A Tale of Two Knights – Part 1

I haven’t written about this before and it is still an ongoing story, but it may be of interest. I’ll weakly disguise the names of the parties to protect the innocent … and to make a pretense of keeping proprietary information.
“Once upon a time, there was a Land of Pharmaceutical Regulatory Compliance where the good Citizens labored to meet the demands of the Federal Directorate Administration. The FDA had decreed to those good Citizens of the Land that they should document all matters of importance in great detail – which they did. But to ensure that the Citizens did as they were bade, the FDA required of the citizens that they should send their document for review, or at least keep them very carefully until an FDA Sheriff should come and perform an on-site inspection and ask to see some manner of obscure but nonetheless required document.
Although the good citizens labored hard, their lives became increasingly difficult as more and more documents were penned, and as the Sheriffs demanded ever more detailed evidence that a given document was the very latest, authoritative version and not some copy or horrors, even an outdated or altered copy.
And so it was, that one day, into the fair Land came two heroes, one being the newly knighted Sir D’dumb and the other gallant Sir O’desta. Each of these good knights promised to help the faithful Citizens of the Land – not as you might think by slaying the FDA as if it was a dragon, for though it was demanding, the FDA had the ultimate good in mind. Rather the knights offered to provide to the citizens some mighty software tools and other devices for the management of documents. But each knight offered something different and the Citizens had need of only one. So after much debate and discussion among them, it was resolved to hold a Tournament to determine which knight’s offering would be selected.
The two knights strove mightily, but at the end it was decided by the closest of margins that Sir D’dumb had carried the day. And so it was that Sir O’desta quit the field and rode off to seek his fortunes elsewhere and Sir D’dumb was hailed by all.
Over time, while Sir D’dumb’s offering was used by many, it was found to be quite demanding, requiring much honing before first use, and frequent polishing to keep its shine. These efforts required that many of the Citizens apprentice in Maintenance and Administration, and yet still there was much work for traveling craftsmen of the Consultancy Guild. But the Citizens did not much complain since their lot in life was improved and there was naught else to be had.
But what of the good knight Sir O’desta you ask? Well, he traveled near and far, and over time was befriended by Sir O’Text. And so it was when Sir O’desta decided it was time to retire, he bequeathed all his worldly goods to Sir O’Text who was enriched thereby – which was fortunate indeed for Sir O’Text had many tournaments with the likes of Sir Scrapernet and Sir Whistlingbird.
Beside his great strength in arms, Sir O’Text was also adept in the study of Arts and various Magicks, becoming knowledgeable in the Ways of the Wise Web and the ceremonies of Collaboration.
As time passed, disturbing tales began to reach Sir O’Text’s ears of the increasing labors of the good Citizens of the Land so he rode forth to see if these tales were true. On reaching the Land, some Citizens came forth and told him that though they still used Sir D’dumb’s offering, it pained them and they sought relief. But many other Citizens would hear naught said against Sir D’dumb, for they claimed he had helped them much and indeed still ensured that they had good and steady employ. But as with the way of children all over, the young Citizens sought something new and better and they were much heartened to hear what Sir O’Text had to offer and many subsequently started to use it.
At first Sir D’dumb did little, for in truth over the years he had put on a few pounds and become complacent, saying: “My offering is the one and only true document management offering, and all else fails in comparison.” But after a while he began to become concerned and soon resolved to become wise in the ways of collaboration, purchasing at great expense a special Room of Ease, but alas this did little to help because when he was in the Room he had little connection with the doings of document management. So after a while he resolved to form a powerful alliance and soon pledged his allegiance to the Earl of McVault who had made his wealth in vaults and other stores.
Meanwhile Sir O’Text continued to find followers in the Land and was joined in his efforts Sir Xos."
…to be continued

