I received a wonderful letter from American Airlines yesterday. I was informed that I am now a Platinum member of its frequent flyer program. No more Executive Platinum for me. I must admit, I did feel the slightest pang that I would no longer be treated like a superstar.
But really when I think about it, I was only super-special to AA because of all the money I generated for them. That's a somewhat empty form of flattery and unearned special treatment, something I can do without.
And do without I will, because jet airplanes and airports no longer are my second home.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
When Walmart is too expensive....
When Walmart is too expensive, America really is in big trouble.
Read this article from Reuters regarding Wal-Mart's disappointing results: "The retailer reported its seventh consecutive quarterly decline in sales at U.S. stores open at least a year, posting a 1.8 percent drop that was much bigger than its worst forecast....rivals such as Family Dollar Stores and Dollar General have gained appeal with shoppers on tight budgets by offering lower prices, albeit for smaller quantities, on goods such as detergent, especially as those shoppers run short on money at the end of the month."
So, gee, I wonder: is the recession over? Sure, President Obama's new chief of staff, William Daley, received over $8M in compensation last year. But it sure does seem like lots and lots of people are doing very poorly, indeed, when Wal-Mart is too expensive for them. That gargantuan company is responsible for pushing down both prices and wages across the United States and other parts of the world. It forces suppliers to revamp their computer and distribution systems to improve efficiency (and reduce their prices).
And yet they are losing customers, who are so poor they can only afford to buy products in stores that specialize in re-selling stuff that other stores couldn't or didn't want to sell.
Must be the fault of public employee unions.
Read this article from Reuters regarding Wal-Mart's disappointing results: "The retailer reported its seventh consecutive quarterly decline in sales at U.S. stores open at least a year, posting a 1.8 percent drop that was much bigger than its worst forecast....rivals such as Family Dollar Stores and Dollar General have gained appeal with shoppers on tight budgets by offering lower prices, albeit for smaller quantities, on goods such as detergent, especially as those shoppers run short on money at the end of the month."
So, gee, I wonder: is the recession over? Sure, President Obama's new chief of staff, William Daley, received over $8M in compensation last year. But it sure does seem like lots and lots of people are doing very poorly, indeed, when Wal-Mart is too expensive for them. That gargantuan company is responsible for pushing down both prices and wages across the United States and other parts of the world. It forces suppliers to revamp their computer and distribution systems to improve efficiency (and reduce their prices).
And yet they are losing customers, who are so poor they can only afford to buy products in stores that specialize in re-selling stuff that other stores couldn't or didn't want to sell.
Must be the fault of public employee unions.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Religious fundamentalists taking over the U.S. military?
I helped found a group called Refuser Solidarity Network, which educates Americans about Israeli soldiers who refuse to take up arms against Palestinians. In the course of doing my work with RSN, I learned that in recent years, more and more Jewish fundamentalists have been joining the Israeli military (previously for the most part quite secular, since the Orthodox are given a "pass" on otherwise compulsory military service) and moving up through the ranks. It is believed by some that the truly awful invasion of Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces last year that killed some 400 Palestinian children was influenced substantially by these zealots.
Turns out that we may have a similar problem in the U.S. military.
I just read a very disturbing article in the Nation titled "Backward, Christian Soldiers." Here is one excerpt:
I believe firmly that any individual should be free to practice their own religion (preferably in the privacy of their own home or place of worship). But when that turns into evangelizing and coercing others, it also turns into a big problem for our society. And when that coercion is happening within the military, I get downright scared about what could be coming.
Turns out that we may have a similar problem in the U.S. military.
I just read a very disturbing article in the Nation titled "Backward, Christian Soldiers." Here is one excerpt:
Leading the Pentecostalist charge is a constellation of different groups, none more prominent than Military Ministry, an affiliate of Campus Crusade for Christ, a global outreach network with an estimated annual budget of nearly $500 million, raised largely from individual donors and congregations, according to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Military Ministry maintains branch offices at the nation’s main Army bases, as well as overseas initiatives like Bible-study programs globally. The group’s mission statement, according to its website, is “To Win, Build, and Send in the power of the Holy Spirit and to establish movements of spiritual multiplication in the worldwide military community.” In a 2005 newsletter, Military Ministry’s executive director, retired Army Maj. Gen. Bob Dees, said the group “must pursue our…means for transforming the nationthrough the military. And the military may be the most influential way to affect that spiritual superstructure.”
Military Ministry is particularly well represented at basic training installations like Fort Jackson in South Carolina, the Army’s largest boot camp. According to MRFF researcher Chris Rodda, the group instructs recruits through Bible-study programs that “when you join the military, you’ve joined the ministry,” and it ardently associates conquest on the battlefield with religious conversion. In a 2007 report, MRFF provides links to photos of Fort Jackson troops posing with rifles in one hand and Bibles, some with camouflage coversin the other. A Bible-study outline distributed by Military Ministry cites Scripture to sanction killing in combat by “God’s servant, an angel of wrath,” to “punish those who do evil.”
...
The revivalist subculture within the armed forces is as overt as Washington is loath to confront it. In late September Weinstein sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates on behalf of more than 100 Air Force Academy cadets who said they were obliged to falsely assume fundamentalist identities
I believe firmly that any individual should be free to practice their own religion (preferably in the privacy of their own home or place of worship). But when that turns into evangelizing and coercing others, it also turns into a big problem for our society. And when that coercion is happening within the military, I get downright scared about what could be coming.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Cutting back on catalogs and junk mail
It truly drives me to distraction to receive piles of catalogs from companies.Well, except for Victoria's Secret. No, no, just kidding. Seriously.
What an incredible waste and pollution, what a terrible use of precious resources (human, petroleum and more), to print and deliver millions of catalogs that are just then thrown away or perhaps recycled. I won't even get into how the U.S. Postal Service both benefits and is financially hurt by the deep discounts offered to mailers of this junk.
So that's why today I visit dmachoice.org, the website of the Direct Marketing Association, registered and then took advantage of the ability to turn off delivery of catalogs, magazines and other materials that members of the DMA might send out.
