigger and faster, raid more sophisticated, operating systems handle threading better, and we’re dealing ......
  8. 12/11/2003Basement fire yesterday -- I got to play!Hi guys. I swear, tonight or tomorrow another Domino blog -- either technical or strategic. I promise. This morning I want to tell you about a basement fire. Basement fires can be really bad. Basically, the stairway down into the basement is pretty much ......
  9. 12/09/2003Disastrous customer service* Note added: Wow guys -- I'm seeing a TON of hits on this. About 5 times normal. Similar issues? I now have to write a check for more than $1500 that I should not have. Admittedly, my contract with Genuity (now owned by Level 3) gave them up to 60 days ......
  10. 12/08/2003Hey all you MAC fans out there....Yea, I know you're out there. I'm considering buying a mac -- quite possibly a used one. My only goal in using it is for testing & debugging. I'd love to get your opinions on the right one. Here are my needs: 1. Must run the current latest operating ......
  11. 12/07/2003Big storm here - lots of fun firefighter stuff...So do you guys know what happens in big storm from the perspective of the "public safety" people in your town? I'd bet you would be surprised at just how much planning and care goes into making sure someone will be there when you call for help. In our ......
  12. 12/02/2003Debunking the "Santa Doesn't Exist" nonsense!Once and for all, people, of COURSE Santa exists! Do you, like me, keep getting mean spirited pseudoscientific explanations of how "Santa cannot exist" for one reason or another? I got another one of those today. How like all those pointy headed ......
  13. 12/01/2003Subscription News SitesHave you noticed more and more that the on-line newspaper sites are requiring 'free registration' before you can view their articles? In some cases, they get quite intrusive. Forbes (a site I will not link to) even attempts to load software settings into ......
  14. 11/29/2003A hurt back, a cool fire run, and a good geek projectHello sports fans! Well yours truly managed to throw his back out (no, not on a fire call) just as the week was getting started so no cool fire calls after that. Well, not for me anyway. I missed a chimney fire and an oven fire. Damn. We did have one cool ......
  15. 11/17/2003Found a really hard problem in Domino 6 install, and a solutionWell, I lost a day that I'll never get back. No, not through a drinking binge. I had to set up two identical IBM Wintel servers this weekend. Each is a quad-processor 3.8ghz machine with 4gb of ram running Win2k. They had IBM Director, CA Unicenter, and ......
  16. 11/13/2003Finally, somone has integrated J2EE into Domino in a way that works -- but it wasn't IBMI've been waiting to blog this for a long time now, and finally got the all - clear from the folks at Brightline. What these guys have done is wrap industry standard J2EE in an easy to run install program, and a deployment mechanism for WAR and EAR files ......
  17. 11/13/2003Google builds in direct, internal support for IBM Lotus Domino!I'm not sure how I missed this when it came out, but if you did too, here's a great story about how Google, the ultimate in hip new search technology, has chosen Domino sites as the first it will be searching in a "structured" manner. ......
  18. 11/12/2003Upgraded from xp/home to xp/pro on my Dell Laptop - Ugly processWell I did it. I have the license via the Ms. "Action Pack" and I decided to upgrade my laptop to XP/PRO from home. I wanted a few features around offline files and domain login. I've waited until I had a break and didn't need the thing for a week or so ......
  19. 11/11/2003A great tool that solves a lot of problems for me, at very low costHi all. I wanted to tell you about a tool I've been testing for a while now. Its called "Absolute Eraser Pro". The product is designed to erase your tracks when you use your computer. I'm sure its meant as a privacy tool for the most part, but that's not ......
  20. 11/09/2003My take on the new Lotus direction whitepaperAlright. If you haven't yet read the latest whitepaper from Lotus that talks about strategy, you need to. Right now. Go ahead, I'll wait. Back? Ok. Notice anything? Here's some key points: Notes is not described as "80's technology" to be backburnered in ......
  21. 11/06/2003More interesting than CBS pulling the mini-series, is watching the reporting on it.Alright, so if you've been living under a stone and don't know this already, CBS decided to pull a planned mini-series about Ronald Reagan's in his years in the Presidency. If you're not living in the U.S., you may not know just how much an icon Reagan is ......
