tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57348532210028630102024-02-18T21:34:48.920-08:00Tales from RedesignlandWhere Web developers live and wish they could dieTony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-70089866956124801792018-10-19T11:43:00.000-07:002018-10-19T11:43:26.560-07:00Hella Old School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's only been five years since the last TFRL... let's see if anyone notices. đź‘€</div>
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Yes, for those of you who remember me, I'll be at High Ed Web in Sacramento on Sunday and Monday morning, just hanging out. For the rest of you, I'm just some grumpy old guy who used to be Internet famous. </div>
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For the 3 people (I hope there are 3!) who care, I'm completely out of the web business now, and have been for years. Still in higher ed though, and still at "Hypothetical State University". I went on to do such amazing things as IT portfolio management, IT quality assessment, enterprise migration to Box (whee), and now university strategic planning. </div>
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For you other grumpy old people, I hope to see you there. For you spoiled young kids, GET A REAL JOB!</div>
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Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-8725334611460813842013-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:002013-06-03T09:00:01.387-07:00The Cruelest Cut<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I can't even make this stuff up. I actually had a manager tell me how much they were enjoying "TLRF". He was "LMAO" reading it.<br />
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Sigh.<br />
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I think it's only fitting that I bring the new generation of "TLRF" cartoons to a close on this note. Perhaps it will be reborn as "Dilbert for Managers" someday. Who knows?<br />
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P.S. Wish me luck in my keynote today! I think I'll need it.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-15408618002743549842013-05-30T09:00:00.000-07:002013-05-30T09:00:01.671-07:00To Sleep, Perchance to Dream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, now you don't have to come to my <a href="http://west.highedweb.org/">HighEdWebWest</a> keynote because you know that there aren't any silver bullets to changing your organizational culture.<br />
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I don't know about anyone else, but I always worry about my presentations bombing, particularly when I'm under pressure to give an "amazing speech". Given that my keynote is only a few days away and I am almost wholly unprepared, I'm sure I'll be pulling some all-nighters to be as ready as possible.<br />
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On a serious note, I've worked in higher education for the majority of my adult life. The disconnect between the importance of what we do in higher education (from a societal perspective) and the levels of cultural dysfunction demonstrated at all levels in academia (including IT) is criminal.<br />
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I honestly don't have a 'big picture' solution, but I do think that it is time to call out this dysfunction exactly for what it is. What do they say in AA? The first step to getting cured is realizing you have a problem? Well, we need to start talking about culture and dysfunction in higher education in clear terms. Recognizing that we have cultural dysfunction is the first step to addressing it.<br />
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If you are interested in making higher education a better place to work, come to my keynote next Monday at HighEdWeb West.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-84864922297520360732013-05-29T08:46:00.000-07:002013-05-29T08:46:52.480-07:00Keep Your Receipt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I really did want to do a serious talk, but the conference organizers seemed to think that all I do are laughs. Expectations of a laugh-a-minute-riot-fest seem pretty high, but I'm actually not much of a comedian despite my reputation. A chuckle here or there, sure, but I think their memories of my previous HighEdWeb talks may be somewhat colored. I know for a fact they weren't as funny as all that.<br />
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So anyway, I don't think I can live up to the expectations of hilarity for this talk. However, I'm hoping that most of the people in attendance have no idea who I am or why I'm doing the keynote and thus will have no expectations whatsoever. That's my best case scenario.<br />
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Worse case is that everyone expects me to be higher ed's answer to Jimmy Fallon or Jon Stewart and they go away completely let down and angry.<br />
<br />
Worst case is that they ask for their money back. So keep those receipts, folks!Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-6858471893323488162013-05-28T09:00:00.000-07:002013-05-28T09:00:02.856-07:00The Beginning of the End<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufu99c_V8bE_1BGxBKszWQOv_3k0yt9egImfsMO2fV9qE4GpfltS2V1TSSFrqVd1x5SElQlrfIB7aEdc2NVCa0oRJUtHRIZi953-aBU6hatn72kkU4TONLUztlDzgPKrNRvgjKIZvRq0/s1600/Page+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhufu99c_V8bE_1BGxBKszWQOv_3k0yt9egImfsMO2fV9qE4GpfltS2V1TSSFrqVd1x5SElQlrfIB7aEdc2NVCa0oRJUtHRIZi953-aBU6hatn72kkU4TONLUztlDzgPKrNRvgjKIZvRq0/s1600/Page+1.jpg" /></a></div>
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There is only one purpose to this cartoon: to lower expectations for my keynote next Monday.<br />
<br />
Seriously. I've given several talks at HighEdWeb conferences. I've even won a couple of red staplers for Best of Track. But some of the comments on my last talk were less than glowing... "This old guy isn't funny at all. He shouldn't be allowed to speak." ...or something to that effect (finally, someone who feels the way I do!!).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Prized red staplers. <br />
"If they take my staplers I will set the building on fire."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And my keynote is going to be new territory for me, since I'll actually be trying to address a serious topic this time around. Not that selecting web content management systems, doing web redesigns, and setting up web governance aren't serious. But those are all tangible things with clear beginnings and ends.<br />
<br />
My keynote isn't going to be about anything as cut and dried as web redesigns, and it might not even be about something remotely interesting to my audience.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-38379709286621396162013-05-23T09:00:00.000-07:002013-05-23T10:28:29.451-07:00The Impotence of Being Right<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
The litany of inane dysfunction in higher education never ends, does it? And this one is one of the worst. I call it "Special Snowflake Syndrome" (SSS) and it comes from the mistaken belief that you or your unit are so special and so unique that it would be physically impossible to do things the same as everyone else, or use the same tools as everyone else.<br />
<br />
And sadly, this isn't as funny as it is real. It comes from a history of weak central power, which is all too common all over higher education. Our 'central' IT organization was for a long time little more than a collection of historically autonomous fiefdoms (HAFs), none of which ever really had to pay too much mind to the CIO.<br />