It won't stop all the junk mail, but it sure won't hurt. I encourage you to do the same.
What an incredible waste and pollution, what a terrible use of precious resources (human, petroleum and more), to print and deliver millions of catalogs that are just then thrown away or perhaps recycled. I won't even get into how the U.S. Postal Service both benefits and is financially hurt by the deep discounts offered to mailers of this junk.
So that's why today I visit dmachoice.org, the website of the Direct Marketing Association, registered and then took advantage of the ability to turn off delivery of catalogs, magazines and other materials that members of the DMA might send out.
It won't stop all the junk mail, but it sure won't hurt. I encourage you to do the same.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Life in the Casual Lane
Life in the tropics definitely tends to the casual, and that applies even (especially?) to the tourist industry in Puerto Rico. Veva and I visited the island in January and had several interesting (and sometimes hilarious)
experiences.
We decided to visit the Rio Camuy caves (one of the largest cave systems in the world); we'd never seen them, partly because they'd been closed for the last several years due to a death caused by flash flooding in the caves. Nasty. But they reopened last February and we decided it was time to check it out.
As we drove up to the gate entrance to the caves, a young man handed us two tickets, with numbers on them. A woman drove out at the same time and told us "I'll be back in an hour. The cafeteria is open."
Huh? Oh, yes. I looked at my watch. Noon. Lunch time. Bye bye, workers! So we drove in and parked, and followed signs to buy tickets. But no one was there. The only person who sold tickets was out to lunch, so we would just have to wait. Veva, myself, and a handful of other people. An hour later, there must have been 50 people waiting to buy tickets and take a trolley ride down to the caves.
"Not to worry," I said to Veva, the tickets have numbers, so they will take us in order.
Well, maybe in some alternate Puerto Rican universe, anyway.
The lady returned, and the line immediately formed, winding its way through the waiting area. And she started selling tickets, but no numbers were announced, no effort was made to sell them in order. And the line moved VERY slowly. Fifteen minutes later, a fellow announces over the PA system: "Visitors holding tickets 133 to 163 can get on the trolley now." We had numbers 153 and 154. So I was forced to go to the front of the line and ask what I was supposed to do. Without a word, without any sort of push-back, she sold me the tickets.
No one on the line (now) behind me complained. Everyone seems to be quite used to messy, chaotic processes and the need to bypass the rules now and then, or most of the time. If I went to the front of the line, people seemed to be thinking, I must have had a good reason.
So we made it on to the trolley and they clearly went to great lengths to fill every seat: "Don't worry about being separated - it's just for 10 minutes."
Down we went and into the caves, and that was incredible - an enormous cavern and wonderful views...an hour later, we emerged, milled around, and then the trolley arrived to take us back.
After a few moments, the trolley left - and I looked over to see a mother and child still sitting in the waiting area. I am sure she was waiting for her husband and perhaps another child to emerge. More than that, I knew for a fact that at least two other women were still inside the cave.
But the fellow leading our group did not make the slightest effort to ensure that all seats were filled, that everyone was present and accounted for. We just took off. I wonder how they made it back, if every trolley was filled to capacity?
Don't worry, be happy. It's not exactly Jamaica on the island of Puerto Rico, but it's also not high stress, big city living. Everything will work out and, anyway, it gets too hot to get too worked up about anything. I kind of like it, even though it can frustrating when you are in the midst of the chaos and have a controlling personality.
experiences.
We decided to visit the Rio Camuy caves (one of the largest cave systems in the world); we'd never seen them, partly because they'd been closed for the last several years due to a death caused by flash flooding in the caves. Nasty. But they reopened last February and we decided it was time to check it out.
As we drove up to the gate entrance to the caves, a young man handed us two tickets, with numbers on them. A woman drove out at the same time and told us "I'll be back in an hour. The cafeteria is open."
Huh? Oh, yes. I looked at my watch. Noon. Lunch time. Bye bye, workers! So we drove in and parked, and followed signs to buy tickets. But no one was there. The only person who sold tickets was out to lunch, so we would just have to wait. Veva, myself, and a handful of other people. An hour later, there must have been 50 people waiting to buy tickets and take a trolley ride down to the caves.
"Not to worry," I said to Veva, the tickets have numbers, so they will take us in order.
Well, maybe in some alternate Puerto Rican universe, anyway.
The lady returned, and the line immediately formed, winding its way through the waiting area. And she started selling tickets, but no numbers were announced, no effort was made to sell them in order. And the line moved VERY slowly. Fifteen minutes later, a fellow announces over the PA system: "Visitors holding tickets 133 to 163 can get on the trolley now." We had numbers 153 and 154. So I was forced to go to the front of the line and ask what I was supposed to do. Without a word, without any sort of push-back, she sold me the tickets.
No one on the line (now) behind me complained. Everyone seems to be quite used to messy, chaotic processes and the need to bypass the rules now and then, or most of the time. If I went to the front of the line, people seemed to be thinking, I must have had a good reason.
So we made it on to the trolley and they clearly went to great lengths to fill every seat: "Don't worry about being separated - it's just for 10 minutes."
Down we went and into the caves, and that was incredible - an enormous cavern and wonderful views...an hour later, we emerged, milled around, and then the trolley arrived to take us back.
After a few moments, the trolley left - and I looked over to see a mother and child still sitting in the waiting area. I am sure she was waiting for her husband and perhaps another child to emerge. More than that, I knew for a fact that at least two other women were still inside the cave.
But the fellow leading our group did not make the slightest effort to ensure that all seats were filled, that everyone was present and accounted for. We just took off. I wonder how they made it back, if every trolley was filled to capacity?
Don't worry, be happy. It's not exactly Jamaica on the island of Puerto Rico, but it's also not high stress, big city living. Everything will work out and, anyway, it gets too hot to get too worked up about anything. I kind of like it, even though it can frustrating when you are in the midst of the chaos and have a controlling personality.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Really BIG discount on O'Reilly ebooks including mine - TODAY ONLY
Just got this note from O'Reilly and thought I would pass it along:
Save 60% Ebook & Video Deal of the Day
Top 10 Database/SQL Titles
Save 60% Ebook & Video Deal of the Day
Top 10 Database/SQL Titles
For one day only, you can Save 60% on these top database/SQL ebooks and videos. Use discount code DDDBD in the shopping cart. O'Reilly ebooks are DRM-free. You get free lifetime access, multiple file formats, free updates.