  22. 11/02/2003A treat for the kidsWell, the Cumberland main street Olympic Training Center (aka Greely High School) fielded 3 state championship teams so far this weekend. Girls Field Hockey, Boys Cross Country Track, and then Girls Volleyball. There are two more teams (boys and girls ......
  23. 10/31/2003A long day getting home, and a busy next day on the fire trucks!Well devoted readers, time for some more fun fire stuff. Plenty of time for that Technical stuff later. My trip home was long, but otherwise fine. I was up at 7am in London and walked to High street in Kensington for shopping. That was a mistake, since ......
  24. 10/29/2003A stunning city, but so coldly sterileSome thoughts about London... First, its an amazing city. It works well. You can get anywhere, things are where you need them, and it sure does reward taking a long walk. No matter where you go there is art, there are parks, the buildings are amazing, the ......
  25. 10/29/2003McDonalds is now an internet cafeOne interesting thing to note while I've been in London, is the prevalence of Internet Cafe's. They're everywhere. I'd heard that McDonalds was planning to team with T-Mobile in the states, but was surprised to see it working here (don't know who the ......
  26. 10/29/2003Well, IMNSHO, Hilton still stinks as hotel choice, while Marriott continues to be exactly what I expectWell all my dear friends out there, I'm ending another week of travel and I thought I'd review this Hilton Olympia in Kinsington, London, UK. Frankly, It stinks. Aside from bad food and expensive mini-bar prices that you'd expect everywhere this ......
  27. 10/25/2003If you care - here are a few neat pics from London, including the Thames Barrier, Big Ben, and The EyeAt the Penumbra meeting, we all went out tonight on a cruise on the Thames. Here are some pictures from that, and last night's outing on the Eye. Oh, we met a lot the last couple of days, some people came and talked to us, and we talked about a lot of ......
  28. 10/23/2003Book Review - Head First Java (O Reilly)Book Review - Head First Java (O Reilly) Among all the unlikely things that could happen, from world peace to IBM realizing suddenly that with Domino they already have the world by the short hairs, the one really unlikely thing that could have happened ......
  29. 10/21/2003The new phone book is here!Well, even if you're not a big fan of Steve Martin you probably recognize that line. If not, well I'm sorry for you. at long last, the new blog software is done enough to make live. Some of the features of this new version are related to just making it a ......
  30. 10/08/2003'Avenue A' spybot tracking cookie gets more agressiveHas anyone else noticed recently, that blocking "Avenue A" tracking cookies with a program like "Spybot" prevents web pages from loading? Ick. Message from me to site owers -- if you block me, I will not read your site. End of discussion. I'm not going to ......
  31. 10/07/2003To servlet, or to Java agent...let....(updated)So I'm sure a servlet would be "better strong faster" but do think its worth it in terms of deployment? What I have is a page of html & javascript. As part of that page, I want to insert the body of a notes document. What I've done is to insert on the ......
  32. 10/05/2003Is Java a `better` language than LotusScriptA really great comment someone made recently, was to point out through my thick skull that Java != j2ee. Of course I knew this, but at the same time it wasn't really part of my working thought. I've been lumping them together. Meanwhile, I'm finding that ......
  33. 10/04/2003Case Sensitive languages -- I just hate that.Why on earth would you write a compiler to be case sensitive? Does it really speed up the code today? Does it really speed up the compile time? Does anyone write code that uses differently cased variable names, objects, functions, or statements to ......
  34. 10/03/2003How is Sun's monopoly different from Microsoft's?Still harping on this. Sorry, if you're sick of it you can skip this one. In order to run a windows application, you must load windows. well, there are things like WINE and the emulators for the Macintosh, but mostly you need Windows to run a Windows app. ......
  35. 10/03/2003New blog template....It's almost here, I swear it. All the parts are working now and I think you'll like it a lot more. Question -- does anyone object to ......
  36. 10/02/2003Time for an open source marketing programWebsphere Studio to find tune --> Deploy to Websphere --> Portlet Tool --> user desktop via Browser, Notes Client, Workplace Client). 2. Predicted Functional Roles for People (remember the people?) (e.g. End User -> Developer Analyst (what most Notes dev ......
