Thanks for the video link Barb:
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Extended Paddle High Sculling Brace
This weekend is one of the last chances I will get to practice Kayak rolls and recoveries in the pool prior to the melt in Minnesota, four weeks ago I was introduced to the concept of the extended paddle high sculling brace, using it I was able to lean the kayak over to an angle of 110 degrees from horizontal, in effect being slightly upside down, keep my head above water (whilst lying on my back in the water ) and then return to the upright position, I managed it three times in control and then had some magnificent failures that resulted in me inverting catastrophically and needing to practice a combat roll to recover.
This video shows the basic concept, although Yves is not using the extended paddle as I did.
This video shows the basic concept, although Yves is not using the extended paddle as I did.
Air flow efficiency
I was reading an analysis of sub floor air pressure distribution as it pertains to the design of our next data centers, it got me thinking about another benefit of reducing the cabling. Take a look at this picture which shows the cabling under the floor tiles in a typical data center, can you imagine what this does to disrupt the flow of air?
Time to optimize?
We are examining how to improve stability and reduce costs by optimizing the connectivity to our virtual server farms.Recently we have moved from SAN to NAS, and are in the process of designing the architecture to take advantage of 10GigE to dramatically improve the reliability of cabling.
Anyone that questions the need to focus on cabling should look to the left and the the organized cacophony of cables our operations teams wrestle with today behind of VM Farms.
The opportunity to move to a unified network fabric and get away from the need to provide multiple network connections is tantalizingly close.
Data Center Ethernet is certainly a compelling vision producing a radically simplified way of creating a flexible and efficient environment. We need to see it mature, demonstrate its robustness and security, I do however live in hope.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Following on from our staff meeting today Bob Diver sent me a quote from his Irish mother:
“Change is inevitable, growth is optional”
How true!
Then I came across this from Lao Tzu"
The greatest leader forgets himself
And attends to the development of others.
Good leaders support excellent workers.
Great leaders support the bottom ten percent.
Great leaders know that
The diamond in the rough Is always found “in the rough.”
Servant Leadership
Post script: I just discovered the first quote has been attributed to Walt Disney, Mrs Diver will have to arm wrestle for bragging rights.
“Change is inevitable, growth is optional”
How true!
Then I came across this from Lao Tzu"
The greatest leader forgets himself
And attends to the development of others.
Good leaders support excellent workers.
Great leaders support the bottom ten percent.
Great leaders know that
The diamond in the rough Is always found “in the rough.”
Servant Leadership
Post script: I just discovered the first quote has been attributed to Walt Disney, Mrs Diver will have to arm wrestle for bragging rights.
Low energy servers
Thanks to Jeremy for the link to this video.
It raises a point that has been bugging the heck out of me for two weeks now: "How efficient are servers?" I get that they produce heat, but what work are they doing? How do you translate that into efficiency. Is computation "work"? How much work is done by a processor? I can get a lot of data about total power consumption, but how much of that power consumed produces heat, noise, light and kinetic energy for fans spinning disks and airflow? and how much is doing the "work" of computation?
It raises a point that has been bugging the heck out of me for two weeks now: "How efficient are servers?" I get that they produce heat, but what work are they doing? How do you translate that into efficiency. Is computation "work"? How much work is done by a processor? I can get a lot of data about total power consumption, but how much of that power consumed produces heat, noise, light and kinetic energy for fans spinning disks and airflow? and how much is doing the "work" of computation?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Q4 2008 earnings
Thomson Reuters announced Q4 2008 earnings today.
I cant complain about the market's response:
Highlights included:
Q4 pro forma revenues up 5% before currency;
underlying operating profit up 13%
Full-year pro forma revenues up 8%;
underlying operating profit up 19%
The professional division reported:
Fourth-quarter revenues were $1.5 billion, an increase of 6% before currency (up 3% after currency) driven by online, software and services revenue growth of 10% slightly offset by a 1% decline in print and CD revenues
2009 Business Outlook (Before Currency)Based on the current environment in the markets we serve, Thomson Reuters expects its revenues to grow in 2009. We also expect underlying operating margin to be comparable to 2008, supported by revenue growth and the expected savings from integration and synergy programs. Underlying free cash flow is expected to be comparable to 2008, adjusted for certain timing related items.
