Friday Philosophy – Lead or Lag (When to Upgrade)?
I was involved in a discussion recently with Debra Lilley which version of Oracle to use. You can see her blog about it here (and she would love any further feedback from others). Oracle now has a...
View ArticleFriday Philosophy – The Inappropriate Use of Smart Phones
I’m kind of expecting to get a bit of a comment-kicking over this one…I never much liked mobile phones – Yes they are incredibly useful, yes they allow countries that lack a ground-based telephony...
View ArticleFriday Philosophy – The Abuse of Favours
You probably all recognise this situation:Dave needs something doing that he can’t do himself – let’s say it is creating an API for the file management package. It isn’t your job to do but it is...
View ArticleFriday Philosophy – Identifying and Nullifying Fake Urgency
You know how it goes. You get a call/mail/text with something along the lines of “I need to know all the details of customer orders placed on Tuesday 7th by customers based in Botswana – and I need it...
View ArticleFriday Philosophy – It’s not “Why Won’t It Work!” it’s “What Don’t I...
I had a tricky performance problem to solve this week. Some SQL was running too slow to support the business need. I made the changes and additions I could see were needed to solve the problem and got...
View ArticleYou Will Be Our Slave – Err, no, I Won’t
For the sake of current clients, this posting has been time-shifted.I’m looking at the paperwork for a possible new job in front of me. Document seven out of 13 is the Working Time Directive Waiver....
View ArticleFriday Philosophy – Presenting Leads to Drinking, Discuss
Just a quick Friday Philosophy {the day job is very demanding at the moment, thus the silence on the Blog front}I’m presenting in Leeds at the start of July on UKOUG AIM SIG on “The First Few Things...
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Friday Philosophy – New Game: Phone Zombies! (You Too can Play)
I’m spending a lot more time in Central London at the moment due to current work commitments. A few weeks ago I was having a quiet stroll through the streets and had what I can only describe as an odd...
View ArticleFriday Philosophy – The Importance of Context
A couple of weeks ago I was making my way through the office. As I came towards the end of the large, open-plan room I became aware that there was someone following behind me so, on passing through the...
View ArticleWhy Present (UKOUG TEBS 2012)
The annual UK Oracle User Group Technical and E-Business Suite conference is fast approaching and rather than just say “hey everyone, I’m going to present at a conference” I thought I would say why I...
View ArticleA loss from the UK User Community – Graham Gilbert
Last week, as part of organising the AIM and Database Server joint UKOUG SIG tomorrow {which I should have blogged about but just never got around to}, I was made aware of the fact that a man called...
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Time for Bed, said Zebedee
Zebedee has just boinged onto my TV screen on his big-spring lower body and told us all that it is “time for bed”. I concur Zebedee. Good night everyone!read more
View ArticleFriday Philosophy – Network to Work or Work to Network?
A couple of months ago my friend Big Dave Roberts blogged about the benefits of networking– as in social/business networking as opposed to using hairy string to connect bits of IT kit together – after...
View ArticleFriday Philosophy – Why is my Manager a Moron?
We’ve all been there. We are trying to do our job, get the work done, fix people’s problems and make the systems we work on better. But our manager is a Moron. How can we do what needs to be done with...
View ArticleFriday Philosophy – Is Dave Working?
Is Dave across the desk from you working at the moment? Or is he goofing off? You can’t see his screen but I reckon you can make a fair stab at what he is up to, without recourse to any sort of IT...
View ArticleFriday Philosophy – Is Dave Productive?
How do I know if Dave is doing his job properly? If I am his (or her*) manager, what techniques can I use to ensure I am getting my pound of flesh out of this worker drone in return for the exorbitant...
View ArticleWhy is “Dave Unknown” Trying to Social Media With Me?
I know some people share my opinion on this and others totally disagree – but I fail to appreciate why people I have never met, spoken with or care about want to Social Media with me. If we have not...
View ArticleConferences and the Etiquette of Meeting New People
One of the reasons I like user group conferences is meeting new people in my “area” – these people at the conference not only like technology and probably some of the same technology I do but, as they...
View ArticleFriday Philosophy – my Funniest “PC Support” Call in Years
Those of us who work in IT often find ourselves being called by friends and relatives to help with issues they have with their home computer. No matter what branch of IT we work in, it’s IT {they...
View ArticleFriday Philosophy – How Much does Social Media Impact your Career for Real?
Does what you tweet impact your chances of getting that next interview? Do people check out your Facebook pictures before making you a job offer? Does my Blog actually have any impact on my...
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