<br />
Though that is changing, it is not happening without some resistance. Given our history, it is not only difficult to introduce standards, but it is also nearly impossible to enforce them. The slightest resistance basically derails any initiative to introduce positive change.<br />
<br />
We should have introduced spankings years ago.<br />
<br />
What really irks me most about this whole situation is not that we have people who refuse to recognize the value and usefulness of IT standards and best practices. No, what irks me the most is the fact that we have people working here in higher education IT who put their own interests ahead of the needs and mission of the university. They don't care if the university needs a document management system* or not; if it is a shiny object to them, they have no problem spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and years' worth of effort and resources on it - particularly if it enlarges their fiefdom.<br />
<br />
Higher Education IT is a service organization within a service organization. We are here to provide IT services to an organization that is providing badly needed educational services to society. <i>If you aren't here to serve, then you really don't belong here.</i><br />
<br />
There, I said it! I've been itching to say it for weeks! Woohoo!<br />
<br />
Most of the people I work with sincerely believe in the role and mission of higher education (in my case, <i>public</i> higher education). As much as I might disagree with those people on specifics, I respect them for choosing service over profit, power, and whatever other wonderful things people in "the real world" get. But for those few who seem to think that working here is an opportunity to put themselves first, I have no respect whatsoever.<br />
<br />
There's way too much to say about this than I can cover here, but I'll be saying a lot more on this in upcoming strips. I would appreciate knowing if you feel the same way; if so, leave a comment.<br />
<br />
<i>*I'm only picking on document management as a cover for the real shiny objects certain people are obsessed with. <u>At this point in time</u>, I have <u>as yet</u> to form any negative opinions about the document management initiative. </i>Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-82087265244089584282013-05-21T09:00:00.000-07:002013-05-21T09:00:09.258-07:00See you on the Flip Side<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
This is the flip side of the previous cartoon, and also all too common.<br />
<br />
Someone with a budget gets hypnotized by a shiny object and plunks down a chuck of cash for it before really understanding whether or not it's really the best tool for the job at hand.<br />
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Then the staff, who were never consulted, have to find a way to make it work - typically incurring the lasting hatred and wrath of everyone forced to use the misbegotten tool along the way.<br />
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Get the impression I've been through this one before?<br />
<br />
We are really struggling with this one, though most people are getting on board. The age of throwing money at shiny objects is slowly coming to an end if for no other reason than no one has any money to throw at anything anymore. Also, I'm hopeful that endless issues/problems/difficulties/outright-failure of several high profile projects of this type will sway people to look at the success of several projects that used a more rational, data-driven selection process, and choose the better way. But then, I keep falling for those Nigerian bank emails.<br />
<br />
P.S. Thanks to the three-eyed, yellow, bald data analyst with bad teeth for the idea for this cartoon. It's amazing how much his character looks like him IRL.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-53454323327469448182013-05-16T09:00:00.001-07:002013-05-16T09:00:03.339-07:00You Are Your Own Self-Fulfilling Prophecy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
So, this actually happens. You've probably seen it.<br />
<br />
A manager asks for advice on managing, and certain staff perceive that as a weakness - and also not their job. They decline to give relevant input and then bitch endlessly about the cluelessness of management when decisions are made.<br />
<br />
They create organizational failure in the very way they conduct themselves on a daily basis. And then they blame the failure they've created on someone else.<br />
<br />
This infuriates me more than anything else I see in IT, precisely because it is so insidiously passive-aggressive, and always gives the perpetrator several outs ("I didn't DO anything", "I'm not paid to make decisions", etc., etc.).<br />
<br />
I'm certainly not saying that management is blameless. Far from it. My point is that there is blame on all sides, and anyone who says "I'm pure. I'm not to blame for any of this" is most likely either lying or deceiving themselves.<br />
<br />
We're all guilty of the organizational dysfunction we live with because we all create it together. And organizational dysfunction is a lot like cigarette smoking: it's bad for you, and it's a very difficult habit to break. The difference is that you alone control your smoking; the entire organization controls your organizational culture.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-8422954769959803972013-05-14T09:00:00.001-07:002013-05-14T09:00:00.350-07:00How Hard Could it Be?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Ah... the land mines of higher education.<br />
<br />
One of the worst is the baggage that people carry around, sometimes for decades. People have amazingly long memories of slights - perceived and real - in higher education, and it can turn the simplest undertaking into a logistical (read: political) nightmare akin to setting up a permanent residence in the Marianas Trench.<br />
<br />
"Oh, you can't talk to them. They hate us because of the Great Network Meltdown of 2002. You'll have to talk to so-and-so, because they have finally forgiven us for the Epic Email Downtime of 1998 and actually seem to like us. Of course, they have no control over this decision, so you'll really need to suck up to what's-his-face so that they'll talk to so-and-so about helping us."<br />
<br />
Srsly?<br />
<br />
I've actually been here long enough now that I know most of the political landmines that we have to dance around as if they were fresh, steaming piles of canine doodie on the sidewalk. The saddest thing is that I've been here long enough to have witnessed many of them being deposited firsthand.<br />
<br />
And I hate it. I want to yell "Get over yourself! This isn't about you!! It's about doing the university's business, not about how you perceived some imagined slight years ago because of something that probably had nothing to do with you!"<br />
<br />
Higher education isn't supposed to be some transdecadal-bruised-ego-grudge-match. It's supposed to be about educating the next generation of the world's leaders. Or something like that anyway.<br />
<br />
If you are carrying around something that happened years ago at your institution, I can only beg you to try to let it go. I understand that you hold a grudge to help protect you from being taken advantage of like you were twenty-eleven years ago. But it doesn't help you do your job; it just makes everything harder than it has to be.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-41771886440724233052013-05-02T09:00:00.000-07:002013-05-02T09:00:00.681-07:00DĂ©jĂ Vu All Over Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, finally I'm getting to the central thesis of my keynote, and to the main thing that I've learned in the two years since I've moved from mere plebeian to actual minion. And that is: management and staff aren't as different from each other is they think. In fact, they're exactly the same.<br />
