Eric Johnson's Blog

My view on Ultimate Reality

Eric Johnson — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:10:10 GMT

I was raised as Christian and attended a Methodist church where god was described as having anthropomorphic features. For example, Michelangelo’s famous painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome portrays God as being a kindly old man with a long white beard (Solomon, 2010). Growing up, I was raised to believe the concept of monotheism, meaning that there is only one God, not several. However, these conceptions of God have changed dramatically throughout the past two thousand years and even within the Bible (Solomon, 2010).

Similarly, my view of God has changed throughout my life, shifting away from the one anthropomorphic image presented to me as child. Today, my view is more aligned with the theories that God is immanent or an unknown object of faith. For example, some describe this as God is not outside of us or distinct from the universe (Solomon, 2010). Like Kierkegaad, I believe God is a divine presence that simply exists without proof or our understanding. I was surprised to learn that my view is actually fairly aligned with Hinduism. For example, I believe God can take many forms and it not constrained to Michelangelo’s image or anthropomorphic features such as gender.

Additionally, my views on religion have also changed in that I believe modern religion is more about society’s conformance to a specific belief than the actual belief in God itself. Therefore, I believe in god, but do not believe attending church is requirement for my faith. This is similar to the Kierkegaad’s view of what he called “Chistendom” (Solomon, 2010).

In conclusion, I believe my beliefs are now more similar to pantheism. Similar to the scrutiny that the seventeenth-century Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza received, some may perceive my view as atheism. However, I’d argue that it is more agnostic because I believe in some form of God, just not a specific one.

Reference:

Solomon, R. C. (2010). The big questions: A Short Introduction to Philosophy (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.

My Political Ideology and Party Identification

Eric Johnson — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:09:11 GMT

According to the "the world's smallest political quiz", my political ideology is aligned with the Centrist group. They favor the "middle ground" regarding government control of the economy and personal behavior. Depending on the issue, they sometimes favor government intervention and sometimes support individual freedom of choice. They pride themselves on keeping an open mind, tend to oppose "political extremes," and emphasize what they describe as "practical" solutions to problems. (Advocates, 2009) I was a bit surprised that the results so accurately described my views and behavior. For example, I often debate extreme left and right winged views in politics. Also, my stance on issues changes based on the current conditions of our country. However, my views do not change based on my personal or economic circumstances.

According to the “PartyMatch quiz”, my political views are 48% democratic, 43% green, and 35% republican. These results were aligned with my political ideology and with my expectations since I am a registered Independent. (Party Match, 2004) Two minor parties that I find interesting are the Green Party of the United States and the Modern Whig Party. The green party has been associated with Ralph Nader and is known as the informal US-affiliate of the leftist, environmentalist European Greens movement. The Modern Whig Party supports the principles of fiscal responsibility, strong national defense and bold social progression. They are also known as centrists. (Gunzburger, 2009) I believe many of my political views are aligned with these two groups because I often consider the environment in political debates and support some forms of social progression such as national healthcare.

I do not believe the media shapes my political ideology because I pride myself on being an independent and practical thinker. Although the comedy is a bit farfetched, I do enjoy watching the Daily Show and believe it helps me identify with the views of a particular party. For example, during the 2008 elections I was more aligned with the views of the Democratic nominees that supported social change. I avoid many of the major news stations because I believe they are biased towards particular political parties and I often question the creditably of some of their analysts. One thing I enjoyed about the media since the last election was their use of Web 2.0 elements on the Internet. For example, I followed and commented on Obama’s micro blog on Twitter during the election and watched many of Obama’s video blogs featured on www.whitehouse.gov since the election.

References:

Advocates. (2009). World's Smallest Political Quiz. Retrieved 09, 22, 2009 form Advocates for self Government: http://www.theadvocates.org/quizp/index.html

Gunzburger. R. (2009). Directory of U.S political parties. Retrieved 09, 23, 2009 from Politics 1: http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm

PartyMatch. (2004). Party Match Quiz. Retrieved 09 22, 2009 from Issues 2000:
http://www.issues2000.org/quizeng/xPartyMatch/start.asp

Patterson, T. (2008). The American democracy (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Using philosophy in Enterprise Architecture

Eric Johnson — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:23:15 GMT

I started taking a philosophy class at school this week and discovered a critical thinking model that I believe can be applied to Enterprise Architecture to better communicate thought leadership on controversial topics. The critical thinking model is incredibly simple, yet powerful.