In fact, my Oracle PL/SQL Programming 5th Edition is the only Oracle book in the list, so I will provide a link directly to it as well.
There are also some excellent SQL books, including SQL Cookbook and Writing Accurate SQL Code by C.J. Date (a video).
So don't miss this great sale...and happy new year!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
One really great thing about 2010
It's easy to focus on the bad stuff. My father and sister died in January. Deepwater Horizon disaster. Utter failure of "Middle East Peace Process." Republicans capture control of U.S. House of Representatives. Ongoing financial crisis that sucks money from poor and middle class people and deposits these funds into the pockets of the ultra-rich. And so on....
Yet here's one really excellent development that I noticed in 2010:
Food product manufacturers are now promoting (some of) their products as follows:
"Contains no high fructose corn syrup!"
And I think that is an incredibly positive development. It means that there is a growing awareness among Americans about the dangers of stuffing our bodies with manufactured, intensified, addictive sweeteners.
If enough people "just say no" to HFCS, then the demand for corn for sweeteners will go down, which will leave more corn available for consumption by human beings (major deal for Mexicans, for example, who saw the cost of corn tortillas, their staple, skyrocket).
And over time it could reduce the power of the corn/ethanol lobby, which results in the distortion of our agricultural system and energy industry, while doing little or nothing to to slow down climate change.
So here's a resolution I suggest you consider for 2011:
Consume no high fructose corn syrup.
Don't buy products that contain high fructose corn syrup. Tell your grocer that you don't want products with HFCS. Better yet, don't buy food products. Buy whole food, cook it yourself.
We will, as a nation, become healthier and lighter.
Yet here's one really excellent development that I noticed in 2010:
Food product manufacturers are now promoting (some of) their products as follows:
"Contains no high fructose corn syrup!"
And I think that is an incredibly positive development. It means that there is a growing awareness among Americans about the dangers of stuffing our bodies with manufactured, intensified, addictive sweeteners.
If enough people "just say no" to HFCS, then the demand for corn for sweeteners will go down, which will leave more corn available for consumption by human beings (major deal for Mexicans, for example, who saw the cost of corn tortillas, their staple, skyrocket).
And over time it could reduce the power of the corn/ethanol lobby, which results in the distortion of our agricultural system and energy industry, while doing little or nothing to to slow down climate change.
So here's a resolution I suggest you consider for 2011:
Consume no high fructose corn syrup.
Don't buy products that contain high fructose corn syrup. Tell your grocer that you don't want products with HFCS. Better yet, don't buy food products. Buy whole food, cook it yourself.
We will, as a nation, become healthier and lighter.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Hanging out with my pal, Dylan
A couple days ago, one of my best buddies, Dylan, came over for a visit. Dylan is 2 and a half years old and one of the most delightful human beings I've ever met. Takes a real joy in life and the people around him, is intensely curious (especially about keys, locks, doors, cell phones....) and, well, he likes me a lot. What more can you ask for?
So he spent a few hours with us on Monday, 20 December. We have a big (fake) Christmas tree in the living room, full of lights and ornaments and, under the tree, wrapped presents. Dylan made a bee line for the tree and started to unwrap one of Chris's presents.
"No, Dylan, you can't unwrap that. It's not for you!"
He very politely set that box down and picked up another. "No, Dylan..."
Sadly, we had no wrapped present under the tree for Dylan. So we told him: "We'll take you to the mall, buy you a present, bring it home and wrap it. Then you can open it. OK?"
"OK," said Dylan. Big surprise!
But a moment later, he remembered how much he liked to use our big, heavy, Royal canister vacuum cleaner. So he dragged that out of the closet and spent the next twenty minutes attaching various tips to the hose, cleaning the floor, me, himself...and then off we went to the basement to pull suitcases out of the closet under the stairs.
Veva warned me that if we didn't take Dylan to the mall, he would have a fit later on when it was time to go home - and suddenly memories of present and mall would come flooding back. So I explained the situation to Dylan:
"We can take you to the mall and get a present or we can stay here and play. But if we stay, we won't be able to go to the mall later. Which do you want to do?"
"Stay." Cool.
Then a bit later, Dylan made his way back to the Christmas tree and tried once again to unwrap Chris's present. So I made a new offer: "Let's go down to the basement, and you can pick out any toy you want, and we'll wrap it up, put it under the tree, and then you can open that."
"OK."
So down we went, I opened the cabinet full of board games and other various toy-like objects. Most held no appeal for Dylan, but finally he came across an animal dominoes set that he liked.
I wrapped it, but a bow on it, wrote his name on it. I put it under the tree. Dylan tried to open Chris's present again (big box), but I pointed to the one that he could now open. He did, very excitedly. Oohs and aahs filled the air. We sat down on the floor and played with the small pieces of wood covered with ducks and ladybugs and cats and dogs and so on.
After a while, Dylan: "Wrap it!" So I wrapped it up again, stuck the bow back on, put it under the tree. After a few minutes, he pulled it out unwrapped it with oohs and aahs, and re-acquainted himself with the game.
Then it was time to go home, so I secured the various ripped edges of the paper with more tape - again, it was wrapped! And brought it to his home and his own tree. Two more times that night, with his dad (Matthew) watching, Dylan ripped open his present and showed it with pride and delight to Matthew.
What a funny boy.
So he spent a few hours with us on Monday, 20 December. We have a big (fake) Christmas tree in the living room, full of lights and ornaments and, under the tree, wrapped presents. Dylan made a bee line for the tree and started to unwrap one of Chris's presents.
"No, Dylan, you can't unwrap that. It's not for you!"
He very politely set that box down and picked up another. "No, Dylan..."
Sadly, we had no wrapped present under the tree for Dylan. So we told him: "We'll take you to the mall, buy you a present, bring it home and wrap it. Then you can open it. OK?"
