OSX and Apple-Tab

Ever since I bought a MacBook Pro, I've been trying to get used to OS-X.

I have never done well with the concept of multiple windows in an application - I've always thought of windows as top-level things. Which is why I don't like the default Apple-Tab behavior on OS-X (Switch between applications, but not windows within an application) -- Or the Apple-` behavior (toggle between windows in an application, not different apps).

After a bit of googling I found something that will probably help me get the most out of my Mac. Which by Many Tricks. Gives me back the behavior I want, and its mapped to Option-Tab, so its not too different than what I'm used to. Yay!

Making the ClearCase Remote Client (CCRC) Use a Real Merge Tool

I'm a Java developer (at least I occasionally write Java code), and most of the time the CleaseCase remote client running inside of Eclipse does everything I need for source code control.

The one complaint I have about CCRC in Eclipse is that it keeps using the old-looking and not very useful clearcase GUI for doing diffs and merges.

A few weeks ago someone pointed me to meld, a graphical gnome tool for doing merges and diffs. Meld works great, but I couldn't access it via clearcase - which is usually what I needed to do diffs.

So I wrote a script that can be used to modify the CCRC installation to use meld instead of the CCRC diff tool. It's available at:

http://employees.org/~mlepore/files/ccrc_meld

Note: as far as I know this works on Linux, and it might work on MacOS X, but I'm not sure how to make it work on Windows, because I think that Windows is looking for an .EXE file. Perhaps a batch file will work, but I haven't tried it.

Comparing IT Staffing to Basketball

The fastest way to lose respect is to put clueless managers in charge. Clueless managers equal clueless CIOs. Can you ever imagine Doc Rivers, coach of the 2008 world champion Boston Celtics, talking about player resources like they were interchangeable? "I need two guard resources." "I need a center resource." No. Talent and teamwork make winning teams. Talent matters. Don't pay lip-service to talent. Find a way to locate and use the talent in your organization. You will only be as good as the team you assemble.

From 9 Reason Why Application Developers Think Their CIO Is Clueless

Attack of the Sticky Notes

A few months ago, a bunch of us at work moved out of our cubicals and into a bullpen. I went away for a mix of vacation and a conference - overall a great trip.

When I came back to work I found my workspace a little yellower than I left it.

Contrasts

Recently, I had read that various gas-powered small engines contribute a lot to air pollution, and really aren't good for the environment. In thinking about how many different small-engines that I had, I realized that it couldn't be good... a lawnmower, a weedwacker, a hedge-trimmer, a chainsaw, a snowblower, and there was nothing that was going to stop me from getting more.

So I went out and I've begun to wean myself off those engines. I went out and bought a reel-mower. I still plan on replacing the weedwacker with an electric model (I can't find an acceptable hand-powered alternative) - I've stopped trimming the bushes with a power trimmer, and instead use shears.

I think the chainsaw will stay - because I use it infrequently and cutting large logs is something its really good at - and so will the snowblower - because I really get sick of shoveling my driveway in the winter. But for the others I don't give up that much by switching to a manual tools.

In fact I think that I might have been missing something in a haze of carbon-emissions. Today I was out mowing my lawn with the reel mower (I've added a grass catcher to the back). And it takes slightly longer to mow the lawn now - the reel mower only cuts about a 12" width - instead of 24" that the old gas guzzler did (although they make a 22" model, but its heavier). But the only thing I heard was a "swish-swish" as it cut grass. That and my 5 year old running around with his play mower making noise "daddy look!"

About the same time my neighbor started his Toro lawnmower. All you could hear was the roar of the engine. And I know that the mowers don't smell good. When we were done you really couldn't tell the difference.

Come to think of it - why do I need a 5 or 6 Horsepower engine when a 1 person-power push mower does the job. I certainly can't imagine hooking up 5 horses to mow my lawn - that just seems like overkill. I might have even got a little more exercise than if I had used the gas powered one.

My wife mentioned the contrast. I think its a good thing - I'm not longer required to be in a world of my own - with a roaring engine and gas fumes while I mow the lawn. Instead everything is normal, except I'm walking along with a "swish-swish" as the grass gets cut behind me.

One Man's Junk...

A while ago, my wife and I bought a nice new microwave. We had one that was about 15 years old. It was huge, and ugly but it worked.

But we had been talking for a while about getting a smaller one, because we don't use it very often. So we went out and bought a $50 small microwave.

We figured we'd sell the old one on Craigslist or something, but never got around to it. My brother-in-law mentioned that my wife's parents could probably use it, because they have a microwave that is over 25 years old, and doesn't work. But they haven't replaced it because the countertop under it was never finished - and they didn't want to have a big unfinished space under it. So because our old one is huge (and works) its perfect for them.

Weird how everything can find a home...