Technology Saved the Day – I Hope

This week I’ve been at the Drug Information Association (DIA) Annual General Meeting in Washington, DC. The meeting ran from Sunday evening to Thursday lunch. Besides attending some of the sessions, helping to answer questions at the Open Text booth, and talking to reporters about the SAFE initiative, I also chaired and presented at a session. There was one little problem: while that session was originally scheduled for Tuesday it was moved to Monday from 1:30 to 3:00pm. And the reason that was a problem was because York University decided to schedule Karina’s Honours B.A. graduation at 7:00pm on the same Monday. Try as I might I could not find a way to travel from Washington to Toronto and then on to York in the intervening four hours – the airline schedules just didn’t jive. Lindy felt that I should cancel my DIA session to attend; I considered it, but since I had invited Ruedi Blattmann from Switzerland to present I wasn’t too comfortable doing that.
Fortunately technology came to the rescue. Coincidentally Karina sent me a link to an article about a honourary degree being presented by York University to Dr. Tak Mak – someone I worked with about a decade ago. In the article it mentioned that the variousw Spring convocation ceremonies would be broadcast live by streaming video!! Yeah!
I watched part of an archived convocation – it wasn’t bad. I was to stay at a Marriott-Courtyard in Washington and they usually have free high-speed Internet access in their rooms. I talked to Karina to see if she was OK with me attending virtually – and bless her, she said she was. I arranged that she should have her cell phone on so that I could call her right after the convocation. It sounded like a plan.
On Monday, while the rest of the Open Text staff went out to dinner, I went back to my room and connected to the Internet. Precisely at 7:00pm the video stream started. The picture was fairly good and the sound excellent. I listened to the opening speeches and the awarding of a honourary degree. Then they started on the graduate students… disaster. There was a problem with the sound – it appeared that the wrong microphone was connected – I could barely hear the people names as they came to the stage. And with their big, floppy red hats I couldn’t see their faces. But after about ten minutes the sound was fixed and clear. Then when the undergraduates started to come onstage, it was clear that they weren’t wearing the same hats and their faces would be visible. Phew!
But one problem remained: as an almost endless procession of undergraduates came forward in the different programs, occasionally the director decided to switch to a camera giving a panoramic view of the hall, so you couldn’t see one or two candidates before the view switched back. Fingers crossed it wouldn’t happen when Karina came up!
Finally we got to the Honours Humanities graduates, and right at the end Karina’s name was called, together wit the fact she was receiving the degree Summa Cum Laude, and she came up to receive her degree; I could clearly see her face – but then the camera view switched to the panoramic view. But I had seen her and I yelled, “Yeah Karina” in my hotel room.
Right after the ceremonies I was able congratulate her by phone; at that point she hadn’t even met up with Marc, Lindy and Lindy’s parents, so I go the first word in.
When I talked to Lindy later it turned out that she had sat near the back of the Hall with Marc and that the best view they had was via a large monitor that was showing exactly what I saw!
So with a few close calls it worked out. It’s not the same as being there, but its much, much better than missing everything.

Of Wheelchairs and Geese

Driving back from the airport on Monday night, I heard a repeated splatter sound as bugs hit the windshield of my car in the dark; I reflected on how long it had taken these insects to grow and metamorphose, only to be smashed in an instant as I headed home in two tons of steel, glass and plastic. Fortunately the Canada geese that suddenly appeared in my headlights decided to stay where they were as I flashed by. It made me think back to the morning when a man in an electric wheelchair came racing down the hotel hallway to enter the same elevator as me. On the ground floor he neatly reversed out of the elevator, using the back wall mirror to see behind him, raced through the hallway and came to a fast halt at the restaurant. And also to the shuttle bus driver whipping around to pick up passengers, but when he climbed out of the bus he had trouble walking because he was grossly obese.

