Monthly archive: March, 2008

Back Home

March 13, 2008, by No comments yet

I am back home. My wife and our dog (Charlie) were pleased to see me. I am glad for that. The house is the same. I will be putting up some nice wood blinds that we ordered before my trip. I think they will add some color and uniformity to the home.

I am really looking forward to them being up. The putting up part, not so much.

I am still a little tired from the trip.

Flying home

March 13, 2008, by No comments yet

IMG_0070.jpgSo, I travelled home yesterday on American Airlines. It was quite uneventful, apart from the landing in rough East Coast turbulence just days before.

After making my connection in Dallas, I had a chance to fly over the new Texas Stadium home of the Cowboys. Now, while I do not currently cheer for them (still a Niners fan, sorry Mother), I was quite impressed with the structure. Very nice. I wanted to take a pic, but we were not allowed to turn on “approved electronic devices” on the plane at that time. Sorry, they only picture I have is my memory. That is not likely to make it onto the web anytime soon.  (but you can look at this guy’s pic instead.)

I did take this picture somewhere after leaving DC.

iPhone Update 2.0

March 12, 2008, by No comments yet

Well, it has taken me some time, but I am finally writing about the previously mentioned iPhone 2.0 update per el Steve. From my (admittedly different) perspective, the greatest change is that Apple will be allowing two major things happen:

  1. Native software on the iPhone.
  2. Apple will eventually allow the iPhone to work on other than AT&T networks.

To me, the new software will eventually force Apple to allow even more development on this platform. I know Apple is publicly unhappy and only allowing it with a stern face about security. But, I think they are privately very happy.

Last day @ DUG 2008

March 12, 2008, by No comments yet

So, this is the last day at DUG 2008. It has been a good trip. I learned quite a bit about the upcoming new Colleague Advance update that will happen for us in ’09 (already in general release). Overall, it looks like a good product. Here are some observations:

  1. Some folks will have a hard time getting others at their institution to go along with the new change.
  2. Getting an integrated product may be hard, but the benefits of updated and synced data can not be ignored (despite the problems mentioned in #1)
  3. Despite my preference for open source products (read: MySQL, PostgreSQL), I like the move to a (mostly) standards compliant M$-SQL Server. It is much easier to become familiar with a system that you can read about and install on your workstation or laptop. This is my biggest complaint about UniData. It is hard to learn about since you have to use IBM manuals and Datatel does not offer data mappings on their site.
  4. The move to a database-agnostic layer on the back-end is a great move. It will lead to options and eventual savings for the purchaser.

At the end of the day, the institution is looking for a good product and value for its investment. These types of conferences work to ensure that outcome by leveraging not only the company’s experience, but also the end-user’s invaluable ingenuity.

Being true to TU

March 11, 2008, by No comments yet

IMG_0068.jpgThis is the last night for the DUG Conference 2008. As usual, the last night is the Be True To Your School party.

It’s a chance to get dressed up in your finest school duds and come on down for some popcorn, music and a little Guitar Hero (no, didn’t play). It’s a nice time to unwind and get ready for the trip home.