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September 27, 2005
Microsoft Project 2003 Service Pack 2 Download
Looks like they released Service Pack 2 for Microsoft Project 2003 (including standard, pro and server).
In my experience Project Service Packs always fix more things than they break so the odds are good that you should just download and install it. This is not always the case with Windows Service Releases.
Anyway, Project Service Pack is here
and the Project Server Service Pack is here
If you are wary, then check out the list of fixes and decide if it is worth it to you. With a list of 145 fixes (and a number of undocumented ones as well) you should be able to find at least one compelling reason.
Posted by Jack at 05:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Attack of the Clones
An article over on Pruned summarizes the points made on Thomas Ogren's site about how the urban (and presumably sub-urban) landscape is increasingly a forest of cloned male trees as those planting trees are drawn to the lack of fruit and seed litter they produce, but as a side effect we are treated to clouds of allergy and asthma inducing pollen.
At one point I started to photograph flowers of suspect trees and shrubs. Rather suddenly I discovered that although it was easy to find plenty of males to shoot, female landscape plants were surprisingly rare. I found this same situation in city after city. What, I asked myself, was going on? It seemed almost as though the cities had been landscaped to cause allergies, but I knew this didn’t make sense.
Eventually I came to realize that in the name of tidiness, for the cause of low maintenance, male trees and shrubs were being planted by the millions. Since the males produced no seeds, fruits, messy flowers or old seedpods, they were considered far superior to female plants.
That these same male plants would bombard urban areas with huge amounts of pollen never seems to have been considered. But this is exactly what has happened.
Certainly it is worth thinking about if you are planting trees in your own garden. Personally I'm more attracted to the females of the species with the possible exception of ginkgo biloba. I'd only consider that if I had a large enough garden located downwind.
Posted by Jack at 12:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
What happens when you hit 48?
Donald Wynes new (well since Mid-August) blog is called 48ideas and is worth a look for his thoughts on Project management and related topics. I think he is selling himself short about the 48 ideas though. From what I can see it will be impossible to put the cork back in the bottle. Keep at it Donald.
Posted by Jack at 07:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 23, 2005
How Storms Brew Up - Hurricane Rita
Nasa's Earth Observatory Website (http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3) has an interesting look at water temperatures in the Gulf and how they are the motivating force in Hurricane development. I'm not sure how long the link will remain valid as the content changes occasionally, but the pictures and explanations you can find here are always interesting and enlightening. Here is a bit of what they say about it:
A hurricane’s track depends primarily on the winds that steer it, and these winds are forecasted with atmospheric models. The hurricane’s energy source, however, comes from the ocean.
Sea surface height is a useful measure of potential hurricane activity because storm-fueling warm water is higher than surrounding cooler water. The area shown in red is approximately 35 to 60 centimeters (roughly 13 to 23 inches) higher than the surrounding Gulf.
Posted by Jack at 10:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 20, 2005
Hasta La Vista Allchin
Latest news from Microsoft is that Jim Allchin is leaving at the end of next year when Windows Vista ships. I don't know that this will be a big deal or not, but I couldn't resist the headline.
Posted by Jack at 12:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 16, 2005
PMP and Project+
J (not me) posts an interesting comment on the PMP certification here saying in part:
"PMI has a pecuniary interest in promoting their way of doing things. People who work hard to pass their tests, having to learn more about PMI-isms than project management, imho, rightfully want to take pride in their accomplishments and leverage their certification for a greater salary. This results in a huge group-think situation ripe with denial.No certification or college degree is a substitute for experience and good judgment. I suspect that those who hold certifications as most important are those who know the least about a subject area--depending upon a pedigree for a hiring decision instead of their own knowledge and abilities."
I happen to agree. The "group-think" theme is an interesting one especially in light of some research by Lynn Crawford that suggests that Project Management Standards are not really in alignment with what senior management expects from project managers (see "Senior Management Perceptions of Project Management Competence" International Journal of Project Management 23 [2005] 7-16). It would seem a broader spectrum of input would be useful in developing standards. This makes things vastly more complicated and perhaps makes the potential for "testing" someone on them increasingly difficult, but narrowly drawn lines of Project Management ideology are not suitable for a broad discipline.
Posted by Jack at 12:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 15, 2005
PMP Exam Cheats
Things must be heating up in the PMI PMP certification exam world. With a new and more rigorous test on the horizon (coming September 30) I am getting more and more people coming here as a result of searches like
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=PMP+cheat+test+answers
and
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=break+code+for+rita+Mulcahy+CD
I get several of these every day from all over the world.
It really makes me wonder about the integrity of PMP certificate candidates...
In a related thought, are employers going to discriminate against those who passed the "easy" PMP vs. those who passed the "hard" one?
Posted by Jack at 12:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 14, 2005
Gadget Day - The new sPOD Mano
I see guys like Josh getting all the goodies like the Jasjar phone thingy or the iPOD Nano and I think to myself, why don't I have a gadget blog? I mean, I have more than a dozen hammers of all types and descriptions so I know something about shiny (and not so shiny) metal stuff so here goes. My first Gadget Post.
The item for discussion today is known as the sPOD Mano. The stainless steel case/processor - YES IT DOES BOTH! - is in the shape of a truncated tetrahedron which is both functional and stylish. Each side offers a different face and function to the user. But the clean design of the device is nothing compared to the results that you can achieve with it. The fine gauge of steel used in this device is far superior to the heavier grades used in similar products available from more fashionable and expensive purveyors. Take a look at the picture and note that the potato threads have a delicate crenulation and a transparency only available from the matrix of slots which are formed at the precise pitch. I've tried other devices but none come close.
The sPOD can be used in any orientation, even in zero g environments, but for best results with something like, say a large russet, I use it upside-down allowing it to do most of the work on the powerful push stroke. It may seem counter-intuitive at first, but the ultralight design is most effective when it is in motion and your vegetable is held stationary.
