Prazy's Blog

The cloud according to Steve

2011-06-09T13:33:00.001+12:00

The Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is not something I annually look in anticipation towards - not being an iOS developer or a Mac user.

This time was different; not because a visibly ailing Steve Jobs presented a keynote but because of the content and focus

Another version of Mac OSX Lion was displayed - the move towards a unified look and feel and more tips from iOS reared their head including multi-touch gestures
iOS 5 - not just another iOS update but a semi-revamp of the platform to give it features that were available through either disparate applications or functionality available on competitor platforms (e.g. notifications)
iCloud - the real shift and insight into Apple's evolving business strategy to take on Amazon and Google and where my interest was really drawn.

The full keynote can be viewed at: http://events.apple.com.edgesuite.net/11piubpwiqubf06/event/.

I'll let Mr Jobs himself explain iCloud in the keynote rather than reiterate the details. Fundamentally, universal sync across iOS devices and cross compatibility of applications (this includes Mac OSX by the way and in the case of photos and document sharing, windows PCs as well).

Of course, there are plenty of cloud sync services but by 'seamlessly' integrating into the iOS devices and offering it for FREE, Apple is, in my view, looking at increasing its install base. More of your data will now reside within Apple's cloud with them 'managing' your file storage for you,

Where I see the threat to Google particularly, is the real integration with the devices and the 'it just works' capability. Google Docs may offer some of that functionality but not in a real offline mode - the prerequisite for the web is removed and for a lot of users, I believe, the stigma of having your data in a common cloud. Additionally, since the data is manipulated through the applications themselves, there is a richer usability compared to Google Docs.

I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg - I see the real killer application being in sharing of data - particularly photos and potentially videos using the 'Photostream' service, where data is viewed in the cloud rather than stored on the physical device. I'm sure there are stats but in my mind the majority of online usage, certainly on social networking sites, is sharing of photos - rather than upload photos to Flickr or Facebook, if Apple now allows me to give restricted and potentially timed access to albums to my Friends and Family directly from an iOS device (without needing to upload and take the effort) I can't think of many users who would say no. It may not be around the corner, but I'd be surprised if it isn't on the horizon.

iCloud then becomes your 'working' directory in the sky....

This might not eventuate as a service, but I would be surprised if it didn't... I wonder if this is patentable!

The Business of You - Introduction

2011-06-02T01:18:00.000+12:00

I always thought an MBA would provide the skills to become a successful manager or more recently, an entrepreneur - but I never thought it would be a significant personal development tool. Of course much of this naivety probably stemmed, in hindsight, from a personal bias against the 'soft, fluffy, HR stuff'. While an MBA does focus on the skills that managers need to develop such as greater self efficacy and empathy to their staff, this wasn't where I saw the personal development skills or tools resting. All those provided frameworks, but in specific contexts... e.g. business models and discussions on customer value propositions were related to organisations and businesses, intrinsic motivation and assessment of efficacy was linked to personal development.

I personally saw an opportunity to leverage tools outside of their context to provide a wider breadth and depth of tools. If I may...and I only do so because a 10 minute Google search didn't reveal anything similar to this in terms of an available webpage or blog.
But first a primer on the business model:

Part 1 - Business Model Primer
In broad terms, a business model describes the rationale of how an organisation creates, delivers, and captures either economic, social, or other forms of value. The business model defines how an organisation meets its 'fundamental objective' - the raison d'etre. While there are many frameworks to represent a business model the most commonly used ones include:

Model 1
WHO: The audience or market to whom the product/service/function etc is being provided - the 'customer'.
WHAT: The product/service/function itself that is being provided - the 'product'.
HOW: The mechanism through which this delivery is achieved and the differentiators or competitive advantage - the value proposition.

Model 2
This is tied to the concept of Business Model Innovation - the creation or reinvention of a business.
The business model is considered to consist of four interlocking elements that together create and deliver value.

Customer Value Proposition:A successful business, in this instance, is defined as one that create's value for its customers by doing a job that meets a fundamental problem or need for them. Clayton Christensen refers to this through the phrase: 'What job did you hire your milkshake for?'. He explains this better than I ever could in a video about disruptive innovation.

Profit Formula: The profit formula defines how the organisation creates value for itself - how it makes a profit. This often consists of:

Revenue model.
Cost structure.
Margin model (How much does each transaction need to net gain to cover the cost structure and meet profit targets?).
Resource Velocity (How much revenue and how quickly needs to be generated per dollar of assets and per dollar of fixed cost?).

Key Resources: The key resources or assets within the organisation required to deliver the value proposition. This focuses on elements that create value for the organisation and customer.

Key Processes: The key processes that allow delivery in a successfull, repeatable and scalable way. This also includes rules, norms and metrics.
With a couple of frameworks for an organisation business model in place, what does this mean for an individual? More in the next post.

Jason Fried: Why work doesn't happen at work | Video on TED.com

2010-12-15T17:46:00.000+13:00

An interesting talk that seems counterintuitive to how most organisations think...

Jason Fried: Why work doesn't happen at work Video on TED.com

Enterprise Architecture Development - Preface

2010-09-03T14:41:00.001+12:00

Following on from my last post (many, many months ago...), a corollary to ‘What is Enterprise Architecture?’ is often followed by ‘I’ll have one of those...’ and in the case of clients ‘so how long will it take and how much will it cost...’. The more important question in my opinion is ‘What am I getting? and ‘Is it what I really want?’.

A number of frameworks and methods exist for achieving this, depending on the provider. Every consulting organisation has it’s own ‘proprietary’ framework for enterprise architecture, referenced to an open model such as TOGAF. All unique, yet so, so similar to each other. The deliverables and processes may have different names but fundamentally they strive to achieve the same objectives.

These key objectives of developing an Enterprise Architecture are related to the need for blueprints.

Of course, to truly be usable across the enterprise, these blueprints need to span across various aspects of the enterprise. In most architecture framework, four major layers within an architectural model are often described and combine to provide this holistic view.

Business Architecture. The focus of this layer is to describe an organisation in terms of its business context. This is based upon the organisation’s vision, mission and values which in turn drive the strategic objectives and key business drivers. From a contextual perspective, the architecture describes the value chain within the organisation and encompasses the structure and core functions of the organisation. These core functions in turn help derive the core business capabilities required to be serviced by IT systems.