Work and the Environment

On May 16th, it will be Bike to Work Day. So I thought that it would be great to think about biking to work. After all, I have a pretty short commute, don't I?

Well, I looked into it, and I have a little shorter than an average commute. At least for the nation. According to the source referenced above, commuters usually spend 87 minutes - round trip - for a distance of 16 miles each way.

That makes biking to work pretty much impossible for your average commuter.

What can I do?

So what are my options to try and make it better? Or reduce my environmental impact?

Well, the most obvious is that I could get a car that is better on gas. But its still a car. What about a motorcycle? Or a scooter? Well, considering that I'm in the northeast - that would (at best) give me 6 months of the year for commuting. And people drive crazy around here - even on backroads. Not only that but people driving motorcyles are 5.5 times more likely to die in a given year than someone driving a car. That doesn't seem like great odds.

The Train!

Ok, how about Mass transit? Unfortunately there's almost nothing at all in the area I'm in. If I wanted to head into Boston I could take the commuter rail - that would mean a :30 drive to the train, and then an hour on the train, and then a walk - instead of a :45 minute drive (during non-peak hours). Its frustrating. I have friends in the Bay area - they have a better Mass transit system, but I think that they are fairly unique in the US. Lots of older cities have mass transit systems that don't reach much of the suburbs at all - never mind trying to get people between suburbs.

Relocation

I could move closer to work! But wait, the average tenure of someone in a particular job in the USA is only 4 years. That doesn't make sense. Moving every 4 years? I just want to mention that the next country up the list is Great Brittan, and they have an average Tenure of 10 years. More than double the USA.

I've watched too many friends and family get laid off, or have to change jobs for reasons outside their control to run my life around where I work.

So what's left?

It seems to me that if we (in the USA) want to break our addiction to commuting a couple of things have to happen.

1. We have to start looking to replace/supplement our highways with mass transit. Either a bus or train going along large beltways (such as I495) in MA would open up a world of opportunities.


2. We have to come up with some way of giving workers more confidence that they can stay at a single company for their entire (or a good portion of their) career.

Or we can keep going down the path of trying to make cars cleaner. I just worry that cars aren't the right answer.

Megan's Essay for Connor's Admission to Cornerstone

My Wife is amazing.

Given this almost impossible task:

Write an essay that describes your child and why they are a good fit for Cornerstone Academy. Please describe both his or her strengths or weaknesses.

She was able to create an amazing essay. Now it might not seem that impossible, but think about it; you have to create an essay that talks about how great a fit your child is for the school, but also talk about his weaknesses are, and still balance the two.

So, here it is, my Wife's amazing essay:

I see my son as a very bright child who is not just interested in why things work, but how as well. We have always felt that the best way to answer the endless "why" questions that he has posed since he learned to talk was to give him the answers in a way he could understand, but not too dumbed down. This is why we wound up one day standing around my truck with the hood up, 2 1/2 year old Connor in my husband's arms, explaining to him how an internal combustion engine works.

Connor had asked how a car goes and when he was told that "stepping on the gas pedal put gas into the engine and made the car go", insisted on knowing exactly why and how! The best way for us to do that was with a visual aid - my engine block. We were sure he wouldn't digest it all - let alone retain it - which is why I was stunned to hear the next day at school that he was telling his playmates how an engine worked with the hood up on his play car. This, is feel, is my son in a nutshell. He will ask why until he feels he understands. Our primary goal for him is to find him a place where his curiosity will be encouraged and answered - not replied to with "just because", and then directed to sit down and stop asking.

I feel a love of learning is something that needs to be nurtured and encouraged. It's one of my favorite traits in Connor; that and his sense of humor. With both parents possessing a rather dry sense of humor, it is no surprise to us that Connor has it as well. He also loves to cook and can be found on a chair next to whomever is in the kitchen cooking. He will then turn around and later be heard repeating his cooking knowledge to any pet in the house who will listen, or failing that, many of his stuffed animals from his bedroom.

We also have encouraged a love and respect for animals that I find a joy to see in him. We share our home with two dogs and seven cats and he loves and is loved by them all. He shows great gentleness and care with all of them - especially our deaf cat, blind cat and very nervous 17 year old cat.

Not to say Connor is perfect - he is not. He can be short on patience and it shows sometimes, especially when he feels he is not being heard or understood. He is also posessed of a great knack for selective hearing which he can turn on especially at bedtime, or if he is being told to turn off Alton Brown (FoodTV's Good Eats Show). He can be shy in new situations and can be clingy to familiar faces in these situations. He also can be prone to tuning out adults if he feels bored.

This is one of the big reasons we are trying to change his school now. He is the oldest in the room and he is not being as challenged, learning-wise, as he could be. At home, he is beginning to spell and read, and do rudimentary addition and subtraction. In his class, however, the students are learning the ABC's and how to spell their names. Since this is something he can do already, he has been talking in class and generally not paying as much attention. I can't encourage this, yet I understand he isn't as challenged as he needs and wants to be and that this lack of challenge is causing his frustration. This is the most driving reason for why we want Connor to attend Cornerstone.

