Month: August 2011

From Uber-Geek to…Corporate Wonk?

Lorin Olsen

It is always good to see when talent is rewarded. So many of us began our careers very humbly. I started my career by building my own PC. [When I started, you were forced to solder them yourself. And most folks were using CP/M (from Digital Research).] Still others gained their notoriety by being public hackers (some more ethical than others).
Recently, the term “hacker” has been blurred with the term “geek” (not to be confused with the term “nerd”). There have been some fabulous hackers who are very dedicated to the platforms that they “expanded” (through their often unauthorized projects). I still remember many of the Windows Mobile geeks based upon their work on various “kitchens” (i.e., the collection of tools they used to “cook” their products). While I don’t remember any of their real names, their pseudonyms are still memorable.
Many of the early mobile hackers moved on to work for carriers or for handset vendors. They moved from their hacker lifestyle into their corporate lifestyle as effortlessly as changing a suit of clothing. Basically, they morphed from pop stars (in small circles) to anonymous contributors in a much larger lake.
But it is far harder to make those kinds of transitions into anonymity these days. First, the exceptional hackers are elevated to an elite (and very public) status. Today, the application of cred points is done by a community in a social media setting (e.g., Twitter, Google+, etc). And it is also far more difficult to fade away from your past. Today, every word you speak is recorded, parsed, analyzed and used in your next job interview.
Nevertheless, it is still possible to make the jump into mainstream.
A few weeks ago, Samsung hired Steve Kondik (aka, cyanogen).  Now, Apple has hired Nicholas Allegra (aka, comex). While I am glad that big companies are looking beyond their own short-sighted misgivings to recognize real talent, I am even happier that exceptional talent will be put to exceptional use in the industry. Let’s welcome Steve and Nicholas to the next phase of their careers/lives.
-Roo

Me and My Tablet

Lorin Olsen

It’s been twenty-one days since I bought my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 device. And in that time, the tab and I have been through a lot. We’ve had to replace the Zagg screen protector twice. We’ve shared a firmware upgrade (courtesy of the talented Samsung support team). We’ve even solved a DHCP problem with a Belkin router at my office. Throughout that time, we’ve shared many apps (free and paid). All in all, we are becoming quite a couple.
After suffering a lot of anxiety about how we would relate to each other should we take “the ultimate step” in our relationship, we finally set aside any emotional baggage and cemented our relationship. Last night, I rooted my best tablet. By taking this ultimate step in commitment, we are reluctantly saying “goodbye” to direct support from Samsung. But I have high hopes that Steve Kondik (CyanogenMod creator who just joined Samsung) may help to create a new relationship between Samsung, its products and its customers.
-Roo

Bouncing Between Various Quanta of Activity

Lorin Olsen


It has been an amazingly hectic week.  And today has epitomized the chaos that I’ve felt.  This week has seen a lot:

  • We got back from vacation (which was really just a long weekend).  But we have been struggling to re-integrate into our normal routines.
  • The man who enticed me to leave my previous job has left our company.  I am quite disappointed.  But God has already quieted my heart.  And He is teaching me how I can transform a disappointment into a blessing – and a ministry.
  • I’ve decided to step back into the management pool.  So I’ve submitted my name for consideration by the company’s leadership team.  I have been heart warmed to learn that my application was not summarily dismissed!  😉
  • Our dishwasher decided to develop a weak bladder: when we turned it on, it leaked everywhere.  At eight years, it was time to buy a new unit.  So we went and bought an updated dishwasher (Bosch) with a stainless steel finish.  Our black appliances are starting to look a little dated.
  • After getting a new dishwasher, we also realized that it was time to update the refrigerator.  While we liked the looks of a matching Bosch unit, we decided upon a Samsung stainless steel unit because it had better reviews on Consumer Reports.  It also had some features that my wife really wanted.  So Samsung got the nod.
  • We cleaned out the garage to get things ready for appliance delivery.  Actually, we’ve re-arranged some stuff while sorting some other stuff into the trash.  We now have room for the old refrigerator in the garage.  I am voting for a beer and wine fridge; Cindy is considering my suggestion!

With these things as a back drop, today has been chaotic and wonderful.

  • We’ve worked to get the old fridge ready for replacement.  We still have to move the final stuff into coolers.  But we will be ready for the arrival of the new refrigerator.
  • I’ve updated my resume so that I can get it submitted to the leadership team.  I’m really hoping that they have the same opinion of my capabilities that I have.
  • We’ve gotten all the dishes done.  Normally, this is simple.  But it’s been years since I washed a lot of dishes by hand.  We did mostof them earlier in the week.  But we now have to keep up with them throughout the day.
  • My son left a boatload of laundry for us to do for him.  Apparently, he’s been stacking the clothes in his room waiting for someone to do them.  Gosh, are all nineteen-year old men this naive?  And are all middle-aged parents this accommodating?
  • After many hours of sorting and shuffling leftover laundry, we’ve finally gotten around to doing the week’s laundry.  Phew.  I never thought I’d make it to this point today!

With a lot of tasks finally moving through the pipeline, I’ve finally gotten a chance to address a couple of tech challenges.

