Who Wants to Be Obama's Chief Technology Officer?: "Google's CEO seems to be jockeying for position to be Barack Obama's CTO -- a cabinet position that does not yet exist for a candidate who has not yet been elected. The bid is from a guy who, as head of a de facto tech bellweather, already has a pretty good job. So, let's all get into the act: we have some ideas who should be Secretary of Technology. How about you?
"(Via Clippings.)
Replace MobileMe with an open source server: "Instead of using Apple's MobileMe account and losing control over your data, you can instead use dotmac for data synchronization and iDisk-like storage space. It requires a machine running either Linux or OS X with Apache and some Perl modules installed. It works fine here with OS X 10.5.5.
[robg adds: I hadn't heard of this project before, and it looks intriguing, claiming to support data sync for any app that uses .Mac (iCal, Address Book, etc.), iDisk-like remote storage, and support for Backup. Note that the setup process requires a fair bit of work in Terminal. Also, if you want the true benefits of .Mac (offsite hosted storage available anywhere), you'll need to set up your replacement server in the same manner. I haven't tested this one.]
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(Via Clippings.)
Internet, cell phones bring families together, study finds: "A Pew study found that cell phone and Internet technologies are improving communications among family members, refuting previous studies that have found that the technology is isolating people.
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(Via Computerworld Breaking News.)
10 ways to convince your boss to let you work from home: "
There may be dozens of reasons why telecommuting makes sense for you. But to make your case with management, you need a list of reasons that make sense for the business. Here are some well-supported arguments that demonstrate the benefits your company will gain when you work at home.
You want to work from home, but your boss might not support the idea. Don’t blame your boss — it’s a lot of change. Don’t make the mistake of telling your boss that you’ll be happier, and therefore more productive, working from home. Your boss won’t care about your state of mind. Instead, spend a little time researching telecommuting statistics that your boss can care about. In short, show your boss how telecommuting will improve or help business.
Note: This information is also available as a PDF download.
Office space doesn’t come cheap. Rented office space runs the extremes, but with an average of $33 a square foot (per year), it adds up. According to InnoVisions Canada, organizations can eliminate one office for every three telecommuters. Just a few money-saving examples should encourage any manager to consider your proposal:
Realistically, you’re just one person, but you could start a trend. The movement has to start somewhere. If it’s good for big business, why not yours?
It’s hard to convince some managers that you’ll be more productive at home. Seeing your little bobblehead lends comfort, albeit false security. Just because your boss can see you doesn’t mean you’re working. If your word won’t get the job done, try statistics:
Then there’s the creative aspect, which is hard to quantify. Frankly, some of us get more work done between 3:00 AM and 5:00 AM than those at the office working 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Now, this is more about you than the business, but it won’t hurt to let your employer know that you often work those extra hours, if you do.
The word is out: Telecommuting employees spend more time working when they’re not commuting and interacting with co-workers.
Threatening to quit if you can’t work from home is a bad idea; few of us are indispensable. However, if you have a long commute, working from home is a reasonable request. If you’re a valued employee, working from home a few days a week is preferable to losing you to a company that’s closer to home.
In CompTIA’s 2008 survey, 37% of respondents said telecommuting improves employee retention. Another 39% said they have access to more qualified personnel, who don’t always live within commuting distance, thanks to telecommuting.
A recent study by The Journal of Applied Psychology found that stress due to tense relationships at work is a major factor in the decision to quit a job. These people aren’t hard to get along with, they just don’t like office politics. Telecommuting, at least part-time, can reduce that stress and keep key people from leaving your organization. That kind of give and take has the added bonus of building company loyalty.
Anyone who bills clients directly knows how difficult it is to differentiate billable tasks from non-billable interruptions. When other people have access to you, they access you! At the end of the day, how much time did you actually spend on billable tasks? At home, you have fewer interruptions and that adds up to more billable hours. That means more revenue, quicker solutions, and more time for new clients, which means more money.
Everybody’s doing it. Robert Half Technology surveyed 1,400 CIOs and found that 47% offered more flexible schedules, including telecommuting, to improve job satisfaction and build loyalty. Here are a few more national statistics from WorldatWork:
The study by The Journal of Applied Psychology mentioned earlier found that telecommuting helped improve the relationships between supervisors and staff. In a telecommuting environment, everyone works hard to stay in touch. They see each other less, but they often communicate more efficiently and effectively than people sharing the same office space.
Being green isn’t just trendy, it can save your company money. A study commissioned by the US Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reported that telecommuting saves 9 to 14 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year — the equivalent of one million U.S. households. That equates to energy savings for your company. How much will of course depend on the company’s size and the number of employees who are telecommuting. The study also estimated that 3.9 million telecommuters reduce fuel consumption by about 840 million gallons and carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 14 million tons. While that won’t change your department’s bottom line, with today’s gas prices, your boss might decide to start telecommuting too!
Traffic isn’t just about fuel and emissions. The Texas Transportation Institute concluded that gridlock (traffic) cost $78 billion annual, or 4.2 billion lost hours. Instead of sitting in traffic, you could be working, if you worked at home.
It’s hard to share gossip from a home office. Yes, there’s always e-mail, IM, and phone calls, but it just isn’t the same. You might not be prone to participating in office politics or gossip, but sharing the same space with those who are affects your attitude and even your work. Nothing zaps productivity and morale like gossip and rumors. A home office can filter (protect you from) the undesirable aspects of sharing space with miserable human beings. If this is a problem, believe me, your manager already knows it. Showing sensitivity to the issue and wanting to separate yourself from it is admirable and professional.
Warning: Not every boss will agree with you. Some believe you should be above such shenanigans and you will appear petty if you even hint at such problems. Know your boss before you put this one on the table.
In an episode of Seinfield, George napped under his desk. Everyone thought he was very busy because he was never available. He was really just asleep. If you’re not in your office, maybe you’re in the copy room, or a conference room, or the library — there are many places to hide at work.
If your boss calls your home office and you don’t answer, just where are you? Realistically, you could be busy with a biological call, letting the dog in, letting the cat out, and so on. The point is, you can’t hide at home for very long. You must return a voicemail or e-mail quickly because your boss knows you’re not in the copy room, a conference room, or the library. You’re at home, and your boss knows where you live.
Not only are you more accessible to your boss and co-workers, you’re more accessible to clients. Business hours and time zones don’t limit you. (On second thought, maybe you might want to keep that benefit to yourself.)
In January 1994, my employer shut down for a full week after Mother Nature dumped about 20 inches of snow on the region. Depending on where you work, this might be an important issue. Weather won’t disrupt your commute across the hall.
Susan Sales Harkins is an independent consultant and the author of several articles and books on database technologies. Her most recent book is Mastering Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express, with Mike Gunderloy, published by Sybex. Other collaborations with Gunderloy are Automating Microsoft Access 2003 with VBA, Upgrader’s Guide to Microsoft Office System 2003, ICDL Exam Cram 2, and Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Microsoft Access 2003, all published by Que. Currently, Susan volunteers as the Publications Director for Database Advisors. You can reach her at ssharkins@gmail.com.
"(Via Clippings.)
Add Drop-Down Menus Using CSS: "When you've got too many links to list in one web page, you might want to consider drop-down menus in your site design. Good looking menus are deceptively simple. All you need are HTML list elements and some CSS styles and you can wow your visitors with interactive menus.
"(Via Wired: Top Stories.)
Tech Terms to Avoid: "David Pogue takes the jargon out of technospeak. Here’s a list of pretentious pet-peeve words to avoid."
(Via Clippings.)
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