No meetings ever.

Via Inter-Actions, Jim Buckmaster, CEO of Craigslist says: No meetings, ever. “I find them stupefying and useless.” No management programmes and no MBAs. “I’ve always thought that sort of thing was baloney.” Forget the figures. “We are consistently in the black, so if we do better or worse in any given quarter it is absolutely … Continue reading “No meetings ever.”

Via Inter-Actions, Jim Buckmaster, CEO of Craigslist says:

  • No meetings, ever. “I find them stupefying and useless.”
  • No management programmes and no MBAs. “I’ve always thought that sort of thing was baloney.”
  • Forget the figures. “We are consistently in the black, so if we do better or worse in any given quarter it is absolutely irrelevant.”

He has more gems of wisdom but it speaks to me very much of a CEO who knows what he wants to achieve from day to day.

This is kinda how I feel, though I’m transitioning out of it.

  • I loathe meetings when a simple email discourse will suffice. I just want to give someone a poke if they’re not keeping up. Find out what’s going on. See if it needs anything to bring it back on track.
  • I don’t care about VC money or flipping the company. I just want to work every day on something that interests me. And I don’t need to be earning a million dollars a month to do that.
  • The more I get involved in soft skills programmes, the more I’m convinced their utility for me is minimal. But it’s important to identify the buzzwords.

Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt about Wireless Security

Where I live, I can detect 6 other WiFi networks depending on where I stand in the house. All of them have wireless signals that extend into my house. Over the last few months I’ve had to change my base station channels because someone bought a new router with a new default channel and accidentally … Continue reading “Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt about Wireless Security”

Where I live, I can detect 6 other WiFi networks depending on where I stand in the house. All of them have wireless signals that extend into my house. Over the last few months I’ve had to change my base station channels because someone bought a new router with a new default channel and accidentally jammed my signal. When it got too much, I did the only thing I could and bought some powerful repeaters. I know for a fact that one individual who broadcasts his wireless SSID doesn’t even have a computer with WiFi.

My contention is that if you decide to use wireless then you should be aware of the technology and, in most cases, be prepared to share. I share my wireless. Why doesn’t everyone? Security? But once you get past your wireless encryption, you’re sending your data, unencrypted out into the general Internet.

Anything really important, like your banking details, is encrypted from the browser even in a wide open unencrypted wireless network.

Your email provider doesn’t provide you with SSL?

Call them now.

Ofcom: Toothless Regulator

The BBC News website has an article about the row regarding data about the placement and use of mobile telephone masts: The Sitefinder website is maintained by media regulator Ofcom, following a request from the government in 2000. But mobile firms stopped giving data to the site last year after Ofcom was told it must … Continue reading “Ofcom: Toothless Regulator”

The BBC News website has an article about the row regarding data about the placement and use of mobile telephone masts:

The Sitefinder website is maintained by media regulator Ofcom, following a request from the government in 2000. But mobile firms stopped giving data to the site last year after Ofcom was told it must publish grid references of all the masts in a searchable database.

Now, the mobile companies believe this is commercially sensitive material and would allow the different mobile companies to be able to discern the design of their others networks. As a result, they have stopped supplying the data to Ofcom.

While I understand their concerns, I have the following observations:

  • I fully support the Government in this – we should have a database, complete with a Maps mashup showing the locations of every mast in the country. Heck, in every country.
  • The Government told Ofcom to get the info. The operators refused. Does it not then behoove Ofcom, as the telecoms regulator, to give the various mobile operators a good kicking? What’s the point in having a toothless operator?
  • Why the hell is Ofcom appealing against the Government’s decision in this case? Why is this in the High Court? Why is Ofcom doing the mobile operators work?

According to SiteFinder, I have 3 single operator GSM transmitters and 4 single operator UMTS transmitters in my postcode. None of them are Shared base stations with more than one operator or more than one technology.

In my opinion, Ofcom should be demanding up to date information or fining the operators who do not provide it. I don’t care if this is commercially sensitive. This information should be in the public domain. They’re broadcasting in my wireless space, their signals enter my house.

And what is the commercial sensitivity? Surely competing mobile operators will be able to detect the placement of wireless masts much the way we can use tools like iStumbler or Kismet to detect WiFi networks?

Would we find out that their coverage of the country falls far short of what they are claiming? Would their competitors suddenly gain a great advantage from seeing this data? I’m not sure how it could seriously affect their business. And surely they’d get the same competitive gain from seeing other operators networks.

What are they hiding?

Introverts and Extroverts

There’s nothing wrong with being an introvert. Really. Related posts: Catering for the Power User Windows is shit. Sorry. 9/100 How I Find Blogging Ideas BarCamp Belfast this coming Saturday!

There’s nothing wrong with being an introvert. Really.

Monster Recruitment Spam and Attacks!

Looks like someone at Monster’s Irish website is a bit of a twit. First they start spamming Michele Neylon and then attack him in his blog comments when he pulls them on it There’s a lesson here. Spam is bad. Not just because you’ve annoyed hundreds of people but because if you care at all … Continue reading “Monster Recruitment Spam and Attacks!”

Looks like someone at Monster’s Irish website is a bit of a twit.

First they start spamming Michele Neylon and then attack him in his blog comments when he pulls them on it

There’s a lesson here. Spam is bad. Not just because you’ve annoyed hundreds of people but because if you care at all about your reputation then you’ve just endangered it.

Chris Pirillo writes about the future of Windows

He says: Microsoft is taking a huge hit. The future of Windows, in my opinion, is inside a Virtual Machine or BootCamp on a Mac. Chris’ post details his woes with Vista and lots of his subscribers chime in with their views. To be honest, I don’t think there are that many which are tremendously … Continue reading “Chris Pirillo writes about the future of Windows”

He says:

Microsoft is taking a huge hit. The future of Windows, in my opinion, is inside a Virtual Machine or BootCamp on a Mac.

Chris’ post details his woes with Vista and lots of his subscribers chime in with their views. To be honest, I don’t think there are that many which are tremendously supportive of Microsoft and the hash they’ve made out of Vista.

It’s now October and I’m counting down to the release of Leopard.