Real Time View

Contemplating a move to the other side of the country as we look to living by the coast, has given us an opportunity to catch up with what is happening across the home building landscape. In so doing, it’s so easy to gravitate to what’s trending and to ignore the practicality side of things. There is always the question too as to whether this or that trend has legs sufficient enough to overcome future reactions about how dated such a trend has become. Touring the many model homes that builders provide is always an exercise in maximizing temptations. This home can be built at this price point but if you would like it to look more like the model, then the upgrades will run you 20 to 25 percent more than the described base price. Models have their purpose but then again, they tend to not only tempt potential buyers but oftentimes overachieve. Do we really need floor to ceiling sheets of marble as wall coverings? What about that massive chandelier above the entrance? The references to ...

  The trappings of the festive season are now all around us. Inescapable, it would seem. Choosing gifts, cards and the right wrapping paper. It’s all happening and for many of us, it’s not only the season of joy but a time to reflect. Where were we this time last year? A decade ago? And then there are the numerous business gatherings held at this time of year. Reluctant to throw around the word party and yet, for many enterprises, this is exactly how best to describe the occasion. Paper hats? Streamers? The clink of glasses? Perhaps not but regardless, there is no escaping what the season means for each of us.   For Margo and I there was our return from our sojourn in the South Pacific. Spending the last weeks of November in Sydney, Australia, watching as we did the weather turn from mildly warm to very warm, even as we kept an eye on the weather back home in Colorado. It seems an anachronism to view Santas in Sydney decked out in full Northern Hemisphere winter kit. Ringing...

Welcome to RT Writer's blog - for all things related to the ITUG Community. In particular, to topics consistent with the theme of my colum "Real Time View". As you may recall from the first column I wrote back in the July - August 2007 issue, then: "I am writing it with the expectation of presenting a slightly different view of NonStop than might be presented elsewhere and I am writing it to generate further discussion. I am openly soliciting your feedback and I can assure you I will be reading all correspondence that I receive." By way of introduction - for some time now I have felt that there was opportunities to open more a direct dialogue with the community and so this is very much a prototype that I am looking at to market to a wider cross section of the community. Most of you know me - I have been involved with the NonStop server since my early days at Netlink Inc out of North Carolina. The company's R&D center was in Sydney - but as we loo...