Real Time View

As we get deeper into the last month of the quarter, which for some may also be the last month of their financial year, it is inevitable that we look back at what happened in 2022. It’s a time when measures are taken to finish the year on a high note even as there will be those reviewing their product mix against changing market conditions. There is never a good time to change course and yet, staying the distance can be every bit as detrimental. But perhaps as we look back at the year, there will be conversations started that will need to be revisited as scattered among the many stories we hear are surprisingly numerous gems to be uncovered. For Margo and me these last couple of months means we will be toiling for long hours at the tasks at hand. Not so much on keyboards as on steering wheels. With the return to in-person events we have a desire to attend as many as we can even if we do succumb to the long-haul flight every now and then. But as story tellers, there is a constant need...

Yet one more trip to San Francisco and this time, it was all about taking in the history of the place even as we came to better appreciate  the contribution NonStop still makes to Silicon Valley! These past few weeks have seen Margo and me back on the road again. If you read the last post to this blog, you will have read about our most recent trip to the west coast that gave us an opportunity to view the history of Silicon Valley. From the original garage where Hewlett and Packard began HP to where the Google lads rented a garage to plot their entry into the search business to the Facebook, Google and Apple campuses and not forgetting breakfast at Buck’s Restaurant at Woodside or a drive around the parking lot of Kleiner Perkins we managed to absorb a lot of what it takes to keep Silicon Valley as prosperous as it is today. Other locations attempt to compete telling investors that they are the next up-and-coming Silicon Valley, but none have succeeded to date. However, t...

When it comes to our culture and the mindset that sustains our culture, the NonStop community shows flexibility and resilience. But can it continue moving forward as everything around NonStop transforms? It doesn’t take all that much to witness a cultural transformation. From a home where there was always a little bit of Australiana filtering through the conversations, it was just a week ago when our Windsor home became a Polish mecca. For five days, it was only Polish spoken in the home and the food selections reflected Polish traditions – lots of eggs, processed sausages, potatoes and yes, Vodka! Most every night it was a case of simply sitting down at the bar and sharing different Polish regional delicacies that somehow Margo managed to whip up. Fortunately, the intrusion of another culture wasn’t painful and it demonstrated that there is little hindrance to changing cultures whenever the mix of participants brings with it all the necessary elements to drive such a change. ...

When we look closely at NonStop are we indeed treading on a slippery slope when it comes to assigning a role for NonStop? Can the new NonStop satisfy multiple business requirements? Since my return to Windsor, Colorado, it has been nothing but sunny days. Sure, there was one overnight instance where snow fell, but for Coloradans it was more like icing sugar than real snow. Just a dusting that, by mid-morning, had mostly vanished leaving behind just a few dark damp spots and not much else! It is becoming hard to believe it is winter with Christmas just around the corner and yes, there are still golfers out on the course right next to our home. As our local weather station reported, it’s difficult to tell the seasons apart these days even as we continue to spend afternoon’s outdoors, grilling steaks and drinking beer! Having spent almost the entire month of November at one vendor event after another, one of the overriding takeaways has been the blurred lines that are beginning t...

When we think of virtualization and the coming of clouds and as we consider all that may be involved in transforming to these hybrid combinations incorporating the traditional with the very new, how often does the testing of our applications come to mind? There have been times these past few days where events have reminded me of practices and disciplines that dominated our discussions in former times. I had the misfortune of breaking things and working with insurance companies and I was left without access to more modern methods of communications to the point where I was asked if I could possible find a fax machine so I could receive a fax. It was in the early 1980s when the vendor who employed me back in Sydney, Australia, installed a fax machine in my office and I no longer had to take the long walk over to the telex machine where I would have then spend hours preparing a paper tape for transmission back to my head office in Richmond, Virginia. In many ways it was a sad occasi...

A temporary change of residence is a reminder that oftentimes situations develop that necessitates a move. Given how HPE executives have identified three pillars supporting their strategy – hybrid IT, the intelligent edge and services, NonStop too is on the move and hybrid IT is its target!   We pulled the company command center out of storage for a smog test – yes, these diesel pushers still need to pass the same smog regulations as cars do, but you have to take them to a special testing facility capable of handling the biggest of transportation rigs. There are lots of places that smog test cars, but only a few equipped to handle an RV. The RV did pass its smog test and is now all good to go for the next two years – hard to believe but 2017 will be the sixth summer we have ventured out onto America’s highways. For Margo and me, the picture above is also a reminder of where we once lived as the RV is parked alongside our former home in Boulder that is barely visible through t...

“You are what you read,” so read a headline of a column in Fortune magazine – but to many in the NonStop community, what we read about NonStop may not be all that appealing to us. But should we be fearful?  At this time of year you more or less have to prepare yourself for gifts family  will give you even if past experiences suggest not to be too surprised by what finds its way under the tree. However, this year, one of the more imaginative gifts I received was an apron to wear while I grill. Or pull corks from a bottle. The message was hard to miss, “Bites, Bytes & Blogs. I deliver.” Yes, I’m very much into bites, bytes and blogs. Two years ago Margo and I made the trip to Denver and we repeated the journey once again. Even stayed overnight in the same quirky hotel and took time to walk the city streets to check out the changes – none bigger than the completion of the fully refurbished Denver Union Station. While more complete observations on the transformation of...

Following the interviews and discussions that took place during the 2015 NonStop Technical Boot Camp it was time to follow-up with those working more closely on the products featured in keynote presentations. And the storyline that develops here takes it cue from those discussions … With the arrival of winter entering our garage is tinged with a degree of sadness with wires snaking around cars as they stand connected to battery charges. Not for the icy roads of Colorado are these rear-wheel drive sports cars and while we continue to transition to more suitable vehicles for our location, I cannot help but anticipate sunny days ahead even as I save away a few pennies for new tires on our track-focused sports car. In any highly competitive car race, where there’s barely any separation between competing drivers, there’s little chance any driver will be able to hold the perfect line around the course. There’s simply too many competing for too few feet of track and every turn a circ...