I cant complain about the market's response:
Highlights included:
Q4 pro forma revenues up 5% before currency;
underlying operating profit up 13%
Full-year pro forma revenues up 8%;
underlying operating profit up 19%
The professional division reported:
Fourth-quarter revenues were $1.5 billion, an increase of 6% before currency (up 3% after currency) driven by online, software and services revenue growth of 10% slightly offset by a 1% decline in print and CD revenues
2009 Business Outlook (Before Currency)Based on the current environment in the markets we serve, Thomson Reuters expects its revenues to grow in 2009. We also expect underlying operating margin to be comparable to 2008, supported by revenue growth and the expected savings from integration and synergy programs. Underlying free cash flow is expected to be comparable to 2008, adjusted for certain timing related items.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Telepresence
We recently introduced Telepresence into some of our larger global locations. I have started having remote 1 on 1 meetings with my direct report in London that way and have taken part in several global meetings that way. I estimate that if every meeting had been held in person I would have spent a minimum of $35,000 on airfares and most importantly have reduced my carbon footprint considerably., by not flying the equivalent of close to 60,000 miles.
Telepresence creates a very engaging experience with life size images of the participants being displayed in high definition at each office, I look forward to integrating our system with our vendors so we can stop traveling for briefings too.
Friday, February 20, 2009
The Tragically Hip
This morning on my drive to work I found my ipod playing 38 Years old by The Tragically Hip, I would thoroughly recommend them to those who like emo rock.
Last year I wrote a blog posting for my internal corporate blog about organizational change in response to several people telling me that I should stop making organizational changes. I have now received approval to just use my external blog as long as I follow the corporate polices… so I thought it worth reposting the entry, which frankly is more of a stream of consciousness rant:
10/21/2008
Yesterday, at the first all staff meeting of the newly formed team, I mentioned that I did not expect the organization to look the way it does today in two months time. Several people in the meeting room in Eagan responded by “squirming” and looking distinctly uncomfortable. I thought it worth discussing why change is part of the norm for our and all successful corporations.
Public companies like ours exist not for the good of each individual but for the benefit of the investors, whilst generating returns for those who have decided we are a team worth investing in, we benefit by being compensated and hopefully are able to enjoy the tasks and camaraderie we are a part of in our work place. In tough economic times, well in fact in any changing economic picture (and frankly the economy has changed every one of the last 20 years I have been working) a company must adjust the way it operates, ensuring it maintains it margins, ensuring the growth of cost of goods sold remains lower than the growth of revenue generated. Our Professional division has the luxury of being a mature business with great margins, the delta between cost of goods and revenue is a matter of great pride. Our investors now expect this business performance and as such we must ensure we organize ourselves to ensure we maintain the margin at the same time as we enable the business to continue to grow.
As “stewards” of the technology platforms we are responsible for ensuring the most cost effective growth options are presented to our internal customers and that we provide them the opportunity to grow in the most efficient way that the state of the technology art permits.
Providing the business units the options to allow them to determine how to invest in their technology, be it new product development, back office systems or hosting new acquisitions is perhaps our most important role.
Next month at our staff meeting we will be discussing the “levers” that we intend to provide the businesses to use to ensure they are maximizing the return on their technology investments. And also continuing to discuss how we should structure our organization to align ourselves with the growth strategies of our customers.
So why change? I will commit to stop optimizing our organization the same day that our business strategy becomes stale and set in stone, the economic conditions remain static and our customers demand we stop innovating. Until then I hope you can join me in ensuring our organization offers the best value possible to our customers, in the most efficient way our collective wisdom can envisage and execute upon.
Last year I wrote a blog posting for my internal corporate blog about organizational change in response to several people telling me that I should stop making organizational changes. I have now received approval to just use my external blog as long as I follow the corporate polices… so I thought it worth reposting the entry, which frankly is more of a stream of consciousness rant:
10/21/2008
Yesterday, at the first all staff meeting of the newly formed team, I mentioned that I did not expect the organization to look the way it does today in two months time. Several people in the meeting room in Eagan responded by “squirming” and looking distinctly uncomfortable. I thought it worth discussing why change is part of the norm for our and all successful corporations.
Public companies like ours exist not for the good of each individual but for the benefit of the investors, whilst generating returns for those who have decided we are a team worth investing in, we benefit by being compensated and hopefully are able to enjoy the tasks and camaraderie we are a part of in our work place. In tough economic times, well in fact in any changing economic picture (and frankly the economy has changed every one of the last 20 years I have been working) a company must adjust the way it operates, ensuring it maintains it margins, ensuring the growth of cost of goods sold remains lower than the growth of revenue generated. Our Professional division has the luxury of being a mature business with great margins, the delta between cost of goods and revenue is a matter of great pride. Our investors now expect this business performance and as such we must ensure we organize ourselves to ensure we maintain the margin at the same time as we enable the business to continue to grow.
As “stewards” of the technology platforms we are responsible for ensuring the most cost effective growth options are presented to our internal customers and that we provide them the opportunity to grow in the most efficient way that the state of the technology art permits.
Providing the business units the options to allow them to determine how to invest in their technology, be it new product development, back office systems or hosting new acquisitions is perhaps our most important role.