Information Architecture. While the business architecture can be thought of as describing high level business functions and processes, associated with these processes is a flow of information across the organisation. The information architecture describes this flow of information (which may be structured or unstructured and be through electronic systems or hardcopies) along with their usage. The architecture also describes the consumers and producers of this information both within the organisation and between the organisation and its key stakeholders e.g. customers, suppliers.

Application Architecture. Having described the key capabilities and the information that is transacted through these processes, the next key step is to describe the systems that provide the IT capabilities to fulfil these business processes and flow of information. The portfolio of software applications in terms of their business functionality, technical structure and integration (relationships between them) is represented within the application architecture.

Technology Architecture. This describes the core infrastructure components and protocols used to support the business and the subsequently, the portfolio of software applications. Additionally, it includes the management and monitoring required to maintain and support the technical environment.

Two other elements that are often implicit are Security and Governance.

Security deals with the management of the information and systems that facilitate the business capabilities. It also provides key enabling functions such as authentication and authorisation to systems and auditing and logging of information.

Governance is an aspect that is sometimes omitted. It’s emphasis is on the management of the processes and systems and the ongoing mechanism to ensure alignment of business and IT.

Based on the objectives to be achieved and the specific business need, the approach and areas of focus may differ. Ideally, an enterprise architecture should be developed top-down ensuring business alignment as each of the layers are progressed. However, it is often the case that certain layers of the model will require a stronger emphasis and level of detail. For example, if the focus is on information management within the organisation, the Information Architecture would be developed in detail with the business architecture layer defined with sufficient detail to facilitate this but not necessarily the same level of detail as the information architecture.

Irrespective of the layers of focus, the general approach to developing an architecture often consists of the same key steps – discussed in further posts...

Enterprise Architecture

2010-02-03T17:46:00.019+13:00

I often get asked 'what I do for a living?'.. to which, the response 'Architecture & Strategy' or 'Enterprise Architect' often draws several responses ranging from blank looks, puzzlement and a change of topic...

In some rare circumstances however, this is followed up with 'so what do you EXACTLY do?'...

While a 'vague' answer may do with colleagues and friends, it's often a completely different story when the question is asked by a client to whom you are selling the service offering...

So.. what is 'Enterprise Architecture'?

The definition according to MIT is 'Enterprise architecture is the organizing logic for business processes and IT infrastructure reflecting the integration and standardization requirements of the firm’s operating model.'

The Open Group (TOGAF) goes one step further to define why an organisation needs an enterprise architecture:

'The primary reason for developing an enterprise architecture is to support the business by providing the fundamental technology and process structure for an IT strategy. This in turn makes IT a responsive asset for a successful modern business strategy.'

While all of this provides a definition or explanation - it still does not tangibly (in my opinion) demonstrate the need or the value of Enterprise Architecture. Particularly when the audience is not architecture or even technology focused, this presents an even greater dilemma.

A good way to explain most ideas is through tangible examples of practical application. Often samples of architecture and its benefits can be utilised to describe the value and outcomes that may be achieved for an organisation through enterprise architecture. However, every business operates slightly differently and the drivers and jargon used within one industry may not necessarily resonate with another.

While searching for this elusive 'easy to understand and communicate' definition, I came across one such popular and widely used example.

The 'Winchester Mystery House' is a well-known Californian mansion that was built under the guidance of Sarah Winchester, the widows of the fun magnate, William Wirt Winchester.

Some key facts of the house:

38 years of construction with 147 builders and 0 architects
160 rooms - 40 bedrooms, 6 kitchens, 2 basements, 950 doors
65 doors lead into blank walls, 13 staircases were abandoned mid construction and there are 24 skylights in the floors
No architectural blueprint exists
Winchester never had a master set of blueprints, but did sketch out individual rooms on paper and even tablecloths

While this seems like a rather interesting fact and a potential tourist attraction in the Californian region, it importantly highlights the need for a plan/blueprint/architectural approach. In essence, an enterprise architecture provides for an organisation what Winchester didn't have - a master set of blueprints.

In this case, the master set of blueprints links the key business goals and strategy to enablers, in the form of an organisational structure or the IT environment (including the applications and systems).

More to follow...

The Indian Premier League – An English reaction

2008-04-02T17:01:00.003+13:00

Browsing the web I was intrigued to find that an Indian domestic Twenty 20 competition should dominate headlines in England – but then this isn’t just another Twenty20 competition.
With headlines like ‘ECB must stop Twenty20 becoming road to India’ and 'Cricket in turmoil as IPL puts future of Tests in doubt', the doomsayers are plenty for a country already renowned for their ability to whinge and complain.

Quotes such as:
Money has done a lot of talking. Couldn't be better? Don't believe it. The game is hurtling towards a crossroads and not only might it struggle to know which way to turn, it might also have little choice in the matter. One country, India, is setting the pace and plotting the direction.
India is dictating where world cricket should go. This has been a fear of English cricket for a long time and for years before the IPL. A group of countries should never dictate terms and this is what the subcontinent will do. Heaven forbid that a core group of countries (India and the subcontinent) dictate to other countries (England and Australia) what should happen in World cricket.

This train of thought continues:
Vibrant though the game might be in three countries – England, Australia and India – there are profound concerns that most of the power, influence and, crucially, money will all belong to India.

Cricket is a democratic game and no single country or group should every wield power over the others. This will be akin to a key group of countries dictating and determining the direction of the world game. Not in a game like cricket.
Of course this was never a worry in the 80s when England and Australia dominated World cricket. When Lords was the seat of all cricketing power and the head of the ICC was ruled by the colonial rules of the game. When the subcontinental ‘colonies’ towed the line and were but mere pawns in the game.

There is even thought so far to thing that the IPL will foresee the end of test cricket:
Test cricket, the blue riband version of the game, is under impending threat. In six of the 10 countries where it is played, it is virtually unwatched most of the time by live audiences, while in a seventh, Zimbabwe, it has not been played for almost three years and may never be again.
Obviously this is the fault of the IPL and Indian cricket. Let’s evaluate the health of cricket in the test playing countries.