1. State your initial point of view
2. Define your point of view more clearly
3. Give an example of your point of view
4. Explore the origin of your point of view
5. Identify your assumptions
6. Offer supporting reasons, evidence, and arguments
7. Consider other points of view
8. Arrive at a conclusion, decision, solutions, or prediction
9. Consider the consequences

Reference:
Chaffee, J. (2005). The philosopher’s way: Thinking critically about profound ideas (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Advanced Persistant Threats (aka BYZANTINE FOOTHOLD)

Eric Johnson — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:19:28 GMT

According to BusinessWeek (2008)... In 2007, a new form of attack, using sophisticated technology, deluges outfits from the State Dept. to Boeing. Military cyber security specialists find the "resources of a nation-state behind it" and call the type of attack an "advanced persistent threat." The breaches are detailed in a classified document known as an Intelligence Community Assessment. The source of many of the attacks, allege U.S. officials, is China. China denies the charge.

Below are some recent resources related to APTs.

An Evolving Crisis
- Major attacks on the U.S. government and defense industry—and their code names

Defense Industrial Base Cybersecurity
- The US is facing a severe national security challenge from a pervasive, deep penetration of government and private industry information networks by foreign intelligence and organized criminal entities

When Compromise is No Longer an Option
- Mandiant highlights key finding related to APTs and a methodology to combat that (detect, collect, analyze, remediate)

Under Cyberthreat: Defense Contractors
- Northrop Grumman's info security chief addresses the "well-resourced, highly sophisticated" attacks against makers of high-tech weaponry

Northrop Grumman's Timothy McKnight on Security and Identity Management
- Discusses the threat of nation-based attacks, the benefits of identity management and the future of the CISO role

Results-only Workforce Environment

Eric Johnson — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:13:48 GMT

A few people have been asking me about telecommuting and deliverables based management. Therefore, I'm posting some links to resources on Results-only Workforce Environment (ROWE).

No Schedules, No Meetings–Enter Best Buy’s ROWE – Part 1
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/05/21/no-schedules-no-meetings-enter-best-buys-rowe-part-1/

Smashing the Clock: Best Buy's ROWE
http://www.slideshare.net/cferdinandi/smashing-the-clock-best-buys-rowe

Why Work Sucks and How to Fix It: No Schedules, No Meetings, No Joke--the Simple Change That Can Make Your Job Terrific
http://www.amazon.com/Why-Work-Sucks-How-Joke/dp/1591842034

Disucssion about the Book
http://hunternuttall.com/blog/2008/12/work-sucks-fix-it-with-rowe/

ClickOnce Installation Location

Eric Johnson — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:18:08 GMT

I'm tired of forgeting where ClickOnce application are installed on Windows XP, so I'm posting it here.

C:\Documents and Settings\userprofile\Local Settings\Apps

Walden University Looking Good

Eric Johnson — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 04:45:41 GMT

For the past 6 months I've been continuing my education at Walden University and participating on their advisory community. At first I was skeptical that the community would provide much value. However, I'm pleased to report that Walden has implemented many changes in response to feedback from the community. An example of this is the new "Walden Experience" showcased on their homepage at www.waldenu.edu.

Additionally, a colleague on the advisory community recently spotted an article on MSN that lists Walden as one of the “Top 10 Colleges for Adults”, with the likes of Stanford University!

http://encarta.degreesandtraining.com/articles.jsp?article=featured_top_10_colleges_for_adults&gt1=27001

Strategic Planning Revelation

Eric Johnson — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:22:30 GMT

I don't know if it's a revelation or simply the fact that I'm through with my heavy workload time of the year... but I had good thoughts and conversations today.

As an Enterprise Architect, part of my job is facilitating strategies. Until now, I've sought the right outlines, formats, etc to communicate strategies. Over the past 2 years I've facilitated multiple strategies, but executive leadership keeps asking for plans.

I've always taken their requests for plans as a negative, thinking that we missed the mark on our strategy. Today, I realized that we've been going about things the right way all along. A strategic plan can be executed and is what matters in the end. However, you must first define a strategy so that people are willing to listen to a strategic plan. The fact that people are now asking for strategic plans means we've succeeded in communicating the strategy.

