Author Archives: Randy Peterman

Write It Like You Want to Experience It

I dabble in the world of philosophy at times and one of the philosophical movements that I don’t participate in, but find interesting is existentialism. Experience is all that there is doesn’t suit me, but in the world of software development experience is all that there is.

  1. Does your software do what it says it can do?
  2. Does your software do that in a way that is simple?
  3. Does your software do it in a visually attractive way?
  4. Does your software do it in a way that is memorable?

For some folks these questions aren’t critical, but they help. I personally love to use certain pieces of software because they deliver on the promised goods, they’re simple, they’re attractive and most of all I remember them when I’m talking with others about software they may want to purchase. It isn’t grassroot software advertising that makes software catch on, its software that is designed well that brings about grassroot advertising.

Thankful Thursday: Having Been a Sunday School Teacher

I’m thankful this week that I was a Sunday School teacher to a high school class for a while in the earlier part of this decade.  This week I’ve had breakfast with students and acquaintances of those students all week long 🙂  Friends of former students who even wanted to get together.  Neat folks, neat to have had some sort of impact.  Neat to have the opportunity to continue to have an impact.  Life is good.

Evie Video

I’m heading out on yet another business trip.  Here’s a video of Evelyn for you to watch and me to watch, too.  Unfortunately the Mac is already packed up so we’re using the web cam on the Windoze machine.  Lower quality, but Evie’s just as cute.

Evie and Daddy

Abby’s Dance Recital

Today is Abby’s dance recital.  She’ll be doing the performance around 2:30 or maybe later, but here’s video from the dress rehearsal.  Unfortunately I’m not allowed to photograph or record in any way the final performance.  Dictatorship being what it is, I wasn’t assigned the duty of video work (and this clip is probably a good enough reason why), and I also was instructed that taking video would lead to my demise as a parent at said recital.

Anyway, here’s the video [requires Quicktime size: 7 MB]:  Abby’s Dance Recital 2007-05-19

Making Sense of the Microsoft Buyout of aQuantive

What makes sense in the aQuantive acquisition? Not much, the long and short of it is that Microsoft just spent a huge amount of money to do some saber rattling. You could probably guess that Microsoft is peeved to be out of the loop in the lucrative online advertising world. You could also probably guess that they’re upset that other deals have fallen through, but what this acquisition does is allow Microsoft to get huge media attention and get free advertising at a six billion dollar cost. Sure, its not free, but it just makes more noise and that’s what they need. Advertising that they’re going to be better or more powerful that Google or Yahoo! is talk only. They can’t drive people to deposit their money there, or to get web sites and bloggers to switch over to their advertising system. This could be six billion dollars down the flusher or it could be the biggest noise maker deal, which is what Microsoft wants.

Microsoft wants every online advertiser in the market to buy into their system, this deal helps draw more attention to it and makes it seem like they’re a better choice. So far I think Google and Yahoo! have it. Microsoft has just invested a huge amount of money for what may help them in 2015. Watch out for 2015, because they may have the lions’ share of the market then 🙂

No Way

Someone taught Evelyn how to say, “No way.”  I don’t know who, but for the record, there Lost-Vivor-like score has been decremented one point.  When Evie doesn’t like something now the no way comes out.  It was cute the first time, strange the second time, irritating the third time, patronizing the fourth, and Beethoven’s fifth [that was a non-sequitur, it wasn’t supposed to make sense just in case you’re Lost].  For example today at lunch Evelyn was told to come give me a snuggle (read:hug) before going to bed.  I picked her up and said, “Give me a snuggle.”

“No way.”

Just re-telling that story has debited the person who taught her that yet another point.

Stuffed Crocs

Abby and Evie joined us in bed this morning for a ‘family snuggle’ time.  Abby jumped off the bed and out of the room to get stuffed animals.  Evie, being the little sister wanted to get her own.  Abby came in with two stuffed critters, a piggy and some other thing I didn’t get to see before Evie came in.

Evie brought a croc.  No, not that kind, think the shoe.

A Pair of Crocs

Thankful Thursday: Being Sick

Today I’m thankful for having parasites (it turns out I have two different parasites going on inside of me, a pair of parasites).  I don’t like the parasites, but its caused me to do some life evaluation.  Firstly its caused me to spend more time thinking about things above & my relationship with Christ.  Secondly its caused me to spend more time with my family.  Thirdly its caused me to start exercising and working out.  I have lost, as of this morning, 8 pounds in the last month.  Some people lose weight from parasites, I’m losing it from being healthier in my diet, healthier by exercising, and healthier by having self-control.

I know its weird to be thankful for a parasite problem, but I guess I’m used to being weird.

Apple Store Experience

I have a business trip on Sunday.  My Apple Mac Book Pro was having the notorious left-fan noise.  And by noise they mean mind-melting whirring and scraping sounds.  I had to take the Apple in to get fixed and I was almost 100% sure that I was going to have to take my trip with a substitute computer.  I signed up for the genius bar (their live tech-support/help center) three days ago and went in last night.

1) They fixed my computer on the spot

2) They did it kindly

3) They suggested I go shopping or walking around the mall if I wanted to and that they’d call my cell phone when it was ready.  I declined

4) They gave me a laptop to play with while I waited so that I could surf the interwebs

5) This was all under warranty and they gladly repaired it for free – saving me $175 U.S. dollars.

Sure, you could get this level of service from… oh, wait, I’ve never had another computer company offer that level of service.  Thanks, Apple!