<br />
I know, it's not really that stunning of a revelation, but it never really hit me until I moved into my current position. I sit in a unique place in our organization and that gives me a rather unique perspective. Although I'm not in a management classification, one of my jobs is, well, managing the managers, specifically when it comes to projects. On the other hand, since I'm still technically staff, the technical folks still let me hang out at the watercooler*. <br />
<br />
So I get to see and hear firsthand both the management and staff perspectives. And although they often couldn't be more different, what I've learned is as much as we may distrust and misunderstand each other, we're really not that different. In fact, we're all here to do the exact same job: provide technology services to support the mission of higher education. I personally think that's a lot more important than our petty distrust of each other.<br />
<br />
<i>*We actually have a Jabber chat room called "the watercooler" where some of the technical staff hang out. Occasionally, actual work gets done in the watercooler, but it's really more of a place where people attempt to demonstrate how witty they are. The average snark level in the watercooler is slightly higher than the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LD50">LD50</a> for a normal human being.</i><br />
<br />
<i>P.S. Oh, and notice how I spared Prophead from being an attendee in the project management meeting? He only wishes he was so lucky in real life. Sucka.</i>Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-79990295296661337712013-04-30T09:00:00.000-07:002013-04-30T09:00:13.402-07:00Nothing Personal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Poor Taghead. Nobody likes him!<br />
<br />
OK, can the sympathy. This hasn't actually happened yet. The DBAs and programmers are sufficiently dim-witted that they haven't yet recognized the obvious superiority of my managerial skills, and thus have yet to shun me from their plebeian lunches (it also helps that I am still classified union-represented technical staff employee and have yet to reap the fiduciary bounty that is a *real* management position).<br />
<br />
And most of the managers here wouldn't flinch at going to lunch with a pleb like me. In fact, Prophead and I went to a baseball game with a manager just last week (our team, the HSU Hypotheticals, is third ranked in the country!). Of course, the Hypotheticals lost... mostly because a manager was present.<br />
<br />
Anyway, even though this hasn't happened, I know that some of the 'technical staff' view me with suspicion because of my close relationship with some of the management.<br />
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This will be a developing theme, both in TFRL and in my keynote address.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-47046014871045973632013-04-25T09:00:00.000-07:002013-04-25T09:00:03.368-07:00Circular References Cannot Resolve<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Sigh. See, this is the problem right here. Some people automatically assume that managers are incompetent because of our history of not giving managers the tools to be successful managers. But even if managers *do* have the right training and ability, some staff can't get past their assumption that all managers are incompetent because they are, well, managers.<br />
<br />
They've been programmed by bad experiences in the past to assume that manager = incompetent. And they can only see the world through their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias">confirmation bias</a>; ignoring information that might affirm that a manager is competent and latching onto information that can be interpreted as proof of incompetence.<br />
<br />
In the end it becomes the classic circular argument: you are a manager ergo you are incompetent ergo you are a manager.<br />
<br />
And it ultimately becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy. Because they assume management is incompetent, they themselves become resistant and difficult to manage.<br />
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All of this is not to say that there aren't completely incompetent and even actively bad managers out there. Hell no. They're everywhere. I've worked for them. Idiots. Micro-managers. Narcissists. The chronically clueless.<br />
<br />
And of course, we all love to make fun of management (ever read this cartoon??). After all, they are such an easy target. I'm not gainsaying that.<br />
<br />
My beef is with people who automatically assume that all managers are stupid and ignorant and refuse to get past that despite evidence to the contrary. I bet you know a few people like this.<br />
<br />
The real point is that these people are not aiding cultural change in IT. They are actively resisting it. And they are not helping your IT organization better serve your university and its students.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-183135889124845982013-04-23T09:00:00.000-07:002013-04-23T09:00:02.554-07:00If You Succeed at Failing, are You a Failure or a Success?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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OK, I'm really not trying to beat a dead horse here about people's qualifications to manage. No, what I'm *really* trying to do is make plausible excuses for the abysmal job I've done over the past two years.<br />
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And the reality is that this situation says as much about how (given budget and resource cuts over the past several years) we've had to make do with the resources we have instead of hiring people specifically qualified to do what we need. Even if we could hire someone, there's no way we could offer enough in either salary or opportunities to complete with the outside world. Instead we have to try to make lemonade from the lemons we have for employees.<br />
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Hrm... somehow that didn't quite come out the way I wanted.<br />
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Anyway, you get my point, which is obviously "life sucks".<br />
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<i>*Ah... FingerPoints. Two and a half years ago, when I wrote the set of cartoons about being put in charge of "FingerPoints" (<a href="http://redesignland.blogspot.com/2010/09/there-may-be-no-i-in-team-but-there-is.html">here's the first cartoon in the series</a>), I could only fantasize about how bad managing the FingerPoints project could be. The reality, it would turn out, was much, much worse. But that's the topic of another TFRL.</i><br />
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<br />Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-8116376719105493002013-04-18T09:00:00.000-07:002013-04-18T09:00:00.077-07:00Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Reason #247<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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*This is my actual career pretty much in a nutshell. Except for ColdFusion. I did ASP programming. Go figure. And yes, there is a web app that I wrote in 2001 that is still running.<br />