Now my challenge is to get people to understand that annual strategic plans, strategies, and strategic plans are each different and necessary. Annual strategic plans are long term (3-5) years and are re-visited each year. Strategies address gaps or drill in on specific parts of your annual strategic plan. Both annual strategic plans and strategies should be technology agnostic. Strategic plans are technology specific and define "how" you will execute on a strategy.

The point is... you can't define a strategic plan without first defining the strategy, and if the strategy is well thought out, it should also tie to annual strategic plan. Hopefully this makes sense and brings clarity to the Strategic Planning process.

Note: If this post was interesting for you, I suggest you review "Four Fatal Flaws of Strategic Planning" posted by Ed Borrows on HarvardBusiness.org. I believe I'm running into the dreaded mistake #3 "Failing to Link Strategic Planning with Strategic Execution".

Xbox 3 flashing red lights... Again!

Eric Johnson — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:29:48 GMT

My son informed me yesterday that we have the notorious 3 flashing red lights on our Xbox 360. This is the third time in three years that we've had this problem.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907534

I called Xbox support, initiated a repair order, and will be waiting another month before my son can play it again. I'm amazed by the lack of quality hardware in the Xbox. Fortunately they keep repairng it at no cost to me, but I'm getting tired of annual repairs.

Google thinks I'm a virus

Eric Johnson — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:12:22 GMT

I was searching for information on SAAS and ASP on goolge tonight. For some reason google thinks I'm a virus... I think they need to double check their logic.

Google

Error

We're sorry...

... but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application. To protect our users, we can't process your request right now.

We'll restore your access as quickly as possible, so try again soon. In the meantime, if you suspect that your computer or network has been infected, you might want to run a virus checker or spyware remover to make sure that your systems are free of viruses and other spurious software.

If you're continually receiving this error, you may be able to resolve the problem by deleting your Google cookie and revisiting Google. For browser-specific instructions, please consult your browser's online support center.

If your entire network is affected, more information is available in the Google Web Search Help Center.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope we'll see you again on Google.

To continue searching, please type the characters you see below:

Google's Amazing Crawler

Eric Johnson — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:24:37 GMT

Wow, just 30 minutes after posting about my continuing education... that blog entry showed up in my google search results. Obviously, this wasn't helpful in my search for old articles that I've posted, but it amazed me that their crawler picked it up already!

Continuing Education

Eric Johnson — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:44:36 GMT

I finally took the plunge and decided to go back to school to get a bachelors degree. My only real purpose at this point is to get the paper so that I can stop fighting against HR every time I get a job. Plus, the only non-lateral career paths for me at this point are Director and above, which typically require a Masters degree. Perhaps I’m destined to fight with HR until I get that illustrious Masters degree. L

On a related note…

As part of my continued education, I’m required to write an admissions essay. Part of the essay requires a section about research so I’ve been scouring the Internet for old articles that I’ve written. Surprisingly, I wasn’t able to find any of my old C# Help articles, but I did find a code project article where someone referenced a news group posting that I made in 2003!

Thoughts on life after Microsoft

Eric Johnson — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:06:19 GMT

Overall my family, friends, and I are pleased with my new job. We’ve actually been able to use my travel points to take real vacations (New Orleans, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando). My wife often reminds me that I hadn’t taken any vacation or sick time since I entered consulting 5 years ago.

Things are OK at work. Like most that leave MS, I get frustrated with the manusha of the corporate world. However, my experience over the last year as an Enterprise Architect has been worthwhile. My breadth in all vendors products and technology strategy has increased. I’m especially glad that I pushed for the position and level that I did (top architect, reporting to directors).

From a career perspective, I do feel like I’ve slowed down a bit (no trail blazing, no industry recognition, little contact with industry leaders, etc). However, I’ve always been overly career focused and have the credentials jump back into the fast lane once my family is ready. In addition to quitting MS, I also quit community which contributes greatly to my career slow down. No more INETA, user groups, regional notoriety, presenting/speaking (except work of course), etc. In fact, my old technical contacts tell me often that I fell off the face of the earth when I joined MS… but my friends and family actually get to see me now.

