New website launched

I'm excited to announce the launch of my new website at:

http://www.stuartbale.com/

This is the beginning of a new venture for me, a service with a difference, providing high level successful software strategies.

There's lots more work to do, but I'm up for the challenge.

So take a look at my site, and if you have a blog or your own site, please link through to help my rankings ;-).

Until next time,

Stuart

Ideas are like pens

I have a personal belief that if a pen doesn't have your name on it, then it is available for anyone's use. These 'free pens' have an exciting travel life, moving from one owner to another, visiting countless locations, from coat pockets to handbags to shop counters to glove boxes.

Pens come in all different shapes, colours, weights, lengths for a variety of different purposes. Every person has their favourite. I like blue or black ballpoint pens, of a reasonable weight (preferably made from metal) and a nice grip. Being retractable has its advantages too, but not where the retracting device is easily triggered just by general use. A clip to attach the pen to a shirt pocket or folder is useful, although too often these are bent or broken off.

Anyway, back to the purpose of this blog - "Ideas are like pens" - I was thinking last night how true this simile is. I come to this conclusion on the following basis:

• There are lots and lots and lots of them;
• They come in different shapes and sizes;
• Some are better than others;
• There is little point having one if you don't use it;
• Each new one is really just an old one with some fancy stuff added;
• Often, the simpler, the better;
  
• Eventually, most of them are thrown away, or lost;
• Finding someone else in possession of yours can make you angry, although sometimes it really is theirs even though it looks like yours;
• They are really hard to find when you desperately need one; and
  
• You can find them in strange places, such as in the bathroom, on the beach, in the car, and under the bed.

Stuart

Changes ...

Well, on Monday 7th September I became unemployed, for the first time in 15 1/2 years. As you might expect, it's likely to take a little while to get used to it.

For those that know of this change, and have cared enough to ask me "what next?", I've replied "I'm simply not sure yet!".

I'm certain there are many opportunities out there just waiting to be found - and maybe as my wider network of friends and ex-colleagues become aware of this change, then even more will present themselves.

For the moment though, I'm happy to take some time out with my family, catch my breath, and maybe do a little more blogging :-).

Until next time,

Stuart

Tim Shadbolt - an opportunity

To: Tim Shadbolt

Dear Tim,

It appears to me that in these difficult times of economic uncertainty, there is a pressing need for a Hero of the People, to lead a cause that gives the hope of future prosperity to ones followers. Someone with charisma, connections and capability - and I believe that Hero is you.

And why is it you more than anyone else? Primarily because of your current prominent position in the region with the greatest opportunity - Southland. Now some from further North may ignorantly scoff at this statement, but once they see the extent of the opportunity, they'll come to the same conclusion as I did, that Southland contains all that is needed for the biggest technological system in the world. In fact, this very system would be gratefully and readily used by the world, for the very fact that Southland is where it is.

So, maybe by now you are curious to know more? (Or perhaps just flummoxed as to where this is leading.) Please indulge me a little, and let me elaborate on this grand plan. In short, Southland has four key assets that no other region in the world can offer, being distance, power, climate and water.
Distance
Southland is geographically the furthest habitable distance from Europe and America.
Power
With huge natural reserves of hydro electric power, and the capacity to continue to develop wind generated power, Southland has a ready supply of environmentally friendly, totally renewable and sustainable power.
Climate
Southlands climate is never hot, a good thing for what I propose.
Water
Southland has an abundant supply of clean, free flowing water.

These four factors are significant for this major project, which at its heart aims to provide to the rest of the world a secure and reliable second level backup and archive service. Hardly exciting, until you understand the extent of the need. Conceptually, the world is concerned about their data, and invests trillions of dollars each year in securing it on tape and disks and everywhere else.

Imagine if we could just pick up a fraction of this within New Zealand - that is the opportunity looming for Southland.

So Tim, give me a call sometime, and we'll chat.

Stuart

Hi Linda Lucas ...

My dear friend,   

I am Linda , the only child and daughter of Late Chief. and Mrs.Allen Lucas from Serrie Leone in West Africa. I want to use this media to ask for your help in transferring my inheritance into your country. I will be so glad if you can allow and lead me to the right channel towards your assistance to my present situation now. 

I'm aware that this might sound strange to you but please I beg you to handle this matter with the most urgency.   It is my desire to contact you based on honesty and sincerity to assist me in transferring $8,000,000(Eight million United States Dollars) which I inherited from my late father Chief Allen Lucas who was a Gold and Cocoa merchant based in Accra and Abidjan to your country for investment.   

My late father Chief Allen Lucas died during last year's rebels attack for the presidential election in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He was attacked alongside my mother on their way back home from my father's office. Before his death,he told me that he deposited this money in a bank in abidjan with an agreement that nobody can withdraw from it until it is being transferred into a foreign partner's bank account which I shall nominate as his next of kin.   

I am motivated in contacting you and hope to gradually build trust, relationship and confidence in you as i get to know you better. You will have to assist me in coming over to your country as soon as the transfer is completed for me to continue with my education while the money will be invested in a lucrative business in your country. Meanwhile you will be the guidiance of the investment while i will continue with my studies.   

I am willing to offer you 20% of the total money for your effort input after the successful transfer of this money and investment. Indicate your interest towards assisting me by replying to my mail as soon as possible.   

I will also appreciate it if you can send across to me your photo for a better recognition. I will be waiting to hear from you soon.   

God Bless you.   

Thanks, 

Linda Lucas

    

Hi Linda,

Sorry to hear about your folks.

Here's a link to my picture.

Good luck,

Stuart

P.S.  Can you send me your bank account details and your drivers licence and your contact details, so I can deposit some money in your account, to help build our trust.

OSsils - What Software Archeologists of the 22nd Century will discover

My good friend Daniel and I were watching a show on Discovery last night about fossils, and it prompted a discussion on what new discoveries archeologists might make in the future.

In particular, we started to think about a new profession, Software Archeologists, and how in a hundred years time they'll scour the Internet (or whatever it is by that time), and come across the remains of DOS, BeOS, OS2, Windows, Mac, Ubuntu, Red Hat, Solaris and the like.

Perhaps they'll be named OSsils?

There may be specialist Software Archeologists that dive deeper into the origins of a particular OSsil, thriving on the intricate differences between major & minor versions, and the specifics of build numbers. The arguments at OSsil conferences will begin, where questions like "Did DOS 2.0 really have support for subdirectories?" and "Whatever happened to DELTREE?" will rage.

At universities around the world, wild eyed professors teach spotty faced students the Theory of OS, while religious zealots from the Church of Gates preach how Windows was created in just six days, until it sinned and spawned the vile offspring - aka Vista.

It does lead me to wonder if there will be any OS survivors in 2109?

Stuart

VirtualBox

I've recently started using Sun's VirtualBox, the only professional-quality virtualization solution that is also Open Source Software. I've previously used VMWare Fusion (on Mac), VMWare Workstation (on Windows) & Microsoft VirtualPC (on Windows).

So my opinion on VirtualBox is that it is certainly worth taking a look at, particularly with the support of VMDK (VMWare) hard disks in the most recent 2.1 release. This has allowed me to take all my old VMWare images and access them using VirtualBox.

Performance appears to be much the same as VMWare, and the types of features I typically need are all included in VirtualBox.

So if you are looking for a simple to use, quick to setup, personal virtualization environment, I'd recommend you start with VirtualBox.

Stuart