"OK," said Dylan. Big surprise!
But a moment later, he remembered how much he liked to use our big, heavy, Royal canister vacuum cleaner. So he dragged that out of the closet and spent the next twenty minutes attaching various tips to the hose, cleaning the floor, me, himself...and then off we went to the basement to pull suitcases out of the closet under the stairs.
Veva warned me that if we didn't take Dylan to the mall, he would have a fit later on when it was time to go home - and suddenly memories of present and mall would come flooding back. So I explained the situation to Dylan:
"We can take you to the mall and get a present or we can stay here and play. But if we stay, we won't be able to go to the mall later. Which do you want to do?"
"Stay." Cool.
Then a bit later, Dylan made his way back to the Christmas tree and tried once again to unwrap Chris's present. So I made a new offer: "Let's go down to the basement, and you can pick out any toy you want, and we'll wrap it up, put it under the tree, and then you can open that."
"OK."
So down we went, I opened the cabinet full of board games and other various toy-like objects. Most held no appeal for Dylan, but finally he came across an animal dominoes set that he liked.
I wrapped it, but a bow on it, wrote his name on it. I put it under the tree. Dylan tried to open Chris's present again (big box), but I pointed to the one that he could now open. He did, very excitedly. Oohs and aahs filled the air. We sat down on the floor and played with the small pieces of wood covered with ducks and ladybugs and cats and dogs and so on.
After a while, Dylan: "Wrap it!" So I wrapped it up again, stuck the bow back on, put it under the tree. After a few minutes, he pulled it out unwrapped it with oohs and aahs, and re-acquainted himself with the game.
Then it was time to go home, so I secured the various ripped edges of the paper with more tape - again, it was wrapped! And brought it to his home and his own tree. Two more times that night, with his dad (Matthew) watching, Dylan ripped open his present and showed it with pride and delight to Matthew.
What a funny boy.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Release 1.8 of PL/SQL Challenge in Production
We just upgraded PL/SQL Challenge to release 1.8, which includes these significant new features and changes:
* Remember Me: a long-requested enhancement, you can check the "Remember me" box before you login. We will then automatically log you in to the PL/SQL Challenge on subsequent visits to the website. If you do not visit the site for seven days, you will be prompted to login again.
* Public Profile: you can now record much more information about yourself and your career as a PL/SQL developer. This information is then made available on a public player profile page - but only if you explicitly approve the publication of that content. All player names on the site are hyperlinked to this page. We also provide you with a public URL so that this profile can be accessed from outside of the PL/SQL Challenge website (such as from your blog).
* Streamlined "Take the Quiz" process: You no longer have to scroll down through assumptions and advice. You can choose to view the information or simply press the Play Now button to get right to the quiz.
* Post-Quiz Survey and Player Notes: after you take the quiz, we now invite you to provide us with feedback on the quality of the quiz. You can also record notes regarding that quiz for future reference. The notes will appear on the Past Quiz page. You can also take the survey at any time after you take the quiz.
* Submit Your Own Quiz Idea: you can now submit your own idea for a quiz directly from the website, both from the "Submit Quiz Idea" on the home page and from several other places on the site as well. If your quiz is accepted, your name will be posted the day the quiz is taken. Get creative and share your expertise with us and players from around the world!
* Reorganization of Rules and Assumptions: the Rules page is gone, long live the Rules page! Most of the content of that page is now available in the FAQ. In addition, rules, assumptions and advice for the quiz is provided on the Take the Quiz page.
I am most excited about the ability to create and publish a player profile.Several players have already reported that their record on the PL/SQL Challenge has helped them get new jobs or get certified in PL/SQL. I hope to see lots more of that happening/ The profile provides a way for the PL/SQL Challenge to help you promote your accomplishments - so fill up your profile!
I am very pleased with how the PL/SQL Challenge website is progressing. Eli is doing a fantastic job as an APEX developer, and also picking up more and more PL/SQL skills along the way. Paul of Apex Evangelists continues to play a crucial, albeit part-time role in handling the more complex requirements for the site.
* Remember Me: a long-requested enhancement, you can check the "Remember me" box before you login. We will then automatically log you in to the PL/SQL Challenge on subsequent visits to the website. If you do not visit the site for seven days, you will be prompted to login again.
* Public Profile: you can now record much more information about yourself and your career as a PL/SQL developer. This information is then made available on a public player profile page - but only if you explicitly approve the publication of that content. All player names on the site are hyperlinked to this page. We also provide you with a public URL so that this profile can be accessed from outside of the PL/SQL Challenge website (such as from your blog).
* Streamlined "Take the Quiz" process: You no longer have to scroll down through assumptions and advice. You can choose to view the information or simply press the Play Now button to get right to the quiz.
* Post-Quiz Survey and Player Notes: after you take the quiz, we now invite you to provide us with feedback on the quality of the quiz. You can also record notes regarding that quiz for future reference. The notes will appear on the Past Quiz page. You can also take the survey at any time after you take the quiz.
* Submit Your Own Quiz Idea: you can now submit your own idea for a quiz directly from the website, both from the "Submit Quiz Idea" on the home page and from several other places on the site as well. If your quiz is accepted, your name will be posted the day the quiz is taken. Get creative and share your expertise with us and players from around the world!
* Reorganization of Rules and Assumptions: the Rules page is gone, long live the Rules page! Most of the content of that page is now available in the FAQ. In addition, rules, assumptions and advice for the quiz is provided on the Take the Quiz page.
I am most excited about the ability to create and publish a player profile.Several players have already reported that their record on the PL/SQL Challenge has helped them get new jobs or get certified in PL/SQL. I hope to see lots more of that happening/ The profile provides a way for the PL/SQL Challenge to help you promote your accomplishments - so fill up your profile!
I am very pleased with how the PL/SQL Challenge website is progressing. Eli is doing a fantastic job as an APEX developer, and also picking up more and more PL/SQL skills along the way. Paul of Apex Evangelists continues to play a crucial, albeit part-time role in handling the more complex requirements for the site.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Fanastic news! I do NOT qualify for AA Executive Platinum!
