A man and His Love affair with an iPad

The love affair with the amazing device I am blogging from right now started before Steve sat on stage ever so relaxed demo'ing the device. I have been on the quest for the perfect device for years now, trying every laptop, mobile smartphone, tablet this and netbook that, on the quest for something so portable but fast and powerful and with the ability to impress me with each application, each command I give the device.

Yes this love affair with finding the perfect device has grown for years and while I am not ready to call my quest complete, this latest addition to the Apple family has really impressed me in so many ways even 36 hours after I received it from the UPS guy yesterday morning.

The device showed up fully charged and ready to go. First of course, it beckoned a connection with my computer and an initial synch and registration with iTunes. Once the device was connected, it immediately began to synch my iPhone apps, music, photos, and podcasts to the device. Once the sync was complete, I was very anxious to get my hands (literally) on the iPad and start putting it through the paces. My initial reaction to bouncing through settings and applications was "WOW, this is soo much faster than my iPhone!" The 1Ghz processor (3 times faster than the iPhone 3g processor) gives the iPad enough horsepower to bounce from app to app with hardly any delays at all. I quickly setup my google email, calendar, and contacts and logged into the email app. I had seen Steve browse his email during the keynote, but I wanted to read and type an email myself. The keyboard on screen is really responsive and easy to use,  even moreso than I thought it would be. I did purchase a bluetooth Apple keyboard but for basic email composing and most activities like facebook, twitter, and IM the keyboard on the screen (especially in landscape mode) is more than sufficient.

I spent a significant amount of time yesterday downloading various applications for the iPad and there are some really cool applications out there that have already been "iPadded" including a few I use like Toodledo, Evernote, and WeatherBug. I am also absolutely enjoying having NetFlix access and finally having a mobile device with a screen large enough (laptops excluded of course) to watch a TV show and not feel like I have to squint. The video quality on NetFlix and the ABC player app are sharp and very clean and while the speaker won't win any awards, it is much better than the iPod touch or iPhone counterpart (though I use Beats anyway when traveling).

Perhaps even more impressive is the apps to read books, PDF, docs, etc for the iPad. I was very happy to see the Kindle app immediately available in iPad format on day one as well as an app I used on my iPhone called "GoodReader" which on the iPad has the ability to network with your laptop (or NAS device which I was sooo happy about) but also the ability to connect to google docs and download files to read (this app doesn't edit but is amazing for PDF reading). I loaded it up today with all the documentation I will be reading for work this week while I am traveling.

So with all the time I have spent on the device in the last 36 hours, I know I am just scratching the surface on how amazing it really is but so far it's very much captivated my attention and with a few tweaks (which I imagine the next rev. of blacksn0w will satisfy) this device could possibly become the one I have longed for.

EAVB_LKCZOSXRVR



Sent from my iPad

My ITIL Expert Certificate has arrived!!!!!!

I suppose I should post something

Well it has been like almost four months since I posted anything here. I have been seriously slacking! I will be more faithful in the future on posting about new technologies and what not.

Been following two pieces of tech that are of interest to me. First, is all these Android phones. Now I own both a Blackberry and an iPhone, and I am hearing some good things about the Android phones. My only concern is how the platform seems to be "all over the place".

Every week a new piece of hardware is being pumped out from a different vendor (Motorola, HTC, yada yada) and each seems to come with a different version of the OS. I got to play a little with a Verizon droid and I did like it very much. The screen is beautiful and the responsiveness was wicked fast. I was a little excited when I heard the Nexus One was coming out unlocked however no 3G support for AT&T means the same thing to me as when the first iPhone came out sans 3G...hold your water and wait for it!

I know that Apple will be releasing a new iPhone sometime this year and I am very much in love with all the Apple products I own including this monster Macbook Pro I use every day.

The second piece of tech that has peaked my interest is all these eBook readers. I have a Sony PRS-505 which my wife won in a contest (she already had one so I picked that one up for freee!) however, I am loving some of the newer devices coming out. I have been following the blogs on the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) going on this week and there is probably 100 different eBook devices on display including a few that are as flexible as a piece of paper but as big as a magazine.