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**OK, the first paragraph is pretty much true, but we never really got beyond that. There is no campus-wide "Web Office" here, but if there was, I guarantee it would have no actual authority.<br />
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***Back to the literal truth.<br />
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OK, OK, I'm not trying to harsh on our IT managers here. They honestly try to do their best with limited resources. I actually peeved off a couple of directors when I asked if they'd had management training, because in their case, they did have at least some training, but "lots of experience". But I think they both admitted they'd had no training here at Hypothetical State University.<br />
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Anyway, this cartoon is more a satire of myself than it is of anyone else. I'm trying to get a PMO off the ground with no effing clue of what I'm doing. But, hey, I'm as good at project management as anyone else in our IT department. Sigh.<br />
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But the serious question is this: do we really prepare people for IT management? Do we groom people to become managers? Train them? Give them the best tools possible to succeed and lead the organization? I dare anyone to answer yes.<br />
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Again, I'm not trying to apportion blame here. It's really a matter of cultural priorities and awareness. We've never focused on it before, and no one has insisted that it's an absolute must, so although we know it has value, we never quite get around to it. And anyway, there are always more "urgent" fires to put out.<br />
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The saddest thing to me is that we have technical people who *could* be prepared to be good managers, but we don't invest in them, and they either never get the opportunity to advance because they lack management qualifications (Catch-22 style) or they do advance and become poor managers because they never got the training and support they needed.<br />
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The worst thing about this whole situation is that we are on *at least* our second generation of IT managers who basically just rose up through the ranks without formal preparation to be an IT manager. The older generation is now retiring and a new generation is taking over.<br />
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Are we cluing in on the need for cultural change in IT yet?Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-1174720184607469592013-04-16T08:00:00.000-07:002013-04-16T08:00:12.756-07:00What we Have Here is a Failure to Communicate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Man, so many notes with this one.<br />
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First, obvious movie reference... come on, you all know what it is.<br />
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Second, yes, yes, I've used this post title like three times already. So sue me. I can't say this enough times: communication is the number one problem IT faces. Internally, externally. Doesn't matter. NERDS SUCK AT COMMUNICATION.<br />
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Third:<br />
<sup>1</sup>My team does application development.<br />
<sup>2</sup>My team runs BlackBoard.<br />
<sup>3</sup>My team runs the VMs.<br />
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Also, although I hope it's all too painfully obvious, I'd like to point out the difference in grammatical person used in the cartoon and in the notes. All too many administrators say "I..." when they really mean "well, I don't do any actual work, but the people for whom I write annual performance reviews...".<br />
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That's actually not as big a problem here as it was a couple of years ago. We actually have one administrator who *always* refers to "my team". It's actually quite annoying, but infinitely better than saying "I".Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-42970068474814197332013-04-12T08:28:00.000-07:002013-04-12T08:28:30.869-07:00Down the Rabbit Hole<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Taghead gets a new boss...</div>
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Oh, God, I'm going to get into so much trouble for this.<br />
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Maybe not with the SuperBoss™, but probably with everyone else. And yes, I do call my boss the SuperBoss™. It's really an inside joke about another director. Long story. You had to be there. Trust me; it's hilarious. Seriously. A real knee slapper.<br />
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Anyway, this isn't quite as literally true as the other cartoon. My office actually hasn't moved, but I do 'hobnob with the big boys' a lot more than I used to. Hell, I actually lead meetings where I'm literally the lowest paid person in the room (ahem... listening there, SuperBoss™?).<br />
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Strangely, Prophead is still right there with me most of the time. And still making marginally more than I do. Curse you, Prophead, and your slightly greater financial recognition!Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-6716599158935379662013-04-11T09:00:00.000-07:002013-04-11T09:00:07.085-07:00This is How it Starts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, like pretty much everything else in TFRL, this actually happened. My boss called me into the office one day for our weekly meeting, saying we were going to have a 'special guest'. That special guest turned out to be my new boss. I had no clue beforehand, and apparently my new boss wasn't aware that my old boss hadn't told me.<br />
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So, that was fun.<br />
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Actually, it was quite exciting, because I really like my new boss (who isn't really so new any more).<br />
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But it does say something about communication. That meeting could have been very awkward, and honestly, though I was very happy with the change, I kind of felt that not telling me ahead of time wasn't terribly respectful of either me or my new boss.<br />
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Since the purpose of this blog is to lay the groundwork for my keynote at <a href="http://west.highedweb.org/">HighEdWeb West</a> in June, (hopefully) funny cartoons are going to (hopefully) address some serious issues. And communication is a big one.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-58306401057527197602013-03-26T16:17:00.001-07:002013-03-26T16:17:49.882-07:00Is Our Cartoonists Learning?So, first post in over two years...<br />
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The real test is going to be to see how many people still follow this blog... long dormant and unused, collecting dust and fading memories of glorious cartoons past. There must be SOMEONE. Someone who will post "First!" in the comments. Someone who has waited patiently for this day.<br />
<br />
Okay, okay, that's probably only in my vainglorious dreams of... well, vain glory. TFRL was, let's be honest here, a tempest in a teapot. But what a teapot it was! Fame! Groupies! Free drugs! It was all mine in TFRL's heyday!<br />
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Sigh. But those halcyon days are long gone... lost in an endless haze of methadone clinics and rehab with Lindsay Lohan. The glory that was TFRL is long faded, and now I'm just another anonymous drone in the faceless labyrinth of higher ed IT.<br />
