Last November, I noted that I turned down the spam comments on my blog, limiting the time to post comments. Well, that strategy worked and I’ve decided to experiment by increasing the time to post comments, from seven days to 14. We’ll see how that holds up over the next couple of weeks.
Of interest today from MIX ’08 is this coverage in the Seattle Times of the interview with Steve Ballmer by Seattle Times technology reporter Benjamin J. Romano. The on-stage interviewer was my old friend Guy Kawasaki of Apple, Garage.com and truemors.com fame.
“Kawasaki pulled no punches during an hour of pointed questioning that hit on some of Microsoft’s and Ballmer’s most sensitive issues, but Kawasaki still managed to come across as good-natured…”
“In addition to his jabs, Kawasaki had some nice things to say.
“As a venture capitalist, he said, he’s worked with Microsoft a lot in recent years.
“It’s a different Microsoft,” he said. “There’s not the arrogance, there’s not the sort of bullying aspect. These people are really smart, they’re really hardworking. … I just want to give you a little bit of praise. The new Microsoft employee is very different. It’s really very easy to work with your company.”
You can read more in the Ballmer Q&A: Extended coverage in the Times, and see a video of Steve on stage at Mix on You Tube: Steve Ballmer screamed “Web Developer” at Mix08.
Even better: the Steve Ballmer Q&A with Guy Kawasaki is available online via the following streaming media links, courtesy of the good folks at Mix on the visitmix.com blog:
Also of interest for further reading on Microsoft management: Seattle Times’ article on the post-Gates era, plus ThinkWeek and the need for more cowbell.
Tags: Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, Guy Kawasaki, Mix08, Microsoft.
Brace yourselves… it’s that time again.
That’s right: it’s the start of Daylight Saving Time in much of the US and Canada, as noted in more than 2,200 news articles today.
“Huh? It’s not for a couple of more weeks,” one person said yesterday.
“Nope, it’s this weekend… we updated our products last year to account for the change,” I heard another manager say. (Nice to hear that the message got out. 😉
This year, DST in much of the US and Canada begins on March 9, several weeks earlier than in years prior to 2007. As you may recall, last year the US and Canada “sprang forward” a few weeks earlier than in past years in accordance with the US Department of Energy’s Energy Policy Act of 2005 that was passed into law. DST will end later than usual, on the first Sunday of November (in 2008, November 2); more details on the new DST start and end times can be found here). This results in a new DST period that is approximately three to four weeks longer than in previous years.
So what should you do to make sure that your computers are ready for the change? If you use Microsoft Update on your PC at home, chances are you’re already covered. The December Cumulative 2008 Daylight Saving Time and Time Zone Update for Windows should already be installed on your PC. If you’re not sure, visit Microsoft Windows Update to check your PC and install important updates. At work, if an IT Pro (aka ‘hero’) manages your network, chances are good that the needed updates have already been installed on your computers and devices automagically.
If you manage servers and a host of Microsoft software, visit http://www.microsoft.com/time for more details. And visit the support web sites of any other software companies to see if you need to apply any updates – it’s not just Microsoft software that may require updates. Keep in mind that it’s not just the US and Canada that made changes to DST and time zones: we have an upcoming change in Australia and others noted on the DST and Time Zone Hot Topics page.
In Australia, there are changes to Eastern & Central zones. Australia Eastern (New South Wales, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania) and Central (South Australia) time zones will extend daylight saving and also harmonize start and end times commencing April 2008. From April 2008, daylight saving will end on the first Sunday in April and recommence on the first Sunday in October in all states.
For a summary of the status of product updates, we recommend that customers review the information on the Australia Eastern & Central 2008 Daylight Saving Changes page. As noted there, the official Australian Government Time web site is a resource to prepare and educate end users and businesses.