For those just entering the world of vegetable transformation here is a starter recipe:
sPOD Hash Browns
The key to this recipe is the texture provided by the finely shredded potatoes and the step where the starchy liquid is removed. Skimping on either of these results in hash browns like those you can find frozen in a box. It is just not possible to do better without the sPOD mano. I've tried hacking more expensive versions, using a file to sharpen the edges or flattening the profile, but the results were not what I wanted.
Next up: The End of the Garden Trowel
Posted by Jack at 12:34 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
September 12, 2005
Project 12 (Project 2006? Project Vista?) Blog
Dieter, the Group Program Manager for Project 12 - the upcoming version of Project - has started blogging here. So far there is not much up there, but if he can actually post some of the presentations from the PDC and other design documents it should be a compelling read. From what I know of Project 12 there are several new features which would be interesting to hear about prior to release. On the other hand I'm sure that Dieter and the team are torn between excitement over showing what is new vs. stalling sales of the current version.
Definitely worth subscribing to so you can see what is going to happen with the tool we all love to hate (or is it hate to love?). Thanks for taking the plunge Dieter.
Posted by Jack at 12:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 09, 2005
Project Management Menus
I've already likened a certain scheduling technique to a peanut butter sandwich. I'm not sure what is driving me to such analogies, but it occured to me that those who are serving up a Project Management System based on the entire contents of the Guide to the PMBOK are delivering a big turkey dinner with stuffing, sweet potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie (add dishes until you reach the 9 practice areas).
Posted by Jack at 11:25 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 06, 2005
An Atomic Bomb in 5 Easy Steps
I was reading the September/October issue of the California Monthly and there is an intriguing article on the "Big Bang report" It included a sidebar on the 5 steps required to make a bomb"
1. Mining—the easy part. Uranium is heavier than gold and has the largest atoms of any natural element, which makes the magnitude of its explosive potential greater than that of all elements except hydrogen, the lightest element. Uranium exists in large deposits easily mined on virtually every continent. It even can be harvested from seawater.But the yield is low.
For every 25,000 tons mined, only 50 tons of uranium metal remain.2. Extraction—almost any lab tech can do it.
Pure uranium is dried and filtered into coarse powder called yellowcake.
The substance is exposed to fluoride gas and heated to 133 degrees F.
This creates a gas, uranium hexafluoride.3. Diffusion—the hard part.
The gas consists of two isotopes—U-238, which is too stable for atomic detonation, and U-235, which is lighter and highly fissionable. To separate the isotopes, the gas is pumped through a succession of fine, porous barriers—centrifuges. U-235 isotopes are lighter and propel faster through the barriers and concentrate. After passing through several thousand barriers, the gas contains about 2 percent of U-235—enough for a nuclear reactor.But an atom bomb requires nearly 95 percent purity.
4. Refinement—the sophisticated, expensive, and time-consuming part.
The slightly enriched uranium undergoes magnetic separation before being fed into another centrifuge. After passing through more than 1,500 barriers, the gas is about 20 percent pure. The process is repeated for nearly a year until the purity reaches nearly 90 percent. At this point, the uranium gas is considered bomb grade. It is then converted into metal powder.5. Detonation—the easiest part.
The metal is molded into a ball weighing between 50 and 100 pounds.
Size matters less than the purity of the uranium. It is packed into a warhead containing a detonator (the United States used artillery shells in its early versions) and fuse, which can be remotely set.A 10-megaton bomb equals 10 million tons of TNT.
So now you know.
Posted by Jack at 08:36 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
Don't listen to Brian
I'm convinced aliens played at least a small part. But it is good to see he is back.
Summer seems a slow time for many PM bloggers, but Glen Alleman has had a fairly prolific summer, even though sometimes I can't quite figure which windmill he is tilting at.
This post is making me think it would be nice to have a long list of project management related blogs somewhere. Respond to this post with your list of favorite pm bloggers and I'll post a compilation.
Posted by Jack at 12:46 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
September 02, 2005
$100,000 for Small Businesses
I haven't seen much in the news about this, so in case you haven't heard:
Subject: Intel/SBTI Grant Announcement: 100,000 dollar grant in technology for small businesses
Text:
Intel® Corporation and the Small Business Technology Institute (SBTI) – a non-profit institution, are sponsoring The World of Difference Program to help small businesses understand how their business can benefit from technology. The program consists of two parts: a $100,000 contest and a series of educational conferences in select cities.
U.S. based small businesses can enter independently, or work with an active Intel Reseller to enter their business vision.
Five finalists will receive a trip to NYC to present their business case at the final World of Difference Contest in NYC. The contest winner will receive $100,000 in technology products and services. Terms and conditions apply. The entry deadline is September 6, 2005.
Enter the World of Difference contest at http://www.theworldofdifference.org, or visit http://www.intel.com/smallbusiness to link to the world of difference site.
Posted by Jack at 09:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 01, 2005
Microsoft Project VBA Reference Material
If you are interested in Project VBA you can now find a chapter I wrote on Project VBA for Que Publishing online here.
It goes through the basics of working with the visual basic editor, debugging, and gives several code examples. I'm a bit surprised to find it free on the internet from the publisher so go get it while it is still there.
Even though the chapter is about Project 2002, the information should apply to Project 2000 and Project 2003. There have not been many changes except to events. Just looking at this:
"When you have code with a large number of steps and you know only the initial state and the outcome, it is difficult to figure out where the root of your problem lies. The VBE provides the ability to view your code as it executes and to check the values of your variables. The main tools to do this are breakpoints, watches, and the Immediate window.
reminds me that I should put together a few posts on debugging...
Posted by Jack at 07:19 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