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So why am I suddenly resurrecting the long dead corpse of Tales from Redesignland? Read on!<br />
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<br />
Yes! The folks running <a href="http://west.highedweb.org/">HighEdWeb West</a> in their infinite ...er ...something... asked me out of the blue to do the keynote for their conference in June!<br />
<br />
And I get an all expenses paid trip to Orange County! Woohoo!<br />
<br />
Wait... that doesn't sound like such a great deal. How come this conference couldn't have been in Vegas?Vegas is "west", particularly for the HighEdWeb folks (that I love so dearly) for whom anything beyond St. Louis is the "far far untamed riddled-with-wild-blood-thirsty-injuns" west.<br />
<br />
Well, anyway, they don't have the faintest idea what they've signed themselves up for, but in the coming months, they will find out.<br />
<br />
Because, yes, I *will* be resurrecting Tales for the duration.<br />
<br />
<b>So, get ready for: "Tales from the Redesignland Crypt - The Reanimated Series". </b><br />
<br />
P.S. Oh, and by the way, I still work with Prophead, and he's still as much of a jerk as he ever was. More so, maybe.<br />
<br />Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-9652857031220987722010-12-13T10:10:00.000-08:002010-12-13T10:10:46.287-08:00An Unsatisfying Conclusion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvuGs4Kr1p1wXrCSU6eyNAoxMV0PWTSJqVQTAUGPiLgn9kA3gMx8Ry08h0LSpo3dzIaCkun1A884B7rGA8AHZpFHlemotAsSo2iR1OZ8ypekFQNn_EELZFXK9iiEp5sBeldaSPUJre2k/s1600/the-end_f01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnvuGs4Kr1p1wXrCSU6eyNAoxMV0PWTSJqVQTAUGPiLgn9kA3gMx8Ry08h0LSpo3dzIaCkun1A884B7rGA8AHZpFHlemotAsSo2iR1OZ8ypekFQNn_EELZFXK9iiEp5sBeldaSPUJre2k/s1600/the-end_f01.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZ2H8JePXba8gZRDLzx0IbeJ2pwe3pzVRZbtjhXKBbxJ1dQitVeiKhsvlCQly3OWvPklY9GS68Y4ZVRXomaRgzI4a9_33OrQdykbcSR5W0spF8N7spicrYCrLCYisRU9R4r6598AuHMQ/s1600/the-end_f02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZ2H8JePXba8gZRDLzx0IbeJ2pwe3pzVRZbtjhXKBbxJ1dQitVeiKhsvlCQly3OWvPklY9GS68Y4ZVRXomaRgzI4a9_33OrQdykbcSR5W0spF8N7spicrYCrLCYisRU9R4r6598AuHMQ/s1600/the-end_f02.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvT1t3OCksX_A5LnBsprNRA7NdNpEUcdXyEsY8uh7gRyODAeoXS0OLpgM0VziVnqAAj5BmoK47XkWb_zvRcP-Aoa64KDF1QcIALXChHxTO6UfR85KZeutI_eDSeDbureRMLBBbsBVtNpQ/s1600/the-end_f03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvT1t3OCksX_A5LnBsprNRA7NdNpEUcdXyEsY8uh7gRyODAeoXS0OLpgM0VziVnqAAj5BmoK47XkWb_zvRcP-Aoa64KDF1QcIALXChHxTO6UfR85KZeutI_eDSeDbureRMLBBbsBVtNpQ/s1600/the-end_f03.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6l7HD31_VA-oKXnMnc1VaEz-oH_gFVLbd_8RWN9hvhUxN0BnMbbzkLIYZ1l3aXEF0AUopmWYpadk-fBTweewx3s5F5kNRK5Ui_odg2LLRoKvnx38Glbbp-slryeElEyosZQzSlAuBfAU/s1600/the-end_f04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6l7HD31_VA-oKXnMnc1VaEz-oH_gFVLbd_8RWN9hvhUxN0BnMbbzkLIYZ1l3aXEF0AUopmWYpadk-fBTweewx3s5F5kNRK5Ui_odg2LLRoKvnx38Glbbp-slryeElEyosZQzSlAuBfAU/s1600/the-end_f04.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzDWzAK0gYcSftyZA08GIqwA9x_XqI1xBx-WMUknVqd0JpR9jxC_uBqdawrG2Kp3LIihx1jJa1yu1NAKHA5uhUsOIkIaTw9Ez3LraNVpqPO9fPMHdImF7Ng91Nr4n0QXyny_6pmHrtdY/s1600/the-end_f05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIzDWzAK0gYcSftyZA08GIqwA9x_XqI1xBx-WMUknVqd0JpR9jxC_uBqdawrG2Kp3LIihx1jJa1yu1NAKHA5uhUsOIkIaTw9Ez3LraNVpqPO9fPMHdImF7Ng91Nr4n0QXyny_6pmHrtdY/s1600/the-end_f05.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPADO_wtEzWLdgzpwaHmoeBXVWbyUKMYGFCo1RG3cbb0Y6nyJDDkPNKLCVR1V4PTmhyL0GXE3BPNsvMPke32jZooUuc8-mngYO7q_ggQCv_O_oOMbAhPyiV0PaRwhOrxEsODzeFMgVI-U/s1600/the-end_f06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPADO_wtEzWLdgzpwaHmoeBXVWbyUKMYGFCo1RG3cbb0Y6nyJDDkPNKLCVR1V4PTmhyL0GXE3BPNsvMPke32jZooUuc8-mngYO7q_ggQCv_O_oOMbAhPyiV0PaRwhOrxEsODzeFMgVI-U/s1600/the-end_f06.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Let the hate mail begin!!<br />
<br />
This is all true. Prophead has taken a new position as a library dork, and I'm moving out of the CMS world and more into project management.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I knew this day was coming. I've made my peace with leaving the web world; the lack of TFRLs since HighEdWeb sends a pretty clear message that it's pretty much done.<br />
<br />
I'm not really interested in someone taking over TFRL. If you have ideas for a comic or whatever, just do it! It doesn't need to be based on TFRL.<br />
<br />
I do want to say that you folks are wonderful and your support of TFRL has been nothing sort of amazing. I've felt very honored to know many of you and will miss the high ed web community dearly.<br />
<br />
Thanks for a wonderful experience; it's been worth every minute of it, and I wouldn't trade it for anything (except maybe large stacks of unmarked bills).Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-41990885436349612402010-10-08T08:30:00.000-07:002010-10-08T08:30:00.210-07:00All You Need is Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ34FuH9oFv442f32WLoeIo1mKZjhsbiqkHngUercQ5MmNVkYtHXBr9MvDg2P70SsTSBFRM1Q9oUEnRMp_L80sMx_tUFB0pUExlY7hoEmpXZg6hPm1bJYGweetFPAiMZ-_DEFNMhTrArE/s1600/site-delete_f01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ34FuH9oFv442f32WLoeIo1mKZjhsbiqkHngUercQ5MmNVkYtHXBr9MvDg2P70SsTSBFRM1Q9oUEnRMp_L80sMx_tUFB0pUExlY7hoEmpXZg6hPm1bJYGweetFPAiMZ-_DEFNMhTrArE/s640/site-delete_f01.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXuBJYF4-jvaSInRYi4aPWJhbIEOSneCiIXXYdKRX_6HBTGpV-3baZ_NgIn0JQ7BMgRM7gtevfBJl-AtMofhyphenhypheniy6B1ecb3xn71PQf0jZGZEih9dYRKFJU_XyJdQOAjjNK1OPf0BaMvy8/s1600/site-delete_f02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXuBJYF4-jvaSInRYi4aPWJhbIEOSneCiIXXYdKRX_6HBTGpV-3baZ_NgIn0JQ7BMgRM7gtevfBJl-AtMofhyphenhypheniy6B1ecb3xn71PQf0jZGZEih9dYRKFJU_XyJdQOAjjNK1OPf0BaMvy8/s640/site-delete_f02.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytGj2U1uHee3mmpNcE3PUosv4rupCSVN41c942yZ46GNCAP4FR_GCiinKA5f3x_hT9Rm9kN0RQF8s7KiUPtUBv0OEqvtT89vxGl8-HW6O6oTd9LXmTh0H-p-mU5fjO3oNWvpUDWcmWOo/s1600/site-delete_f03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytGj2U1uHee3mmpNcE3PUosv4rupCSVN41c942yZ46GNCAP4FR_GCiinKA5f3x_hT9Rm9kN0RQF8s7KiUPtUBv0OEqvtT89vxGl8-HW6O6oTd9LXmTh0H-p-mU5fjO3oNWvpUDWcmWOo/s640/site-delete_f03.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHY3LFaaq_azqiNWn7B8_CYVM8OMuGdc1OpacmDoFUyxPFV1Ny6WLHdgGQ-UbZzQaHfR55PFtlM6bjuWnmlnW85S3e5BTU1Kn1I3sBQf6vhnVBmmfkARSJSabaU7htA8l_L2QC5BNdGOk/s1600/site-delete_f04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHY3LFaaq_azqiNWn7B8_CYVM8OMuGdc1OpacmDoFUyxPFV1Ny6WLHdgGQ-UbZzQaHfR55PFtlM6bjuWnmlnW85S3e5BTU1Kn1I3sBQf6vhnVBmmfkARSJSabaU7htA8l_L2QC5BNdGOk/s640/site-delete_f04.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQg8bUN_furIqm2b74S79AWoX8RaGkTbufIGTxhSzWwxwD0x7YVooYjnRXKrAIVUU7oJIZ9_b8bTeu_5kTkHbX1gxxgaZO_Aj1sIyTK1BV1KS_Uex_IfV084T6DbceKJsqftNHRNzdEN0/s1600/site-delete_f05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQg8bUN_furIqm2b74S79AWoX8RaGkTbufIGTxhSzWwxwD0x7YVooYjnRXKrAIVUU7oJIZ9_b8bTeu_5kTkHbX1gxxgaZO_Aj1sIyTK1BV1KS_Uex_IfV084T6DbceKJsqftNHRNzdEN0/s640/site-delete_f05.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLHxX72spwauDf0EtPMAFvoJK2Km6q7ARyFuUKALsTmrQuQVyOWnVQ6JovCFII15lV1dWLSNbDITD-4wemAmGnAu55BE9nnWPRJDxTWU5b06Gbu3pWkbqRwDpdvj8kG8m9HkkVSRKGtI/s1600/site-delete_f06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifLHxX72spwauDf0EtPMAFvoJK2Km6q7ARyFuUKALsTmrQuQVyOWnVQ6JovCFII15lV1dWLSNbDITD-4wemAmGnAu55BE9nnWPRJDxTWU5b06Gbu3pWkbqRwDpdvj8kG8m9HkkVSRKGtI/s640/site-delete_f06.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiw9_1jk-n4_o97Pti8bulDnmEbuxREc-9ivb2z6i7pvaVHguSfT12rBq5b421YCgDnISqW09yIg-5rXsSdCg0B-DPXjuengGU0Cf4O_SWOSowUBUwwGpPX1AV5PZwk5b2QWZsLFgSPeY/s1600/site-delete_f07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiw9_1jk-n4_o97Pti8bulDnmEbuxREc-9ivb2z6i7pvaVHguSfT12rBq5b421YCgDnISqW09yIg-5rXsSdCg0B-DPXjuengGU0Cf4O_SWOSowUBUwwGpPX1AV5PZwk5b2QWZsLFgSPeY/s640/site-delete_f07.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Fortunately, this hasn't happened. Yet. However, I do have a couple of clients that I worry about. For them, having access to their site isn't too far off from giving them a sharp knife and telling them to run around campus as fast as they can. I worry that they will accidentally do something horrible to their site. So far, it hasn't happened, but it's inevitable.<br />
