tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51320484129062957172011-12-15T12:22:55.330+13:00Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-89134627965537301662009-12-08T17:31:00.002+13:002009-12-08T17:47:51.078+13:00

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 Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-60928442392310778632009-10-08T15:36:00.003+13:002009-10-08T16:27:23.775+13:00

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

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-47229745276698617122009-09-12T11:58:00.004+12:002009-09-12T12:10:49.986+12:00

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

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-15724201356915483992009-06-16T14:53:00.000+12:002009-06-16T15:18:48.166+12:00

To: Tim ShadboltDear 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

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-82872070921595420582009-05-14T08:59:00.002+12:002009-05-14T09:21:25.973+12:00

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

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-69754696964566049902009-04-30T08:10:00.003+12:002009-04-30T08:41:46.741+12:00

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,

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-61139051861412888122009-01-12T11:26:00.003+13:002009-01-12T11:42:26.844+13:00

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

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-83219899562496259812008-10-29T08:03:00.003+13:002008-12-09T17:29:31.779+13:00

About two months ago I bought myself an iPhone. I needed one for work, and it seemed like a good idea (albeit an expensive one). Being something of a technogeek, and recently having changed to a MacBook, I was keen to discover for myself what all the hype was about.So what I like about the iPhone is the size of the screen and navigation. The keyboard is a little tricky to get used to, but does

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-28423156697870230472008-09-29T22:33:00.001+13:002008-12-09T17:29:31.815+13:00

The other day my wife and I went to see Che Fu perform with the Wellington Symphony Orchestra. It was an exciting combination of funk, hip hop and classic, with violins, trombones, cymbals, electric guitar, and scratchy rapping records. My all time favourite Che Fu song is Fade Away, and I got goose bumps listening to it. What a great night.Over the days that followed, I started to think of

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-70746988550628328012008-09-03T12:58:00.004+12:002008-12-09T17:29:31.821+13:00

This morning I presented at Microsoft Tech·Ed on the topic of S+S. The session went well, with some good audience interaction, and I think there were a number of people that hadn't understood the significance of S+S, until seeing it in action in the Xero world.S+S presents some challenges for traditional developers and IT/Systems people, because it involves taking what is already familiar (being

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-74467099832751802352008-09-01T22:33:00.008+12:002008-12-09T17:29:31.829+13:00

Here I am (again) at Microsoft Tech·Ed 2008. This is the sixth Tech·Ed for me, and the first as a Xero employee, the previous five while I was with MYOB. It is also the first for me to appear as a speaker, which is quite exciting, and a wonderful opportunity. My session is on the topic of S+S which, contrary to popular belief, is not about Scones + Strawberry jam, but actually Software +

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-36321793576278694352008-08-11T11:30:00.000+12:002008-08-11T11:28:45.923+12:00

Populacy is an old word, with a new meaning.Populacy is an opportunity for all people to have their say.Populacy extends democracy to every issue.Populacy recognises the importance of individuals.Populacy is personal choice.Populacy is possible now.

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-27914162327975307942008-07-07T21:39:00.001+12:002008-12-09T17:29:31.917+13:00

Back in January I wrote about the Corporate Intellect Plateau Effect (CIPE). I always thought I would come back to the topic, and it was just the other day when watching a news report about the Clown Fish that my neurons connected. Here's my thoughts:The clown fish has a symbiotic relationship with a particular type of sea anemone which protects it from predators. In turn, the clown fish

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-41549117100823264142008-06-19T16:02:00.004+12:002008-12-09T17:29:31.927+13:00

I was surprised to see a special mention on me in a post on Diversity yesterday, and then again today. (see here and here.)Not that I know Ben, or he knows me, but today he said: "... As mentioned the other day, there have been a few rumblings from MYOB about SaaS - these have been hampered by the defection of their On-demand head to Xero ..."Now another person might be offended by being labelled

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-40364743728176570822008-05-22T19:58:00.005+12:002008-12-09T17:29:31.936+13:00

So, here I am in Wellington, now working at Xero. Tomorrow will be three weeks from my last day at MYOB, and I already feel that I am part of a totally different world.I have plenty of fond memories of my time at MYOB. I can see that Xero will give me plenty too.Working with a team of online specialists is fantastic, and the focus and passion the team have makes every day exciting. And it shows

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-22354276162938100042008-04-17T11:01:00.004+12:002008-12-09T17:29:31.953+13:00

I know there are a few of my old MYOB colleagues that visit my site now and again, so while I was cleaning up my desk, I came across this movie I made for a competition I ran back in 2004 called Pooh Survivor. Take a look at it here on YouTube.Stuart

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-17254343326870708852008-04-07T09:17:00.009+12:002008-12-09T17:29:31.968+13:00

The announcement by Google to support offline use of Google Docs (and other Google Apps in the future) will supposedly introduce some exciting possibilities.From my viewoint, for all the reasons that I want to use Google Docs, offline access is not top of my list. In fact, I don't even think it is on my list.I primarily use Google Docs for collaboration, centralised storage and for access from

Stuart Balehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06173145613787667235noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-70606605703266547042008-03-13T15:21:00.002+13:002008-12-09T17:29:31.979+13:00

While travelling this week, I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderful chap in Hamilton. Some will believe this to be an oxymoron, but he was an interesting accountant. He is heading off to Italy to see his daughter, who is due very soon with the first grandchild in the family, and we talked about what it is like being Dad.Most of my friends are Dads, and I believe there is something that

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-62221339999080244002008-03-06T10:06:00.006+13:002008-12-09T17:29:31.988+13:00

On Monday I launched what I believe is the first blog for MYOB, for a product we are releasing in New Zealand in 2008 called MYOB BusinessBasics Online.Here's a link to get you there.If you've got any comments about this, feel free to post here, or to email me directly at stuart.bale@myob.com.