  37. 10/01/2003Bisconti and others talk about long term value in Domino based developmentA great story in e-Pro Magazine by Jim O'Donnell entitled "Some Say Don’t Make That Domino to Java Move Just Yet" - this one is a must read for anyone who believes as I do, that the J2EE dreams at IBM are way ahead of the curve. I believe I heard it ......
  38. 09/30/2003Thanks to Alan Lepofsky, here's a mini-compendium of Domino/Notes 6.5 pressLotus Uniting Collaboration AppsBy Dennis CallaghanSeptember 29, 2003http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1304188,00.asp Enterprises Face Barriers In E-mail UpgradesSeptember 25, 2003By Gregg Keizer , TechWeb ......
  39. 09/28/2003In marketing, if the medicine tastes good, is it less effective?Reading the pre-LotusSphere discussions in various places, I continue to be stunned by IBM total unwillingness to celebrate the success of this fantastic platform. There are so many positive things to say, with D6 being fantastically stable -- and Notes ......
  40. 09/27/2003This was forwarded to me by one heck of a server tech.Not that it it matters where it came from. Its a bit of fun. If anyone knows the original source, I'd be happy to link to it. Now that Uday & Qusay have left us, a lot of the lesser-known family membersare coming to the attention of American authorities. ......
  41. 09/25/2003Did you know your bookmarks were programable?So here I am whining at Alan Lepofsky (I'd link to him, but he doesn't blog yet that I know of) about lack of programmability in the bookmarks and desktop, when he says "hunh? Bookmarks are just documents!" -- or something like that. Well, I guess I ......
  42. 09/24/2003How to restore messages to Outlook Express's Inbox - and live a happier, more righteous lifeHaving recovered data from a hard disk for a family member recently, I sent a CDROM along that contained all the data from her directory in the "Documents and Settings" location on that drive. I just got an email asking if I could also find the messages ......
  43. 09/22/2003Extending a wireless networkHi all. Too tired to write up the Domino tech stuff I promised. I'll have to do it tomorrow. Meantime, I found a great little firm that sells all the stuff you need to extend your wireless network. I've got excess bandwidth here, so I'm going to give my ......
  44. 09/16/2003Microsoft "Onenote" -- don't discount this thing.I just checked out the on-line demo of Microsoft's "Onenote" and ordered the beta. It looks very, very interesting to me. It works without a fancy tablet pc, but it may be worth buying one for. If it does what it seems to do in the demo, this is going to ......
  45. 09/16/2003What is your 'availability' worth?Hi all. I've been posed this question a number of times in my career -- the cost of having someone on a short leash. A support contract with a minimum time service level agreement. What is this worth? I've got a few right now, and there is an expectation ......
  46. 09/15/2003Back to bloggin...Well friends, sorry for the absence. I'm just now getting over a cold from hell. Colds suck. My wife is right, by the way -- men are babies when it comes to being sick. Well, so what. Women are babies when it comes to lifting couches & refrigerators. ......
  47. 09/12/2003Anti-Spam vendor for Notes uses Spam and bogus awardNo secret here, that good friend and fabulous anti-spam software writer Mark Ramos is my own preferred hands down winner of any anti-spam software award for Notes. Its also no secret that I think good competition is a good thing. I must say though, I was ......
  48. 09/11/2003This 9/11, Remember more than just the attackAs a firefighter I have some very conflicted thoughts on this anniversary of the September 11th attacks. At the time of the attacks I had just started the process of becoming a volunteer firefighter here in Cumberland. My background check had not been ......
  49. 09/10/2003Are lower prices for consumer products always a good thing?I heard a story on NPR today, and I didn't catch much other than a quote that really grabbed my attention. The gist was that some additional free trade talks may hurt some local economies briefly, but ultimately would result in lower prices on consumer ......
  50. 09/09/2003Today's hot news....We got a new officer on Engine 1 today. A great guy, I'm looking forward to working with him more. I know you all care. Meantime, today was mostly boring from the perspective of you, reading about me. Soccer practice went well. These girls are playing ......