Check this out:
American Airlines just notified me that, sad to say, I will not be qualifying for the Executive Platinum status for 2011. Or is it? (sad, that is)
No, it is wonderful news!
As some of you might know, I have recently declared an end to my era of endless travel (and being away from home). Starting in 2011, I will travel only when absolutely necessary.
I also worked hard in the latter half of 2010 to slow down my travel - and it shows. No more Executive Platinum for me. No more endless free upgrades, no more first class lounge access when I fly internationally. Wait a minute, that doesn't sound very good at all. :-)
Well, I will likely still be Platinum next year and I can never get "worse" status than Gold, since I hit 1,000,000 miles. Whew. I will still feel a little bit special when I travel on American.
American Airlines just notified me that, sad to say, I will not be qualifying for the Executive Platinum status for 2011. Or is it? (sad, that is)
No, it is wonderful news!
As some of you might know, I have recently declared an end to my era of endless travel (and being away from home). Starting in 2011, I will travel only when absolutely necessary.
I also worked hard in the latter half of 2010 to slow down my travel - and it shows. No more Executive Platinum for me. No more endless free upgrades, no more first class lounge access when I fly internationally. Wait a minute, that doesn't sound very good at all. :-)
Well, I will likely still be Platinum next year and I can never get "worse" status than Gold, since I hit 1,000,000 miles. Whew. I will still feel a little bit special when I travel on American.
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Winners of PL/SQL Challenge Q3 Playoff Just Announced
1st Place: Niels Hecker of Germany, wins US$1000.
2nd Place: Peter Schmidt of Germany, wins US$500.
3rd Place: Elic of Belarus, wins Complete set of O'Reilly Media Oracle eBooks.
Players ranked 4 through 10 each win their choice an O'Reilly ebook. All players will receive a certificate of participation. Full details on all player rankings here.
Yes, that's right! Just for knowing PL/SQL well, playing the quiz each day, and then performing well in the playoff, Niels wins US$1000 and Peter wins US$500! Not bad for "just" being expert at the Oracle PL/SQL language, right? In fact, Niels won second place in the Q2 playoff, so he has won US$1500 this year!
Having said that, the 1200+ developers who play each day do so mostly to deepen and test their knowledge of PL/SQL; the prizes are of secondary importance. And, even better, one player has reported getting their new consulting job at least in part because of their PL/SQL Challenge ranking!
If you are not playing the PL/SQL Challenge (and you are an Oracle technologist), I suggest you head over to the PL/SQL Challenge website, register, and start taking that daily quiz. Who knows where it might take you?
Cheers, Steven
Celebrating a wedding anniversary at home
What a concept!
Yesterday was the 27th anniversary of my marriage to Veva Silva. Best thing that ever happened to me (well, meeting and falling in love with Veva as the best thing - the marriage was a very nice "added benefit").
For the past several years, I have found myself (gee, how did that happen?) in Birmingham UK on the date of our anniversary, since that is when the UKOUG holds its annual conference.
Of course, I didn't have to go to that conference. And, really, I shouldn't have gone away on wedding anniversary. And yet, that is what I did.
Well, no more. With the end of the traveling phase of my life, I skipped UKOUG (sorry, friends!) and stayed home. Which resulted in a really fine dinner with Veva, my sons Eli and Chris, and Chris's wife, Lauren.
We supped at Demera, an Ethiopian restaurant on the northside of Chicago. I ate too much, as I always do at Ethiopian restaurants, and I greatly enjoyed the company of my family - most of all, my wife of 27 years.
Why didn't I think of this before? :-)
Yesterday was the 27th anniversary of my marriage to Veva Silva. Best thing that ever happened to me (well, meeting and falling in love with Veva as the best thing - the marriage was a very nice "added benefit").
For the past several years, I have found myself (gee, how did that happen?) in Birmingham UK on the date of our anniversary, since that is when the UKOUG holds its annual conference.
Of course, I didn't have to go to that conference. And, really, I shouldn't have gone away on wedding anniversary. And yet, that is what I did.
Well, no more. With the end of the traveling phase of my life, I skipped UKOUG (sorry, friends!) and stayed home. Which resulted in a really fine dinner with Veva, my sons Eli and Chris, and Chris's wife, Lauren.
We supped at Demera, an Ethiopian restaurant on the northside of Chicago. I ate too much, as I always do at Ethiopian restaurants, and I greatly enjoyed the company of my family - most of all, my wife of 27 years.
Why didn't I think of this before? :-)
Friday, November 26, 2010
The End of My Traveling Era
I returned a few days ago from Nuremberg, where I presented my Coding Therapy for Software Developers keynote to several hundred Oracle technologist at DOAG's annual conference. I thought it went quite well; the audience laughed at all my jokes, save one.
The highlight of this trip, however,was the fact that it was my last trip of the year and marks the end of an era in my life, the "traveling era." For too many years, I have been traveling far too much. It's been great for my frequent flyer account and for getting free upgrades. American Airlines has also benefited.
No more.
From this moment forward, I will only travel for professional reasons if it is absolutely required. I will still present at a small number of key Oracle conferences, but other than that, my plan is to stay home. There are two main reasons for this. First, I am simply tired of being on the road - and away from my family. It takes a toll in several different ways, and I find that toll to be unacceptable these days. Second, my son, Eli, is learning how to be an APEX developer and I need to be here to support him, train him, mentor him.
There are certainly aspects of travel that I will miss. It has truly been an honor to meet with developers from around the world, hear about how you are using PL/SQL, learn from you, and be reminded of how much my writings and presentations have helped others. I have enjoyed greatly seeing so many parts of the world and the fantastic art that resides in the countless museums and galleries I have visited. And then there are the dear friends I have made in the Netherlands, Brussels, the UK, Singapore, Australia, Portugal, Germany and other places.
So am I going to just "disappear"? Not at all! While I will not be visiting in physical form, I plan to become much more visible online.