What I miss… The bad of my new job

Outlook and Smart Phone connectivity - We use notes L

Less meetings - Everyone wants me in their meeting and I have little time to do my work

Control of my own schedule - Meetings, working remotely, nobody checking to see if my office light is on

Working with bright individuals that perform (little dead weight for the most part)

Modern work styles and concepts – Things I got used to are now radical culture shifts

MS 100% coverage 0% co-pay Benefits

UBI bonus

What I don’t miss… The good of my new job

No Time tracking - my level is just considered overhead, so I don’t charge to projects

No Status Reports - I drive toward annual goals instead of weekly ones

Not getting thrown under the bus or overly scrutinized

Able to take vacation - at least without financial (UBI) penalty

Coming home every night, watching my kids events, helping out at home

Lite travel to conferences, vendors, etc. No more living in the airport, but still get out of Cedar Rapids

Weekdays events with friends and co-workers. Someone to grab a beer, movie, golf, etc with

Noticing and utilizing new businesses, restaurants, etc that pop up (i.e. not being disconnected with my home town)

Key factors I’m glad I considered

Work life balance

The right level

The right position

Leaving on good terms

Key factors I wish I’d considered

Missing a 1 year of the review cycle (i.e. factor in a raise)

In summary, I suppose I miss MS, but not MCS at all. J

The Evolution of the Web

Eric Johnson — Wed, 21 May 2008 08:40:14 GMT

The following graphic is my attempt to define the evolution of the web in a graphical manner.

My user groups lessons learned and recommendations (dup from my MSDN blog)

Eric Johnson — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 02:05:45 GMT

My local .NET user group (CRINETA) has had a bumpy road recently after loosing several key contributers. I stepped down as leader of the group around 10 months ago. Since then, I've tried to stay involved the group through email, but I'm typically unavailable to attend meetings. The information below are some of the lessons learned during my 3 years running the user group. I hope that other user group leaders find this information helpful.

Associations
There are many International and National organizations out there to with the sole purpose of supporting user groups. For a .NET user group, make sure your user group is registered with INETA and Codezone. A few other organizations that I know of are PASS and Cullumis

Sponsorship
This is an area that many groups struggle with however, it's actually pretty easy to obtain SWAG, funding, etc from sponsors. Associations often provide a quartley kit of SWAG for their members, however that isn't typically enough for a thriving user group. To really keep the SWAG and funding rolling in, you need to contact companies directly. Most companies have user group programs that are free to join, and they're always looking for new members. These companies are typically 3rd-partly software shops, development magazines, book publishers, local businesses and local consluting companies. For a list of known user group sponsors see the INETA User Group Specials page.

Once you've obtained your sponsorship the question of "where to draw the line" always come up. Many sponsors will give you their expectations up front, however local businesses and consulting companies are a differnt breed. I heard mixed opinions about user groups involvement with local companies. My personal view is that it's that they can be one of the best resources for a user group, but you must know where to draw the line to avoid conflicts with sponsors and your members.

Marketing
This a is key element to starting and maintaining a user group. Sponsors and local businesses play a key role in marketing a user group. Not only will they invest in community but they'll promote their investmest. Some common marketing techniques are word of mouth, flyers, and mass emails. Other approaches that I've found useful are advertising at local venues that attract a technical target audieance (movies theatres, gaming events, best buy, etc). Also, make sure you utilize your existing membership to advertise the user group. Ask them to post your flyer at their business or run a bring a buddy campain. You can reward their contribution with additional prize raffles.

Topics & Speakers
Topic selection and communicaiton can make or break a user group. Poll your membership often on their satisfaction with the group and topic selection. Ask for topic suggestions and guest speakers. If you're struggling with feedback, the safe bet is to present on the latest technologies. Lastly, you can also lookup/contact other groups in your region to see what topics they're presenting. This can often help both group since they may have talented speakers, but they've already covered their subject matter with their local group. In this sceneria a speaker exchange typically serves both group well and give the speaker more a wider audiance.

User group in my region are:

Cedar Rapids - CRINETA
Des Moines - IowaDNUG
Minneapolis - TwinCities.NET
Omaha - FunWith.NET
South Dakota - Code Prairie
Wisconsin - Wi-ineta

If you're not aware of other user groups in your area, you can also look them up on the INETA website.