That's all for now, I have a new gig in my company and I will write a little about that tomorrow. In the meantime, if you want to know a little more about me in general, check out some of my other websites.


http://jimmysurgery.blogspot.com (Frame by frame coverage of my Gastric Bypass transformation)
http://jimmyhomeoh.tripod.com (Photo Blog of our home build from 2005)
http://www.facebook.com/jimmy.l.rowe
http://www.twitter.com/jimmyrowe
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmyrowe

My twitter account #27 in Social Capital on Twinfluence.com

Just thought this was a fun fact to post. I am 27th on the top 50 for social capital on Twinfluence.com. Basically that means my network of influence based on the folks that follow my tweets is very well followed themselves. The spidering affect means when I tweet something there is potential to get the word out to millions of folks very quickly.

Here's a link to my twitter stats from that site http://twinfluence.com/?u=jrowe8272

And a screenshot from the Top-50 report.

itSMF conference today announces prISM IT Service Management Credential

Today kicked off the annual conference of itSMF (IT Service Management Foundation). Service management basically can be defined as the operation of IT as a business and all the people, processes, and technologies that revolve around that. This is a topic very near and dear to my heart and profession as that's my day job.

More specifically, ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is a documented framework of best practices that provide IT departments and service providers with the tools they need to provide technology services to their customers. ITIL covers everything from managing help desk calls and tickets to asset inventory and tracking to diaster recovery planning and implementation. Especially for larger organizations, implementing this in your business can take years even with a good guideline to start with and ITIL provides this guideline.

This new prISM service management credential promises to take the "practice" of IT service management and transform it to a profession. Personally I would have to say while we all in this business will eventually embrace this new credential, I would say its just another revenue stream for service management vendors.  I can tell you the certification I have (ITIL Expert) cost the company I worked for at the time over $20k in course fees, travel and expenses, and lost work time (took almost one month). On top of that, I have to do the "version upgrade" course (scheduled for end of October) and that is another $5k. Just don't see companies continuing to shell out large sums of cash for multiple certifications on the same material.

Here are some of the points made at the conference today about this new credential (Thanks to @ServiceSphere for the highlights here).

• Apply for recognition of their ITSM knowledge, skills and abilities
• Program represents a consistent, global understanding of what it means to be an ITSM practitioner
• itSMF USA will maintain a Registry of members and their professional qualification
• Benefit of the priSM program is having the ability to verify experience and education of potential employees and service provders
• Individuals will need to maintain their credentials on an annual basis through priSM’s Continuing Professional Development (first service management credential to do this for employees)
• The fee associated with this program will be submitted as part of the application process

itSMF USA will begin accepting applications immediately and will complete the evaluation and validation process by the first quarter of 2010

Full Document:  Here
WebSite:  Here
FAQ:  Here
Brochure:  Here

Social Media Sushi Event at Kogens in Powell

Last night I attended a meetup.com event called "Social Media Sushi" at Kogens in Powell. This was a collaboration of a couple of meetup groups including a group of people from the "Meet 2 Eat" group in Columbus. The food was outstanding and there were lots of great discussions on how each of us use social media in our lives and work. I enjoyed the event so much I joined the meet 2 eat meetup group and look forward to seeing those folks again soon.

What a fun evening we all had including a contest for the best socks and sandles. I made a good effort but unfortunately did not win. Next time I WILL wear platform heels.

Here's a picture of my socks and sandles (thanks go out to my wife for the hand-knitted socks)

 

And here is a picture of the winning ensemble  

National Broadband Plan

As I did growing up as a kid, there are millions of people that live in rural areas where broadband Internet coverage is simply not available (I know about HughesNET, but just sayin'). As part of the economic recovery act this year a plan is being developed to expand the broadband footprint into many of these rural areas. According to FastCompany magazine, the FCC launched a new crowd-sourcing platform to try to generate some consensus on the direction of the agency's National Broadband Plan. Built by IdeaScale in the style of Digg and Reddit, popular voting-based social news sites, the new Broadband.gov presents users with a list of ideas to vote up or down.

I personally think that my life would be very different without broadband. Granted I could still send email and do basic web browsing and the occasional 12-hour download session of updates, but having a fast Internet connection pretty much everywhere I go allows me to do more, experience more, create more than I could ever imagine in the days of the ole' dial-up.

