Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:44:55 -0500 http://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf http://www.controlscaddy.com http://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/2/CBYE-635UUQ/$FILE/caddybanner.jpg http://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-823LGMOne of the great things about being on distribution lists for press releases is that you occasionally get early access to ads that are going to be on television in the near future. Surprisingly, Apple is being a little more open and is allowing these ads to ...iPhoneChristopher Byrnehttp://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-823LGMOne of the great things about being on distribution lists for press releases is that you occasionally get early access to ads that are going to be on television in the near future. Surprisingly, Apple is being a little more open and is allowing these ads to be embedded in web sites. Since so many of my colleagues and friends love the iPhone and its apps, I thought it would be fun to share them here (I normally do not embed videos). Enjoy!]]>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:44:55 -0500http://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7ZWJR5Apparently, a few people that read "A New Career and a Hiccup" thought it meant I had changed careers recently. Yes, I am currently between situations and am actively seeking/welcoming new challenges and opportunities. But that post, along with ...About MeChristopher Byrnehttp://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7ZWJR5Apparently, a few people that read "A New Career and a Hiccup" thought it meant I had changed careers recently. Yes, I am currently between situations and am actively seeking/welcoming new challenges and opportunities. But that post, along with "How I First Got Into Government Procurement", is part of a series where I am sharing what my first career out of school was, and how it led to new and exciting opportunities.

That being said, if you know of any opportunities out there, please don't be shy. Feel free to drop me a line and let me know. ]]>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:16:10 -0500http://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7ZWJLPI just wanted to remind readers from the IBM Lotus Software community that this is the last day to follow the live feed of Lotusphere 2010 Tweets and Blogs. It will, of course, be up there forever (well as long as the blog exists) as an archive. But ...Lotusphere 2010Christopher Byrnehttp://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7ZWJLPI just wanted to remind readers from the IBM Lotus Software community that this is the last day to follow the live feed of Lotusphere 2010 Tweets and Blogs. It will, of course, be up there forever (well as long as the blog exists) as an archive. But that is just not as much fun as following it live.

It is being powered by CoverItLive!, a easy to integrate and use tool that I am surprised more Lotusphere attendees, are not using for their live blogs. ]]>Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:09:00 -0500http://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7ZVHYHContinuing on from part one of this story from yesterday, I made the eight or so hour drive back to Ohio from our nation's capital wondering what if anything would come from the prior two days of interviews.When I got into the office on Wednesday morning, ...About MeChristopher Byrnehttp://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7ZVHYHContinuing on from part one of this story from yesterday, I made the eight or so hour drive back to Ohio from our nation's capital wondering what if anything would come from the prior two days of interviews.

When I got into the office on Wednesday morning, there were was a message for me from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). I called them back and they said they wanted to hire me into their internship/training program. Shortly after, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) called me with the same offer.

It was at this point I learned of the importance of being creative and finding solutions in spite of seemingly impossible odds, a skill which served me well in my procurement, and information technology consulting, career.

]]>Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:36:46 -0500http://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7ZV6FJSometimes when I talk to friends and colleagues, they are surprised when they find out that I started out my working life as a negotiator/buyer for the federal government. Invariably, they ask how I got into that field and what kinds of things I did in that ...About MeChristopher Byrnehttp://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7ZV6FJSometimes when I talk to friends and colleagues, they are surprised when they find out that I started out my working life as a negotiator/buyer for the federal government. Invariably, they ask how I got into that field and what kinds of things I did in that job. The short answer is that the day to day work might definitely make your eyes glaze over. But since I have to put this information together now for a number of reasons, I thought it might be a fun story to share. So with that in mind, let's get started.

In the 1986-1987 time frame, I began an internship with what was called the Ohio Procurement Technical Assistance Program under the Ohio Department of Development. As one of two people in the office, I underwent a crash on-the-job course in learning how small businesses could do business with the federal government. This knowledge was gathered and learned while writing the Ohio Procurement Technical Assistance Handbook, which became the primary reference document distributed by this office.

]]>Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:46:21 -0500http://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7ZQUY5If you are like me and cannot make it to Lotusphere 2010 next week, you probably want to follow the tweets in one place that will be archived. So I set up this on-going CoverItLive! meeting to do so. Enjoy! Lotusphere 2010 Tweets 24/7 ...Lotusphere 2010Christopher Byrnehttp://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7ZQUY5If you are like me and cannot make it to Lotusphere 2010 next week, you probably want to follow the tweets in one place that will be archived. So I set up this on-going CoverItLive! meeting to do so. Enjoy!