Zimbabwe – even in the healthiest of conditions Zimbabwe cricket is the least of the worries for the former Rhodesia. I doubt any damage the IPL could do could surpass that already done.
West Indies – leave Test cricket, any cricket is struggling to stay afloat in the former powerhouse of world cricket mainly due to their own undoing. If anything, the IPL may revive some interest in the game. Of course, the money involved could never be compared with but if nothing else young West Indians may revert back to cricket in a hope to get to the IPL and in turn produce some stars for West Indies cricket.
Bangladesh – I would venture to guess that when they could most Bangladeshis would watch their team – be it Test match or One Day international. The game may not be thriving but then cricket is in its infancy in Bangladesh. With no Bangladeshi players involved in the IPL, the impact on cricket in Bangladesh may be as great as a couple of Bangladeshi players lifting their game to be picked for the IPL – surely that couldn’t hurt their test chances.
New Zealand – In this rugby mad country, cricket is merely an interruption to proceedings. Except for a group of cricketing tragics, cricket does not form the core sporting appetite and will never have the following that it garners in other parts of the world. While there have been several defections to the rebel ICL league, the IPL mainly has retired cricket stars and with the seriousness afforded to Test cricket in New Zealand as it is, the IPL’s impact may be a major as making a few of the players a bit heavier in their bank balance.
Sri Lanka – Any form of cricket is followed with a passion in Sri Lanka and with their recent test win in the Carribean things can only look brighter for the longer form of the game. As with most subcontinental countries, the passion for cricket in Sri Lanka is such that the IPL will never eclipse thje love for the national game.
Pakistan – Heading down the Zimbabwe route, the fact that cricket even rates a mention is a surprise and the only escape from the harsh realities of the country. With the recent ban of Shoaib Akhtar the road for the revival of Pakistan cricket seems rather long. Any damage the IPL does will be far outweighed by the damage already done to the national game from a combination of the Pakistan Cricket Board and current and former players.
Australia – Cricket will always be strong in Australia and the pride in the national team can never be overshadowed by anything as trivial as the IPL.
India – Any cricket be it trivial will be swallowed by the Indian cricket fan and the appetite for cricket knows no satiety in that one form of cricket will never overshadow another in India. While the IPL may be hugely popular, the intensity of an India-Australia Test series can never be outmatched by an IPL game.
England – English cricket is a game run by those from a bygone era with gentleman donning their whites and sipping their tea with a crumpet or two. The launch of Twenty20 cricket was in fact in England where it was treated as a circus predating the real proceedings. The traditions and roots of colonial times are never to be questioned. With all due respect to English cricket, crowds are not drawn to local games due to the quality and formats used. A revamp may be required in English cricket, but the IPL is not even remotely the instigator for this change. At least with the IPL, English players may get a chance to play cricket rather than sit in the rooms while the rain pours down…

The fear of the unknown and something new (especially from the former colonies and the east) has gripped English cricket. Kerry Packer’s World Cricket was viewed differently as it wasn’t stemmed from the East.

The basis for the fear is ‘a local competition that draws international players from Test playing countries for sums of money’. Inconceivable? I can think of one such competition that has been running for years with no impact to the global game – County Cricket… but then that’s English.

Cricket Wrap-Up - India vs South Africa Test 1, New Zealand vs England

2008-04-02T15:49:00.003+13:00

A very good friend of mine had been kind enough to share his views on the recently concluded New Zealand - England cricket series and the ongoing India-South Africa cricket series. I'd like to thank him for sharing some of his views and insights into the series.

India vs South Africa
India versus South Africa - great test match. Good on Sehwag with 319, and a pity he didn't get closer to Brian Lara's record. That must be some battingwicket, because everybody is scoring good runs. However, I think SouthAfrican bowling attack came back well on 4th day, and it headed to a draw. Could'nt see a result. There is very little in both teams - both on top of game. I think South Africa will get better as Test series goes on, so India will need to be at their best. I am picking South Africa win this test series. They have the all round package, unless Kumble and Harbhajan Singh can tweak some magic.

New Zealand vs England
The ultimate difference between the New Zealand cricket test team andEngland cricket test team is that their batsmen went on to make 100's. There is a mental block in New Zealand batsman to go and get a bigscore, and over 100. Only Taylor may 120 in Hamilton, and I think he has a lot of class. Fleming always looks the goods but never goes on wtih it, Jamie How is a good prospect - plays like a test bastman, and sadly Matthew Sinclair and Matthew Bell are all at sea in their games at the moment. Vettori, in the last three years, after Mark Richardson has been our best batsman and he bats at number 7.
Never really fan of Geoffrey Boycott as a batsman, but in a test match,like Dravid you dig in, work at your game, and try to score a 100. I thought Monty Panesar bowled a really teasing line and New Zealanders and they did not know how to play him too well. Played across the line, and got out, and didn't read him too well. Now, we are off to England, and that is going to be a great test series, but you've got to say England looks the favourites.

Team India 2.0

2008-03-06T11:50:00.003+13:00

India have won the Commonwealth Bank series by comprehensively outplaying Australia in both games of the finals series – beating the top ranked team in the world in their own backyard. What is more they have completed their victories in a thoroughly professional manner putting to rest all the demons and controversy off the field.

Actions speak louder than words and in the end it was this young Indian side led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni that let their bats and the ball do all the talking – in fact the ball really talked in the hands of Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma.

A fairytale ending to the series for a young Indian side missing it’s superstars – barring Tendulkar, written off before the series even began and coming back to stun the World Champions and not only win but do so with style. Less than six months ago, this young Indian team was lifting aloft the World Twenty-20 final – which spurred amongst other things the Indian Premier League but more importantly a new era in Indian cricket.

Kudos to the players and coaching staff – but also to the selectors for retaining their faith in youth and moving forward with the transition to a core team for the next world cup. Indian cricket looks to be in good hands with no shortage of players having also just won the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia.

But with Indian cricket, one never knows – for there are countless players who burst onto the world cricket stage only to disappear out of even state cricket into retirement and beyond…never to return.
Let’s hope this isn’t the beginning of the end.

It's Just Not Cricket

2007-10-19T17:04:00.000+13:00

The last decade has been a turbulent one for World Cricket – with the dizzying highs of England’s Ashes triumph to the shocking lows of the match fixing saga…

But that was all behind us… Twenty 20 cricket had smashed its way on to the world stage with a World Cup tournament second to none. And after the fiasco that was the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, it was a welcome change to have a global tournament where supporters would be praying for their team to win and not to ensure there wasn’t an electricity cut! – As an aside kudos to South Africa cricket for organising such a fantastic world cup. They did it with the 2003 world cup and have followed suit with the Twenty 20. This would support a very strong case for the next football (soccer for any Americans out there…) world cup to be staged in Africa.

