This isn't news, just posting here so I can find it later. SQL Server 2005 pricing Enterprise $24,999 per server processor Standard $ 5,999 per server processor Workgroup $ 3,899 per server processor note: Log shipping now available with Workgroup Dell is selling servers pre-loaded with SQL Server SQL Server 2000 now has a Workgroup version...

Midwest airlines will begin offering handheld, video on demand entertainment. I received this in an email; I couldn't find it on their site to link to it, so here is the cut & paste. Entertainment Choices Start April 1The digEplayerTM – a handheld unit that puts more than 50 entertainment choices right on your tray table. Available on flights over 2 1/2 hours. Video-on-demand technology – pre-programmed with great entertainment selections for the whole family Pre-release movies, recently...

The Game of Work Charles A. Coonradt In the Game of Work, Charles Coonradt shows us the parallels between business and sport. Scorekeeping and defining the field of play in business are some of the principles explained by the author through the use of instructions, worksheets and real life examples. The author shows how the manager as coach can be more than just a metaphor. The author states that there are three ways to manage; by observation, by judgment or by measurement. This book is about managing...

I often hear people talk about personas. Although they correctly attribute them to Alan Cooper, the descriptions I hear often conflict with what I have read in Cooper's books and learned at his companies training seminars. In this post I will try to point out what I think are some important differences between what I have learned and what I often hear described. To try to keep things clear, I will refer to personas as I hear the typically described as Typical Personas (TP) and personas ala Cooper...

The March issue of Wired has an interesting article speculating on the future use of elective surgery as a way to enhance performance for athletes. One example would be a baseball pitcher having Tommy John surgery before they actually have an injury. Interesting read given the current noise regarding steroids

I received a note from Lance Robinson about his new podcast receiver. I'm playing with it this afternoon and here are my first impressions. Downloading the the software requires providing minimal registration info. The registration looks like the typical Dot Net Nuke registration page. The software requires either Windows 2000 or XP along with the .Net Framework 1.1. Installation was quick and easy. There appears to be some good documentation, but me being a guy and this being a weekend, of course...

Flying back from Las Vegas, I heard one of the better lines I've heard on a Southwest flight. As they were going through the announcements, the flight attendant said “...Tampering with the smoke detector carries a $2,000 fine. Of course, if you could afford that fine, you'd be on a Delta flight right now”

I've been reading The Daily Drucker, a book of insights from management guru Peter Drucker. Yesterday's insight is titled “Understanding What the Customer Buys”. Managers often make the mistake of thinking that what they think of as quality is the value that customers buy. Drucker tells us that a customer never buys a product but rather the satisfaction of a want. Different customers (or groups of customers) will have different wants; figuring out the wants is so complicated it can only...