]]>Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:59:20 -0500http://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7YR62VThe Cayuga Group, LLC, the publisher of Eye on Sports Media and The Business Controls Caddy, is pleased to announce the availability of our first Sports Media Best Practices Whitepaper. Although mainly targeted to the sports media community, the ...White PapersChristopher Byrnehttp://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7YR62VThe Cayuga Group, LLC, the publisher of Eye on Sports Media and The Business Controls Caddy, is pleased to announce the availability of our first Sports Media Best Practices Whitepaper. Although mainly targeted to the sports media community, the discussions are relevant to all web sites.

Here is summary information on the document, followed by a link where you can request a free copy.

Addressing Web Site Design Issues Related to Hardware Technology Changes and Advanced Web Development Implementation




Length: 8 pages
Document Number: TCG-WPEOSM-1209001

Document Summary

Advanced web design techniques that utilize JavaScript and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) enable data providers to develop innovative data presentation options.
However, with CRT monitors being replaced by newer technologies, as well as a shift in display formatting to match high-definition television display ratios, web sites designed and optimized for older display ratios may not function as intended.

This White Paper will look at a specific example of how the navigation design of a specific web site does not function very well using cascading style sheets, making the site difficult for end users to navigate. We will then discuss two alternatives to the data presentation technique that will satisfy all visitors to the web site.

For the purposes of this discussion, the name of the company facing this real world scenario is being changed to “ACME Sports Information Company” (ACME).

Price: Free

If you would like to request a free copy of this document, you may do so with this request form (opens in a new browser window).

For their review and feedback, I would like to give a shoutout and special thanks to Chris Pika of WNST's Blog and Tackle , Danhiel Baker, and Thomas "Duffbert" Duff from the IBM Lotus Software community. ]]>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:26:07 -0500http://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7Y6NSTAs I sit down for Thanksgiving with my family this year, I am reminded to be thankful for what we have right now, for the fact that we are still on our feet eight months after the elimination of job. I am thankful for all my friends and colleagues who ...GeneralChristopher Byrnehttp://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7Y6NSTAs I sit down for Thanksgiving with my family this year, I am reminded to be thankful for what we have right now, for the fact that we are still on our feet eight months after the elimination of job.

I am thankful for all my friends and colleagues who have offered support and encouragement to keep me from falling into a deep funk. I am thankful for the customers who are able to send me occasional work when needed. Without them, I do not know where I, and my family, would be right now.

And I am forever thankful for my family, who are toughing it out with me, even though I know I am not always at my best 24-7 as I continue to find that elusive full time job in this horrid economy. I know there are others in far worse predicaments right now, so I am grateful for what we have at the present.

This time has given me pause for thought and possible reinvention as I try to adapt to the economic realities of our times. It is not easy, but with the support mentioned above, it would be impossible.

God bless! ]]>Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:43:37 -0500http://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7XVRNC I received my "Dear John" letters from the Lotusphere powers that be today. Alas, with only 36 slots open and over 400 abstracts submitted I did not make the cut this year. This means that there is no way I will be making it down to Orlando ...Training SeriesChristopher Byrnehttp://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7XVRNC
I received my "Dear John" letters from the Lotusphere powers that be today. Alas, with only 36 slots open and over 400 abstracts submitted I did not make the cut this year. This means that there is no way I will be making it down to Orlando this January.

Knowing this was a possibility, I have been toying with the idea of going ahead and presenting the content as webcasts. Here are the abstracts for the presentations. Tell me if you or someone you know might be interested in them. And should they be free or would it be worthwhile to you or others to pay a nominal fee of $15-20 to attend each? The Application  Development sessions will be deep dive and longer than 50 minutes. Perhaps those of you not attending Lotusphere would be able to get your bosses to cover the cost as a training expense.

And to be perfectly blunt, I ask this in the context as the job market is still pretty bleak out there and I am trying to come up with creative ways to earn a living. ]]>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:10:04 -0500http://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7XNLSL In the latest installment of the "Sports Media Best Practices" series over on Eye on Sports Media, I take a look at how SportsIllustrated.com uses AJAX (or something similar) to display basketball scores. The catch is that they may have ...Best Practices - CodingChristopher Byrnehttp://www.controlscaddy.com/A55A69/bccaddyblog.nsf/plinks/CBYE-7XNLSL

In the latest installment of the "Sports Media Best Practices" series over on Eye on Sports Media, I take a look at how SportsIllustrated.com uses AJAX (or something similar) to display basketball scores. The catch is that they may have missed an important use case, or did not catch something in testing. As such, the use of AJAX has backfired somewhat.

In the article I ask this about the error:

Is this by design, or a coding oversight? If the former, you need to ask why that approach was taken. If the latter, you have to ask if they did not think through this particular use case, or they just did not do thorough testing.

This is not to say this type thing does not happen a lot. It happens to all developers, including me. You might think you have every angle covered, but your end users will always find something you did not think of in your design, development, and testing.

This of course, has applicability to all web developers.

You can read the full article here. ]]>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:00:53 -0500