<br />
That's why, the sooner I can move to doing something else, something less dangerous, the better. On the Web, your mistakes (and the mistakes of people who then blame you) are very, very visible.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-37361322879612269532010-10-07T07:30:00.000-07:002010-10-07T07:30:00.449-07:00What Has Been Seen Cannot Be Unseen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDq1Zprq0zptlBaqgVA3VhCmrMNPrRK_6Gl3oTOEZlF5DQUqy94665aso6raPThI8uobRYNJKlc-1aXKhQheZ6iRH8Ty2FV7VB294o6a6HL5KTlyn8Lj8oISWNfVnmmq41bbjWHC_yl4/s1600/pr0n_f01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDq1Zprq0zptlBaqgVA3VhCmrMNPrRK_6Gl3oTOEZlF5DQUqy94665aso6raPThI8uobRYNJKlc-1aXKhQheZ6iRH8Ty2FV7VB294o6a6HL5KTlyn8Lj8oISWNfVnmmq41bbjWHC_yl4/s640/pr0n_f01.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdIjWQIS_o9VVJAczHHINHzUGrCOPptUCa_uaUtZLrpoXK69xZUPtMuhjr9ebO2lB40hqWXuUzlPnzfe9VO1q6KlZfZcDCB0CozYi7TN6LShcHdIJ5bu4b2PhzAjbbi98K6Ga4xC5vrA/s1600/pr0n_f02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdIjWQIS_o9VVJAczHHINHzUGrCOPptUCa_uaUtZLrpoXK69xZUPtMuhjr9ebO2lB40hqWXuUzlPnzfe9VO1q6KlZfZcDCB0CozYi7TN6LShcHdIJ5bu4b2PhzAjbbi98K6Ga4xC5vrA/s640/pr0n_f02.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKTgsDiAQ97GVt9yq2PmIoLjEXH5ecR2ZmNceN4TClH7op0CpDhhao8FgdG-zonuVUET_z6kywnlzlpHk6mUqi5WJim2Bq3tfsKrr5eZw-auCHU6tMpC4IuxQQoV43rRGbq22AZiWoe0/s1600/pr0n_f03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqKTgsDiAQ97GVt9yq2PmIoLjEXH5ecR2ZmNceN4TClH7op0CpDhhao8FgdG-zonuVUET_z6kywnlzlpHk6mUqi5WJim2Bq3tfsKrr5eZw-auCHU6tMpC4IuxQQoV43rRGbq22AZiWoe0/s640/pr0n_f03.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEnfHF_xX0ihJVBARfFeWwA-sxLGW4wDqmvqj5_P7tIF-5L4jb8fosHKTBVdt96HauaE8WIuh4ss8R1HzgUYhBoW9IRLSIzyUAxVHpmSpv-oGRGJT03_5FEe3vR6TBKb-1MpEcNRLec0/s1600/pr0n_f04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEnfHF_xX0ihJVBARfFeWwA-sxLGW4wDqmvqj5_P7tIF-5L4jb8fosHKTBVdt96HauaE8WIuh4ss8R1HzgUYhBoW9IRLSIzyUAxVHpmSpv-oGRGJT03_5FEe3vR6TBKb-1MpEcNRLec0/s640/pr0n_f04.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
Yeah, this really happened. And I blame Prophead.<br />
<br />
I was making a backup of the [REDACTED] department website before switching them to the WCMS, and I noticed a very large file go by with the name 'stuff.zip'. I commented on it to Prophead and he asked what was in it. I hadn't bothered to look, but once he asked, I opened it up - only to be confronted with about 20 short mpeg files of - ahem - "lesbian porn".<br />
<br />
Most of the videos were of pitifully low quality; I have much better stuff at home... I mean most of it was despicable and tasteless in the worst possible way. Not that I actually looked at any of it. Because I didn't. Not most of it anyway. Well, maybe a couple, but only to confirm that it was actually porn.<br />
<br />
I don't know who uploaded this file (I honestly didn't want to know), and it got wiped when we switched them to the WCMS, but really? Porn? In an academic department's website? Not cool. Not in real life.<br />
<br />
Seriously. I shouldn't have to deal with crap like that. Really.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-27097987546681816552010-10-06T07:35:00.000-07:002010-10-06T07:35:00.457-07:00Official TFRL HighEdWeb 2010 Session EndorsementsSeveral people have posted on the top ten sessions they want to attend at the <a href="http://2010.highedweb.org/">HighEdWeb 2010</a> conference coming up next week in Cincinnati. I thought this was a great idea until I saw that my session wasn't listed in any of these posts. ~o_~o<br />
<br />
But since it's also election season, I thought it only appropriate that the TFRL "editorial staff" should "endorse" the sessions it thinks are worth attending.<br />
<br />
Before I start, I'd like to apologize to all the people who aren't going to get mentioned in this post. It sucks to get ignored, but I blame HighEdWeb for having six concurrent tracks and forcing us to choose. Seriously though, these represent only the sessions I'm personally interested in. You are probably interested in better things than I am.<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Monday</b></span><br />
<br />
<b>APS1: <a href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=851a29a2-b15f-4145-b69a-d440f1437bd4">Hanging 10 in Google Wave</a></b><br />
Poor Robin Smail; Google nuked Wave after her presentation was accepted (sorry, but I did LOL). I have no real idea on what she will be presenting on instead, but I do know this: Whatever it is, it will be hilarious and will be full of Firefly/Serenity references. I'm going to this one strictly for the lulz!<br />
<br />
<b>SOC2: </b><a class="summary uid" href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=cb76c619-b63e-4c6e-b36d-1b23651d6ea3"><b>"Hella Drop Shadow": Presenting and Teaching in the Era of the Backchannel</b></a><br />
If you aren't familiar with the keynote backchannel revolt from last year's HighEdWeb conference, then "hella drop shadow" probably doesn't mean anything to you, but for those of us who were there, it was something of a transformative event; demonstrating the power and immediacy of the backchannel. I'm pegging this session to be both extremely informative and very fun.<br />
<br />
<b>MMP3: </b><a class="summary uid" href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=3381d8be-4aa8-4234-8bca-79562a045e72"><b>Managing Projects in Web Development</b></a><br />
OK, now we get down to serious business. Project management is probably where I'm headed, so this session is "relevant to my interests". I'm pretty sure that I know some of this already, but I'm also sure that I'll learn a lot as well.<br />
<br />
<b>MMP4: </b><a class="summary uid" href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=2cb5817c-4882-4374-9d6e-7756e50ea99e"><b>Navigating and Surviving a "Perfect Storm"</b></a><br />
Holy crap! This presentation sounds almost exactly like the presentation that I will be doing the following day! I think I have to go to this just so I can either a) incorporate all of their points into my presentation, or b) rebut all their points in my presentation. Mostly, I'm just curious about their experience in doing THE EXACT SAME THING WE DID.<br />
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<b>RED3: </b><a class="summary uid" href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=9b690de9-3aa7-4c2c-8a92-b4664d5cdc7d"><b>Maybe the Purpose of Our Redesign is Only to Serve as a Warning to Others</b></a><br />
I initially wrote down that I was going to see Mark Greenfield's <a class="summary uid" href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=06bd7d6f-e9ef-4f3c-beef-f94f8d37bc06">It's the End of the Web as We Know It Redux</a>, but then I realized that this was the Red Stapler track, and that I was going to be presenting next door. It's a bummer that you have to go to your own session. I've already seen my presentation like 3 times. Boooooring.<br />