Next month at our staff meeting we will be discussing the “levers” that we intend to provide the businesses to use to ensure they are maximizing the return on their technology investments. And also continuing to discuss how we should structure our organization to align ourselves with the growth strategies of our customers.
So why change? I will commit to stop optimizing our organization the same day that our business strategy becomes stale and set in stone, the economic conditions remain static and our customers demand we stop innovating. Until then I hope you can join me in ensuring our organization offers the best value possible to our customers, in the most efficient way our collective wisdom can envisage and execute upon.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1854)
Half a league, half a league
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!’ he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Some one had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flash’d all their sabers bare
Flash’d as they turn’d in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder’d:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel’d from the saber-stroke
Shatter’d and sunder’d
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!’ he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Some one had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flash’d all their sabers bare
Flash’d as they turn’d in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder’d:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel’d from the saber-stroke
Shatter’d and sunder’d
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Change according to Heidi
Heidi Pahl sent me three very poignant quotes over the weekend about change:
- “If nothing changes, (then) nothing changes”, Earnie Larson
- "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.", Albert Einstein
- “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”, Albert Einstein
Makes you think twice about what to do next time you get to work.....
Marc and Lori are online
I am delighted to say that Marc Kukura and the lovely Lori have arrived safely in Buenos Aires and have finally got the Internet connected in their apartment. Marc and I got to know each other on the Thomson Web team where Marc was a senior developer responsible for copious amounts of highly creative C# code. At Marc request I helped find a way for him to live out his wanderlust whilst remaining gainfully employed by Thomson Reuters. He is an inspiration for those of us that dream and rarely do...
You can read their blog here about their adventures of being ex-pats in Argentina.
You can read their blog here about their adventures of being ex-pats in Argentina.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Power saving
I am researching elecrical power efficiency to understand the realtionship between power consumption and heat production in our datacenters.
Along the way I can across lesswatt.org, they have some facinating data on increasing power efficiency through better configuration management of Linux Kernels.
Along the way I can across lesswatt.org, they have some facinating data on increasing power efficiency through better configuration management of Linux Kernels.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
CIO Talk Radio
I had the pleasure this week of being interviewed on CIO Talk Radio to discuss the challenges of centralized Project Management Offices. A recording of the interview is available here.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Intel Case Study
I recently was interviewed by Intel for a case study on our use of their technologies in our datacenter virtualization initiatives.
Our COO Rick King also referenced it today in his Blog.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Cabin progress
We are finding that we are able to spend at best one weekend out of two at the cabin, due to K’s busy schedule of Ice Skating, Skiing, Brownies etc. This weekend we made substantial progress nearly completing all electrics.
So far we have removed two interior walls, removed the previous kitchen added the new circuits for the new kitchen, rewired the living room and bedroom, rewired the garage, moved an interior door to make room for the kitchen, and fitted the new lighting for the kitchen and dining room.
Next steps for electrics include adding in a second switch for the breeze way lights and adding sockets in the dining room. We will then switch to demolition of the bathroom which J has already started by removing the floor tiles, and then deal with moving the plumbing for the new kitchen.
I am glad to be out of the attic in which I spent most of this weekend pulling wires. It is remarkable to see how bad some of the wiring was, I discovered at least 4 different generations of cables, and when I opened up some of the junction boxes the insulation just cracked a fell off the old cables.
We still have yet to discover how the boat house is connected to the house electrical supply, I am not convinced it currently is, and it certainly does not appear to be live at the moment.
We have found the manufacturer of the hardwood laminate used in the kitchen floors so we are hopeful we will be able to buy replacement boards for where the walls used to be and now there is a gapping void in the hardwood.
So far we have removed two interior walls, removed the previous kitchen added the new circuits for the new kitchen, rewired the living room and bedroom, rewired the garage, moved an interior door to make room for the kitchen, and fitted the new lighting for the kitchen and dining room.
Next steps for electrics include adding in a second switch for the breeze way lights and adding sockets in the dining room. We will then switch to demolition of the bathroom which J has already started by removing the floor tiles, and then deal with moving the plumbing for the new kitchen.
I am glad to be out of the attic in which I spent most of this weekend pulling wires. It is remarkable to see how bad some of the wiring was, I discovered at least 4 different generations of cables, and when I opened up some of the junction boxes the insulation just cracked a fell off the old cables.
We still have yet to discover how the boat house is connected to the house electrical supply, I am not convinced it currently is, and it certainly does not appear to be live at the moment.
We have found the manufacturer of the hardwood laminate used in the kitchen floors so we are hopeful we will be able to buy replacement boards for where the walls used to be and now there is a gapping void in the hardwood.
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