People are enamored with "cloud computing" these days.  It's featured in TV commercials, vendor certifications, magazine articles, and industry analyst research.  These hawkers commonly pitch "the cloud" as a magic solution for all your IT woes.  However, let's examine why the cloud is not a replacement for traditional data backup.

The Haskell based Snap Framework is now available via the OpenBSD ports tree.  If you enjoy writing your programs in Haskell, you now have a quick and convenient way to establish a base for web application development.  Follow these three simple steps to begin writing web applications and web services in Haskell.

I use Dropbox to maintain a near real-time backup of my important data. You can too. Here's how to get started.

The Fast Company article "Are You Working With Energizers or Rotten Apples" shares an excerpt from the book "GOOD BOSS, BAD BOSS: How to Be the Best ... and Learn from the Worst" by Robert I. Sutton.  I found the article so compelling that I had to tweet about it and share it here too.

I recently found myself having to change a files extension from '.txt' to '.cfg'.  The program I was using expected a configuration file with a very specific name including the extension.  No problem I thought as I launched the Windows Vista file manager and proceeded to right click and select rename.  I appended '.cfg' and hit enter. But now I found myself now looking at a file named 'autoexec.cfg.txt' which my program still disliked.  I proceeded to spend time looking through menus, both right click and otherwise, without success.  Windows Vista was determined to keep the files original extension in spite of my best efforts.  Searching Google revealed many sites that offered to walk me through the steps to unlock hidden fields, change folder presentation settings, and some that even offered me programs I could download for this renaming task.  Are you kidding me?  Download a program to rename a file?

Enter the command line.  What would have been a multiple step clickfest was boiled down to one command:

I have championed email efficiency for years and previously wrote Email Productivity in Three Easy Steps on this subject. Improving your business communication skills, including how you compose email, adds depth to your efficiency and effectiveness on the job.

David Silverman presents a concise, 10 point checklist in How to Revise an Email So People Will Read It.  I strongly urge you to read his article and improve the email you write. In particular, I appreciated his focus on communicating facts and pruning everything else.

What other techniques do you use for improving your writing?

I learned this morning that someone is using my name and address as the basis for their phone scam to get your money. Please do not send them your money! I'm working diligently with law enforcement to get this stopped.

I like infographics. Perhaps it's the statistician in me. So just for fun, I processed my resume into a word cloud. Here is the resulting image.

I was conflicted during my recent trip to Washington DC. I hadn't been there in years and was immediately struck by the changes. Most notably, the concrete. Concrete everywhere! I'm not referring to the ground, I'm referring to the barricades that cordoned off every building, monument, and memorial. Great rings of concrete...

I recently finished reading the book "Joker One" by Donovan Campbell. It is a gripping account of a Marine platoon's 2004 tour in the Iraq city of Ramadi. Regardless how you feel about the war there, I think you should read this book for perspective on the traits of good leadership. Here are three aspects of leadership the book reinforced for me.