Just as normal service seemed to have resumed in the cricket world today, a new interruption occurs – a Racism row in an India-Australia series. The immediate reaction to a statement like this has always been ‘What have the Aussies done now?’ (Unfortunately, there have been several incidents where they have lacked indiscretion and insensitivity when it comes to other cultures – a la Dean Jones and Darren Lehmann). But they seemed to have learnt from the past or maybe it was all that time Brett Lee spent singing with Asha Bhosle!

This time around, the Aussies are on the receiving end – to be more precise; one Aussie – Andrew Symonds. The claims are that he was subjected to monkey noises and taunts as he came out to bat by the crowd – most recently in Mumbai. There have been some culprits identified but no real action taken - herein lies the issue. Not that there was some childish, ignorant idiot in the crowd doing what he thought was a lot of fun, but that this issue has not been nipped in the bud (of course it doesn’t help that there are players in the team that instigate and promote such reckless behaviour). What is most appalling is that the BCCI proudly states that they have not complied with the ICC ruling to appoint a racism commissioner to stamp out this behaviour in the game. The reason; India is too big. Surely a board that is supposed to manage all aspects of cricket in India can find a way. Further, Mr Niranjan Shah, Secretary of the BCCI, argues for Symonds to prove that he was subjected to abuse. Surely, Mr Shah, that is what the board should do!

Here’s something for Mr Niranjan Shah and the BCCI to ponder:

Have every cricket board appoint a racism commissioner for their state – this should not just combat racial abuse at visiting international teams but at state teams as well. World articles talk about the caste issue in India but that is not as prevalent as something more dangerous – the state bias; South versus North; State vs State.

Have an overall chief commissioner present at every international series akin to the match umpire.

Impose strict bans and fines on improper crowd behaviour – it may mean that security actually have to work for a living rather than watch the game but then…

Of course this will cost money (that the BCCI has in bucketfuls – gold bucketfuls) and it will take a lot of process and paperwork (which the BCCI also already has). But before any of this, the BCCI has to take the matter seriously. This is NOT something that can be brushed aside and must be dealt with swiftly!

This is one occasion where the issue of racism must be stamped out immediately without partiality – it has no place today – either in the game or our day to day lives. Most importantly, it puts a damper on what is still perceived to be a gentleman’s game - it's just not cricket!

Shivaji: The Boss - A Review

2007-06-18T23:21:00.001+12:00

Rajnikanth, the evergreen hero of the Tamil film industry, an icon in his own right and in millions of minds in India makes a much anticipated return to film in the movie ‘Shivaji’. Teaming up with director Shankar (of Gentleman, Jeans and Indian fame) and music maestro AR Rahman, super star Rajnikanth provides 3 hours and 5 minutes of non-stop entertainment.

The storyline and plot are nothing to inspire. The usual formulaic ideas reveal themselves again. Why else would this be a Rajnikanth movie? Aesthetically pleasing with some unique numbers from AR Rahman featuring Blaaze and his rap stylings. (Blaaze actually grew up with me, so it’s nice to see him live his dream).

The heroine Shriya does an adequate job while Vivek in a comedy role provides numerous laughs particularly at Rajnikanth’s expense as he mimics him on multiple occasions. Suman plays and acts his villainous role to perfection.

The witty dialogues by Sujatha play puns on the movie’s name and the actors of yesteryear, particularly the late Sivaji Ganeshan and on previous Rajnikanth movies.

While I could go into the storyline and the nuances of the movie, to be quite honest, there isn’t much to it. Just another crowd pleaser providing good solid entertainment with plenty of comedy, drama, action and romance along the way. Set to make crores and crores at the box office, tickets have already been sold out for months in advance in India, even at an asking price of 1500 rupees.

Check it out at a theatre near you… and please leave your brain at home. Definitely one of the better tamil movies I have seen recently.

I rate it 5/5 for pure entertainment.

My Kingdom for a Coach

2007-06-18T21:02:00.000+12:00

Graham Ford is India’s new coach – well, not really. He has turned down the job for ‘personal reasons’. As many columnists have pointed out (including Mukul Kesavan and Ian Chappell), the BCCI were very egoistical (for lack of a better word or rather because there is no better word) in their selection process for the coach. Of course, one could expect nothing less from an organisation that utilise an equally cumbersome and political process to select the cricket team itself. But cricket selection is the topic for another rant blog!

The BCCI in all their glory probably felt that the lure of several zeros before a decimal point would be all that is required to entice their chosen candidate to the coaching role. Alas, that was not to be. It seems Graham Ford put his personal life before his career and of course, money – a train of thought that would probably be lost on the BCCI.

Several comments have emerged as to why he turned down the job. The speculation is rife from his tentativeness to be in the subcontinent to the apparent shock at the appalling state of affairs within the BCCI. Of course, the other speculation is that he simply wanted a free trip to India. Is it so hard to believe that his personal circumstances may simply have changed? Or that after further contemplation, he simply didn’t feel it was the right opportunity for him at the moment? Could it be that his reason’s were oh so simple and obvious?

On thing is for certain, I wouldn’t want the Jamaican police investigating his reasons for turning down the job!

The ICC wise men - Part 1

2007-06-08T01:33:00.000+12:00

Recently, the International Cricket Council formed a cricket committee to look at all matters cricket. At their recently concluded two day meeting in Dubai, numerous recommendations were unleashed on to the unsuspecting public. All designed to rekindle interest and better cricket all the world round.

Firstly, the issue of ball tampering reared it’s ugly head. The list of unfair or unpermitted actions included:

Deliberately throwing the ball into the ground to rough it up.
Applying any non-artificial substance for the purpose other than to polish the ball.

How the umpires are meant to discern that the actions are deliberately to change the condition of the ball is beyond me. What if a fielder drops the ball on the ground, is that now deliberate or uncoordination? Fielders in the outfield often throw bump balls to ensure the ball gets to the stumps or fielders. Do fielders with weak arms now get penalised?