  51. 09/07/2003Back from trainingHi all. I spent a good part of today at a mobile home fire. A planned one. A nice person who needed it removed, donated it and the local fire departments got to come and play (er, train). I'm still new enough at all this that I learn a great deal when ......
  52. 09/06/2003Big day for youth soccer, lots of firefighter stuff tomorrow...Well friends, not much to tell here that would be of interest. I spent a large part of the day coaching soccer for my middle daughter, teaching soccer to my youngest, and waiting for soccer to finish for my oldest. FWIW, all played exceptionally well. I ......
  53. 09/05/2003More idiotic statements from a top entertainer. No surprise, her initials are B.S.So following "the most corporate and over-planned" spontaneous kiss since Al Gore tried to choke his wife on stage at the Democratic Convention, B.S. gets an interview with Tucker Carlson. Carlson, who carefully dresses so as to appear not to care what ......
  54. 09/04/2003Must read: Domino Directory FAQ -- Great stuffHi all. From the LDD discussion forums, Ken Lin posted this awesome FAQ that covers directory issues including LDAP. ND6 Directory FAQ, ver 1Posted by Ken Lin on 3.Sep.03 at 05:07 PM using Lotus NotesCategory: Domino ServerRelease: All ReleasesPlatform: ......
  55. 09/04/2003Free Market forces CD prices down - Adam Smith silently rejoices from the great beyond.Universal Music Group lowered its prices on CD's by $3 to retailers, and suggests retailers take another $3 off as well. By putting a suggested price on the cover of the CD's, Universal is putting pressure on retail chains to make a little less per unit ......
  56. 09/04/2003One less perfect little nose out there....Well friends, I'm sad to say there is one less perfect little Hollywood button nose out there today. Teams of surgeons are being flown in from the farthest reaches though, spiritual gurus are no doubt in route as well. It seems that Ms. Cameron Diaz has ......
  57. 09/03/2003Cool car crash on main street today!img { float:left; border:solid thin blue;}I know, I know. Not all of you think car crashes are cool, but this one was pretty cool. Best of all, nobody was hurt. Some of you who know me only in my "mild mannered consultant by day" persona have asked for ......
  58. 09/03/2003Happy Birthday Richard!Today is my good friend Richard's annual 39th birthday. I'm not sure how many 39th birthdays he's had so far, but its been working for him so far. Go to his blog (link is in my blog role to the left) and wish him happy ......
  59. 09/02/2003Would anyone use a NOTES CLIENT blog interface?As I'm working on the new interface for my blog -- designed to be more like looking at a stack of papers, then a cheezy iframes interface like I have now -- I'm wondering if anyone would use if Notes client if I allowed anonymous Notes connections? ......
  60. 09/01/2003Arcade Games, and the Atari 2600 - for $20Well friends. I was wandering Wal-Mart today, having promised the kids a treat for working their tails off all day while I finished painting the bathroom and re-installing all of the things you would normally expect to find in a one. What I found was ......
  61. 08/31/2003What's wrong with Java - taken from an earlier postNo secret to anyone, that I hate coding in Java. I think there's more than just personal dislike here though. I wrote this originally as part of an earlier post but its length made it insufferable, so here you go again. To quote Dennis Miller, "I don't ......
  62. 08/31/2003RIAA Uses hash keys tooIn one of my first blog entries, I talked about how the use of a hash algorithm let me drastically reduce the time it took to compare data. Well, the RIAA lawyers are using it to prove that MP3's on someone's hard disk come from on-line exchange and not ......
  63. 08/30/2003A new milkshake is upon the land.#storybody img { float:left; border:solid #001701;}Friends, there is a new milkshake upon the land, and it is good. Now some of you may know that I have a weakness for the classic vanilla milkshake. I'm not sure whenMcDonaldsreleased this new and improved ......
  64. 08/29/200340 years ago, Dr. King told us of his dreamimg { float:left; border:solid ......
  65. 08/28/2003On the subject of ConfidenceDennis Miller did a great RANT about Confidence. Check it out here: http://www.hbo.com/dml/past_rants/20020830.html Those of you who know me, may see insights into my personality ......
  66. 08/28/2003A legacy of bad standardsHere's a long rant. I KNOW I'm going to get flamed for some of this -- particularly the anti-Java stuff. Oh well. I've been told I'm an idiot before, and I didn't melt then. I guess I'll live through it again. In the weeks leading up to the opening of ......
