Wispy Clouds

Didn't know these still existed. #iphonegraphy

Baxter the Lab

Steak n Avocado Salad #iphonegraphy

Donut anyone?

Cold Sun

Friday's Favorite Links for 2/24/2012

Finally some Judges that actually respect the Bill of Rights. Ok Penn & Teller, leave the IV Amendment on your cards! http://t.co/DnyKNNkP

Do We Sacrifice Technology For Patient Care? - http://t.co/tfypAlGP

Technology is Often a Scapegoat that Hides Behavioral Issues  http://t.co/9mvjK7HN

10 Common Mistakes Leaders Make Delivering Feedbackhttp://t.co/DQL8aDpz

Everything Apple's Trying to Kill with OS X Mountain Lion http://t.co/XcNmO1aH

First Survival Bracelet Made

Super Hero Time

Log Cabin

Frozen Sand Shovel

Friday's Favorite Links 2/17/2012

iPads vs. textbooks: Which are more cost effective? http://t.co/mIFw0Z09


World Press Photo winners of 2012 http://t.co/qpnT8D3A


Here Are The 17 Radical Ideas From Google's Top Genius Conference That Could Change The World  http://t.co/JFMhUkad


I Finally Peeled The Rubber Protection Sheath Off My iPhone, And It's Like...Well, You Know by @hblodget http://t.co/yxqOxpMk


NYC high school senior explains why he no longer uses Facebook. A trend? http://t.co/ZkH83eDv
**Note:  definitely a trend as my brother's step daughter and all her friends have moved from Facebook to Twitter


Are you suffering from burnout? It's more than just a saying, and it's killing your productivity http://t.co/E9jErzs4


30 New OS X Mountain Lion Features In 2 Minutes [Video] http://t.co/GP91i2hU


Chris Cornell Pays Tribute to Whitney Houston: http://t.co/PzyzIVKF

30 Days Down a New Professional Road for 2012

Thirty days ago,  I took a new position within my company that moves into a completely operational role. I have been doing strictly project based work during my time here.  Within this new role I am now responsible for the following services:

• System Center Configuration Manager
• System Center Operations Manager
• Windows OS/Image Management
• Microsoft Application Virtualization
• Citrix
• Mobile Device Management (BlackBerry, Android & iOS)
• Mac device management

It's exciting to get back into an operational role after many years of project work but I know it will be challenge considering that I have the following tasks ahead of me over the next several years.

• Implementation of Citrix Virtualized Desktop 12,000 - 15,000 workstations 
• Migration to Windows 7 for 10,000 -12,000 workstations 
• Implementation of a formal support model for Macs
• Continuous review of mobile device solutions

These are some daunting tasks but I am excited for this new challenge and what this new opportunity brings to me professionally.

2 Down 10 to Go, 1/2 Marathons That Is

As part of my 2012 goals to run a 1/2 marathon every month I decided to do a virtual run put on by For the Love of the Kids on Valentines Day.  The reason for the selection of this race was that there no actual hosted races in Indiana and the only one in surrounding states did not work with my family schedule.  

Normally, running a 1/2 marathon on the road would have not been any big deal other than the fact that it decided to snow last night in Indiana.  The roads this morning were snow covered and had minimal plowing done to them when I started.  This made the conditions interesting considering that I was wearing my Virbram Trek Sports for this run.  After settling in to a comfortable pace, my toes and feet got to the point of not really noticing the elements.  

The hardest part of the run was that I decided to run a 1 mile loop through my hometown.  This made the run rather boring and a mental challenge, especially on miles 11-13.  Also, for whatever reasons my calves and feet hurt more during this race then on my last 1/2 marathon 2 weeks ago.  

All in all, I happy with the results of the race since I was able to run a 1:53:24 which is my best time ever for the half marathon distance.  I still have some work to before my next 1/2 at the end of March where I would like to be able to maintain the same pace/splits for the entire race.

Reasons Enterprises May Hate Microsoft As Much As +MG Seigler, @parislemon Hates Android

MG Siegler wrote an exceptional article entitled "Why I Hate Android" in which he lays out some very valid reasons for disliking Google.  In the article, MG indicates that consumers hope now lies in the hands of Apple and Microsoft.  This may be the case for the consumer but not for the enterprise until Microsoft starts delivering on much needed solutions.  Provided below are some reasons that Enterprises may have some hatred towards Microsoft in this era of Consumerization of IT.

Inability to Deliver Consumer Solutions for the Enterprise
Microsoft began talking about the "Consumerization of IT" back in 2010 and to date have not delivered on any enterprise solutions to address this trend in the market.  To prove this point, the items below are examples on this inability to deliver proven solutions.

Windows Phone 7
There have been several publications over the past weeks that have indicated that Windows Phone 7 was  a direct reaction to the iPhone.  This may have been the case but when Microsoft implemented this more than exceptional phone they failed to deliver on features that would make it acceptable in the enterprise.  Specifically, none of the phones that shipped came with enterprise encryption and means to fully manage the device like a BlackBerry.

Cloud Solutions
Microsoft will claim that they can provide complete cloud solutions for companies.  A complete cloud solution in my book is that a company no longer needs to support any on premise infrastructure.  While this may be the case for SMBs, large enterprises will shortly find out that onsite hardware is required.  Also, there can be some heated debates on whether the cloud solutions (specifically Exchange) can save organizations money on operational costs.

Office Automation
There has been much speculation that Microsoft will deliver a version of Office for the iPad and enterprise users continue to wait for this solution.  The question is will be they too late to market with this solution and how many more iPads need to be sold until Microsoft acknowledges that this is a device worth developing software solutions.

Will Microsoft Address these items in 2012
While this may seem like a relatively short and petty list of complaints, it just the tip of the discussion that can occur when it comes to reasons why enterprises can develop hatred towards Microsoft.  I am hoping that Microsoft will change my perception in 2012 as they come out withe new solutions (Windows 8, SCCM 2012, and the rumored Windows Phone 8).

Friday Favorite Links 2/10/2012

Health problems w/ #iPad & other tablet computers http://t.co/qzZokI1K


Survey confirms 4 key IT trends: 1. #cloud 2. #mobile 3. #socialmedia 4. #bigdata pwc.to/DigitalIQ


Halliburton moves away from BlackBerry to iPhone for its employees: http://t.co/nOHS3kps


4 hidden tricks for taking stellar iPhone photos http://t.co/7CO6aPiN


Physicians: iPad Not Ready For Clinical Use http://t.co/pnMYeyiC


Online Presence, Your Calling Card http://bit.ly/A5BUoc

Fun with Birds and Pigs

Friday Favorite Links 2/3/2012

Tech Related Links that are related to my job.
Physicians: iPad Not Ready For Clinical Use http://t.co/pnMYeyiC

Health data breaches up 97 percent in 2011, http://t.co/DOTIa70R

iPad Revolutionizing Children’s Rehabilitation and Therapy http://t.co/I3hREPjn

Docs use iPads, but don't see them as game-changers http://t.co/wFJcMBWq

Balancing The Six S’s In Consumerization Of IT http://t.co/ew2f42h8

Funny Link - Had
Sh*t Barefoot Runners Say http://t.co/HBqfam62

Indy Skyline Sunrise