It is understandable and quite commendable that ball tampering is on the forefront of the committee and the eradication of such on their minds. However, the line between deliberate tampering and accidental is so thin that even if one were pulled up for the offence, the evidence presented may not stand up at all.

Regardless of all the rules and regulations enforced, tampering will always lurk in some corner of the cricketing outfield waiting to rear it’s ugly head. The only thing one can expect from the officials is consistency across both teams.

It reminds me of an anecdote by Chris Pringle, former New Zealand fast bowler and his escapades in Pakistan. While reverse-swing was still in its infancy, New Zealand toured Pakistan at a time when neutral umpires were unheard of. By consistently scuffing up the ball, Imran Khan and his band of merry cricketers were able to devastate through the New Zealand batting lineup. After numerous complaints to the umpire that went unheeded, Chris Pringle decided that he would fight fire with fire. Using a bottle top on the outfield, he scuffed the cricket ball to return his best ever figures in international cricket. When the Pakistan team complained to the umpire, his response was Now it is the same for both teams

More to follow.

Murder they tried to write...

2007-06-07T22:57:00.000+12:00

Bob Woolmer, former coach of the Pakistan cricket team, was found dead in his hotel room on March 18. Since then, there have been many twists and turns in the investigation by Jamaican police. Such varying reports from strangulation to snake venom in wine bottles to the implication of former Pakistani cricketer Mushtaq Ahmed.

Enter Scotland Yard. After detailed investigations, their conclusions were a lot less sensational. Bob Woolmer died of natural causes – heart failure and chronic ill health. Claims that had been rubbished by the Jamaican Police as unhelpful.

Spare a thought for the Woolmer family, being to-ed and fro-ed in multiple directions. But still the drama continued, with the lead pathologist claiming that he stood by his story.
Amidst all this was of course public speculation on divides within the Pakistan camp and claims of match fixing and fundamentalism.

It seems that the rollercoaster has come to an end. Although, Jamaican police are yet to officially comment, it is not widely being reported that they will have to make a retraction that Bob Woolmer did in fact die of natural causes. An unfortunate but rather mundane affair after all.

A full chronology is on Cricinfo
I guess that’s why there isn’t a CSI: Jamaica.

Surface-ing

2007-06-01T03:04:00.000+12:00

First they took the desktop world by storm, then they took on Java, then the iPod (albeit unsuccessfully) and the world of gaming (with better success). Now Microsoft, look set to change the way we ‘interface’ with computers. In the world of computers and software in particular, user interface design and methodologies are often overlooked as a means to an end. Of course the times have changed with the advent of the rich Web 2.0 and feature rich operating systems such as Windows Vista.

Mobile devices and tablet pcs took human computer interaction to a new frontier with interfaces more ‘natural’. The push for user friendly interfaces has become more prevalent in today’s world with design principles such as natural mapping coming to the fore. The importance on look and feel of an application is almost as significant as if it actually works. Often devices fail not because of their inability to function but because they are not user friendly or intuitive.
Of course there are exceptions, such as the Blackberry. Why such an expensive, functional device has a keyboard so small still amazes me? After much contemplation I have come to only one conclusion – outsourcing. It must be cheaper to build a blackberry in the land of Lilliput! But I digress…

Where is all this going? Microsoft of course! Microsoft has taken human computer interfaces to a new degree. The Surface. Yep – that’s what they called it. It’s describes as a coffee table computer that interacts with whatever is placed on the surface. So you can write on it, use a touch screen. There is even a suggestion that placing a cellphone on it will automatically download ringtones to your mobile device.

Some might say it’s just a glorified tablet. That it may be, but if truly integrates with it’s surroundings, it presents a significant advance in device-to-device communication. Of course, being a table, it enables multiple users to interact with the system at the same time. A whole new meaning to the word – lunch/coffee meeting. The concept is that you can sit around this ‘coffee table’ and hold meetings, conferences in a significantly different way.

As impressed as I was with this coffee table of tommorow, one question still irked my mind: Where do I actually keep my coffee? According to some comments, barcode technology will be used meaning that the Surface will not interact with any device it hasn’t been programmed to recognize. So rather than refilling my coffee cup when I place it on the Surface, I’ll simply get an unsightly stain.

Maybe the next plugin to the Microsoft Surface should be the Surface Cleaner!

It's only a game

2007-03-19T17:35:00.000+12:00

The cricket world cup is upon us. 16 nations take on each other in the idyllic paradise that is the West Indies to see who will be triumphant and crowned world champions come 28^th April 2007. It has been a week of dizzying highs and plummeting lows from shock wins by Bangladesh against India and Ireland knocking out former world champions Pakistan. But there won’t be any celebrations today… today, the whole cricketing world is in mourning. Bob Woolmer, Pakistani coach, has passed away after being found unconscious in his hotel room.

Yesterday, when Bangladesh and Ireland triumphed at the world cup, there would have been millions of Indians and Pakistanis in disbelief. But it’s only a game, India and Pakistan will play another day and World Cups will keep coming around. On a day like this, there is no carnival atmosphere or celebrations. A day like today puts everything in perspective. Win or lose, as the cliché goes, It’s only a game. For there are far more important things in life.

Today the entire cricketing world unites for a greater reason, a more important purpose – to pay their respects to Bob Woolmer, an ambassador of the game, a fantastic player, a tremendous coach but most importantly a friend and compatriot of the cricketing fraternity.

John Wright’s Indian Summers - Prologue to a review

2007-02-27T18:50:00.000+13:00

Firstly to avoid any confusion this is a book review and not that of someone’s holidays in

India

. Though to some that’s exactly what John Wright had.

The setting is India - a concoction of colour and culture. Over 1 billion people and every single one of them cricket crazy. India was reeling from the implications and allegations of the match fixing saga (aka Hansiegate). The team being it's usual mercurial self which such great achievements as losses to Kenya.

Enter John Wright. The former New Zealand opener and captain. Mooted as a candidate for the Indian coaching job. Certainly not the frontrunner – after all he was a foreigner. India had never had a foreign coach and there certainly wasn’t a shortage of former Indian players rushing for the job. As fate would have, this former Canterbury lad from one of the smallest countries in the world (where the sheep far outweigh the people) was to coach the most populous cricketing nation in the world through several heady and giddy years.