  67. 08/27/2003Mouse Pointers?Good morning dear friends! This morning I'm soliciting advice. In the search for a comfortable and smooth mouse experience, I've purchased optical mice from both Microsoft and Logitech. Of the latter, Have both wired and wireless rechargeable. Still, the ......
  68. 08/26/2003OpenNTF - Grass Roots Notes DevelopmentHi all! So I'm writing this to respond to two questions that have been brought to me of late. First, is "Why didn't you use the OpenNTF blog template?", to which I normally give two answers. The first is that I wanted to write my own as a learning ......
  69. 08/26/2003Will blogging be the end of the shared Notes forum?For years, I've been an active participant in the Lotus Business Partner Forum. More recently, I've been very active in the forum we Penumbra members maintain. I'm seeing that a majority of the most active members of these venues are blogging. I'm also ......
  70. 08/26/2003Which, exactly, are the 10 commandments that cannot be displayed?The phrase "THE Ten Commandments" is misleading to say the least, as you'll note from this great - if somewhat provocative - article. ......
  71. 08/26/2003Change in Policy - No validation is required on replies.For the time being, I've decided to remove the requirement to include your email address and validate your reply by a linked back ......
  72. 08/25/2003Home Depot, Bad Service, and The Self Service Register LieWell friends, Home Depot lost out on my big expenditure tonight. After spending the day clearing wallpaper from the downstairs bathroom, removing the medicine cabinet with its hideous side mounted fluorescent lights - encased in bug encrusted plastic, of ......
  73. 08/24/2003Cool Tech: Live- from "Chuck -E- Cheese's"Its Sunday afternoon, and I've got all the kids to watch. My youngest (4) has a birthday party to attend, being held in Portland at the "Chuck E Cheese's" pizza & playground place. This is a brightly colored, very loud, warehouse of a building filled with ......
  74. 08/23/2003Great Microsoft Site - Blogged by Bruce Elgort Click on this picture to see the whole site. Thanks, Bruce for pointing this out to us on your blog! ......
  75. 08/23/2003Couple of fire calls this week...Couple of calls this week. The first was cool even though it was a false alarm. Cool only because I got to drive the big Ladder truck (which I'm finally signed off to drive & operate) code-3 (flashy & noisy) to the scene. Fun, but unnerving to drive ......
  76. 08/23/2003Helping friends with their PC's - Why is this necessary?As you can imagine, my somewhat double career leaves me with one circle of friends among the technologically elite, but another almost entirely devoid of basic computer troubleshooting skills. That means I get to help clean up from viruses and things from ......
  77. 08/22/2003Electronic Voting for Public OfficeNobody, dear readers, knows the vulnerabilities of computer systems as well as you, the techno-illuminati of the age. The masses are screaming for these electronic voting machines but nothing could be more dangerous to our fragile democracy than wrong ......
  78. 08/22/2003New feature on this siteOk all, I've added a new feature on this site for rating the topics. If you click this, its anonymous, its fast, and it gives me feedback as to what kind of stuff you like and what kind of stuff you don't. That does not, of course, mean I'll necessary do ......
  79. 08/22/2003So, is it cool to have a sidebar ad?So tell me, dear readers, is it considered too uncool to put a sidebar box up with an advertisement for your own work or product on your blog? You tell me, what do you think? If you don't want to reply publically, send me ......
  80. 08/22/2003A faster way to update data!Notes comparisons as well. In this case, we get a dump of 2.6 million records to compare with the 60,000 or so notes documents, and have to check for changes and updates as necessary. The server is a 2 processor 300mhz machine with an old RAID system. No race car. The data we get is extremely denormalized SQL Result set data. For example, the user "X" had 360 rows of data in the Oracle view that we have to read, and he's just one person. Why so many? It has to do with the way that view is created for us. ......
  81. 08/22/2003Blogo Ergo SumSince the invention of the written word, people have kept journals and diaries. They've been personal places for troubled spirits to pour out their hearts or they've been strictly business. Consider the journal of an intrepid explorer, writing by candle ......
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