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🕑Apr 08, 2006 🖋John Locke 💬0

The Personal MBA

This is more business than software. One of the main target audiences for my book is the small IT consultant who wants to help businesses by providing systems to improve the business, instead of just fixing their computers. To be able to do that, you need to understand business.

🕑Mar 28, 2006 🖋John Locke 💬0

Open Source Survey tool

Recently we were looking for a service to conduct a survey. We checked out a bunch of different services, including Survey Monkey, and Zoomerang. Each had limitations: memberships that run into hundreds of dollars per year, free versions with limited number of questions or analysis tools, etc.

🕑Mar 22, 2006 🖋John Locke 💬0

Centenarians, Freedom, and Innovation

Requiem

One hundred years and four days. That's how long a remarkable guy named Norman Vaughn lived, I recently heard on the radio. Norm was an Alaskan adventurer I've met several times. When I first met him, he was in his 80s, taking a sea kayaking navigation class. He was taking up a new sport.

Norm had visited the South Pole with Admiral Byrd, on the first expedition to make it to the pole. Norm had raced in the Iditarod many times, most often winning the Red Lantern award for the last racer to finish each year. Norm was an irrepressible optimist, living his dreams every day, and an inspiration. He died two days before Christmas.

One hundred years ago, there were no computers, no IBM, let alone Microsoft, and certainly no open source software. It would be interesting to compare common attitudes and platitudes from then and now.

🕑Feb 02, 2006 🖋John Locke 💬0

The myths of big business

Two quick stories caught my eye today, both related to pointing out the propaganda being foisted on us by large corporations...

🕑Jan 13, 2006 🖋John Locke 💬0

Why Linux is more secure

Windows flaws keep causing trouble for most Internet users. Earlier this week I was at a meeting of a group of tech professionals in the Seattle area, all of whom work with small businesses.