How would your life be different if you were still using dial-up Internet to connect?

A link to the FastCompany article here. Visit broadband.gov to read and participate in the discussion.

The ITILExperience Project

This week I became part of a project in which 100 ITIL experts are sharing their experiences which will become part of a book that is going to be published soon by The Art of Service. The premise of the book is to ask the same set of interview questions to the 100 co-authors of the project and then share the answers with the world.

I was very happy to be part of this project and I hope that myself and the other authors of the work provide some value to all those in IT Service Management.

 

Below is the excerpt from my page on the wiki that is being used to collect our data.

 

1. The learning experience

  1. I enrolled in a course because...

   I worked for a retail company that adopted ITIL as their IT process framework and at the time I was the manager of the team that owned and supported all the Service Desk / Operations Center tools.

  2. I completed the following program...

   I attended a Pink Elephant Service Manager training course in 2008 which was amazing. Thank goodness for Terry Sherman or none of us would have passed that exam.

  3. Did you sit for the certification exam (and did you pass)?

   I am ITIL v2 Service Manager certified and will be completing v3 Manager bridge and corresponding exam at the end of October 2009 to earn ITIL Expert credential.

2. The ITIL Framework

  1. I choose to study the ITIL Framework because...

ITIL was/is good for my career path in technology services. I also am very passionate about the value that having a solid foundation for how you operate your IT business brings to the entire organization. ITIL has a proven, tested approach for providing this foundation.

  2. I have applied my knowledge of ITIL in my job since finishing the course in the following ways...

Managed my teams through a failed and then a successful implementation of ITIL processes. Changed careers where I am the designated ITIL expert and lead provider of guidance to both internal and external IT organizations.

  3. The ITIL Framework has made a difference in the following ways...

When a company adopts the ITIL framework, the need for that company to engineer their approach for providing IT services is virtually eliminated. While ITIL does not spell out specific process and procedures, the framework provides a common set of terms and best practices to start with. This allows organizations to focus on what their business needs from them rather than on defining details of each service management process approach.

  4. The biggest benefit I and my organization have seen from using the ITIL Framework is...

Speed and repeatability. When an organization is supporting government agencies there are many roadblocks that cannot be avoided. The last thing that us as a service provider needs is having process inefficiencies get in our own way of conducting business. ITIL has and is continuously supporting our mission of delivering services fast and cheap allowing us to stay very competitive in the government marketspace.

3. About Me

  1. My name is...

   Jimmy Rowe

  2. I'm located in (City/Country)...

   Dublin (Columbus), Ohio, United States of America

  3. My jobtitle / role in the company is...

   I work for Northrop Grumman Information Systems as a Senior Architect and Solutions Expert. My focus is ITIL v3 adoption into our internal process framework as well as providing ITIL v3 services for our government clients.

  4. My background / experience is...

   Fifteen plus years in the IT business. Experience in all areas from application development to infrastructure engineering and support to project management and         enterprise architecture. Have also spent five of those years in IT leadership at varying levels in my organizations. Direct ITIL experience since 2006 (ITIL Foundations Certificate in 2006). In addition to working for Northrop Grumman, I participate in many local IT activites and volunteer services to many organizations in the Columbus area. I am also working on a couple of startup organizations and hope to have live products in those organizations very soon.


Just some links about me.

My Techie Blog
http://www.techincbus.com

My LinkedIn Page
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmyrowe

My Twitter
http://www.twitter.com/techincbus

The Power of a Macbook Pro

I am two days into my ownership of this wonderful new macbook pro and I wanted to share a little bit about how powerful this laptop really is.

Here's a snapshot of what I am running right now.

In Desktop 1 (top left) I am running my Firefox web browser, iTunes, and iPhoto. In Desktop 2 (top left), I am running VMWare Fusion with Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (2GB RAM dedicated) and Microsoft Office. In Desktop 3 (bottom left) I am running my twitter app TweetDeck, and in Desktop 4 (bottom right) I am running the XCode IDE.

Again, just blows my mind away that a laptop has this much power. I am in awe. Maybe it's just because I am used to the laptops from my jobs that run really slow due to all the "protection" the desktop team is providing us.