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<b>XXX5: </b><br />
<b></b>I think I may sit this one out. No offense to anyone, but I tend to be pretty wiped after presenting, so I'll probably take a nap or go for a walk.<br />
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<b>MMP6: </b><a class="summary uid" href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=d84cccee-c4b7-4d6d-aad1-d2d15f0838fe"><b>Online Brand Development in a Decentralized World</b></a><br />
OK, I'm not a marketing person (All these higher ed web conferences seem to be lousy with marketing people... what ever happened to academics? #justsayin), but I really like the description of this presentation. I like hearing anything that has to do with "limited resources in a decentralized environment". I think that the information in this session will help me help our clients realize "that content and site structure are the keys to success". Sounds like good stuff.<br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Tuesday</span></b><br />
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<b>MMP7: </b><a class="summary uid" href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=58a4f056-5e89-465c-a21c-0bd7fce8c514"><b>10 Years In The Hole: A Possibly Cautionary Tale About Being A Higher Ed Web Geek</b></a><br />
OK, who can resist a session that has a title that pretty much sums up your entire higher education career? This is the session that I think may run away with the red stapler this year in the MMP track (I know for sure I'm not getting it), and I don't want to miss it!<br />
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<b>SOC8: </b><a class="summary uid" href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=6ee2943e-bf82-4fa3-a2f9-686aab3f51c8"><b>The Cluetrain Stops at Higher Ed, Will Anyone Take Delivery?</b></a><br />
I pity da fool that misses any Mark Greenfield presentation! Anything that Mark does is absolutely worth listening to, and this presentation, based on the Cluetrain Manifesto, promises to be a high water mark. To tell you what I think of Mark, if I could only attend one session at the conference, this would be the one. I'm just glad that my presentation is not up against his.<br />
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<b>MMP9: </b><a class="summary uid" href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=fc6fefe6-fe76-476d-8375-267c24ad495d"><b>Confessions From a Wicked Vendor (or What I Learned in My First Year on the Other Side of Higher Ed)</b></a><br />
OK, let me start off with a disclaimer: Karlyn Morisette, the presenter of this session, is getting a tattoo of TFRL characters at the conference. So it's clear that she's completely psychotic and unstable and probably on meth. Her presentation is a personal story of her experience as a vendor. Job-wise, it doesn't have a lot of relevance to me. But let me clue you in on something: personal stories are what people like to hear because we connect with them as people. I like sessions that are personal stories because I feel that I get to connect with the presenter. Aside from the tattoo and the fact that she's seriously smart, that's why I'm going to this session.<br />
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<b>TNT10: </b><a class="summary uid" href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=01f845de-5661-4730-a4ea-2caa3d4efec0"><b>Got Centerpiece? So Does Everyone Else</b></a><b> or...</b><br />
<b>MMP10: </b><a class="summary uid" href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=4353aa36-2872-4e0b-90bd-80bfa0ece83b"><b>Dirty Secrets of Web Directors</b></a><br />
OK, this one is a tough call. On the one hand, I want to bring my vuvuzela to Michael Fienen's presentation on centerpieces (hey, we have a centerpiece too!!), and on the other hand I really want to hear what Nick, Chas and Matt have to say about issues facing web directors. I haven't yet decided, but I do know that I can be bribed.<br />
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<b>MMP11: </b><a class="summary uid" href="http://2010.highedweb.org/EventDetail.aspx?guid=58d7ddef-71ca-49f3-bcef-904e1a9547f3"><b>Behind the Green Door: Life on the Other Side of a Homepage Redesign</b></a><br />
The only reason I'm attending this session is because I'm presenting it. While a part of my brain says "your presentation is fine" another part worries that it's total crap. However, my presentation will have cameo appearances by the Three Stooges, John Belushi, Peter Gibbons (think "Initech"), Approval Guy, The Incredible Hulk, a bunch of baboons, Billy Mays, Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Fonz, David Hasselhoff, Stephen Colbert, Sarah Palin, and the Kool-Aid guy. Oh, and Chuck Norris (but that goes without saying).<br />
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So that's our endorsements for this year. Remember to attend early and often. I'm looking forward to seeing EVERYONE next week in Cincinnati! I can't wait!Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-41240578648097115262010-10-05T07:30:00.000-07:002010-10-05T07:30:01.367-07:00Wellcome to Are Sight; We Hope U Liek It!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiio0f6wp7i_BbytndynrxT05_IYkqz2Od1rPvbQ3-DhA2nBLvFA0jePa9WGRK9VrWij9V-hQUNovHGFYNolog7qWh9cbkdsFRotlErjS0LRE-0WLolJOqkIR1utQ2Wp5qYTezA0Youh8s/s1600/typos_f01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiio0f6wp7i_BbytndynrxT05_IYkqz2Od1rPvbQ3-DhA2nBLvFA0jePa9WGRK9VrWij9V-hQUNovHGFYNolog7qWh9cbkdsFRotlErjS0LRE-0WLolJOqkIR1utQ2Wp5qYTezA0Youh8s/s640/typos_f01.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaMn-qYP4qOEHskbOv7YuTHcu2EsFOnDQw6sCnvT558pWdGMVBQZ5pEFnCUcglgjKWX9tBwFag5xgvVkjkNPbkvgk7iIAF11MTzO9fgdoVLOAMHhpju5XUlu3q4wR9xhniIF3VNQMgOk/s1600/typos_f02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaMn-qYP4qOEHskbOv7YuTHcu2EsFOnDQw6sCnvT558pWdGMVBQZ5pEFnCUcglgjKWX9tBwFag5xgvVkjkNPbkvgk7iIAF11MTzO9fgdoVLOAMHhpju5XUlu3q4wR9xhniIF3VNQMgOk/s640/typos_f02.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAfZrnoyzudVfzfsoGFUadCQPm7hFUSxrN8IGm9EHTGG7pkfCB6XPVU7CYVgV_YW4tztlwYi1YqqTp1USe5oA34kc8qrj7lFCoOI4cjNA_XEd8FJ-EGxL9_X0wL-4RNlgodfuocq4bOc/s1600/typos_f03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAfZrnoyzudVfzfsoGFUadCQPm7hFUSxrN8IGm9EHTGG7pkfCB6XPVU7CYVgV_YW4tztlwYi1YqqTp1USe5oA34kc8qrj7lFCoOI4cjNA_XEd8FJ-EGxL9_X0wL-4RNlgodfuocq4bOc/s640/typos_f03.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34IYkE_rcVntUwvq3HqfPdfT8k5gLxBfZhr9adZDxehgVhFNJeNwTbPm1gZxSpTlwn8iqyqRa_IRLwDQPVYAYa90891AniPeYOSSx64DvbjHy2aMxLjQMIv8BHqgPnVFB_wGu1tX4cLk/s1600/typos_f04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh34IYkE_rcVntUwvq3HqfPdfT8k5gLxBfZhr9adZDxehgVhFNJeNwTbPm1gZxSpTlwn8iqyqRa_IRLwDQPVYAYa90891AniPeYOSSx64DvbjHy2aMxLjQMIv8BHqgPnVFB_wGu1tX4cLk/s640/typos_f04.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I'm sure this has happened; probably a bunch of times. But I'm not a content guy. Other than porn (see Thursday's upcoming TFRL), I really don't care what people put on their sites. That isn't my particular problem, and I pay very little attention to what people send us for content. I have enough problems without worrying that faculty members with multiple graduate degrees can't spell or put together a complete sentence.<br />