Indian Summers is John Wright’s personal account and thoughts on his journey and time with the Indian cricket team. John Wright has written this book in much the same way he played and coached (I realise after reading the book) – sharp and straight to the point. Nice and simple. It feels like reading his diary and joining him on the tumultuous rollercoaster ride when he was Indian coach – enduring the dizzying highs and the cavernous lows. Not to say it is dry, quite the contrary in fact. John has lent his rather quirky and witty sense of humour through the book while not missing the point.

What it is not and never claims to be is a gossipy, trashy, tell-all, scandal-ridden behind the scenes recount of a team filled with such talented players who miraculously seem to find a little time in their busy ad-filled, restaurant-running, endorsement-packed lives to play a bit of cricket. There are no great revelations of factions within the team or scandalous dressing room altercations between players and coach. And I for one have to say it is a nice refreshing change….

The Real Last King of Scotland

2007-02-10T21:44:00.000+13:00

Following on from my last blog post reviewing The Last King of Scotland here is another movie, much older which depicts Amin in a, shall we say, less flattering light. I have only seen the trailer but it looks like some interesting watching albeit propaganda. Keeping in mind of course that the movie was made while Amin was still alive.

The Last King of Scotland - A Review

2007-02-10T21:18:00.000+13:00

A last minute dash to the movie theatre and after several minutes of grueling parallel car parking, I was at the movies. Accompanied by a close friend of mine, we weren’t at a multiplex but rather a quaint arthouse theatre. Due to our lack of planning and coordination, we had chosen a movie that closely matched our timings. An afternoon session of The Last King of Scotland. All I knew was that it revolved around General Idi Amin – the Ugandan self proclaimed ‘father of the country’. A relatively unknown cast, an independent film, an off-beat topic – what lay in store?

Brilliant! This could be one of the most defining moments in Forest Whitaker ’s career. He pulls off an amazing performance as Amin and at times makes you wonder if he really didn’t know Amin at all. Such is his portrayal of the character. Having lived in Africa and seen many movies about the dark continent, my pet peeve has always been the little things like pronunciation of words and accents of actors. Whitaker gets it all down to a tee including speaking the local dialects. In fact if I hadn’t known, I may have mistaken him for a Ugandan. He is Idi Amin. In his own inimitable way, he makes us love and hate Amin and gives a human touch to a person most of the world knew only as a monster. But at the same time he doesn’t forsake the side of Amin most of the world saw. In a single scene and throughout the movie he morphs from the powerful dictator to a big laughing teddy bear and back. A truly amazing performance!

The other actors have also played their part but they are all supporting actors including James McAvoy who plays the Scottish Dr Nicholas Garrigan, the protagonist, through whose eyes we see the plot unfold. He plays his part as do the others but they are all supporting actors and overshadowed by the enormous Whitaker.

There are some who may say that the plot is contrived and there may be some merit to that. But in this post I am going to refrain from commenting because I don’t want to give any spoilers. One thing I will comment is how the movie has quite elegantly intertwined real events in Uganda's history into the film and on more than one occasion used it to propel the plot forward.

If there needs to be one reason to go and see this movie it is Forest Whitaker. They say that some actors make a movie and role their own. He has certainly done so and I for one would certainly be disappointed if he didn’t win the Oscar.

Certainly one of my movies of the year. I rate it 4/5.

Spinning to conclusion

2007-01-10T00:37:00.000+13:00

My first blog post after a long time and it’s something completely different…
The end of an era Shane Keith Warne, the greatest spin bowler of all time, has retired from all forms of international cricket. The last act of this great showman was to almost single handedly complete a 5-0 whitewash of the English cricket team to return the Ashes to Australia.

His life and career have had as many twists and turns as the cricket ball in his hands. From a young blonde spin bowler taken apart by the Indians against an Alan Border led team to the greatest spin bowler and showman of all time. A man larger than life who breathed a new life into cricket, the man who made spin sexy at a time when fast bowling was prime. A legend both on and off the field who made headlines with not only his talent but his off field antics from being fined for match fixing to being banned for diuretics (even though it was on his Mom’s advice), lewd text messages and baked beans!

Admittedly, he has had the privelage of being in a star studded team which has held the top mantle for years and he has been fortunate enough to have been led by some of the most astute cricketing minds; Alan Border, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh to Ricky Ponting. Rather than use this an excuse, it only uncovers more of his magic – for lack of a better word, that he even dominated in an Australian team so full of world beaters.

As he himself said ‘ He has achieved everything he wanted and Cricket Australia has every single trophy in the cricketing world in it’s cabinet’ … in no small part to Shane Warne. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit sad that this master conjurer, the ‘sultan of spin’ will no longer be walking in to bowl making all around wonder what magic will emanate from his fingers.

Shane Keith Warne - Fair Dinkum Aussie Bloke and Champion Cricketer, You will be missed by teammates, opposition and fans alike. Cricket is that much poorer to no longer have you in it’s ranks but that much more richer for the part you played in its history!

The Rookie and I

2006-09-08T19:44:00.000+12:00

I was actually going to call this How to train a project manager but decided against it because it would probably raise such universal questions as 'Can you really train a project manager?' So, herein I present the almost neverending saga of project managers and IT professionals.

Project management... Some think of it as an artform, others think of it as irreverent and pointless, but all agree that it often is a necessary evil. I am not going to debate either side here but just present some experiences albeit embellished of project management in the IT world. A lot of the experiences sound remarkably similar yet so different which presents a dilemma when cataloguing and classifying them. So as the author of this blog, I have taken the liberty to classify by project manager, as after all this is the key determinant and differentiator in all the projects.

The Rookie: A project management virgin for lack of a better term. Often thrown in the deep-end without actually being told how deep the pool actually is but also without being taught to swim. Thus, the onus is often on the other project team members to train and manage the project manager. As if this wasn't complicated enough, this also involves managing not only the person but the EGO. Often (and not always) you are dealing with someone who is not only underprepared in managing the project albeit the team but also doesn't realise it. A bad workman may blame his tools but first he has to actually have some. Better still, they often have a supreme confidence in their abilities where they actually truly believe that they are managing the project people. As much as I hate to admit it, that is what they should do but the clincher for me is their management style. Without the necessary tools in hand and experience to draw on, they are forced to rely on the Command and Control approach (to quote Joel Spolsky). What I like to call the kindergarten approach - I am bigger than you so you have to do what I say. Not an ideal way to manage kindergartners, let alone an IT project team. Especially in the IT world of today when one project makes you the team lead and the other makes you part of the development team. There are almost always going to be more experienced people on a team. The problem the rookie faces is he doesn't realise how to manage this. Again, the kindergarten approach - I am the 'boss' so I should tell them what to do. The net result often is that the project members either get frustrated, infuriated, insulted (often all of the above) leading to a lack of confidence in the project manager and either non-cooperation or a power struggle. Net result: IT project disaster in the making.
I don't mean to say this is always the case or that the other team members are not in any way contributors to the potential failure of the project, but having project management issues certainly doesn't help!