One big advantage of staying home is that I can concentrate more thoroughly on transferring my knowledge of PL/SQL into online, accessible, search-able and very entertaining formats. The PL/SQL Challenge is just the first manifestation of this Internet-delivered expertise. You will be seeing much more in 2011.
And if for some reason you have not yet started playing the daily quiz at the PL/SQL Challenge, please do so! You will learn a lot about PL/SQL, you might win some fine prizes, and - most important of all - you will help me make a success of this key project in my life.
I hope that you all have very happy and relaxing holidays.
Steven
The highlight of this trip, however,was the fact that it was my last trip of the year and marks the end of an era in my life, the "traveling era." For too many years, I have been traveling far too much. It's been great for my frequent flyer account and for getting free upgrades. American Airlines has also benefited.
No more.
From this moment forward, I will only travel for professional reasons if it is absolutely required. I will still present at a small number of key Oracle conferences, but other than that, my plan is to stay home. There are two main reasons for this. First, I am simply tired of being on the road - and away from my family. It takes a toll in several different ways, and I find that toll to be unacceptable these days. Second, my son, Eli, is learning how to be an APEX developer and I need to be here to support him, train him, mentor him.
There are certainly aspects of travel that I will miss. It has truly been an honor to meet with developers from around the world, hear about how you are using PL/SQL, learn from you, and be reminded of how much my writings and presentations have helped others. I have enjoyed greatly seeing so many parts of the world and the fantastic art that resides in the countless museums and galleries I have visited. And then there are the dear friends I have made in the Netherlands, Brussels, the UK, Singapore, Australia, Portugal, Germany and other places.
So am I going to just "disappear"? Not at all! While I will not be visiting in physical form, I plan to become much more visible online.
One big advantage of staying home is that I can concentrate more thoroughly on transferring my knowledge of PL/SQL into online, accessible, search-able and very entertaining formats. The PL/SQL Challenge is just the first manifestation of this Internet-delivered expertise. You will be seeing much more in 2011.
And if for some reason you have not yet started playing the daily quiz at the PL/SQL Challenge, please do so! You will learn a lot about PL/SQL, you might win some fine prizes, and - most important of all - you will help me make a success of this key project in my life.
I hope that you all have very happy and relaxing holidays.
Steven
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Award for Least Obvious Idea
I am in Nuremberg for the German Oracle User Group conference (DOAG). Will be presenting my keynote, Coding Therapy, in a few hours.
Read the International Herald Tribune over breakfast and came across "An upgrade or a trip in space? It's a tough call."
First paragraph reads: "In the rarified realm of airline frequent-flier perks, elite status can bring cushy upgrades, airport lounge access, priority boarding and any number of concierge and customer service benefits. But on Wednesday, the Dutch airline KLM set a new goal for road warriors to aim for: free space flight."
Wow. I must admit, this was not on the top of my mind. But as Andrew Nelson, XCOR's chief operating officer says later in the article: "It is only logical that, in the future, airlines are going to want to take advantage of services like these to enhance their frequent-flier programs."
Really? Is that "logical"? Enhance your frequent-flier program by offering trips in space that, today, cost roughly $95,000 for four minutes of weightlessness. Richard Branson's venture, Virgin Galactic (is this guy's ego the size of a mountain, or what?), has already reserved nearly 370 seats for its own commercial space flights - requiring a 10% deposit of $20,000 to reserve that seat.
It's the New Logic.
The logic of "I have so much money, I don't know what else to do with it."
Read the International Herald Tribune over breakfast and came across "An upgrade or a trip in space? It's a tough call."
First paragraph reads: "In the rarified realm of airline frequent-flier perks, elite status can bring cushy upgrades, airport lounge access, priority boarding and any number of concierge and customer service benefits. But on Wednesday, the Dutch airline KLM set a new goal for road warriors to aim for: free space flight."
Wow. I must admit, this was not on the top of my mind. But as Andrew Nelson, XCOR's chief operating officer says later in the article: "It is only logical that, in the future, airlines are going to want to take advantage of services like these to enhance their frequent-flier programs."
Really? Is that "logical"? Enhance your frequent-flier program by offering trips in space that, today, cost roughly $95,000 for four minutes of weightlessness. Richard Branson's venture, Virgin Galactic (is this guy's ego the size of a mountain, or what?), has already reserved nearly 370 seats for its own commercial space flights - requiring a 10% deposit of $20,000 to reserve that seat.
It's the New Logic.
The logic of "I have so much money, I don't know what else to do with it."
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Palo Suite Uses My Parse Package
Whenever I present on PL/SQL, I make sure to let everyone know they can download all of my training materials and all the supporting code from PL/SQL Obsession. I urge developers to use my code, rather than "reinvent the wheel" and point them to my demo.zip file, which contains demonstrates of PL/SQL features, performance analysis scripts and some reusable code.
I received an email from Pepijn Slappendel, who told me: "I have created a PL/SQL utility which can be used to query data from Palo-cubes. Palo is an open-source cube-based BI Solution. The utility uses your generic parse package, which makes things very easy!"
Ah, music to my ears! I so dearly love to hear that my code is being used. Thahks, Pepijn, for both using the parse package (located in the parse.pkg file) and letting me know about it.
For more information on Pepijn's project: "The Palo Suite is a SaaS enabled Open-Source BI Suite for Performance Management including Planning, Analysis, Reporting and ETL. The suite includes an in-memory OLAP Server, an Ajax-based online spreadsheet with DynaRanges and a web-based ETL-Tool."
Finally, if anyone else "out there" has used my code, please do let me know. I will be happy to feature it on my blog.
Cheers, Steven
I received an email from Pepijn Slappendel, who told me: "I have created a PL/SQL utility which can be used to query data from Palo-cubes. Palo is an open-source cube-based BI Solution. The utility uses your generic parse package, which makes things very easy!"
Ah, music to my ears! I so dearly love to hear that my code is being used. Thahks, Pepijn, for both using the parse package (located in the parse.pkg file) and letting me know about it.
For more information on Pepijn's project: "The Palo Suite is a SaaS enabled Open-Source BI Suite for Performance Management including Planning, Analysis, Reporting and ETL. The suite includes an in-memory OLAP Server, an Ajax-based online spreadsheet with DynaRanges and a web-based ETL-Tool."