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-79617749635103153462008-02-29T13:48:00.004+13:002008-12-09T17:29:31.996+13:00

I Love February. It is like Pluto (the ex-planet, not the cartoon dog), in that it is totally out of character with it's peers. How come February only got 28 days when they were days were being allocated?I can just imagine the months all lined up for their allotment of the standard 365 days in a year. There was January, March, May, July, August, October, December, April, June, September, November

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-82480104112919167662008-02-28T09:17:00.006+13:002008-02-28T10:06:21.738+13:00

It's been a couple of weeks since my last poston this blog, mostly because it has got so busy at MYOB, which is common for this time of year. But a conversation over lunch with a good friend got me thinking of the difference between 'Technology Tsunamis', and 'Technology Rising Tides'.Firstly, what's the difference between the two.Well, a Technology Rising Tide is where there is a gradual change

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-29183098403171280162008-02-11T09:24:00.000+13:002008-12-09T17:29:32.300+13:00

I've recently had to move my desk at MYOB. After all this time of being 'confined' in my own office, I've now been let loose into the greater MYOB ecosphere. Somewhat in anticipation of the impending outcome, a few weeks ago I started to tidy up my stuff, and came across an original CA-Systems Accountants Office 98 release CD.So I created a VMWare image, installed Windows 95, installed

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-34114848091083892122008-02-01T12:15:00.000+13:002008-12-09T17:29:32.551+13:00

So my good mate Trev has provided a background image for me on my blog. As you can see, he is exceptionally talented, and I'm sure he'd love to hear from you if you are looking for any graphical work. You can check out his site here:http://www.drawing.co.nz/Now I just have to figure out how to actually put this on my site!

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-68710954598983668572008-01-31T09:50:00.000+13:002008-12-09T17:29:32.718+13:00

Having been involved in software development for the last 13 years, and spending a fair chunk of that developing for the online world, I am now (somewhat regretably) rarely impressed by the technology that crosses my desk. I often get the feeling I have seen it before, used it before, been there before. So having set up Google Analytics on this blog on 21st January, I wondered what it would

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-69796786505322261982008-01-22T15:26:00.000+13:002008-12-09T17:29:32.756+13:00

Over the last six months, I've discussed with a number of my friends the concept that I call "The Corporate Intellect Plateau Effect". This is the first part of a series I'll write on this topic.Whenever I talk to business owners, they often say that the number one asset of their business is their employees. This is mostly because the way the business operates is locked up in the heads of the

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-17918940499112728522008-01-18T10:10:00.000+13:002008-12-09T17:29:32.765+13:00

It wasn't my intent to discuss this topic today, but having read this news about the Payroll module in Microsoft Office Accounting for the UK, it got me wondering about where to next for Microsoft. Microsoft has now released Microsoft Office Accounting in the US and the UK, so I suspect the established leaders, being Sage (UK) and Intuit (US), will be working on how to fend off the M$

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-3510951810999347172008-01-11T12:06:00.000+13:002008-12-09T17:29:32.773+13:00

Since my previous post on Does Open Source Have Commercial Viability, I've learnt that owning a blog is a lot of fun. It was great to hear all the feedback, much of which I disagree with. Perhaps it was my fault for not setting the context of my post correctly, or I not arguing my point strongly, or (some might say) I'm just ignorant. Nevertheless, that's the luxury I have of owning this blog -

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-10180461816720712462008-01-07T11:55:00.000+13:002008-12-09T17:29:32.782+13:00

On my usual search for opinion on Online Accounting, I came across this local post by Bevan (here). He is impressed with Xero, however he is critical with their use of Microsoft .Net. He believes (perhaps somewhat biasedly) that it would have been easier to build using the open source tool "Drupal". This got me thinking: "Does Open Source Have Commercial Viability?"I think not.Here's why:A

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-78745974829882640422007-12-21T09:26:00.000+13:002007-12-21T12:57:13.815+13:00

I have spoken with hundreds of software developers. And everytime the question is raised: "Why doesn't anyone want my software?" And most of the time, the answer is quite straightforward: "Because it doesn't do what they want."Somehow software developers become disconnected from reality. Perhaps it is from all the hours they spend trying to perfect their encryption algorithm, or data

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132048412906295717.post-47070639082382654712007-12-14T12:23:00.000+13:002008-12-09T17:29:32.929+13:00

Having watched the growth of blogs over the last few years, and being a voyeur to many that interest me, I thought it was time to start my own, to justify adding my comments to others. Recently I have changed roles at MYOB, a company I have worked at for over five years, in an industry I have specialised in since 1994, so today when I came across this, I couldn't go past the opportunity to add my

Stuart Balenoreply@blogger.com2