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And we have a very decentralized approach to content on our site anyway. It's called "every man for himself". In other words, departments are pretty much on their own when it comes to content, unless they want to pay money to get help - which is rare.<br />
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BTW, we have neither a "Physeology" nor a Physiology department on our campus, so I can't get in trouble for that. And depending on your stylistic rules, there might be 17 errors in that short paragraph.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-5514067088934588992010-10-04T07:35:00.000-07:002010-10-04T07:35:00.543-07:00There's No Place Like Home... There's No Place Like Home...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52yZHkq53D8XxVI0FBKqay-E1StdolmWBXX7RXjvzs15yJWLrwUSUktXuTfntyQq4VrezksgrKHv0S00OF2cQD7rzQIYnK2aaeJwao5SD5l08CyLehWT4Z06jgzufhtVDbHvFWb_BmBs/s1600/fingerpoints9_f01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52yZHkq53D8XxVI0FBKqay-E1StdolmWBXX7RXjvzs15yJWLrwUSUktXuTfntyQq4VrezksgrKHv0S00OF2cQD7rzQIYnK2aaeJwao5SD5l08CyLehWT4Z06jgzufhtVDbHvFWb_BmBs/s640/fingerpoints9_f01.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWTKULpeJrIAk5CnDhho5Jlrq-D0aJ8-wmCclynIqnZoD0BDqnzwlreiZeHr9xQ4fNhRLnbic9EziSh1dNPE5OevrFbO3-CBWoUEZALi5SfVDH69RBRpVQMWj1krJGJ3W5WbEloPzxiQ/s1600/fingerpoints9_f02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWTKULpeJrIAk5CnDhho5Jlrq-D0aJ8-wmCclynIqnZoD0BDqnzwlreiZeHr9xQ4fNhRLnbic9EziSh1dNPE5OevrFbO3-CBWoUEZALi5SfVDH69RBRpVQMWj1krJGJ3W5WbEloPzxiQ/s640/fingerpoints9_f02.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3pFrRgX26eOabJk3M1pl8TAQlz4Kfd1fDEB0SIlj15sIir6vdJM9FOMuFcOsMWdlbIkwRvv4LobeWoSMRD3uT4QvBHpQu_qGOIbf9U5ZQokgLZRQCUn34eZzVsu28HIBJCPjn_1exwA/s1600/fingerpoints9_f03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3pFrRgX26eOabJk3M1pl8TAQlz4Kfd1fDEB0SIlj15sIir6vdJM9FOMuFcOsMWdlbIkwRvv4LobeWoSMRD3uT4QvBHpQu_qGOIbf9U5ZQokgLZRQCUn34eZzVsu28HIBJCPjn_1exwA/s640/fingerpoints9_f03.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45UfQxyj4Zjb1_xk0YUH59LIrzxUukKr7eojui3eww0p4YIpcF34Yaaca_y4AbEM6iYnILzNhZXxpjFclewUbZucUJ3jOcsgo2dbMi3rDRsCSA77TabXng35bi7FSMVTHkIfkhmzOxXw/s1600/fingerpoints9_f04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45UfQxyj4Zjb1_xk0YUH59LIrzxUukKr7eojui3eww0p4YIpcF34Yaaca_y4AbEM6iYnILzNhZXxpjFclewUbZucUJ3jOcsgo2dbMi3rDRsCSA77TabXng35bi7FSMVTHkIfkhmzOxXw/s640/fingerpoints9_f04.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzml56aBhFYcSfjT-UKwqyIhWa6hvi3_Bih9epFc7G7NqORUuDc8dtkdAh4AffbOS4nbnl5BcRgVMPr2xHFax4CBNOIGj99xZw5xq1Uyk_nQ2O6BFt220opQQ65ctCAFXhqEtGkKbM8MU/s1600/fingerpoints9_f05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzml56aBhFYcSfjT-UKwqyIhWa6hvi3_Bih9epFc7G7NqORUuDc8dtkdAh4AffbOS4nbnl5BcRgVMPr2xHFax4CBNOIGj99xZw5xq1Uyk_nQ2O6BFt220opQQ65ctCAFXhqEtGkKbM8MU/s640/fingerpoints9_f05.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXCfeVPMOhH9gCaqsdx1tVJ4NsQFrJPfH8BdnCBWnoKl4SkzFaA4L9thvvbUi98xzAykzahhGJNOxMGlj6lIo1b5vDWX7GukfK_vUFBhrloe3N5wxjurUHWGzIBFHD6cmrI_mpd-nSAw/s1600/fingerpoints9_f06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkXCfeVPMOhH9gCaqsdx1tVJ4NsQFrJPfH8BdnCBWnoKl4SkzFaA4L9thvvbUi98xzAykzahhGJNOxMGlj6lIo1b5vDWX7GukfK_vUFBhrloe3N5wxjurUHWGzIBFHD6cmrI_mpd-nSAw/s640/fingerpoints9_f06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
OK, now we're back to reality. This really happened. And I have to apologize to a co-worker and former minion for using it, but honestly it was just too funny to pass up.<br />
<br />
Honestly, if I stop doing Web support, I'll miss things like this. I think.Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5734853221002863010.post-90443497608511395442010-09-30T07:34:00.000-07:002010-09-30T07:34:00.445-07:00I've Seen the End... We Don't Get Nice Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIW9cUYuYuE7fVAXzFvs5z_ky_JP7hR_lGkR6SRliNtt6t0_95cyBd8yX0v8rIzzA7n2IPR1lGquGnVaUJyLeAizuI4RC9zUMiH2ZuPypSTKY9QDvaoiKl4pkI_SHT7FEvA40OSDUao8/s1600/fingerprints8_f01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGIW9cUYuYuE7fVAXzFvs5z_ky_JP7hR_lGkR6SRliNtt6t0_95cyBd8yX0v8rIzzA7n2IPR1lGquGnVaUJyLeAizuI4RC9zUMiH2ZuPypSTKY9QDvaoiKl4pkI_SHT7FEvA40OSDUao8/s640/fingerprints8_f01.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9GMaMtD66GsUoXwEveKZ47GvkqqmfsvRvIwpw_P0Ag4FQYIycpat5ByUVK9kOoR26L1rGrvpiSLzXzd5V5cDREerYmd5EVxNJUXrh3peS0rslolZslTMKhtmIvRQTjEmFWRarNj50sE/s1600/fingerprints8_f02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9GMaMtD66GsUoXwEveKZ47GvkqqmfsvRvIwpw_P0Ag4FQYIycpat5ByUVK9kOoR26L1rGrvpiSLzXzd5V5cDREerYmd5EVxNJUXrh3peS0rslolZslTMKhtmIvRQTjEmFWRarNj50sE/s640/fingerprints8_f02.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hbuBJ_5ECbTlouG1EqSEPQhCAeKZGjWJV9fq5V0UJYK_MB6ULf0dz88WW2S6tk7UAFRcw6Nfr4D1_DRsYeULhTtFxvGQYB-B-ffqSIu8zhG_LfaNQYQMeTBVHplZZTZCsPpOiLoHoZo/s1600/fingerprints8_f03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hbuBJ_5ECbTlouG1EqSEPQhCAeKZGjWJV9fq5V0UJYK_MB6ULf0dz88WW2S6tk7UAFRcw6Nfr4D1_DRsYeULhTtFxvGQYB-B-ffqSIu8zhG_LfaNQYQMeTBVHplZZTZCsPpOiLoHoZo/s640/fingerprints8_f03.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDIklG5aPLrsjVAOJ3PF7oGkK-qALZmma-32p2n9VUOOpZPG4neuFxk-TCp8n5_2e0fytgD8jkHkyNWtzE1wqTH0u9B7wajME2pdjjsu8ZihlxgJs2vFL2Ae0MoSrgjOSlY5NzundVK0/s1600/fingerprints8_f04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDIklG5aPLrsjVAOJ3PF7oGkK-qALZmma-32p2n9VUOOpZPG4neuFxk-TCp8n5_2e0fytgD8jkHkyNWtzE1wqTH0u9B7wajME2pdjjsu8ZihlxgJs2vFL2Ae0MoSrgjOSlY5NzundVK0/s640/fingerprints8_f04.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FJQnaiKz8Tje07GCwER2yXMR_b-pH6qW3W7XOajeZ6H_hqfKJ2K-qzZ6FC6Yhl_RgNArY8TJL-x4sbZ7xEnhKtM_jlcEkrEPZ5chOsTChjxARvzCgbRAKC9qBSNWvBZ76lXscZ0J6XQ/s1600/fingerprints8_f05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-FJQnaiKz8Tje07GCwER2yXMR_b-pH6qW3W7XOajeZ6H_hqfKJ2K-qzZ6FC6Yhl_RgNArY8TJL-x4sbZ7xEnhKtM_jlcEkrEPZ5chOsTChjxARvzCgbRAKC9qBSNWvBZ76lXscZ0J6XQ/s640/fingerprints8_f05.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCX6gnzZBgeIReEuyuDnbDS-XxhynbDa7lB2K_J8HyzOV8TpiwWzRbP1bGwsTIQrD4CPry_WPEqb5czTgRysRAJINzgnpuMzKmQtEwr8jQXfmUyHtTGVa8Kx96EMp3a6Ck7ICyaFuHIk/s1600/fingerprints8_f06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCX6gnzZBgeIReEuyuDnbDS-XxhynbDa7lB2K_J8HyzOV8TpiwWzRbP1bGwsTIQrD4CPry_WPEqb5czTgRysRAJINzgnpuMzKmQtEwr8jQXfmUyHtTGVa8Kx96EMp3a6Ck7ICyaFuHIk/s640/fingerprints8_f06.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjG6TrK6v6O1_DA2Xc0D_88mg5pSVuDMErFqfvrbdwLUyphdVMHEYbhesRDzJYXGihiS28lgkIpxAnRecsanO3OIapS86pbHrSTDNOO0En2p_T1r4jis3iPYB7X76VTC6XVo0vKiIEOGY/s1600/fingerprints8_f07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjG6TrK6v6O1_DA2Xc0D_88mg5pSVuDMErFqfvrbdwLUyphdVMHEYbhesRDzJYXGihiS28lgkIpxAnRecsanO3OIapS86pbHrSTDNOO0En2p_T1r4jis3iPYB7X76VTC6XVo0vKiIEOGY/s640/fingerprints8_f07.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
OK, my boss must be wondering about my sanity and stability right about now, but this is just a fantasy of a project gone horribly wrong. Now, I would be lying if I said I'd never been in meetings like this before, but not recently.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, most of our meetings are quite civil. Maybe not any more productive than this, but certainly civil.<br />
<br />
<b>Disclaimers: </b><br />
<ul><li>I've never worn or even contemplated wearing a bomb belt to a meeting.</li>
<li>I've never brought a loaded weapon on campus, nor considered using one on inanimate hardware.</li>
<li>I have never successfully bribed another employee to do something that I couldn't talk them into doing some other way. And if I were to try bribing Prophead, I would use wine, not cash.</li>
</ul>Tony Dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00985905348392153143noreply@blogger.com1