Build it before they come...

2006-07-26T22:44:00.000+12:00

The Global Sourcing phenomenon has really taken us (in the IT industry) by storm. There's no escaping it and in my opinion an organisation would ignore it only at their own peril. It has become one of the key strategies in the game of staying alive let alone ahead in the IT market. In an earlier blog, I bemoaned the lack of ownership within an organisation for the failure of outsourcing - the fact that often employees don't see how it benefits them. To some that may sound very philosophical and (dare I say it..) HR speak.

Another more concrete or tangible reason is the logistics. Before I go into this let me just digress (again...). My perspective on outsourcing and it's implementation comes from an application development background, so needless to say that will be my focus. Let's consider the scenario...

An organisation decides to descend down the road of outsourcing. What's the easiest thing to outsource? Often the so-called back office functions; development and testing. The theory (often heard by many) is this; development and testing work is partitionable (for lack of a better word). You slice of blocks of your project and pass it to either the test or development teams and at the end of that timeframe (in your project) the work magically appears done. Classic waterfall model and it lends itself (in theory) as an ideal candidate to Global Sourcing.

This does of course include several assumptions.

The piece of work is well defined with clearly outlined start and end criteria. In the case of development, this is well defined requirements documents (with no potential for scope creep - I just noticed all the developers glaze their eyes over on that, but bear with me..) and in the case of testing, a complete unit of software that is ready for testing again with clearly defined documentation.
Minimal micro-management of teams. The project manager would only require updates on progress and otherwise everything will continue as is.
Communication between the various teams will not be an issue. This includes accounting for time zones and geographical diversity.
All resources required by the various project teams will be readily available and accessible.

There are many more to this list and all if not most are easily rectified. The key is identifying these issues and working through them. There needs to be a willingness and acceptance of the issues and risks associated alongside them. To think that a seamless transition will occur is setting oneself up to fall a long long way down.

But I digress... back to the logistics. The biggest thing from a purely logistics perspective for outsourcing is the geographical diversity. That which is it's biggest advantage can also be it's biggest disadvantage. Your teams may be at the antipodes from each other. Not only does this hinder face-to-face discussions but something as simple as the time difference can cause an issue. One group will work while the other sleeps and vice versa. The positive spin is that you can have work on the project close to 24 hours a day. Conversely, you have a 24 hour turnaround in responses between teams and potentially team members. You may have someone work on a project for a whole day only to realise that they are operating on a completely different tangent to another team member. This coupled with communication (as in being able to contact team members when required and not language) pose potential roadblocks on the path to outsourcing success.

Another side of the logistics is the infrastructure...

To be continued...

A crisis of opportunities

2006-07-26T22:19:00.000+12:00

Outsourcing the bane of many IT professionals' existence. I recently met a fellow IT geek (professional I mean...) whose response summed up the way a lot of people think about it. His organisation is currently undergoing a strategic transformation - but wait before you get excited for all this means is that a new manager is doing a bit of sweeping to clear the decks as it were. Part of his organisation's strategy includes the big 'O' - outsourcing. So, here I am and I ask him a question 'So what do you think about Outsourcing?' - expecting one of two responses, a resounding yes or a doomsaying nay. He just looks at me and says 'What can I do except wait until I get sacked?' Now, this doesn't sum up the way all IT professionals look at it but certainly includes a fair chunk of them. Without a doubt, outsourcing does mean job losses but it also means opportunities (as discussed in an earlier blog).

It's like a quote I once heard ' The germans use the same word for crisis as opportunity' - and no it's not crisotunity!

Outsourcing

2006-07-11T21:31:00.000+12:00

Outsourcing. To some a magical word opening a world of opportunities; efficiency, cost reduction, agility and more. To others it is a signal of doom and gloom, a sign of all things negative. So which is it? Of course it depends on your perspective.

To the corporate it makes perfect sense; reduce costs while increasing agility and delivery capacity - heaven on earth. To the guy sitting at the next desk it makes no sense; invest money in training up some guy half way across the world to do his job when there are already skilled and talented individuals doing it already. All to save a few dollars!

The problem (in my humble opinion) is that there generally has never been reason for the software developer or tester to ever think outsourcing would benefit them. Why should they? From their perspective it's often job losses to the other side of the world. Of course this isn't always the case. Several companies outsource and do it well. While their strategy I'm sure is a complex web of various technical, management and human resource strategies the one they do or should do (in my humble opinion) is get their employees on board. Give the employees a reason to make outsourcing work. Why do you need the employees if you are outsourcing their jobs?

The reality is that while the majority of the work (in extreme cases) may be outsourced, every organisation still needs people on the ground at their locations liaising with clients, coordinating activites and presenting the company the outside world. The outsourcing itself should be seamless. And for this seamlessness to occur you need the employees at the client locale to buy-in to the corporate strategy. After all outsourcing doesn't mean (and never has) that all jobs or positions get pushed overseas - though that always seems to be the conotation.

There is no denying that there may be job losses but at the same time it offers opportunities - those that do remain in the organisation may take on more client-facing/lead roles (in effect moving up the management/corporate ladder). And while any true IT geek (professional I mean...) wouldn't admit this, none of them would deny that this is the ladder they would like to traverse - after all the climb means a pay increase at the least. These are the opportunities that corporations need to present to their employees - it allows the guy at the other end to realise that he has a vested interest (by seeing what opportunity it brings him) and not only will he cooperate and he may even go out of his way to make it all work.

Golden rule of Outsourcing 1: Get everyone on board

You are in a priority queue...

