Convert at what level would you stop asking people their opinion on the solution? Company I work for has 2000+ people. Therefore I implemented a solution per role. Some roles have the same solution. If its a Mac v Windows debate but its only for spreadsheet / word processing then you get the standard (cheaper) Windows solution. If its specialist Mac design software and the end user is familiar with Macs then its a Mac solution.

Convert, I hear you, however in I.T’s defence running a standard solution helps with the IT Governance as well as internal training. We run an internal helpdesk and if the staff had to support ALL devices we couldn’t deliver the level of service required (well we could at extra expense re training). However in saying that the solution needs to be flexible and meet the end users needs, so we have Mac users, dual screens where required, laptops where required etc.

It is maybe possible the senior management don’t like the set-up but unlikely as up until I handed in my notice I was on good terms with all and had no feedback to that effect. Yes I do care about the team, however I care more about me (and my families) own reasons for leaving. Also the business is not spending capital this year which must have been explained to him at interview (or he should have asked it) so I cant see that as a job clincher.

Don Simon – i’m off to pastures new and have no intention of looking back.
FlowerPower – I’m kinda leaning that way at the moment. However to me it shows a lack of experience at this level if you come into an established team and say your ripping out large chunks of the infrastructure that the team are familiar with. Stabilisation is critical at this point, then make your mark.
I’m not keen on raising an issue in case it looks like sour grapes but on the other hand I feel some loyalty to the team that are staying behind.

Happened to me once. My ex-wife parked her car outside my house while on holiday as she had bought a new one and was selling this one. Anyway, I was staying over at my girlfriends one night and came back the next day after work to find the door boarded up and a note from the police. Neighbour across the road came and explained what happened. The car my ex left had ended up in his hedge across the road. He had heard the crash and assumed joyriders and phoned the police. Out comes plod, who in an innocent until proven guilty way kicked in my door as they thought i might have been drink driving (I had another car and it was with me, however this one was registered to my address where the ex used to live). Anyway, i replaced the door at my expenses and then went to the cop shop to submit a complaint. Once the complaint was investigated, it came back to say the duty sergeant had authorised the ‘raid’ as the officers onsite reported hearing screams from inside and assumed I was busy murdering my ex. Now this is where I got really annoyed, as my neighbour through the wall was also on holiday so there was NOTHING in either house that could make a sound (it being 2am). The car got lifted onto a low loader, sent to forensics and myself, the ex, and my new girlfriend had to make a statement detailing where we were (and i was) on the night in question. Not the best start to a new relationship! Anyway I continued to pursue the police complaint for discipline action against the over zealous officers and the duty sergeant and wouldn’t let it lie. End result, they disciplined the officers, apologised and paid for my door. Plus my girlfriend is now my wife 🙂 and the cause behind all this. The handbrake cable had snapped on the car, and with the steering turned slightly, it caused it to roll backwards into the hedge across the road.

Cheers guys, these sound just the ticket. I’ll look into these.

As long as you planned it the way you want you won’t have any regrets. Enjoy it and once the day starts just let it happen! Congrats.

If its a mid level technical job you should stick to 2 pages, well laid out and easy to read. Use white space to make it appealing. More senior level jobs can go to 3 or at a stretch 4 if they cover a variety of areas and positions. I cant stress the importance of making it visually appealing before a word is read, as it needs to grab the attention instantly. Coloured paper, stickers, photos and keywords bolded amongst sentences are a no in my book.

Good luck guys. It is a great feeling, especially when you’ve been hating the job for the past 12-18 months.

Ho Hum – The general consensus of any driver that has ‘driven’ the M8 near the Kingston bridge around rush hour has given the M74 a unanimous thumbs up. Worth every penny is a well used phrase. Please do not compare the Edinburgh Sham project to the 5 miles of golden tarmac loveliness that has made Glasgow car drivers very happy!

Cloud computing seems to have a different term depending on who you speak to. RichC your description is not what i would describe as cloud computing. Basically the cloud is a generic term for offering applications, processing power and/or storage and be billed per usage. e.g. Imagine the ‘traditional’ scenario of providing a database server for a certain task with a intense month end routine. You would identify the specification, purchase the hardware, install it, maintain it, patch it, (finance) depreciate it and have the capacity to do x number of tasks in y time. Cloud computing would mean you identify the role of the machine, i.e. database server (with usage estimates as well), and then run your tasks on it. If your usage spikes (month end processing) then you have the option of adding additional resources (memory, processor, bandwidth, more servers) to decrease processing time or expand capacity for a period of time. Your cloud provider should be constantly monitoring and providing stats on the services you’ve taken. This can apply to any services. Gmail, youtube, flickr are all good example of cloud computing for dedicated tasks, however the new wave of cloud computing for business is the scenario described above. The cloud computing for consumer is focussed on music and storage i.e. iCloud from Apple and whatever the Google and Amazon services are called. HTH

I have some gps routes on mapmyride of the Kilpatricks. I may have some not uploaded that show a route to Burncrooks and also alternate climbs / ways down.

Just found this thread. If you go to mapmyride.com i and search for kilpatrick hills ive made my routes up there public. Hopefully they’ll be of some use.

Chilli Vodka – The Picolax of alcohol (for me anyway)

Generally the creaking occurs when i’m out the saddle and ‘powering’ up a hill. I’ll try the carbon assembly paste though I think its a alloy seat post. does that make a difference?

Variable would be best to describe Scotland’s ski conditions. I use Ski Scotland[/url] to keep track of conditions. All you can do is check the night before and go if it looks favourable.

😀 @ tsy.

So, after reading this im thinking Lazlo, get a life. I’ve had issue 62 for about a week and still to read it. Is it any good? Has anyone actually read it?

WCA, i’m interested in your experiences and would like to compare costs as this is something I have been thinking about for a while. Can you mail me. Email should be in the profile. Thanks

Was there 2 years ago for a long weekend and we did all the big touristy things. Remember to pack your trainers, we just walked the whole time and there is so much to see. Around every corner there is some reminder of the past.

Colosseum
Spanish Steps (not that impressed, they’re stairs)
Trevi fountain (surprisingly well hidden)
St Peters
Bocca della Verita (There were also some lovely gardens from the train station to here but i cent remember the name)

Great piece of kit. Going strong 2 years later and i paid more than that for it. Sporttracks is also a great piece of software to use.

Does anyone do kittys?

We have a mate who is generally the kitty master. We each give him £20 and once this is done we top up the kitty. Upside is, everyone has to pay to get a drink (we usually all drink the same). The down side to this approach is by the 3rd 4th kitty he’s at the bar buying shots for the closest group of females. If your not within earshot you cant get your order in and the kitty is quickly depleted, making him look like Mr flash cash at everyone’s expense.