Checkpoints? They’re so 90′s
July 20th, 2009
No comments
Let me say this so everyone can understand:
Relying on checkpoints as a SOA governance strategy is stupid.
Categories: Technology
Archive
Archive for July, 2009
You Decide What This Means
July 15th, 2009
3 comments
I have a fascinating observation to report.
I was at the airport a couple of weeks ago, and the typical “airport stress” was in the air. It seemed that everyone was grumpy, and as I’m sure you all know the feeling… it’s so hard not to get sucked into that energy.
So, I’m sitting at the gate, waiting for my delayed flight with CNN playing on the overhead TV. Typical stuff. War, crap economy, and I think we even had a child kidnapping that day. All of this was pounding in, when it happened.
CNN closed with a piece about cute things falling asleep, a web site dedicated to adorable videos about things falling asleep. Instantly, the mood in the waiting area changed. It was lighter, people were laughing. This was to be expected.
What I didn’t expect, but still gives me chills to imagine, was that as the mood in the room lightened from the positive (and adorable) news story, people started to connect and talk to each other.
Do you have stories like this? How about a comment sharing them?
Categories: WYH?
What Can Enterprise Software Vendors Learn from Zune and Pre’s Failures?
July 13th, 2009
1 comment
We’re a bunch of gadget geeks here on the Actional team. We’ve been through so many phones, it’d make for a good photo shoot. Mostly the trend was Windows Mobile to Blackberry, though I made a stop along the way at Symbian (the Nokia E61 was a fine phone when it came out!).
I remember when Microsoft’s Zune came out, Dan Foody thought it was a really nice device. I vaguely recall him saying something along the lines of it being much “better” than the iPod. “Better” meaning more cool technology stuffed inside. Of course, the Zune hasn’t really made a dent in the market.
Palm’s Pre is similar. Probably a really sweet phone. Certainly addresses the physical keyboard I know I missed when I briefly used an iPhone. It runs a lot of apps at once, and on it’s first release supports cut-and-paste. I’m willing to bet it too will fail to make an impact on the market.
It’s obvious to me why both these products have failed (yes, I’m calling the Pre a failure already).
Categories: Enterprise Software Sales, Technology
What Do Airlines and Health Insurance Have In Common?
July 7th, 2009
2 comments
I don’t know, but here’s something they don’t have in common that’s interesting.
With airlines, corporations tend to pay more to fly. I’ve always suspected that these higher airfares paid by corporations are what enable airlines to charge “so little” to fly as an individual. Essentially, I’ve felt that corporations subsidize personal airline travel.
With medical insurance, it seems to be the opposite. Corporations negotiate with medical insurance companies who end up paying just a fraction of a medical procedure’s cost. In doing so doctors and hospitals raise their prices to offset the tiny percentage insurance companies pay. In doing so, they totally price individuals without insurance out of the market.
Just some food for thought. Even while I was writing this, there were a bunch of things that came to mind, giving me more insight into my own business and that of my customers.
I don’t know, but here’s something they don’t have in common that I find interesting.
Categories: Technology
