Top-10 Application-Design Mistakes

Feb 19, 2008 - It's hard to write a general article about application design mistakes because the very worst mistakes are domain-specific and idiosyncratic. Usually, applications fail because they (a) solve the wrong problem, (b) have the wrong features for the right problem, or (c) make the right features too complicated for users to understand... (read more)

IT Career Paths You Never Dreamed of

February 19, 2008 (Computerworld) Think you want to be a CIO or CTO? Think again. What you might really want is to be a chief delivery officer or chief process officer... (read more)

Hand Painting

It takes him four hours to do a hand. Then he photographs it for posterity. Checkout the eyes..... It took him 10 hours to do the two-handed Eagle in picture #2.

Crackpot Technologies That Could Shake Up IT

February 18, 2008 - It doesn't take a genius to catch on to the fact that in IT, innovation is a mandate. Push the envelope of what's possible, or find yourself relegated to wayside. But, to borrow a favored David St. Hubbins Spinal Tap aphorism, there's a fine line between clever and crackpot when it comes to making good on technological breakthroughs in the enterprise... (read more)

LEGO Church

This is amazing! someone certainly is talented and patient to create such a masterpiece. A few quick facts:

How long to build it? It was about a year and a half of planning, building and photographing.
How many pieces of LEGO to build it? more than 75,000
How big is it? About 7 feet by 5 1/2 feet by 30 inches (2.2 m x 1.7 m x .76 m)
How many LEGO people does it seat? 1,372
How many windows? 3,976

It features a balcony, a Narthex, stairs to the balcony, restrooms, coat rooms, several mosaics, a nave, a baptistery, an altar, a crucifix, a pulpit and an elaborate pipe organ.

All I can say is .... "WOW!"

8 Signs It's Time to Look for a New Job

December 19, 2007 (Computerworld) Short of being handed your walking papers, there are often telltale signs that it's time to look for a new job. You haven't been promoted since the Clinton administration. The most exciting assignments are routinely handed to your peers or underlings. Your desk keeps moving farther and farther from where the action is.

But some indicators are less obvious, such as subtle shifts in an IT organization's structure that can result in career stagnation. A variety of career experts, headhunters, recruiters, CIOs and IT staffers shared their takes on when it's time to move on... (read more)

God's Smiley Face

8 Tips for Landing a Job in '08

December 24, 2007 (Computerworld) Sure, demand for IT labor in the U.S. is strong in nearly all industries and government sectors. But having a technical certification or work experience won't guarantee an interview, let alone a job offer. Here are some tips from IT labor experts, recruiters, IT executives and IT workers themselves on how to get noticed, nail the interview and wind up in the catbird's seat... (read more)

8 Ways to Boost Your Career in '08

December 21, 2007 (Computerworld) Today's IT professionals are an evolving breed. The job keeps morphing as companies demand not just technical know-how, but more business acumen, analytical skills and industry knowledge as well.

Kudos if you've pulled that all together, but don't rest just yet. The evolution isn't over, as the upcoming year promises more changes. If you want to stay in the driver's seat of your own career, put these items on your to-do list: ... (read more)

Facebook Is So Last Year - Welcome to the Hit Websites of 2008

December 24 2007 - For many in the dotcom world, 2007 was dominated by one story: the rise of Facebook. The success of the social networking service has increased optimism about the internet industry. After all, if Microsoft is prepared to buy a 1.6% share for $240m (£121m), there is evidence that good ideas can be worth a lot of money. It is no surprise then that investors are looking for the next big thing - and these are some of the favourites... (read more)

5 Things You'll Love About Firefox 3

December 27, 2007 (Computerworld) New versions of favorite applications are always a little tricky; you want to keep up with the times without fixing what ain't broke. With that in mind, I took a look at the newly released Firefox 3 Beta 2 to see what we can look forward to when the final version ships in 2008... (read more)

The 8 Hottest Skills for '08

December 31, 2007 (Computerworld) No one is mistaking the current IT jobs market for the one that sizzled during the dot-com days and inflated salaries to astronomical rates. But as the U.S. economy wrestles with a weak housing market and record oil prices, demand for IT workers is on the rise... (read more)

The 25 Most Innovative Products of the Year 2007

Thursday, December 27, 2007 - Make no mistake, the Web is taking over. Applications are moving to browsers en masse, and technology to take Web apps offline promises to smooth the road ahead. And let's not forget breakthrough devices advancing the Web-anywhere world: Apple has redefined the phone, and One Laptop per Child's sub-$200 laptop is delivering Internet-style collaboration to kids in developing nations. But innovation isn't all on the Web; the PC is evolving as well. Apple has reenvisioned backup, HP has created the first useful touch-screen PC, hybrid hard drives boost speed and battery life, and ultraportables have become even more useful. Chosen from the hundreds of products we reviewed in 2007, here are 25 that will change the way you work, communicate, and play this year--and beyond... (read more)

The 15 Best Downloads of the Year 2007

December 26, 2007 - As a frequent downloads reviewer for PC World, I look at lots of downloadable software every year -- more apps than I care to count. As a result, each week, I encounter and test-drive the great, the not-so-great, and the feeble.

Every once in a while, a piece of software so clearly outclasses its peers that it deserves special commendation. For this article, I've assembled my 15 favorite downloads of 2007, selected from a wide range of categories--everything from antivirus and security tools to system tweakers, from media managers to system speedups.

Among them you'll probably find some old favorites, but also plenty of unfamiliar apps that you'll grow to love... (read more)

Take Home More Tech Pay in 2008

January 01, 2008 - Another year of milestones and launches, and what do you have to show for it? A rekindled resolve to make your career in IT more worth your while this year in terms of the pay you take home.

Sure, there have been upticks in pay for IT pros since the downturn, as the 2007 InfoWorld Compensation Survey attests. And yes, projections by analysts such as Robert Half Technology suggest brighter days ahead for some of your tech cohorts. But who is content with playing the law of averages when it comes to compensation? ... (read more)

28 Things Didn't Happen In 2007

Wed, 01/02/2008 - A lot of predictions were made about 2007, just like every other year. Some came true, some didn't. Here's a list of what didn't happen... (read more)

How Tech Will Improve Our Lives in 2008

January 4, 2008 - Technology often seems to improve merely for its own sake. We've all too often witnessed "feature creep" in our favorite programs, services and devices, with new developments not just adding new enhancements, but cost and complexity as well... (read more)

No, The Tech Skills Shortage Doesn't Exist

Jan. 12, 2008 - Employers claim there is a severe shortage of IT workers in the United States. Listen in on any klatch of CIOs, and the conversation inevitably turns to their difficulties finding talent. Microsoft's Bill Gates, Intel's Craig Barrett, and other captains of tech industry argue that the situation has reached crisis proportions... (read more)

How to Get a Pay Rise

January 10, 2008 - Colleagues call you ace, you always look busy and the chief executive knows who you are thanks to some smart moves at the office Christmas party. But have you done enough to earn yourself a raise? Not on that evidence. Here’s what it really takes to make the perfect pitch and boost your pay packet: ... (read more)