Finally, if anyone else "out there" has used my code, please do let me know. I will be happy to feature it on my blog.
Cheers, Steven
Saturday, November 06, 2010
How I Managed to Feel Guilty While Recycling
I was raised a good, Jewish boy, so generally I have no trouble manufacturing a feeling of guilt and "should have" and so on.
But I was stunned this morning to realize that I actually felt guilty while recycling my acumulated mounds of plastic, metal and so on.
To achieve such an extreme, it takes....living in the great City of Chicago, led by that great mayor, Richard M. Daley.
Because in Chicago, we have a totally ridiculous recycling program, put in place by that great mayor, Richard M. Daley, in which everything (glass, metal, paper, plastic) is thrown together into a big pile, collected from all over the city into an even bigger (much bigger) pile. Then we hire people to separate out the various types of recyclables.
It doesn't take a genius to imagine the results: broken glass, mixed in with soggy, falling-apart paper, low percentage yield of recyclables from the mess....
I believe Daley has finally, officially given up on the so-called blue bag program. Who knows when this bankrupt city, located in an incredibly bankrupt state, situated in an entirely bankrupt nation, will ever get around to putting a sensible policy in place.
In the meantime, I will either feel guilty for participating in this sham of a recycling program, or seek alternatives that make more sense.
But I was stunned this morning to realize that I actually felt guilty while recycling my acumulated mounds of plastic, metal and so on.
To achieve such an extreme, it takes....living in the great City of Chicago, led by that great mayor, Richard M. Daley.
Because in Chicago, we have a totally ridiculous recycling program, put in place by that great mayor, Richard M. Daley, in which everything (glass, metal, paper, plastic) is thrown together into a big pile, collected from all over the city into an even bigger (much bigger) pile. Then we hire people to separate out the various types of recyclables.
It doesn't take a genius to imagine the results: broken glass, mixed in with soggy, falling-apart paper, low percentage yield of recyclables from the mess....
I believe Daley has finally, officially given up on the so-called blue bag program. Who knows when this bankrupt city, located in an incredibly bankrupt state, situated in an entirely bankrupt nation, will ever get around to putting a sensible policy in place.
In the meantime, I will either feel guilty for participating in this sham of a recycling program, or seek alternatives that make more sense.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
I voted yesterday and here's why
I waited until the very last moment to vote (I left yesterday for Brussels, so I will not be in Chicago on election day).
I had been thinking that I wouldn't bother voting this time around. I am quite disgusted generally with the surreal state of affairs (many people seemingly ready to vote for the greedy, corrupt Republicans who spent the eight years with "W" destroying our nation and driving millions of citizens to poverty, misery and/or death). But I am also very disappointed with Barack Obama. I realize he could not perform miracles, but the compromises he made that led to the awful health care "reform", the $708 billion "defense" budget he proposed, the ridiculous waffling on "don't ask, don't tell", the continued aggressive attack on progressive activists, "illegal" immigrants and marijuana growers, and the steadfast support for "titans of finance" leave me feeling like he sure doesn't represent my interests very well.
And then in Illinois, our current governor is a nice guy, but not very effective. The Democrat running to take Obama's seat in the Senate owned a bank (with his family) that failed and cost taxpayers millions. "My" congresswoman is progressive on everything but Israel, and on that topic she is just awful and treated me like dirt when I confronted her about her "love of Israel."
Sigh...what's a nice, bleeding heart progressive like me to do?
Well, I finally accepted that while I didn't have lots of reasons to vote FOR anyone, I had plenty of reasons to vote against others.
The Republican gubernatorial candidate is a horror on "social" issues like abortion and is completely mealy-mouthed about what he would do to solve our budget problems. The Republican running for Senate is the sort of fellow who lied about his military record in Vietnam and elsewhere. I can't bring myself to vote for a guy who tries to explain away saying he served under fire, got this award or that - when he did no such thing. Disgusting. How you can trust anyone who does that and then won't even own up to it?
So I voted Democratic for the key "big ticket" offices, and went Green on the rest (I could not in the end bring myself to vote for Jan Schakowsky. If she is defeated by a right-wing, Orthodox Jew who baited her for being "soft" on the Palestinians, well, then I say it serves her right).
I have a feeling that the closer we get to election day, the closer the races will become. It's one thing to express disgust with Obama and the Democrats. It's quite another thing to capitulate to the corporations and other super-rich who are trying to buy this election through anonymous attack ads, and let right-wing extremists, nut jobs and just plain ruthless ideologues to dig themselves in deeper.
I had been thinking that I wouldn't bother voting this time around. I am quite disgusted generally with the surreal state of affairs (many people seemingly ready to vote for the greedy, corrupt Republicans who spent the eight years with "W" destroying our nation and driving millions of citizens to poverty, misery and/or death). But I am also very disappointed with Barack Obama. I realize he could not perform miracles, but the compromises he made that led to the awful health care "reform", the $708 billion "defense" budget he proposed, the ridiculous waffling on "don't ask, don't tell", the continued aggressive attack on progressive activists, "illegal" immigrants and marijuana growers, and the steadfast support for "titans of finance" leave me feeling like he sure doesn't represent my interests very well.
And then in Illinois, our current governor is a nice guy, but not very effective. The Democrat running to take Obama's seat in the Senate owned a bank (with his family) that failed and cost taxpayers millions. "My" congresswoman is progressive on everything but Israel, and on that topic she is just awful and treated me like dirt when I confronted her about her "love of Israel."
Sigh...what's a nice, bleeding heart progressive like me to do?
Well, I finally accepted that while I didn't have lots of reasons to vote FOR anyone, I had plenty of reasons to vote against others.
The Republican gubernatorial candidate is a horror on "social" issues like abortion and is completely mealy-mouthed about what he would do to solve our budget problems. The Republican running for Senate is the sort of fellow who lied about his military record in Vietnam and elsewhere. I can't bring myself to vote for a guy who tries to explain away saying he served under fire, got this award or that - when he did no such thing. Disgusting. How you can trust anyone who does that and then won't even own up to it?
