Real Time View

Not everyone thinks of transportation the same way – for many of us, there’s no such thing as simply travelling between point A and point B. When the choice comes down to cars, it has to be a roadster or a grand tourer – either a pure stripped-down sports car or, at a pinch, something with a few more creature comforts. But they have to be able to really pull strongly, and to handle, and the surrounding vista is of secondary importance. On the other hand, when it comes to motorcycles, I prefer something a lot more relaxed – not for me are the replica-racers that dominate the California coastal canyon roads. But it wasn’t always the case and it was only a few years back that I reluctantly traded in my liter sports bike, the mighty Yamaha R1. The ergonomics of the café racers of today finally defeating my slender youthful figure! This year is the 40th anniversary of the motorcycle that changed the industry, and that made a lasting impression on me. It was 1969, and I was only one year out...

This past weekend was spent in Las Vegas. Only a short drive away from where I spend most of my time these days, here in Simi Valley, it affords the opportunity to put the routines of daily life to one side. And the picture I have included here is from the terrace outside of the Fountain Bar at the Bellagio Hotel just as the hotel’s famous fountains erupted into life against a backdrop that included the Eiffel Tower. In Las Vegas, no limits have been put on the imaginations of the developers with as many innovative ways to draw an audience as there are establishments. And after only a brief time walking along Las Vegas Boulevard – the famous Vegas Strip – you pretty quickly stop being impressed with the way in which businesses pursue patronage. It’s so over the top, yet uniquely Las Vegas! But the real town of Bellagio, alongside Lake Como in Northern Italy, could never have provided me with a view of the Eiffel Tower, just across the lake, or given me a glimpse of the Statue of Li...

It’s difficult to break the old habits! For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed an early morning coffee. When at Tandem, I used to routinely walk to the Roasted Coffee Bean when it was still in Cupertino Village. These days, I enjoy a much shorter walk to the local Starbucks - but the pattern remains firmly entrenched. But lately, here in Southern California, it's turned cold and I have taken to throwing on an extra layer; the picture I have included here was taken of me earlier today wearing a “hoodie” that, should you be able to make it out, simply says “you say Grumpy like it’s a bad thing!” If I don’t get that first cup of coffee, it can be an accurate reflection of my mood! When I was on the board of the IBM SHARE user group, we held a 2008 event in Orlando, Florida, around this time of year. It was at the Disney complex and when I packed for the event, it never occurred to me that Florida could be cold. But the temperatures hovered in the low 50s Fahrenheit, and the hoo...

A couple of weeks back I attended the annual sales “kick-off” meeting at GoldenGate. For most companies, such annual event is greatly anticipated by all in sales and support, and I have attended many of them over the decades. I have enjoyed these meetings, and always welcomed the opportunity to catch up with folks I only otherwise know as email addresses, or as distant voices coming through overloaded speaker phones – so sharing a meal, story-telling over drinks, and just having the chance to renew old friendships is always a time to look forward to. And I have had the good fortune to work with many of this team in other companies, where the relationships go back to the very early ‘90s. The picture I have included here is of Chris McAllister, in front of the GoldenGate sales team – an organization that has now grown materially and well beyond my early expectations on joining the company in ’06. Chris is well-known to most of us in the NonStop community, as he has been a regular present...