All in all, we have a very bright, articulate 4 1/2 year old who can be found at home cooking Alton Brown recipes for his dogs, his stuffed animals and anyone else he can find. He loves fishing and is looking forward to his first outdoor camping trip this summer. He can also be stubborn, snippy and sometimes sarcastic. But I am confident that he will do fabulously in the school environment provided by Cornerstone.

Cornerstone Academy

A couple of months ago, Megan and I realized that Connor was getting awfuly close to being ready for Kindergarten, and we had no idea where he was going.

He will turn 5 on 9/8/2008, just missing the cutoff for public school. Our original plan was that if we didn't find anywhere else, we'd send him to his current school - Our Future Learning Center for their K program. Unfortunately they just changed their program to only offer Pre-K instead of full Kindergarten.

We started looking around, looking at all sorts of schools. We looked into Fay School, a great school in Southboro, but it was very expensive, and out of the way. We looked into some Montessori schools, but they weren't quite right.

Then we found a school that was perfect! Cornerstone Academy in Northboro. A small, academically oriented school - only 1 class of 10 students per grade, a focus on well-rounded children, located on a wooded area with nature trails. Exactly what we were looking for.

We then had to go through the admissions process. This was not something that I anticipated having to do until Connor was much older (like ready for College). Here's how the process worked:

• We filled out an application, including a picture and an essay describing Connor (more on this later)
• We had to get teacher recommendations from his current teachers
• He had to go for a 1/2 day interview, where the teachers observe him to figure out if he's a good fit
• Megan and I then had to go to an interview to find out if they like us
• We get accepted

As far as we know this process could stop at any point, and he could be rejected. So each part was nerve wracking and kept up nervous.

We found out today (April 2, 2008) that Connor has gotten into Cornerstone! This has been a long, but great process. I will be posting another entry with the essay that Megan wrote that got us past the first step, because I thought it was an amazing essay, and I would have been at a loss to figure out how to write an essay about my son.

My FiOS Experiance

Well, I think its finally over.

My (very brief, and quite expensive) time with FiOS. I've heard lots of people rave about FiOS and how great it is. I'd like to tell another side to the story.

Over the past several months I've spent over 20 hours on the phone with Verizon - getting the problems I was having not solved.

This is the first post in a series of posts talking about my awful experience with FiOS.

How I ended up with FiOS

Roll back the clock to December 2007. I am a (relatively) happy customer of Comcast, with their Triple-Play (IP Phone, Cable and Internet Service). I pay somewhere around $150 per month for all three services. This includes 2 HD Tivo's - each with 2 CableCards, and a STB for a plain-old TV.


I had been toying with the idea of moving to FiOS, but hadn't taken the bait yet. Then Verizon makes their Free HDTV offer. This sounds pretty good. I have two HDTVs already, but a replacement for the aging 13" TV/VCR I have in the bedroom sounds like a nice thing - if I don't have to pay for it.

So I bite the bullet and call Verizon. I talk to a very nice agent who actually lives in my hometown. Overall this was a nice call. It took quite a bit longer than I had hoped (about 2 hours to get the scheduled appointment), but was pleasant. Verizon would have to wait 2 weeks to come out to my house, because I was porting my phone number from Comcast. No big deal (although this number will come back later).

I asked a couple of very important (to me) questions of the FiOS representitive:

• Can I pay my bill online - the answer was "yes - of course"
• Do you carry the Celtics games in HD - I know they're carried by "Comcast Sports Net" - so I want to make sure I'll get all the HD games - again, the answer was "yes, we carry CSN NE - HD"

Based on these answers, I figured that I was getting a good deal:

• "Faster" internet than I have now
• A free 19" HDTV
• Cheaper than I was paying ($120 vs $150) - Nice!
• A company backing the service that grew up supporting an always-on infrastructure that understood 5 9's of reliability (or so I thought)

Little did I know what would come next (to be continued...)

How Stupid Can You Get?

I read yesterday that Sony was going to join the DRM free MP3 fray.

I was very excited. Since Amazon started offering MP3 downloads I haven't bought any DRMed music. Since iTunes started selling Music, I've encouraged my wife to only buy music online.

Finally the king-of-DRM Sony was going to give up and start offering DRM-free music.

Then I read this.

In order to buy Sony DRM free music - wait for it - you have to go to ... A STORE.

What!?

You have to go to a store to buy a card that has a scratch-off code. You then have to scratch that code off, and then can only download one of 37 albums.

Not individual songs, just whole albums. I suppose that it reduces the environmental impact of those CDs and packaging, but really!?

How stupid can a company be? Oh well, I should have expected that with Sony.