So before you make a laptop purchase, especially if you are looking for something with power. Take a look at the Macbook Pro before you write it off as being too expensive. For a techie, it's an investment. 

AHHH I sooo love Apple Computers

Well today I paid a visit to the Apple Store in Easton (of course it was a zoo in there) and picked up a new Macbook Pro 15". I didn't even realize that you could buy them with an anti-glare screen (50 bux extra) but I was very impressed with it and decided I wanted that option. Here's a couple of pictures including one with me cheesin like the geek I am.

I am looking forward to writing my first iPhone app on this little gem.

 

  

I have created a custom domain for this blog

Today I came over to the 21st century and registered a domain for my blog. If you used my blogspot link, it redirected you to http://www.techincbus.com/. Hoping to get the word out and start some good discussions on technology and the geekdom that is Columbus, Ohio.

One Web Day

Today I learned about an annual event called One Web Day. This is an event that has occurred on September 22nd since 2006 and was inspired by the concept of Earth day however with a focus on opportunities for communities all across the world to celebrate the power of the web.

Our very own Columbus Ohio will be participating in this event and it will be hosted at FreeGeek Columbus.

The group hosting the event is currently looking for volunteers who have expertise in open source technologies and social networking to facilitate discussions as well as others who can rip apart old donated computers and build working ones from them.

Check out the OneWebDay site here:  http://onewebday.org/

If you are interested in volunteering for this event, create a profile and join the columbus group on the onewebday site or send me a note and I will get you in contact with the right folks.

Photos from last night's Event

Also to see the twitter stream search for #DCP

 

  

  

 

The Digital City Project

Tonight I attended a presentation by Marc Canter (he invented this little web technology called Flash/Shockwave). He has a new project called Digital City which he describes as "workforce automation through social networking". Its a cool concept, where those who have skills (the haves) sign up to volunteer time to mentor folks who need to learn that skill (the have nots) and for your time and effort you get points to be used for items from any number of corporate sponsors. Also you can yourself learn a new skill as say someone who gets mentoring for computers may be an expert photographer and offers to volunteer some of their time for mentoring aspiring students of photography.

I will post some photos from the event in the AM as well as any updates to the information I get on this project. I am quite interested and there are two textbooks Mr. Canter wrote on the subject and is using to teach a course at Case Western Reserve University (books available for free at http://courseware.case.edu)

The Columbus IT networking buzz

I have been so inspired over the last few months with the amount of networking that is going on in the Columbus IT community. There are several groups that host networking events for IT groups and today I got to sit down with the co-founder of one of those groups. IT Martini co-founded by John Bishop, is a really good combination of networking, professional development, and IT demonstrations that happen several times a year here in Columbus. John described it best I think as "a mini IT conference". The events even collect donations for local charities and provide a very social atmostphere for IT professionals to meet and learn about each other. The next event is ITMartini 6 at Park Street Patio on Thursday, September 24th at 5:30PM .

I also recommend checking out the TechLife Columbus group at Meetup.com.

Building an iPhone app

Well I have decided I am going to build an iPhone app. I have a few ideas but haven't nailed down the final details yet.

Of course building an iPhone app requires the apple XCode tools which requires a Mac to run. I am using my wife's Macbook for now but plan on buying myself a 17" Macbook Pro before school starts up again this fall.

For those of you who would want to read about building your own app, check out the iPhone Dev center at http://developer.apple.com/iphone/.

I am also getting ready to head back to school in September working toward finishing up my MBA at Franklin University. I really like the program there and have about half the program to go to finish.

A Techie's Surroundings

Today I thought I would start by showing a little bit of my work surroundings. I work from home mostly although I do have a separate room for an office as shown here. I am very happy that I have the space to be able to claim for an office separate from the rest of the house

A trip to Sam's Club today was on the agenda and that always means stocking my "work fridge". This fridge is a techie's dream (and his spouse's nightmare). Gotta have the red bull (Sugar Free of course)!

Starting a new Techie Blog

I have decided to start a techie blog where I want to write about working in technology here in Columbus, OH. I have dabbled in blogging in the past, but really want to make this one real. Will be sending invites to all my friends on facebook, twitter, etc for this blog real soon. Feel free to talk about techie topics like gadgets, code, or just general nerdom stuff.