  • I’ve copied all of the photos from Meredith’s wedding onto our media server.
  • I’ve updated Cindy’s phone so that she can access the media server from where she travels.  The latest firmware build for the storage server is quite good.  Western Digital provides a redirect service so that I can get to my photos (and music and movies) from the public Internet.  This is very cool.  But it reminds me that security is an everyday consideration these days.
  • I’ve updated my router firmware to enable uPNP sharing.  This will certainly help our mobile experience.  But I am a little leery about this change.  I’ll have to research a little more to see if I’ve opened myself up to exploitation.
  • I’ve flashed my phone with the latest CyanogenMod firmware.

I think I’m finally able to breathe a little sigh of relief – but not for long.  Once the refrigerator is delivered, Cindy and I will have a lot of work to do.  But now that most of the prep work is done, this part should be fun.  But I do think that pizza will be in order!

-Roo

I’ve Upped the Ante – My Increasing Android Investment

Lorin Olsen

image

Android has been my smartphone OS for almost a year.  And it has served me quite well.  But it has its limitations on a smartphone.  The limitations are many.  And some of them are even noteworthy.  But my biggest challenge with my smartphone is that it is a wholly inadequate platform for writing notes and blogging. 

Why is that?  That’s easy.  Since voice recognition and voice transcription are still in their infancy, it is very hard to work with text documentation.  First, the soft keyboard is difficult – especially for someone with big hands.  And even with my Droid 2, the keyboard is just not suited for touch typing.  So while I can surf the web and I can take photos, I can’t use a smartphone to really spend any time blogging and/or recording my thoughts.  But that is not a fault with Android.  It is just an example of needing the right tool for the job.  Yes, I stumbled my way through some updates.  But it was always cumbersome.

But that changed this afternoon.  As a part of my fiftieth birthday celebration, I am now the proud owner of an Android tablet.  My wife and I picked up a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 today.  And I really love the device – and the Honeycomb platform.  The list of my likes is rather large.  And even though I am tremendously happy thus far, there are a few things that are quite annoying about the platform. 

Nevertheless, I think I may wait on posting a full review of the platform.  After all, an entirely new computing domain should warrant a few days use before I pontificate on the subject.  For now, I’ll settle for an overview.  One sentence summary: the Android tablet environment fills a needed gap in my computing spectrum.  

Where is that gap?  It’s the space where I need media and mobility. It’s where I still need some real computing – but I can’t carry a big laptop.  It is a place where I can stuff tablet and keyboard into a back pack or a bike pannier – and still be confident that I can do a complete job.  Bottom line: This is my new mobility space. 

And I want that space to be open – not constrained.  I want to connect to wireless networks with ease.  And I want to use the device to access my other devices while I am away from them.  And I want to install the things that I want to install – not just what someone else thinks that I need.  I don’t want someone else’s handcuffs.  And if I am handcuffed, I’ll pick the lock to free my hands.

Innovation is about taking existing pieces and building a whole new thing.  So my new tablet is the melding of technologies that I have used before into a package that is compelling.  At the same time, I want to have access to the computer.  Think of it this way.  I want a car.  But I hate the fact that some dealer has me over a barrel because he has the only computer that can read the sensors and program the electronics.  Some folks may be satisfied with that situation.  I am not.  Consequently, I have an Android tablet. 

-Roo

I've Upped the Ante – My Increasing Android Investment

Lorin Olsen

image

Android has been my smartphone OS for almost a year.  And it has served me quite well.  But it has its limitations on a smartphone.  The limitations are many.  And some of them are even noteworthy.  But my biggest challenge with my smartphone is that it is a wholly inadequate platform for writing notes and blogging. 

Why is that?  That’s easy.  Since voice recognition and voice transcription are still in their infancy, it is very hard to work with text documentation.  First, the soft keyboard is difficult – especially for someone with big hands.  And even with my Droid 2, the keyboard is just not suited for touch typing.  So while I can surf the web and I can take photos, I can’t use a smartphone to really spend any time blogging and/or recording my thoughts.  But that is not a fault with Android.  It is just an example of needing the right tool for the job.  Yes, I stumbled my way through some updates.  But it was always cumbersome.

But that changed this afternoon.  As a part of my fiftieth birthday celebration, I am now the proud owner of an Android tablet.  My wife and I picked up a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 today.  And I really love the device – and the Honeycomb platform.  The list of my likes is rather large.  And even though I am tremendously happy thus far, there are a few things that are quite annoying about the platform. 

Nevertheless, I think I may wait on posting a full review of the platform.  After all, an entirely new computing domain should warrant a few days use before I pontificate on the subject.  For now, I’ll settle for an overview.  One sentence summary: the Android tablet environment fills a needed gap in my computing spectrum.  

Where is that gap?  It’s the space where I need media and mobility. It’s where I still need some real computing – but I can’t carry a big laptop.  It is a place where I can stuff tablet and keyboard into a back pack or a bike pannier – and still be confident that I can do a complete job.  Bottom line: This is my new mobility space. 

And I want that space to be open – not constrained.  I want to connect to wireless networks with ease.  And I want to use the device to access my other devices while I am away from them.  And I want to install the things that I want to install – not just what someone else thinks that I need.  I don’t want someone else’s handcuffs.  And if I am handcuffed, I’ll pick the lock to free my hands.

Innovation is about taking existing pieces and building a whole new thing.  So my new tablet is the melding of technologies that I have used before into a package that is compelling.  At the same time, I want to have access to the computer.  Think of it this way.  I want a car.  But I hate the fact that some dealer has me over a barrel because he has the only computer that can read the sensors and program the electronics.  Some folks may be satisfied with that situation.  I am not.  Consequently, I have an Android tablet. 

-Roo