Fairy Lights

I’m lucky – not too much keeps me awake at night and I usually fall asleep within about five minutes of going to bed. While psychologists say that is a sign of sleep deprivation, I also wake up in the morning automatically and feel refreshed, so I don’t agree.
Nevertheless, there are times when I do wake in the middle of the night and walk through the darkened house as others sleep. Nowadays it’s pretty easy to do so without risk – besides having a large (18’ x18’) skylight over our central courtyard in New House, there are literally dozens of little lights on in the house.
Warning: This is one of those musings when I remember the past and compare it to the present.
I remember when there were only a few lights in a darkened house at night. Televisions and radios used to glow because there was always some current going through the vacuum tubes/valves to keep them warm; the glow came from the vents at the back. And some clocks had subtle lighting. Interestingly the shade of light was warm, and the devices hummed and were themselves warm. Even night lights, which had to be turned on manually and used a white Christmas light bulbs were warm-ish. Then there were gas appliances which had a permanent dancing pilot flame – almost invisible in the day but one of the few beacons in the dark
Fast forward to today: tiny points of coloured light and ghost writings in the air. Little green diodes announce whether we plan to have toast or bagel, and if we like our ice crushed or cubed. A red diode to say sound is set to surround – is there any other way? Innumerable things have power – I’m not sure where they got it from – me perhaps when I decided that we need more than more than two of every breed: phones, VCRs, DVDs, stereos, printers, computers, etc. And all over the house clocks in shades of green, white and amber argue about the exact time. Little red numbers tell you which window is open – if you can match number to window. Several computers and hubs flicker to announce they are talking on the Internet – probably about me – even though they are supposed to be off. Even the mice glow red from below – but they never scamper or dash to hide as I appear.
I must admit though, that for a gadget-rich house we are a little behind the times: we don’t seem to have anything in the latest blue and indigo shades. Perhaps I’m slipping? The first cheap commercial diodes were red, and then it became possible to make cheap green, now it is the turn of blue. A gadget shows its age by its night colour. But since you can make all colours from RGB soon we’ll have hybrids – pink, violet or yellow anyone?
Speaking of cost, diodes and electroluminescent displays use minute amounts of power, so most are permanently on. We did switch to night lights that turn themselves off in the day to save energy – the trouble is that they seem to have a half-life of two months so the set that I bought at Home Depot on sale are mostly shot. I think the net cost is probably an order of magnitude greater than if I’d bought ones that stay on all the time.
But what of the house of the future? It’ll probably turn on lights as I enter a room to my preferred level, provided no one is sleeping in that room and that the light will not enter the room where someone is sleeping, i.e. lights on only after I’ve closed a dividing door (i.e. IF THEN). Perhaps that’s the key to predicting the near term – things that could be done today, but with more logical controls than are currently cost-effective. The windows may be opaqued, but frankly I find those ugly, so I’ll wait for ones that display a scene or design. On the other hand maybe there will be fewer lights at night – already I’m bombarded with information I don’t need at a given time (like the toaster selection). Perhaps a kindler, gentler, darker house?

Decision Units (DUs) – Independent and Dependent

Karina and Marc (my two children) have their birthday on the same day in May, although they were born four years apart. My Father’s birthday is five days before. Family members wanted to know when we were having the 3-way birthday party this weekend, but it was hard to pick a day and time. Lindy (my wife) and I usually have no trouble agreeing so in the past we would make a single decision for the whole family – in essence we are a single decision unit (DU). But now that Karina and Marc have grown up, they make their own decisions – in essence they have become Independent Decision Units (IDU) – which means our former single family DU is now three DUs. And my parents-in-law live in an adjacent part of New House – so that was another IDU, for a total 4 IDUs. My Sister-in-law and her family planned to come, as did my Mother, and of course my Father – three more DUs. But in this case I would say that these three DUs were dependent DUs (DDU) for this decision – they had little ability to set a date, but could give input and after the primary decision was made could then decide whether they were going to come or not.
Finally a decision was made, but with 4 IDUs and 3 DDUs involved it took time; the party was on Sunday. But at the last minute one of my nephews became sick and my Sister-in-law’s family could not come – an example of an unplanned decision breaking event (DBE). Sometimes I don’t think business decisions are any harder than family decisions…