In an earlier post, I discussed the merits and deficiencies around using the * syntax in a SELECT statement. I have been using this topic as a way to bring up lively discussions while doing database tools demos for our SQL and Oracle customers. I must admit I am extremely dismayed by the amount of Senior level folks who do not understand why this is not an ideal way to write queries. In a lot…
One of the downsides to moving off the Apple technology platform for your mobile device is not being able to use iTunes to mange your media content on said mobile device. Enter doubleTwist! I have received two recommendations to try out the program after bemoaning the ‘drag and drop’ methodology of synching content to my new Android device. It is interesting to note that the Verizon reps are being trained to push people to doubleTwist.…
After waiting nearly six weeks to receive my Incredible, I can honestly say it WAS worth the wait. Updated: Friday, July 16, 2010 Two Weeks Later… I have had very few problems with the phone and have been able to successfully navigate around them. The very first problem was with activation. Phone would not activate on its own. First Verizon support guy would not activate my phone. Second Verizon support guy, Chris, did activate it…
Tradeshows, user groups, conferences, seminars are all used by vendors to meet with customers and hopefully increase the chance of a sale in the near future. I have been working these types of events since 1999. In that time, I have never seen a vendor resort to playing a feature length movie on the big screen in order to draw customers into their booth. For the past 2 hours I have been watching Avatar in…
Updated 3/16/2014, Full disclosure: I picked up a 13″ MacBook Air this week I’m not sure I want it anymore. No, I do still want one, but the annoying voice in the back of my head has all but shut up. I know what you’re thinking, somewhere an angel has just lost it’s wings because I’m being selfish. As a professional geek, I’m supposed to buy this stuff and talk about it to everyone I…
Time. I finally have some ‘free’ time. I have chosen to spend this time wisely. Instead of being reactive to e-mails, phone calls, IMs, tweets, pokes, etc, I am going to get serious about my book. The book has been inside my head for several years now, and I feel comfortable enough with the story to put it into words. My goal is to have it available freely to any and all people who need…
We went from ‘Full of Food, Myself, and _______’ to ‘140,000 Characters or Less’ – hopefully an obvious tongue-in-cheek reference to Twitter. I’m not 100% happy with this title either, but I also recognize the futility of spending multiple brain cycles trying to come up with something catchy, and probably at the end of the day do nothing to bring people to my blog. So, I’m going to focus on content, content, and whatever makes…
You know the drill: an email from your manager is inviting you to attend a dog-and-pony show for the latest widget some company has added to their best software product ever. The invite goes into your calendar and don’t think about it again until your screen starts flashing 5 minutes prior to start time. So, you head over to the conference room/LiveMeeting/WebEx/GoToMeeting, sit down, and prepare to zone out for the next hour or so.…
I think it’s safe to say that the Twitter hashtag #SQLHELP has been an unqualified success. Why do our SQL Server friends have such a vibrant community on Twitter while us Oracle folks seem to be a bit resistant to all of this Web2.0 stuff? That’s largely a rhetorical question, although my gut tells me it’s a generation/age gap issue… Anyway, I’m making it my personal mission to bring a similar construct to the Oracle…
It might seem to the casual observer that I’m new to this whole blogging thing. Here it is almost half-way through 2010 and this Jeff Smith joker is just now starting his blog. I’ve been blogging since July 2007, and you’re more than welcome to read my old posts on my old home if you’d like to catch up. I suppose I should explain why I’ve decided after almost 3 years to start my own…