So I voted Democratic for the key "big ticket" offices, and went Green on the rest (I could not in the end bring myself to vote for Jan Schakowsky. If she is defeated by a right-wing, Orthodox Jew who baited her for being "soft" on the Palestinians, well, then I say it serves her right).
I have a feeling that the closer we get to election day, the closer the races will become. It's one thing to express disgust with Obama and the Democrats. It's quite another thing to capitulate to the corporations and other super-rich who are trying to buy this election through anonymous attack ads, and let right-wing extremists, nut jobs and just plain ruthless ideologues to dig themselves in deeper.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Check out the beta test for 1.7 of PL/SQL Challenge
PL/SQL Challenge: daily PL/SQL quiz with weekly, monthly and quarterly prizes. If you are a PL/SQL developer and you are not yet playing the quiz, well, you are missing out on a lot of fun and education!
We plan to upgrade the PL/SQL Challenge website to version 1.7 on October 23. This version has many new and wonderful features, including:
* Home page changes: we now show you a random selection of past quizzes that you can visit for a quick PL/SQL refresher, plus a display of players who deserve congratulations for winning an award, high ranking, frequent play, etc.
* Past Quizzes: you can now search through all past quizzes by topic, difficulty or date, and then drill down to see a new, more detailed description of the quiz and your results.
* Interactive Rankings: built on top of the APEX4 Interactive Reports feature, you can now see rankings by player, country, organization and company (for a given period: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, lifetime). You can build your own custom reports. We believe that many of the requests we have received from players for better rankings information will be satisfied by this feature (for example: if you want to keep track of and rank players in the same company, simply choose one of the Rankings by Player reports and then filter by company!).
* Take the Quiz page: each quiz now includes a "No choices are correct" option at the bottom of the page. You must check at least one of the choices before you can submit your answer.
Before we upgrade on the 23rd, we'd like to get feedback from you on the features, the data points in the rankings reports, etc. So we have set up http://beta.plsqlchallenge.com for beta testing from October 18 to October 22. Please visit and go exploring. Tell us what you think needs change or improvement.
For the beta test, you can log in with your regular email and password. The quizzes are from a previous week; they are not the same as those on the production site. All past quiz activity should be the same as on the production site.
We plan to upgrade the PL/SQL Challenge website to version 1.7 on October 23. This version has many new and wonderful features, including:
* Home page changes: we now show you a random selection of past quizzes that you can visit for a quick PL/SQL refresher, plus a display of players who deserve congratulations for winning an award, high ranking, frequent play, etc.
* Past Quizzes: you can now search through all past quizzes by topic, difficulty or date, and then drill down to see a new, more detailed description of the quiz and your results.
* Interactive Rankings: built on top of the APEX4 Interactive Reports feature, you can now see rankings by player, country, organization and company (for a given period: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, lifetime). You can build your own custom reports. We believe that many of the requests we have received from players for better rankings information will be satisfied by this feature (for example: if you want to keep track of and rank players in the same company, simply choose one of the Rankings by Player reports and then filter by company!).
* Take the Quiz page: each quiz now includes a "No choices are correct" option at the bottom of the page. You must check at least one of the choices before you can submit your answer.
Before we upgrade on the 23rd, we'd like to get feedback from you on the features, the data points in the rankings reports, etc. So we have set up http://beta.plsqlchallenge.com for beta testing from October 18 to October 22. Please visit and go exploring. Tell us what you think needs change or improvement.
For the beta test, you can log in with your regular email and password. The quizzes are from a previous week; they are not the same as those on the production site. All past quiz activity should be the same as on the production site.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Early bird for OPP conferences ending this week
| Just got this reminder from ODTUG regarding the two-day PL/SQL conferences for which I am the technical co-chair... |
It's Monday, and most of you are just getting into work, so we will keep this one short and sweet.
Early Bird Registration ends on Friday, October 15 for OPP/APEXposed in both Dallas and Brussels!
In Europe? This is ODTUG's first time holding an SP conference in Brussels, October 27-28. See the agenda, check out the presenters, and sign up today.
In the US? We are headed to Dallas, November 10-11, to show you the best tips, tricks, and techniques for both PL/SQL and Application Express.
Sign up by October 15 and costs are only $550 for members and $600 for non-members.
Early Bird Registration ends on Friday, October 15 for OPP/APEXposed in both Dallas and Brussels!
In Europe? This is ODTUG's first time holding an SP conference in Brussels, October 27-28. See the agenda, check out the presenters, and sign up today.
In the US? We are headed to Dallas, November 10-11, to show you the best tips, tricks, and techniques for both PL/SQL and Application Express.
Sign up by October 15 and costs are only $550 for members and $600 for non-members.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Marketing absurdities: the Saab survives...
Learned something new today. I thought that Saab was a dead brand, that GM hadn't found anyone to buy it. Not true, and I am happy for all those who are attracted to cars that a long time ago featured the same engines as those found in jet airplanes. Or something like that.
I searched for "Saab future" and found the above link because the Sunday Chicago Tribune featured a full page ad for Saab, which included some truly fantastic marketing-speak.
Check this out:
"The status quo finds no refuge in the coils of Saab DNA...Everything is exactly where it should be, but the results are boldly unexpected...When different is your dancepartner, that's how the music plays. Then again, you already knew that."
Now, I must admit, that I know lots of stuff, but I did not know that "when different is your dancepartner, that's how the music plays."
In fact, I still don't know "that", because I have no idea what "that" is supposed to mean.
I searched for "Saab future" and found the above link because the Sunday Chicago Tribune featured a full page ad for Saab, which included some truly fantastic marketing-speak.
Check this out:
"The status quo finds no refuge in the coils of Saab DNA...Everything is exactly where it should be, but the results are boldly unexpected...When different is your dancepartner, that's how the music plays. Then again, you already knew that."
Now, I must admit, that I know lots of stuff, but I did not know that "when different is your dancepartner, that's how the music plays."
In fact, I still don't know "that", because I have no idea what "that" is supposed to mean.
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