In most cases, customer will find that these changes have been addressed when the latest cumulative time zone update for Microsoft Windows operating systems was applied (released December, 2007, as noted at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942763). Some of the updates are not specific to the Australia Eastern and Central changes and can be applied immediately; other products (for example Office Groove) require manual adjustment after application of the time zone update to the host Windows operating system.
And remember: time is a precious thing. Never waste it.
Of interest, these top news articles for daylight saving time…
- Daylight saving time: a hands-off experience (Minneapolis Star)
- Time Out of Mind (New York Times)
- Daylight saving time costs nation costs nation $1.7 billion (Morning Call)
- Daylight-saving not good for cows (San Francisco Gate)
- Research Sheds Light on Saving Time, Resources… (Daily Nexus)
- Daylight saving time may not save much… (Everett Herald)
[update 2:40PM] And thanks to Mary Jo for mentioning this post on her blog to increase awareness.
Tags: Microsoft, Daylight Saving Time, Daylight Savings Time, DST. 3,530,000 (down a million items); 6,950,000; 649,000+
Today in the WSJ, Yukari Iwatani Kane has an interview with Toshiba Corp. Chief Executive Atsutoshi Nishida in the article, Toshiba’s Plan for Life After HD DVD. Kane spoke with Nishida-san at his office in Japan and discussed the decision to quit the effort on HD DVD, in addition to other items.
Toshiba Corp. President Atsutoshi Nishida (L) and Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates discuss the expansion of their companies’ relationship at a news conference, Tokyo, June 27, 2005.
From http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2005/jun05/06-27MSToshibaStrengthenPR.mspx
“In February, after a long, expensive battle with Blu-ray over the format for next-generation DVD players, Toshiba Corp. Chief Executive Atsutoshi Nishida pulled the plug on the company’s HD DVD business. The move surprised analysts. Japanese companies tend to look for acceptable compromises to save corporate pride, and the analysts had expected Toshiba to phase out the format quietly.
“The defeat is a blow to Toshiba, a vast electronics conglomerate that makes semiconductors, appliances and nuclear reactors. The company saw HD DVD as a way to increase its presence in consumer electronics, where it is a relatively small player.
WSJ: Your practical approach to management is unusual in Japan. How do you make it work in this country?
Mr. Nishida: I don’t operate just on logic. I’m practical, but I also have enthusiasm, which is the side of me that’s not practical. If you have that in addition to a strong will to achieve your goals, then you can overcome any adversity. For example, I used logic to rationally make the decision to quit HD DVD, but my enthusiasm allows me to move forward.
WSJ: How do spend your free time?
Mr. Nishida: My hobby is reading. I usually read six to seven books simultaneously on subjects like politics, economy, management, history and science in addition to novels. Two or three of them are usually in English. I just finished reading “The Future of Management.” Right now, I’m reading Lawrence Lindsey’s “What a President Should Know” and “Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls.” [I added the links]
I have found that Nishida-san to be a very smart and thoughtful man. Based on this recommendation, I will check out Lindsey’s “What a President Should Know.”
If you haven’t read the latter (Judgment, by Noel Tichy and Warren Bennis) be sure to check it out. I agree with Robert Morris — who wrote a review on Amazon — that the authors provide “a brilliant explanation of how winning leaders make great calls and suggest that the greatest among them also help others to do so.”
Tags: HD DVD, management, what I read, Toshiba, Atsutoshi Nishida.
Sad news. Canuck guitarist Jeff Healey passed away.
For more on this incredible artist, see his official web site and the wiki entry for more details on Jeff and his music.
“Guitarist and bandleader Jeff Healey dies in Toronto hospital
“Following a lengthy struggle with cancer,
Healey passes away on the eve of the
release of a new blues rock album“Jeff Healey, arguably one of the most distinctive guitar players of our time, died today (Sunday March 2) in St. Joseph’s Hospital, Toronto. He was 41, and leaves his wife, Cristie, daughter Rachel (13) and son Derek (three), as well as his father and step-mother, Bud and Rose Healey, and sisters Laura and Linda.”