December 2007 - Posts

Book: The Exceptional Presenter - Timothy Koegel

Published Mon, Dec 31 2007 2:37 | GregLow

When I am travelling, I try to make sure I have enough books with me to read. I estimate how much time I'll have for reading and look at the books in my "to be read" pile. It's always a tradeoff between having enough books and the weight...

Developer Productivity - MIA?

Published Sat, Dec 29 2007 22:02 | GregLow

Darren Neimke has a thoughtful post about a Dot Net Rocks show he recently listened to. He said he gets really annoyed when people start knocking HTML and Javascript. Darren mentions sites like Amazon, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia as examples of what...

Much Ado About Dates

Published Sat, Dec 22 2007 0:47 | GregLow

I just did a short article for the PASS newsletter on SQL Server 2008 and date/time types. I thought I'd copy it here too: SQL Server 2008 introduces a wave of changes in the way we use and process dates and times in SQL Server. Reportedly, having...

PDA Typing

Published Sat, Dec 22 2007 0:40 | GregLow

I had a colleague today who said "sorry about the PDA typing" when sending an email. It made me reflect on the change that PDA devices have had on the email system. I used to think that SMS messages (ie: texts) that the teenagers send to each...

Keynote at PASS summit - Dusseldorf

Published Wed, Dec 19 2007 6:49 | GregLow

On another PASS-related topic, I'm really honoured to have been appointed as the keynote speaker for the PASS summit in Germany in April 2008. Details are at: http://www.european-pass-conference.com/ If any reader is attending, please find me and...

PASS board meeting

Published Wed, Dec 19 2007 6:44 | GregLow

Over the last few weeks, I also attended the board meeting for PASS ( www.sqlpass.org ). I was voted onto the board this year and at the board meeting, it was confirmed that I will now take on the role of Director for Chapters. I'm very excited about...

Need help interviewing technical staff?

Published Wed, Dec 19 2007 6:38 | GregLow

Another piece of noteworthy information is the launch of www.SpecialistInterviews.com . I've seen this grow from a hint of an idea into reality over a fairly short time. The idea is that rather than conducting the technical interviews with new staff...

The only constant is change (Heraclitus)

Published Tue, Dec 18 2007 23:48 | GregLow

Regular readers might notice I've been quieter than normal lately. All sorts of changes have been happening. First, I decided to leave Readify. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time there and think I've definitely managed to leave my mark there. It's...