Boring's World

Defining Success

Dave Boring December 6, 2013 1 Comment

Success is one of those words that can be defined in many different ways. I am often asked when starting a project, “How will you measure success for this project?” The person asking the question is usually looking for some sort of quantifiable number to measure against.

Americans tend to think of success as a measure of wealth and possessions. Don’t get me wrong, money and things are nice and I enjoy them. But “He who dies with the most toys, wins!” is a motto I can’t fully support.

Then there is the measure of influence and power that can be used. If you can command people to do something, or you can persuade people to vote for you, or you can win them over, you might be considered successful.

These measurements are all good ways to judge certain things. But I think they miss the mark of true success. It is often much more subtle and much more difficult to quantify. Continue reading →

Be Aspirin, Not a Vitamin

Dave Boring October 28, 2013 No Comments

The other morning was a typically busy Saturday morning in my house. We were all scrambling to get out the door to get the kids to soccer, and I grabbed something quick from the pantry to eat on the way.

Throughout the hectic morning, I forgot to take my multivitamin. I usually take it every morning. We’re sold on the benefits of taking vitamins: that they help us live healthier lives, they contain antioxidants that fight off diseases, and they help strengthen our immune system to keep us from getting sick. Some of the vitamins and minerals in a multivitamin tablet are essential to life itself.

But I survived the day and didn’t notice any difference from any other day when I took my vitamin. Is this because I had built up a reserve of vitamins and minerals in my body from taking it every day? Is it because I am already getting enough vitamins and minerals through foods in my diet? Maybe. Continue reading →

Converting Books-On-CD to a Single MP3

Dave Boring October 15, 2013 6 Comments

I have a long commute and I used to listen to the radio while driving. After an hour of the same jabbering on the talk radio station, or the same morning zoo DJ on the music station, along with the same commercials playing every 5 minutes, I was frazzled. I got to work frustrated, and in the evening I got home frustrated. It got so bad that nobody wanted to talk to me for an hour or so after I got to work or got home.

So I started listening to audiobooks as a way to pass the time, with the added benefit of “reading” books that I would have never had the time for otherwise. I have listened to business books, the latest best sellers, nonfiction books, and the classics. Quite a bit is available from Arthur C. Clark to Zig Ziglar.

Many public libraries have audiobooks available for download, but most will have books-on-CD available for checkout. Many people like to listen to audiobooks while driving or working out, but a CD player is no longer the most convenient way to listen to an audiobook. More and more, your iPod or smartphone is the way you want to listen. Continue reading →

Who Are You?

Dave Boring September 30, 2013 No Comments

I’m getting started on an e-commerce project at work that should help increase the company’s ability to do business. When thinking about e-commerce we often think of a B2C (business to consumer) site, and not a whole lot more. But when it comes to a B2B (business to business) site, you quickly learn that there is a whole new dynamic involved in the development of the site. Part of that new dynamic involves working with people that may have never considered e-commerce in the past.

As this project begins, we chose the backend system that best satisfies our business requirements. The vendor is beginning to build our business rules into their system, making it unique for us. Now it is up to us to build the design of the site, the “lipstick and mascara”, to make it our site with a unique look and feel.

As part of the design process, I was talking with a coworker about working with the designer for the site. The designer sent us a list of questions that they would like answered so he can get a feel for our company, our brand, and our brand story. For example: Continue reading →

Career Advice from Mike Rowe

Dave Boring July 29, 2013 No Comments

Mike Rowe is best known as the host of the TV show Dirty Jobs. What many people do not know is that Mike Rowe is also an Eagle Scout. He has addressed Boy Scouts on several occassions, sharing his insights to life and how scouting has influenced his life.

One of those occasions was at the recently concluded 2013 Boy Scout National Jamboree. While this speech is geared toward the Scouts in attendance, it is equally applicable to everybody searching for their next career move. Rowe shares why the dumbest advice he ever received was from his high school guidance counselor who told him to “Work Smart NOT Hard.” Continue reading →

Millennials in the Workplace

Dave Boring June 10, 2013 No Comments

Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials.

In the workplace, there are challenges that come from multiple generations working together. The different generations don’t understand each other and this often leads to problems. Chances are, you work with someone from a different generation and you may have experienced some challenges from not fully understanding the other person’s world view.

Thankfully, this funny training video helps Baby Boomers and Gen X better understand Millennials. Continue reading →

1% Inspiration

Dave Boring May 30, 2013 No Comments

Once in a while, we need someone else’s vision in order to understand what we see directly in front of us. There are times that I have felt stuck and didn’t know which way to move, then someone provided a small bit of advice or word of wisdom, and it exposes the chink in the armor of what was keeping me stuck; it’s the 1% inspiration that makes the 99% perspiration possible.

I recently came across a couple small books of inspirational quotes in my collection. These are the quotes that I like best from the books; my 1%. Continue reading →

Your Job Is Changing

Dave Boring May 2, 2013 No Comments

I have had some recent conversations with people regarding changes in how employees should work. Some people advocate for sticking to the traditional 40-hour work week; you show up, do your work, go home, and get paid for your time. Others advocate for a results-only work environment, or ROWE. In ROWE you are tasked with getting a job done and you know what you will be paid to do the job, regardless of how long it takes. If you can get a week’s worth of work done in two days, you get an extra three days off; if it takes 7 days to complete the work, it’s still your responsibility to complete the work and provide the results.

Clearly, the work world is in transition. The Industrial Age introduced the 40-hour work week and we are now accustomed to it. Arguably, many jobs today still operate in this Industrial Age philosophy. However, we are seeing the change toward project-based jobs; more people are working as consultants today than ever before.

There is natural resistance to change; this is a normal human reaction. We tell ourselves, “I’m quite comfortable where I am. Don’t make me move somewhere else that might not be as comfortable.” So we keep our old, broken-down recliner because it is perfectly molded to our butt, not someone else’s. We treasure that old pair of well-worn jeans because they fit “just right.” And we continue to maintain that the 40-hour, M-F, 8-5 work week is the right way to earn an income. Continue reading →

Verizon 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report

Dave Boring April 24, 2013 No Comments

Verizon released the 2013 Data Breach Investigations Report yesterday. The contributing agencies have grown to 19, compared to 4 in the 2012 report. There is a lot of good information about network security breaches in this report for everybody. From the intro:

And from pubs to public agencies, mom-and-pops to multi-nationals, nobody was immune. As a result—perhaps agitated by ancient Mayan doomsday predictions—a growing segment of the security community adopted an “assume you’re breached” mentality. Continue reading →