Jim's Blog

Sydney Harbour Bridge (Taken with Instagram at Sydney Harbour...

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:32:17 +1000

Sydney Harbour Bridge (Taken with Instagram at Sydney Harbour Bridge)

My Tech Setup

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 07:02:00 +1100

Over on usesthis.com a bunch of business, IT folks and all-round geeks describe their technology setup. Below is mine.

I’ve also pulled this list into a board on Pinterest.

What do I do?
I’m currently Client Services Manager at Symantec.cloud. Before that, I was IT Store and Desktop Manager at Officeworks. Before Officeworks, I worked in a number of infrastructure management, technical consulting and engineering roles at Lonely Planet, Byte and Hewlett-Packard. During that time, I got a Master of Management in IT from Charles Sturt University.

What hardware am I using?
Until 2009, I used a mixture of desktops and laptops by Dell and the odd custom made system which I used mainly for gaming. Since then, I have greatly simplified my setup and have started a gradual transition to Apple hardware starting with the iPhone 3G.

Over the years, computing power has far exceeded my actual real world needs. I currently use a 13” MacBook Air (4GB memory, 256GB SSD) almost exclusively. I travel a lot in my current job and the form factor and battery life of the Air is invaluable.

In the office I use a generic 24” BENQ monitor, Apple Wireless Keyboard and Apple Magic Mouse.

At home, I have recently purchased a 27” Samsung LED monitor which was amazing value. I use a Logitech K800 backlit wireless keyboard with a Logitech Anywhere MX mouse. Both work with the Logitech Universal receiver and the mouse works on glass surfaces.

For networking I run a wireless N network using an Apple Time Capsule 2TB (which also serves as secondary storage), Airport Express and Netcomm NB6Plus4 ADSL2+ modem.

Gaming and entertainment is served by an Apple TV and Sony Playstation 3.

I also have an iPhone and an iPad. The latter I use as a laptop replacement when reading, reference and the odd email is the only requirement. Increasingly, I am being more and more productive on my iPad, a trend I hope to continue.

I have eliminated all hardware based backup systems and use Backblaze to backup my laptop (I store my data in the cloud).

And what software?
The majority of my computer use is web based and for this I use Google Chrome.

I use Gmail for personal email, and Apple Mail for work email.

I try to stick to multi-platform apps where possible.

My most frequent in no particular order, Asana, Salesforce, WebEx, TripIt, Evernote, BeeJiveIM, Skype, Foursquare, Flipboard, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Mail, Sparrow, Agenda, and Kindle

Google Docs (with Insync) acts as my primary storage and is accessible from most apps and devices.

What would be my dream setup?
My current setup serves me fine, but I would replace my monitors with 27” Thunderbolt Displays.

Goldman Sachs customers first

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 07:53:00 +1100

I read a Bloomberg Editorial attacking former executive Greg Smith’s criticism of his former employer, Goldman Sachs.

Quote from the Bloomberg post:

“It must have been a terrible shock when Smith concluded that Goldman actually was primarily about making money. He spares us the sordid details, but apparently it took more than a decade for the scales to finally fall from his eyes.”

Speaking out against your former employer is a risky practice and has the potential to tarnish you as disenfranchised or bitter. I found neither in Greg Smith’s post.

“When the history books are written about Goldman Sachs, they may reflect that the current chief executive officer, Lloyd C. Blankfein, and the president, Gary D. Cohn, lost hold of the firm’s culture on their watch. I truly believe that this decline in the firm’s moral fiber represents the single most serious threat to its long-run survival.”

Creating value for shareholders through sustainable (long-term) competitive advantage is the goal of many publicly listed companies. Focusing on customers is not mutually exclusive with that goal. Some would argue (eg. Apple) that maintaining a customer orientation is the key to business success.

That is the essence of Greg Smith’s post.

Getting some paddle boat action. (Taken with Instagram at Albert...

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:42:16 +1100

Getting some paddle boat action. (Taken with Instagram at Albert Park Lake)

Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC (1st half) (Taken with Instagram...

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:21:35 +1100

Melbourne Victory v Sydney FC (1st half) (Taken with Instagram at AAMI Park)

Apple Makes More Money Per Employee Than Exxon And Google Dylan...

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:31:40 +1100

Apple Makes More Money Per Employee Than Exxon And Google
Dylan Love, businessinsider.com

Apple earned $400,000 in profit per employee last year, reports MSNBC.
This is at least partially due to Apple nailing its global operations — Apple believes that overseas factories are more flexible and the workers are more…

One Greek coffee please. (Taken with Instagram at House Of...

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:05:09 +1100

One Greek coffee please. (Taken with Instagram at House Of Hercules)

View down Lonsdale St. (Taken with Instagram at Southern Cross...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:00:12 +1100

View down Lonsdale St. (Taken with Instagram at Southern Cross Station)

Warming up for Christmas with a Croque Monsieur (Taken with...

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:03:25 +1100

Warming up for Christmas with a Croque Monsieur (Taken with Instagram at Amici Bakery ~ Cafe)

The Anatomy of a Perfect Website

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 14:08:32 +1100

The Anatomy of a Perfect Website:

coolinfographics.com

The Anatomy of a Perfect Website from R.O.I Media does a really good job of looking at the primary components of a good website design. There are many decisions that need to be made by website owners and designers in each of the…

The Anatomy of a Perfect Website [infographic] http://www.coolinfographics.com/blog/2011/12/9/the-anatomy-of-a-perfect-website.html

The Internet of Thingscoolinfographics.com Intel has designed a...

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:29:46 +1100

The Internet of Things
coolinfographics.com

Intel has designed a large infographic, The Internet of Things that explores the growing number of devices connected to the Internet since 1960 through predictions up to 2020. (NOT to be confused with The Internet of Things infograph…

Taking a trip to Portugal for the next hour. (Taken with...

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 20:23:45 +1100

Taking a trip to Portugal for the next hour. (Taken with Instagram at Madeira Restaurant)

Something soothing, energising and thought provoking about...

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:37:06 +1100

Something soothing, energising and thought provoking about traditional Greek music [recorded live].

Sangria time. Much needed! Love me some good fajitas. (Taken...

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:14:11 +1100

Sangria time. Much needed! Love me some good fajitas. (Taken with Instagram at Taco Bill’s)

Simplicity (Taken with instagram)

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:36:24 +1100

Simplicity (Taken with instagram)

Start your weekend on a good note with a modern day maestro.

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 08:20:30 +1100

Start your weekend on a good note with a modern day maestro.

Steve Jobs’ latest tablet upgrade (Taken with instagram)

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:29:17 +1100

Steve Jobs’ latest tablet upgrade (Taken with instagram)

Happy Diwali (Taken with instagram)

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:59:48 +1100

Happy Diwali (Taken with instagram)

The common clarity

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:36:32 +1100

Speaking to a great business consultant, facilitator friend of mine.

A few pearls of wisdom from her recent work to promote clarity and cooperation towards a common goal.

1. Clarity - Do not waver. Stay consistent in what matters and keep your eye on the big picture.

2. Common - Stick to the lowest common denominator. Speaking in a language understood by all is paramount.

Love spring time in Melbourne. After a long winter, the...

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 23:58:26 +1100

Love spring time in Melbourne. After a long winter, the freshness of September leading into the warmer weather in November rejuvenates the senses.

A Vivaldi soundtrack to accompany it.