2006-07-06T21:52:00.000+12:00

The Internet is a wonderful thing... it lets every Tom, Dick, Harry and in this case Prazy speak their mind on anything and everything under the sun. It's often a double-edged sword since not only does it let one speak their mind but it allows everyone to hear (read anyway) these opinions and thoughts.

Keeping all this mind, I still figured I had to share my self-professed amazing idea to the world (or at least the portion of it that might inadvertently read my blog). So what is it? Wait for it...

Self-service kiosks at movie theatres!

There I was standing in line at a movie theatre waiting to buy my tickets with a queue of about 30 people in front of me (particularly large by usual standards here) and 2 minutes before the movie was scheduled to start. Before I go any further I should probably the explain the concept of EFTPOS to anyone reading (if you are not from New Zealand). Essentially, it's an immediate fund transfer mechanism, similar to a credit card but more immediate - the money disappears straight out of your bank account.

So there I am wondering how much of the movie I might miss and suddenly I thought if something as complex as domestic air travel could be automated to the extent of self-service check-in, in this age of the computer and digital revolution why not something as simple as movie tickets. Putting on my application architect/developer hats here is the high-level design...

Client inserts a credit card/eftpos card into a terminal
Client selects a movie and session time (easily obtainable of the theatre's website)
Available seats are presented to the client (if required)
Client selects number of tickets
System displays total price and asks for confirmation
On client OK (involving a card pin number), the system prints out the tickets, returns the card and of course, debits the account.

The feasability technically of this is not the issue, I guess the profitability and efficiency is. This might not work in small theatres but when you have a multiplex of 10 or more theatres, why not? At the risk of sounding like a cost-focused manager, this should surely reduce costs by eliminating the need for staff manning ticket counters (the efficiency of automation etc etc..). The cons of minimal human interaction are far outweighed by the quick service and user flexibility. Another con that some might suggest is dependency of the computer literacy of the user, but if ATM machines can work.. why can't these?

All I ask is if someone does implement my grand plan is that I get to play with Beta versions and the royalties of course ;-)

Instinctively flashier than Java

2006-07-06T21:05:00.000+12:00

As a software engineer one always likes to keep abreast of the trends and advances in technology, particularly software development. So what's the latest and greatest programming language? Java... C# ... Maybe for application development... but what about mobile computing?

According to one game development firm, it's FlashLite. Before you form an opinion hear me out. They make this somewhat bold technology choice based on the 'impending rise of Flash and imminent downfall of J2ME' - I'll give you all a few minutes to contemplate that...

Now I know that everyone would have had their thoughts on the choice of Flash over J2ME and more particularly the impending fall of J2ME - all I am going to say is 'script kiddies', rather self-explanatory I hope (at least on what I think). I'd be interested to know what Sun's response is. I always thought side-scrolling games (even with flash) would have disappeared with the new millenium. let alone the advent of 3D graphics and technology. Nonetheless, full credit to the game development studio and their innovative plans for domination of the side-scrolling flash game world!

Nanometres of Unlimited Potential

2006-07-06T16:14:00.000+12:00

Two consecutive days of blogging... well one and a half.

Having heard Paul Reynolds give us his general, political and professional commentary on the state of technology (and I have to say I thorougly enjoyed his talk), it was on to smaller things - nanotechnology (pun intended!)

So here we were, a room full of technology geeks (for want of a better word) waiting with bated breath to hear about the latest academic research into nanotechnology. The speaker comes up after being introduced and then proceeds to explain to us what a nanometre is... 'a human is in the scale of metres tall, a human hair is in the scale of millimetres (still smaller than a nanometre) ...' I realise that this forms the basic understanding for the scale of things but I'd like to think that a technologist would know what a nanometre ( or for that matter any high school physics student...). Needless to say I felt quite patronised by the whole thing (though I'm sure it was completely unintentional). This doesn't take away in the slightest from the research that the academics are doing but I'm sure discussion on more of the research would have been a lot more engrossing (maybe it's my research background speaking...)

More ranting to follow...

Origins of my blog Part 2

2006-07-05T22:48:00.000+12:00

So as part of the magical all-integrating triangle Paul mentions how he uploads photos straight from his mobile device to Flickr and that he loves how he can easily integrate it with his blogs. Hence, my sudden albeit calculated and obviously well thought out plans for blogging...

So the next question on your mind... do I have a Flickr page? Of course I do (just haven't got any photos on there yet, but once I do you can rest assured I'll have the obligatory self-advertisement on here!)

I realise that now you know why I am blogging there isn't any suspense for you to keep reading. But there is albeit to see if I write any more posts at all or update my Flickr page?

Stay tuned...

In the Beginning...

2006-07-05T21:58:00.000+12:00

I couldn't just setup a blog and not post anything now.... could I?
I've lost count on the number of blogs I have now setup and never ever posted to (apart from the obligatory initial post). Each time I do this I seem to get inspired by some comment/forum/newspaper article/scrawling on wall...

This time it was Gadgets, Games and Geeks - a semi-conference for geeks on (wait for it..) gadgets and games. I term it a semi-conference or perhaps a better term would be conference-in-the-making. Why? Perhaps the best response would be to paraphrase what one of the organisers said 'We initially were going to have a gaming convention where we just came and played x-box games but this has turned into something much more.' Unassuming and not pretending to be anything more than it was - a chance for geeks (sorry - IT professionals) to speak their mind and show off how cool what they have been doing is (and of course the chance to win an iPod nano - I'm sure that wasn't the reason people came though I still do wonder why there were 3 business cards with the same name in the draw to win the iPod.)

So how does this even remotely relate to me setting up a blog...

It all comes down to the keynote speaker Paul Reynolds an IT consultant/commentator. His keynote address on the digital revolution and the internet was interesting and talked about the three intersecting circles of ... let's just call it IT shall we? So what are these three circles? Well the three circles (vaguely) are:

the circle of the bloggers and general masses
the circle of the IT professionals in business (trying to do something creative and make a buck)
the circle of the government institutions, libraries etc who need the net and see it as part of their way forward

His point (and Paul will have to excuse me if I've missed the point completely) was that intersecting all these is the giant triangle with the large question mark - the all see-ing, all know-ing, all do-ing integration point and that 'we', that is the geeks (I mean IT professionals) hold the key and hence, determine the way forward for this integrating triangle.

So how does all this relate to why I started an umpteenth blog? More will be revealed in Part 2!